Robin Hoyle's Blog

I’ve recently been switched on to the writings of Clay Shirky, internet commentator and all round good egg. If he’s new to you, check out this as one example, http://www.shirky.com/herecomeseverybody/2008/04/looking-for-the-mouse.html but there’s loads more at www.shirky.com.

 A friend of mine is a tech wizard. In fact so sought after are his skills that he is called upon by major corporations to resolve network issues which have taxed those with enormous brains and the sallow complexions of those whose dedication to computers means they rarely experience daylight.

The election is well and truly on. I have searched in vain for mention from any of the main parties of a clear strategy or even just a set of ideas around the need for training to be a central part of the nation’s recovery from recent economic turmoil. Fixated on the vagaries of the financial markets, once again business has been equated with finance and money.

I was talking with a couple of people from education the other day. One of them recounted the tale of trying to teach basic biology to a group of first year college students. She had asked them to draw the structure of a cell and label the constituent parts. One group dutifully got on with the task in hand, but another group rebelled. These rather bolshie 16 and 17 year olds couldn’t understand why they needed to draw an image they could easily search for on Google and paste into their homework.

I was at the learning technologies show last week, speaking about web 2.0 applications and staffing an exhibition stand with my Infinity colleagues. What an interesting couple of days.