A few years ago, a friend sent me an invitation to join him on a social network and start something called a blog. I signed up and my first post, “The purpose of a system is what is does” set the metaphoric tone for my ideas and thoughts that will fill this space. Essentially, I think many students are square pegs that we try to put into round holes (my personal schooling experience included). I think we have a lot still to learn about education and learning, and I also think that technology might provide some bridges to help make effective pedagogy come faster, and easier.
With this in mind I now move ‘pair-a-dimes’ to it’s new and final home. It started at elgg.net which was confusing to some since elgg is an open source software platform as well as an open source blogging platform. So the name was changed to Eduspaces.net. Now Eduspaces will be managed by Taking it Global – and we were told the address would change again. Today I checked to confirm the new address and low-and-behold, Eduspaces is being kept in tact… too little, too late to keep me there! On the bright side, my old links will stay live.
So here I am, making the move out on my own. I am using a WordPress publishing platform hosted by BlueHost. I’ve had some issues with transferring my blog and so now I will move my blog post-by-post over to this site. I’m taking advantage of this ‘problem’ by reading, reflecting, (and fixing old links) as I go.
Once again, I bring you my thoughts and reflections on education, technology & learning. I invite you to join in the conversation and add your ‘couple of dimes worth’. Or, challenge yourself to use technology in a transformative way in your classroom. Or, ask yourself why we are stuck in a paradigm that suggests changes to education need to be slow and progressive? Be part of the conversation, be part of the solution, be an active learner who shares ideas with others. Do so, and I thank you for contributing to my learning!
Dave.
Think Good Thoughts,
Say Good Words,
Do Good Deeds.
Dave, the new home of “pair a dimes” looks so elegant!
The old one meant a lot to me last year. I read posts which were really enlightening, which broadened my mind making me think on new possibilities I had never thought about.
I agree with you when you say that schools try to fit students into a matrix. Too often they just won’t fit and they are regarded as a failure. This needs to change. I still don’t know to what extent technology will play its part in this change. What I know is that it certainly gives students more possibilities than the limited ones they had before, when we, teachers, could build a wall around their access to knowledge.
I also know that when we start to use technology we start to question ourselves about our practice in general, and that’s the beginning of a change. And certainly our global network is providing new perspectives. But educational institutions tend to be conservative. Institutional changes will surely be slow. However, that shouldn’t prevent us from changing. We’ll always find gaps.
Best of luck in your new home. Is there a ritual for blog lauching? Like breaking a bottle of champagne against the screen? no, I don’t think that would be a good idea.
Thank you Gabriela!
I obviously need to work out a few kinks yet… like setting up alerts to let me know that I have a comment:-)
The only blog launching ritual I can think of is celebrating my first comment! A blog is only an online journal until there is interaction and engagement between writer and reader, as participants in a ‘learning conversation’.
You have been someone I owe thanks to, for both following my blog, and being my teacher as well. There is a still-unwritten post on ‘Netiquette’ that you have inspired me to write. But first, I have some reading, reflecting, and posting to do in order to bring my current, and hopefully final, blog location up to date.
Thanks again for contributing the first comment on my new blog!
Dave