projects

I've been involved with so many past projects - hundreds - but I'll keep posting them here as and when I have a moment, or if someone asks specifically...

Talking Heads

an on-line community for all English headteachers - the world's first - a Scottish and Welsh version followed too.

Here is the "about talking heads" CD we gave to all headteachers to get them started in this world leading community, at the end of the last century. Lots more on this to follow. Complete with little videos messages from Tony Blair et al. And a walkthrough of the Think.com software we designed with Oracle. Also a few research papers - def worth a read:

Talking Heads detailed report | Talking Heads short report | archiving and summarising in on-line communities | national professional qualification for hadship report

Chestnet

I'm very proud to have created and nurtured the Notschool.net project for more than 11 years from 1998 - 2009 (he idea actually dates from 1997) - initially as Project Director and eventually as Chair of Trustees of the Inclusion Trust charity we set up to run it.

Today, after more than a decade I have parted from chairing the Trust - philosophically they are now heading in a direction I don't favour, so have stepped down, with some sadness... Maybe this should be here under Paradise Lost too?

But these web pages at http://history.notschool.net narrate the birth of the project and the many unsung heroes who turned it into something with so much potential - there is much still to learn from those pioneering early years.

"X" (we called it "times")

random bits

A talk to the Association of Calculating machines group, at Milton Keynes, 12th October 1995. Here are the notes. I tried to identify some of the major players in the game of Information Superhighways. In each case I offered the Ostrich's "Head in the sand" position and the wiser "Eyes on the horizon" position. Obviously on the night this was fleshed out anecdotally.

Will you allow me to be a bit smug about how accurate the future gazing was?

Effective, Exciting and Evolutionary ICT Provision in Schools. Standards for Education Conference. 23nd Feb 1999. A mass of little things: common sense things you already knew, two contrasting future scenarios... etc

21st C coaching

Gatsby talk 1998

Movie stars and digital video

IL95

Now, I'm quite proud of this. "Stage 4: Is not really a discrete stage at all, it is a reflection of the previous three stages as the climate of expectation starts people talking about entitlement and participation rather than consumption. Tell this one to the cable operators and watch them pale!" and so on... pretty much bang on the money as they say.

Back in 1995 - at IL95 Interactive Learning in Edinburgh, the www was barely just begun and the era of multimedia was in full swing - I addressed the conference with a closing address and these are my summary notes posted onto the www for everyone afterwards, including a link for mailed comments. Very 21st century really...

Paradise lost

A Grid Club for all

a University for Industry?

When Gordon Brown walked off a platform having given a speech he uttered the throughaway line that "there really ought to be a University for Industry" and an exciting concept, potentially, was born.

At Ultralab we were asked to run the on-line pilot - project leader Leonie Ramondt's exceptional OnLine Learning Network was the result. Sunderland University ran a face to face pilot.

Good practice for the Standards Task Force

the BBC's future

Well, we tried. Fascinating paper this - internal to the BBC (certainly was well received by the DG and was on his desk for some time)... but, well they dropped the ball I guess. Recommendations, where shall the BBC go?

• Shaping the learning futures;
• seizing the technology initiative;
• accreditation;
• and finally "The BBC too is facing a radical assault from alternatives rather than competitors..." oh dear.

Millie Mail 2 (one mail per pupil) 1997