The Secret Powers of Time

My friend Sara, who lives in Sant Pere des Ribes near Barcelona, sent me this fascinating video. Made by Prof Philip Zimbardo from Stanford University, the presentation makes a case for why we need digital classrooms - but it is so much more than that. It gives a very different angle on cultural, social and religious responses to 'time'. This might sound unrelated, but the 'medium is the message' as McLuhan was fond of saying!!!

Check it out for yourself - The Secret Powers of Time.

Thanks for sharing Sara!

Early morning run

Early this morning I was getting my kit on to go down to the hotel gym to pound the treadmill – when I suddenly thought ... what are you doing? Why don’t you go for a run outside? It’s a bit of a no-brainer – early morning in Kigali is lovely, cool and clear and sweet-smelling, all earthy and green. I ran around the dirt rounds between the hotel and my old house, passing Harvey & Helga’s house and the place where Paul used to live. It was great to be outside in the cool sunshine (it’s going in to winter here) and get my runners covered in red dust.

I saw lots of children going to school and lots of children not going to school, hauling huge jerry cans of water or big bundles of wood for the fire on their heads. There were people everywhere (as ever) and several big trucks passed me, spewing vile diesel fumes. The biggest change I noticed from when I used to run these dirt roads – is that I was not followed by a gang of giggling and jostling kids calling muzungu, muzungu! (white foreigner). Maybe they see so many muzungus now that we are no longer sport.

I had such a great time, bouncing over the bumps and holes in the roads, trying not to slip as I ran down steep slopes with lose stones and just enjoying the feeling of being there – that I ran far too far and suddenly realised I was completely worn out – then I had to walk back! Now my legs feel like lead and I’m not sure how I got back up three flights of stairs to my hotel room. The joys of life!

elearning Africa Conference

The eLearning Africa conference www.elearning-africa.com was a mixed bag of stimulating discussion, meeting old friends, making new contacts, African ‘organisation’ and rushing around trying to get to hear all the presentations I’d marked on the programme.

My colleague (from Botswana) George & I, co-presented at the ICT in TVET Summit, held jointly by COL and UNESCO-UNEVOC. We presented the new Flexible Skills Development Initiative that we are working on together with colleagues from TVET institutions in Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. George shared some interesting ideas on quality in TVET and his PPT is in great demand.

We sponsored some ladies who work in TVET from Botswana, Kenya, Zambia and Namibia – and they all made the most of the experience. Luckily, one of them won a new mobile phone in a Microsoft business card draw – that was great! There were more than 1000 people there from all over the continent discussing a huge range of emerging issues in elearning. As always, I missed more than I saw/heard, but I especially enjoyed sessions on mobile learning and open education resources. Shuttleworth Foundation are doing interesting things in literacy with mobiles – i f0rt it was gr8, cuz itz new 2 me! I heard a keynote presentation from Gilly Salmon, whose work I have admired for some years. She told us about the Media Zoo at Leicester University – where lecturers can go to learn and experiment with new teaching and learning technologies. That reminded me that we have a Second Life account and it's about time that I went there to see if we can use it for skills development courses. There was also a rockin’ Bishop from the Gambia who uses Twitter, Facebook, blogs and all the social media to communicate with young people in his diocese.

I met loads of people that I used to work with in Zambia, but also colleagues from Rwanda & UK and new friends from Nigeria that I only met a few weeks ago. It’s gr8 (sorry!) to hear that the groundwork in distance education which we did in Zambia about 6 years ago is standing them in good stead now. I met someone from the Open University of Catalunya - which is a virtual university based in Barcelona - lots of good stuff going on there with the Campus for Peace and we may be able to collaborate with them.

All in all a worthwhile trip – next year we go to Tanzania. Sorry, no pics – I didn’t even get my camera out of my bag. Josiane from UNEVOC promised to share hers with me.

sad story of Jamaica

Before I went to Jamaica, my impression of Kingston was one of violence, drugs and gang rule. If you are a regular reader of V-F-V then you will know that my experience was not like that at all and was very positive.

Now I see in the news that the streets are being ruled by gangs, people are getting killed and the authorities have little authority. All because the US wants a drug lord extradited. The people are protecting him because he provides for them in a way that the government does not. But he does so with money earned by selling drugs to users in the US. It is yet another example of the steps this world is taking towards anarchy and ultimately an apocalypse.

I am thinking of my friends Anita, Gordon, Jeanette, Halden in Kingston. I hope and I trust that they are safe.

Next stop Lusaka, Zambia

I’m on my way to Zambia and then Rwanda – last planned trip for some time (apart from the train journey across the Canadian Rockies – but that’s another story!)

In Zambia we are working with the Ministry to develop national policy that will help technical colleges to introduce more flexible delivery methods into their programmes. The aim is to help increase access to technical and vocational training. We are supporting a national stakeholders’ meeting to discuss a draft policy and strategic framework development by my friend George Herd. We worked together in Botswana for 3 years.

We are both attending the eLearning Africa conference. First we have a pre-conference workshop on ICT in TVET where both George & I are presenting – and we have to manage group work with 80 participants! We will be launching the new COL Flexible Skills Development Initiative – which we are piloting in Zambia, Kenya and Nigeria. Then we get to just enjoy the conference. It will be a huge gathering of people involved in all forms of elearning in Africa. I hope to meet some interesting people and learn about their experiences .... exciting times!

Nigeria is SO Africa ... but SO full on. It's like everything I've experienced in Africa in the past 13 years - all at the same time. Everything is very familiar to me but there is just so much of it. I can't begin to describe the number of people, the cars, the mile after mile.

I was taken to a market today and it went on and on, stall after stall, dark alleyways, drains, steps and bumps, holes in the ground ... water, people ... school children, stall holders, shoppers, barrow boys .... the colours, the fabrics, plastic and tin ... smells, drains and fruit and sweat and heat ... sounds, music, laughing, calling out to me ... Obiyo, Obiyo (muzungu in Kiswahili) We were only there for about 15 minutes because it was just too intense.

I have to be on the road in 8 hours and I still need to sleep and finish about 4 emails and pack 2 suitcases and a backpack ... better get on with it.

Had a great final day at the workshop today – haven’t read the evaluation forms but they said some very nice things about me and the work we’ve done together & I think I’ve helped them to get where they’re going. They held a party for me and there was dancing and singing and we’ve had a lot of laughter this week – so that must be good! Nigerians are really the most hospitable people and good fun to boot!

BTW - I wrote this last night but the power went off so I'm posting it from Lagos airport - and this version of Blogger comes from an arabic country - so all the commands are in arabic. I didn't think I'd be able to sign in - until I realised it reads right to left - then I guessed and found the right button - yay!

International consultant? Pah!

Post script to yesterday’s post – now there’s a mixture of ancient and modern language – does it make sense?

After seeing the fatal accident and the style of driving here, I now know why Nigerians always wish you ’journey mercies’ when you are travelling! I thought they were just being polite and hospitable ... but I think they mean it.

My years spent living in Rwanda have prepared me well for my work. I’ve learned to wash when there is water, read when there is light ... sleep when there isn’t! I know how to flush a toilet when there’s no running water and how to bathe when I only have a bucket. There is a geyser in my room and it has a red light on it – but I’ve yet to find out how to get the water out!

Last night I had to make a pillow for my bed by wrapping some clothes in a kikoy – because the bed pillow is about 10 inches high and made of stone! I know my Red Cross friends will say I’m a softie and I don’t have to put up with anything like what they sometimes go through, especially when they are in disaster management situations, but ....

My evening meal has just arrived and the toasted sandwich I ordered seems to have mutated into a plate of chips with tomato ketchup ... ah well, be grateful for small mercies – at least I have food. And I’m sure there’s a bar of chocolate somewhere about my baggage!

And I'm grateful to have internet ... even if it is a wet piece of string ... I have strategies for blogging in developing countries too. After losing so many posts because the power goes just as you hit 'publish' - I've learned to write my posts in Word before I put them on the blog - yay!

And I love being here in Africa even if Nigeria puts a whole different spin on it ... am I weird or something? I’ll still be glad to get home though ... especially as the wrinklies (aka my parents) will arrive in Vancouver next week. They’re on their way to Toronto first to visit Niagra Falls – thanks Danielle, I owe you plenty ... then they come to us. Look out Canada!