audiomo day 1
Audio Dots
Over the past few months (and even one or two recordings from last year) I’ve been talking to my phone and trying to capture some of the thoughts that have been trickling through my mind as I come to terms with the big move. Generally I press the red button when I get off a bus and walk home, just using the hands free mic on my headphones, but I’m interested in polishing these up and adding some music so that they become “proper” podcasts.
Bridges and Tunnels
Wow, where to start? This time last year we were in Wales spending Christmas with family, Sharon and I were up at her sister’s house whilst the boys played with cousins. I wrote a job application for a post that, to be honest, I didn’t know much about, just that it sounds interesting. Why not? might at least get a trip to Pittsburgh out of it.
Soon after heading to sunny Austin, just about escaping freak February snow to catch my flight in London, I’m in Pittsburgh for an afternoon and a day. I’m meeting staff, and students, presenting and interviewing before spinning out of the door into a waiting car to take me back to the UK. I spend longer at Washington Dulles Airport on the tarmac as the plane fixes electrical problems. Solution – turn it all off and on again.
A week goes by and I start to think it might not happen, the next morning the email comes through with the offer. After a torrid week thinking about everything, we are talked out – you can’t fathom the “what if’s” and “how’s and why’s” we churn through. We talk to friends, family, and neighbors. We are drained and exhausted, we say yes.
The rest of the summer was a blur of trips to the tip, the end of work, emotions flying, ups and downs, eager anticipation, anxiety, and excitement. We paint the house and lay new carpets, we do the jobs we’d needed to do years ago and watch as a big van takes our remaining possessions away. We camp out in an empty house with no curtains, finishing the last few jobs, ready for tenants.
I flew by way of Amsterdam and Keflavik to arrive the first week in August and stayed in carefully tidied houses, meeting friendly outgoing people, enjoying bright sunshine, walked tired and slightly dazed by the past few months. Jet-lag keeps you in a sort of dream state so that don’t know what’s going on, and I felt unsettled, detached, self-diagnosed culture shock. Everything is different, in this place. That and walking up hills or down steep roads.
I went about my jobs preparing for the family to arrive, the process of getting an address to get a phone, getting a bank account, getting a card, to transfer money. I spent a few weeks at work in a glimmering new building, just as the final wiring was taking place. I was eager to be reunited with my family.
The first night I picked them up from the airport and took them to a flat I’d found near the school and not far from the house that we were looking forward to moving into, a disaster, unclean and un-cared for – a terrible place that had looked ok in the photos but turned out to be lousy, everyone cried to sleep that night and we abandoned in the morning, eventually getting our money back and moved into a hotel, with an outdoor pool and cable tv.
Bit by bit we’ve pieced things together, moving into our lovely house on Serpentine Drive, with its creaky wooden floors and open spaces, the deer that come and visit next door and neighbours that bring cookies and welcome chats. The boys are at school and already the seasons have changed from the sweltering summer, when our AC conked out and we poured with sweat in our beds, to the vast fall of autumn leaves, sweeping and blowing great piles onto the roadside to be collected.
We’ve got our winter clothes on now, enjoying the snow when it comes and adapting to each day, slowly collecting friends and fun places to visit, the children’s museum and science center. We’ve tasted tacos and rolled up ice cream, to better soothe the many injections and inoculations. We’ve been to dinner parties and beer tastings, in the summer we dived in the cool waves of Lake Erie, a lake-sea without salt.
Our Mount Lebanon is the same as any family here, we bump into school friends in the library, the boys play soccer in the local rec and travel teams, and we look out for changes in the weather and play table football in the basement. We wake up alone and miss our friends and family back home but speak on phones and iPads, catching up on news.
We go to work, and school and do our jobs, we relax, piece together jigsaws, paint, draw, sew and make things. It cost a great deal to come here, so we’re saving our pennies and trying to spend wisely. We love it, our adventure, especially heading out and exploring, to see the rapids and rivers of Ohiopyle or into the city through the neighbourhoods. We cross the Hot Metal Bridge and drive through Squirrel Hill to the farmers’ market in Lawrenceville, we eat soul food on East Carson Street, visit friends in Upper St.Clair.
We love visitors, so please come and share this adventure with us. There are two spare sofa beds, both comfortable and easy to assemble when you’re tired from all the doing. Every morning travelling on the bus or driving through the Liberty tunnel the city reveal blows you away, as you barrel across one of the many bridges, the downtown skyline ahead of me, the skyscrapers and stadiums of the city.
Salt and Cold.
I really struggled through the winter to emerge relieved that finally I don’t have to cope with the awfulness of arriving at work in the dark and heading home in the dark. Perhaps I should have taken a little more holiday and enjoyed some beautiful crisp winter days so that the nights and gloom could be better endured.
Who wouldn’t benefit from more daylight? Perhaps as has been suggested, we should help teenagers out and start school later at 10 or 11am as they struggle with sleep deprivation and anxiety. Likewise primary schools should open a little earlier and provide breakfast, setting them up for a good day ahead.
In the last year I’ve taken up sea swimming, but recently a lack of courage, fortitude and daylight have limited how often I’ve driven down to the beach. When I do manage a dip over a weekend I can feel the tension of the week released from my body, my bones easing, emerging fresh and awake. I love the taste of salt and cold and it feels terrific warming up and standing on the shore looking out.
Books I’m reading pt3
I don't think it would be fair to create a "Books I've Read" post when really this is the line up of what's ahead and I've only just scratched the surface. That isn't to say that that reading hasn't ticked over, in fact it's been quite steady over the past few months.
There's more than a hint of "A curious incident" in Kim Slater's "Smart", but just like the central character Kieran it captivated and surprised me. It's tough seeing the story unfold through Kieran's eyes, especially in moments of sadness and violence which he relates in a straightforward way, we the reader can see the damage that's really being done and perhaps his resilience and determination aren't as buried in his psyche as we think.
I had the wonderful pleasure to go swimming with author Philip Hoare and I took his wonderful book "The Sea Inside" to Almeria with me. In a lovely moment of serendipity, I've recently started to take dips in the Solent with The Shack Sharks, a swimming community based around Hillhead and Stokes Bay. I've been to a few friday night swims, the stress of work simply falls aways as you lower your body into the water. I've been in when it's calm and when it's choppy and the wave slaps your face and leaves you with a red cheek. I cut my foot on my first swim and came home with my skin burning with salt and seaweed in my hair, I feel absolutely alive after I've been in.
During my time at University in London I always felt a little guilty that I didn't know more about the streets that I was walking down and history in every tile and brick. I've enjoyed reading "The Sea Inside" the stories of the Solent and Isle of Wight, I particularly like the passages about birds including ravens and seagulls which I'd previously dismissed as rodent and uninteresting. I'm into the chapters about whales and living every moment like I was swimming alongside, it's as close as I could imagine.
I took three books with me on holiday but only read Philip's. I did dip into "Poems of the Decade" after reading the excellent "Forward Book of Poetry 2015". I was moved to tears by some of these poems especially that of Kevin Powers who's novel "The Yellow Birds" has been ordered.
I have a short-list of books for the next few months.
The Circle by Dave Eggers
Rings of Saturn by W.B Sebold (on Philip Hoare's recommendation)
Imagining Reality – The Faber Book of Documentary edited by Mark Cousins and Kevin Macdonald
The Breakaway by Nicole Cooke
A couple of other things to mention, had a lovely return to The Badger Press last month and great to see the place in such rude health. The website has been updated and there are even a few prints for sale in the shop.
Lastly I should mention Mark Cousins' A Story of Children and Film which was a wonderful treat, exploring cinema by way of the emotions and behaviours of Cousins' niece and nephew as they play a marble run. When we were very young we saw ourselves in family Super 8 movies, then tape and now digital, we're all a product of film, watching ourselves and recording our lives so that we're shaped and changed by what we see.
Darkness and Light
This week the events in Paris have shocked and horrified, citizens have gathered together to pay homage and stand in solidarity against an attack on freedom of speech and democracy.
I have a strong belief that education is one of the most important pillars supporting a successful democracy, that learning provides equality and understanding. The freedom to speak freely is a right that we have to use or else we will lose it. The blunt tool used to silence only served to make louder.
Four new MOOCs from Futurelearn are launching in the next few weeks and I've been guided to them by Class Central which is fast becoming the central aggregation point for free online learning, bringing together courses from Edx, Coursera, Futurelearn and other providers. This is an excellent site that offers up a huge range of courses and also provides reflection on the success and strategy of online learning.
Cory Doctorow (yes, that one) is your guide for An Introduction to Cyber Security, and along with Arosha Bandara presents what might be a dry subject in an open and useful way. The humour associated with Doctorow's work helps to move things along as this course promises to introduce you to the ethical issues and concerns that the sector deals in, as well as some practical advice to make life safer online.
I have to say that I signed up to Explore Filmmaking almost right away, this course from the National Film and Television School isn't just for budding Spielbergs and Scorsese's, it establishes principles which everyone involved in the production of moving image will find useful. The NFTS is able to lean on its incredible stable of BAFTA winning talent, including Mike Figgis, director of Leaving Las Vegas, Timecode and Internal Affairs. Figgis wrote Digital Filmmaking which still stands as one of the most useful and insightful pieces of writing about low budget cinema anyone has written. This is a treat and I can't wait for it to start.
Finally there are two MOOCs which might shed light on corporate responsibility and developing new technologies that reduce the impact on this poor old planet of our. Sustainability for Professionals from the University of Bath will provide important theories and understanding for businesses looking at the impact of their work. Sustainable means safeguarding our future, so it's important that the controversies of energy politics are explored in Shale Gas and Fracking: The Politics and Science from The University of Nottingham. Sarah O'Hara and Mathew Humprey are your guides through this four week course, where the comments and discussions are sure to be lively and challenging.
Again, it's good to see MOOCs at the forefront of debate and discussion, helping to challenge our understanding of the world and as a forum for free speech and thinking.
Tackling the New Year
I'm starting what I hope will be a fortnightly review of courses that have caught my eye and which I'd like to draw your attention to. I know that many people are taking part in a what could be seen as a relatively new movement in online learning, with courses on a plethora of sites including Coursera, Futurelearn, edX as well as established hands such as the Open University and BBC.
I would like to offer some critique of courses and talk informally about the content and intentions behind the courses. Just as you would read a book review or television review, I would like to establish some informality, especially as I learn how to do this properly.
In truth I've been really enjoying the reviews published in the newspaper, especially Miranda Sawyer's this week in radio. I keep thinking that there's a space for something similar that offers some guidance and thought about new courses and learning. Recently I wondered if taking part in a FutureLearn MOOC might be akin to the immersive experience of consuming the episodes of a box set.
A common resolution, as we contemplate the year ahead is to take a course in a subject that might offer shed some light on current issues and our approach to tackling them. Ebola in Context: Understanding Transmission, Response and Control at FutureLearn from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine will be unflinching and necessary if we're to gain a better understanding about the crisis that is continuing to unfold across the world.
Although the course is billed for medical professionals, exploring the context around the recent outbreak will offer insight and a rational overview. Included in the steps are interviews with those on the front line and Professor Peter Piot: Director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, co-discoverer of the Ebola virus and Chair of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) scientific committee on Ebola.
An interesting accompaniment might be Edinbugh University's Critical Thinking in Global Challenges via Coursera offers the opportunity to learn important skills using real world scenarios. Dr. Celine Caquineau is a Biomedical Scientist so it's a given that disease control will come up and you'll be invited to tackle the complex ethical and philosophical issues that will arise from discussion.
Both these courses offer a great deal in terms of engagement, as learning takes place as much across the comments and online social interactions. The Science of Happiness from UC BerkeleyX on edX might offer some respite but be warned it looks like it too aims to unwrap your defenses and get you asking difficult questions, albeit ones that might offer clues to greater happiness.
Books I have read pt2
I think it's been one of the more successful years in terms of book reading although a few days ago I read a feature in the newspaper of reader recommendations, one contributor began "..of the 100 books I've read this year." I spluttered on my coffee and spoit a clean t-shirt. In my estimations that's around 8 and a bit books a month, 1.85 books a week. Blimey. I can imagine one day that would be a rewarding challenge, like L'Etape or the Great North Run. I might not have enough brain to cope though, my head might explode.
So, by far the most rewarding read has been On Fire by Larry Brown which was honest and heartbreaking. I loved the economy of language, a habit probably picked up by the need to work at speed, with precision and empathy. The hardest part of being a firefighter must surely be the conversations you have with victims trapped in cars, keeping them alert and distracted as the team work around them. There are many last breathes and the lies you tell people are a kindness and an unflinching compassion. "We spray the water in a clockwise motion, because that's the way the world spins…" I also didn't know that steam puts fire out, not water. Water stops fire from spreading and cools temperatures so that they don't re-ignite.
I also finished The World Made Straight by Ron Rash which I also really enjoyed and I'm going to look out for the film version and also Serena which is an adaptation of another of his books. I can see the temptation of turning them into film, as they lend themselves so easily but I won't think of them as any more than an aside.
I have a few new books for the next few months.
We are all completely beside ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler
Ayoade on Ayoade by Richard Ayoade
Sky's the Limit by Richard Moore
Amulet by Roberto Bolano
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
I've been attempting to read a Roberto Bolano novel for years, 2066 is by reputation the one to go for, but I sense I'll need an introduction.
All these books should keep me busy, I have a feeling there are few more which I haven't included and my wish list is growing daily. Again, apologies for the Amazon links and in order to assuage my guilt I'm providing a link to a brilliant October Books in Southampton which you should really visit and support.
Make Learning
It's already been seven months since my move from FE to HE, it's been an interesting change and I've crossed cultures and codes. The aims remain the same though, to ensure that the student experience is exceptional. I've been working with academic teams to create resources that they can use in their teaching and to encourage more blended and flipped learning.
In a Russel Group University, research is central to activity and the challenge is to ensure education is given equal status, the thinking being that research and education should be closer allies, one informing the other, the other feeding back. I sometimes hear that the gap between high level research and education is too far apart to be relevant, but that's not always the case. I also hear that teaching in HE isn't like other teaching. I'm not sure how helpful it is to think in these terms.
Amongst academic teams I'm meeting are individuals who care very deeply about the student experience, they're looking at exciting and innovative new ways to engage their learners, increasing the use of new technology, using students as co-creators and collaborators, challenging conventional curriculum design and making learning fun.
One of the ways we're promoting blended learning is in the creation of a series of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) which we've launched through Future Learn with the most recent "Understanding Language Learning" reaching thousands and providing new opportunities for the institution, in teaching, recruitment and research. I work with dedicated colleagues, supportive of each other and keen to do well.
I'm working hard to establish my networks and talk to colleagues across institutions about the work they're undertaking. I'm working with a colleague on a new podcast #FBKSoton and I'm using twitter to chat and make good connections, would recommend #LTHEChat on Wednesday evenings between 8-9pm.
I should also add that I'm not burning my bridges with FE and I'm totally signed up to the aims of #TMconnectED who meet frequently to share best practice across all sectors, from primary to HE. The recent TeachMeet at Gilbert White's House has been captured here via Storify. A wonderful evening of teacher CPD, opportunity to share experience and ideas.
So, it's been a busy start, it's really interesting to see what can be achieved when the pressure isn't constricting, I'm hugely excited about the prospects ahead and I know that i've made a good move.
