Map of walk to ExCeL, Adobe at Olympia #LT14UK #BETT2014

I am trying not to rush to making too many points. There will be more in Feb. Too much going on around BETT and Learning Technology.

I have done two diagrams that help me to think about this. I used to head straight for the Adobe stand at such events but they have gradually moved online. You have to check the things that are not there and try to keep them in mind. Apple left a while ago. So much missing from BETT. This time in Olympia there is an #Adobe cafe. Reminds me of the last time they were at BETT. Smaller space without actually vanishing.

I still want to find a way to walk from King's Cross to ExCel. As I am usually in Exeter I have a good mental map of how the city fits together. ExCel is out of range somehow. See previous posts for the route from King's Cross to the White Building near the Olympic site. Then head south. For some reason the lower part of the River Lea is harder to follow. You may need to go to Limehouse and then follow the Thames. Surely they will sort this out sometime? Not before this next IPEX though.

BBC returns to BETT , no objections so far.

The BBC will return to BETT next week with a service promoting stock clips from their own archive and from NHK in Japan. 

Stephen Davies, Director, BBC Motion Gallery said, “The introduction of BBC Worldwide Learning helps strengthen our position as a leading content provider and as a partner for co-branded opportunities in the global education market.”

The business’ new website, to be launched at BETT in January 2014 will offer thousands of educational videos, from clip licensing to fully produced short form video segments, encompassing all major curriculum subject areas.

Read more: http://www.bettshow.com/page.cfm/action=Press/libID=1/libEntryID=150#ixzz2qI9ypVtU

The BBC has not attended BETT since the cancellation of JAM , an ambitious project that was cancelled after complaints from commercial competition such as the Guardian.

My guess is that the BBC is one of only a very few UK organisations capable of launching educational projects on a global basis. Unless there is another negative media campaign, BBC Worldwide Learning may devlop beyond the current scope.

Full disclosure, I still have the glass of jam they gave away at a previous BETT in another shocking waste of the licence fee.

Cambridge University Press brings the MOOC to BETT

I had thought that the MOOC idea was not reaching the higher levels of UK education. Peter Scott in the Guardian gives the impression that such things are not for the "top" universities ( see previous posts ) . But a search on BETT for MOOC comes up with a CUP course for GCSE computing developed with Raspberry Pi and OCR. As reported on the QA Education website. So a MOOC has not got to be at degree level. It might include various computer skills that people have missed out on. I guess most would benefit from checking out this site, more next week during BETT.

I have noticed that comment around Futurelearn values the contribution of MOOC courses to public education, whether or not they lead to formal qualifications. The university presses have had a similar role and may develop aspects of a book into something that crosses over with  a MOOC. I still think that some other word may crop up during this year. It is in general a way to use in education various technologies that already exist somewhere else. ( see below for more about learning)

The Institute of Continuing Education at Cambridge is using some of the technology but there are limited places and there is a charge. I tried out the sample part of the film and philosophy course. Seems ok but I'm too busy with other courses that happen to be free.

Meanwhile I found an LSE blog on making research better known that includes a post about various forms of learning.

Cristóbal Cobo sees various issues around the prospects for universal higher education

Though, as a large number of authors pointed out (Nonaka, Polanyi, Wenger, Benett, Freire, among others) learning does not only take place in formal settings. The claim for lifelong learning should not be understood as hanging around at University for ever but “learning to learn” as an ongoing process of skills and knowledge development in changing contexts. Colardyn and Bjornavold, (2004) explained that validation of non-formal and informal learning become a key aspect. Lifelong learning requires that learning outcomes from different settings and contexts can be linked together. “As long as learning, skills and competences acquired outside formal education and training remain invisible and poorly valued the ambition of lifelong learning cannot be achieved,” they added.

Cobo is based at the Oxford Internet Institute where he coordinates research on open knowledge initiatives. My guess is that such research could be even better if others at Oxford started to try out a MOOC or something similar.

Notes for Wild Show and radio around the MOOC and BETT

Here are some dates and what I know about BETT at this time. The MOOC is in background. This blog can get fairly detailed, even obscure, but the aim of the Wild Show (Thursday mornings 10 -12 Phonic FM) is to be entertaining and quick with talk between music tracks. Things sometimes work out differently to the intention.

15th Jan Start of Toshiba Radio http://www.andertontiger.com/index.htm the new name for BETT Radio. Previously the Wild Show has lifted clips from this. Other stands are available. App for listening, but can you do a show from a tablet? 

16th Jan The storyteller ( 9 -10 on Phonic FM) will stay maybe till 10.30 to discuss Bruno Latour. There is a new MOOC on Scientific Humanities from FUN, a MOOC project in France. 

The storyteller can explain philosophy in a reasonably short period of time .

Also on the 16th Jan there will be an outside broadcast from Cafe 55, using an iPhone. Alternative equipment may be available at BETT.

23rd Jan I will be at BETT so the first part of the Wild Show may be prerecorded. I will leave a half hour mp3 / CD but there may be something else.  Clips could include-

Michael Gove not there last year. Not sure what the policy is. Update nearer the time. BETT scope includes universities and life long learning so maybe Cable will turn up again. Not very well publicised last time.

FUN seems to be a government supported project including all French universities. UK Futurelearn still patchy.

Soundcloud for BETT radio

  BETT continues till the 25th. There will be other recordings, some with sound. There will be more in future editions of the Wild Show.

Also some links to IPEX, coming up at ExCel in March. This is mostly a print show but also about Cross Media. Video and sound will feature, partly through the promotional content.

There are also MOOCs from Futurelearn on Critical Listening and Climate Change. more on this is a future post.

St Sidwell's Community Centre test #tag - #stsidC

This is a way to catch up maybe. A while ago I did some video around St Sidwells Community Centre on Sidwell Street. I tried out the tag stsidC as a way to find them on YouTube. Then I got waylaid by something else. Towards the end of last year I remember seeing a tweet about an evening meeting there to discuss social media. Can't remember what it was called but i can guess at some people on Twitter who should know. So I will try this blog and a tweet as a way to reconnect.

Not sure how much time people at St Sidwells have for tweeting. They often seem very busy.