Thinking about Stables

BECAUSE MANY GOOD THINGS START in garages, shops or hangars, I'm exploring derelict stables near the Tipperary Institute campus in Clonmel. I did a walkabout with Ben Hennessy today and pulled the blue door of one stable (at right) off its hinge so I'm not off to the best start. In my mind, I'll convene several class meetings every week in the Amish-friendly abandoned stables of the old Watson estate as students create video responses to deep readings about emerging trends on the internet. We'll stream some of those video responses over O2-Ireland 3G masts using Online Meeting Rooms, training students in how to run a standard definition feed across a live internet connection, using only battery power on the camera and the laptop. Something about the native environment--cows, flowers, bales of hay, derelict equipment and rolling pastures in the Golden Vale of Ireland--transport me to a special mental place. I'd like to pull students into that same space, recording the learning experience along the way.

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