Inside View

The Pandemic Made Me Read Better

ONE OF THE BIGGEST revelations of this era of social isolation is that when people follow rules of social distancing they often rediscover vitality close at hand. In my case, social isolation has encouraged me to read more.

I haven't read more of Facebook but I have scrolled deep into Instagram's grid--the place where I find more words than images. I also read several pages deep into two of my curated lists on Twitter. And I spend more time--much more time--reading content I've paid to see through The Atlantic, The Irish Times, The New York Times, Tipperary Live, and the Washington Post.

An Unexpected Dimension of Distance Education

ON HER FINAL DAY of primary school, Mia (12) joined with 30 other classmates in a surreal setting that typifies the way her life has been for the previous 15 weeks. She stayed two metres apart from friends she has known throughout primary school. I watched the setting and wondered what lies ahead in what may be a hybrid form of education for our two school children.

My first two hours with @RoamResearch

I USED A TIMER to allow myself two hours for my first hands-on routine with Roam Research, a note-taking and personal knowledge management service that I used to produce this InsideView.ie blog post. I'm confident that if I could save at least 15 euro a month by focusing my note-taking inside Roam because I could reduce my annual consumption of Moleskine journals (see samples in my photostream below). I'm still going to use pen and paper for some of my sketchnotes but the recurring tasks were always more efficient using a template. During my two hour stint with Roam, I created several of those templates and I linked them to the left hand panel (seen above) that displays when Roam launches.

Teaching Lessons in Social Capital

I AM A BELIEVER in the value of social capital. I wish I was better at cultivating it, especially during the post-COVID era when face to face meet-ups have become preciously rare. It's a thought shared by Bill Thompson during the 2020 running of #audiomo and one I talked about in my own podcast below the fold.

Your Video Meetings Don't Have to Suck #digped

After running two months worth of online meetings, I've concluded that I need to double-down on my moderation duties.

How Remoting Changed My Workflow #WFH

SIXTY DAYS INTO working from home, I've changed some routines and become more aware of collaborative calendaring. I also know I need to upskill.

Interacting with Tadhg

I STARTED THIS run of text while deeply involved in back-to-back emergency remote teaching. I needed a place to keep text separate from Zoom-equipped laptop while connecting to students outside (above). This is what I wrote for a rundown with Tadhg Briody.

@firemanrich We're experimenting with @taperealapp #socialreality

THESE DAYS OF SOCIAL DISTANCING have made me more eager for real connections so the arrival of the TapeReal App on our well-used iPad piqued my interest.

I made a video tape from our sitting room couch. If you listen, you can hear the sound of our proximity alarm barking.

Set Piece from a Locked Down Semester #clonmeldigital

SPRING SEMESTER 2020 enjoys historic standing as the time traditional academics pivoted dramatically into an emergency remote mode. Fortunately for me, I had 20 students near the finish line of the "Emerging Trends and Technologies" module who could produce a set piece that will enjoy critical appraisal whenever anybody looks back at what might be possible through a distance education collaboration of students.

How to Wear a Face Mask

FACE MASKS HAVE become a badge of honor for some people and are marks of political allegiance for some of my Facebook friends. I believe they are essential clothing items nowadays in our battle to combat a deadly airborne virus. I've used an illustration from the Voice of America to show the right way and the wrong way to wear your face mask.