Inside View

Another blogger returns and he offers prints

ANOTHER BLOGGER APPEARS to be rebooting original work and offers lovely prints to complement his writing. It's Ian Bertram from the UK, an artist I also follow on Etsy. You should click the image and see more of his prints.

Excellent Writing Tablet says 7yo

We opened one of our Christmas presents early and discovered the 9" Igeress LCD tablet's writing surface is more useful than an iPad for our 7yo. And it costs 3% of the value of the iPad Mini 4 that it complements. You can buy it for 15 euro on Amazon (affiliate link).

Feels Good to Have a Talking Community h/t @larrygmaguire #cong19

ONE OF THE JOYS of being connected online is getting to meet offline and chatting about shared values. I got a half hour of face-to-face chat with @larrygmaguire and learned more about his iron skillet, the importance of having a quiet third space in your own car, and what lies ahead for readers of The Artist's Manifesto. It's all part of Congversation 12, an audio series promoting community for the annual Congregation Unconference.

Congversation 12 with Larry Maguire

 

Using Art as a Community Forum h/t @clionama #cong19

CLIONA MAHER KNOWS how to channel voices from marginalised community members. She explains in a 28 minute congversation how she encourages expressions through effective uses of art.

Cliona Maher: Art in Communities

Report on Initial State of Congversations

I'M WORKING WITH the youngest members of Ireland's Youth Media Team during part of the Christmas Break 2018 and laying down the workflow for production of the next 90 episodes of Congversations from Ireland. I've made a short eight minute clip that breaks down the process.

Initial State of Congversations

 

The Value of Open Education Resources h/t @catherinecronin

BEST PRACTICE IN OPEN EDUCATION starts by hearing #oep advocates like Catherine Cronin explain how her work complements this essential community value. I captured Catherine in a half hour recording and asked for her insights about making Open Education Resources part of my work.

Congversation with Catherine Cronin

 

Sharing Energy from Young Podcasters h/t @pamelaaobrien #cong19

PAM O'BRIEN shares the enthusiasm and the energy she gets from Ireland's Youth Media Team. During a 24 minute Congversation Pam explains how some of that energy percolates out into community spaces like CESICON, the ICT in Education Conference, and Congregation.

Listen to "Pam O'Brien Gets Energy from Young People Podcasting E08" on Spreaker.

Learning about eye contact h/t @magsamond

ALTHOUGH I KNEW the importance of making and holding eye contact with people, after talking to Mags Amond about the most thoughtful kinds of engagement, I became more aware of the possibilities of enjoying better teaching and learning just by focusing on eyes around a table. Mags introduced me to this idea during a Congversation I had with her on a windy day in Ireland.

In Congversation with @magsamond

 

The Virtual and Physical Layers of Community h/t dermotcasey #cong19

LIKE DERMOT CASEY, I believe every vibrant community has both an authentic virtual layer underpinning its physical real world presence. I suspect this idea will emerge as a talking point during #cong19, an unconference with a theme of "community". I met up with @dermotcasey in Dublin to chat about several ideas that form the core of Congversation 06, a podcast supporting people I've met during huddles in Cong, County Mayo every November.

Congversation #6 with Dermot Casey

Inside Michelle Gallen's Third Space

ONE OF THE MOST insightful conversations I enjoyed in 2018 came inside 1784, a Third Space of Michelle Gallen. Michelle shared a wide assortment of ideas with me about community, book recommendations, and the status of her stealth project. It's all part of the 15 minute audio recording I shared on Spreaker.

Congversation #5: Michelle Gallen