Paul Stewart
I have spent most of my working life as an English teacher. After a decade of looking at other people’s books, I temporarily left the teaching scene in 2001, took a year off to study and to begin writing my first book What Lies Beneath (which was eventually followed by Into the Endless and Akin to Pity). These books are available on iTunes and on my Storefront.
In 2002 I became the proud owner of a computer science degree.
In 2011 I returned to the role of eLearning Coordinator spending my days investigating new technologies, and working alongside teachers and students exploring how to best implement ICT in education. I also have a VCE English class so I get to combine two of the best things in the world: technology and literature.
I have a blog about writing, and my novels are supported by a rather comprehensive wiki. I also run a tech blog called Geekapedia and an educational blog entitled Contemporary Learning.
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Last week I received a really nice email from Denys, a reader from Winnipeg, Canada. I've been very lucky over the past couple of years to be sent emails from some extraordinary places and it always gives me a thrill to picture my humble texts being read in far off places. Whilst it's unlikely that I'll ever travel to Winnipeg, Cork or Port Elizabeth, it seems words have the power of long distance flight and occasionally they return to you accompanied by other words in the form of emails from people who, for one reason or another, were prompted to write.
| Winnipeg Folk Festival: Friday Sunset by Quiplash! 2005 Non-Commercial, Copyleft Creative Commons Licence |
I particularly liked this email as it was from someone who didn't usually read fantasy but was enjoying what he was finding in What Lies Beneath. I'd like to use this post to respond to one of the questions this correspondent had about the role of the Caliban's End wiki.
"In googling your work, I just came across the wiki with maps, character charts, etc. I think these will come in handy as I continue reading, but I am a major spoiler-phobe. I see all the enticing links on the right of the page (specifically overview, places, races) and they are begging me to click them but I'm worried about giving away anything from the actual story line itself (i.e. character deaths, outcomes of conflicts, etc.) If you have a moment, could you please let me know which, if any, of these links I can safely click without ruining any surprises?"
Denys' concerns are totally understandable and I'm surprised I haven't commented on this until now. I thought I'd post some of my response to Denys as I'm sure that other readers would have similar feelings when confronted with the wiki for the first time.
| One page of hundreds from the Caliban's End wiki |
The primary reason for the wiki is to flesh out this world I have created and to provide a backstory that would otherwise slow down the narrative if included in the story proper. Quite a few pages of the wiki contain things that aren't in the books, including flora, fauna and events (and plenty of accompanying images). If I remember rightly, the aardwolf (for example) isn't discussed anywhere in the books.
In compiling the wiki I have tried to avoid spoiling the story which has been a bit of a challenge. The wiki teases, and implies things, but it shouldn't give away major points such as characters' deaths, plot twists/reveals or the outcomes of battles in the trilogy. For example, the character of Remiel, who is introduced in Chapter Two and is clearly a significant character, receives the following account in the wiki:
Shortly after the catastrophe that befell The Melody on the fateful day Caliban was being taken to Sanctuary, Remiel disappeared from all knowledge. He was seen briefly in Pelinore, but following his father's death, he vanished from all reckoning. The family home on Pelinore Hill was boarded up and the last trace of Remiel was in the ship log of a merchant ship called The Broken Promise bound for Terminus via the ports of Findias, Gobnet, Garlot, Tamesis, Corineus and Ceres. If Remiel moved to one of these cities, no record was made in any census taken in the period after 1799, the year of Gideon Grayson's passing.
In some cases, I have been quite playful and there are a few non-critical points revealed in the wiki that are not covered in the books. These are whimsical and are not 'required reading' to fully appreciate the books. For example, in Chapter Fourteen a minor character with a rather offensive disposition is thrown overboard and that's the last you hear from him in the tale. In the wiki it is revealed that he can't swim.
I'm particularly proud of the wiki and believe that it will enhance a reader's enjoyment of the Caliban's End saga. The map for example does much to convey a sense of the geography and scope of the Myr.
| Map of the Myr |
HOWEVER, although I've endeavoured to make the wiki relatively safe, it is inevitable that it will provide extra information that may not be revealed at the same time in the books. In a way these could be considered minor spoilers, but in the context of the larger tale and all that comes to pass, it's my opinion that these shouldn't affect a reader's enjoyment of the yarn. Perhaps the safest links to click are the more general ones such as Places. The Characters links will contain information that may be better served by being revealed in the course of the narrative, but I don't think there's anything there that could be considered critical in terms of major plot points.
Some readers of the books have told me that they are picking up things on their second reading that were missed on the first, little things that perhaps are more obvious when one knows the outcome. Ultimately though, for all the hints and suggestions, I hope the central story is what readers find most fulfilling. I have attempted to do what good fantasy should do and explore the human condition under extraordinary circumstances.
On a completely unrelated note, I have just put the finishing touches on another site http://paulstewart.me/ which is where my various interests and activities have been brought together in one place.
When I finished writing What Lies Beneath (Book One of Caliban's End) last year, I uploaded a copy to Scribd. If you're not familiar with Scribd, the easiest way to describe it is YouTube for books. Tonight I uploaded Akin to Pity (Book Three of Caliban's End) and whilst I was on the site, I had a look at the stats for What Lies Beneath - I was shocked (in a good way) to find out that it had been read over 800 times!
I'm taking my time so don't expect a screenplay to be finished any time soon. But it is something that is worth doing. I get to revisit my story and reshape it in a new form, refining it and improving it, and whilst all this is going on, I get to imagine what it would look like if my mum's wish came true and James Cameron helped me put it on the silver screen.
I remember watching a Star Trek movie where Captain Jean-Luc Picard was discussing economics in the 21st century. The human race by that stage had done away with the concept of currency, and all property was either shared or ubiquitous thanks to technology such as replicators. Even at the time of watching the film, the demise of capitalism seemed incredible (if not impossible) but... perhaps there's a kernel of truth in science fiction. Perhaps technology can help to even things out, if only just a little.Jean-Luc Picard, 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'
There are obvious benefits to this method. E-ink can be read in bright sunlight and does not place any more strain on the eyes that a normal book. Also, because it's all digital, text can be resized at the click of a button. Add to that other features such as electronic bookmarking of pages, the ability to share books by wirelessly transferring them from one device to another and the fact that each device can literally contain thousands of books, eReaders are quite a compelling alternative to printed books. (For more info on eBook readers, head over to http://www.digital-book-readers.com/).
The price of eReaders is coming down, largely due to competition. On the day Barnes & Noble's nook was released in the US for $259 (USD), Amazon dropped the price of their eReader (the Kindle) to the same price. And this year, more devices are coming out on the international stage. This in turn will lead more and more publishers and writers to consider eReaders as a viable option for their content.
In fact, I sense something of a revolution in the wind, as writers discover they are not quite so dependent upon traditional publishers as a means to distribute content. Whilst this causes a conundrum for today's publishing houses, it means that readers of books will be spoilt for choice. In fact, the problem facing readers will not be accessing content, but finding books to their liking. I can see the rise of supporting mechanisms to make the selection process easier - for example, social networking sites such as such as Good Reads, Shelfari, LibraryThing, WeRead, ReadWhale, JuiceSpot and others. (For a more comprehensive list, head over to 100 Awesome Social Sites for Bookworms at Online College).
What fascinates me about all this is how the lines between consumer and producer are blurring. People who always wanted to write a book have one less excuse - publishing is not the great obstacle it once was. Anyone can publish a book.
Of course, the future Jean-Luc inhabits is a long way off, but that's the thing about technology - it sometimes takes the stuff of fantasy and turns it into reality. Only time will tell.
So why was the lady smiling? Perhaps what she was reading was funny. That would be the simplest answer. But I think it was probably more than that. Often when I am reading good literature, I am reminded of things I had forgotten. In a fashion akin to deja vu, an old feeling is rekindled. The essence of an emotion is distilled in a way that makes it recognisable in a most specific way. At that moment of recognition we smile. We see ourselves reflected in the book.
Just a quick blog post today. It's more of a status update. I'm still working my way through the final draft of Akin to Pity, the second and final book in the Caliban's End saga. At the moment, I am in the highlands of Upper Scoriath with Lara, Edgar and others making their way to the breach in Sessymir. Don't worry - no spoilers here. As this group has made its way across the land, more and more of Caliban's work has come to light and it is most disturbing work indeed. There is no mistake about it - war has come to the Myr.
I mentioned it in my last post, but I'll say it again - I am really enjoying reading the book. In fact, I'm quite thrilled with the flow of the thing. Now the backstory, setting and characters have been properly introduced, it's a delight to dig deeper into the characters and I think it makes for more fulfilling reading. The second book is just as brutal as the first, but I am finding there are more moments of connection between the characters and the tone is a little more varied.
I created a little video for Akin to Pity. It's a trailer of sorts. I was experimenting with marrying images to music. My intention was to follow the tone and rhythm of the music so the whole thing had a cohesive feel. You can be the judge of whether I have succeeded.
The YouTube version of this video can be found here. The music Lux Aeterna/Requiem for a Dream is by Clint Mansell.
It's March? Already? No, that can't be right.
You know, late summer should conjure up images of lazy, balmy afternoons, long twilights and languorous hours spent reading trashy magazines or watching even trashier TV. Unfortunately, I can't say this has characterised my experience of recent months. Returning to work after Christmas break has been like jumping into freezing cold water (the type that makes one's brain hurt).
Last year, I would spend my lunchtimes sitting in the gardens across the road reading over the manuscript of What Lies Beneath. It was a nice way to spend sixty minutes. This year, my lunch breaks have been occupied with far more prosaic pursuits.
What significance does this hold for anyone reading this blog? Basically, it means that Akin to Pity (the sequel to What Lies Beneath) will be in print slightly later than I had hoped. I'm looking at May now unfortunately. It's a reality of the amateur writer I guess - doing the stuff that pays the bills must come first.
However, it's not all gloom and doom. Over recent days I have been re-reading the manuscript of Akin to Pity and I'm finding that I'm not making a lot of corrections. I'm already up to page 75, trotting along at a pretty good pace, so it might not take that long after all. What's more important is that I'm actually enjoying what I'm reading. The three months I have spent separated from the Caliban's End saga have not made reading the second book any harder, which bodes well for other readers methinks.
It's probably worth mentioning here the reaction I've had to the first book. As readers of this blog would know, I've been a little nervous that the book may have been too inaccessible and demanding for most readers but the feedback I've received has been to the contrary. Most readers have enjoyed the complexity, even revelled in it. I think I was slightly disheartened by a few comments I received early on - before the book officially went to print - that suggested the narrative was too dense, and I've been apologising for it ever since. Now about thirty people have read the book from start to finish, I'm realising that the challenges the book puts before the reader are pretty much what some people want in their reading.
What has also astounded me is how supportive most people have been about it. The one thing most people seem to be short on is time, which has made it incredibly satisfying to know that there are people who have spent their moments of leisure reading my book. What's even more fulfilling is the extra time they have taken in giving me feedback and asking questions born out of a desire to know what happens next. I've been blown away by the hypotheses some people have had. I don't want to spoil things for them suffice to say there are things in the sequel that may surprise my readers (but hopefully satisfy them too).
Since finishing What Lies Beneath I've played around with the idea of taking the books to publishers or even writing a screenplay of it, but I'm in no hurry. I'll spend the next month or two getting Akin to Pity ready for print and then see what happens from there. It's been good to have a little break from it, but now I'm back in the saddle, I'm keen to dig the spurs into the snorse and get moving again.
In my last post I mentioned that my novel What Lies Beneath had inexplicably dropped off the face of the earth (or, more specifically, Lulu's website). Well, I'm happy to report that the problem has been quickly resolved and the book is not only accessible from this link http://www.lulu.com/content/2796543 but it is also available now through search at Lulu.com.
It's been an interesting week, that's for sure. After a handful of days, the book has sold over ten copies now (mainly family and friends but not entirely).
I've received a some really nice comments on the blog and via Twitter which is appreciated more than many people probably realise. I think I've quoted Matthew Reilly before but here it is again:
To anyone who knows a writer, never underestimate the power of your encouragement.Last night I received this week's Google analytics for the blog. I've had a startling number of visitors compared to previous weeks - 149 visitors this week compared to 5 last week! The majority of these are from the US and Australia but I have also had visits from Canada, United Kingdom, New Zealand, China, Germany, Finland, Morocco and Malaysia which is simply brilliant.
Unfortunately, last night I also received an email containing an error message from Lulu.com and this morning one of my Twitter followers (Katherine from Toronto, Canada) said that she received an 'Item not available' error when she went to http://www.lulu.com/content/2796543 which is pretty annoying, especially when people make the effort to have a look at the online storefront.
Hopefully it's just a temporary glitch in the system. I'll put up a post as soon as Lulu.com tell me the problem's solved. So far this is all I know:
Perhaps I should start saving for my own printing press.
Finally.
After months of paper supply problems and printing mishaps, the book is available. The waiting is over and the politely written emails to publishers (flavoured ever so slightly with a sprig of frustration) and awkward apologies to interested friends and family are now relics of the past.
In my small, grubby hands is a book whose spine bears my name. Can't help but feel a little proud. It's not that I've penned a masterpiece - the pride doesn't come from there. It's more that I've seen the thing through to its proper conclusion. In the maelstrom of holding down a full-time job whilst trying to be a full-time dad and husband, finishing a book and getting it into print seems like a triumph. Not a world-changing victory by any means, but a significant one to me.
Let's cut to the chase. If you were inclined to buy What Lies Beneath where would you go?
If you click on the link http://www.lulu.com/content/2796543 you will arrive at Lulu.com's online bazaar - specifically, my stall amongst the labyrinth of vendors all vying to sell you exotic goods. It's as simple as clicking on the Add to Cart button, and going through the sort of process familiar to anyone who has ever purchased anything online. There's a Paypal option (much like Ebay) as well as a few others like Visa.
Someone asked me the other day whether I expected to make much money out of the venture. I'll get this out of the way as it's something that seems to repeat itself like a sausage from Bunnings. I will make a few cents off each copy sold. Literally, a few cents. The price of the book as basically as low as I could make it - I want people to read it.
As I've stated before, it's a challenging book in some ways, but the happy few who have read it so far have told me that it's a rewarding read once the pieces of the puzzle start falling into place. I liken it to a difficult rock-climb. At first things seem daunting and the view is obscured by some difficult early sections, but perseverance pays off and by Chapter Six, patterns begin to emerge and the reader, like a good climber, should discover a rhythm to the way in which they traverse what lies before them.
I have a friend at work who is reading the book and she's picking up on things buried in the story that I thought would be easily missed. It's an absolute delight to hear of such discoveries (certainly worth more than a few dollars).
If anyone's reading this blog who hasn't wandered through the pages of What Lies Beneath's supporting wiki, please make a coffee, open up that tin of Christmas shortbreads and lose your way in the miasma that is http://calibansend.pbwiki.com/
After Christmas, I'll start preparing Akin to Pity (the second and final book) for its transmutation into ink and paper, but for now I think I just continue to enjoy reading Matthew Reilly's Six Sacred Stones and catching up on Season Four of Battlestar Galactica.
Well, that's done! It's taken a while but the Caliban's End wiki is going public! http://calibansend.pbwiki.com/
What is it? It's a website of sorts containing the whole project. Basically, if wikipedia and my books had a drunken night of fun, the Caliban's End wiki would be their love-child. It contains a lot of backstory, a lot of geographical, historical, biographical and cultural details that are alluded to in the books, but more than anything, it's where my imagination ran rampart, creating things in more weird detail than even the books would allow. The wiki was the primordial ooze from which creatures such as sandkytes, mockworms, durnodaws and friggu came to life.
Now if you peruse the pages of the wiki, you will come across a lot of pages that contain people, places and creatures that aren't in What Lies Beneath (the first book). It should be noted, such things weren't just created for the wiki. You'll probably find them hiding in the pages of Akin to Pity (the second book).
So is the wiki an appendix? In a way, it is. I wanted to add another layer. The wiki provides quite a few twists on what happens in the novels. For example, there's a scene on a ship where one of the main characters trips a sailor so he falls overboard. It's a mildly amusing scene in the book. In the wiki you discover this character can't actually swim. So the wiki adds a twist here and there. I have tried hard to avoid spoilers, but if you read the wiki comprehensively, you may work out some things that are a bit more cryptic in the books.
However, no-one is going to read the wiki from start to finish - it currently numbers 742 pages!
Now I must add, even though the wiki is accessible, it's not complete. The beauty of it is I can easily add pages and fix errors with a few quick clicks. If you see any obvious mistakes, please let me know.
So what now?
I'm going to take a breather. Watch some trashy TV, play some Gears of War and read some things I didn't write.
Unfortunately, my frustrations with Lulu.com have continued. Although they conceded the recent printing alignment issues were their fault and the problem was being fixed, I received the latest proof last Friday and as you can see by the picture below, it isn't the result I was hoping for. Sadly, I'll probably take the whole project elsewhere. The book is available to buy from Lulu.com at the moment but I'm not encouraging anyone spend their money on something that's NQR.
The past couple of weeks have seen some friends and family ask one question about the book - where is it?
It's been a fairly long wait but I just received some pleasing news from Lulu.com. It seems the issue that has held up my book What Lies Beneath is on the cusp of being resolved. Here's an extract from an email I received earlier this evening:
We do have some good news in the works; the paper issue will be resolved within weeks, possibly less, and we should then see these future orders on our normal standard of printing. This would also fix the misalignment issues of the spine, as the paper would not be so thin, which is what is causing the spine misalignment.Why does this fill me with the happiness of one hundred warm puppies? Because I'm a virgoan and I like to finish stuff. I like full stops. I like to rub my little hands together and say, 'That's done!' Closure is as important to me as it is to a bear trap.
This correspondence means I can now (now as in soon) say to friends, family and that odd fellow who talks to me at the train station on Wednesdays: 'Oh yeah - the book's on sale now. Just head over to Lulu.com and buy yourself a copy.'
It's a good night to be me.
On the eve of my first book going public, I thought I'd put out a top ten list to accompany its release. What lies below is a list of tips that may help you in your trek across the pages of What Lies Beneath.
- Make a mental note of anything that seems significant. If it seems important, it probably is.
- Don't expect all loose threads to be tied up in this book. Some matters aren't resolved until the final chapters of Akin to Pity (the second and final book in the tale).
- Give yourself time to read What Lies Beneath in uninterrupted chunks - it will be difficult to tame the narrative if you only read it a page or two at a time.
- Try to spot the literary allusions - there's quite a few although some are a bit obscure.
- Pay heed to the names. Many of them reveal a thing or two about the characters, creatures and countries of the Myr.
- Get attached to certain characters but don't expect them all to live.
- Consult with the Map on my wiki if you get a bit lost.
- Check out the Characters page of the wiki if you'd like some more details on the characters.
- Feel free to email me if you need clarification of anything you stumble across in the book.
- Don't expect literary genius. The book is - after all - a hobby. It's far from perfect, but I hope you find it interesting enough to read to the end.
Brief update: I received an email from Lulu saying they are endeavouring to fix the printing problem as quickly as they can, so that seems like good news.
Tonight I decided to create an advertisement for What Lies Beneath. If you look directly above, you will see a picture of the northern coastline of Morae with the words Play and Stop loitering about. In this space I have assembled some of the pictures I have created for the Caliban's End wiki (out of beta soon) and put them to music. I put it all together in SwishMax which is a distant cousin of Flash. Most of the pictures were found in Morguefile which permits artists and writers to use the images without fear of infringing upon copyright. Other images were either sent to me by friends or I took them myself. I modified the images in Corel Photopaint which I actually prefer to Photoshop ('Heresy!' somebody cried).
The music came from the Creative Common site ccmixter. The song is called Strange Love and it is by Manolo Camp.
This little video is actually the short version. I amazed how many pictures I have done over the past couple of years; the longer version of this video will include twice as many images as this one!
I hope you like what you see. Just click the Play button to start and Stop when you've had enough. Enjoy!
BTW: If you're wondering how I managed to embed Flash into a Blogger page, check here for the secret sauce.
Cheers, Paul
In software development, there's a phrase to describe periods when no-one hears anything from the code monkeys writing the software and the silence usually suggests a problem- it's called going dark.
Now whilst I haven't gone dark with my writing, things have slowed down a little due to a number of factors (i.e. other things that take up my time):
- Work - unfortunately I have to pay the bills somehow and lately work's been the sort of slog that leaves you knackered by the end of the day.
- The Caliban's End wiki - this is my wikipedia of the world of Caliban's End and it involves just as much writing. It's coming along nicely but it's far from finished
- Printing problems - at the moment, I wouldn't be recommending Lulu.com with the confidence I once had. Hopefully they can resolve the issue before I use another self-publishing company.
On a completely unrelated matter, I thought I'd throw the text of What Lies Beneath into Wordle to see which words I'm using a lot. Here's the result (click on it for a better view):
Something came in the mail today... it was rectangular and surprisingly heavy.
Now what happens now the book's here? Well, I need to reread it and make sure there are no printing issues. Then I make my changes and get the whole thing printed again. I am just euphoric about how the thing looks, but I will be making changes. The font is a little too small. My fault, not theirs. I wanted to save paper by making the text small, but it's a little too hard to read. I also need to shift around a few things like the dedications to everything is nice and symmetrical. This means it will be a little while before the book can be purchased, but - as I have to remind myself - it's a hobby, so I can take my time.
By the way, the cover photo was taken by Shaun Quinlan. I found it on Morguefile which is a wonderful site that contains free image reference material for use in all creative pursuits. The lake in the picture is Lake Wakitipu in New Zealand which is not far from Queenstown in the South Island. I chose it for a number of reasons. Firstly, it's a beautiful photograph. Secondly, I have a sentimental attachment to New Zealand - when I was a wee lad, my dad took our family for an extended holiday in New Zealand and my memories of that time are the most vivid memories I have of my childhood. Lastly, it's a perfect match for Lake Erras, the lake that features prominently in the early chapters of What Lies Beneath. It also comes back into prominence towards the end of the second book Into the Endless. The trilogy's title Caliban's End is derived from the great vortex that lies at the heart of this fictional lake.
View Larger Map
Just a small but significant post tonight...
It's been a wonderful week. I took two days off work to finish the final edit of What Lies Beneath and managed to do everything I set out to do. Although I'm sure there are still a few mistakes hiding out amongst the pages like wily banditos in the hills above a dusty Mexican town, the first book is now online and almost available to purchase. The first copy is being printed as we speak and in a week or so I'll get a paperback copy in my grubby little paws. In the biz, this is called a proof (I'm in the biz now) and once I give the proof a nod of approval, it will then be available for all to read. I'll be getting an ISBN so the book can be sold through Amazon, Barnes and Noble (and Ebay once friends and family realise that the book's not their up of tea!)
The sale price will be $US 13.95. It will also be available to download as a PDF for 5 greenbacks. Start saving those pennies.
I have still got a bit to do on the Caliban's End wiki but that should be ready for public consumption by the time I give the green light to Lulu.com to roll the presses.
I need to explain something.
Late last year, the person who had kindly offered to edit my books had to tend to other matters. The job of editing fell back into my lap and I had no idea just how painful and time-consuming the task would be. Sometimes I have had to spend over an hour on a single page and when two of the three books number over 500 pages, that's an awful lot of time I have to scrape together.
Even though the book was finished, the work is not. Editing has led to a battalion of changes for which I had not planned. I have changed the names of a number of characters (including the tale's protagonist). I have also changed the name of the world in which the Caliban's End saga is set - it's no longer Terra. That's a lot of individual changes.
Editing is hard. You wouldn't wish it upon an enemy or a real estate agent. Squeezing the task into the small spaces that exist between work, family, friends and other stuff has been a wee bit challenging. This is the business end of the project and to be honest, it's the least interesting part.
So, if you have been able to sustain even a modicum of interest in this avocation o' mine, thanks for your curiosity - it is appreciated.
I have written a preface to the first book. FYI, it's below.
Caveat Emptor
(or 'Danger, Will Robinson!')
A Preface
Perhaps 'Preface' is the wrong word for it. Forewarning seems more appropriate. Please indulge me as I make one or two comments before your boots get muddy in the world of Caliban's End.
First of all, a confession. This trilogy was not written to be popular fiction. It breaks most of the conventions of popular fiction and ignores most of the sage advice given by writers who know a lot more about the craft than I do. This is not a book that is designed to be a best-seller. It won't pay off my mortgage any time soon.
This begs the question - why spend so much time on something that won't make bags of money?
The simple answer is that financial gain is not the only motivating force in the universe. These books have been a hobby and I have enjoyed writing them as a hobby. Whilst I did not play by the rules in terms of structure, length, number of characters etc. I did follow one piece of advice - write the book you want to write. This advice rests on the premise that there will be others out there in shadowy corners of the globe who are similarly enamoured by a particular approach to writing.
So in that context, I have succeeded. I think I've written the sort of book I would enjoy.
So what does that mean? Let me explain.
I've read The Lord of the Rings books three times. I've read Edgar Rice Burrough's John Carter series twice. I've read Peake's Gormenghast novels three times each. As a child I even read the Finn Family Moomintroll series at least five times over. And in all cases, I found myself wishing for more. In my mind, I would expand the universe, follow the paths of characters who were only glimpsed at in the main narrative. For example, in The Fellowship of the Ring, whatever happened to Radagast? I wanted to follow his journey further but could only do so in the form of conjecture.
Caliban's End is a little different. The world is made a little larger to accommodate the tales of ancillary characters. The first book What Lies Beneath spends some time in exploring the lives of a range of characters including lesser players (some of whom - unfortunately - do not make it to the end of the trilogy). A critic might dismiss this as undisciplined writing. Perhaps it is. But I wanted to properly explore this world I have invented and occasionally that meant I would stray down little laneways that led away the central narrative.
This perambulation means that the reader has to walk a long and twisted path - it is a demanding read. At times, there are more characters on the page than is probably necessary, but I am reluctant to remove them to make the book more accessible. The non-linear structure of the writing may annoy some readers, but I did not want to dumb things down in order to create a book that could be easily enjoyed in an airport lounge. I revelled in creating a dense, intricate world. Some may dislike the novels as a result, some may find them convoluted and some may put the first book down having struggled to get up the rock-face in the first chapter. But it is my hope that there are a few individuals who are captivated by it. The internet allows me to throw my net widely and there is a chance I might snag one or two readers who want to get lost in the stories of the people I follow in these tales.
I hope you will be one such person.
I know it's been a little while since my last post but I've been a little busy. In fact, so busy that I have something to announce - I finished writing the whole thing!
Yes, I wrote the last line of the trilogy this afternoon at about 5pm. It's a pretty amazing feeling to finish it. I won't write a long post but this is what I'm thinking... I take a month off before I look at the book again. Then I'll reread it, fix errors, get a bit of feedback and then off it goes to Lulu.com for printing.
I'll be fixing up the Caliban's End wiki after the time off and then working on getting some artwork happening. I might even record the books and put it up on Podiobooks or some such place. Once the books are online, I'll make this blog and the wiki public and see what happens.
Just for the stats, here's the final word count for the trilogy. (Ignore the page count - I used tiny font!)
Now to put this in some kinds of perspective, the average novel is about 80,000 words long. If you average my books out, you get about 165,000 words per book which puts it into the Epic (unpublishable) category.
Anyway, it's done and I'm a little proud of it. I really liked the way it all came together at the end. I hope I like it as much when I reread it!
Thanks to a ridiculously supportive wife for helping me out. She took this photo of me on the last day of writing. I'm trying to look a bit bohemian in the picture but I think the Superman t-shirt ruins the moody, anguished writer look I was going for.
"I know about words . . . about the depth charges they carry."
- Narrator from 'After Long Absence' (Dislocations by Janette Turner Hospital)
Shakespeare was believed to have been responsible for introducing about 1,700 words into the English language. Technology has also introduced its fair share of words over recent years. What I have done in Caliban's End is reintroduce quite a few words that are rarely used these days. Why reintroduce them? Because they should never have dropped out of common usage!
I'll give you a few of my favourites below. The novels have a race (the Spriggans) whose speech is characterised by an indulgence in ornate language - logorrhea is the word for it. You may have heard some of these words before, but even if you haven't, please don't let that stop you from using them in your next conversation with that special someone you hope to impress.
- atrabilious: melancholy; splenetic; acrimonious, irritable
- bibacious: overly fond of drinking
- bloviate: to write or speak windily
- bullyrag: to assault with abusive language; to badger
- caliginous: misty; dark; dim; obscure
- callow: unfledged; inexperienced
- corvine: crow-like; of, like or pertaining to crows or ravens
- drygulch: to murder by pushing off a cliff
- effluvium: invisible emanation; offensive exhalation or smell
- gloaming: period between sunset and full night; dusk
- humgruffin: terrible person
- juggins: a simpleton
- logorrhea: excessive flow of words; uncontrollable garrulity
- meliorism: the belief the world tends to become better
- miasma: foul vapours from rotting matter; unwholesome air
- naupathia: sea sickness
- ophidian: of or like a snake
- pusillanimous: lacking firmness; cowardly; having a weak character
- quotidian: everyday; commonplace found in the ordinary course of events
- scuttles: portholes on a ship
- soporific: tending to produce sleep
- stagnicolous: living in stagnant water
- thanatosis: gangrene; necrosis; state imitating death
- trilemma: quandary having three choices
- uliginous: slimy; oozy; swampy; growing in swampy places
- voraginous: pertaining to a whirlpool;
- wormwood: something bitter, galling, or grievous
- worricow: scarecrow; hobgoblin; frightening-looking person
To end this post, I'll give a quick summary of where I'm up to in the books. You can see by the 'Chapter Completion' chart on the right that quite a lot has been done since my last post. Although I had the best of intentions to finish the whole saga by the end of October so I could have it printed in time for Christmas, things haven't worked out that way. This is understandable, now the book is actually a trilogy.
Despite a busy month with conferences, birthday parties and falling off bunks, I have manage to keep writing every day and hopefully the quantity hasn't been at the expense of quality. I don't think it has. In fact, I've been delighted with a few little twists and turns I've been able to weave into the narrative. But to say anything more will spoil the dish.
I have titled the three books. They are:
- What Lies Beneath (Book One)
- Into the Endless (Book Two)
- Akin to Pity (Book Three)
Hopefully next time I post I'll be in the home straight. Until then...
Just a quick post tonight. The footy's on telly (Geelong v Collingwood) so I'm writing this during the ad breaks. Yesterday I printed what I've written so far and what I now have in my hands is quite a weighty tome. It's wonderful to be able to use that phrase!
How weighty, you ask?
At the moment the books are 666 pages in total. Yes, I know that's a sinister number. But it gets weightier! I have typed up the manuscript in tiny font to save paper. Tonight I reformatted the whole thing in the font size and page set-up stipulated by Lulu.com (where I am publishing it) and it came in at 1198 pages! Now just so you can get a sense of how long that is, Tolkien's entire Lord of the Rings trilogy is 1069 pages long. And I haven't even finished!
Of course, it a poor comparison because a lot of what I have penned is probably utter rubbish, but it nice to have so much done anyway.
I'm sometimes asked, 'How long to go?' To answer this, I have supplied a bar chart on the blog (just to the right). It shows how complete each chapter is. 99% basically means it's finished, pending any editorial advice I receive. The book is 49 chapters long and a lot of it's done as you can see. I have decided to divide it into three books. It's a practical decision. It's now too long to print as two.
The other thing to mention is I have also added a chat facility to the blog. If you have a question, or you see I'm online and on a crazy whim you decide to say hello, all you have to do is type your message into the little widget! It's that simple. No log-ins to worry about. Of course, you could pretend to be someone else and type in a nasty comment, but please bear in mind I am very sensitive and may cry should you upbraid me in any way.
I think I am on target to have the whole project wrapped up by Christmas. Hopefully everyone will be getting the same present from me!
Back to the footy now.
The past few weeks have been pretty busy and I haven't been writing as much as I was when I last posted. That said, I must say that I found a bit of a groove with my writing in the past couple of weeks and in the absence of anything profound to say, I thought I'd comment on that.
Instead of jostling shoulder to shoulder with other commuters on a packed city-bound train, I have been leaving half an hour earlier and this has guaranteed me that Holy Grail of long-suffering Connex concubines - a seat! And instead of blankly staring out the window through a patina of gunk and grime, I manage to write two or three pages by the time to get to Parliament Station.
Now I know I could head into the office and start work early giving my employers a little more value for money, but I resist that urge and head into The Commune (pictured below) where I can write another page or so with the frothy goodness of a latte in my little hand. (My right hand that is - I write with my left).
The end of the working day swings around and instead of taking the train home I wander down through Fitzroy Gardens to the tram stop where I can climb aboard a half-empty tram and get another page or three nailed before a short walk home. This practice has enabled me to get six or so pages done each work day without breaking a sweat. Sure I have to type it up when I get home but I can do that whilst watching telly or some other cerebral cortex-lite activity.
Now if all this writing sounds like a chore, I've badly misrepresented it. I actually enjoy the process, and as I'm writing fantasy I can travel a lot further in my book in an hour than a tram can take me.
I'm in a really good place with the second book right now. Book One had a lot of exposition in it. Obviously lots of characters and places had to be introduced. Book Two affords me the opportunity of delving deeper into these characters and their relationships with one another and the strange world they inhabit. It means I can inject a lot more humour into the narrative, as well as deepening the sense of tragedy when things go awry.
Characters such as Sela Noye, a four foot tall, porcupine-type person with a penchant for turning every conversation into an argument are so much fun to write. Others, such as Sir Edgar Worseley, the fastidious knight who will stop mid-battle to wipe the mess off his sword, and Mulupo, the frequently drunk and painfully loquacious Spriggan, tend to write themselves and it is sometimes hard to scribble/type fast enough to keep up with their antics.
I've also derived a fair amount of pleasure from creating creatures of all descriptions. There's the ridiculous two-headed flummox that is so irascible that one of its heads will attack the other despite the pain it will cause to itself. And there's the dim-witted, thousand yard long mockworm that is so scared of all other creatures that it will disguise itself as a hill to avoid being seen. But my favourite of all is the petty, petulant quawk replete with an offensive bodily function that is best left out of the blog for now.
I can hear two naughty children jumping up and down on the beds upstairs. Their mum has left me in charge and it's all gone pear-shaped. I'll cut this short and post again some time soon.
Updates
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Back from China... OMG I think I've forgotten how to tweet.
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Only hours before the fur on my face is removed. Help me break 500 plz: http://t.co/LvfPhyDn In my hour(s) of need I turn to Twitter.5 months ago from web | Reply, Retweet, Favorite
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@wellimagine yep, thx @elearnjones - great apps, even better ideas. Fantastic way to spend a couple of hours. Well done Nathan.
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Geeking out in 'App Developer for Android' session on a Saturday morning. #droidapps
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At last! A dedicated iOS App for Gmail. #allthingscometothosewhowait http://t.co/wfssskgD
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Plenty of iPads in classroom links here. Might be worth checking out. #appiness http://t.co/s7kf45CE
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That's odd. Apple Store app is designed for iPhone, not iPad. I don't want to 'x2' - pixellation is so nineties. #howdoyoulikethemapples?
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At last! Google+ for Google Apps users! Nothing like being last in line! #whyfreeissometimesbetter6 months ago from web | Reply, Retweet, Favorite
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@KateBalme OMG Kate! I can't compete with that! No one could! Hear that sound? That was my jaw hitting the floor.
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Just donated my face to #Movember & men’s health, pls give so it may grow: http://t.co/liFrdocl #cantbelieveimdoingthisagain
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Somebody help me! I have essays to correct but Batman Arkham City is beckoning me. #mynewaddiction
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Exeat weekend. Slept in, then played Batman Arkham City for three hours . A wonderfully productive day.
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Finally received my invite to #diaspora. Checking it out. http://t.co/7y80LArP
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Thx http://t.co/9ks9Wunq for 50Gb of online storage free! You have 50 days to grab the space. Check out the app http://t.co/51FkP6JO7 months ago from web | Reply, Retweet, Favorite
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@teachernz That's a relief. I'm restoring now. I'm not optimistic. Does iOS5 mean game saves go to the magical iCloud?7 months ago from web | Reply, Retweet, Favorite
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Oh dear. Why didn't I notice 'Error 3200' trending before I started updating the iPad! #allgoingpearshaped7 months ago from web | Reply, Retweet, Favorite
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Nice work Apple. So impressed with how iOS update led to error message requiring return to factory settings. #icantstartinfinitybladeagain7 months ago from web | Reply, Retweet, Favorite
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At Designwyse/Apple presentation at QPO with @deanpearman Working out how to manage iPad deployment.
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Just spent the most frustrating hour of my life on Chocorun http://t.co/F1FEk2LA #gotithandedtome
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@deanpearman My pleasure Dean! Thx 4 coming. So many awesome apps to use, so little time.Plz send me any pearls you find & I'll do the same.7 months ago from web | Reply, Retweet, Favorite
Posts
Posts
What is going on here?
The answer to the above question is not a lot. This year I’ve been pouring my energies into my new school and the staff response to my efforts has been so positive and encouraging, it’s just fuel to go further and faster. To that end I now write a Tech Tip Tuesday newsletter which is made available to the teachers every week. It’s similar to Geekapedia but it’s really focussed upon CGS staff needs so I’ve decided not to replicate it here.
So for now, it’s good-bye. I hope to return to this blog down the track as I’m often told of its usefulness, but for now it’s being carbon-frozen and placed into hibernation.
Dear Geekapedian,
My apologies. I went dark. Starting a new job has been wonderful and – to be blunt – my focus has been on making the most of a wealth of new opportunities. For the next month or so I’ll be continuing to devote my time to my new responsibilities, so there’ll only be a few entries on this blog in that time. Come term holidays, I’ll start investing more time back into Geekapedia.
I must also apologise for the shabby state of my blogposts over recent weeks. Globalteacher hosts Geekapedia and over the summer they shifted web servers (hence the new domain) but in the process one of the WordPress plugins went awry. I’ve fixed it so no harm done.
Cheers, Paul
It’s the last Geekapedia entry for the year, so I’d like to thank every Geekapedian out there for their interest and ideas. You can look forward to Geekapedia’s return in late January 2011.
What it is…
Wirelessly sync your iTunes playlists, photos and videos with your Android phone using your home Wi-Fi network with AirSync.
Why it’s awesome…
Even the most ardent Apple fan would have criticisms to make of iTunes, but despite all its flaws it remains the foremost means to distribute and receive podcasts, as well a host of other media. This could be a headache for people wanting to run their podcasts from their Android device. Fortunately DoubleTwist’s AirSync provides a really easy way to integrate iTunes with non-Apple devices. When coupled with AirSync, you don’t even need to connect your Android device to transfer playlists and content from iTunes. The DoubleTwist player is free from the Android market – the AirSync add-on is only a few dollars and worth every cent.
The app is installed on the machine hosting the iTunes account and on the Android phone or tablet. Once it is set up, you can have it set to autosync or your can transfer files manually. It works both ways so the app is a really easy way to get files from your phone onto your computer.
What it needs…
The only problem I could find with the app is that it doesn’t have a lot of options for transferring images. Manually dragging across images from my device to my laptop was a bit cumbersome, especially in light of the fact it does everything else so well.
Geekapedia Rating
Four Robots (out of Five)
Please note this is the penultimate Geekapedia entry for 2010. Following next week’s post, we will be taking a short break until mid-January.
What it is…
ZXing (pronounced “zebra crossing”) is an open-source, multi-format 1D/2D barcode image processing library implemented in Java. Our focus is on using the built-in camera on mobile phones to photograph and decode barcodes on the device, without communicating with a server.
To complement our decoding software, we have created a web-based QR Code generator which supports contact information, calendar events, URLs, and much more.
Why it’s awesome…
As discussed in a recent Contemporary Learning post, the surge in the uptake of smart phones will fuel development and use of complementary technologies such as QR codes. The QR Code Generator removes much of the mystique around such codes and drops creation of such codes into the laps of everyday people.
What is most impressive about ZXing Project’s QR Code Generator is its versatility. Users can create the following QR codes:
- Calendar event (can be saved directly into phone’s calendar)
- Contact information (can be saved directly to phone’s contacts)
- Email address
- Geo-location (opens into phone’s mapping software e.g. Google Maps)
- Phone number
- SMS
- Text (I have inserted just over 1700 characters which would be plenty for most situations)
- URL (save users having to manually type URLs)
- Wifi network (which gives users the opportunity to connect their mobile devices to to wireless network without having to provide them with a password)
The simplicity of the site’s design coupled with its range of uses makes the ZXing QR Code Generator a compelling destination for any business, organisation, school etc. embracing mobile technologies.
What it needs…
Unfortunately the site gives users no indication of what is done to the information inserted in the QR generator fields. Whilst it is unlikely that it is retained the site does not have any Terms of Service so users should be conservative about what data they provide if they are nervous about this sort of thing. That said, the project is Open Source and the project’s FAQs section does address the issue of privacy.
Also, users can build embeddable code for QR codes but the process is broken. Initially I thought embeddable code would be advantageous as you could update information without having to provide new images to websites, but the generator page is blank each time you go to it and builds new code with each use, so this facility is limited – it certainly isn’t a way to update content/details without having to return to websites hosting your QR codes. This would be fixed if the project ever moved to a service with user accounts.
Geekapedia Rating
Four Robots (out of Five)
What it is…
There’s a good chance you have multiple online profiles scattered across various services, including Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr, and Twitter. And one problem you may face is pulling all of this information together to build a single online identity — be it for personal use, or to create a professional online profile. Flavors.me makes this is simple. After completing a basic sign up form, you link your Flavors.me page to any of 15 online services, as well as any RSS feed. Flavors.me taps into these services via their APIs and within minutes you’re ready to start customizing your site. All of your linked content is pulled into your Flavors.me page so it’s easy to access. If you click on one of these feeds, the content will smoothly transition into view; it’s all very slick.
(from Techcrunch)
Why it’s awesome…
In using the site, I was reminded a lot of the design principles at work on Squarespace. Most of the work is done by toggles and sliders and your changes are reflected in real time. Although you can use html, it isn’t necessary.
The site is extremely user-friendly. I was able to set up my site at http://flavors.me/paulstewart within minutes. It only took a little while longer to map my own domain paulstewart.me to this new site. There’s a lot to like about flavours.me. I’m really impressed by the way the scheme you set for the site cascades into all the feeds you bring in from elsewhere. This gives a feeling of cohesion often absent from other aggregators.
There are more options in the paid version (domain mapping, visitor statistics, ability to add more feeds and finer degree of customisation). It was only $20 a year to upgrade, so I went Premium.
As an online CV, portfolio or professional profile, flavours.me could be a wonderful way of presenting your work to prospective employers in an efficient fashion.
What it needs…
Occasionally things go awry when jumping from one area to the next. I noticed my font (colour scheme and size) kept changing as I added feeds or changed layout.
Also, I hope they also expand the choices for layout over the next few months. Should the site gain in popularity – which is highly likely with heavyweights like Leo LaPorte and Chris Dick behind it (see net@night) – the limited number of layouts will make flavors.me sites pretty easy to spot.
Geekapedia Rating
Four Robots (out of Five)
What it is…
Qwiki which in Alpha stage claims to turn information into experience. Qwiki brings a different way of presenting information for a topic which currently indexed over 2 million references includes places, monuments, celebrities, things. Enter a indexed term and Qwiki will offers suggestion for it, select it. Qwiki will generate information experience through visual presentation accompanied by real-audio narration. Visual Presentation from Qwiki for a search term includes maps, movies, images, animations and much more.
(Overview from Techdows)
Why it’s awesome…
Although it has a few superficial similarities with Voicethread, Qwiki has a cleaner interface and seems to be a little less sluggish when moving through images (at least in Chrome which is the browser I used to test the service). Also it’s methodology is completely different to Voicethread’s – this is a information engine of sorts, having more in common with Wolfram Alpha than slideshow services like Voicethread, Slideshare or Prezi.
Qwiki looks great. Images seamlessly enlarge as they take the focus to augment the accompanying text. Clicking on an image brings up a larger view of the image with accompanying links. In the examples shown in the video below Qwiki will also provide video and animation among the pool of resources from which it draws its media.
Qwiki at TechCrunch Disrupt from Qwiki on Vimeo.
Text is provided with every result and the text-to-speech quality is very high. Whilst the occasional clumsy inflection and odd emphasis highlights the artificial voice, it’s certainly listenable.
The samples on the site have a bar beneath them that have a number of toggles and switches for sound, text, images. You can click on any image in the presentation and Qwiki will zoom ahead to that part of the show. Interestingly, there is also an icon for embedding the Qwikis although this is not presently active. There is also a fullscreen view that has not yet been activated which is asomething to look forward to – I imagine viewing Qwikis at fullscreen will be a compelling experience.
What it needs…
Qwiki is currently in Alpha. The site provides a facility to request an invite. I’ll reserve any comments and criticisms until my invitation arrives. Hopefully users will get a chance to upload their own files to complement the wikipedia/mediawiki files that Qwiki seems to rely upon but my guess is that users won’t be able to create their own Qwikis. Although this publishing aspect would be interesting, perhaps allowing users to create their own Qwikis would undermine the relative authority of the site.
Now on the point of authority, I really would like to see some form of citation/referencing at the end of each Qwiki. In my field – education – the need for students to be critical users of the web is paramount. Not supplying any references at the end of a Qwiki experience is a concern and (IMHO) will significantly limit Qwiki’s uptake in schools.
Geekapedia Rating
Four Robots (out of Five)
What it is…
ipadio allows you to broadcast from any phone to the Internet live. Phone blog, collect audio data, record and update the world, or simply let your mates know what you’re doing – ipadio is integrated with Social Media & Blogging platforms.
Why it’s awesome…
The convenience of using a phone to broadcast or podcast is inarguable – mobile phones are ubiquitous, and smart phones are rapidly becoming common across all ages. You can set up ipadio from the application which creates a channel on the ipadio site that anyone can listen to. You can also can use any phone to call in a podcast to a dedicated number (created when you sign up). You don’t need a fancy phone to use ipadio although being able to record and produce podcasts whilst being mobile is obviously the most compelling aspect of the service.
Here’s an example, recorded whilst my kids were playing Force Unleashed at home.
Being able to embed ipadio is obviously an attractive feature as it gives users the opportunity to contextualise their recordings.
Furthermore, I love the shortened URL the site creates for each recording, making it very easy to distribute via Twitter. One phonecall can potentially reach an audience of thousands.
ipadio also has a blog that is worth reading as it hints at the scope of services such as this. Certainly in my field – education – there is much to be gained by this facility and ipadio are aware of this (dedicating a page on their site to how the service could be used to enhance learning).
The optional map on the ipadio site for each podcast is a nice touch, especially considering the potential global audience of the service. Additionally the ability to embed specific recordings in other sites is a really powerful feature.
What it needs…
It needs a different name! Everyone I have introduced to ipadio immediately assumes it’s an application built for the ipad.
I did notice a fair degree of sibilance in the recordings I have made and it’s not the phone – the Samsung Galaxy S is a great phone for voice quality.
I do have some small concerns about the dangers of investing too much in a service that states “Right now ipadio is free to use for consumers” but you can always download your recordings to be used in other environments should ipadio ever change its current service.
I gave this 4/5 but I’d really like to see more options at the application level such as being able to set privacy levels for individual recordings – you can set a default (private or public) but being able to set it for each call would be ideal.
Geekapedia Rating
Four Robots (out of Five)
What it is…
BlogBooker produces a high-quality PDF Blog Book from all your blog’s entries and comments. Archives can be generated from any blog running on WordPress, LiveJournal (and derivatives) or Blogger. The whole process takes about 3-4 minutes, depending on the size of your blog. Blogbooker is a FREE service offered thanks to donations.
Why it’s awesome…
Although I periodically export my blogs’ xml files, there’s a nice feeling of certainly one experiences when you have years’ of work wrapped up in a .pdf. Whilst not a big fan of printing things myself, I can understand why some people would want a hard copy of all their work and you can produce an effective magazine of your blog (a ‘blogazine’?) within minutes.
NB: If the word blogazine enters into common parlance, just remember – you heard it here first.
What it needs…
It pretty much does what it says. I found a few formatting quirks, but I think these were the result of some bad html code in my WordPress blogs. Obviously the more dynamic and multimedia the blog, the less bookblogger can do to preserve its contents, but images and text generally come across as they appear in the blog. It would be good to have more export options, including a Word option which would allow users to fix up any formatting problems that may arise.
Geekapedia Rating
Four Robots (out of Five)
What it is…
Vyew makes it easy and affordable to start collaborating online. With Vyew you can give a presentation to a hundred people online or post a document you’ve been working on for review by your colleagues at their convenience. Vyew is extremely flexible allowing you to bring online collaboration and conferencing into your workflow on your terms.
Why it’s awesome…
Lately I’ve been doing fair amount of work in the area of online conferences. The ability to connect and collaborate with others across space (and time) is extremely powerful and more and more platforms are emerging that allow for people to host online meetings that also allow for the sharing of applications, documents and ideas, alongside purposeful facilities such as chat, video and audio communication and use of text, overlays and highlighting on virtual whiteboards. Vyew does all of this and does it extremely well.
Perhaps the most well known point of comparison to Vyew is Elluminate, but Vyew provides a less cluttered environment and one that is considerably easier to set up. Although Vyew does require Java to run, it is predominately browser-based and doesn’t seem to have the port and proxy issues that occasionally frustrate Elluminate users (and no download required).
Vyew allows for desktop sharing and we found the screen updated as well as any other remote desktop application we have explored. It has most of the annotation features of Elluminate and I found the interface/design to be a little cleaner.
The free version of Vyew does everything the paid version does, but is accompanied by advertising.
What it needs…
It’s weakest point is the number of users in a room. The rooms max out at 10, although the paid version of view gives users the ability to purchase more seats.
Also, there is no export to PDF, but that feature is apparently on its way.
Geekapedia Rating
Four Robots (out of Five)
What it is…
The Freesound Project is a repository of Creative Commons licensed audio samples. Sounds uploaded to the website by its users cover a wide range of subjects, from field recordings to synthesized sound effects. All audio content in the repository is released under the Creative Commons Sampling Plus License, and can be tagged and browsed by folksonomic means.
Why it’s awesome…
In my line of work I occasionally need to find audio samples to fit a specific multimedia need. The wealth of tracks that can be found in Freesound make it my first port of call. The sheer volume of audio that has been uploaded to Freesound is overwhelming which makes the site a real treasure trove.
The site is a perfect complement to CCMixter.org (where many artists supply all individual tracks for a particular piece of music – e.g. percussion, timpani, strings, woodwind, guitar, bass, vocals etc. – which can then be remixed to create something truly unique). Similarly, Freesound.org encourages remixing. It’s not just about the resources at Freesound – it’s the culture of sharing.
The number of sound effects is brobdingnagian which makes Freesound the perfect place for movie makers of all sizes, whether it be for Machinima, YouTube viral videos, 3 in 6 or TropFest.
What it needs…
Quite a lot of the audio in Freesound is obtuse and unusual which is not a bad thing but an inevitable part of any search in Freesound is coming across audio snippets that aren’t what you are looking for. Whilst the commentary and tagging does help, in order for Freesound to work as an open audio repository, all manner of sound file can be found here – and that mean a fair range in quality.
Navigation can be a bit tricky – the site design is a little cluttered. Also, you need to create an account to download anything.
Geekapedia Rating
Five Robots (out of Five)
Posts
Today I’m lucky to enjoy a day off today – it’s called ‘Exeat’ and historically it exists for the CGS Boarders to have a long week-end to see their parents. As I’ve just come back from a week away with Year 10′s on the very flooded Mitchell River, for me it’s a chance to catch my breath and look back on the past nine months.
I’d like to focus on some of the technologies we’ve introduced at CGS and where we’re heading in the near future.
Software
We’re lucky to have access to some damn fine software at CGS including all things Adobe. The most obvious example of the benefits of moving to Adobe CS5 is the use of Adobe Acrobat 9 in Years 7 and 8 for digital portfolios. Acrobat 9 has a wonderful digital portfolio feature built into the application and it wasn’t too hard for our students to create highly visual digital portfolios containing a wide range of document types including .doc, .mp3, .ppt, .mov etc. We quickly found that the digital portfolio works best when used with Adobe files such as .pdf and .flv which gave us the opportunity to introduce file conversion to the students (either using the brilliant Adobe Media Encoder or free converters such as Aura and Hamster).
It’s been fun introducing a wealth of new software as well. The student image now has Eclipse Crosswords – here’s a puzzle one of my students prepared earlier - WordWeb (why isn’t this on every PC in every school?), Geogebra, SketchUp, Photoscape, Launchy, Celestia, and quite a few other surprises.
We acquired one rather expensive piece of software called WYNN. This piece of digital magic allows any text (web browser, Word document, PDF, scanned document etc.) to be read aloud by the computer. The audio can be saved as an .mp3 file. The response by staff and students to this handy software suggests that it has already paid for its inclusion into our digital showbag at CGS.
I’ve been playing with countless iPad apps in exploring the possibility of the iPad joining our family of internet-enabled devices – I discuss these below.
Wikis and Blogs
No great surprise to find wikis and blogs in a school but what has been remarkable is the scale at which we have embraced these. For example we have every Year 11 student on a range of wikis built for very specific purposes. Our wiki ‘Best Served Cold’ for the Revenge Context Study had well over 100 students on it, making well over 2000 contributions in the course of the unit. Wikispaces’ recent addition of the inline comments facility made using the wiki a no-brainer.
We’ve also been totally jazzed by how easy our blogging platform Kidblog.org has been to run.
YouTube
This year we also opened up YouTube for staff and – unsurprisingly – it is proving to be a superb resource, providing the school with an eclectic and creative mix of video to draw upon.
LMS
We are now poised to move to a new LMS containing a range of features that will empower students and staff. Without going into to much detail, the new one will let us have real-time communication, document storage and revisioning, alerts, notifications, video, polls, surveys, wikis, blogs etc. as well as the ability to easily embed html from the outside world. It’s early days but I’m expecting staff will find the new environment much more intuitive which in turn will make my job a little easier in the long run.
PD
One of the most impressive things about CGS is its commitment to Professional Development. Every Monday at lunchtime the students bustle off to sport, community service and other things whilst the staff head off to PD. We’ve run sessions on all manner of things, from movie making to introducing students to the beauty of statistics through applications such as Gapminder.
The best part of all this is the fact that I’ve returned to delivering PD where the action happens and where it all matters – in the school.
Peripherals
Over the past few months we’ve welcomed a number of new peripherals into our school. Although the Flips are being discontinued by Cisco, largely to the rise of cameras in smartphones, we purchased quite a few of these that we have bundled up in class sets of eight. Having easy access to a swathe of Flips means that most of the creative thinking is bound up in their use, rather than how to actually get them. A large number of classes have embraced critical video literacy by exploring through doing rather than mere observation. I’ve also used the Flips with my VCE students who recorded their thoughts on ‘One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ before we started dissecting it in class. That video went up on our class wiki for parents to see. In a few weeks we’ll record another video, hopefully showing what we’ve learned since.
It’s true that the Flip is no longer the darling of the educational market but I’m still a huge fan. Last week I was in a sports raft filming students head down rapids with the Flip. When you’re trying to film whilst avoiding toppling into an icy mountain river, any device that only uses one button to operate is a great bit of kit.
Whilst we’re on AV, it’s probably worth mentioning the handy little EasySpeak mics we have picked up. These work much like the Flips but are just for audio – press one button to record, press another to play back and pop the USB to copy files across to a computer. They’re a dream for oral presentations, providing much better sound quality than the Flips or an mp3 player. We used these to create some radio shows in which the students reviewed the semester.
Tablets
Obviously iPads are one of the big players in this area and it has been bliss to be handed a school iPad early on, negating the need to use my own device in class. It has also been more than a little bit awesome to be able to play on other devices such as Windows and Android tablets before committing to a brand. We are dedicated to the role of such devices; brands will come and go… and so it has been pleasing to watch the horse being prepared and groomed before hitching on the cart.
Apps
I’ve concentrated on Android apps in this blog in the past, so I thought I’d quickly list some of the iOS apps I’ve been playing with as CGS takes a look down this road.
Increasingly, iOS apps are showing an awareness of the needs of their educational market, and although Mr Job’s deep-seated hatred of Flash continues to frustrate many (as do other Apple lineaments) the development of virtualisation on iOS devices has made the future look promising. The browser more important than ever. There is a way forward.
As for specific apps that have set my skin tingling, there are far too many to name in this post. Here’s twenty of the best. No discussion or editorials – just a quick list:
- ABC iView
- Casey’s Contraptions
- SugarSync
- Splashtop
- Comic Life 2
- Our Choice
- ReelDirector
- Frog Dissection
- Museum Vic’s Field Guide
- Solar Walk
- The Sound of Buildings
- Yammer
- Watchlater
- imo.im
- Diigo Browser
- Print to PDF
- Team Viewer
- MSOLearn
- iPrompt Pro
I’ve provided links to iTunes so open this post up on your iPad and get app-happy.
If any schools are considering adopting mobile devices (and you should be doing this), I strongly suggest having time to play on the devices to discover nifty things, like getting PDf into iBooks, learning how to print to PDf and time to wander the expanses of the Appstore.
BTW: On a note completely unrelated to this post, today I discovered that my three novels on Lulu.com are now available in iTunes for a very reasonable price. I hope to build on this model with our students. The idea of moving them from being readers/consumers to writers/producers is just far too appealing to ignore.
Learning Spaces
I can’t go into much detail here but it’s been a delight to be involved in the design of new buildings and being pushed by our Principal to be as innovative and bold as can be. We’ve been looking at a wide range of technologies that will best fit an environment designed for the future instead of the structures of the past.
I’ve missed about a kazillion things but the past nine months have been nothing but satisfying. Not that I don’t appreciate the occasional exeat, but there are so many things bubbling away in the cauldron of technology for schools to taste, it’s an appetizing time to be in education.
Dear Contemporary Learner,
My apologies. I went dark. Starting a new job has been wonderful and – to be blunt – my focus has been on making the most of a wealth of new opportunities. For the next month or so I’ll continue to devote my time to my new responsibilities. Come Easter break, I’ll start investing a little more time in this blog.
Ironically, now I’m back in a school, I’m closer to contemporary learning than I have been in years. I’ve got a lot to write about in my head and it’s all good. I just need to find some time to put it out in cyberspace. Good thing is I get term holidays – see you then.
Cheers, Paul
Just one last post before winding down for Christmas.
A Twitter pal sent me a link to this page on distance-education.org: Top 20 Education Influencers You Need To Follow on Twitter in 2011… and Why.
How chuffed was I to find my face among the people listed on the site, especially considering some of the luminaries gathered on the list. It’s a nice surprise, putting a bow on a brilliant end to the year.
See you in 2011.
Cheers, Paul
Why do people become teachers?
As with any profession, it’s probably for a swathe of reasons. I believe that most teachers teach because they can see they can make a difference. It is, by and large, an honourable profession but one that is rarely given the respect it truly deserves. Most teachers put much of themselves into their work, work that is often – unfortunately and unnecessarily – only seen by few and judged by many.
For a few years now I have found myself carrying out the role of eLearning facilitator from a city office and not a classroom. There’s a lot to be said about working in a city office – coffee shops are usually nearby, there are no bells and the place is generally clean. But the thing is an office is not a classroom, it doesn’t feel like a classroom and it doesn’t sound like a classroom… Lately I have felt acutely aware of this, especially at a time when the very concept of a classroom is changing thanks to recent government funding and advances in technology.
So what’s the purpose of this post? It’s essentially to let readers of this blog know that I’ll be taking a sabbatical from posting as I ready myself – I’m going back to school. I have accepted an offer to take up the position of eLearning Coordinator at a most wonderful school in Melbourne.
It will be a joy to work directly with students again, to throw around ideas and concepts, to explore creative opportunities and to discover things in tandem. Stephen Heppell once said that the best educational research is done in the classroom. It is my hope that I can add to that body of research by engaging my school’s students in meaningful discourse and authentic projects. It’s a chance for me to put my pedagogical principles on the line and do the things I have been theorising about for years.
I do intend to return to this blog in the not-too-distant future so please don’t unsubscribe. Not just yet. However, in the warm soil of my mind, I can feel the seeds of a new blog beginning to shoot. Not a blog about things schools could be doing in the classroom, but a blog about what my school is doing.
It’s an exciting prospect.
East High School Tower Sunset by Alexis o'Toole 2007 Creative Commons Copyleft Licence
Recently I’ve been investigating the world of QR codes and I’m quite excited about their potential in education. Now I’m hardly the first person to this party, but it seems to be that as access to mobile devices continues to improve , QR codes will become much more prominent in education that have have been to this point.
They’re not the prettiest things, I admit, but their functionality is such that their utilitarian design can be easily overlooked.
QR stands for Quick Response as they allow their content to be decoded at high speed. Firstly a very brief overview, have a look at this Qwiki.
To read a QR code you need a mobile device that is capable of running a QR or barcode reader. On my Android phone, I’m running the free app Barcode Scanner which does an amazing job of reading QR codes then supplying me with the ability to share the results via all manner of means including gmail, Twitter, Facebook, SMS, delicious etc.
You can use a QR code to supply hyperlinks, contact details, latitude & longitude coordinates (which open up in Google Maps), wireless network credentials, plain text, email addresses and a number of other useful things.
You can even get tailor made QR code tattoos that will hold personalised information.
QR Code Temporary Tattoo Scans by Scott Bl8ke 2009 Non-Commercial, Copyleft Creative Commons Licence
It’s the versatility of QR codes that I find most appealing. I was able to get just over 1700 characters of text into a QR (see the picture below for the opening paragraphs of What Lies Beneath) so they could certainly be used for providing directions, setting tasks and asking questions. I could also see so many fun classroom applications of the technology including mystery hunts, choose your own adventure, impromptu speaking… I’ve even heard of them being used for orienteering.
Perhaps the most notable aspect to QR is the efficiency that comes embedded in them. Rather than typing hyperlinks or transcribing questions, a quick click of a phone and students have the necessary information that can then be shared and/or put to use. Obviously, the codes require a device and this is perhaps one obstacle in their adoption that should be considered.
It’s not difficult to create a QR code. The sites below provide extremely easy to use generators that will produce a QR code that can be downloaded as an image or distributed as embeddable html.
Quickmark also make a local application that users to place over QR codes which are subsequently decoded. This could be handy to introduce the concept of QR codes, and to generate them (the application has everything you need to create your own QR codes) but it must be stated that where QR codes really shine is on mobile devices. Also, please be warned, the application plays an annoying little soundbite every time you use it. It perplexes me how someoone somewhere thought this would be a good way to bring attention to the software. But it’s free.
One of the really impressive applications I have seen is for a wifi network. Administrators can create a QR code that has a WEP key embedded into it – all someone has to do to join the network is scan the QR code – they don’t ever see the WEP key. I haven’t tested the security on this but just think how useful this could be, especially when individuals are bringing mobile phones and tablets to venues providing wireless access to the network. Individuals could scan a QR code upon entering and within seconds be authenticated to the network.
For more information regarding QR codes, I recommend taking a look at this presentation by Jarrod Robinson as well as checking out his site The PE Geek.
Some months ago I wrote a post You didn’t get an iPhone? in which I detailed my decision to purchase a Samsung Galaxy S. Since that time Android phones have gained significant attention and now Android-based technologies (e.g. the Galaxy Tab) are being considered by more and more educators as an option. Although some schools have been quick to gravitate towards the iPad, working through small trials in some cases, and using DER funds to buy hundreds in others, other schools have held off to see how this shifting landscape evolves.
As part of my role, I have been asked on numerous occasions where I stand on the Android vs iOS debate. Rather than enter into a polemic piece that segments teachers into those who are pursuing the right technologies and those who are not, I must state that there is no one solution or technology that will magically improve student learning. A bad teacher with an iPad won’t become a good teacher, and most schools know this. They realise that their most important investment is the one they make in choosing staff.
This is not to say that the Android vs iOS discussion isn’t an interesting discussion to be had, but that’s not on the menu in today’s post. Instead I thought I’d detail some of the apps I’ve been recommending to friends with phones running Android.
BTW: Some of these can be found in Apple’s AppStore. Also, I’m running Eclair (Android 2.1) – some of these apps don’t run on Cupcake (1.5) or Donut (1.6).
AppAware
Recently updated to a much better UI, AppAware is a brilliant way to filter Android’s burgeoning Market. AppAware lists the top apps based on installations and updates (as well as apps that are being removed from phones). You can filter by hour, day and week as well as making selections based on location and social networks. The app lists the number of installations for a given time as well as providing links to download the apps from the Market. Quite a few clones and alternatives have appeared recently, such as AppBrain App Market, but for me AppAware is enough to stay cognizant of the best of the Market.
Launcher Pro
I’ve now got so many apps on the phone that I filled my alloted seven screens. Launcher Pro effectively expands this to ten (which is probably enough).
Andricious
Sitting on the train browsing the web makes good sense but what if I stumble across a site that I want to share or bookmark? IMHO Andricious is the best of the Delicious apps in the Android Market. Just click share and choose Andricious to send to your Delicious account. You can add your own tags as well as using the ones Andricious recommends. Lots of options and easy to use.
Glympse
Glympse is an app to share your location with anyone for a specified period of time. They can view your movements from a web browser. It’s a bit like Google’s Latitude but also presents speed and direction. This could be a wonderful way to give secondary students a certain amount of independence on excursions without losing track of where they are. However, it’s not quite right just yet. I’ve found that it is sometimes off in its positioning despite using GPS, and occasionally it jumps around when you’re on the move. But the potential is there.
Memoires
Memoires is a simple and useful diary application that allows for images, GPS location and text to be wrapped up in a diary entry. Password protection and daily emoticons to reflect your mood are nice little additions. Diary entries can be exported.
Advanced Task Killer
With all the multitasking going on whilst using an Android phone, this one is a must to preserve battery life. Advanced Task Killer monitors all active processes.
Cam Scanner
I often get printed sheets of paper handed to me when all I really want is a digital copy. Cam Scanner lets me takes a photo of a document and have that converted to PDF. From my phone I can send it wherever I need to (Drop Box, Evernote, Gmail etc.) The ability to trim and skew the document means that I can make sure I only get what I need. You can add additional pages to the PDF.
This app would be perfect to take down any notes put up on a whiteboard in class, or for helping to build a digital portfolio.
A nice alternative is Document Scanner.
Freedi YouTube Downloader
Freedi YouTube Downloader is not only as an efficient search engine of YouTube but a really effective way to get local copies of YouTube content.
Caveat Emptor: There are differing opinions regarding whether this app constitutes a violation of YouTube’s Terms of Service. Sylvie Saab of Australia’s National Copyright Unit stated at the 2009 VITTA Conference that because YouTube doesn’t make users read the ToS upon using the service, it is unlikely to be regarded by a court of law as an enforceable requirement of use.
Box.net and Dropbox
Apps that interact with online storage services provide an easy means to move content from the web to a mobile device (and from a device to the web).
Flickr Free/Flickr Companion
Upload images to Flickr from anywhere. I mentioned this app when I posted about the Galaxy S in September and I’m still using the app all the time. Recently I was able to upload a picture to Flickr from Mt Feathertop.
I liked the free app so much I upgraded to the pro version Flickr Companion for a paltry 99 cents.
iPadio
I mentioned this voice recording/podcasting app this in a post over on Geekapedia. and in this post on the scope of elearning. Tremendous potential for the classroom.
Factbook
With apps like Factbook and Wolfradroid, I continue to question whether students should spend so much time committing facts to memory when they are readily accessible on the web. Much better for facts to be the start of learning, rather than the end. Anyway, a terrific collection comprised of UN data.
Thinking Space
I’m currently playing with a mindmapping tool called Thinking Space. It’s extremely intuitive but it’s too early to list as a recommendation – I’ll follow this up in another post down the track.
Obviously these are just a sampling of the 100,000+ apps available in the Android market. Over summer I have a personal project – to create my own app via Google’s App Inventor, so hopefully when I next return to this theme one of the apps I’ll mention will be one of mine.
I’ve been lucky enough to work in the area of elearning for almost ten years now and I’ve seen a lot of changes take place in this field, most of them for the better. I’ve seen the power of web publishing handed over to the users (via YouTube, blogs, wikis et al); I’ve seen niche interests find representation (via podcasts, fan sites and messageboards); I’ve seen an array of learning styles catered for by technology, and multimedia become recognised as an essential component in how students deliver performances of understanding (in the forms of movie-making, machinina, animation, games design and many other guises); I’ve seen students come together to share ideas (via collaborative mechanisms such as online mindmapping tools, wikis and multimedia services such as Voicethread) and I’ve witnessed access to data and real time statistics become ubiquitous (in the form of Gapminder, Google Earth and Wolfram Alpha to name but a few).
Elearning is about promise and potential. It’s about sensing the possibilities. It’s an exciting area, capable of inspiring others to try new things. I’ve also been inspired on innumerable occasions, partly through the showcasing of great innovators on sites such as TED, but also through working with teachers either in PD or in projects out at schools. Additionally, I read a number of blogs written by brilliant teachers who enter their classes with the most wonderful ideas and intentions, and exit them with a sense of fulfilment that I imagine only a handful of other professions experience.
I believe elearning has become one of the pillars of a contemporary education, but let us pause and consider what exactly is elearning. The concept snuck up on us, and before most of us were aware of it, it had nestled down in the warm corners of our schools and it wasn’t going to leave.
Elearning is partly about wish fulfilment in a learning context. If you want to do something, chances are, there is technology around to support your desire – we could call it e-yearning (forgive me but I’m a big fan of the heavy-handed pun). Elearning provides tools for creation and ways to bring into reality ideas that may have otherwise drifted off into the ether.
But in determining what elearning is, let us quickly state what it isn’t.
It isn’t doing exactly what you did before but with a computer. The project that was previously handed out on paper but is now delivered via a content management system is still the same project. Elearning doesn’t just take old ways of working and dress them up in new clothes. Elearning focuses upon what is essential in a learning context and provides a range of options to investigate, analyse and eventually synthesise. It provides new approaches that may open up doors to students, including those whose learning preferences previously held them back.
Elearning involves being aware of trends and developments in technology and knowing how to capitalise on them. This may mean making decisions based on emerging technologies. It doesn’t mean gravitating towards every shiny object that appears, but it does require thoughtful consideration of how each new element (software, hardware, peripheral, service etc.) can augment learning and improve student outcomes. That consideration involves weighing up the benefits and costs in the context of good curriculum design.
A prime example of this is the iPad which is gaining significant momentum in many schools and not without good reason. Increasingly I find myself involved in discussions about whether schools should go down this road, and my response is always influenced by what the school wanted to do before the iPad appeared. The benefits (intuitive interface, wealth of applications, stability, battery life, portability…) need to be put alongside the costs (proxy issues, no Flash, app licencing, no output to a projector…) and this audit then has to be contextualised by the learning intentions of the school i.e. what exactly do you want to achieve? This is no easy task and it is further complicated by the relentless emergence of new technologies such as the host of Android tablets that have been building up beyond our shores like troops massing for an invasion. (Actually that sounds more ominous than it should – as readers of this blog know, I am the happy owner of a Galaxy S, and look forward to the arrival of variations on the theme Apple introduced to us via the iPad).
'Chester and the iPad' by FoxyCoxy 2010 Creative Commons Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives Licence
On one of the listservs I frequent, one of the contributors, Cameron, made the following comment:
Whilst my daughter is really excited about her iPad now, I am willing to bet that as the novelty wears off, it will again be left to an exciting and personable teacher to enthuse her about learning.
I agree with Cameron (and obviously the point being made applies to all technologies, not just the iPad).
It is inarguable that elearning is one avenue to engage the learner but elearning has to be more than a panacea to student disengagement. Elearning has to empower the learner, give him/her opportunities that could not be realised in any other way. Elearning gives the learner a host of ways to demonstrate their learning and through this demonstration assess their learning. Elearning gives students the ability to dig deeper, more efficiently and more effectively. It gives students platforms from which to connect – with teachers, with other students and with individuals directly involved with what is being explored. For me, elearning equates with authenticity as it is one of the means by which students can interact with the real world, rather than just observe it from the other side of a school fence.
In my current role, I am lucky to bear witness to many fine examples of good elearning in practice. But for the remainder of this post, I’m going to focus on something a little bit closer to home as I ponder the whys and wherefores of this topic.
Yesterday was a rainy day in Melbourne, so I did what every other family in town decided to do and headed to the Melbourne Museum. This is always a popular outing with my kids – hardly surprising when one considers the ways in which this particular museum approaches learning. It’s a stimulating place where all sorts of discussions occur. Using an app called iPadio (available on iOS and Android) I recorded the conversation below on my phone and sent it directly to the web.
There’s a wonderful irony to the fact that there is an abundance of technology surrounding all the old bones in the Melbourne Museum and just about all of the tech exists to deepen the learning experience. Many displays call upon a range of senses (including the often overlooked olfactory sense in the insects section). Exhibits at the Melbourne Museum don’t just offer interactivity – they demand it. Visitors are required to push buttons, to poke, to pull, to peer and to participate. Interactivity isn’t an ornament – it is core to many of the displays. And where interactivity isn’t possible, visitors aren’t just observers of static objects – some displays bring to life things that have been dead for millennia.
The photo below is of a brilliant display devoted to the Qantassaurus (a two-legged, herbivorous Australian dinosaur, named after the airline). In a display akin to a Disneyland ride, the animatronics go a long way to recreating a sense of what life was like 115 million years ago. It is an evocative approach, and there was no doubting how enthralled my children were – my girl bit her thumb in excitement when a large predator burst into the leafy vale where the herd of Qantassaurus were grazing.
Perhaps the best example of how the museum has employed technology to provide new roads into its displays can be found in the Wild: Amazing Animals in a Changing World exhibition. In the rooms devoted to this stunning menagerie, visitors get the opportunity to delve deeper into the details surrounding each animal via a number of interactive monitors spread out across the room. Some of these monitors resemble periscopes that can be swivelled around to survey animals from all over the globe. Rather than spend time describing it, I have assembled a quick video (all taken on my aforementioned Galaxy S and uploaded to the web from the museum). To me this sort of activity, blending choice with a tactile and visual interface whilst surrounded by the sounds of the natural world is what elearning is all about. Melbourne Museum from Paul Stewart on Vimeo.
This Sunday hundreds of thousands will be taking part in One Day on Earth. I’m happy to count myself in their number.
My submission is called ‘Despair and Disappointment’ but when I say my I really mean our - for this adventure I’ll be accompanied by one of my hiking buddies, Anthony (AKA Kosty). Here’s the description we have submitted for our contribution.
A fellow hiker and I will be heading out into the Victorian bush, specifically to Mt Despair and Mt Disappointment. We will be climbing both peaks on this day and capturing footage of the landscape. It is worth noting that both peaks are found in the area devastated by the terrible Victorian bushfires of 2009.
I wrote a post about the fires way back in February, 2009, so this will be an interesting topic to return to. Although the focus will be on Mt Despair and Mt Disappointment, we’ll also be hitting two other fire towers: Mt St Leonard (near Chum Creek) and Mt Gordon (near Marysville). I think we’re being ambitious – over the past ten years, Kosty and I have bagged a number of peaks but never four in a day.
I’m particularly curious about Mt Despair as it’s quite remote and we’re not sure what impact the fire of 2009 has had upon the area. I should also note that Kosty and I have also managed to lose a trail or two – I still bear the psychological scars of the fateful trip over the Cathedral at Wilson’s Prom – so this Sunday’s expedition should be exciting.
In terms of technology, we’re keeping things relatively simple – a couple of Flips and that’s about it. I’ll glue it all together using iMovie. It’s a wonderful feeling to be a part of this project – I can’t wait to see what other participants contribute including the host of educators who have shown interest in the idea.
Knowing what you know now, if you had a chance to design a school from scratch, what would it look like?
When you really think about it, it’s a fascinating question, and quite an exhilarating prospect. Nothing wrong with daydreaming – it’s a state of mind that allows you to sense the possibilities.
Obviously we want our classrooms to be learner-focused but unfortunately the design of many of the rooms in our schools reflects a different model – the raised platform out the front, the rows facing forward, the walls minimising distractions from the outside world.
Take a look at this video of architect Randall Fielding demonstrating the connection between where and how students learn in the 21st century. (Thanks Marie for bringing this gem to my attention!)
Designing Schools for 21st Century Learning from New Learning Institute on Vimeo.
Fielding describes the classroom environment as the second curriculum. Now we know that good curriculum builds on students’ prior learning and experiences but it also values their goals. The second curriculum – the learning environment – must similarly address student goals. Classrooms have to be places where students can take charge of their own learning, or as Fielding puts it, “find their own groove.” They can be places where risks can be taken, mistakes can be made and where play is valued.
“Play… fosters individuals’ capacity for continuous learning, flexibility and adaptability as an adult.”
Jane Jenson, THE LEGO PARADIGM 2006
It would seem that if we want to foster lifelong learning then we have to help students see that learning can occur in a vast array of contexts. A classroom can be one context, but a well-designed learning space can accommodate a range of contexts, shifting like a Transformer according to need and purpose. If we want students to be innovative then our use of space must reflect this.
“The fourth principle that I’d say that is really key from research on how the brain works that will help us learn is that the environment be real world like. That is, it’s not, “Oh, I’m sitting in a room talking about life – I’m living life.” So there’s an integration of work and learning and living and play. It all becomes the same thing.”
Randall Fielding
Of course, schools are not built with just bricks, mortar, glass and steel. They are built with expectations, values and aspirations. It is generally accepted that we need to design for the future – no easy task as it means basing on decisions upon something that hasn’t arrived, rather than that which is known. But in grappling with what the future holds, we are actively engaged with it, rather than assuming the roles of curious bystanders.
“We learn the most when learning is real. We learn by doing. We learn we are truly engaged.”
Randall Fielding
Classroom from Dunce Corner by alternatePhotography 2007 Creative Commons Non-Commercial, No-Derivatives Licence
In my area – eLearning – I often find myself exploring technologies that will complement, assist and/or augment this engagement with the future. And it’s not just me. There are many schools who are similarly involved in a never-ending dance with technology, looking for ways in which ICT can elevate the students’ learning experiences. One of the schools I often work with has a brilliant ‘City Project’ where students come into the city and in an inspiring example of a well-designed inquiry unit, are required to collect evidence of their learning via mobile phones. Hunched over a latte in Federation Square, their teacher Troy sits on a laptop (not literally) and responds to this evidence as it comes in.
“I’m also able to ask them questions and challenge them… whilst they’re out exploring Melbourne. I can tap into them immediately. They’re also experimenting with sending me photos so I can see what they’re seeing at the same time.”
Troy Rickard
Now mobile technology is just one example of countless technologies competing for our time. Web 2.0, augmented reality, open source, podcasting, IWBs, eReaders, iPads, virtual worlds, video conferencing… it can be quite overwhelming! With all this incessant technology hovering about, isn’t there a risk of alienating and disenfranchising teachers who don’t take easily to bits and bytes?
Perhaps, but I believe this situation can be managed in a way that benefits everyone. At the ACEC2010 Conference this year both Alan November and Sylvia Martinez commented upon professional learning in education and the thread common to both speakers was that the best professional learning for teachers takes place in the school. And with students directly involved. It’s a wonderful and frightening concept – students sitting alongside teachers, learning together – and it’s a shame it doesn’t happen more often.
“21st century learners – they need different kinds of skills. And so now a stimulus-rich environment, a secure environment that’s going to help learn, find our own passion is critical to success.”
Randall Fielding
There is no doubt that today’s students require new skills in a world that places less emphasis upon manufacturing and production and more on information and services. Knowing this, we can respond in a way that can be positive and energising. We can create places where the cross-fertilisation of ideas is encouraged and challenging tasks are undertaken in the spirit of adventure. It doesn’t mean a less rigorous environment but it may mean a more relevant one when compared to the classrooms of yesteryear.
ap·pli·ca·tion (ap-li-key-shun)
n.
The act of applying.
The act of putting something to a special use or purpose.
The capacity of being usable; relevance.
Close attention; diligence.
A request, as for assistance, employment, or admission to a school.Computer Science. A computer program with a user interface.
A colleague and I were preparing a workshop on designing curriculum for today’s students and we were discussing the skills and dispositions we felt were important to meet the challenges of tomorrow. It was a good chat and I came out of it with some ideas I felt were worth pursuing. I like to represent my thinking visually, so I thought it might be interesting to create an image that conveys some of the ideas I had running through my head… For want of a better term, let’s call it an iPed - excuse the awful pun.
(Click on the picture for a full screen view).
Now there is a subtext here – good curriculum design starts with the students and considers what their needs are. As Maslow suggested, we cannot expect individuals to soar until their basic needs are met. And then there are their academic needs. Teachers need to consider vertical alignment (using prior knowledge to build on), horizontal alignment (the pace at which a group of students moves through the curriculum) as well as looking for interdisciplinary connections which may increase the relevancy of the skills and content. All these elements need to be considered in the context of other standards (e.g. VELS, ACARA in Victoria, Australia), contemporary research and policy (e.g. MCEETYA, the Melbourne Declaration) as well as school vision and strategy documents. It’s a challenging but rewarding process and can be supported in a host of ways by technology (hence the motif of the apps in my visualisation). Technology can assist in liberating the students’ thinking, providing them with mechanisms for inquiry as well as giving them ways in which to provide a performance of understanding so that their teachers can assess their progress.
Of course, the collection above is not definitive – there’s a few items I’d like to add, such as evaluation, synthesis and inquiry. It’s worth noting that my thinking regarding 21st century skills is dynamic. A list of these skills cannot be static and the acquisition of such skills is an ongoing process (just as any assessment should not suggest that the learning has stopped or been completed). I am sure there are many other dispositions, skills and attributes readers of this blog could add. I’ll supply the means to do so below. Some time in the not to distant future I’ll pop on a black skivvy, stand up on stage and say, ‘But wait… there’s more!’ as I proudly reveal the next iteration of my iPed.
Important skills for 21st Century learning... at AnswerGarden.ch.
BTW: All the images in the ‘iPed’ image above were sourced from the wonderful Morguefile (a copyright-free archive of images). The iPad template came from seanpercival.com. I sewed the whole thing together using Adobe’s Fireworks.
PPS: I received an email today asking whether I had a PowerPoint presentation of the images on the iPed. I didn’t but do now. See below. This presentation can also be found as a Google Docs presentation at http://goo.gl/WR9n
Profile
Summary
My objectives at present are to continue to hone my skills in the area of eLearning, to play the part of technological provocateur at Caulfield Grammar School and to continue to forge relationships which strengthen my professional ties whilst affording me opportunities for learning.
Experience
- Jan 2011 - PresenteLearning Coordinator / Caulfield Grammar SchoolPaul looks after eLearning for staff and students at Caulfield Grammar School's Wheelers Hill campus. He is responsible for an array of areas including the development of programs and policies to support innovative practice. He runs professional development on a daily basis covering an array of topics ranging from cybersafety through to multimedia production. In conjunction with Learning Area Leaders, Paul introduces software, peripherals and hardware that augment curriculum delivery. He also plays the role of technological provocateur, constantly looking for creative and compelling ways to use ICT to support the learner. He also teaches VCE English allowing for his love of literature to be married to his fondness for teaching and dedication to formative practice. Additionally, Paul has worked at Caulfield Grammar School's Nanjing Campus (China) as a Visiting Teacher, joining the complement of teachers who have taken advantage of the opportunity to take part in the School's Internationalism Programme.
- 2006 - PresenteLearning Officer / Catholic Education Office, MelbournePaul Stewart was an Education Officer (eLearning) at the Catholic Education Office in Melbourne for four years where he supported eLearning programs in Catholic schools. Paul assisted schools in the development of contemporary learning, focusing upon the powerful opportunities made available via the use of ICT in the classroom. During this time Paul frequently presented at eLearning conferences around the nation, including NAVCON, Commander's LT Conferences, ICTEV, ACEC2010 and VITTA. His interests in eLearning cover a wide spectrum, but his favourite topic is the role of video games as exemplars of good practice in assessment and scaffolding learning.
- 2002 - PresentNetwork Services Administrator (Curriculum) / Whitefriars CollegePaul's role at Whitefriars College took on many shades. Some duties were highly technical - such as preparing laptop images for deployment, configuring servers, creating application objects and other distributables, as well as looking after the back end of numerous services such as reporting (Markbook) and online spaces (SharePoint and the College intranet). He was also responsible for providing professional development in the area of eLearning. As a laptop school, Whitefriars College had expectations that the teaching staff were not only technically proficient, but also able to innovate with technology. Paul was responsible for introducing concepts of contemporary learning and curriculum design, as well as assisting staff coming to grips with a rapidly changing ICT ecosystem. Paul also taught English at the College.
- 2001 - PresentEnglish Teacher / St Catherine's SchoolPaul took English classes from Yr 7-VCE at St Catherine's as well as coaching the girls' GSV football side. He went on numerous school camps including Tasmania, Phillip Island, Eildon and was appointed to lead a trek in Nepal (cancelled due to political instability in the region). Whilst he was at St Catherine's, Paul commenced a part-time computer science degree which he finished in 2002.
- 1990 - PresentHead of English / Wesley CollegePaul began teaching senior English at Wesley's Prahran Campus. In 1994 he took up the position of Head of English at Wesley's Elsternwick campus, a role he carried for seven years. Paul also taught PE, Drama and Photography whilst at Wesley College. He also directed a number of major theatre productions, one of which ('Around the World in Eighty Days') won numerous awards. Paul led many outdoor experiences whilst at Wesley including trips to Malaysia, Birdsville, the Grampians, the Bogong High Plains, Chum Creek, Portland and the Gippsland Lakes. He also played a pivotal role in the College's laptop program, something he supported from inception to its position as a exemplar for other schools. Paul also coached: football, tennis, athletics, basketball as well as developing the recreational PE course.
Education
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2001 - 2002Spherion (AKA Computer Power)Diploma in eBusiness
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1985 - 1988Victoria UniversityLanguage and Literature in Language, Literature, Media Studies
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1976 - 1984Marcellin CollegeHSC
- Spherion InstituteDiploma of eBusiness Support (Honours) in aka Computer Power
- Victoria College (now Deakin University)Bachelor of Education in Secondary; Literature and Media Studies
