Conversations
Local and global interactions and discussions that have meaning and relevance to individual learners and learning communities.
Travels in Italy – Milan to Reggio Emilia
I am in Italy! First time in this country. Yes, I know I was just in Finland.....and I will be going back after Easter, but I have taken a sabbatical from my sabbatical (!) to attend the...
From Symphony to Snow
Did you know there are about 30 professional orchestra's in Finland? With a population of less than 6 million this is an amazing fact. I found this article 'Orchestras in Finnish Music Policy'...
From Pedagogy to Cosmogogy – HIEST Presentation, JYU Finland
This is my second week in Finland, based at the Finnish Institute for Education Research, University of Jyväskylä. I was invited to present my research at the April meeting of the Higher...
Exploring Jyväskylä – Saturday April 5
My first weekend in Jyväskylä! It is now Sunday and, no surprise, I will be working most of the day to get a head start on the week but let me tell you about my Saturday. It was cold!...
Jyväskylä – the ‘Athens’ of Finland
I am now in Jyväskylä, having arrived by train on Tuesday. Although I did not see snow and/or ice in Helsinki there is some around further north in fields and waterways. Finnish Institute for...
My Cosmic Sabbatical begins!
It is 5am, I am in Helsinki, and a little jet-lagged from 36+ hours of travel from Toowoomba, Australia. Finland embraced daylight saving last weekend and the sun will rise at 6:45am. I am in a...
The Global Collaborator Mindset
Despite over 20 years of internet access in the classroom, online global collaborative, curriculum based activities are not typical in K-12 schools. Why is this? Why should we care and what can...
Online Global Collaborative Learning – Exploring the Silver Lining
I recently had the great pleasure of appearing on the #SilverLiningForLearning Podcast, hosted by Chris Dede, Curtis Bonk and Lydia Cao. The focus of the discussion was how to prepare educators...
Footsteps on the sands of AI for higher education: Moving beyond adhoc
In June 2024 I attended the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) Leadership Summit, hosted by Globethics at the Campus Biotech in Geneva, Switzerland. Lisa Jacka and I...
International collaboration for the future of inclusive education
Introducing the ICDE Technology and Innovation Network I had the pleasure of introducting the ICDE Technology and Innovation Network at the Open Education Global Conference 2024 (OEGlobal24)....
Online global collaborative learning: Open mind, open practice
OEGlobal Conference, Brisbane November 2024 This event was an opportunity for me to further extend understanding and purpose behind the Global Collaborator Mindset, with a focus on the attribute...
CASE STUDY: Providing Quality Online Learning at the University of Southern Queensland
It's not everyday you are invited to present to the Chinese Government on quality assurance of online education. This came about through a virtual introduction from Professor Ren Yi, PVC...
Times Higher Education Campus Webinar: Can universities keep pace with digital transformation?
In this webinar I joined two other Australian digital education experts as we unpacked digital transformation in an attempt explain where universities stand to benefit most from digitally...
Virtual presentation to South Korea – Future-Ready Learning – Empowering Students through Global Connections and Innovative Technology
In October 2024 I was contacted by the Sejong City Office of Education, South Korea. Communication was through my GMail, not my university email, which made me think they had looked at my...
Beyond Borders: how to make online global collaborative learning work
I was recently contacted by Times Higher Education to write a piece about global collaboration in higher education. Although a different context to K-12, where most of my experience and research...