Mindblown

Just home from the Scottish Learning Festival in the SECC. How conventional that sounds - how truly ordinary CPD. But it wasn't ordinary, and I only attended one seminar. I went to listen to Ewan's Thinking out of the X-box, and was amazed and pleased that he's still using Progress Report as an example of something that works. Yes, I knew it worked, but surely it would be old hat by now? Apparently not. And my new arena of education, the church one, is not really so different from the world of school in its reluctance to embrace new technology.

And then I went to TeachMeet08, actually the tenth of these gatherings which seem to have grown like a lusty child since my first one two years ago. I learned some new things, and was enthused by much of what I heard. Above all, I was inspired to go with my own instincts in the learning areas in which I now move - not to think that because it's a different area (the church) I have to adopt new strategies for facilitation and learning. Through everything I heard tonight, I heard the message that the technology is at the service of something much older, and that communication skills are supremely important in whatever field they are deployed.

It was great to meet so many people I know from online, and others whom I now regard as friends. I'm glad I was able to abet (can you abet without aiding?) Mr W in compiling an embarrassing farewell to Ewan. I'm sorry there was no-one from Dunoon there other than us, because the enthusiasm generated at a TeachMeet is something every teacher could benefit from. And I'm sorry they were eating so late that we had to leave them all to it. Yassas!*

*Because they were/are still eating in Konaki.