Re-surfacing again

Our whole family has been sick for a week with really nasty flu. I still don't know whether I will be able to get my child back to school tomorrow.....but the course rumbles on and one has to keep up....I m just about to start looking at last week's work. It's the shortest day of the year here in Joburg and the longest in the UK. I wish I was at home.....

Freezing in Johannesburg

After all my claims last week about the weather - it's very cloudy and jolly cold here today! Cold front just coming over. Cuddled up with my computer and a hot water bottle on my knees.

TMA02 Reflections

It's the week after I completed TMA02, the second assignment. This one carries twice the weighting of the previous one, ie 40% of the continuous assessment mark. I found it challenging, creative and tough all at the same time. I love being creative and put in three diagrams. I love illustrating my work and now hope that it's recognised as adding to my textual explanations - after all a picture speaks a thousand words and we are meant to be multi-media, are we not. Even thought about making a video to describe what I understand by learning experience, but that will have to come in the goodness of time!

After we have done the TMA, we are supposed to have an Elluminate session to discuss what we would change about it and what ideas we have about being assessed. Personally, after getting to the end of the Everest challenge I would rather not ponder about different ways I could have made it to the summit - this way was just fine thank you! All my chosen activities allowed me to investigate / express my understanding of a particular aspect of technology enhanced learning and its application to my specific context. I also brought in lots of connections to quality management which is my professional area.

I did write about blogging, about being inspired by fellow tutor group members John and Tracey, and about how rewarding I am finding this blogging thing. I regard it as a fun 'scrapbooking space' within which to privately reflect and share with others if they are interested. I am am also inspired by Martin Weller's blog (http://nogoodreason.typepad.co.uk) where he explains that that blogging provides an alternative forum for academic discourse – liberating academics from the need to write journal or conference papers if they wish to put forward an argument or discuss a point of view. By being able to self-publish in a blog, it is possible to establish an online academic identity. Much food for thought....

A lovely Highveld Day

Today is a typical Highveld winter day. We don't tend to get rain in winter in Johannesburg, so the skies are clear. It's cold in the mornings and evenings, but warms up during the day. The houses are cold because they're built for the summertime heat; no such thing as central heating!

Everywhere you go you see bare trees silhoutted against the blue sky. It is beautiful but by the end of winter, you get desperate for some rain. Everywhere gets really dusty and dry. Finally in September or October the storms start again.