'Why don't you...?' Futurelab conference

I'm enjoying this conference in London. So far the best bit has been Eric Rosenbaum's workshop on playful programming with Scratch which was video conferenced from an MIT lab. in Boston. It's a fantastic - well how it is described is crucial - that's why I hesitate. You could call it a simple programming language for children. Fine, it is indeed in some ways like Flash the animation programme. But it is very visual and I was very excited in that I thought it could be equally attractive to girls who have been using PAINT for example.

I agree with Mary we need pix - I would love to show you the fish swimming backwards and forwards - OK rather bumpily and it kept turning upside down! that I produced fairly quickly - with the programme. My excuse is I am still at the conference on a cyber cafe type machine so cannot download or upload my images. There would probably be a way round it if I were more resourceful! Take a look at the scratch website perhaps through following the link.

Julia

Learning to blog!

Hi everybody

I realised I first need to learn the literacy practices of blogging. What for example is a 'dashboard'?

More importantly, what am I supposed to say? And how am I going to write? So, for a start, here is a little anecdote about changing technologies and changing literacy practices. I have just been part of an interview panel for the appointment of an audio and video loans assistant for our Department. Both candidates (MA students) had to respond to our questions, but also carry out a practical task. They were asked to play a cassette. Now, the first candidate, an obviously bright young guy from China, took a while to figure it out. After the interview I realised that the task had in fact been a bit unfair. Our equipment is pretty old-fashioned and I couldn't help thinking that he might never have used the kind of amplifier and tape recorder most of us (I suspect) still have in our living rooms! But he figured it out, so he might get the job!

I really enjoyed Mark's talk in the LRG today. I find it interesting that he has applied the idea of literacy as social practice to orthography.

Uta

First blog

Hi Everyone - taking a tentative first step.
I have a picture too - not sure where to put it...........
Mary