LRC in the Times Higher

Our Literacy Research Centre is mentioned in the Times Higher Education magazine today, in the context of an article about Institutes of Advanced Studies in UK universities. The best thing about the article for me is the reproduction of an astonishing painting I have never seen before, 'Science and the Arts' by Adriaen van Stalbemt. THES reproduces this very detailed work, including some literacy practices, in a double page spread that's really worth having a look at.

It's a seventeenth century painting, held in the Prado, but I can find out little about the artist freely available on the internet, although this seems quite popular as a poster.

JG

The 'Cute Cat Theory' of the Internet

Karin writes:

Since we're thinking about digital literacies at the moment, I thought I would post this link to a great post on the 'Cute Cat Theory of the Internet' by Ethan Zuckerman. The starting point - that Web 1.0 was invented to help physicists share research papers, while Web 2.0 was created to allow people to share pictures of cute cats - is a succinct expression of some of the ideas about 'ludic literacies online' we have been talking about. He moves on to develop a more serious point about the way the 'cute cat' technologies are being used by global political activists - and the unintended consequences when governments try to block the activists' sites (you don't want to annoy the cute cat sharers too, then they might just notice they're living under a repressive regime!)

Well worth a look. Even if you don't like cute cats.

electioneering

Today the campus of Lancaster University is buzzing with elections for student union sabbatical posts so signs are everywhere.

postcard competition

Julia writes: The photo shows the judging of the postcard competition. This took place immediately after a fascinating talk by Lynn Mario T. Menezes de Souza of the University of Sao Paulo to the Literacy Research Discussion Group entitled 'Lending ears to the visual in writing' concerning his research on literacy practices among indigenous peoples in Brazil.

DB says: There were 44 images submitted for the latest postcard competition. Judging has just finished, with 10 extremely fair and impartial judges and we have chosen the next set of 8 postcards which we will soon be publishing... more later....