Learning to communicate better, wherever, whoever

Beautiful resources for learning more, much more about communication at New Conversations.

Age no barrier to blogging

A quick note about this very special lady (95 years old and going strong) and the grandson that empowered her. What a team!  We would love to see older people blogging, capturing and sharing their wisdom for the ages, for the world, combating isolation, making new connections, feeling valued.

The same things apply at any age don’t they?

Bob Dylan & Social Media Get Hitched – blogging just got sexier

Bob Dylan’s releasing a new album. His marketing people have seen the benefit of social media and launched a facebook application to help him. It’s available for anyone on facebook to play with and have Bob promote their own message.

So if we are already friends on Facebook, just check out my profile to see how sexy Bob can make blogging look, or make a friend request – and if you show me your private life, I’ll show you mine.

If you have not yet been seduced by the Fascist Dystopia that is Facebook (according to Ivan Pope via Tom Nixon), then go play. It really is worth experiencing. But read the health warning first, and a shout out for the next big (and braver new world) social media thing…

University of Sussex Blogs

Thanks to UoS’s social media savvy Tom Roper for leading me to the following blogs maintained by other UoS staffers.

I’ll try and compile a full list of UoS Blogs for general reference. Please let me know of any others and I will attempt to keep this page up-to-date rather than adding multiple posts.

There most be loads of relevant Sussex University blogs out there. The other thing is to join the Uni of Sussex network on facebook. It’s all going on there…

SPLASH – Student Personal Learning & Social Homepages (added)

Rob Read, Amy Walker, Beth Granter, Tony Hudson, Alison Field and their team at Sussex are doing very cool things with Splash. It’s a blog, it’s a social media strategy, it’s starting to happen! They are really putting some resources into embracing the potential of online student (and staff) power. We’ll be watching this space closely and supporting them where we can. Not sure how it will compete with the seemingly unstoppable Facebook for attention (how much time can we possibly spend updating our profiles etc!), but I guess like they say it will have more of a focus on learning, which is right where we are at.

Be very interesting to see how they go with mashups (live bus and train times, gig guides, personalised calendars including deadlines etc wow). All sounds really open and cool. Bet the futurelab people would be able to offer loads of good input. Bet we are not going to see ratemyprofessor apps coming in. More on this one later! It’s got me going…

Seeing as I blogged the first part of my MA in Education Studies (Person-Centred Learning) and started looking at how learning communities come together, amongst other things, I guess I was always going to get hooked by a project like this… I’m also a bit of a tragic facebooker, so you get the general picture.

Separated By A Common Language

“Observations on British and American English by an American linguist in the UK”. Lynn’s blog is a good example of an authentic voice. She writes well. She is “herself” and bridges the potential gap between personal and professional selves very well. It’s also a fascinating read and a great title!

• Dr Lynne Murphy, Senior Lecturer in Linguistics & English Language

Medical Humanities

“This blog is to support the development of medical humanities teaching in the Brighton & Sussex Medical School curriculum.”

• Maintained by Tom Roper.

Language Learning Resources

“Current awareness for language teachers and students from the University of Sussex Language Learning Centre.”

• Also maintained by the prolific… Tom Roper.

The Crossing

“The Social, Technological and Environmental Pathways to Sustainability (STEPS) Centre blog.“

• Maintained by Julia Day, STEPS Communications Officer.

Thanks for your input Tom, and for blogging about our pilot course in blogging for academics at Sussex.

Time to turn this into a blogroll…

Take part in truth

Let’s get back to the root philosophy of blogging.

So David Bohm’s the one. Well one of them. “On Dialogue” takes me back to the core of the work I was doing as an undergrad at Murdoch with Structure, Thought and Reality.

The whole discipline and practice of communication theory never ceases to underpin my thinking and excite me. Guess I chose the right course age 17, no matter how meandering it has been. Or it chose me…

And one day soon I will get focussed on bringing all this deep, rich content into the blogging course more specifically. Want to get much more visual here too. But the wikipedia entry for communication theory is a good place to start.

Now there I am showing Tom Nixon the book at this networking thingy tonight (he’s a bit lovely btw). I’ve been thinking for years how important the Dalai Lama’s words on our need for genuine dialogue were. Something small and inconsequential passing comment like… the only thing that will save humanity from the endless cycle of pain and suffering is… yep, dialogue, or something like that.

Then there HHDL is in the front blurb saying good old Dave Bohm is one of his “scientific gurus”. So I guess we’re on the right path here dear people.

“During the past few decades, modern technology, with radio, television, air travel and satellites has woven a network of communications which puts each part of the world into almost instant contact with all the other parts. Yet, in spite of this world-wide system of linkages, there is, at every moment, a general feeling that communication is breaking down everywhere, on an unparalleled scale.”

The question of how we can communicate better is at the heart of On Dialogue. This revised and expanded edition is the most comprehensive documentation to date of best-selling author David Bohm’s dialogical world view.

I’m going to reflect and share more from it as I go on. For now, here’s the link for those that just know they have to get into it now.

I’m delighted that his name hides “ohm” (mani padme hum) in something Oppenheimer, David and friends helped blow the world up with, before they saw they light… He became a real peacenik after all.

All seems rather spooky and perfect from where I’m sitting <grin>.

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