Bryan prepares to address the multitude. Though his closing rant (Bryan’s word) didn’t prompt an immediate uprising, give it time dear reader, give it time.
In a typically rich and provocative address, three things in particular grabbed hold in my own mind:
If we engage our students with seriously open opportunities for linking, building, and sharing, we inevitably “let Loki in the with learning.” To which I would add, mischievously, can there be any true learning without Loki in the room?
There is indeed a “delight in social archiving.” A very fine phrase from Dr. Alexander. My reflection: we can all make not only civilization’s library, but civilization’s magic attic, the place where the intimate, uncanny cabinet of wonders stands in the corner, awaiting our exploration.Â
Bryan closed with brief but very provocative call for a re-examination of the idea of a republic of letters. I’m eager to think about this with him, and with you all. And with my students. Perhaps we could re-imagine matriculation as a ceremony, not unlike naturalization for an immigrant, in which one joins the republic of letters, with all the privileges and responsibilities of citizenship.
This sounds like an exciting talk– do you have any idea if it was captured for transcript or podcast or anything else??
I believe all the general and featured sessions were recorded. Check the ELI site for more information: http://www.educause.edu/eli (drill down into “events”).
Thanks– I checked there already, but I suppose it might take a while (well, more than two days!) to get the recordings up. Appreciate the note.
I take that back– found recordings here
[...] I can’t yet find a recording of Bryan’s conference address as noted by Gardner, but this pre-conference interview is well worth a listen, touching on issues of information fluency, educational gaming as curricular objects, Second Life, and the need for “historicity”– a more nuanced and deeper connection between past activities and lessons and what is happening now, instead of coming to these technologies as if we are brand new. [...]
[...] Bryan and Ubicomp at ELI – Gardner Writes [...]