Molenet conference in UK and Mobile web in Africa

At Molenet conference today http://www.molenet.org.uk which is showcasing the good work from the Molenet project and funding over last three years . The project mainly based on capital funding has had some brilliant outcomes. You can down load some of the major research reports at
http://www.molenet.org.uk/pubs/

Also following Ken banks tweets from Mobile Web in Africa conference
http://www.mobilewebafrica.com/ both worth a real look and the compare contrast is very powerful .

Well worth a look mobile is a really diverse place long may it remain so.

Join U4 energy competion

Join the U4energy competition!

Schools from across Europe are invited to participate in this exciting competition to demonstrate their achievements by saving energy in an effort to move towards a more sustainable future. The first round of the U4energy competition will be officially launched in September 2010. You can submit your schools' activities in energy consumption habits until May 2011 website and more detail is at http://www.u4energy.eu/

watch the launch trailer

Energy, let's save it!

Not a snappy title but great report : OfCom Communications Market report

This report that came out on the 19th of August (Ok I missed it I was on holiday) The state of play in the communications market in the UK is full of hidden gems. I of course have chosen some choice ones here

Use of telecoms services continued to grow in 2009. Total mobile call volumes
increased by 7% in 2009 (page 319), while the number of text messages increased
by 25% . There was also a massive increase in data use: we estimate that
total data volumes over the UK’s internet infrastructure increased by 68% during
2009, and data volumes over mobile networks increased by 240%.

Interestingly revenues have grown in some areas and declined in others but what are the trends I am no market analyst but

• Mobile
• Subscription services (TV)
• Marked activity changes across age groups gender
  
• Social network usage has grown massively but the platforms used have waxed and waned
  

But what the heck just download and read it http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/research/cmr/753567/CMR_2010_FINAL.pdf

Growing Greener conference one not to miss

If you believe learning take places outdooors and links to the land environment this is the event for you.

Those of my regular readers know my passion for the outdoors be it mountaineering cycle touring and canoeing . They also know my passion for tech but what links them all is my love of landscape .
I used to train and work with students wanting to work with wildlife trust national parks and the like . Teaching botany estate skills geography and even arboriculture (dab hand with a chain saw). Even in the late 80's I had students setting up mini companies selling bird boxes using the web to promote them and using some of the first GPS kit to map land.
But the best is discovery learning and environmental activities (there not just games) . I've also picked up a lot of experience around tech since then .

Martin Waller from Holly Trinity Rosehill CEVAP  school is hosting the Growing Greener futures conference http://www.growing-greener.co.uk/conference/ and along with some great keynotes by Juliet Robertson of (CreativeSTAR Learning) doing a slot called ‘Beyond the Box: Creative Learning Outside the Classroom’
Ollie Bray (National Advisor for Learning and Technology Futures) ‘Outdoor Learning and Digital Technologies’

there are a whole load of workshops going on I am running a session (working title) entitled from Map sticks to memory sticks and Clay tablets to tablet computers . doing some very practical and low tech activities and building on them and adding a tech twist . Even doing it on a day off ;-)

The session ideas arose and to be frank the inspiration came  out of attending Learning on the beach http://lob10.wikispaces.com/#Lob10 last June on the West Coast of Island  organised By Angella and John Davitt /writer/broadcaster digital tool maker

Will new ipods have pico projection ?

Now this story if it comes true could be more of a game changer than the Ipad and one to excite and concern those working around digital literacy and especially e safety . It has the whiff of promotion but interesting idea and to be honest will happen maybe later than sooner its a logical step. The whole issue of producing stuff at scale for such a new and emerging tech is one to ponder but Apple have done it before .


http://www.picoprojector-info.com/will-new-ipod-include-pico-projector-microvision