“102 Mask” flickr photo by NomadWarMachine shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-SA) license ..read more

Good people I have found Can seem Far and few between Or many maybe keep it hidden well. They shield their good with armour That keeps them safe from laughter Or hurt that bounces off their outer shell. Good people I have found This week In plentiful supply Not hidden, mocked or slandered But loved and held up high. As role models And trusted souls And those we’d happily see As brothers, sisters, mum and dad: Our Calais family ..read more

Plastic or mat? Giving you choice. Dry or in comfort? Hearing your voice. My heart cracks to see this This no choice at all A coin tossed at your birth And how it did fall Has given you tails While my head is held high And your daily choice Is live or die. But the smile that you give me The joy on your face At the thick silver sleep mat Lovingly placed In your hand Makes me know That whatever I do From now on will be done Mindful of you ..read more

“96 Prancing Stag” flickr photo by NomadWarMachine shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-SA) license ..read more

How angry you must be, Lee That when you came to see, Lee The criminals of Calais They unlearned* all your English. And took away your sight, Lee So that you couldn’t see, Lee The women and the children The families and the hope. Of safety and a land, Lee Where they stand hand in hand, Lee With those who care and help them To build a better life. So please rethink your words, Lee Next time you go on TV And stop your lies and hate, Lee Just stop. *whilst I understand that Mr Anderson may have used a regional dialect variation of the verb “teach” when speaking in his interview , I offer him the ..read more

What price a haircut? You got one today My son, from your pal As per norm. 10 minutes 10 pounds maybe Maybe a pint In comfort With chat In the warm. And then my new friend there An hour or more On a chair with his pal In the rain But dreaming Of sunshine And safety And home And hoping for all that again ..read more

Welcome to Calais Our flat wall announces Bienvenue chez vous. But what about you? Not this vous But you Unwelcome Unvalued But you. Who travelled to get here Through hell and high water For better, for freedom For worse. L’enfer, c’est les autres And this hell indeed Was created by others Who don’t Have a clue About you And the welcome You need So take mine And be welcome chez nous ..read more

Hands of Hope, Cork, CC BY, Lorna M. Campbell Last week the OER24 Conference took place at the Munster Technological University in Cork and I was privileged to go along with our OER Service intern Mayu Ishimoto.  The themes of this year’s conference were:  Open Education Landscape and Transformation Equity and Inclusion in OER Open Source and Scholarly Engagement Ethical Dimensions of Generative AI and OER Creation Innovative Pedagogies and Creative Education The conference was chaired with inimitable style by MTU’s Gearóid Ó Súilleabháin and Tom Farrelly, the (in)famous Gasta Ma ..read more

Read Generative AI and Creative Learning: Concerns, Opportunities, and Choices by Mitchel Resnick As each new wave of technology ripples through society, we need to decide if and how to integrate the technology into our learning environments. That was true with personal computers, then with the internet, and now with generative AI technologies. I just listened to the generated audio rather than read this. Really powerful summary between the instructionist and constructionist approaches to AI in education. Resnick is of course the father of scratch, so is firmly on the constructionist side. The ..read more

A car on a train Who knew? A man on the moon That too. The things that we thought Beyond expectation Are now de rigeur For this generation. Except…….. Where the norm Is no train And no moon. Where things have played out To a different tune. Where rights aren’t upheld Where things are not fair Where people don’t get Their birth-given share. And so…. We need to speak up and take care So that those who have not Over there Can make the same journeys as us By car, by space rocket or bus. And shoot for the moon and the stars Even when playing football round cars Without judgement Suspicion or shame ..read more