Learning Organisation Returns as Video

More on this in 2019, this post just a note to keep the links.

I have been following the Digital Marketing University since the Like Minds event in Exeter. Various names seem to connect, including Digital Success, an event in India.

Recently found a webinar and the video has been posted on YouTube.

The Learning Organisation has not had as much interest in the UK since about fifteen years ago or so. Book sales continue but not so much research in universities. ( My impression, contrary links welcome). At the first conference on Management Theory at Work John Burgoyne asked what technology would make possible. Answers now starting to appear, or maybe the connection is just more obvious. The conference aimed to mix theory and practice so it is interesting this video comes from a working manager.

Notice the MOOC is included as part of a mix. Possibly just used for parts of topics that fit a particular project. My guess is this is quite normal, stats on completion rates may not be based on how a MOOC is actually used.

Towards the end there is a question from me on how learning could result in policy changes or at a system level. I think this aspect could be expanded. More during 2019.

Also found, a video on content marketing through video. Interesting example of how to record a presentation. Can compare with campus venues. In UK at BETT and Learning Technologies over next coupe of months several options on video and sound for education and training.

Next Digital Success event August 2019 in Kolkata.

Post Digital Print

The print version of Digital Printer has arrived for December. Includes a report on the case for print, based on problems for digital. Meanwhile I have heard about "post digital" as an academic term. People using it seem to accept that digital has arrived so continue alongside, not offering resistance as such. I may have got this wrong, will study early next year.

It could be time for something similar to happen with the print industry take on digital. The "Power of Print" conference could concentrate on where print can work with a digital approach. For Digital Printer magazine this could include short run personalisation.

More on this next year, "post digital print" may be the wrong words, should settle over the Winterlude.

Journalism without hard news

Still wondering about how to get a news headline as in an event. When I wrote for OhmyNews we were told to follow "AP Style" - some sort of clear event in the first paragraph.

I used to store comment stuff in a blog and resubmit with another event every so often. Sometimes was accepted. Things often move very slowly.

Today in print Guardian Emily Bell mentions "the rise of the reader", headline in print but a bit lost online. She reports that The Correspondent has now got funding and will launch in 2019. I checked the site and so far you can only join by sending money, no way to submit story ideas.

Jay Rosen writes in a related post

From the moment it "jumped" to the internet, journalism has been trying to figure out how to become more two-way. The Correspondent has the best answer I have seen. Its writers are given freedom to define their own beats, and pick their own reporting projects. But in exchange for that extraordinary latitude they are expected to spend 30 to 40 percent of their time interacting with members and drawing knowledge from them.

Thing is, this is not citizen journalism as I remember it. OhmyNews continues in Korea but I have no recent info. So assume model still the same. the readers contribute, the staff has more editors than a normal news room. Readers get a variety of views. So I will wait a bit to see how this works out.

Meanwhile no mention of Guardian Unlimited Talk, the social network trashed overnight by the Guardian some time ago and now never mentioned. See previous posts.

What happened to Jeff Jarvis by the way? Still a blog but we need the careful edits that print allows. Surely the Guardian can find some space?

So my "story" looks like a search for projections inside USA on student numbers in future, online and on campus. My guess is that at the moment nothing exists. Because the question is not asked. There will come a time when some sort of trend is more obvious.

Speculation based on UK. It will be claimed that for the best established sites demand will continue. Only the marginal will be replaced by online. But what if the online tech is itself of interest as study and for jobs? It may be claimed online will only change scene for business and tech, but is there arts / philosophy associated?

Meanwhile more local to Devon and Exeter, Seale Hayne is up for sale again. Used to be a campus for Plymouth Uni, before that an agricultural college. Great location, I cannot believe the cafe will be closed for long. something will happen there, could be a model for future sites no longer needed as intended when built. Exeter student accommodation still building at full stretch. Makes no sense at all to me but there it is.

Carl Munson is working on OurNet, based in Portugal. Seems to be based on a sort of tech park on campus. I have nothing against such places, just think they need to be balanced with online resource. Previously radio formats suggest not too much force on definite facts. Leave it to the guests to make clear statements. Not sure how this works in any format that follows online.

Meanwhile I will look for links and try to string them together. USA probably the first scope. In UK still not much interest in Futurelearn so nothing follows.

More on student numbers, non predictions

Continuing to think what numbers exist as basis for investment in student accommodation. Cannot find any predictions for Exeter or comparison with online. So tried USA, found this but still no take on what proportion will move online. There could be a mix some sort of blended situation. But I do not think the campus will continue as is.

Anyway, for a story next Feb at Learning Technologies it seems unlikely any reliable numbers will be available. Better to concentrate on EdTech success as in valuation based on income. There will be some, number larger than three. Coursera seems ok. LinkedIn has more learning attached over time. O'Reilly has moved beyond books, some video and chat facility.

Coventry University will be at Learning Technologies, not sure what they will show, maybe Futurlearn connection.

Pinned Tweet Dec 2018

My Twitter profile may be confusing as mostly I relate to learning tech and music, then also rave about Brexit and Corbyn. Music also on @wenotno, radio show. Recently things may come together but you may choose to reject the politics or the take on social media or both. May follow in tweets but the idea is that politics is different for most online compared to print in UK. Also newspaper readers tend to be older like myself. I happen to support Corbyn and oppose Brexit and Trump. See post for more on how some USA newspapers / CNN also oppose Trump but for the UK there seems to be a bigger gap between Brexit newspapers and most views on social media. Recent lecture by Corbyn convinces me this will develop over time, next couple of years. Newspapers so far seem to just ignore what he has to say. ( see readG blog for some detail on Guardian) He started on age profile of BBC audience, this could get moreso. Various forms of co-operative social media are possible, can relate back to Corbyn lecture. I notice only Business Insider asked a question relevant to the occasion. My blog on Fleet Street in Europe and Cyberspace may deal with other aspects of newspapers in context of broadcast, also declining circulation. Some of my retweets and messages are for @wenotno music show so go there if music is main interest.


updated from August.

Learning , ahead of BETT / Learning Technologies

Repeating some things, draft also, more in new year.

Recent chat with JD for a radio version and new diagram. We have been talking about "Design Science" but this word seems much less used recently. Maybe "Design thinking" though I am showing it with "Communication" and "Learning".

Design Science seems to have been one version of how academics come to terms with practice. Talk of Mode 1 and Mode 2 Knowledge now harder to find. Maybe there is so much funded research in the tech giants. They do their own business theory as they go along.

Not exactly learning theory but my main concern is how to present online learning as viable. There have been claims at Course Central, see previous posts, but here is another from CNBC. Coursera as a viable project. So I think this will be the lead story for Learning Technologies. Also LinkedIn Learning and O'Reilley. I am not sure how Futurelearn will compare. The support in UK is very limited compared to how USA regard things. Just my tweet scans which may be partial in some way but I think UK academics still content that OU got rid of Peter Horrocks. Back to normal, some might say. There is still some investment in Futurelearn but not on scale to compare with USA base. Music history shows this can turn out to matter.

Guardian reporting on MOOC and related issues still very limited. Peter Scott presumably still info Mode 1 though rarely mentioned. The impact of an online move in education not included in reports on financial problems.

Examples one two

Marketisation has also become a threat to the gold standard represented by UK degrees. The more the “top universities” preen themselves as a premier league, consigning the rest to the depths, the more “alternative” providers, with unchecked standards, crowd into the market, the more the question will be asked: whatever happened to the trusted UK academic brand? 

These Brexit reflections provoke some frightening thoughts. Have we reached “peak” UK higher education? Will we be as highly regarded? Will we deserve to be?

and this from Jonathan Wolff

But the signs of market meltdown are everywhere: over-borrowing by some universities (too many cranes on campus), dangerous deficits even with a £9,000 fee, dumbing down of “good” degrees, an explosion of unconditional offers.

Student accommodation is often off the uni balance sheet, and the cranes are often off campus. But just to reveal the bias in this blog it is the new blocks in the city that raise the questions most often. Radio chat will continue in Exeter, maybe not on same topics as in this blog. Variety of forms for conversations that overlap. Will UK allow continuing competition as in strong brands recruiting larger numbers? Where will the damage be? Can the winners cope with the physical space demands? How long is the student accommodation supposed to last? If 20 -30 years there must be a scenario plan somewhere about blended mix of online and campus.

I cannot find anything like this. In Exeter the investment seems to be based on trends over previous five years or so.

Meanwhile there is more mention of "post digital" . As in Wikipedia-

Postdigital, in artistic practice, is an attitude that is more concerned with being human, than with being digital. Postdigital is concerned with our rapidly changed and changing relationships with digital technologies and art forms.

Seems to assume digital has already happened. So not sure how to relate to previous words. Anyway as radio JD tells me not to assume too much. Guests could make their own version of events. This blog could be the basis for news reporting so would need an event of some sort. Expect something at BETT / LT , both at ExCEL .

Links back to ISO 9000 papers, video possible?

Next week there is a London meeting about Deming and ISO 9000 . Fully booked so no promotion. But it should result in meetings for next year. So I have looked out links to previous papers when I was trying to relate quality and the ideas around a learning company. I think next week will be mostly process control, but the ideas below could come up later.

Two papers from Management Theory at Work in Practice, conferences at Lancaster. First asking if ISO 9000 was worth another look. The revisions are often intended to make the standards easier to learn from. Paper needs an update as standard changed again. Second one on values and Dr Deming, more into background as discussed around the first one. Later there were two for the Institute of Advanced Studies with two projects. For the Knowledge Economy I suggested that adding a quality aspect made a better case for the Learning Organisation. For Experimentality I did some diagrams on versions of the Deming cycle.

When I wrote these I was thinking mostly about printing. Now I work on radio and video. So I will try to record the meeting next week. Probably need to repeat some bits / use other sources. There is now so much video online that it is often best to link to somewhere else. So probaly I will do a search and also look for links.

Question continues, what is a studio? Most venues will have some way of recording. Social media is ever more likely to include sound and vision. More posts later on how this works out.

https://www.scribd.com/document/2187351/Management-values-and-Dr-Deming

https://www.scribd.com/doc/98106245/Plan-Do-Check-Study-Act-with-Diagrams

https://www.scribd.com/document/2187340/Is-ISO-9000-worth-another-look

https://www.scribd.com/document/2187162/Learning-Organisations-Now-with-Quality-Assurance

Trying out embed code, video guide

This could be a new version of a loop, something like design thinking, a radio show , then learning then some sort of design again. ( Clicking on diag not working as a link, try here )




This one from ResearchGate, uploaded by Paivi Rasi but I will put in a screen shot to fit the space

From the video

More later, will discuss with"the producer" JD. Together we are the top YouTube search result on "Design Science DJ" , still much to talk about. What we really need is a format with enough prepared to fill in without the audience thinking it is the same show as last week.

When Radio 1 came to Devon for a Big Weekend they explained about "visual radio", more or less video. How to do this for any FM station? Either a budget or cheaper tech. to be continued.

Journal Content in YouTube Format

More browsing from the journal Post Digital Science and Education has found some video. I remembered a video link and now there is enough to fill in some gaps.

The Video Journal of Education and Pedagogy is also open access as in the content is free , this page for example with video. Or this one, interview with several video clips on the page.

Springer has stopped being the publisher from September. It will now be based at the Association for Visual Pedagogies . They have a page explaining plans for more video but no issues yet. However there is a link to a YouTube channel, seems to be similar content to previous journals.

So this could be very interesting if much of the content turns up on YouTube. Should get a much wider audience. Still a mystery for me what the policy is now from major academic publishers. Also of interest is what forms of video will be included.

More promo with The Rushes , study as example of content marketing

So far the Rushes have not objected to my mixing of stills from video with a sign or two. I am trying to work around forms of promotion. Most performances in Exeter still use print, posters and leaflets. The Rushes seem to be mostly on Facebook. No official tag but I am using #TheRushesBand as this fits with the FB name.

The @wenotno show is mostly on Twitter so I will work with that for video from YouTube. I have some from the previous EP launch, a Phonic benefit but missing some title info.

I will also try to check out analytics from Twitter and YouTube and relate to the sale of tickets for Dec 8th at the Phoenix. Probably lacking precision but worth a try. In theory this could be a process with control limits to check it was working as expected. So many free video clips, then so many tickets sold, then so many EPs on the night. Clues please if there are case studies already.

Back to the journal - Post-Digital Science and Education . See previous posts. I now realise it is free to download for the first two years. This is part of the launch. I suppose eventually it will be mostly in academic libraries. But meanwhile it is ok to link to content knowing it will be available for everyone.

I now notice from info for the review of the book - Popular Music in the Post-Digital Age - that it was published in 2009. Still relates to the new journal so well worth publishing, but the music scene has moved on a lot. Streaming revenue is a large part of the situation. What will be happening with academic journals in nine years time?

I will have a better look at the review and try to find updates on the book. Continues as part of "Management Theory at Work in Radio" , also need to study Post-Digital Organisations , not sure how radio transforms as social media .

Quality video / next few months BETT and Learning Technology

This post follows from yesterday on Exeter music situation and theory around learning. Quality relates as a system approach and because improvement implies some form of learning.

Also I know there is interest in video around an event next month at the CQI organised by the Deming SIG. Fully booked so no promo. But a report before the end of the year.

My video now are based on a Panasonic camera with reasonable distance zoom and edit in Widows desktop with Premiere Elements. I try out phone video on Sony Experia and check out video edit on phone but my eyesight is not that good on a small screen. Friends on Wild Show and @wenotno do have Apple phones so I have some idea what is possible.

Early next year BETT and Learning Technologies event, both now at ExCEL London, will show a wide range of tech for sound and video. Adobe Spark is cloud based and free if you accept some Adobe branding. For a short clip you just talk to the screen with camera attached ( mine standard Microsoft ). It finds some background music and will fix the sound balance. After 20 sec it tells you to hurry up. Maybe correct for attention spans but I may need several clips.

Padcaster may be there with Verse, kit intended to make a phone work better for video. There is a version for Apple tablet that works ok but there are many more phones available. Announced for last year, there may be some concerned tweeting if nothing turns up at BETT in 2019.

Camtasia from Techsmith may be there also , definitely at Learning Technologies. Adobe at Learning Technologies more into formal training. Video creation from Powerpoint or similar, links to cloud management system.

Adobe recently announce Rush, new approach to video. Works the same on phone, tablet and desktop as claimed. Not on Android yet. Very interesting but not sure what will be said at BETT to compare with Spark or Learning Technologies to compare with Captivate. There must be ways to mix this together.

Meanwhile Serif Affinity has offered a Beta of Publisher, a page makeup app to complete a range with Designer and Photo that competes with the original Adobe trio of Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. Adobe still has the industry support but some are reluctant to commit to a subscription. Maybe there will be more credible alternatives for phone and tablet that get a reasonable result with video.

So good reasons to wait till March before buying any new kit. Meanwhile looking at scripts and the city as studio. In Exeter I find the Phonic FM studio is ok for sound but lighting is terrible. Phones now seem able to compensate in real time. Street ok for lighting, after March could be better. Green screen rooms are available but could be cheaper to buy a screen with a street view printed on.

So meanwhile winter a good time to work on a script.

Management Theory continued / Networked Learning

Through Twitter I have found out a bit more around Networked Learning. Keep reading for links to Management Theory at Work ( in radio, later maybe at the Work Foundation ) .

Recent tweet promoted a video I missed when uploaded originally. Promotes a video that turns out to be aware about branding and promotion, even a discussion about video production values ( keep watching till the questions)

I have only watched this once but think the take on the MOOC format may be based on earlier information. Hard to be precise about dates. Recorded in 2014, uploaded in 2016. Promo tweet just the other day. Futurelearn claims that they do more than other platforms to use social media as well as the formal content. Seems about right to me. Also I do not think a MOOC is actually used as designed. Students can talk to each other or drop in and out. There may be update blogs from those contributing.

I do agree that forms of MOOC can work for vocational / technical training. Not sure any less improvisation is required though. Class Central has reported recent growth in online degrees, many in business and/or technology. Coursera is working closely with companies needing to recruit people with specialised knowledge. Coursera gets advice on content but I guess the students need to assess changes as they work through it.

See previous post on Black Tabs, radio shows I work on hope to understand Austin Texas. Guess based on MOOC Report, Class Central will talk there again next year, this time about badges, short course validation. Maybe not as relates to universities but ok for work, economy.

Following up links around this it turns out there is more available now as PDF for downlaod than I expected. From official journal sources. Thomas Ryberg tweeted about "A Postdigital Perspective on Organisations" and this turns out to be the full article. I have just copied out enough to link to "Management Theory at Work" see later on below.

The validity of organisational learning has been widely debated in the literature (Argote 2011; Easterby-Smith 1997; Easterby-Smith et al. 2000), and subject to criticism regarding concerns of anthropomorphism (Caldwell 2012). Despite differing views regarding whether organisational learning should be understood as a change in cognition or a change in behaviour, there is general acknowledgement that learning at the organisational level can be evidenced as either a change in beliefs/cognitions or in actions/behaviour (Easterby-Smith et al. 2000), and ‘most researchers would agree with defining organisational learning as a change in the organisation’s knowledge that occurs as a function of experience’ (Argote 2011: 440)

Argote, L. (2011). Organizational learning research: past, present and future. Management Learning, 42(4), 439–446.

Having established the value of organisational learning to a postdigital conception of organisations, it is now possible to consider how the work of the customer experience (CX) function can inform such a perspective.

A ‘systems thinking’ approach is recognised as an appropriate response to increasing complexity in organisations (Crichton-Sumners et al. 2013) due to the concept of emergence that is a core property of such systems.

Also I found that the Argote reference is also freely available in PDF from Management Learning. ( might be unofficial, not sure, maybe use another link if you have an ID )

Includes this

New knowledge management systems enabled by Web 2.0 technologies have the potential to affect organizational learning and knowledge management more positively than previous generations of systems. While previous systems operated more as knowledge repositories and directories of declared expertise, new systems provide communication capabilities as well as the capability to identify experts based on who provides answers to queries. The communication capabilities provide rich media for transferring knowledge; expertise identified through the system may be more accurate and useful than self-declared expertise. Research is needed on how these new and emerging technologies affect organizational learning.

So this links well to the questions asked by John Burgoyne at the first conference - Management Theory at Work. There may be another one next year. Meanwhile I am working on occasional versions of Managment Theory at Work in Radio, a sort of sound version. see previous post for how FM Radio may be coming to an end though something around social media continues. ( Phonic FM probably will survive till FM turned off in UK, just needs to learn about alternatives )

The Learning Company ideas have been updated for the web but there is much more to discuss. This idea of "postdigital" moving beyond "solutionist" could be a way to connect with academics. i wwill have more of a look at the texts over the next few weeks.

In a recent issue of PostDigital Science and Education Petar Jandric  reviews a book about popular music. See previous post on how new tracks are promoted.

 Magaudda captures the complexity of postdigital reality captured in a recent editorial for Postdigital Science and Education: “The postdigital is hard to define; messy; unpredictable; digital and analog; technological and non-technological; biological and informational” (Jandrić et al. 2018: 895). Within this complexity and mess, shows Magaudda, there are indeed no simple problems and/or magical solutions.

In sociomaterialist and postdigital approaches, this type of asymmetry between human beings and artificial intelligences has already been replaced by more nuanced approaches which ask: ‘How could we do our jobs better with artificial intelligences?’ (in Jandrić 2017: 207; see also Jones 2018) However, fear of technological displacement of human labour is a legitimate human emotion, which should not be taken lightly.

As a radio presenter on @wenotno we rely on automated streams. YouTube and Twitter suggest content based on some human input but also more automation. Playlists are now less likely to appear as choices than a selection based on current track playing. Robots are useful but we struggle to work with them.

Probably in March 2019 there will be a walk on the Lancaster campus to explore the Spine and create linking video for selected clips. See previous posts, update soon. Will fit with Management Theory at Work in Radio and other formats.

The Rushes / HX records / radio and social media

Much happening around radio shows. The Wild Show recently had guests who played new music in the studio. The Rushes have a new EP to be launched on Dec 8th. No room for drums in the studio so it worked as daytime, fairly relaxed. I have also done video on busking in Exeter High Street. Will work as dance also.

So far there is not much use of #tags. Well not much on Twitter or YouTube. The Rushes seem to depend on Facebook but it is doing well. I recorded an event when they made up a pro EU song when interrupted by pro Brexit sounds from stall in High Street. Their short edit on FB has many more views than mine on YouTube but I think the playlist adds context. Anyway I have asked for an official #tag such as #TheRushesBand .

Earlier there was a Street Arts Festival in Exeter and they did put the #tag on the first poster -#exestreetarts - but it vanished on later ones. Maybe the approach is not well enough known. But I think it should be possible soon to promote an event mostly by social media. The TEDx Exeter event seems confident of selling out tickets on a few online promotions. Why not much the same for music? Meanwhile no posters or any form of print for the Rushes on Dec 8th at Phoenix. Needs a mix of media. More later.

Then next week on the We Don't Know show ( @wenotno on Twitter ) we will welcome Fred Previous as a guest. He has started a Facebook page so we are spreading outside tweets. Last year he told us about the Black Tabs, based in Austin Texas. The tour was cancelled but they may arrive in UK during 2019. The playlist "Black Tabs in Devon" is still on YouTube but they have yet to be here in person. HX records will issue a sampler in December and we will gave a phone conversation with Gregory Harrison.

So far vinyl is the main topic to feature. We thought a band from Austin would show us tech trends. Fred tells us that vinyl is the future and getting a CD is difficult. He may bring one next week as we cannot play vinyl in the Phonic FM studio at this time. ( More on tech in a later post )

We may learn more about how radio changes to fit with social media. Long ago radio was allowed to play a new track assuming the listeners would buy vinyl later. Now there are free streaming services assuming some paid streaming will follow, maybe vinyl also. We do a radio show but how to repurpose for short clips or podcasts? The Rushes tell us they do not mind what happens to the songs recorded for the Wild Show. Will a record company have the same approach? Anyway, we try to promote local performance and people who visit. FM radio continues as well as something else, not too clear as yet.

Futurelearn funding smaller scale compared to Coursera

Couple of posts in MoocReport on Class Central. Quotes news in Financial Times, Futurelearn is trying to raise £40m with the OU contributing £10m. Meanwhile Coursera is reported in Forbes to expect 2018 revenues of $140m . This qualifies as a Unicorn, billion dollar valuation claimed since 2015 according to some estimates.

So previous blog posts on Futurelearn in global top 5 need revision. There is clearly a USA scene about to be clearly viable, and one UK possibility somewhere on the edge. (Lots of others also, I am keeping this simple for UK audience.

Still hard to find updates from Twitter on what the OU intends as support for Futurelearn. Getting rid of Peter Horrocks seems to have settled things such that there is not much more to say.

According to Class Central the last investment from OU in FutureLearn was £15m in 2015.

My rave mode is not ignoring the problems for the OU but it may soon become more obvious where the developments are happening.

Expect some discussion early next year around BETT and Learning Technologies.

Plan for the week

Not sure how much of this can be on radio, will find out on Thursday. Rave mode on blog may not suit day time OFCOM guidelines. Not sure. Also may borrow bits of BBC podcast. Just uploaded two

I think I can use these two on Thursday. The drama hour can ramble into Brexit as the Storyteller is away in France. I am sitting in so can explain some of what he thinks. Or my guess anyway.

Meanwhile local MP Ben Bradshaw is concerned about possible blocking by Theresa May of investigation into #Banks  Reported in Daily Mail and Guardian. There is a clip from Channel 4 on Twitter, so far only this on YouTube. May reach #BBC by Thursday.  Thing is, so far mostly on Twitter.

The @wenotno show is now every other Wednesday, not this one, so will meet for coffee instead and also plan Thursday. 

Guests will be the Rushes. Not sure how much they will tell us about new music. So may need to repeat some clips over next few weeks.

Sometime this week a Facebook concert from Anna Marie Waite. Will promote / borrow a clip depending on when.

More later, blog around radio.

Podcast, video , radio

A development in BBC take on radio. As reported in Guardian there is a move to podcasts, mostly aimed at people aged under 35. So far not much mention of video, though Radio 1 spoke a lot about "visual radio" when visiting Exeter a couple of years ago.

“If we don’t do anything over the next 10 years you’ll have a two-speed BBC radio audience,” says James Purnell, the man tasked with turning this around. “People who’d grown up with it and people who didn’t.”

Not sure what this means. Seems the radio audience will be mostly listening on something else. There will be people in ten years time who have not listened much to FM, my guess.

Other guess well possible. I am 70 so way outside the target. Recently managed to sign up for a unique ID on iPlayer. So far just means I get adverts for Dr Who before I can watch the Papers review. Never used to happen. I watch Dr Who anyway.

Meanwhile Phonic FM may be doing more with podcasts, YouTube or whatever. I am coming in early for the Wild Show on a Thursday morning so cover the Drama Hour. The Storyteller is in France for a couple of months but is uploading to YouTube so I can play the sound. Probably next week for the latest as I have found Deep Impact in backlist , this fits better with ambient electronica, important this week to promote Phonic benefit.

Experiments continue around the #AmbientElectronica tag. I will try to video something but phone clips will also appear. Also content may turn up in another place or from another time.

cue radiophonic workshop

fade

Mode 1 knowledge again , hello @charlesmenzies @arichardson_phi

Things get lost on Twitter, there is much stuff all the time so here is another go at finding Charles Menzies and Alan Richardson. This started with a slide on Mode1 and Mode2 knowledge and a comment that I can no longer find.

It may be that there is another definition of Mode 1 that is still in use. My impression is that the flow of publications has stopped in recent years. Not sure when or why. I am trying to catch up on what academics make of things ahead of an event mixing theory and practice. More on this later.

Meanwhile, what is meant recently when academics describe something as Mode 1 knowledge ?

Couple of tweets as clues maybe. There is some form of knowledge outside the campus that is not quite right.

Lancaster Spine, Mode One Knowledge, ISO 9000 again

Video now uploaded from walk along Spine on Lancaster Campus. Almost complete so could be used as location for a walk with stops for discussion.

Next Spring could be a time for a walk and / or other events. Sunshine required for video to work, no budget for lighting. Also there can be wind and rain, hard to predict. Meanwhile green screen possible.

I have started to look back on some topics through Twitter, starting with  knowledge in Mode 1 and Mode 2 . Have found a few links including my own from previously, this from Cloudworks.

From this one I am not sure how the terms are being used.

There was a comment I cannot find at the moment from Alan Richardson. Hope to find more soon.

I cannot find much recent on this but guess similar discussion continues about knowledge, maybe not using Mode 1 and Mode 2 as terms. The campus is part of this as compared to online. How to blend? The university has some problem situations to sort out so is not outside Mode 2. I follow Peter Scott in the Guardian on education. Recently there is not much about the MOOC except to place it as mostly coming from a commercial base. How to describe this? Any links please.

Previously at Lancaster I have spoken about ISO 9000 and there is an event about this in December at the CQI in London. Now fully booked but I expect topics to continue early next year. The morning will be on Deming and leadership, the afternoon on statistical techniques. There may not be time for much psychology so aspects around management learning could need more time.

Blended Reality in Kendal

Comics continue year round. Kendal strong on graphics anyway.

Blended Reality in Lancaster

My reality seems to be headed online around possible chat shows or ways of linking bits of video. Still mostly in Exeter but trade shows exist more outside time of actual display.

There may be other face to face events connected to Lancaster during the next year or so but main news is that the Spine is mostly completed. Just a stretch near Engineering still to do. so this is a location for more academic content. ( compares with city centre anyway, still a mix) More later, just catching up.

Kendal Comics

Will look for shows in the Museum and the College nearby.

Brewery Arts Centre has no radio as in Phonic FM at Phoenix in Exeter. Possible study of how this works for sound. There are podcasts but not sure how to find them.

Blended Reality

Heard about this through HP at Print Show. Still making sense, maybe as I spend time both in Kendal and Exeter. I have a virtual awareness of both places. Also London and other places and times. Events such as trade shows also in mind. ( Still not much idea about Birmingham though, the NEC is on a loop round the outside, that is about all I know).

From Kendal on M6 to Lancaster park and ride to campus. Still the location for how to think about tech and learning. Walk from InfoLab to Management to Library square to Arts. Recently finding similar spaces in Exeter. The city centre was site for Like Minds, using several cafes etc for meetings between the presentations. I still check out the campus some times but it seems distant. St Lukes used to study Telematics but I have lost track of what they do.

So some video to show routes in Exeter, will try them again over next few months.

Cafe 55 not part of the official LikeMinds event but very close to the church that doubles as a conference centre. Meeting topics include radio, Wild Show with Chris Norton for example. More on this later.

Like Minds included mention of a Digital Marketing University. Launch in India fairly soon, UK later. So for UK probably not in any particular place.

LinkedIn as Video at #LikeMinds Exeter

Notes for post on LinkedIn maybe next week. I did  a few posts but not in a regular enough way to build an audience. Last week at the Print Show I discovered LinkedIn may hide posts that do not not get massive hits in the first few hours. Maybe this is why there is so much stuff, often not that new in content. This blog only happens when there is something going on.

Anyway the good news is that I can now upload video to LinkedIn from desktop. Even though i have less than 500 followers. So I think I will check out what I have on YouTube and do a retro reboot on a planned release schedule. Not sure, will ask at Like Minds, event in Exeter this Thursday and Friday.

When Radio 1 were in Exeter for Big weekend they told us about "visual radio" , the Live Lounge and soforth. Might as well make video as just radio. Sadly the lighting in Phonic FM studio is a bit of a problem for video but it turns out recent phones can compensate. Tests possible.

Meanwhile will try for sound relating to LikeMinds. @wenotno today 10 - 12. Wild Show tomorrow, search on Facebook. also 10 - 12 , will try to phone in around coffee time. 10 - 10.45

The event will be live streamed and video available later. Possibly the radio shows will make more sense later as well. Is there a model for making content available online? Is it viable for a conference /  music project?

There will be a workshop at the Phoenix about LinkedIn over lunch both Thur and Fri. I will probably be in Cafe 55 some of lunchtime to meet presenters from Wild Show. Can meet around this time, even if you are not part of the event. Not checking mobile phone though.

One question, will LinkedIn accept lower production standards if the content is interesting? YouTube has gone way up the production values scale. Can you just talk to your phone?

Also, at the Print Show it was fairly clear that LinkedIn can be about sales and a lot of talk about filters / selection. Suggestion to think about 100 or 150 people that could be met face to face.  So maybe my stats on YouTube are ok as they are.

Print / social media in Exeter , week of Like Minds

Next week on Thursday and Friday the Like Minds conference will be in Exeter. They did move away a couple of times but there is a continuing contact with this take on social media. Emphasis on business and advertising but music and events usually included.

I will try to find out more on how to mix print and social media around music / sound. Recently the Exeter Street Arts Festival included a #tag on print posters to link to Twitter and a Spotify playlist. Also a QR code for the playlist. Some posters do not include any #tags or codes so this is still something to discuss. I will try to find example content for some actual events.

Can try things out with the Lost Playlist. the Lost Weekend is definitely lost for this year so the playlist is imagined. Tech for the platform is not specified. Content still unknown. So should be easy to discuss.

I will get some content together for shows on Phonic FM. Tuesday 12 -2 in morning , Wed 10 -12 , maybe some of Thur 10-12. Not sure how this will work out. Please send links to sound clips.

Print Show 20018 definitely fits with Social Media

Just notes here, plan a longer post next week.

The Print Show at the NEC last week definitely showed print and social media together. The seminars included two on LinkedIn. I did some video and will upload soon. Print sales start with LinkedIn so no objections to social media as might have been at previous events.

There was some classic letterpress but almost no litho. Digital is mainstream. Now that IPEX has gone the Print Show can be an annual event for digital developments. There is still drupa for larger litho and some digital. so hard to work out what is happening with UK industry altogether. Probably still lots of litho but for the show a digital discussion is now possible.

Looped Stories around trades shows, for example IPEX and Print Show next week

I have done a blog post about "cross media" for the Print Show at the NEC next week. Relates back to IPEX shows now ended. Could indicate a trend to digital but maybe litho continues. Could be endless blog posts on such a question. at any time including previous century.

So starting to think about looping stories around tradeshows. Apple take on learning at time of BETT even though they stopped attending. LinkedIn recruitment and micro credentials at Learning Technologies. New one this, at least in the words used. Still mostly about the MOOC and online compared to established unis.

Maybe radio / whatever else there is with digital / social media around Like Minds in Exeter. My chat bits on Phonic FM continue round the year so Exeter is a place to oberve these trends in detail.

More later. On holiday this week but will update after the Print Show next week.

Looped Story #2 -Special Needs / Arts in STEAM / Apple at BETT

Following on from last year at BETT. Visited with Chris Norton and Jon Mahy from shows on Phonic FM. We looked for the Special Needs Area and then the Arts in the STEAM area. So two phone calls set up to the studio both with nothing to say except what we expected was not there.

Since then many reports of falling budgets for UK schools. So not surprising there are fewer Special Needs stands and / or Arts in the STEAM area. I have heard more about STEM at a Tech Exeter meeting but their scope again ignores Arts.

Probably much the same at BETT 2019 but still a story. Also Apple probably not there, apart from many fans and supporters. Could do a story around Apple as disability features built in, especially around voice. Possible at any time maybe? Check out aspects at actual BETT event.

The voice tech such as Alexa and Siri etc probably not much in schools. If phones are banished, what else? Still worth asking the question.

Adobe are now back at BETT. So nothing is impossible.

Base Words

Trying to sort out patterns in my tweets etc, looking at next year or so. Maybe a couple. Have tried a Google doc, screen shot below.

Maybe open this up later when more is on it.

Fairly vague but may work as Twitter style. "Trump / Brexit" fits many things together, news may make more links.

In UK, most newspapers pro Brexit. Complicated as in USA some anti Trump but in both situations social media allow public engagement. There is now paid for content as in newspapers but still a possibility for opinion such as support for Corbyn. TV and radio in there also. So far not reporting newspapers as a story but this may change. UK circulation trends indicates possible crunch event 3-5 years, maybe sooner.

Education scene still stays much the same but online learning has a base.

Print also continues but new investment may be in digital rather than litho.

News events around trade shows.

Background on student accommodation

Looking at UK and Exeter. Finding several national articles.

Simple Landlords has a lot of info. Growth in 2018 continues , doubled from 2014. Exeter joins the top ten, with Guildford and Leeds. Previous article shows returns for student landlords in different UK cities. Exeter in top 5, just under 10%.

But my guess is such returns attract more investment. Can it continue?

Exeter Uni website shows 22% growth in student numbers five years to 2018. I cannot find any prediction or target for next five years or 20 years. The amount of investment in new buildings is presumably based on some ideas that are shared about numbers. The uni is involved in East Park investment.

Other investments maybe £200m or £300m    ? is there a number of students implied in this to repay debt?

Meanwhile some courses moving online. Will this continue? on what scale?

more later, just notes for now.

Social Media limited influence during #ExeStreetArts , or is it just Twitter?

My guess is that most of the street audience happened because people heard it on the day and stopped for a while. Not sure the tweets had much effect, the Twitter account @exestreetarts still has less than 100 followers. Maybe the Facebook site has more going on. I still think I don't really understand where tings are on Facebook, I find Twitter much easier to follow if you use search and tags.

Still thinking about the "Lost Playlist" since the Lost Weekend is definitely missing for this year. The playlist may be found round about January, content and associated tech still a mystery. By then we may know more about tags etc.

TEDxExeter like a tweet in which I suggested social media could promote music events as well as print has done or at least reduce the print bill required. I think TEDxExeter no longer spends much on print but it is a matter of proportion. Maybe there can be a more limited run of print but higher production values.

I don't think there were many posters for #ExeStreetArts that survived. One on the shop that sometimes sells calendars went missing. The Heavy Tree protected one. I did not see many others. Poster did have the #hashtag and also a Spotify graphic that connected to a playlist on Spotify. Still not sure how this works but please comment if you got it to play music. In theory QR "quick response" is the future. Needs some software on phone.

Now looking at more tweets for vid on YouTube. May take a while to get much interest. But a basis for a playlist next year. Social media working ok, especially on details of timings for performers with followers.

Soon in Exeter, Like Minds. Maybe they will have some method to suggest.

New Blog Post for Pinned Tweet

My Twitter profile may be confusing as mostly I relate to learning tech and music, then also rave about Brexit and Corbyn. Music also on @wenotno, radio show. Recently things may come together but you may choose to reject the politics or the take on social media or both. May follow in tweets but the idea is that politics is different for most online compared to print in UK. Also newspaper readers tend to be older like myself. I happen to support Corbyn and oppose Brexit and Trump. I realise some USA newspapers also oppose Trump but for the UK there seems to be a bigger gap between Brexit newspapers and most views on social media. Recent lecture by Corbyn convinces me this will develop over time, next couple of years. Newspapers so far seem to just ignore what he has to say. ( see readG blog for some detail on Guardian) He started on age profile of BBC audience, this could get moreso. Various forms of co-operative social media are possible, can relate back to Corbyn lecture. I notice only Business Insider asked a question relevant to the occasion. My blog on Fleet Street in Europe and Cyberspace may deal with other aspects of newspapers in context of broadcast, also declining circulation. Some of my retweets and messages are for @wenotno music show so go there if music is main interest.

More on Lost Playlist ahead of #ExeStreetArts

Previously mentioned Lost Playlist, seems to fit with missing Lost Weekend so maybe will be found early next year. Meanwhile playlists exist for the Street Festival. From the Phonic FM studio can head East to Bowling Green, South to Heavy Tree or West to Boatyard Bakery. North could be the uni library archive if checked out. More about this later, maybe when students return. Could be sorted when the Lost Playlist is found.

Vids from recent walk




Digital Humanities seems to be a way to digitise analogue content. Casual conversation suggests mostly hard copy for history / EngLit. But from website may be audio visual also.
Cannot remember much about collection of CD, vinyl etc used to be there. Not on display at this time, I think. But found this online, book about Scott Joplin research.

So somehow some of this might be available as sound.

In September there will b another Like Minds event in Exeter. Should get some guidance on hashtags and playlists. Could help on future event.

Print and Playlists around Exeter Street Arts

Seems that the posters have vanished from Exeter High street, also there is another tag - #Exeter StreetArtsfestival - that has turned up online. I prefer the shorter version but depends what search turns up.

Recent search on both found several YouTube clips so I have started a playlist for this year. ( last year try search on #ESAF17 )


Not sure the Rushes are anywhere at this time. Recording something I think. Info may emerge.

Writing a description I realised there could be a "Lost Playlist" ahead of the Lost Weekend. So this one could be another prototype. Maybe @wearelikeminds can offer comments? Next conference in Exeter 27/28th September between two print events in Birmingham UK and Chicago Illinois. I do not think the hashtag will replace print. The Exeter Street Arts poster one of few that put the tag upfront. So could be a case study.

Street Radio? clips around #ExeStreetArts

Two clips now on YouTube from the Wild Show this week. Both have a jingle for Exeter Street Arts ( last Saturday in August). The first one is mostly about tech that would shift time and space. Presenters want to be on holiday somewhere else, not in a hot August basement. Listeners want a reliable schedule. Can files be uploaded then the system plays them out at the expected time. Maybe they could be mixed up for a show by some form of robot.

The second one has more about Exeter Street Arts as an example.

Since then I have thought about Widsith and Deor as they may upload some video or other content on a tour over the next month or so. The storyteller will not do his Phonic FM show so I may come in early on a Thursday. I usually start the Wild Show just after. So this workflow would just be me playing from the cloud direct to FM. I do not need a password or login ( maybe to get rid of the ads). Content then not an exclusive but maybe few people would know about it, radio still working as promotion. More on this in another post later when things clarify.

By the way, you can send money to Phonic FM. Even promise a flow. Email the studio and / or Paypal on the web site. It is possible to subscribe to advanced playout systems. Meanwhile tech help welcome.

Meanwhile suggest the tag = #ExeStreetArts = can help to find stuff.

Rougemont Global Broadcasting - Situation Report

Small development with RGB, I have started a playlist for RGB2.

Previously, Rougemont Global Broadcasting was intended as a test for Exeter TV. But local cable never happened in UK, at least did not reach Exeter. My YouTube channel is in my name - Will Pollard - as I did not understand how to change it. Too much variety for a solid channel, mostly a mix of performance and theory. So I did set up two channels with more focus - mtwr / Management Theory at Work in Radio, and RGB2 to cover performance in Exeter.

I had thought YouTube RED would arrive in UK but it only happened recently. The subscription option means people can avoid advertising. But now I feel I need a pause to workout some scripts and approach things with more care. there is still a risk in building enough energy to launch a channel. Needs maybe 100,000 subscribers from what I can tell.

The management theory channel will probably be a podcast series based on existing sound files. A good chance to sort things out.

RGB2 can start with a playlist based on existing clips. ScotSound has suggested how to do this and even some bands to start it off. South West because I think just Exeter is not enough to reach a viable level. Not sure how far beyond Bristol it should go.

Starts with ten. Suggestions welcome.

Looped Story #1 - Futurelearn and Coventry at Learning Technologies

Looped Story is the same story several times with a different event as the leadin. ( sorry have not yet got to the other stories about the crash in student accommodation starting in Exeter, more on this later).

Summer drift leaves time to plan next six months or so and I have had a look at who has a stand (booth) for Learning Technologies in Feb. Coventry University will be there, cannot remember them from last year, so I guess this is about online degrees. Futurelearn gets small mention on web page, and they are a partner for BETT in Jan so some news then presumably.

Other stands for Coursera, Udemy, O'Reilley and LinkedIn Learning. See Class Central for background on second wave of hype round online degrees. Still possible the mainstream news will be around Coursera and other USA situations with no mention for Futurelearn. UK media not very interested. For example Guardian still negative on the MOOC and pushing a one day MBA course. UK Business Schools still mostly into residential. Ashridge and Henley will be at ExCEL so interesting to see how much will move online.

I still cannot find any info, even a guess on Twitter, as to what has happened with plans for OU funding around Futurelearn. There was a lot of comment to get Peter Horrocks out of it. Then nothing so far as I can find. Is it possible Coventry has the space for degrees because people at OU not that interested? just a question, blog is a rough.

Proper article possible maybe Feb 2019.

Coach Station in Exeter, all night cafe as student accommodation benefit

This post continues from one on "wifiEeter" about a Green Room possibility. I am trying to look for benefits from central Exeter becoming mostly a base for student accommodation. Maybe somewhere some video production resource that can be used by others some of the year. but this one not about wifi, just a cafe as somewhere to wait for a coach in early morning.

My info may be wrong but I think that the new Bus Station will not be a Coach Station at all. So no replacement for the shelter where you could wait for a coach at 1, 4 , or 6 am. I used to catch these to London and others use them a lot for Heathrow. If the wait will be in street away from Bus waiting room, or if this is closed over night, might there be a cafe or room as part of the student blocks? Some retail is expected but no detail yet.

So this post just a way to ask the question. If there was a reliable route that is well supported the students would benefit also. 3-4 hours to Heathrow sounds good, waiting for late coach in rain / wind less so.

Photos show current site and artist impression of square. My guess much more likely students will be in a wifi cafe somewhere.

Looped story #1 - Futurelearn could lose mindshare as viable degree platform

I am thinking of a small set of looping stories, blog posts that repeat based on other sources but may add something. Some aspects have been part of Management theory at Work in Radio but this blog can have  a wider range of opinion. May return later.

From previously, MOOC now the MOCC -  the monetised online course certificate. Class Central reports by Dawal Shah around talk at South by SouthWest, YouTube video last year, and now updated report claiming that the second wave of hype is around online degrees.

Thing is, no mention of Futurelearn. Mention of $80m potential revenue but based only on courses from Udacity, Coursera and EdX. Previously Futurelearn has been included in the lists and there are some degree courses.

My guess is that Futurelearn is just not promoted at this time, or not reported. UK newspapers such as the Guardian did report the complaints about Peter Horrocks and his resignation, but nothing since on any alternative plan or guidance on Futurelearn funding. I try to check on Twitter so guess i would have found something if it was around.

There will be a major loop of this story at the time between BETT and Learning Technology, both at ExCel  in London. My guess is that there will be some solid info on viable platforms for degrees.

So far Futurelearn has stayed in the top five. Sorry this is put in management talk / business jargon. Just worth raising from a UK point of interest.  You might think. Comment welcome, links please for next version.

Design Science DJ - Multi Channel - #mtwr

#mtwr already a hashtag - Management Theory at Work in Radio . Too long for a title but still in my head. Relates to learning or possibly non-learning, both for companies and individuals.

Radio version of the word patterns for this blog also relates to "Design Science" . JD and myself turn up as Design Science DJs on YouTube. Not that we know more than most, just that we keep coming back to it.

"Multi Channel" seems the latest Adobe take on what was "omnichannel" or "cross media".

These words may not be clearly defined but work ok as search for tweets etc, well suited for radio. Guests welcome, may be more precise.

Still no news of Futurelearn as in OU plans

Still cannot find any update on what OU intends for Futurelearn funding.

Ass uming Peter Horrocks plans have been rejected, what is the alternative? Seems to be no reporting on this. Guardian very keen to report the objections, but then nothing as far as I can tell.

I have found a story I missed at the time about Leeds and Coursera from March. Confirms the reports from Class Central that degrees have started to feature. I also found a YouTube talk with similar content to the South by SouthWest talk, from last year but same take on MOOC changes and viability. Still shows Futurelearn in the top five and as an option.

So my guess is that the USA based platforms will have a clear offer during this year, something on show at BETT / Learning Technologies for the UK. Futurelearn may still be there but needs some support. Not just OU itself but other sources of degree content. Media still a bit blocked, Guardian may worry about comparison with print.

Meanwhile the advertising budget is out to tender. They could mention MOOCs as a way to interest people in degrees. Check out Stanford MIT for examples.

radio presentation as @will789gb

This topic may return to Management Theory at Work in Radio ( #mtwr ) but this is a more personal blog and I am starting with my own Tweet handle - @will789gb . We got a bit of discussion about how to mix print and social media but it seems Phonic FM is mostly still in print world with not much mindspace for hashtags and soforth.

There is now a printed schedule for Phonic FM and the We Don't Know show is included. However , presenter just shown as Jonathan Mahy, not myself as @will789gb. Previous copy we sent in has included the Twitter handle for the show - @wenotno - and the info that I am one of the presenters, but I think there may be a block around names that start with @ .

So next phase will be to find other radio presenters who are into Tweets etc. Will get back to Phonic and #mtwr when this is a bit more sorted. Meanwhile other topics possible, around OFCOM for example.

More temp on Futurelearn

This is just a reminder post, bit longer than a tweet.

Cannot find any news on Futurelearn funding as intended by OU. Since Peter Horrocks resigned there has been almost nothing, in Guardian print or by tweet. Assuming the implication is to reverse the cuts and not fund Futurelearn to the same extent as once in the plan, what is going to happen?

I have found a blog post by Tony Bates who seems well informed about the OU. He has insight into the print culture still strong at the OU and the funding cuts from government. He points out that most universities are not designed for lifelong learning, even though updates in digital skills are needed for the economy.

But there is not any comparison with Futurelearn that I can see.

Any link suggestions welcome.

Continued round "Digital Compost" #nlc2018

Papers from Networked Learning conference now available so this is a quick response, probably more later when read properly and as more appears online.

"Digital Compost" seems to be everything that appears around online life. Can be a mix of digital and other relics, memory. The approach helps to link distance learning with a campus or other place. Towards the end Sharon Boyd mentions a "walking interview" as a way to use space for discussion.

I am trying to fit this with a sort of script for video links. At the previous Networked Learning conference in Lancaster I thought that a series of interviews could be linked by the sequence of sites on the Spine walk. Tech Vision at InfoLab 21, possibly surviving critique at the Management School. Becomes public at main square with library, learning zone/ Costa and bookshop. Then further comment as past social science towards art. I had thought of just borrowing online clips from other places but the problem now is the extended work on the Spine. It will be a wonderful location when finished but not this year. ( Summer lighting still a priority, no budget to cope with wind and rain).

Thing is, the dilemma in the discussion may be over by next year. Tech is becoming normal. There is now a big screen in the square so this could project a version of the first part of the walk.

Further on there used to be a Making Time Garden, start for this video that also shows some of the building work.

Making Time Garden now replaced by a new design, part of the Spine. It could be sort of theatre so my current idea is to use green screen as a backdrop somewhere else and add in the new garden when ready. First attempt June 9th in Exeter with the Standup Philosopher. Part of "management theory at work in radio" , so mostly voice, some video and stills mixed in, easy enough to shift in space.

Continued round "Manager" capability - #nlc2018 #Futurelearn

This post is a bit too sweeping but needs more space than a tweet. Intended as comment starting from Networked Learning conference, PDF download now available.

I found out about Networked Learning through Management theory at Work conferences. These had a mix of academics and working managers but there were only two. ( Hoping for another soon ) At Lancaster background was still about Learning Company, one question how this might change with internet tech. I think one of the Network Learning conferences at Lancaster was through the Management School. But my guess is that the "Manager" capability would be as missing as from the sample of more recent papers in Shane McMordie paper . I notice reference for Chris Grey (1996) critique of managerialism. Very influential at close of first Management Theory at Work. 

Also today found a tweet from Management Learning about a future special issue on Targets and Terror the Performative University. I cannot find anything so far that suggests any positive role for management, guess it will be just horror stories.

Meanwhile in the UK I think the news is the end of Peter Horrocks at the OU and what happens next with Futurelearn. That is, actually not much news as in reporting, even on Twitter. Motions of no confidence based on proposed cuts to existing situation. Nothing so far that I have seen on how Futurelearn to be funded otherwise if it will be.

Class Central reports that MOOCS can become big business. Based partly on estimates of income from degrees. Futurelearn has potential to be in top 5 of global platforms. I may have gone off into management speak already.

Some say "viable MOOCs" only relates to "business and tech" , not mainstream university. But where is the overlap?

Missing "Manager" raises many questions, some getting closer in time.

Meanwhile I am working mostly on Management Theory at Work in Radio, #mtwr , June 9th in Exeter. Suggestion that FM is almost over not welcome with all after 10 years of Phonic FM as local channel. Very vague at the moment but something clear may arrive later.

Also I notice Chris Grey has a blog about Brexit. Tweets and retweets can promote without being too performative.

Hello Networked Learning Conference , possible links to sound / video

This blog post is a sort of extended tweet, catchup since previous Networked Learning conference in Lancaster. I am still interested in video and also sound, now working mostly on Phonic FM. Daytime music shows with some chat. I will be doing a session on Management Theory at Work in Radio as part of a 10 year celebration of Phonic. My take is that digital disruption is real. FM may soon fade away and local radio continue as social media.

There were two proper conferences - Management Theory at work - in Lancaster a while ago, mixing theory and practice. So I am struck by the paper from Shane McMordie on theorising a "manager" capability, based on something missing from previous conferences. The Management Theory at Work scope included practical management, maybe this is what I would like to get back to. So I will look out for discussion around this one. Also the papers on the MOOC. I have followed reports from Class Central on how Coursera and maybe others are now making significant income from degrees and contact with companies. I realise this is a bit off topic but recent UK talk about Open University and Futurelearn has assumed this is a bottomless pit of losses. Not sure this is so.

Assume that some form of sound / video included in education resources. Radio now often working with video so similar needs for production. We mostly depend on low production standards and a tolerant audience. But this is changing as social media gets a higher proportion of professional content.

One idea I have is to record on the Lancaster campus for linking clips. Once the Spine is finished there will be an excellent backdrop to move between tech, business, library, and theatre. But still a building site at the moment so continues as sound only from remote.

Sharon Boyd on digital compost could help me here. Seems to be about debris from cached trips. Look forward to the full paper, have found a blog version.

Also interested in the "Unbundled University" as this is closer to what radio is. We cut previous shows into clips and then mix with records and a small amount of new chat, some of it worth keeping but maybe not.

Continues as tweets and links, maybe more later.

Actual event is on June 9th at Phoenix in Exeter. Mostly music with some theory on the edge.
See blog

Suggestions welcome for video to link to, show extracts.

Sound Clip on Futurelearn, what is happening, how to relate to Exeter?

I have put a sound clip on YouTube from @wenotno show yesterday. Opinion that Futurelearn should be supported. No info recently on how the assumed change in OU policy will effect support.  I have found that three courses expected in Exeter - Weather ( with Met Office ) British Empire ( repeats one I have done) and clothing. So assume these will still happen.


So I have sort of lost it trying to construct a neutral story about this. So far all I can find on twitter or in newspapers is broad support for reversing the Peter Horrocks policy. I realise there are problems in finding the resources but moving Futurelearn into degrees seems sound both as education and as a business plan. The talk from Class Central at South by SouthWest could be on another planet. Most of the UK seems out of it.

So this topic is definitely part of the Management Theory at Work in Radio discussion. To some extent any campus will be part studio.

Still finding interest in vinyl from Austin. A bit weird but on the music aspect the tech issue will be how to play it. FM studios not equipped in some cases.

My problem situation, YouTube as in mtwr and RGB 2, also voice robots

Not sure who will turn up for Management Theory at Work in Radio, June 9th in Exeter, and sometimes people cannot be that open about problem situations. But I can either fill in the time talking about myself or expand in the is blog if time is limited. ( I think the whole event is turning out to be a sequence with variable timing )

I meant to start a YouTube channel as Rougemont Global Broadcasting. Filled form in wrong so actually just my name, Will Pollard. I mix music performance and tech theory so makes sense to me but not a channel. Very low production standards.

So when I heard about YouTube RED I set up two more defined channels and tried a new production level. "mtwr" for Management Theory at Work in Radio ( could include other conferences ) and RGB2 for general entertainment somewhere near Exeter ( as far and wide as suggests possible viability) . However so far no news of YouTube RED in the UK. Also all the info I get suggests that YouTube offer very little money in return for content. Record companies may see it as promo for other platforms.

So either this will change or maybe other routes. Wild fundraiser scheme with offer of 30 day advance access to unedited clips? Stranger things seem possible.

Meanwhile I will continue with existing channel and radio on Spreaker. I have done edits of clips from the Wild Show and @wenotno but recently low numbers on YouTube. there is more content there with better production if less content and also I have no budget to promote on other platforms. So currently best to promote the complete shows on Spreaker.

#mtwr will have a wide range of sound / video recording , low level edits. Maybe an edit budget much later, not sure how.

Could change scope of RGB2 to be discussion of other video available in Exeter. Just a chat format. But also good to look at voice robots for forms of radio. So far I have not fully convinced my colleagues on Wild Show and @wenotno that there is a future in automated voice. Alexa is taking over in car and kitchen so radio must cope somehow. Adobe has shown a sneak look at voice based on samples. Characters that left Exeter and reported back are possible. we will have to voice the robot ourselves till the tech is ready and we have a budget.

Comment welcome, update before June.

temp on #Futurelearn

Seems there is a large gap between the people tweeting about Peter Horrocks and the audience at South by SouthWest. As far as I can tell in the UK there is almost no awareness of what was being suggested as a digital shift. Almost no reporting in Guardian or Daily Mail about Futurelearn ( bit more in Mail as a surprise) and no statement I can find by anyone to reassure on Futurelearn funding.

I should say something about learning theory but would rather find something with academic cred that links MOOC with whatever it is the OU is going back to. My problem with most of the research is that it assumes the learners are in a bubble of just the course being studied. And that they intend to learn on the timescale intended. Nobody reads a book in that manner I think. Skip through the contents page and then put it to one side. Come back later as something crops up. Maybe just me. So a MOOC course can be mixed with another one, discussed in some aspect with a group. Or just sampled and forgotten for a while.

Even more dodgy is my take on the finances. My guess is that music is about 5-10 years ahead of academic publishing / courses. Early phase somewhere between piracy and efforts to launch a streaming service that failed because of bad user experience, lack of funds, no support from labels too used to an older model etc.

Thing is, failure is possible. So any of the current MOOC platforms could turn out to be just an early version of something else. If all that is reported about Futurelearn is that it was a vanity project waste of money that has now been cut back, there are many other possibilities.

Another thought is that the Guardian may have reasons not to feature social learning, ways to relate social media to online courses. They did trash Guardian Unlimited Talk. The star journalist upfront is admired by loyal readers. Citizen journalism another wrong direction to move back from. The courses they sell in London are mostly on the star idea, not sharing views. Anyway, something to look out for on a Tuesday.

more later

Another update on Futurelearn and OU

Just heard BBC Radio 4 The World at One. Report on vote of no confidence in Peter Horrocks, but no mention of Futurelearn. The OU is not what it was and there is competition for distance learning. Similar with Guardian, again deploring future as "digital content provider".

Not sure why there is not more on Futurelearn. Is the BBC as worried as newspapers about social media or however they describe the web? More on this later.

Not sure how to compare valuation of Futurelearn with Spotify. See another blog for meeting on management theory in radio. More detail by June 9th but there must be some way to compare. Music / sound ahead of HE as a timeline but the trends may be similar. Large audience with free content, smaller proportion paying for wider range of tracks or certificates and support. Spotify still loding money but worth something, over $20b in New York terms. How to translate this to UK?

Recently at a meeting to celebrate 5th birthday, Futurelearn announced five new postgrad courses for late 2018 / 2019. No details yet but it is quite possible some income is expected.

Peter Horrocks said “FutureLearn has been a fantastic innovation for the OU, but it’s so much more than that. Five years on it has the potential to be the very tool needed to make digital collaboration across HE/FE and Government a reality.”

Simon Nelson from Futurelearn said “We are no longer just a mooc platform for our partners – but a trusted partner in their digital transformation.”

another clue the word "mooc" may get extended or replaced.

I realise the education aspect is just as important but there should be some reporting on Futurelearn as an asset. Maybe the USA venture capital mentality is too alien.

By the way

Checking on the Durham IAS lecture series that Peter Horrocks has been part of finds another upload to YouTube.



The slides are at UCL

Future of science funding shows that money is an issue for HE . Spotify shares not far off topic.

Positive effect of Futurelearn will be when it is normal to edit in the slides before uploading to YouTube.