Monday, January 12, 2004

Melbourne's 'cool' summer...

So far my summer hasn't felt much like a summer [and before any Melburnians jump down my throat, yes, the Xmas weather was spectacular! :o) ] - I am still acclimatising to the lower latitudinal, more temperate climes of the east coast, having spent a good deal of my young adult life in Perth and then more recently Geraldton! It's so distinctly different - even the air is different! There must be a more apt meteorological explanation than my poor efforts here, but it does make a difference to one's demeanor I feel. So, what does it mean to feel displaced? Misplaced? Dislocated perhaps? When will I get around to relating this back to educational design and flexible learning you might ask?... About now!

Households, Work and Flexibility is an EU project which looks at how changing forms of flexibility affect work and family life. What intrigues me about this project is the notion of flexibility, something I want to research further in relation to educational technologies. The 2000 - 2003 project report series is available from the website in PDF. The project's use of the term flexibility is simplified in my view, but they offer further terms of reference with which to later discuss the notion of flexibility.

Interestingly, if you type the phrase "flexibility of space" into your search engine [I prefer Google], the EU project site is the second one on the list!

What are your thoughts on the notion of flexibility?
Are we sometimes careless in the use of such terms? Do semantics really matter? How does flexibility apply to the discussions surrounding educational technologies and good pedagogical practice? Before I get carried away with mind-boggling theory, I'll say...

...Ciao until the next!

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