About

 

Why EduGnome?

The first component, Edu, reflects the fact that I work in education.  I’ve been an educational technologist at UNSW since 2002, currently situated in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (see staff profile).  This role is responsible for helping educate academic staff about the opportunities that technology offer the learning and teaching process, as well as assisting them in integrating its use into their curricula.

The second component, Gnome, reflects my passion for gaming.  I began playing Dungeon’s and Dragons in the 1980s, followed by video games shortly thereafter.  Presently my main gaming focus is World of Warcraft, which I’ve been playing for the last couple of years.

So in that sense this blog is both personal and professional; educational and entertainment-oriented.  In reading this blog for any extended period of time you’re likely to see a range of perspectives and topics.

Professional Perspectives

In my educational capacity, I’ll be looking at several different topical areas, seeking particularly to:

  • Analyse trends in emerging technology, with a particular emphasis on how they relate to, or impact upon education;
  • Provide practical guides and suggestions on use or implementation of IT- or eLearning-related activities (e.g. software installation, Tips/Tricks);
  • Impart commentary on emerging discussions or controversies across the IT sector;
  • Act as a personal research aid for expanding the author’s understanding of learning theory, learning styles, and other pedagogical concepts;

Research Interests

  • eLearning and educational technology
  • Empowerment & personalisation of learning; open education; nurturing of self-directed learners
  • Educational change; distributed and/or alternative learning models
  • Educational applications of emerging technology and social software
  • Trends in web-use and the Internet
  • Formulation and sociology of online communities
  • Web-based communication, VOIP, web conferencing and virtual environments
  • Free, Open Source Software (FOSS): Philosophy, culture, sociology, technology

Publications

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