Roger's posterous

Why so long since I have posted here? Well in many ways its the same as the reason I have put little on Twitter for a long time. 

Indeed the reason I am posting now is because of recent activity on Twitter and other places. Time to maybe do some uncluttering. 

Whilst at work Twitter became my number one source of help, advice, information and inspiration in educational matters. Almost all of my followers and those I follow are educational types. When I was working I needed this 'connection' and more importantly I felt I have a valid offer of ideas, opinions and thoughts to offer in exchange. At time sit kept me sane in an increasingly mad context.

Well I'm not in education any more, nor will be returning. I have other interests and other activities that keep me very busy. I do still look at some of the things that people are doing and think, wow so great to see, but I have nothing to offer to these developments. 

I would urge anyone who is in a professional field to use Twitter to follow other like minded people - its a fantastic resource. However as a hodge-podge of ill informed froth it cannot be beaten either! Who and why you follow makes all the difference in the world.

I am getting quite a lot of XXXXXX is now following you on Twitter. So here's where I stand and hopefully it makes sense to people.

1. I no longer have any opinions or connection with education - that was  a past life. Don't follow me for anything to do with education.

2. Its highly likely that the list of people I follow will reduce significantly. please don't take this personally. If I unfollow you its simply me being honest - my interests are elsewhere - it has nothing to do with the marvellous nature of what you are tweeting about.

3. On a related matter all these Linkedin requests are being ignored. I'm not active in the educational world, I have no jobs to offer, purchasing power or connections. 

I don't think my digital presence will disappear, but frankly my 'learning' is in different fields entirely and I am thriving on the new challenges. 

I have become 99% a learner now..........

For those who still want to read what I say then please do, but don't complain if the subject matter is no longer why you signed up. 

Following me is likely to get you comments on matters of all sorts OTHER than education.

To many I have followed in the past my thanks for your amazing erudite knowledge, it is worthy of more than being packed in a trunk and stuck in the attic. 

Now we live in a very unequal world, we only have to look at the news to see this. However I was always told that two wrongs do not make a right, so heaping new inequality into an unequal world seems to me very wrong. Bear with me on this....

In my new life I'm learning all sorts of things and meeting all sorts of people - I'm having my preconceptions challenged a lot - this is good. 

Yesterday I was chatting to a guy who was telling me about the massive amount of research he does on the internet, the artefacts he finds and purchases that are to do with his interests, how he runs several drop in sessions in his local area to show people how to use computers and aid them with their work and their own studies. He is in his late eighties........ I thought at almost 60 I was flying the flag for the older generation using ICT........

Today another person I had met for the first time was almost disqualified from what he wanted to do because he was over 80 and the location he was attending had no insurance for anyone over 80.........

This led to a discussion that amazed me. I was aware that as one gets older travel insurance increases - its a bit like what happens to young drivers in reverse. So I heard about a person who wanted to go on holiday to Bulgaria but the insurance for a standard holiday cost over £500 on top of the cost of the holiday. 

That is, to me, very bad indeed. I mean there is a statistical chance that older people are more likely to take ill than younger ones, but effectively this was pretty well denying them a chance to have a holiday. 

Then another participant in the conversation added a real bombshell. According to them it was impossible - repeat - impossible - for anyone aged 80 or over to get insurance to go to places like America and Australia. 

So, you get to 80 and effectively, no matter how fit and healthy you are you cannot go to some parts of the world. The issue was really piognant for those who had relatives in either of those countries - hit 80 and you can never see your folks again..........

Is this not some massive form of age discrimination? 

There is a conventional portrayal of our aging population that they sit around muttering and collecting together in the great waiting rooms that are old folks homes..... and there's increasing evidence that the delay of this stage of all of our lives is often partly by continuing to be active, to be involved, to be doing things......

I know there's lots of inequlaity in the world - but this is one that could, and should,  be tackled. 

So here we are, sitting in Albert Dock, enjoying the sunshine and its the last day of the school year. We are here because its not school holiday time..... 

And then a bus drives along the road... its done out like a nigtclub, darkened windows, advertising the bar inside, the disco, the pole dancing.....

And behind that another similar one, they are travelling in 'convoy' 

My first thought is its a promotional tour round, Friday night time to become visible to he 'punters' later on. But no.....

The buses pull up in front of us, their doors open and from one emerges around 40 Year 6 lads - most not wearing shirts. From the other a similar group of Year 6 girls - thankfully with their tops on! They charge across to the barrier of the dock edge, and many climb over, vault it. Two security guys head up concerned (rightly so) whilst a (one assumes) teacher gets off the bus, proceeds to light up and stroll across to the kids who are now milling round - miracle none have 'gone for a swim'. 

Security guys have words with teacher - who attempts some form of organising and rapidly gives up - assistants appear and also attempt without much success to sheepdog the kids back on the bus. Some lads get on the girls bus and vice versa. Teacher stands outside bus making sure she finished her fag......

Gets on bus, shoos genders onto their right bus, and off they head. 

Followed by three stretch limos who also disgorge their cargoes of Year 6 kids - this time not supervised by any adults - just the drivers, who I guess are used to this thing - hope they have all been CRB checked mind you? 

As they too leave, having had another intervention from the security guys I am left wondering.......

1. Who paid for these 'jaunts'?

2. Suppose any of the kids had been injured, who would have been responsible?

3. Was this school organised, or parent organised?

4. What responsibility do the companies have for taking bookings like this?

5. Is this a specifically Liverpool thing?

6. Given issues of chld protection, and the role modelling for children, how does taking them round the city on a pole dancing nightclub bus and smoking in front of them fit? 

And most retired couples would just have 'tutted' about the younger generation.....me, I used to be a teacher..... and its still in the blood!

The other day one of my Facebook friends posted an item from E-Bay selling Bulgarian houses at around £1K a time. Looked a bit ramshackle, but for the price of half of a decent holiday some people might be tempted. Over the decades there has been a cyclical interest in retiring to 'the good life' somewhere sunny, warm and cheap. Its got its good side - but it has its downside as well - not the least of which is the variable exchange rate that can rapidly drop you into poverty from relative affluence. 

A big issue with becoming an Ex-Pat is how you approach the change of life. I guess there's a massive spectrum, but on one end you effectively 'go native' and embrace your new country, its customs, its food, its drink, its pace of life, its language. The other extreme is that you attempt to preserve the ties with home - joining up with other ex-pats, maintaining a 'little england' society in the far off exotic location, shout at the natives, celebrate the old country customs etc etc.

Well over the past couple of months I've emigrated from a salaried position in ICT education into the life of an ex-teacher and there have been some changes - hence I regard myself as a bit of an Ex-Pat from education.  There's been a significant drop off in my use of Twitter, there has also been a drop off in my blogging. Partly that's down to having too much else to do - its a cliche that is true - when you retire you can have too much to do - its called getting your life back. Partly though its about changing your interests. 

Last night I watched "Classroom Secrets' - and I really wanted to do two things.

1. To celebrate that i was no longer part of this

2. To stick anyone who advances a view that teaching is easy in a chair and force them to watch it

3. To make certain parents watched it and 'got' the idea that their little angels may not be quite so angelic.

Yes I know that's not two, I apologise!

Most of my Twitter Stream are educationalists - I built my contacts because I was interested in this. Since the release of Google+ I have had around 90 people want me to join with them on it - and almost every one is in education. I used to be an avid contributor to #ukedchat - I no longer participate (who wants curmudgeonly old geezer stuff at the fast developing chalk face?). 

I still watch with interest what's going on, but I don't feel I can contribute any longer, and so in a way this is me saying sorry to people. 

If they are following me on Twitter, if they are adding me in Google+, if they are reading this blog for my views on the Blessed Michael etc etc. Sorry but you will become increasingly disappointed. Its not I'm not interested, its not I don't have views  - but I am now interested in a lot more things. So I won't get offended if you stop following me, drop me from your circle, or stop reading this blog. 

On the Ex-Pat spectrum I'm heading into the 'going native' end of it. Having spent 35 years as an educator until I was 'disinterested out' of it by others I will always have an interest, but its now competing with travel, reading, politics, research, birding, natural history, and very occasionally just sitting back and watching the world go by. 

I've always had a bit of a soft spot for Marvell, 

Thus, though we cannot make our sun
Stand still, yet we will make him run. 

Thanks for all the wisdom and ideas that you have shared with me, good luck in your pioneering work to make education better for the kids - I'll watch from my sunny patio and applaud you from afar. 

Perhaps someone could explain to me how this works?

We see an all in one printer that we like on your Tesco.direct. It checks out what we need, and it gets great reviews. However if we order it for delivery it means we have to wait in for a 12 hour period and pay an extra £5 to get it delivered, or book to get one delivered and then go to the relevant store and pick it up in a few days time. Never mind, a trip to the store is in order anyway.

Hmm, arrive at store and lo and behold there's a whole pile of the printers as you walk in the door. But wait, they are £25 more expensive! So we order one from the desk in the store - at the cheaper price of course and we can collect it tomorrow - but we cannot collect it there and then because its not tesco, its Tesco Direct? Can we not buy one at the 'online price' after all they are sitting on the floor just beside us? NO is the emphatic answer. 

Now I understand if the place does not stock them and the goods have to be delivered from another warehouse somewhere - but the printers are looking at us as we walk out of the store - there are loads of them..... this does not seem very logical. 

Obviously I don't understand commerce........

I seem to recall it was Graham Le Saux who broke the mould of the footballer by pointing out that he read a newspaper that was not one of the red tops. Over my time I have known a few 'hopefuls' who have been seen as 'gifted' and whisked off to some dream of fame, fortune and to star in the 'beautiful game'. Few have made it, none of them struck me as being particularly into reading or watching the news beyond the back page  and the pictures/ celebrity gossip. 

This may of course explain why - like many of their WAGs - they seem oblivious to reality. They live in such a strange and insulated world where everything is distorted and anything  - it would seem -  is possible. The canute like attempts by a footballer to preserve their 'anonymity' was shown yesterday to be absurd. I wonder when the crowd at the match yesterday who chanted the footballer's name will all be locked up indefinitely? Might make a bit of a hole in the Justice department's budget and increase exponentially the jail overcrowding. 

I assume he has not noticed the Arab Spring because his consumption of the news is restricted. Given the amount of money he has 'allegedly' paid his lawyers for advice one would assume they have time to keep abreast of current affairs? Maybe, just maybe, one of them should have pointed out that a brutal and authoritarian regime who thinks nothing of shooting its citizens can't stop the power of free speech? On the other hand, as they are charging by the second, and he can afford it, maybe it would have been silly to have pointed this out to him? 

To quote Napoleon out of context, 'Never interrupt an opponent when they are making a mistake....'

Is there a film.... Dumb and Dumber?

First of May, first day of a new life for me. As of today I am no longer employed. 

One of the jobs for today was to edit my social networking profiles, don't want to be accused of being something I am no longer. 

Yesterday I met some new people during a wander along the banks of the Tyne near Wylam. One thing that tends to happen when you meet new folks is the question - what do you do, expressed in a variety of phrases, but all trying to somehow make sense of how you fit into their world and find a bit of common ground.. 

So how do I now describe myself?

I 'used to be' a Director. The phrase 'used to be' is redolent of clinging on, like the hero in those serials on the cliff edge, fingers whitening with the strain of avoiding the drop. I was very particular about being a Director in my last job - when most colleagues were Managers. To me a manager did as they were directed, a director set the vision and the product. Sadly around a year ago although the title stayed the same in some form of 1984 Newspeak it came to mean a cross between a Curator and a Caretaker. It was at this point I realised that it was time for me and the job to part company - and whilst I hung on to the cliff face for months eventually it just became too difficult to do so and I let go. You know the sequence where the bad guy stamps on one finger then another, then another.........

So how do I introduce myself from now on?

I'm a pensioner...... Hmmm, well in the sense that I will be drawing my work pension I suppose I am. But I don't feel like a pensioner (however that feels), nor do I get my state pension for many years yet. Whilst I don't want to upset anyone the picture that pops into my head when I use the word pensioner is about inflexibility of body and mind, of a (sadly) limited  life style, of queuing for things,of complaining. That is probably a gross disservice to many, but its a bit of a stereotype which probably is what most people think when they hear the word.

Ok how's about 'I took EARLY retirement' - with the emphasis on the third word. Well I did retire early - early by at least 19 months. It always seems to me that the utterance of this is because the speaker wants to assert they aren't that old..... well they are. 

Ok how's about 'Self Employed' - again what does that conjure up? White van, cash in hand, ducking and diving? Again its a blatant stereotype, but its there. Anyway to be self employed you have to be in some form of service selling, and whilst I have one little sideline up my sleeve, I'd hardly say it qualifies me for being 'self -employed. 'Keeping myself in the odd bottle of wine' is more the scope of this one.

None of those labels sit easily for me, they are not robes I want to wear. 

Okay I've had a bit of a segue into this new life, having been 'on leave' for a couple of months. Its given me already a chance to get involved in new things, to enjoy time and so far I have not woken up and thought - oh dear, what do I do today? I'm still doing lots of work, just not being paid for it.

There you go, sorted. next time the question is asked - 'What do you do?'

The answer will be 'I work for myself..(pause for effect) and for others'.

The chicks followed, got to the edge of the water and bounced off the bank.... they were not big enough to jump the gap. Because its a constructed reed bed its got an even edge to it and the coot chicks simply were not big enough to make the jump. They moved around, swimming away a little, then swimming back to the edge to try and make the jump - time and time again this happened. 

Eventually they made the jump and all returned safely to the nest area. It was interesting watching them, and you have to speculate that like most aspects of nature its not a given that the ending will be happy. For the Coot chick that did not make that jump the 'selection of the fittest' was in operation, with plenty of other hazards to end its short life.

The Coot parent looked on, it didn't get in and give the chick a helping hand - its was a 'rite of passage' the chick had to undergo. 

I have read material in the past about 'learned helplessness'  which has wide implications - but one feature that I saw commented upon was the learned helplessness of professionals. They curb their natural 'experiential' learning style and instead require an ever growing set of training before they feel capable of doing anything new..... and ICT is certainly new to many of them. 

In my own career in education I witnessed the creeping inset requirement which in many ways started to be formalised with the Baker Days. At some point Inset became a requirement before anything could be tried that was new......

I'm not sure that always being given a helping hand is the best way for people to learn - though it may seem kinder and has less obvious casualties. 

The data that's out there, and its availability continues to be a wonder of the modern world. 

I often pass the end of our local airport, and there have always been - mainly solitary guys - parked up there, looking skyward and straining for the first glimpse of the next plane to come in. Often they have had some form of radio equipment to check - I assume - what's on its way. Each to their own passion - all I will say is I have my own, and have encountered the blank incomprehension of others when I have tried to explain why they are so important to me.

'So, you are refighting the whole of the War in the Pacific?' ....... 'How long, two years to complete the first year of the war.......' 'Emmmm, so its going to take you a decade to see who won?' End of that strand of the conversation.

The other day I got a new app for my Iphone/Ipad. It tracks planes. I can, if i'm at a loose end open the app, see the planes moving on the map and click on any one of them to get a picture of the plane, where its going, where it came from, speed, altitude etc etc. That I regard as quite amazing (well for a few minutes anyway). Even more amazing is the fact I can point the Ipad/Iphone at the sky and it will tell me what's up there and the same level of data. 

Yesterday I'm sitting in the garden, looking up at a vapour trail as it crosses the sky and I point the app at the view and I discover that I am looking at a plane that took off from Amsterdam and will land in Montreal. My life isn't very altered by this information, but its a little bit of knowledge I didn't have before. 

As I sat in the sun the initial crisp white line etched across the sky diffused and finally vanished - almost imperceptibly.

I gather that there is a similar astronomical one, where you can point at the sky and it will tell you what you are seeing - I may try it sometime as to me its always been just a load of flickering lights. I was reminded the other day by Radio 4 that what we see up there in the night sky may well not exist any more, with some of those flickering lights we are seeing light generated millions of years ago - and the star may well no longer even exist. 

At some point soon I must edit my various internet profiles, my status is changing. My own vapour trail of one particular flight is coming to en end  and one has to wonder how interesting and relevant it will remain to other observers anyway. 

A few days ago another little milestone of life occurred occurred I got my last ever pay check. I'm still 'sort of' an employee, but come the 31st April its my last day - more of that another time.

My departure from work has left me with, as for anyone, time to think and reflect upon the new lifestyle. There are adjustments to be made. Next month its no longer 'payday' but 'pension day' - that makes me sound so so old doesn't it?

Its a bit of a life change to say the least and it may well be that this blog reflects some of those changes.

I've been a 'to do list' person for many years - indeed the ball juggling that was part of my professional life for at least a decade, coupled with instant access to ICT meant i lived by listing what had to be done, scheduling these, putting them into projects. As my life is altering one thing I have been doing is uncluttering - or maybe rationalising - my ICT use. Looking at my hard drive I have so many pieces of software on there - many of which I can't recall ever using. Given I had half a terabyte free on my hard drive I could just leave them there, but there's a bit of a test, if its not been used then do i need it?

So some are getting deleted.

There are others, like my favourite 'to do lister' Producteev, which have served me faithfully. I'm able to tag the things to do, give them dates, add comments to track how the work is going, and most importantly for me, this feeds into my Google Calendar. 

There was a time when I thought I would not need to 'to do list' any more - that it was a necessity of working life. There was a time when I was about to stop using one.

I have continued.  Just because I am no longer working for someone in a paid capacity does not mean I am not still working for someone - indeed there us an oft quoted truism that when you retire you end up being busier than when you were at work. 

There's the voluntary work, there's the favours for others, there's the 'jobs that I always meant to get round to but never did'. Part of this flurry of activity is about a 'tidying' - a making 'shipshape' for this next great voyage - part of it is also the assumption that although I am no longer a salaried person I have many years of productive and engaging activity left in me. 

So I need to keep track, I need even more so to be aware fo what I have said I'll do - and in some cases when I'll have it done by.

The projects are still there in my 'to do lister' but today I have just gone through and put in two supertags.

All the tasks in my lists now have one of two categories.

1. Do - as in there's a date to this, there's a commitment, there's a 'shipping' commitment, there's an expectation that I have set up with someone else and I have to deliver.

2. Maybe - anything else.......

As I review my list there are two things that strike me:

One category is much longer than the other....

I'm very happy with this way of looking at what I'm doing. 

Perhaps I'm not retiring, maybe I'm retiming?