Two more worth noting: Learning2.008 with Alan Levine and George Siemens as two of the many speakers of note. I could link you to their names, or you could find out about them using the Ning link above. More and more conference hosts are using Ning to advertise their conferences.

E-fest this year in in Auckland (gosh moved away from Welly) on 8-10th September. Theme is about connections: learners, education, organisations and content. Always good to go and hear/see what’s happening in Aotearoa, and having been involved in some projects that don’t seem to get shared about, I’d be keen to get talking about how we can get sharing better…..

ascilite is in Melbourne this year and its theme is ” Hello! Where are you in the landscape of educational technology”….

It seemed somehow necessary to note today’s important remembrance. It was of course Bastion Point ‘day’. Thirty years! Thirty years!

It was great to watch Maori TV last night (the only media apart from some news items in mainstream today) and the unravellings of the stories. Merata Mita’s great documentary, and people telling their stories made for intriguing and compulsive viewing. They certainly do it ‘good’ on Maori TV!

It’s interesting to ask ourselves how much have we all changed? Is there a difference? Most would say ‘yes’ it’s better but there are still disturbing stories of alienation, violence and its partner poverty.

Still a wee way to go?

Perhaps that’s another story.

Our thoughts are with the whanau of Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, the people of Tainui waka, the Kingitanga and indeed Aotearoa.

There is a renewed interest in capturing the stories of organisations. Kathy Sierra fervently believes that where there’s passion, there are stories. She says that truly passionate users know your organisation’s story. Steve Denning confirms the power of story for telling corporate histories. A little closer to home, the Auckland Business History Project, has been doing just this: recording the stories that make up Auckland’s colourful commercial history.