Life Online

Thing 21: Online Games and Learning Tools

Gamification is a part of life and learning online. Adding elements of game-playing, such as earning rewards, competing with others, tracking progress, and exploring stories, to non-game situations, can make education more engaging and interactive. Thing 21 asks us to explore the work of online educational games, by choosing two from a list and interacting… Read more Thing 21: Online Games and Learning Tools

Thing 20: Professional Social Networks

It can be easy to forget how new professional social networking is. Consider the students who enter university at eighteen in the autumn of 2022. They were born in the year Facebook was launched! Most young people, in other words, have never experienced a world without the social internet. Most researchers, on other hand, are… Read more Thing 20: Professional Social Networks

Navigating Online Meetings With Confidence

People who study how and why universities do what they do have been talking for awhile now about the ‘hidden curriculum‘: the etiquette, values, and expectations that underlie academic culture but which are not explicitly discussed. The hidden curriculum can create a barrier for members of the university community who are first-generation, working class, or… Read more Navigating Online Meetings With Confidence

Thing 18: Augmented and Virtual Reality

One of my favourite things about working at a university is being able to see new ideas grow and develop. Many universities, including mine, foster this process through small grant schemes, which are designed to enable research projects to get off the ground. It was through one of these that I first heard of the… Read more Thing 18: Augmented and Virtual Reality

History Libraries and Librarians in 2020

Back in June, I went to the third annual gathering of UK-based history librarians, which is always a wonderful opportunity to meet colleagues and continue learning about the field. Libraries matter enormously for the study and research of the past and it could be argued that the current situation is uniquely challenging for student and… Read more History Libraries and Librarians in 2020

Thing 12: Open Educational Resources

Excited to say I am past the halfway point for completing my 23 Things for Digital Knowledge posts! It has been an educational journey and this week I am exploring the world of open educational resources, or OERs. “45th Parallel” by Shutterbug Fotos is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0 In this post I will discuss… Read more Thing 12: Open Educational Resources