Avatar Quible (representing Mrs. R. Quilling and Mr. C.Blewett)is a full time Web-based resident, teacher, and researcher. All of Quible's time is spent in Twitter or Facebook or YouTube or Second Life and other equally exciting places in the virtual world.
Rosemary Quilling is a Senior Lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, in the School of Information Systems & Technology. She is one of the founders of the NextEd programme, which seeks to facilitate the development of a worldwide virtual collaborative educational network. Current focus of NextEd is on connecting African faculty and students globally. The role of technology in education, team dynamics and online culture are keen areas of interest. She can also be located as RoseQ (twitter) and Resomyra Felwitch (Second Life).
Craig Blewett is a Senior Lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, in the School of Information Systems & Technology. Craig has a keen interest in the convergence of educational theory and technological platforms. He is one of the founders of the NextEd programme, which seeks to facilitate the development of a worldwide virtual collaborative educational network. There is little doubt that Web 2.0 environments will be used more and more for education in the future; therefore Craig is spending increasing amounts of his time engaging students in these virtual environments through a variety of avatars including Cee Beattie (Second Life) and klihk (twitter).
Presentation Synopsis
The power to change the world has always been available to those individuals brave enough to claim it. Better yet is a virally spread vision; collaborative groupings working towards a greater vision for all.....not just as individuals but as collaborative groupings who span traditional divides of places, cultures, genders, races, religions, generations etc.
Social computing enables us to cross a host of divides in relatively simple ways: Paradoxically though, it appears that our ability to develop world views and processes which are truly neutral and without boundaries are less simple to achieve.
You are invited to join Quible on a short journey of exploration of the meaning of Ubun2.0: To discover the power, wonder, fears, issues and secrets of finding a place where learning is collaborative. Where the student and the teacher share and grow together. Where, in the sharing, all benefit. Can Quible truly find this ultimate place? Can Quible truly find Ubun2.0?
About TEDx, x = independently organized event
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self- organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self- organized events are branded TEDx, where x=independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.*
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