Braided Learning and Music
Food, flowers, hats
and a very important token manMirandaNetters
gathered recently in Croydon to celebrate Christina Preston's award of
the 'Freedom
Pass'.
Non-Londoners might need to know that this ceremony confers on the person the right to travel for free on all means of Transport in London after the hour of 9.00am on the buses, and 9.30 on the trains. The award is restricted, and only people of a certain age receive this award, and hard though it is to believe this, particularly when you look at the pictures of Christina enjoying herself at this party, she has now earned this award.
The party was largely restricted to ladies, who turned out elegantly attired in hats and gloves, but a few token men were allowed in as chauffeurs and web editors, provided they kept below stairs and out of the way. The day began with a make-over, followed by cocktails and nibbles, and then a hearty luncheon. Entertainments of various kinds followed, and the afternoon was rounded off with excellent cakes, many of which were provided by Joyce, Christina's mother. For those with the stamina, the celebrations then continued into the evening.
Joyce
Horlock
Cake Maker and MotherThe assembled guests represented some of the finest
academics working in the field of Educational ICT, together with many friends,
colleagues and
relatives. In the pictures you might spot amongst the guests some illustrious
MirandaNetters such as Niki Davis, Margaret Danby, Margaret Cox, Avril Lovelace,
Jane Dorner
(our first Web Editor), John Preston (a very important token man), John Cuthell
(another important token man, possibly on chauffeur duties) with Maggie,
Francis Howlett (yet another token man, also on chauffeur duties, doubling
up as a web editor) with Maria, Bozena Mannova from the Czech Republic with
Lenka, and Marilyn Leask. Needless to say there were many others that the
official photographer failed to catch: too busy eating cake, I suppose.
Much of the afternoon's entertainment involved community singing, with the rendition of traditional songs such as 'Daisy, Daisy', 'Roll out the barrel', 'If you were the only Girl in the World', 'Land of Hope and Glory', interspersed with solo numbers provided by Irma Music, with Ian Rae on the keyboard sensitively accompanying the fine soprano voice of Morven Rae.
Ian
Rae on Keyboard,
Morven Rae singingOne number struck a particularly personal note for
the occasion, and we were treated to this delightful take on academic publishing.
Why can't academics not use music?
Listen to Morven Rae's rendition of this song:
I've just been reading through some abstract theories
Produced by many learned ladies here.
The language they keep choosing, was frankly quite confusing
So the meaning was quite lost on me I fear.
Token
web editor male Francis Howlett
with MariaICT and CPD are TLAs;
"Materiality of meaning" means just what?
ICT and pedagogy simply make my brain go soggy,
And a soggy brain can make you quite distraught.
Why can't academics not use music,
To brighten up the treatises they write,
A little underscoring could drown out people snoring
And music make them sound more erudite.
I still remember listening to a thesis
Last summer - it was maybe May or June -
With words like semiotic it was clearly idiotic,
But at least I came out whistling the tune!!!
Margaret
Danby and Niki DavisLet's face it from an ecological perspective
Phenomenographic doesn't mean a lot,
And though I have a yearning for Preston's Braided Learning,
The braids soon seem to tie me in a knot.
I struggled with Carolyne Daly's Daily paper,
And Bozena Mannova's work's hard to translate.
The concepts they've created might be better animated
With Homer Simpson in a short debate.
Why can academics not use music,
To brighten up the treatises they write,
I believe if Kress and Mavers used a few more semiquavers
Perhaps then I would start to see the light.
Christina
Preston congratulated
by a token man and his wifeThe semiotic landscape might be clearer,
Social constructs see the light of day.
A multimodal map might sound better set to rap,
For notes in music go a long long way.
So what's the outcome of this little abstract
Set to music rather sweet and gentle?
We'll record every abstract set to music
Without the words - just make them instrumental!
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