ONE OF THE MOST CHERISHED behaviours I witness involves the transfer of skills between generations. Sometimes this happens around the kitchen table as we make things. Continue reading

WHILE EXPLORING THE REACH of the past five years of the Youth Media Team, I've started embedding the TuneIn player to see if that improves the reach of the @ymtfm presence. Continue reading

I ASKED MY CREATIVE students to cite questions they would like to be asked if they were interviewed on air during a broadcast programme about innovation. Here are some of the questions they proposed. Continue reading

I ASKED MY CREATIVE students to cite questions they would like to be asked if they were interviewed on air during a broadcast programme about innovation. Here are some of the questions they proposed. Continue reading

LIKE SIX OTHER people I have closely followed for more than a decade, I will also delete Facebook. I suspect the two primary school students in our household will never use it. More: https://www.spreaker.com/show/2663090 Continue reading

I CAUGHT UP WITH a few voices at the end of 2018 because they dropped into my podcatcher when using old RSS feeds I set up years ago. Some of the familiar voices continuing using the #audio365 hashtag. Continue reading

MY 2019 started without a hangover because I stayed clear of alcohol during the previous three days. Instead, I was self-medicating against a cold by infusing mass quantities of things like lychees from Martin's Fruit & Veg in Clonmel. The first day of the year also arrived with a nagging text from my broadband provider because I'm 125 euro behind in my monthly payment. I used the money for Christmas presents instead this year. Continue reading

I'M WORKING WITH the youngest members of Ireland's Youth Media Team during part of the Christmas Break 2018 and laying down the workflow for production of the next 90 episodes of Congversations from Ireland. I've made a short eight minute clip that breaks down the process. Continue reading

CLIONA MAHER KNOWS how to channel voices from marginalised community members. She explains in a 28 minute congversation how she encourages expressions through effective uses of art. Continue reading

LIKE DERMOT CASEY, I believe every vibrant community has both an authentic virtual layer underpinning its physical real world presence. I suspect this idea will emerge as a talking point during #cong19, an unconference with a theme of "community". I met up with @dermotcasey in Dublin to chat about several ideas that form the core of Congversation 06, a podcast supporting people I've met during huddles in Cong, County Mayo every November. Continue reading

ONE OF THE MOST insightful conversations I enjoyed in 2018 came inside 1784, a Third Space of Michelle Gallen. Michelle shared a wide assortment of ideas with me about community, book recommendations, and the status of her stealth project. It's all part of the 15 minute audio recording I shared on Spreaker. Continue reading

I have three ideas about books I want to write. Continue reading

My iPad's Brydge keyboard works with my Samsung Note 9. Continue reading

I'VE WATCHED PETER DONEGAN and listened to his Sodshow for eight years so I know his clever public spaces always work as places where people enjoy meeting and sharing. Peter discusses the essence of gardening as a community dynamic in Congversation #4 on the lead-in to #cong19 in County Mayo. Continue reading

ANOTHER BLOGGER APPEARS to be rebooting original work and offers lovely prints to complement his writing. It's Ian Bertram from the UK, an artist I also follow on Etsy. You should click the image and see more of his prints. Continue reading

Recommending the Igeress LCD tablet. Continue reading

ONE OF THE JOYS of being connected online is getting to meet offline and chatting about shared values. I got a half hour of face-to-face chat with @larrygmaguire and learned more about his iron skillet, the importance of having a quiet third space in your own car, and what lies ahead for readers of The Artist's Manifesto. It's all part of Congversation 12, an audio series promoting community for the annual Congregation Unconference. Continue reading

BEST PRACTICE IN OPEN EDUCATION starts by hearing #oep advocates like Catherine Cronin explain how her work complements this essential community value. I captured Catherine in a half hour recording and asked for her insights about making Open Education Resources part of my work. Continue reading

PAM O'BRIEN shares the enthusiasm and the energy she gets from Ireland's Youth Media Team. During a 24 minute Congversation Pam explains how some of that energy percolates out into community spaces like CESICON, the ICT in Education Conference, and Congregation. Continue reading

ARMED WITH MY Rode Smart Lav+ lapel mics, I caught up with two friends in Cong who were sharing ideas while thinking about community. You can hear the Congversation with Joan Mulvihill (above) and Tracy Keogh (below) by playing the audio clip below or by subscribing to a special podcast series in the run-up to #cong19 on the 22nd of November 2019. Continue reading

ALTHOUGH I KNEW the importance of making and holding eye contact with people, after talking to Mags Amond about the most thoughtful kinds of engagement, I became more aware of the possibilities of enjoying better teaching and learning just by focusing on eyes around a table. Mags introduced me to this idea during a Congversation I had with her on a windy day in Ireland. Continue reading

I HAVE STARTED a series of 100 podcasts called Congversations. They revolve around conversations that start in Cong, County Mayo, Ireland, and continue all the way around the calendar to the annual Congregation in that small town. Continue reading