By June 30th

My current ISP will cut me off on June 30th, blaming BT for not supporting their legacy VOD network, so I have to find a new one and the transition won’t be easy since the release code system thingy, (a bit like the one for transferring a mobile number to a new network) doesn’t apply to moves from videonetworks to normal broadband.

I’ve been with the old one for several yeaars, and when they started up it was by far the best available service in the London area, sending streaming video to the TV simultaneously with a genuine 1Mb intenet commection all over the twisted pair of copper wires which were always used on older telephone exchanges. But for the last year or so it became expensive compared to the competition, so I had intended to stick with them only until after the online degree course finishes in May 2006.

Now I have to arrange for an alternative, including allowing for an indefinite break in service sometime before June 30th, which could become extremely inconvenient.

The first I’ll look at is Bulldog.

http://www.bulldogbroadband.com/

and it probaby makes sense to consider escaping from the BT landline quarterly standing charge as well, not to mention switching electricity, gas, water, banking, insurance, savings, travelcard, subscriptions, etc etc

Modern life is rubbish.

See more progress on: Choose a new broadband ISP

Let me explain

LITWS01 - little progress, deadline approaching

The plan to get through the module by doing a little bit every day is yeilding alarmingly slow progress. It’s not a good time for it, and frankly it’s a dreadfully designed module in the first place. It’s like having to undergo a personal OFSTED inspection by the man in a suit from Tesco. My peers are already finished or well near it and I don’t feel there’s anywhere I can get relevent help with it. So I’m going to have to spend the entire Bank Holiday working on it by myself.

The best thing would be if it rains solidly for all three days.

See more progress on: LITWS01 get through the module

ILM2-01- ILM SMART

1) Find the pro-forma – same as ILM so that shouldn’t be difficult.
2) Convert it to Plain Text – as per unresolved discussions in FC
3) Fill it in as far as is possible for an emergent plan…..
4) Post to Learning Group.

By the end of April, which is um – Saturday.

See more progress on: ILM2-01 – negotiate ILM

Sheepgraze1

Sheepgraze1, originally uploaded by LindaH.

It's not fair. I really need to be able to spend some time in a place like that this year or else I shall perish.

Move the old PC

First I need to disentangle and transfer old email, ftp and news accounts whilst I can easily go online with it.

Then move it to the new location.

Advantages:

easier access to some PC only programs, such as Picasa, ACDSee and Paintshop.

Somewhere to work with a change of scenery and without Internet distractions.

File transfer can be by pendrive and USB HD.

See more progress on: Set up my old PC as standalone

Next stage

It’s become clear that just inviting people to join a team doesn’t really do much. Some will sign up out of curiosity but then for whatever reason don’t pursue it any further.
What has developed for this next module though is that there appear to be three of us committed to using this tool directly for our own specific goal setting, that’s three people doimg the same module at the same time with one LF still subscribed, and I found it interesting that the query about result dates, which for some reason could happen here in a way that perhaps wouldn’t have done in FC, did have the effect of feeding back an answer to everyone else.

See more progress on: use 43things to develop collaborative Ultraversity work

LITWS02 - review PDP

I’ve had a quick look at, realised that I have hardly looked at it since it was created last year and feel as if I have acheived hardly anything as intended.

Perhaps a longer & deeper look will reveal more actual progress.

Meanwhile, I am considering:

• Was the PDP too ambitious in the number and amount of goals set?

• The direction of any learning has largely been led by external circumstances and the prescription of events including the degree course, rather than by my own PDP. Is this inevitable or could I do more to take control myself?

• My PDP for next year should probably comprise of nothing more than

1) Survive


2) Complete Year 3 of the degree

See more progress on: LITWS02 - review last year’s PDP

LITWS01 - daily plan

I’ve thought of a way I may be able to get through this dreadful “Learning In The Workplace 2” module without wanting to hide under the duvet for a month or dive under the Ipswich Express as it hurtles through Manor Park station at 07.55a.m.

It’s a very simple plan, I’m going to a little bit towards it every day – even if it’s just to write a short paragraph or set up a template, and then whatever I’ve acheived by the time the deadline comes around, that’s what I’ll hand in. If it’s nothing like what the module inventor imagined when dreaming it up then tough. If I fail to sound convincingly enthusiastic about the latest management fad then that’s because I’m not.

See more progress on: LITWS01 get through the module

update

It’s been a while.

My report for assessment has been submitted and I expected to put this to one side for a while. Because of the questionaire data, I posted the link to ultrastudents and this had two effects. One student wanted to be anonymised, so I converted from opt-out to opt-in, and Nancy White wrote to me wanting to blog my report saying “Andy, this report is a GREAT read! Is it ok to share this URL publically? I’d like to blog it.”

So my plan to write a seperate findings report and post it to onfac and comprac as part of my ILM2 got kind of pre-empted except that it didn’t happen yet. I decided that didn’t matter but now it’s a bit of a mess.

Anyway, I posted the link to the Ultraversity Firstclass community as well, for what its worth, and nobody is interested there, so it’s back to plan A, I suppose.

When I get back from holiday I’ll write an “Independent Learning Module” plan for writing up the findings and taking it further. The expected Learning Outcomes will have to be unspecified in oreder to allow for the unexpected.

See more progress on: SMART10 - publish

gherkin entrance