For those of you who have noticed, this blog is underused. This is not because I don’t want to blog, it’s because I had some fab, mind bending, training from my husband and am now based here: http://www.amusinghannah.com

Similar topics, more regular posts (we hope) and a pun. What more could you ask for?! **

See you there,

H x

* If you don’t know what this is a quote from, you’re too young to read my blog.

** I’ll accomodate most suggestions except “No puns”, I spent years not liking them and now, well now they make up WAY too much of my waking hours so you’ll just have to lump it until you like them too

At the moment I’m producing an interim report for the team on what we’ve found and on the bigger picture. It’s really interesting and a great development opportunity for me.

The reports I’ve written in the past were very guided end of year reports for funders or 2 page briefing reports on the case for certain actions. The only documents I’ve ever written that were so long were essays and again they were to a specific question. The essays were also usually on a period no earlier than the 1700′s and as such, it felt more ‘definitive’ when I wrote. Now, I find I write and then re-write and add new readings, every time I sit down. It seems, there are points of general agreement that are also reflected in my findings, but there are also findings that cannot be generalised because they are taken from qualitative study and presenting them in a way that I feel stands up to criticism is proving tricky.

I’m struggling with my audience, does it want to be for local authority partners or academics? In the end, it’s for neither. I’ve had to settle on writing what my brain is repeatedly focussing on if only to stop it from distracting me. The words and sentences and paragraphs are building steadily and soon there should be enough to cut into a report for academics, a report for local authority audiences and a report for me.

Given that I know this isn’t the last long report I have to write, I just need to remember a few things for the sake of sanity next time:

- When I say two days, I mean two weeks.

- There is only so much reading you can do before you write.

- Try to organise it for a week when your supervisor’s in the country

- OR set up a writing group because one person writing for 5 days is unlikely to be thinking straight by day 3.

Best get back to the report…

I was pleased, therefore, to read this post on the  Wath-Upon-Dearne blog about Barnsley libraries making Theory Test pro available to library users online and also to take home, I’ll be interested to find out what impact it has on how the service is being used.

Currently on a bus in Doncaster, another beautiful day. Seriously starting to think my case study area might be a sun catcher, it’s never raining when I visit!

H

Contact details for the researcher are: SANTOSH PATTLOLA a9040260@my.shu.ac.uk

I have a pile of papers and journals with my scribblings all over them that need cataloguing.

I have set up a spreadsheet for saving the reference details and the specific section of interest, I need someone who works fast to enter them onto the spreadsheet. You’ll need to be comfortable copying chunks of text verbatim and preferably familiar with the Harvard referencing system.

I’d like it doing ASAP and will pay £12 per hour or £150 if you can get it all done in a day.

I don’t need CVs I just need someone who’s willing to switch off their brain and type for a day or two

Applicants must be based in Sheffield because I can’t cover expenses or let you take the papers away from their existing office.

Let me know if you’re interested,

Hannah

More information on the author can be found here

The Illiterate

by William Meredith

William Meredith

Get Digital is an exciting Government-funded delivery programme to the Sheltered Housing sector. We are half way through our delivery plan and need to recruit some additional Tutors in certain areas to supplement our own tutor network. If you have experience in empathy-led, guided-learning then we want to hear from you. We are not looking for IT experts – but what we do expect is that you can lead the awareness, learning and fun that the world of the computer and internet affords us.

Digital Inclusion is at the very heart of what we do – and this programme is bringing the wonders of the web to 200 sheltered housing schemes. The first wave of activity is going down a storm and the pace is getting faster. If you think that you can take a group of mixed age people from knowing nothing about computing technology through to providing confidence, competence and creating lasting usage, then please get in touch.

We will select those we feel have that special talent for supportive learning. The benefits to you are an attractive day rate, the knowledge that you are working for the leading company in this learning field and being part of a tight delivery team deploying a Digital Inclusion programme that is building a lasting legacy.

Tutors for this project are sub-contracted for 1 day per week for approximately 13 weeks.  If you are interested, please send an email to info@getdigital.org.uk attaching a current CV.  If you have already expressed an interest, please do not apply again, we will be in touch with you shortly.

‘That’s exactly what a dyslexic needs, what do they think I’m going through all this effort for?!’

It seemed a real pity that the materials failed for the student at this point, where before he  and the others had been happy to work through them, a simple word put a barrier in place. I’ll be sending the feedback onto Learndirect and will update here if anything comes of it.

Update 13.07.2010

Following my post I emailed learndirect via their website, I received an email the following day (very good!) to say they would need more details regarding the course the student was doing. I’m following this up with the centre involved and will feedback should anymore come of it.