Sunday 27 May 2007

eLearn Expo Moscow

Moscovian architecture is MONUMENTAL



Some things were simple in a surprising, sometimes pleasing, sometimes dull way.  For example, lunch was a piece of bread with a piece of ham on top. The tea and coffee - accompanied by a plain bread roll. If you went to the cafe - you could buy a cabbage pastie, or an apple pastie.  No choices.



More than anything I really really missed the chats.  I've never wished so much that I could speak Russian.  Without it, there was no buzz.



Attending the show part of the conference reinforced what I've always suspected about these kinds of events across the world - without speaking or reading the language I just missed the "big it up" speak.  I saw a lot of laptops, bored sales people, posters with big logos, screengrabs of databases and interfaces,  pamphlets with lots of words and pictures of things like trees and things suggesting "growth" and development.  How clean and beautiful and organised it all looked.  All about control. But not tactile, inspiring, rarely learning. 



At the same time, talking about location-based gaming for learning, I felt like marie-antoinette...."let them eat cake!"



Well, not quite like that, more like....



"let them eat an incredible substance that involves a chemical reaction in which mystery things involving bio-reactions and organic activities and applied warmth, turn tiny bits of dust and water, unto something unbelievably tasty and verstatile that we can eat anywhere and anyplace and with anything"



In other words I'm just talking about "play", but I've ended up in the "extra foofy" sounds "extra clever" trap.









 





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