I’m in New York at the moment, preparing to chair a panel at the MobilityShifts conference with fellow Faculty of Information graduates representing the Critical Making Lab. It is uncanny how our three research projects ultimately touched on common themes despite our wildly different research approaches. Perhaps the apple does not fall far from the tree, but this panel is going to be interested in discussion the differences, the similarities, and most important, how it relates to two of the conference themes: DIY University (why not just learning in general?) and Digital Fluencies for a Mobile World (how big is this ‘world’ we are talking about?).

We’re going to have more questions than answers, it’ll be the first time we’ve all spoken about our research since defending, and we are all going to bring something different to the discussion. Learning happens anywhere and at anytime, and the three contexts that we look at will give some interest contexts to discuss questions and concerns that the conference participants will surely have.

I’ve staked out a place to get my coffee and croissant before it all starts, and the summer-like weather will certainly help with getting me out of bed early. Not looking forward to rush-hour subway.