Being an intellect of the third rank myself, I can’t give any worthwhile advice. Except this: you’re a gifted man – go far, go hard.

Carpe diem etc.

“2004 Awarded QUT Online Teaching Compassionate Pioneer Award”

“Congratulations

You have been nominated and selected for an OLT Compassionate Pioneer Award for 2004. Your award will be presented by the Deputy Vice – Chancellor Professor David Gardiner and a representative from Leading Solutions, a conference sponsor of the OLT 2004 Online Learning and Teaching Conference. The presentation will be held between 5.00 – 6.00pm at the cocktail party following the OLT conference next Wednesday 3 November, please see below for address details.”

“”OLT Compassionate Pioneers” are staff who use (or support) new ways to improve teaching and learning.

Students and Staff of QUT nominate “OLT Compassionate Pioneers” on the way the nominee meets the following criteria:

* Providing interesting and accessible content online and using face-to-face time to clarify questions and more difficult concepts;
* Setting up well-thought out discussion forums or quizzes online to help with students’ understanding of content;
* Helping students in their own departments learn more comfortably using new technology applications;
* Noticing what a student or faculty members is searching for and gently explain how to find better sources – both online and elsewhere;
* Assisting students to manage their online learning, access or interactions.”

“19.1 The original and five bound copies of the proposal are to be lodged in single-sided A4 format.
19.2 The original is to be marked as the original and each copy sequentially marked with a copy
number. In the even of a discrepancy between any copy and the original, the original takes
precedence.”

And on it goes. “19.3 The consultants will busk in the courtyard of the Department from 4 am on the day of selection with musical instruments left under a rock by the department the previous day. 19.4 They will then do 40 push ups each. They will then read the news.”

Etc etc.

I was one of the first staff members at QUT to run online tutorials back in 98, and used the OLT system to maximise content provision, communication and interaction in subjects I coordinated, as well as being responsible for the web based seminar and discussion fora in Intro to Sociology (500+ enrolments). The latter worked a bit like a blog.

But I am curious as to why you haven’t included any mention of your blog activities? Seriously.

I don’t know what the convention is but at least one or two of your pieces are worth reading [smirk] (well that is excluding your musical and tv taste, and you might leave out the Net Sex bits)

I dunno something like:

“Regular contributions of short topical articles to one of australia’s top online sites. The site also has right of response from a range of recognised contributors from other academic disciplines and the general public. Over .2M hits a month.”

Nic you forgot to mention for a $30,000 one off, write a report type contract:

20.1 The contractor shall provide proof of carrying $6m of professional indemnity insurance.

The downside?
No funding.
Oh well…

FXH, I talked about Troppo in the application and referred to a number of posts as writing samples. I probably will put it in the cv, which was last updated in December last year. I think the list of publications is also incomplete, so I need to have another look at it soonish.

Honestly Mark,
Given your constant admission of being a blogaholic, I’d worry that despite being impressed by your panoptic intellectual stamina, potential employee’s, reading your stuff, might have reservations about employing someone who has a heedless and public need for self-disclosure and who seems to be fighting an excruciating battle with procrastination.
My advice, exercise a little more prudence and discretion, and finish the bloody phd.

Brings back memories of all those cold war era jokes – “What’s 300 metres long and never moves? – A meat queue in Poland” etc.

Plus blogging does provide the opportunity to provide some sort of public discourse for a thinker in search of an audience. Considering this country has only a couple of major publications that cater for the presentation of ideas, which can on occasions be so entrenched, tired and predictable blogging can at least provide a modest form of public forum. As Mark said academics should find some avenues to express themselves outside their research context and from what i gather unis do look kindly on the staff that are able to get into the papers and enter into public discussions. However, this is not everyone’s cake and certain specialities are doing to find it difficult to communicate in a simplified format, being more suited to journal articles. Also, I should mention that the interactive element also helps a researcher to deal with the solitary nature of some parts of the profession.

Plus, i know lots of under-utilised people who have non-challenging jobs who spend time on the internet. If all you have is the monotony of a continual routine, brief interactions in moderation can help keep the mind active. I know there are various uni-break jobs where if it wasn’t for something exterior (a radio, rapport with colleagues, attractive distractions) I never would have lasted the many months. Also I don’t see blogging being that different from the perpetual puffers out the front of the office, the long lunchers made up of mainly middle management types, the games of solitaire I spied on various PCs and the other social games and politics that make up any office. They are all there to break up the monotony.

“Be an independent scholar!
. . .
No need to care what editors or publishers readers think.
No need to care what students think.

The downside?
No funding”