News update

Well, there have been several developments since I last posted anything here (ie 2 days ago!):

1. I've created a pdf booklet containing deadlines, style guide etc. I have only sent it to "new" contributors. If you would like it, email me please. Otherwise, if you've indicated that you would like to aend your chapter or do another one, I will send it to you automatically in September. I have given people till September 1st to respond to my invitation to get involved in the second edition. A non-response will be taken as a "no". Anyone who has responded positively will ceive the guide, which is about 3 pages long and consists mainly of bullet points.

2. I've recorded a podcast about the 2nd edition: aee this article.

3. An ICT advisory teacher in England has set us a challenge: to counter the arguments of the "anti" brigade in the light of DOPA. I hadn't thought of that before, even tho it's kinda obvious, but what do you think of this article then? I wrote it a couple of days ago. Unless one of you would like to contribute a chapter or set of points about that (or suggest someone who can).

4. A non-educationalist has offered to write a couple of articles and book reviews about internet security. His name is David Harley. Maybe his stuff could be tied into point #3 above? (Amazingly, he has sent me his chapters already, and I thought I wrote quickly! I haven't had the chance to read them yet.)

5. I invited a lady called Catherine Howell, who has been doing great work at the University of Cambridge in England (I met her at the blog.ac.uk conference a little while ago) and she has accepted. :-)

6. I have started recording my sections of the first edition so that Shawn Wheeler can collate them all into an audio version of the book. Great stuff.

7. Everyone is on vacation except me, so I am not sure if the relative lack of response to my call for case studies is because of that, or because nobody has anything to say, which I'm sure cannot be the case. I think it's really important to include case studies of how the first edition has been used to good effect: I am always one for posing the "so what?" quesion. Everyone loved the first edition. So what? If it didn't result in any change in practice or attitude or .... something, then what was the point of the exercise?

On that note, I will leave. It's nearly 11pm, and I want to edit a podcast for Shawn, write an article and do some aimless surfing -- all before my tea gets cold. I will update the new Table of Contents soon -- probably tomorrow, before I forget what the new additions are!