The official Northern Ireland CMALT Cohort kicked off on 11th January 2019. It seemed fitting that the new year was starting with getting together with a new group of colleagues from across the country.
Our first meeting was face-to-face and in a neutral venue for everyone, the Ormeau Baths, which is a central hub for tech start ups and provides business spaces in a very cool setting.
Kate Molloy from National University of Ireland Galway got things going with a summary of the The Irish Learning Technology Association (ITLA) cohort experience. Drawing on her experiences of trying to make sense of identity as a learning technologist resonated with us all.
"Wanting to make sense of my career path and where it's heading" @hey_km speaking at #ALTNI #CMALT pic.twitter.com/kRMB6eYJFu
— Craig Dooley (@craigdooley) January 11, 2019
Having the basics of the CMALT process everyone then set about mapping their own experiences within Core 1. As always, I came prepared with Sharpies (other brands available), fun sticky notes and cake. The sheets were printed in A3 to ensure the maximum space for note taking and it was great to see everyone make full use of them, sample below.
After a break for some more coffee Kate shared her experiences of attending the DigPedLab in the summer 2018, at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA, and critical pedagogy, which was a perfect way to get us all linking our day to day work with reflecting on the constraints as well as the benefits of learning technology, for the first part of Core 1.
The afternoon was then set aside for writing. Lots was achieved by all, although for full disclosure there was a lot of great discussion between the group and sharing of practice as well as writing. All in all, having a chance to get out of the office, be inspired by the work of others and the encouragement to sit and write made for a thoroughly enjoyable day. Of course, that’s before the benefits gained from networking.
Thanks to all who came along, especially Kate for the long drive up to us and the Ormeau Baths for their wonderful space. Next up is a webinar on 1st February, which will include sharing of work to date and looking ahead to Core Area 2.
Thanks so much to @ClareThomsonQUB and @craigdooley for hosting me at their #ALTNI workshop today. I hope my talks were of *some* use. You’re doing some mighty work with your cohort. I can also say I had the smallest flat white that I have literally ever seen! pic.twitter.com/WaosoZZs8k
— Kate Molloy (@hey_km) January 11, 2019
