bellblog | Frances Bell

Frances Bell

home at last – for all the mes

Frances with Lorna Campbell and Sheila MacNeill at HLM

Generosity and Generative Processes at FemEdTech and ALT

It was never in my plan to attend ALTC2019 as a delegate. Being generally self-funded, I have to be very selective in attending conferences, and I had already attended the wonderful OER19 in Galway in Ireland in April. I was involved in the ALTC conference as a member of the Programme Committee, and had seen…

I’m a Modern Celt and I’m Scottish but very English, and may even have Scandinavian roots

Roots: Image by PDPhotos from Pixabay Two weeks ago, I came across a link that Benjamin Doxtdator posted titled On Indigenous Knowledge and Indigenous Identity. Benjamin is an educator and accomplished blogger, you can find out more about him at his website. The article was posted in a slightly acrimonious thread but it really made…

This is an image of a sunset with the words of a poem superimposed on it. The poem follows in the text of the post

Four Days

Four days Four days to say hello to the twin who was born, and breathed, but was never going to leave the hospital Four days for twins who for thirty eight weeks had shared a womb, to share a room Strong kicks and weak pushes Four days while one twin thrived and the other failed…

Peterloo Massacre

The 200th anniversary of the Peterloo Massacre was celebrated in Manchester yesterday. Tony Hall, a Manchester poet, tells the story of the mass demonstration that ended with 18 deaths. 17 men, women and children from the 60-80,000 protestors died, variously sabred, trampled or shot; and one Special Constable was killed by a mob. I knew…

Becoming part of a family of artists: a journey

This particular journey started in November 2016. I stood at the Colourlicious stall at the Harrogate Knitting and Stitching Show and picked up a sheesham block of a tree (made by an artist in India). I had previously bought another tree block, of a stylised Christmas tree, from which I had made padded tree decorations….

Sustainability of networks and spaces #OER19 #femedtech

How do we manage sustainable spaces for exploring challenging issues around open? Steinmueller’s definition of virtual community is as he says minimalist. “A virtual community exists when it is possible for a group of individuals to meet and interact with each other in cyberspace and these individuals voluntarily choose to participate in these meetings and…

What can we do at #Femedtech to celebrate International Women’s Day? #IWD2019 #OEWEEK

via GIPHY Several months ago, I volunteered for Femedtech curation for these 2 weeks because I wanted to think about how we might mark International Women’s Day at Femedtech. As it happens, Javiera Atenas contacted me a few weeks ago about a possible event during Open Education Week and on International Women’s Day. I’m pleased…

International Women’s Day 2019 #femedtech #IWD19 #IWD2019

The theme of International Women’s Day 2019 is Better the balance, better the world #Balanceforbetter , and it’s only a month away. After experiencing the BBC’s efforts at balance, I feel slightly suspicious of the concept but I am sure that @femedtech and #femedtech can mark IWD 2019 in style, and work towards gender balance…

Epiphanies – thanks to Shoshana Zuboff

Today is the twelfth day of Christmas, which makes me think of twelve drummers drumming and the Christian Feast of the Epiphany that traditionally celebrates the arrival of the Wise Men from afar. And by the by, it’s also #NollaigNamBan #WomensChristmas in Ireland. noun, plural e·piph·a·nies. ( initial capital letter ) a Christian festival,…

What can this tree teach me?

I am not a botanist or a horticulturist, just a keen and irregular gardener with a passion for plants and trees. I am reflective by nature and often draw on my experiences outside formal education, as well as scholarship, to reflect on and enrich my educational philosophy. This post is about something that happened in…