008 - Slæmur Hlutur og Öldrun Draumur..

A crossroads isn't a pretty place to be. Two roads either side and an inevitable change of direction. It feels lately like I've been grappling with little more than a shadow of my own reflection. I guess this 'blog' entry comes out of a lull period just after finishing my PGCE, where the arduous task of finding secure employment has long since begun and where the frantic rush of the last few months has left a huge void in my daily routine. Even booking a simple holiday has become a minefield of potential disasters (don't ever let LastMinute.com convince you their services are anything other than long-winded, though that's probably in the majority my own fault. It will always be made difficult when you can't decide where to go..). Still, hanging about in one place never got anyone anywhere did it. I've lost count now of the number of websites I've browsed, hotels I've checked out, and cheap flights I've investigated and interrogated only to find that at some point down the line things just don't quite seem to add up. Back to the drawing board on the holiday front has been approached so many times I'm beginning to wonder whether the aforementioned crossroads is tying itself in ever repeating knots and circles like an elaborately mirroed figure of eight. No matter which direction you take you always end up back at the start point eventually, and at no point can you trust entirely in what you are seeing.

As anyone reading this with even a slight knowledge of me will know, I've been itching desperately for a few years now (hold your jokes) to travel to Iceland. This has only been magnified intensely by the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull this year, and the apparent impending eruption of big sister volcano Katla. It seems almost nonsensical for me to find this a perfect holiday destination when most people dream of peace and relaxation, and the beach and perfect tide. For me though Iceland still holds that sort of tranquil beauty, but is once again awake with the sort of vibrance and natural splender that only such an extraordinary land could dream to offer. Such is my interest for this incredible place, it took me a good 15 minutes to decide on a photo to go with this section, because everything for me to choose from couldn't sum up everything that Iceland has to offer. Volcanoes, the northern lights, glaciers, geysers, culture, an entire country where everyone is on first name terms, incredible scenery.. I'll end this section before my anger at my bank balance ends up scrawled into this post irreparably. So then, holidays. Any suggestions?

Another thing that has crossed my attention lately (possibly due to me having more free time to think and ponder now I have finished for summer) is my interest in Psychology, and particularly the Psychology of the people around us day to day. The distinct differences and also amazing similarities between people never ceases to surprise and interest me, so much that people watching when walking through town has become an ever-amusing game to play. In particular, the complex systems for reasoning for beliefs that people use also perplex and intrigue me. There's been a few points over this last year when during any sort of minor or heated debate the opposing party has presented their logic and argument with an interesting sense of reasoning. Sometimes this reasoning has made me take stock of other perspectives and arguments, and has completely taken me aback with surprise, yet at other times has seemed to me so obviously flawed and constrained by 'faith-beliefs' that I have found it hard to accept. We care too much about books written by our fellow man, yet I also continue to admire those people who can find blind faith in any sort of pursuit or ideal even in defiance of the evidence that may be stacking against them. They have at least, found their path through the crossroads..

'Dazed and Confused'
Sandlefish

007 - In Der Zukunft Würde Ich..

OK, hier gehts.. Ich lerne Deutsch jetzt seit in der nähe von 10 Jahren, aber bis heute habe ich nie etwas so lang wie dieses Post geschriben. Ich galube, dass ich viel Fehlern machen werde aber ich müss mich überzeugen (meistens weil ich möchte dieses Sommer zu Deutschland fahren), dass mein Deutsch nicht total rostig ist. Ich nütze es nicht so viel im Moment, meistens weil nicht so viele Leute hier können Deutsch. Ich habe ein paar Brieffreunden, die mit ich mein Deutsch üben kann, aber ich vermisse mein Deutsche Klassen im Kolleg wo ich jede Tag es gesprochen habe.. deshalb habe ich vielleicht keine Ahnung warum ich schreibe auf Deutsch.. Also, mit die überschrift des Blog - ich sitze hier mit mein Wörtebuch und die Regen auf mein Fenster, ein Tag nach ich mein PGCE für Psychologie fertig machte, und mein Vorstellungen über was in der Zukunft jetzt passiert wirdt..

Erstmals, müss ich Arbeit finden. Ich brauche Geld nach 4 Jahren als Student, und ich brauche zimelich viel. Ich möchte auch wie ich gesagt habe dieses Sommer zu Deutschland oder irgendwo in Europe gefahren wenn es nicht so teuer wirdt, und hoffentlich (ich träume) ein Haus mit mein Freundin Bec in November oder so finden. Ich habe auch mein Auto-Steuer zu bezahlen und so weiter und so weiter.. also, ich müss Arbeit finden. Wünschen Sie mir Glück! Hoffentlich wirdt alles bald in Ordnung kommen, so dass ich für mein Zukunft vorsehen und organisieren kann. Betreffs mein Freundin, ist sie toll und sehr verständnisvoll gewesen. Ich weiss nicht was ich würde ohne sie dieses Jahr gemacht habe. Letztes Jahr war sehr stressvoll für uns für mehr als ein paar Gründen, aber nochmal hat sie mir unterstützt. Ich kann sie nicht genug danken. Ich möchte jetzt ein Platz für uns finden, weil hat sie mir gesagt dass sie nicht mehr bei ihre Haus bleiben wollt.

Zweitens auch freue mich für den Sommer, um Bec mehr oft zu besuchen und auch mein Band-Kollegen zu sehen. Hoffentlich wirdt ein Freund und Band-Sängerin ihre Kurs im Manchester bekommen so dass wir mehr oft treffen könnten, und auch habe ich diese letzte paar Monaten mit ein alte Freund und Sängerin ein paar Sachen geübt, so hoffentlich werden wir ein paar kleine Konzerten dieses Sommer haben. Musik ist ein sehr grosse Stück von mir, und es ist toll mehr oft zu spielen. Ich hoffe, dass es viele mehr gute Zeiten zu kommen gibt. Ich genoß dieses jahr in Manchester, weil ich verwerklichte dass ich es und der Landschaft von die Dörfer in der nähe von mir viel vermisst habe. Ich hab Bury nicht so viel, aber es war gut Manchester mehr oft zu besuchen.

Also, ich werde jetzt gehen um mein Zimmer zu pützen und zu entspannen. Vielen Dank dass Sie die unabwendbar Fehlern in dieses Blog ignorieren haben.

Við sjáumst..
Sandlefish

006 - Melting In The Summer Sun

Well, it's been a short while since I updated this thing so I suppose I'd better bash out a quick post before my planned larger post next week or so to celebrate finishing my PGCE. Currently I'm lounging around in 28C heat in my beautiful back garden pulling together a few loose ends work-wise before my placement time comes to an end next Friday (barring one extra revision class I've volunteered to do for the students re-sitting an exam from January). I'm not going to go into too much detail, especially since I'm going to do a full PGCE is over blog sometime over the next week or two, but suffice it to say at the moment that I'm looking forward to the Summer. For sure, I've massively enjoyed my time at my placement, but the University assessments have been hell. From my degree I'm used to big assignments which allow depth, criticality and research. My PCET assignments have been mostly 500-750 'list-based' nonsense.. anyone can write a list, surely? Anyhow before I descend into a sun-induced rant or melt into a fiery rage all over my keyboard I'm going to wrap up this section by asking the kind people who forecast our weather WHERE THE HELL THIS SUDDEN HEATWAVE CAME FROM?! As you can probably guess, summer isn't my favourite time of year. I love decent weather, but I suffer from (albeit annually improving) hayfever, as the picture to the right testifies. Nice.

Anyhow, onto a more positive note. I've been jamming recently with an old friend and bandmate while my band stuff appears to have taken a forced-hiatus. I suppose with us being at different ends of the country that's somewhat of an inevitability for the moment. It's been a while since I met and worked with this old bandmate, but suffice it to say that it's been good to re-visit old pastures and old ground and also work on some ideas vastly different to any of the styles of music that I've played before. It's all mainly acoustic based (for the moment at least, though not forgetting that's how Lake September originated..) and the songs have an unusual mixture of my usual style and some more up-beat melodies and lyrics we've come up with. Watch this space I guess.. As well as this, I've been making a real effort lately to keep up to date with friends and penpals (anyone else noticed the picture on the left a lot lately?), and learning Icelandic which I have unforgivably been neglecting because of my PGCE observations. I've also been attempting to polish up my slightly rusted German, as my girlfriend and I are at last planning a long overdue holiday costs (and volcano) permitting some time over the Summer. That is, if I've not melted by then..

Right, time to sign off I think. The laptop's burning itself into my thighs, which HAS to be a sign to stop writing.

Bis bald!
Sandlefish

005 - Update (Wordpress Account)

As the only blog which I am affiliated with has jumped ship to Wordpress, this blog is also going to be published over there. I'm going to be keeping my Blogger account and posting any further entries on both sites. So, with that in mind here's the Wordpress account should you prefer to read my nonsensical ramblings on that website instead:

http://sandlefish.wordpress.com/

I'd recommend you check out the other blog I mentioned, run by one of my bandmates. It's called 'Computing according to TWO', and updates are fairly regular and always interesting to anyone with a mild to deep interest in computing. Yyou can find this beast of intellectual beauty at: http://computing42.wordpress.com/

004 - The Digital Economy Bill

For those of you living outside of the UK, or those in the UK and unawares, the government has rushed through a last minute piece of legislation which now attempts to block or effectively 'filter-out' sites here which may contain content which should not be shared under copyright laws.

Firstly, let me make a something clear. I do not for one moment completely condone the actions of pirates who distribute the works of others (be that music, film, photography or otherwise) whether they seek to gain profit or not, if they do not have the legal permission to do so. Having been an aspiring musician for the past 5 or 6 years, and having toiled endlessly and continuing to do so at several musical projects I can only imagine my fury were my material to leak onto the world wide web and deprive me of any reward for my work. (That isn't to say I am a complete angel in the online world either). Musicians and artists have bills to pay as well as the rest of us, and illegally distributing their music we can all agree harms their income significantly. However the music industry has been debating such an issue for years now. Firstly how do you control such a flux of illegal torrent hosting sites and how do you stop people from downloading your artists' content illegally, and convince them to act more legally and morally and pay instead? Secondly however, something that continues to perplex me as a musician is why the industry hasn't wised up and tried at least to stay in line with the enemy, by better promoting live performances, merchandise and other sources of income from the artists' works and taking an improved income there.. It baffles me to think that record labels and the music industry seem to spend such a portion of their time bemoaning their losses from CD sales and downloads instead of taking the intitative and using more effective marketing strategies to at least reduce the deficits caused by P2P software.

I was also shocked to see how few MPs were involved in the final part of the process of making this bill legislation. Just from the picture at the top of this blog it's clear to see that only a small minority of those with the power and status to influence the passing of this bill were not present, which I find disgraceful. I understand that this debate took place late into the evening, and that it wasn't set in stone how long it could last for, but if I refused to turn up to teach one of my lessons at college because I didn't feel like it, I can't see my situation being looked upon as lightly.

My main point of confusion with this bill is that the more I look at it's aims and objectives, the more I struggle to see how they can possibly police it effectively without a blanket surveillance on internet usage, and how this bill proposes to stay one step ahead of the pirates and illegal file distributors who will inevitably find an underground way of continuing to operate.. For sure the moral values and ideals behind the legislation are a step in the right direction from an artist's perspective as they protect their income, but I cannot help but think that the only possible way to ensure that your downloads contain purely legally share-able content would be to monitor the sites you visit and the material you download. Not only would this require a seriously complictaed piece of software and also a lot of manpower, but also a considerable sustained investment on behalf of the government to ensure they stay one step ahead of the pirates they seek to stop. I cannot help but be concerned that if the government are able to monitor downloads and hits to any sites with illegal content, that they therefore are able to record who is visiting them. I refuse to accept that this bill is nothing short of a step around the previously disallowed legislation requiring ISPs to cut off persistent file sharers. The government did not also rule out the possibility that sites sharing content containing 'acquired' data may be blocked, such as 'Wikileaks' which has been at the centre of many a revelation on government scandals of late. Given the fact that I mashed a few words into our beloved Google to find the pictures for this blog, I'm already half expecting the almighty Internet Police to come knocking on my door and smite me for my deviance.

To summarise, this bill worries me. It's potential (though debatable) moral incentive does not worry me, as I fully see the point of the artists and (albeit lazy) promotion agencies marketing them and taking a hefty slice of any profits. What does worry me, is the direction that this bill appears to take, and the potential impact on our future freedom online.

'Keeping Watch..'
Sandlefish

003 - PCET: What’s wrong with our sector?

This post forms part of something larger that I've been scribbling away at over the last few months..


To the powers that be,

Before you read and ultimately consign the following article to the cylindrical ‘filing cabinet’ under your desk, consider that this is (albeit granted an opinion), an opinion garnered from months of careful consideration and much conversation with various other teachers of both little and much experience alike from a variety of teaching institutions.

Allow me first to introduce myself. I am a trainee teacher of 22 years of age. My subject specialism is Psychology (which has been significantly valuable in assisting my teaching methods and approach to students, given that I look younger than some of them..) I am now fast approaching the end of my PGCE in Post-Compulsory Education and Training, and figured that at such a concluding point of the academic year now would be a valuable opportunity to commit to writing one of the long running debates I have grappled with over the duration of what has been one of the most eye-opening years of my somewhat short existence.

It would be hardly a sweeping or controversial statement to say that our sector is at least to some extent led and ruled by the influence, targets and fear-inducing power that is OfSTED. The inspection results from each of their reports can massively influence the next few years of an institution’s existence, from funding to reputation, to marketing and curriculum design, and ultimately staff and student numbers. Though it isn’t to say that OfSTED are single-handedly to blame, such an environment has almost inevitably born out a culture of Quality Assurance and Quality Improvement, which leads me to the main point of my argument. As a sector, we define our success or failure in these areas by the reams of forest-munching paperwork that aims to tick all the relevant boxes to provide adequate proof that we have done all in our almighty power available to ensure that our job has been completed to its best. The main focus of my main argument, is that do we now concentrate so heavily on the statistics and marketing and QA/QI due to the pressures of our organisations and ultimately wider pressures that the paperwork begins to detract from the teaching itself, putting our students ultimately at greater risk of becoming one of the aforementioned statistics?

Now I have no qualms about admitting that such bureaucracy has to some extent at least played a pivotal role in improving the quality of my teaching. For instance had I not planned all my lessons on lesson plans, written schemes of work and involved myself in the deeper runnings of the institution in which I am placed, I have little doubt that I would have shown little if any progress from the moment I began my PCET course in September last year. Completing the necessary evil that is the ever growing mountain of paperwork has undoubtedly provided me with both the time and space to consider all elements of my teaching practice such as variation of methods and teaching strategies, safeguarding procedures, differentiated and personalised learning and so forth. This coupled with the mandatory lesson observations I have undertaken have significantly aided my development. However I also have equal as little doubt as to the issue that such quality assurance and quality improvement paperwork (which requires alterations per different group of students taught), along with other ever-growing tick-box strategies now lie in such a great volume that they are beginning to cause harm to the teaching quality that they set out to protect. I find myself perched in the staffroom of my institution not only debating how to separate the fast dwindling amount of time I have to work on my teaching strategies and create a solid and interesting lesson whilst completing all the necessary admin, but hearing such an argument being played out by my colleagues around me as if it were a perfect echo. I can only repeatedly feel a sense of disappointment to see the majority (myself included) as a result of the previously mentioned pressures eventually consign themselves to the paperwork as opposed to the Teaching and Learning strategies that would ultimately improve the Quality such forms place great importance on. It isn't helping either that the University teacher training courses like the one I am currently undertaking are doing little more than 'adhering to the rules' and perpetuating this issue by reinforcing the importance of a heavily tick-box orientated approach (bar one or two honest moments from lecturers and members of staff when such a debate as this arises). Our observations for example can only score highly if we take the time to clearly highlight various issues which may have been recorded elsewhere, but not on University paperwork. This isn't to say that I view my university or college institutions personally in a negative light, more that I'm more and more beginning to recognise the pressure they feel in turn from powers of higher being to 'prove their worth'.

I don't know where I'm going with this.. Chances are this argument could diverge down several paths highlighting several areas I've ever become disillusioned, confused or surprised by whilst undertaking my PGCE, though I stand by my points. Our sector needs to take a good look at itself, before the measures and snowballing bureaucracy we employ to ensure quality actually end up causing us more harm than good.

'Despondent yet with a vision of clarity'
Sandlefish


EDIT: I'm also promising something non-teaching related for my next post..

002 - Still Alive..

Well, it’s been a busy week (as ever) in the world of the musical, trainee teacher-y, Vimto enthusiast world this week..

I endured my 4th of 8 mandatory teaching observations last Thursday, meaning I’m now at the halfway point (well, for those anyway) of my year as a trainee teacher. If I’m honest…OK, brutally honest, I can’t wait for it to end. That’s not so much a reflection on the experiences I’ve had so far because both positive and negative they’ve already taught me a hell of a lot, but I’m so eager and yearning now to make the step up into a full-time role. Juggling the workload and expectations of university and those of the college at which I’m placed has been a real challenge, not assisted at all by the somewhat widely different expectations and operations of both institutions. There have been times when both of these places have asked for things that the other either does not practice, or has not even been aware of.. Not only that, but my finances this year have been more than a burden, as my subject doesn’t qualify for any sort of bursary, and Student Finance hardly provided anything that might be of significant use to me (particularly after I paid my car insurance with it too..), so I’m aching to actually be able to afford to do things again and have a more defined role in life instead of playing what feels like a constant balancing act.

On a more positive note, on Sunday night I dropped by Manchester with my bandmate Marcus to catch up with an up-coming band from Guildford called ‘Midgar’, only to find ourselves sat in a venue which (unbeknown to us) had doubled booked our chosen music for the night with a charity Funk fundraising event..(which is exactly as weird as it sounds). After somewhat embarrassingly making our excuses, donating to the charity to avoid looking like a pair of neglectful scroungers, and picking up on a rumour that they’d been relocated to another venue just up the road, we headed up there to discover they (along with another band) had been told they wouldn’t be playing at venue #2 now either. Manchester, you disappoint me.. Anyhow, we were lucky enough to catch up with three of the band themselves just outside, and I’ll be making the journey to Marcus’ current hometown of Leeds on Saturday to catch them at Carpe Diem…and you should too. Having played a number of gigs down the years myself I have to admit I’ve never run across a nicer and more genuine bunch of guys before, and their music represents a band who should by all rights be a household name for anyone of a rock disposition very very soon. I can’t recommend checking them out strongly enough: www.myspace.com/midgaruk

I’ve also been playing a horrendous amount of guitar this week in an effort to really make a push at improving my skills and experimenting by writing more material, both of which have been brushed aside a little by the intensive teacher training regime. Once again though I’ve found myself getting so far, before I start searching for an effect or idea that my current equipment is unable to provide. Maybe I should browse Amazon for some effects pedals or something…oh yeh that’s right, finances =/ It’s not so much that my budget would be stretched by buying more equipment (as if I don’t have enough already), more obliterated and scattered across the sky in tiny pieces of what would then be my overdraft after I deduct my token gesture rent to my parents, petrol money and the brief dribble of cash that’s left.. which I have solemnly promised myself will not be touched under any circumstances. Note to self: no more equipment. Nonetheless, the extra practice time has been great. I’ve written a lot of ideas, played around with a lot of settings I’ve neglected of late, and also found a really great effects pedal… so the countdown to Easter begins…ha! Aside from that too meeting my bandmates and playing again has been more of a de-stress and more fun that I could possibly describe. It’s been great to re-connect with what is essentially the biggest part of me again.

So what’s the plan for the week? Well tonight is Tuesday, so I’ve three days of placement ahead until what appears like another busy weekend. Should I be able to stretch my finances a little bit I’m off to Preston on Friday night to see one of my bamdmate’s other bands, then Leeds on Saturday.. oh, and some uni work too, and some lesson planning, and probably a few other things too. Next weekend I’ve already reserved to see Bec, seen as it has already been WAY too long since I last saw her! 48 hours of spare time just isn’t enough..

That'll do I think, I've already spent too much time writing this and avoiding the pile of work next to me, and I can smell food downstairs which is making me hungry. I'm off to go raid the kitchen.

'Soldiering on..'

Sandlefish