Shotley Bridge swordmakers

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by Hotspur

I still await the dashboard Matt Easton led bobble head Matt will offer a video for just about anything he happens to read. I suppose he is not a bad starting point but I find far too many are depending upon video and Wikipedia for their informational needs instead of looking at primary sources (upon which Matt is more than willing to promote). The slippery slope is the interested stopping there, after their drive through experience in learning.

Cheers

GC

Salaams Hotspur, Great post thanks ~ As a university teacher I can assure you of the value of a broad cross section of referencing as you will deduce by looking at any of my threads... It is important to include Forum Library references as well as Web references and of course book quotes, photographs, professional papers, maps and artwork. Tap dancing on the table is allowed if it gets the students attention!!

I have many items of Arabian antiquity including weapons placed by friends at Durham University UK (Antiquities Department) and you should see their student tear into their course work ...They are like scientific detectives using every chemical and testing gizmo invented and then they get down to the books ...They probe, question, analyze and consider every aspect of an artifact and their report ...a sort of structured mega thread are stunningly well done. The most recent test is currently running and the student has to produce a video presentation on an ancient Afgan Ewer !!

Some of the webs historical battles are fantastic, well thought out and accurate productions ~ and although Matt comes in for a fair bit of leg pulling his lectures are often quite well done for an amateur and anyway no one is saying you have to watch it !

The video is a picture worth a thousand words on steroids!

Modern technology in the classroom is world apart from chalk boards (though these too have their place) and the modern lecturer has a broad base of high tech to support lessons.

Wiki is an incredible resource which is captivating material faster than ever and for example within a few years every book on this earth will be on tap on the web and free!...Ignoring that would be slightly odd.

Having said that I respect those who stick by more conventional structures but it should be noted that we are in fact the same sort of data base gathering machine as Wiki... That is how our excellent Library gathers details. We are an information gathering system in precisely the same way as Wiki.

Of course being a new thing Wiki gets blasted from all sides as did the motor car and aeroplane ! It seems all right to be somewhat scornful of the Web as fair game but who looks to our own system for improved ideas...?

Apple has a group of scientists in their new inventions division and are experimenting with new tech all the time...When did Forum bring on a new concept or structure like automatic Library referencing on every new thread? Its only an tiny algorithm...

Finally I refer to my mobile device memo on which I wrote the other day.."The quickened pace of technology requires a brighter more fluid response from a tech savvy audience using innovative, nimble, bright and clever research tools at their instant finger tips".