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Kelly Smith

@smithkj.bsky.social
410 followers 822 following 863 posts

Enterprise and entrepreneurship educator at the University of Birmingham. Art collector and greyhound guardian. PFHEA, Fellow and Life Fellow of EEUK, and Fellow of ISBE.

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Reposted by Kelly Smith
Buckinghamshire Archives @bucksarchives.bsky.social · 10h
For no better reason than it's Friday, we're going to review wrestlers on how useful they'd be working in the archive. First up: Triple H. He'd probably be great to have in the office, but that water spit thing is just going to raise our humidity levels so it's a no from us.
Triple H doing the water spit thing.
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Times Higher Education (THE) @timeshighered.bsky.social · 11h
Optional modules are being cancelled at the last minute at some UK universities as institutions feel the full effect of summer job cuts and ongoing strike action. Juliette Rowsell reports #highered #strikes #jobcuts #edusky ow.ly/eG7c50ZTAaN
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Bart⚓️ @bartgonnissen.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
1/x Have you ever heard of a ship that raced another ship with her crew and passengers in a drunken stupor, hit a rock, and caused almost two decades of civil war? One man survived. “No ship that ever sailed brought England such disaster”. This is the story of the White Ship. #maritimehistory
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Luca @lucagalletti.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
She turned it on herself and her water bowl is already full. IG: @charlieeandlaylaa
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Sandra Sinfield @danceswithcloud.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
#LTHEChat A6 Yes - one hour to sit and stare - what a lovely idea!! (Of course following my logic - it should be a module - and at the end they should produce something that reflected back to the rest of us what that hour per week had brought them - even if it were just the joy of boredom!)
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Central Bylines @centralbylines.co.uk · 27/09/2026
M&S Custard Cream Spread: Britain has completed food One jar of M&S Custard Cream Spread has caused us to question civilisation, breakfast, mashed potato and the limits of human restraint @willyandbill.bsky.social
centralbylines.co.uk
M&S Custard Cream Spread: Britain has completed food
One jar of M&S Custard Cream Spread has caused us to question civilisation, breakfast, mashed potato and the limits of human restraint
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Colum @columfromcork.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Looking forward to tomorrow evening's #LTHEchat where we'll be exploring how the design of time and space shapes student engagement, participation, and belonging Join @lthechat.bsky.social, me, and others tomorrow here 8-9pm Beforehand have a gander at the blog post: lthechat.com/2026/09/27/l...
lthechat.com
LTHEChat 374: Apathy or Architecture? The hidden curriculum of time and space
Join us on Wednesday 30th of September at 8.00pm (GMT/BST) with our guest contributor, Colum Cronin of Marino Institute of Education, Dublin, (@columfromcork.bsky.social). This #LTHEChat on BlueSky…
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Gaby Hinsliff @gabyhinsliff.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
if you haven't been through this with an elderly parent yet it's maybe hard to explain why social care reform feels like a big deal but there will be a surprising number of people i suspect feeling quite tearful listening to this
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Velour Shirt @object.works · 29/09/2026
This is a metaphor for so many things these days that I couldn't choose
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Emma Kennedy @emmakeddev.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"This is not an argument against excellence. It is an argument for recognising that there is more than one kind of excellence in higher education." So glad to have read this - it's spot on and brightened my morning.
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Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I'm going to tell you a story and then, at the end, I'm going to ask you if anyone happens to have the niche knowledge I need to help... The story begins, as so many of my stories do, in an ancient church in the middle of a city. But it's not now. And it's not hundreds of years ago. It's the 1960's
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The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 28/09/2026
Six finalists want your vote for the People’s Choice winner of the Vitae Three Minute Thesis competition.
tcnv.link
Register to vote for the winner of the Vitae Three Minute Thesis competition 2026 – supported by The Conversation
Six finalists want your vote for the People’s Choice winner of the Vitae Three Minute Thesis competition.
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Michael Rosen @michaelrosenyes.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Parents, grandparents, carers, keep your eyes peeled for showings in cinemas of a double bill of animations of 'The Tiger who came to Tea' and 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt'. Coming soon.
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Kelly Smith @smithkj.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
#GreatGlobalGreyhoundWalk - Coventry UK version. 24 hounds with a good number dressed up as ‘mythical creatures’. Daz hates anything around his head or flapping round his back so wore a pillowcase with happy puppy skeletons on.
#GreatGlobalGreyhoundWalk - Coventry UK version. 24 hounds with a good number dressed up as ‘mythical creatures’. #GreatGlobalGreyhoundWalk - Coventry UK version. The theme was ‘mythical creatures’. Daz hates anything around his head or flapping round his back so wore a black pillowcase patterned with happy puppy skeletons as a coat.
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Kelly Smith @smithkj.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
I had long COVID for 7 months. My symptoms were severe fatigue and brain fog. I was on the cusp of having to give up work when friends send me a BBC need article on a food supplement that was showing promise. I tried it and was back in 3 weeks. Colleagues still talk about how much it affected me.
youtu.be
BBC covid nutrition
YouTube video by Professor Robert Thomas MD
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Jared Yates Sexton @jysexton.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Just helping with editing here. These bots aren’t sentient. They’re doing what they’re programmed to do. OpenAI, a private company supposedly bound by laws, committed federal crimes.
Screenshot of BBC article: OpenAI bots (struck through) meddled with multiple US government agency sites
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The English Oak Project @thekentacorn.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Every other living thing including deer, badgers, rabbits, humans & velociraptors use our paths, but because foxes are the mammal equivalent of 00 Agents they walk ON the logs to not leave paw prints
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rekati.bsky.social @rekati.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
@biggreenbooks.bsky.social Guess whose Big Green Books/Bluesky Book Club books arrived? MINE! Thanks to Big Green Bookshop for the fast dispatch and reasonable prices to the US! Perfect timing!
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Cog to Gear @cogtogear.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Profound - and a beautiful piece of writing from @jonathanfreedland.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
The makers of the 7 Up series set out to prove a point about class. What they achieved is far more profound | Jonathan Freedland
The epic documentary series reveals much about the shifting social attitudes of the last 60 years – and much more about the quiet mystery of human life, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland
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Gail Myerscough @gailmyerscough.co.uk · 26/09/2026
All my Christmas card preorders were posted yesterday. Thank you to everyone who ordered. 2026 Christmas cards are now available in my online shop if you fancy getting in there early. www.gailmyerscough.co.uk/christmas
gailmyerscough.co.uk
Christmas Cards | Gail Myerscough
Christmas cards with bold graphics, retro pattern and a mid-century colour palette. For anyone who likes their Christmas a bit less traditional.
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Kelly Smith @smithkj.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I was very lucky to be able to go up Old Joe in the 1990s. Privilege of being a bellringer at the time and the society asking to see the bells.
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Hugh Jones @hbsj.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Entirely coincidentally, @unibirmingham.bsky.social are making a bit of a thing about Old Joe this morning too, with what looks like a fabulous project I bet if they persuaded Lego to do an Old Joe set it would go down a treat! www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/2026/fu...
birmingham.ac.uk
Future civil engineers build 5m ‘mini’ Old Joe clock tower - University of Birmingham
Students join innovative infrastructure project to build a massive scale model of the University of Birmingham's iconic campus clock tower.
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Hugh Jones @hbsj.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
My #HigherEducationPostcard blog for @wonkhe.bsky.social this week looks at Old Joe, the @unibirmingham.bsky.social campanile Hope you enjoy it! wonkhe.com/blogs/higher...
wonkhe.com
Higher education postcard: Old Joe
This week’s postcard from Hugh Jones’ postbag takes us to a landmark tower
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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Wow I’ve never seen this photo before. The two figures from American Gothic (who turn out to be the family dentist and the artist’s sister!) www.ft.com/content/6015...
The artist's sister Nan Wood Graham and dentist Dr Byron Henry pose with the painting in 1942 © Image courtesy of the Figge Art Museum, City of Davenport Art Collection, Grant Wood Archive, Friends of Art Acquisition Fund, SB-4
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Leah McElrath @leahmcelrath.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
POPE LEO: “Technological progress is never simply a technical matter. Every technology reflects, whether explicitly or implicitly, a particular understanding of the human person, of society, and of the future we wish to build…” (www.vatican.va/content/leo-...)
Pope Leo XIV
@Pontifex
X.com
Technological progress is never simply a technical matter. Every technology reflects, whether explicitly or implicitly, a particular understanding of the human person, of society, and of the future we wish to build. Scientific and technological advancement must therefore be accompanied by a corresponding growth in responsibility.
The greater our power to transform the world, the greater must be our capacity to discern what truly serves God-given human dignity, to govern wisely, and to care for those who may bear the greatest consequences of our choices.
To the Members of the
Pontifical Academy of Scienc...
vatican.va
Last edited 6:35 AM • 9/24/26 • 45K Views
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abbi @abbis.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
A6 #LTHEchat I would hire a lot more staff to make time and space for us to a) develop our teaching and assessment b) develop ourselves c) find resource and space to work with students to cultivate belonging. Time is everything's enemy this year.
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ifawolowo.bsky.social @ifawolowo.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I love this distinction. Compassion is not about lowering expectations. We can challenge students, maintain academic rigour and still lead with humanity. Sometimes care is precisely about believing someone can achieve more and supporting them to get there. #LTHEchat
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ifawolowo.bsky.social @ifawolowo.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
“Care doesn’t have a KPI” is powerful. Perhaps the problem is that we measure what is easy to count rather than what truly matters. Care, kindness and compassion may be harder to quantify, but their impact can be seen in whether people thrive, stay and belong. #LTHEchat
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ifawolowo.bsky.social @ifawolowo.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I really like this distinction. Inclusion can give you a seat at the table, but belonging is about feeling that who you are matters once you are there. It is relational — being known, valued and able to bring your whole self into the space. #LTHEchat
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ifawolowo.bsky.social @ifawolowo.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Yes! I like the idea of intentionally designing for belonging rather than leaving it to chance. Creating different ways for students to contribute, reflect and bring their own experiences into learning can make participation feel genuinely open to everyone. #LTHEchat
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@suebecks @suebecks.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
A4 Students may belong not simply because they see people like themselves in the curriculum, but because they come to believe that their own histories, cultures, experiences, and ways of knowing are welcomed as part of the collective construction of knowledge. #LTHEchat
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TW @twesq.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
this is fantastic and I learned something new
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Kelly Smith @smithkj.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
What a beautiful day to start Welcome Week.
View across to Birmingham Business School. Green lawn, mature trees and blue skies.
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Cliff PervoSCARY @pervocracy.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
This is a canary resuscitator, which miners would use to revive canaries that had passed out from toxic gas, because ideally not only do you care, you don't even leave the bird behind. just a little mining history and not at all a furious scream
A canary in a sealed box attached to an oxygen tank
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@suebecks @suebecks.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Join us on Wednesday, 23rd of September at 8:00pm BST for #LTHEchat with our guest Dr Francis Awolowo @ifawolowo.bsky.social where we will consider “What might HE look like if belonging were not an accidental outcome, but an intentional part of how we teach?“ lthechat.com/2026/09/18/l...
lthechat.com
LTHEChat 373: Beyond Inclusion: Can We Teach for Belonging?
Join us on Wednesday, 23rd of September at 8:00pm (GMT/BST) with our guest contributor, Francis Awolowo from Sheffield Hallam University, @ifawolowo.bsky.social. This #LTHEChat on BlueSky will cons…
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Mini Motley Sanctuary @minisanctuary.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Please can anyone help us towards 50% of our goal? We’re at 17% (thank you!) but we desperately need to reach our goal for big hay deliveries, vet bills & care costs at our not-for-profit animal sanctuary: gofund.me/8757b56da Please SHARE to find support 💚 #rescueanimals #animalsanctuary
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Kelly Smith @smithkj.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
I’ve been feeling overly tired, grumpy and stressed for a good few weeks. But tonight there was Strictly and it was joyful.
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Tom Cox @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
In case you’d like to purchase from a great independent bookshop…
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Craig Newmark @craignewmark.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
On the record regarding suckage: “As a manager I sucked,” Newmark told Ignatius. “I didn’t have the top-down leadership skills or inspirational talent that Craigslist needed, and I realized that I had to hand things over to someone who did.” hbr.org/2026/09/when...
hbr.org
When Is It Time to Step Down?
In this week’s HBR Executive Agenda, editor at large Adi Ignatius speaks with Craigslist founder Craig Newmark about recognizing your leadership limits and stepping back before it costs the company. I...
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Robin Ince @robinince.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Hey Birmingham pals, I’m popping to Kings Heath next Wednesday if you fancy a chat. 2 til 4pm. I’ll read you a poem or two if you fancy it as well. We can have tea . #birmingham #poetry #conversation #bookshop
Me and my books
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Caroline Keep @ka83k.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Btw I'm not anti tech at all or even anti AI but the idea you can really learn, develop new knowledge with just dumping in AI is a massive oversimplification of how the human brain actually works.
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KS_1968 @karenroberts.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
This is really good.
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
'The latest Home Office data – which shows a stark drop in the number of people seeking sponsored study visas in August – is sending shockwaves through UK higher education, with some warning of university closures should the trend continue.'
timeshighereducation.com
‘Universities could go under’: sector responds to UK study visa data
Decline in applications for study in the UK will ‘harm delivery of everything universities do’, observers say
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Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Today’s poem is called ‘You Can’t Judge a Book’.
You Can’t Judge a Book
 
you can’t judge a book
by its cover

but neither can
you cover a judge
with a book

unless the book
is a foldy-out one
with a map or something


Brian Bilston
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steveaich.bsky.social @steveaich.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
It's also a report about the future of graduate work that doesn't mention the 14% of graduates who create their own future job through start-up, freelancing and creative careers. They may have been represented if UUK involved students
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
'Am I really reading a report on universities offering work experience that has managed to involve 30 universities, 200 employers and business groups, a poll of 500 employer senior leaders, but not a single student?' 'I am, I'm afraid.' UUK: universities, but without the faff of students & staff.
wonkhe.com
UUK's work experience target forgets that most students already have some
Am I really reading a report on universities offering work experience that has managed to involve 30 universities, 200 employers and business groups, a poll of 500 employer senior leaders, but not a s...
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Kelly Smith @smithkj.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Doing some voluntary work today helping out on @employability.bsky.social’s Innovation Induction Programme for 160 sixth formers. Excited and nervous! employabilityuk.org/volunteering/
employabilityuk.org
Volunteering | EmployabilityUK
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
One reason England does so well is our second generation immigrants outperform their peers which is not true in most OECD countries. We are also very good at integration. And it's v sad that this is never acknowledge in debates on immigration.
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Omar Khan @omaromalleykhan.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
One answer that I don't often see cited is a more explicitly inclusive, or even multicultural approach to schooling in English cities from the 1980s onward. See, e.g., a summary of the recommendations of the 1985 Swann report, presented to then-Edu Sec Keith Joseph: education-uk.org/documents/sw...
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Diane Coyle @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
In my day, we had work experience too. It was called work. Christmas post, barmaid, admin. My impression was that students do this even more now than back in the dark ages.
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