iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

It’s very thoughtful (although I don’t necessarily agree with all). But it is not Durham’s institutional policy, it’s for a small number of theology-related courses. You can never have too many policies!

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 28/05/2025

A4 #LTHEchat At a recent visit to a immersive lab at another uni I was struck by the role of technicians and makers in creating virtual worlds - Augmenting their physical crafting skills with virtual worlds. A group often not known to LTs/LDs

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 28/05/2025

I’ve dug out the poster for the event. The picture hasn’t really dated too much #LTHEchat

A poster for a conference on virtual reality showing a person wearing a VR headset and gloves with sensors.

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 28/05/2025

I think the term AI is older but both were very active research topics in the 1990s

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 28/05/2025

A1 #LTHEchat i’m not sure, but there seem to be quite a few large scale immersive labs popping up at universities and colleges so I guess this is now more possible than it was.

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 28/05/2025

Good evening everyone. Steve here from London. Reminiscing about an event on Virtual Reality I co-organised… in 1994. #LTHEchat

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

You did a great job and provoked a lively discussion!

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

Bowie did a very foresighted interview with Jeremy Paxman in 1999 about the internet. youtu.be/LaHcOs7mhfU?... Perhaps AI is the alien life form he describes.

youtu.be

David Bowie predicted in 1999 the impact of the Internet in BBC interview

YouTube video by loquenotecuentan

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

I think this place is a little slower than the other place in terms of messages arriving. But yes, high energy and frenetic was my experience too. And in my mod stint, immense worries that all the questions had been lined up to send correctly!

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

I mean, I didn’t say we were good at it.

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

It must be curious being an age where wifi is universal and everywhere and obvious but talk radio is something that needs to be explained.

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

First and only ever time I’ve not seen you at an event!

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

Didn’t many unis/SUs/Societies used to have radio stations? Is that still much of a thing? #LTHEchat

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

A6 #LTHEchat My short desc would be ‘short descs can be useful but don’t necessarily capture the full essence and nuance of what you are trying to achieve and what the reader or listener may expect to gain by interacting at this time so perhaps a fuller and more complete desc might also be useful’

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

Lola was breathtaking to watch.

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

We also did a presentation to the rules of Just a Minute once with animal sounding buzzers for the 4 of us. #LTHEchat

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

Oh there’s a future #LTHEchat theme. Academic community does The Archers. It sounds like a round from I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue #LTHEchat

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

First timer, right? Allowances made. 😀

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

One does not mention that band’s name at my university #LTHEchat

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

I would love to ask the next question as ‘to what extent can silence be considered to be music?’ #LTHEchat

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

Oh do please tell us more about this one…

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

I have often had the fight the urge to provide serious and useful answers…

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

From my stint as an #LTHEchat moderator behind the scenes, it’s way more secretive and subversive than any Papal election!

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

A3 #LTHEchat I cannot remember where I saw it, but a recording of urban sounds (bird song, chatter, like bikes ticking) was used as a nice introductory piece to a class

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

Is that how musical interest/talent works… does it seep through the wall from your neighbour?

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

I think that is a reasonable demand from any academic. A marking workload that does not take longer than the complete set of Beethoven piano sonatas. Build into workload models #LTHEchat

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

They were definitely the next ‘big thing in education’ when I organised a VR event in 1994 (as you know) #lthechat

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

A2 #LTHEchat Definitely remember a dressing up day when I wore full 90s neon clubwear. Still have it in a box on top of the wardrobe.

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

A1 #LTHEchat Something not too heavy that lets my mind wander to solve a problem or come up with an idea. Maybe some ambient electronic genres.

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

Steve from London here. Finding it hard to believe this is the first chat hosted by @dompates.bsky.social !

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

No, I want more mischief in education! #lthechat

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

A5 #lthechat Sally and Phil write a 7th edition in 2030.

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

A5 #lthechat Hard to argue with replies on funding. But allowing students to feel financially secure to focus on their learning would make a big difference. That doesn’t mean they don’t necessarily contribute to the costs in some way.

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

There was a wonderful talk on the Institute of Brilliant Failure at Jisc Digifest this year. Plenty of good examples of why tech (and other) change initiatives fail #lthechat

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

Yes, and maybe that’s the big take on changes over the last 25 years. Students have much more complex lives now and their studies are just one thing they are managing #lthechat

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

I always seem to remember the strategic student line often being a negative thing. It always seemed to me a good thing. Picking your battles, deciding your priorities, managing your time and energy are good life skills. #lthechat

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

A3 #lthechat the fact that that technology use is not something we build or curate internally, but we are now reliant on what big vendors think we should have.

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

The most enjoyable course I ever did was at the City Lit. No exams, no strict syllabus, just learning for pure pleasure. But I’m sure students (as people) would naturally have one eye to their future careers.

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

It seems that this week’s #lthechat is being conducted in Latin with a ban on using Google to look things up. I have no hope!

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

Cohort size, yes, but also suitable physical spaces. I probably hear more day to day comments about the latter being a barrier than the former. #lthechat

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

I suppose it is at least a more managed and controlled environment than social media. I now find myself shaking if I haven’t checked Teams for an hour during the working day. Potentially useful but also overwhelming sometimes. #lthechat

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

I agree, but it’s the ‘good’ bit that is hard to untangle #lthechat

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

A3 My initial thought was that it has become much more career focused but on reflection I’m not so sure. Perhaps students have always studied for a career, even if educators had loftier ambitions for learning #lthechat

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

I guess yes, but sometimes too much touch fast for humans to process. Like so much in society, two sides to the coin #lthechat

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

A2 #LTHEchat Better (though not perfect) recognition of accessibility needs that help some students specifically but ultimately benefit every student.

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Steve Rowett @srowett.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

That’s interesting. I did a stint of online async teaching but would still always take the opportunity to travel 200 miles at my own expense to meet the student group just once.

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