Surveying ICT use in education in Africa
Michael Trucano, EduTech, 2015/09/21

It's a picture of a region in transition... "While  initial efforts related to technology use in education in many African countries were supported (and indeed instigated) by outside donors, NGOs and funders, it is notable that today there are increasing numbers of programs conceived locally and led by local groups. ... I would not at all be surprised if many of the approaches and 'solutions' that emerge as a result of innovations from such groups and things like MakerFaire Africa."

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#getsmART
http://www.slideshare.net/amyburvall/getsmart-lessons-from-the-artists-blc15-minikeynote, AmusED, 2015/09/21

Keynote by Amy Burvall on the influence of art on thinking and learning (and teaching). Slides, Video, Blog post. "“'Art washes away from the soul! the dust of everyday life' get in ! a creative habit ... be awed by the ordinary You need to let the! little things that would ! ordinarily bore you ! suddenly thrill you." I can speak from personal experience of the importance of these messages - I have always been inspired by and created art - not music, like Brian and Alan and friends, but design, photography, and of course, words.

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How Pantone Became The Definitive Language Of Color
Diana Budds, Fast Company, 2015/09/21

This is another indication of the changing nature of language. The article describes the ascent and influence of Pantone, a company that defines a standard set of colours (and how to create them mixing 14 different inks). But it's more than that. It's about colour as language, it's about the language of colour, and it's about how we're creating new ways of communicating with each other. "For us, it was coming up with a way to communicate what's taking place in our language," Pressman says. "It's our way of chiming in. We speak a language of color. So we see things in color. We can explain things in color." Cf. Speaking in LOLcats.

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