UK Association for Learning Technology
"Learning technology is the broad range of communication, information and related technologies that can be used to support learning, teaching, and assessment.
Founded in 1993, ALT is registered charity number 1063519. We are the UK's leading membership organisation in the learning technology field. Our purpose is to ensure that use of learning technology is effective and efficient, informed by research and practice, and grounded in an understanding of the underlying technologies, their capabilities and the situations into which they are placed.
We do this by improving practice, promoting research, and influencing policy, through bringing together practitioners, researchers, and policy makers in learning technology."
(The Association for Learning Technology, UK)
CONTRIBUTOR
Simon PerkinsSHARE
The UK Higher Education Statistics Agency
"The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) is the official agency for the collection, analysis and dissemination of quantitative information about higher education.
It was set up by agreement between the relevant government departments, the higher education funding councils and the universities and colleges in 1993, following the White Paper 'Higher Education: a new framework', which called for more coherence in HE statistics, and the 1992 Higher and Further Education Acts, which established an integrated higher education system throughout the United Kingdom."
(Higher Education Statistics Agency)
CONTRIBUTOR
Simon PerkinsSHARE
The death and rebirth of Duke Nukem Forever: a history
"Duke Nukem Forever was announced in 1997, after its predecessor, Duke Nukem 3D, had rocked the PC market with a hero who liked kicking ass, hanging out with strippers, and murdering alien police officers that were, literally, pigs. It was inappropriate, raunchy, and amazing.
It was also one of the games that gave 3D Realms the success that brought its destruction. Duke Nukem Forever began life as a completely self-funded game; its developer wanted nothing less than perfection, and would chase every update in technology in order to deliver it. The game saw monumental delays, suffered the slings and arrows of a gaming world that was first angry and then tolerant of its favorite whipping boy, had its home taken away, and has since risen from the dead.
Is the public still interested in Duke Nukem? Hell yes it is. This is the story of the gaming industry's favorite joke, and how Duke may finally have the last laugh."
(Ben Kuchera, 7 September 2010)
Fig.1 'Duke Nukem Forever | History of a Legend Episode 1', 2011
Fig.2 trailer from Electronic Entertainment Expo, 1998
Fig.3 video capture of 1991 side-scrolling 'Duke Nukum' version
CONTRIBUTOR
Simon PerkinsSHARE
What is Interpretive Research?
"Interpretive methods of research start from the position that our knowledge of reality, including the domain of human action, is a social construction by human actors and that this applies equally to researchers. Thus there is no objective reality which can be discovered by researchers and replicated by others, in contrast to the assumptions of positivist science"
(Geoff Walsham, 1993)
Walsham, G. Interpreting Information Systems in Organizations, Wiley, Chichester, 1993.
[Approaches to research that are 'interpretive' sit in contrast to empirical-analytic approaches.]
CONTRIBUTOR
Simon PerkinsSHARE
Fashion Victim: controversial fashion magazine Pavement closes
"A story about the closure of Pavement, a controversial fashion magazine, and its founder, Bernard D McDonald. McDonald and Pavement made their names by publishing photos of ever younger girls - but most of the time it was just crashingly pretentious. This was one of the most challenging stories I'd ever written: the fashion world, true to its reputation, is an entirely flaky one."
(Simon Farrell-Green, March 2007, Metro)
The magazine was published between 1993 and 2006 and ceased production following its December 2006 issue.
CONTRIBUTOR
Simon PerkinsSHARE
