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Friday, June 14, 2002


I had the good fortune to visit Manhattan on business this week, Sunday through Wednesday. I can't say how much I enjoyed "living and working" in New York -- even if it was only for three days.

Regular readers of this diary will know that a week ago I was raving about the merits of New Orleans. I'd now say that I'd be quite happy to alternate between New Orleans and New York. Both cities are something to behold. The Big Apple is as "energized" as the Big Easy is "laid-back."

On Monday I attended a free concert Broadway Under the Stars in Bryant Park. It was a beautiful evening to be out, so I bought supper to go at the Parkside Cafe on 40th St, read the Times and watched the park fill up in the hours before the concert.

The concert itself was magnificent. Eighteen musical numbers were performed by a variety of Broadway dancers, musicians and singers. The highlight for me was Linda Eder's rendition of "If I Had My Way" -- a song written since the attacks on the World Trade Center. The tribute to the thousands who had been killed on September 11, mere blocks from where I was standing, moved me to tears.

On Tuesday evening I visited "Museum Mile" and took advantage of free admission to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The little I was able to see of the museum impressed me and I'd definitely like to get back to see more.

Bryant Park has "free" offerings -- on Monday nights -- throughout the summer -- definitely worth checking out.

Thursday, June 13, 2002


Another gem from elearningpost.com. "Online Learning Community (OLC) Researchers [Chih-Hsiung Tu, Ph.D. and Michael Corry] have attempted to define OLC from its four basic components: community, learning, network, and technology (Office of Learning Technologies, 1998)" in RESEARCH IN ONLINE LEARNING COMMUNITY.

There is no question -- in my mind at least -- that community needs to be a part of any learning experience -- especially online. Guess that makes me a "social constructivist."