Since everyone else is doing it and it's too hot to work on the train...

It was a pleasure giving a keynote ('When Universities Value Play: Games, Graduate Skills, and the Conditions for Belonging') at 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆: 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 at the University of Melbourne (even if it was 2am here in Scotland!)

New post on the @advancehe.bsky.social blog, 𝘙𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘨𝘦: 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬-𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦-𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 advance-he.ac.uk/news-and-vie... Talking about graduate skills, employability, reflective practice, and developing students' confidence on a work-based degree programme.

“Maybe we should call it two-tier journalism. The harshest scrutiny for people we don’t approve of. A blind eye for the ones we don’t mind”, writes Alan Rusbridger

Nigel Farage pocketing £5m from a donor shows he’s unfit for power

The British media is obsessed with Zack Polanski, but raises barely a squeak over huge donations to Reform

prospectmagazine.co.uk

Into the Slimy Mines is roguelike tower defense. Build paths enemies slither down, dig gold, squish slimes, and most important of all RESCUE YOUR CREW! Coming May 29th on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, Epic and Steam! store.steampowered.com/app/3639440/...

If you are voting for Reform in Scotland, are you (a) stupid (falling for a couple of millionaires' con) or (b) racist (e.g. OK with concentration camps)? Very possible to be bothered. Depressing that these racist grifters are potentially in second place in Scotland.

Ballot Box Scotland@ballotbox.scot · 3mo ago

New Scotland Only Westminster poll, Norstat 27-30 Apr (vs 30 Mar - 1 Apr): SNP ~ 29% (-3) Lab ~ 19% (+1) RUK ~ 18% (+2) Con ~ 14% (+3) LD ~ 10% (nc) Grn ~ 8% (-1) Note: This is the same poll as last night's Holyrood figures, I just got the dates wrong then because I was knackered!

New journal paper published with @ellatasm.bsky.social and our colleages at Edinburgh Napier University: 'What training do workplace mentors receive to support degree apprentices? An activity theory analysis, focusing on inclusion' www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

We just published our Ukranian special issue of @osotl.bsky.social: osotl.org/osotl/issue/... Subtitled 'Tempus fugit, Academia sempiterna' ('time passes, but the academy is eternal'), this was a collaboration with the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (NaUKMA).

I'm delighted to be chairing the Holyrood Insight Future of Apprenticeships Scotland Conference next week, with keynotes from Ben Macpherson MSP, Minister for Higher and Further Education, and Michelle Thomson MSP. www.holyroodinsight.com/conferences-...

The Future of Apprenticeships Scotland Conference - Holyrood Insight

Join our conference to keep up to date with the latest changes to apprenticeships policy and funding in Scotland.

holyroodinsight.com

The Ada Scotland Festival is featured in today's Herald: www.heraldscotland.com/news/2548659...

Festival aims to attract more women and girls to computing

The Ada Scotland Festival, named after famous mathematician Ada Lovelace, runs from 29 September to 10 October.

heraldscotland.com

Just published a blog post on the Advance HE website, drawing on our research into how Graduate Apprentices develop an impressive range of professional skills. advance-he.ac.uk/news-and-vie...

The Ada Scotland Festival, which aims to shift the gender balance of Scotland’s computing sector, is set to return with more than 20 events aimed at young women and non-binary people across the country from September 29. Read more here: www.gla.ac.uk/news/headlin...

Our UofG Colleagues Peter Sneddon, Erin Ferguson, Eric Yao share: Why do students decide to stop studying physics? #oSoTLSummer #SoTL #AcWri #highered #Vol2No1_22 #physics #motivation osotl.org/osotl/articl...

We continue our oSoTL summer with Sarah Honeychurch's: Pragmatism in practice: Bricolage as a methodological framework for SoTL #oSoTLSummer #SoTL #AcWri #highered #Vol2No2_22 #SpecialEdition #bricolage osotl.org/osotl/articl...

An early start this morning to deliver my talk at the hybrid Computing Education Practice in Pakistan (PkCEP): 'Delivering a Work-Based Learning Degree Programme in Software Engineering: Lessons from Practice'. Thank you to the organsiers (including @waqarnabi.bsky.social) for the invitation!

New journal article: 'From disciplinary enthusiasm to soulless tasks: norms behind computing educators' emotion display' with @vgrande.bsky.social, Päivi Kinnunen, Anne-Kathrin Peters, @mihaelasabin.bsky.social, Matilde Sánchez-Peña, and Ethel Tshukudu: doi.org/10.1080/0304...

From disciplinary enthusiasm to soulless tasks: norms behind computing educators' emotion display

Computing educators' emotion display is regulated by various norms and conventions. These (unwritten) rules affect which emotions educators feel comfortable expressing to different extents when stu...

doi.org

The Apple TV+ app for Android is the worst streaming app I've ever used. Shockingly poor piece of software that prevents me from watching the content I've paid for. All the hype around the return of #Foundation and I can't even watch it!

@ant-workshop.com have an incredible Ruin Remix Update for Into the Restless Ruins! Guided entirely by the amazing player feedback. ➕ New Remix Levels Unlocked 🐺 Harvest Maiden & Wulver Updates 📿 Brand new room cards, charms, boons & trinkets! store.steampowered.com/news/app/287...

Very much enjoying this on PS5! store.playstation.com/en-gb/concep...

Tony Gowland@tonygowland.bsky.social · last yr.

Into the Restless Ruins is a deckbuilder in the Scottish highlands, where you create a dungeon then battle through it. Out now on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, and Steam! store.steampowered.com/app/2877770/...

Thanks to the @advancehe.bsky.social team for the opportunity to speak at the Mental Health in Higher Education conference yesterday. I failed to take any photos so here's a peek at my slides, featuring a very flattering photo of me playing the original Zelda circa 1990.

Lovely people, inspiring speakers, and great ideas. Our students share their experience of this year's BCS Women Lovelace Colloquium. blogs.napier.ac.uk/womenintotec...

BCS Women Lovelace Colloquium 2025 - Women into Tech

I strongly recommend to any women or gender minorities in computing or related at university to take advantage of this opportunity!

blogs.napier.ac.uk

Excellent article on this year's BCS Women Lovelace Colloquium @bcswomenlovelace.bsky.social in the latest issue of the BCS @wearebcs.bsky.social IT NOW magazine: www.bcs.org/articles-opi... Lovely to hear from Joanna Jardine, one of our @uofgcompsci.bsky.social Graduate Apprentices!

Dare, always dare: Lovelace Colloquium 2025

On 16 April 2025 the BCS Lovelace Colloquium celebrated its 18th birthday at the University of Glasgow Student’s Union (GUU), a building which forbade women until 1980. Georgia Smith reports.

bcs.org

"All those people who look like they've got it sorted? They don't." We are all still inventing ourselves. Great start to the keynote from Sharon Moore.

The @bcswomenlovelace.bsky.social colloquium finally comes to Glasgow! www.linkedin.com/posts/matthe...

The BCSWomen Lovelace Colloquium has finally made it to Glasgow! Amazing… | Matthew Barr

The BCSWomen Lovelace Colloquium has finally made it to Glasgow! Amazing turnout tonight for the pre-conference social, with Colloquium founder Hannah Dee on quizmaster duties. Fantastic atmosphere in...

linkedin.com

Our conference tomorrow - no tickets left, sorry, we're full - is in GUU. Attendees coming by public transport should go to KELVINBRIDGE subway and head up the Great Western Road, then turn left on to Bank Street. Detailed directions + pics follow...

Hello Bluesky! Work is already underway on the 2025 Ada Scotland Festival, which will run from 29 September to 10 October. Stay tuned! ada.scot

Ada Scotland Festival

Gender diversity in computing and tech

ada.scot

Donald Trump is not welcome. The state visit must be cancelled.

'Four things to look for when choosing your next Responsible AI training' - really useful blog post from @oanamandrei.bsky.social and colleagues, in response to the UK government's AI Opportunities Action Plan (via Responsible Ai UK). rai.ac.uk/four-things-...

This @wearebcs.bsky.social Animation & Games 2025 competition “The Power of Connection - Design a game where the core idea is understanding, empathy, and unity among players from different cultures and backgrounds" is open to primary to postgrad students & BCS members: www.bcs.org/membership-a...

This was a really fun (& sometimes unexpected) conversation about academic leadership. Feels weird to share, but I'm glad to have been invited onto the podcast by @gerifitz.bsky.social (at the suggestion of the wonderful @oanamandrei.bsky.social). changingacademiclife.captivate.fm/episode/oana...

Oana and Matt (Part 1) on leadership, belonging, and micro-actions making a difference (CAL118 S6E12) - Changing Academic Life

Good leadership that creates a sense of belonging and care through everyday micro actions that make a difference

changingacademiclife.captivate.fm