1. As I’m sure most of you worked out, there was no message on Friday because Prince Philip died that morning, at the end of a very long and interesting life. Here’s The Guardian‘s long and interesting obituary: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/apr/09/prince-philip-the-duke-of-edinburgh-obituary

“Things did not work out that badly,” says The Guardian, despite Philip’s initial belief “that a life of walking several steps behind his wife, curbing his opinions – though not always his tongue – and being an appendage to the institution, without even being able to pass on his surname to his children, would turn him into ‘nothing but a bloody amoeba’”.

2. This, from UNESCO, seems almost too good to be true, certainly less bureaucratic than one might (unfairly?) expect. They’ve just published a comprehensive report on Ensuring effective distance learning during COVID-19 disruption: guidance for teachers https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000375116 [PDF below] and they’re inviting applications for funding for events to help disseminate the report in a very straightforward manner with one simple form  https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/6276729/Call-for-proposals-Appel-propositions

Applications close on 15th April, and I wonder whether English teacher associations might like to apply (and be well placed to do so)?

 3. I follow up on a lot of the tips in Stephen Downes’s daily newsletter, OLDaily. Here’s his website https://downes.ca/ and here’s the link to subscribe https://downes.us18.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=0db1946a4fdb6209a60697e55&id=f461fc1560 His primary focus is on online learning and educational technology, but he often, interestingly, strays off the beaten track. His website has a Quick Tech Guide to Creating an Online Class or Conference that’s well worth a look https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ux3lTnUTpzZRuvxE3rAsSQ4Ihub96S8_OYECNh8wv-A/edit PDF below.

4. And, finally, here’s a golden oldie RSA animation of a Dan Pink talk on ‘Drive: the surprising truth about what motivates us’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc If, like me, you’re a really sad person who can’t miss a typo, you’ll spot one – well, I spotted only one, albeit unwillingly. Let me know what typo and where and I’ll send you a copy of Philip Kerr’s Metropolis – I’m being encouraged to downsize my library!