Responsive

The mobile web is in the ascendency, with many UI and UX designers, iterating for mobile before desktop. With this in mind I have been wrestling with CSS and HTML5 to make my blog more responsive to different screen sizes. However, I kept encountering a range of problems, trying to turn a basic WP theme into something far more up-to-date.

Instead I have installed the Origin theme, which is already set up to be responsive. Tinkering around with both the CSS and HTML, I have managed to construct a design that I am happy with. I coded a menu at the top and took the opportunity to install a new contact page. I also removed some features that I felt were peripheral, adding to the minimalistic style I favour.

Blog 15.07.12

Sporting the same theme as my blog, my home page is also more minimal, creating a more consistent experience for people who stumble across via search or through links on Twitter and Google+.

Home Page 15.07.12

I am most pleased with the way my blog now renders on mobile devices. The menu drops below the header, while the text resizes naturally to fit. The sidebar becomes pinned to the bottom of the page below the posts, and the posts themselves maintain all of their formatting. Images and videos also adapt to suit whichever screen they are being viewed on. Moreover, the blog is HTML5 compliant ensuring that all content is viewable regardless of OS or browser.

Blog iPhone 1

Blog iPhone 2

Blog iPhone 3

Blog iPhone 5

Please let me know what you think, particularly if you are viewing this on your mobile device. I’m interested to learn from others’ experiences; aiming to make my blog as accessible and user friendly as possible.

Mitchel Resnick: Learning from Scratch

I found myself reeling after tonight’s #ukedchat, frustrated by the 140 character limit, unable to express my view on indpendent learning with enough clarity and detail. I promise to follow this up with a post explaining my thoughts on IL, as well as strategies that I am employing with my students.

In the meantime, I offer you Mitchel Resnick’s presentation from LWF12. What he says between 03:34 and 05:33 has become fundamental in my thinking about both independent learning and education as a whole.

If you can’t wait for the post, you can get a good feeling for where my thinking is at here: TeachMeet Tees 12: ‘Leashes not required’.

TeachMeet Tees 12: ‘Leashes not required’ (V2)

Tomorrow, I will be presenting (virtually) at TeachMeet Tees 12. Following on from TeachMeet Oxford last week, I have made a few alterations to my presentation on Independent Learning. It is a little leaner; with greater emphasis on strategies and approaches to encouraging learner independence.

Here are the revised slides. Click on the cog to access speaker notes.

To see version 1, as well as a selection of related blog posts and articles (including my M.Ed. research), follow this link: TeachMeet Oxford: ‘Leashes not required’.