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Helen Whitehead

Helen Whitehead

Learning Technology Consultant, Nottingham: University Park

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Posts by Helen Whitehead

Advent calendar #10: A welcome

Today, the Sustainability, Society and You MOOC Team offer a big sustainable welcome to Andy Nolan, who joined The University of Nottingham in December to take up the role of Director of Sustainability.  He is responsible for the University’s environmental strategy, energy management, grounds management, carbon, waste, and travel plan, as part of the University’s commitment to …

Advent calendar #8: Secrets of the video shoot!

Simon Barnett spills the secrets of the video production for the MOOC Sustainability, Society and You starting on FutureLearn on January 6th. The whole idea for the video shoot was to be as efficient as possible while still making all the content interesting. Much of the interest comes from what a variety of people have to …

Advent calendar #7: Sustainability in the street

Recently I took a short break from all our MOOC preparations and spent an enjoyable weekend in Barcelona.  Among the Gaudi, Picasso and other delights of a city I thoroughly recommend for a visit, I came across this alongside the Arc de Triomf. A waste audit in a Barcelona square! Children were being encouraged to …

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Advent calendar #6: Reduce, re-use, recycle

The 3Rs of sustainable waste practice are a key part of one of the weeks of our course Sustainability, Society and You, as they have been in the pilot which was run within the University – the NOOC. Students discuss their own recycling practices (or not!) and often find there are obvious actions that they …

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Advent calendar #5: A handmade Christmas

In a particularly seasonal addition to our Advent Calendar, Dr Mike Clifford tells us about sustainable Christmas gifts: A few months ago I picked up this book from a book sale in the Portland Building. Rev. Billy is a larger than life environmental campaigner / performance artist who, together with the “Church of Stop Shopping” …

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Advent calendar #4: On becoming a MOOC video star!

In preparation for the MOOC Sustainability, Society and You, a series of short films were shot in the University’s Cripps Hall House as mentioned by Sarah in her previous post ‘The award for ‘one-take wonder’ goes to…’ My role was to interview a number of the guests and tour the house picking up on what …

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Advent calendar #3: Biodiversity offsetting and the value of nature

Neil Sinclair, a philosophy lecturer involved in the Sustainability, Society and You MOOC on FutureLearn. has recently posted on the Think About It blog about the ethics of biodiversity. His post Biodiversity Offsetting and Extrinsic Properties talks about the involvement of Nottinghamshire in the pilot phase of the biodiversity offsetting scheme about which the UK Government …

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Advent calendar #2: Setting up for filming for the MOOC

Lots of videos have been produced for the MOOC Sustainability, Society and You available via FutureLearn from January 6th next year. They are all, of course, themed around different sustainability issues, and many have been filmed in an ordinary house on the campus of the University of Nottingham, where we could look in detail at the …

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Advent calendar #1: A December of preparation!

Welcome to December!  As we lead up to our first MOOC, Sustainability, Society and You, in January, we are going to have an Advent calendar throughout the month of December – there’ll be a short informative post every day, with tips on being a student in a MOOC, sneak peeks at content, sustainability news and …

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Get ahead – read the free books on Sustainability

The open online courses on sustainability take advantage of a comprehensive series of free books that were produced on different aspects of sustainability. These eBooks and iBooks are free to download and an interesting read whether or not you’re planning to take the Sustainability, Society and You which is available now for booking on the FutureLearn website.  …

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