June 1, 2013 by shannonchance

Remembering the Glow of Dun Laoghaire

Dun Laoghaire harbor

It’s overcast in Dublin today, so I’m pulling out some images from a recent sunny Sunday in nearby Dún Laoghaire, a town in the suburbs of Dublin.

Dún Laoghaire is accessible from Dublin city center by train and bus, and it makes a lovely day trip. On the weekend, “Peoples Park” is full of market stalls and vendors with prepared food, raw ingredients for purchase, crafts, and other quality goods. The water front, with its harbor and beach, provides a relaxing place to stroll.

The town’s official website explains:

Dún Laoghaire is a town on the east coast of Ireland, about seven miles (11km) south of the capital Dublin. Its focal point is a splendid harbour and the town is surrounded by spectacular rolling hills.

…Historically Dún Laoghaire has always been a ‘Gateway to Ireland’, Dún Laoghaire gets its name from the Irish translation Fort (Dún) of Laoghaire. It was once the seat of King Laoghaire, the ancient High King of Ireland before the Vikings sailed from Scandinavia and established themselves in Dublin.

Dun Laoghaire beach with a view over to Howth (the peninsula on the left of the image, past the end of the pier).

June 1, 2013 by shannonchance

Porto — Obrigado!

One last glimpse of my beautiful Porto and my Fulbright trip there, just before I introduce you to Problem-Based Learning in Belgium….

I travelled half the coast of Portugal during my week-long stay.

I found…

…exquisite architecture…

…elegant detailing…

…and beautiful…

…public spaces.

Not the least of which…

…is Porto’s waterfront…

…which glistens…

…at night.

By the time I hit the airport I was exhausted…

…but did manage to note…

…the beautiful detailing…

…and finally discovered the spelling of “thank you” in Portuguese.

May 31, 2013 by shannonchance

Fulbrighting at Croke Park

The Fulbright Ireland crew at Croke Park for our farewell field trip.

We stared our Fulbright grand finale day with a tour of Croke Park stadium and a visit to the GAA museum there. As I noted yesterday, this is one of the world’s largest stadiums for amateur sports. The stadium website explains:

Croke Park has been at the heart of Irish sporting life for over a hundred years. Boasting a capacity for 82,300 people, the stadium is the home of Gaelic games and the headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA).

The museum website explains:

The GAA Museum, as the national custodian of all the archives and artefacts of the Gaelic Athletic Association, is dedicated to promoting an appreciation of the values, culture and history of Gaelic games.

May 31, 2013 by shannonchance

It’s 10pm: Do You Know Where Your Cobblestone Is?

The Whelans enjoying another lovely Friday evening at the Cobblestone pub.

I galloped down to the Cobblestone tonight to hear my favorite set of the week. The Friday 7:30-9:30 group includes singers as well as instrumentalists. This week the Whelans were there, so I had friends to chat with.

It’s bright and cheery in the musicians corner during the evening this time of year… the sun stays up in Dublin until ten pm. And it raises before five am! We are so far north.

The Whelans.

Irish vocals…

…and instrumentals…

…and storytelling…

…all in one place.

Fergus sang two fabulous songs while I was there.

And we even a guest singers tonight.

Along with the wonderful musicians…

…who grace the pub on Friday nights.

And keep us tapping along.

These days, the sun doesn’t set until ten pm…

…on nearby Manor Street in Stoneybatter.

May 31, 2013 by shannonchance

Mega Guinness

They’re expanding the Guinness factory here in Dublin and it’s growing by leaps and bounds. It has been fun watching it spring up out of the ground. A good friend of mine sent this photo of a construction worker taking a break mid air….

Guinness construction.

May 31, 2013 by shannonchance

Irish Music Radio this Weekend

This just in from Kevin Donleavy:

Pull up your easy chair this Saturday, and have a listen to Irish trad music on-line. The date is June 1, and the programme runs from 10 am till 12 noon in the eastern US, which means 3 to 5 pm in Ireland. Kevin Donleavy is the usual host, and the show is called ATLANTIC WEEKLY PART TWO.

Here are the easy listening steps. On your computer, go to http://wtju.net. Next, select Listen Live on the right side bar. Then, choose between Ogg and MP3.

Here are some highlights from the music to be broadcast. Mary McNamara will play Co. Clare tunes on her concertina. You can hear songs and two uilleann pipers from the Belfast band Réalta. Kerry’s own Mary Courtney will sing some ballads, and you can hear Liam Weldon singing that powerful song, “Where Is Our James Connolly.” Harper Sue Richards will perform, and you can hear Paudie O’Connor on accordion play polkas and reels with John O’Brien on uilleann pipes. Dublin singer Pat Broaders will do a fine version of the US trad song called “Storms Are on the Ocean.” That’s just the beginning ….

Hope you can tune in. You will also hear the latest news from the only Irish archaeological dig in the state of Virginia, and there’s more information about it at www.clannmhor.org. And the latest news from such groups as BRIMS (the Blue Ridge Irish Music School), and the Washington branch of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann.

May 30, 2013 by shannonchance

Fulbright Finale

Our grand finale of Fulbright Ireland 2012-13 today…
First stop, Croke Park. One of the world’s largest stadiums for amateur sports.

May 30, 2013 by shannonchance

Day-tripping to Glendalough

Glendalough boasts a beautiful natural landscape and a religious site constructed during medieval times. It provides an ideal day trip from Dublin.

The Wikipedia site is full of interesting information about the place. It starts by explaining:

Glendalough or Glendaloch (/ˌ ɡ l ɛ n d ə ˈ l ɒ x / glen-də-lokh; Irish: Gleann Dá Loch, meaning “glen of two lakes”) is a glacial valley in County Wicklow, Ireland. It is renowned for its Early Medieval monastic settlement founded in the 6th century by St Kevin, a hermit priest, and partly destroyed in 1398 by English troops.

May 29, 2013 by shannonchance

Guimarães: Birthplace of Portugal

Helping with the founding back in 1111 AD. 😉

Guimarães is an architecturally stunning town, and it is the place Portugal was born in the year 1111. Following my visit to the engineering program at the University of Minho and my Fulbright lecture/workshop, my hosts took me to visit the historic center and enjoy lunch in one of its very fine outdoor plazas.

The castle…

…with its park…

…and the founder of Portugal.

Enjoying the sites…

…and the streets of Guimarães.

Along with my hosts, Ferrie van Hattum and Natascha van Hattum-Janssen.

Lovely architecture…

…and parks…

…and streets…

…and plazas.

Here’s an archway framing the street…

…and the courtyard where we ate.

Natascha and Ferrie and I discussed educational research and practice over lunch.

And then looked around a bit more…

…and discovered yet another plaza.

This particular plaza recently had its trees removed…

…which turned out to be an unpopular change.

“Here was born Portugal!”

Here’s the inside of a church in Guimarães.

And a reflection…

…or two, just for you!

May 29, 2013May 29, 2013 by shannonchance

Engineering at Minho

Seminar with engineering teachers from the University of Minho who use PBL. (It was very cold in the room; everybody is huddled for warmth!)

These photos are from my trip to the Guimarães campus of the University of Minho — to visit engineering professors and tour the Department of Production Systems, at the university’s Engineering School.

My primary host there, Natascha van Hattum-Janssen, has been working as a Senior Researcher, Research Centre in Education. She has amassed quite an impressive record of publications. Her husband, Ferrie van Hattum, is a Polymer Engineer and has been serving as the Course Director of the Product Design degree program of the University of Minho, although both of them are now relocating to an institute in the Netherlands.

Natascha and her colleagues organize the annual PAEE symposium. The PAEE website explains:

The Department of Production and Systems of the University of Minho, the Research Centre for Education of the University of Minho, the Iberoamerican Association of Engineering Education Institutions (ASIBEI) and the Curriculum Development Working Group of SEFI – the European Society for Engineering Education – aim to join teachers, researchers on Engineering Education, deans of Engineering Schools and professionals concerned with Engineering Education, to enhance active learning approaches in Engineering Education through workshops and discussion of current practice and research.

The Fifth International Symposium on Project Approaches in Engineering Education PAEE 2013 will take place in the Netherlands and is hosted by the Eindhoven University of Technology.

I served as a paper reviewer for this year’s conference and I hope to attend an PAEE event in coming years.

Some of the professors from the University of Minho — Natascha van Hattum-Janssen, her husband, and Dinis Carvalho — gave me a tour of their product design engineering facilities and program.