This week has been such a joy. I had high expectations and was looking forward to returning to ILTA’s annual conference AND giving my paper on inspiring open edtech case studies I’ve been working on wit Jim Groom and Reclaim Hosting. It’s been 10 years since Jim and I first met at the OER Conference in Edinburgh, and it means a lot to me that our continued work together has resulted in us attending this…
Maren Deepwell Posts
Today was a fab first day of the #EdTech26 Conference, the Irish Learning Technology Association’s annual EdTech Conference, 3-4 June in Dublin, celebrating its 25th anniversary under the theme EdTech You: Digital Learning From How to Who – and what a wonderful day it was! I shall certainly have to blog more about the conference which I have long been a fan of and this year’s event has only strengthened my appreciation for such a wonderful…
Hello! This month is one of travel and wrapping up a number of projects before the summer season gets underway. It’s the end of term for teaching, and I am looking forward to heading to Oxford University later this month to meet with fellow teachers in person for a end of year day. I’ve really enjoyed teaching this year and had some lovely feedback from the staff and students taking part in my courses, so…
Originally published on the altc blog, 22 May 2026. In June this year two conferences take place that celebrate important milestones in Open Education and Learning Technology: the Irish Learning Technology Association’s annual EdTech Conference, 3-4 June in Dublin, celebrates its 25th anniversary under the theme EdTech You: Digital Learning From How to Who. Just a few weeks later the OER26 Conference convenes at the Open University in Milton Keynes, to focus on Openness Reimagined: Continuity, Change and…
From June you can choose to receive news from me in new ways: I’ll continue to share coaching resources, event updates and more, and hope you’ll continue reading and connecting with me in these ways. Since I started the newsletter in 2023 it has grown in new and wonderful ways, and I am excited about it’s new chapter. If you take no action, and you are currently subscribed via the original email list, you won’t…
I really like this recent article by John Naughton on how social media has turned unsocial. In it he shares some interesting figures about the declining proportion of users, particularly younger adult users, who post on social media sites and the increase in consuming content passively, scrolling mindlessly. It echoes with my own use of these platforms, both in terms of my personal posting habits and my ability to reach and connect with others. Things…
Earlier this month I joined forces with Lou Mycroft for an AmplifyFE webinar hosted by ALT. The theme we have picked is rest & resilience, inspired by both Lou’s work on radical rest and my work relating to building healthy hybrid leadership capabilities for uncertain times. Working with Lou is easy as breathing, because Lou is such a prolific facilitator. It’s always a joy to work with someone who is THIS good at making collaboration easy,…
I’m super excited for this blog to be featured in the Reclaim Hosting’s Women’s Showcase! The showcase was organised by Alexis Block, in celebration of Women’s History Month, and features a whole host of inspiring examples of projects and initiatives. I was particularly taken by the Feminist Digital Center, co-curated by Dr. Julie Shayne and Denise Hattwig (University of Washington Bothell) and The Hub Blog, created by Autumm Caines, Belen Garcia, Carla Veccholia, Chen Wang,…
It the end of the UK tax year, and I have spent most of this week on end of year paperwork. Fortunately, this blog post is not about that. Instead, I am returning to my favourite topic: blogging about blogging, or more precisely, blogging about keeping a blog. (The two are tangentially related, as my quarterly Director’s Report for my own business has a section about talks and events in it, which I was trying…
It’s been a few years now since I started working in my own consultancy business full-time and being my own boss really suits me. Every Monday morning I am grateful to not have my week shaped by endless meetings or arbitrary schedules. Most Mondays, I start with blogging, reflecting, planning. Less pressure to be at my most productive and more scope to navigate uncertainty, develop my strengths and enjoy the variety of free-lance life. Life…