Dr Simon Ball
simonjball.bsky.social
Dr Simon Ball
@simonjball.bsky.social
Accessibility and online education consultant and lecturer, world music and Eurovision nerd, lover of dogs, cats, and lasagne. (He / they). If you rate celery any higher than 'tolerable' we may not get along.
Registration now open for OU online Masters module Technology Enhanced Learning: Foundations And Futures for Feb 26 start. 60 PG credits, entirely online. Also part of Masters in Online Teaching. Ideal for new and experienced educators from all sectors & countries.
www.open.ac.uk/postgraduate...
October 22, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Reposted by Dr Simon Ball
In a world that seems to be speeding up by the second, with notifications pinging, deadlines looming and AI tools promising instant answers, Helen Greetham has been thinking about ways of slowing down when it comes to digital learning and infrastructures in our latest #altc blog:
ALTC25 Guest Post: A Manifesto for Slow Digital Learning
In a world that seems to be speeding up by the second, with notifications pinging, deadlines looming and AI tools promising instant answers, I’ve been thinking lately about ways of taking thi…
buff.ly
August 27, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Registration is now open for Open University postgrad module Research and Scholarship in Digital Education www.open.ac.uk/postgraduate...
Aimed at those moving into postgrad study or thinking of or starting a PhD. Starts Oct 4th (until May 2026). Students can participate in April Online Conference.
July 15, 2025 at 8:19 AM
Reposted by Dr Simon Ball
The legal press - whose job it is to help lawyers advise their clients - knows this is a serious change of position. And that's why the public facing press - which understands its job to be spreading transphobic propaganda - won't cover it. www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk/governance/3...
EHRC adds “clarification” to interim guidance on practical implications of Supreme Court judgment on definition of sex in Equality Act
www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
June 26, 2025 at 7:05 AM
Reposted by Dr Simon Ball
Sacre Bleu! According to the BBC absolutely nothing happened in Westminster hall today, hundreds of Trans people definitely did not undertake a mass lobby and MPs certainly didn't hear from their constituents about why the EHRC is a liability. Meanwhile in France... www.france24.com/en/live-news...
Trans campaigners descend on UK parliament to protest 'bathroom ban'
Hundreds of transgender people and their supporters flocked to the UK parliament on Wednesday to urge lawmakers to oppose new guidelines that would deny them access to certain single-sex spaces.
www.france24.com
June 25, 2025 at 7:09 PM
You can now read a summary of the brilliant 2025 H890 Research And Scholarship In Digital Education Conference. Two insightful and thought-provoking keynotes (thank you @neilselwyn.bsky.social @shaileyminocha.bsky.social ) and 9 truly excellent student presentations!

www.open.ac.uk/blogs/MAOT/i...
April 23, 2025 at 2:47 PM
We have been fortunate enough to be awarded some more Commonwealth Scholarship places for entry onto our Masters in Online Teaching next year. Please share this information far and wide, especially if you have contacts in the eligible Commonwealth countries.

iet.open.ac.uk/commonwealth...
Commonwealth Scholarships 2025 | Institute of Educational Technology, The Open UniversityInstitute of Educational Technology
iet.open.ac.uk
April 14, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Reposted by Dr Simon Ball
One day to our Research & Scholarship in #DigitalEducation conference. Join us on:

Friday 11th April 2025, starting at 09:00 BST
Saturday 12th April 2025, starting at 13:00 BST

#studentconference
Reminder to register for our FREE "Research & Scholarship in Digital Education Online Student Conference" to hear from our Masters in Online Teaching students and keynotes from Prof Neil Selwyn and Prof Shailey Minocha. Details and registration link here: www.open.ac.uk/blogs/H890Co...
April 9, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Reposted by Dr Simon Ball
🎧new interview! We all saw reports in 2021 that Denmark was 'banning' Google from schools ... but what actually happened next? I talk to Emilie Groth about the complexities of the Chromebook case & what it tells us about public sector dependency on Big Tech ... www.buzzsprout.com/1301377/epis...
April 2, 2025 at 7:26 AM
Reposted by Dr Simon Ball
📢Confference prorgamme is confirmed!📢 All welcome 👇

2025 H890 Research & Scholarship in #DigitalEducation Online Student Conference

Friday 11th April 2025, starting at 09:00 BST
Saturday 12th April 2025, starting at 13:00 BST

Registration forms.office.com/Pages/Respon...
March 25, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Reminder to register for our FREE "Research & Scholarship in Digital Education Online Student Conference" to hear from our Masters in Online Teaching students and keynotes from Prof Neil Selwyn and Prof Shailey Minocha. Details and registration link here: www.open.ac.uk/blogs/H890Co...
March 26, 2025 at 8:26 AM
Registration is open for our FREE 2025 H890 Research & Scholarship in Digital Education Online Student Conference! Join to hear our Masters students present their work alongside keynotes from Prof Neil Selwyn (Monash Univ,Aus) and Prof Shailey Minocha (Open Univ,UK).
www.open.ac.uk/blogs/H890Co...
February 27, 2025 at 4:21 PM
The 12wk micro-credential I co-wrote & teach on "Online teaching: accessibility and inclusive learning" restarts 10March.
Learn and share with educators from around the world. Accessibility, Usability, UDL, AssistiveTech, Roles & Responsibilities.
@ietatou.bsky.social
www.open.ac.uk/postgraduate...
February 21, 2025 at 3:05 PM
My sister Helen Ball, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Durham, has spent most of the past year writing a book "How babies sleep: a factful guide to the first 365 days and nights".
Registration for the 10th May launch conference is now open. pay.durham.ac.uk/event-durham...

Pls share!
February 12, 2025 at 3:14 PM
The free Open University MOOC "The Online Educator" has been updated, relaunching on OpenLearnCreate next week. Join international educators from all stages of edu to enhance your online teaching. 3hrs/wk, 4 wks. Bookmark link as reg not open yet.
www.open.edu/openlearncre...
@ietatou.bsky.social
January 29, 2025 at 10:33 AM
Registration closes soon (23 Jan) for our 100%-online educator-oriented module 'Technology-Enhanced Learning: Foundations and Futures' (counts as 33% of Masters in Online Teaching)
www.open.ac.uk/postgraduate...
Ideal development for educators, enjoying perspectives from an global cohort. Pls share!
November 26, 2024 at 9:29 AM
Well, I hadn't been involved in writing a paper for ages and now two come along at once! Read "The Importance of Offline Options for Online Learners" here doi.org/10.5334/jime... and "Collaboration and care in climate education: Brave responses to an uncertain future" here doi.org/10.1002/curj...
The Importance of Offline Options for Online Learners | Journal of Interactive Media in Education
***JIME is currently focusing on a number of Special Collections - see announcements below for more details on our calls for papers- the journal is therefore closed to general submissions at the prese...
jime.open.ac.uk
September 20, 2024 at 1:02 PM
Hey @theindependent.bsky.social - can we avoid using the phrase "accused of being transgender" please? Most definitions of 'accusation' involve words like 'wrongdoing' or 'crime', and being transgender is in itself neither of these things. www.independent.co.uk/news/world/e...
Brigitte Macron awarded €8,000 after false transgender claims
The false allegations made in December 2021 went viral just weeks before the 2022 French election
www.independent.co.uk
September 13, 2024 at 8:53 AM
3 weeks left to sign up for the Open University's excellent 60-credit PG module 'Research & Scholarship in Digital Education'? Ideal for anyone planning on / starting a PhD or who wants to have a better understanding of the essential principles of educational research. www.open.ac.uk/postgraduate...
August 27, 2024 at 3:13 PM
The University of Macerata, Italy (who run the incredible Masters in Accessible Media and Culture) have issued a survey they would like you to respond to if you work in access services for the media, live events and the arts. You can find the survey here: forms.gle/3o2K6cfakqqS...
ACCESS SERVICES FOR THE MEDIA, LIVE EVENTS AND THE ARTS
The data collected by this study are used for research purposes only and are kept strictly confidential.
forms.gle
July 18, 2024 at 5:14 PM
Reposted by Dr Simon Ball
Cut-off date for applications to study Open University Masters in Online Teaching, fully-funded by a Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarship is 28 March. Details: https://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/MAOT/index.php/2024/02/27/maot-commonwealth-distance-learning-scholarships-2025-entry/.
March 20, 2024 at 9:30 PM
Reposted by Dr Simon Ball
I've got a postdoc position open in my lab. Do you work on moss, single cell transcriptomics or plant developmental genomics? Consider applying for this position - more here:
recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF06360
March 6, 2024 at 5:04 AM
The OU's Masters in Online Teaching has again been fortunate enough to be awarded 10 funded Commonwealth Scholarship places for the February 2025 start. If you have any connections in any of the eligible countries please promote the scheme to them - 28 March deadline.

www.open.ac.uk/blogs/MAOT/i...
MAOT Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships – 2025 entry | Masters in Online Teaching
www.open.ac.uk
February 28, 2024 at 9:20 AM
Our online student conference for the postgrad module 'Research and Scholarship in Digital Education' will take place on 12th April 2024 starting at 09:00 BST. You would be very welcome to join us - register at docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
More: www.open.ac.uk/blogs/H890Co...
OU H890 Conference | Possibly the best online conference in the world
www.open.ac.uk
February 26, 2024 at 8:51 AM
Less than 3 weeks to sign up for the next run of the OU's fab micro-credentials on digital and online teaching (creating online courses, evaluating online courses, embedding mental health, accessibility, race and social equity). 12 weeks, 15 credits, loads of value!
www.open.ac.uk/courses/micr...
February 20, 2024 at 12:24 PM