This is going to be a short post, but I just wanted to comment on my astonishment at how much info is out on the web about blogging. Most of it is posted on blogs...go figure. I've search "components of blogs", "how to start a blog", "blog tools", "how many blogs exist" and that's just a starting point. It's overwhelming and difficult to grasp was parts are really relevant.
Something that struck me though is how relevant and up-to-date with current trends can some of these posts be when many are a few years old. How old is now too old when it comes being relevant? I know the lady that works in the resource library in our facility does not keep any journals on the shelf that are more than a year old.
I can barely keep up with the constants streaming of information I receive daily through Twitter and these are just the select few people I have decided to follow. What about the thousands of others out there that are posting, tweeting, sharing their information, thoughts and ideas.
Is there a point in time that you don't reference back past? Do you give yourself a limit as to what you pay attention too? Is there a standard that we all should be following and if so does that mean the past is irrelevant? (I dare not ask that question).
Showing posts with label blogs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blogs. Show all posts
Friday, 6 February 2009
Monday, 15 October 2007
Selling Web 2.0 (again)
I haven't been posting as much as I would truly like. I've been so swamped with work, including trying to prepare our selves to get the LMS up and running. I have however been introducing a few more people to the fabulous use of blogs and wikis.
I have one friend that loves to write poems and has been using the Facebook feature of Notes to capture them. I suggested that if she wanted something a little more private then she could open a blog and use it as a private journal. She also writes collaboratively with another friend. The two of them take turns write a paragraph of a story and see where it goes and ends up. For this I suggested and set up a wiki for them to try out. This way they can go in and read each other's work, make edits and suggestions. They can also create a new page for each story or for each theme of stories and can keep it private or share it as well.
My final sell this weekend was using a blog for a newsletter instead of a paper based item. Currently they create a newsletter in Publisher and then email it out. They only send electronically and do not print it to paper. Sounds like a job for something webish. I took their articles from their last newsletter. Created a new post for each article starting with the last one first. This would allow a reader once they open the blog to read the first intended article as the most recent post of the blog. The last article of the paper copy would appear as the last post as well. The first post they open was titled "In this Issue", with the month and volume/issue number. Then a listing of the post headings as links to each article.
My arguments for them using this system were:
I have one friend that loves to write poems and has been using the Facebook feature of Notes to capture them. I suggested that if she wanted something a little more private then she could open a blog and use it as a private journal. She also writes collaboratively with another friend. The two of them take turns write a paragraph of a story and see where it goes and ends up. For this I suggested and set up a wiki for them to try out. This way they can go in and read each other's work, make edits and suggestions. They can also create a new page for each story or for each theme of stories and can keep it private or share it as well.
My final sell this weekend was using a blog for a newsletter instead of a paper based item. Currently they create a newsletter in Publisher and then email it out. They only send electronically and do not print it to paper. Sounds like a job for something webish. I took their articles from their last newsletter. Created a new post for each article starting with the last one first. This would allow a reader once they open the blog to read the first intended article as the most recent post of the blog. The last article of the paper copy would appear as the last post as well. The first post they open was titled "In this Issue", with the month and volume/issue number. Then a listing of the post headings as links to each article.
My arguments for them using this system were:
- articles can be tagged for reference and searching (ie: volume 6, issue 3, meeting, agenda)
- articles are all searchable by any word
- articles are all archived individually and monthly
- links on the main web page can be added to the newsletter blog and back to the web page
- because of the flexibility of posting, special articles could be added at times other than regular newsletter issuing dates
- members can subscribe to updates, rss feeds
- the blog can have stats tracked regarding usage.
I'm still waiting for responses on all 3 "new ideas" that I've put out for my colleagues. Now just waiting to see if I sold it all properly.
Tuesday, 15 May 2007
Blogging as an Instructional Tool and Acquisition of Knowledge
Upon introducing myself to my peers in an online course, I discussed my new use of a personal blog and the reasons for me beginning such an endeavor. Our instructor questioned in one posting by asking “…have you found that blogs can be applied as an instructional tool to "...facilitate the acquisition of knowledge" (Palloff and Pratt, p. xv).”
This indeed was one of my initial reasons for starting a blog. A presenter at a recent conference spoke to the fact that he believed he had learned more in a year of blogging then in his academic career (Brent Schlenker). His enthusiasm for the method was contagious and inspired several conference attendees to venture into the blogosphere as well.
The blogosphere (by wiki.com definition) is extremely important in that it explains the robust collaborative, social, and cultural network that develops between individual blogs. Most authors of blogs tend to read, comment, and link to other blog postings. In essence they build upon one another’s thoughts, expanding ideas and concepts as each new author posts to their blog. Often authors present questions to one another as well as on ideas that they have generated or to concepts that they are investigating.
A blog certainly can act as a great repository for the information that I come across and collect. Frequently I search around the internet looking at websites, reviewing RSS feeds and reading other bloggers postings. In doing this I am seeking out new elearning tools, concepts and developments that may of be of interest to myself. These items I can then summarize or link to for future reference. In finding several key blog authors I have also been able to utilize them almost as libraries of information for items that they have found significant and interesting.
References
Blogosphere. (2007, April 30). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17:38, May 15, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Blogosphere&oldid=127017030
Palloff, R.M. & Pratt, K. (2003). The Virtual Student. A Profile and Guide to Working with Online Learners. San Francisco: Jossey Bass
Schlenker, Brent. Corporate eLearning Strategies and Development. Phoenix, Arizona. http://elearndev.blogspot.com/
This indeed was one of my initial reasons for starting a blog. A presenter at a recent conference spoke to the fact that he believed he had learned more in a year of blogging then in his academic career (Brent Schlenker). His enthusiasm for the method was contagious and inspired several conference attendees to venture into the blogosphere as well.
The blogosphere (by wiki.com definition) is extremely important in that it explains the robust collaborative, social, and cultural network that develops between individual blogs. Most authors of blogs tend to read, comment, and link to other blog postings. In essence they build upon one another’s thoughts, expanding ideas and concepts as each new author posts to their blog. Often authors present questions to one another as well as on ideas that they have generated or to concepts that they are investigating.
A blog certainly can act as a great repository for the information that I come across and collect. Frequently I search around the internet looking at websites, reviewing RSS feeds and reading other bloggers postings. In doing this I am seeking out new elearning tools, concepts and developments that may of be of interest to myself. These items I can then summarize or link to for future reference. In finding several key blog authors I have also been able to utilize them almost as libraries of information for items that they have found significant and interesting.
References
Blogosphere. (2007, April 30). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17:38, May 15, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Blogosphere&oldid=127017030
Palloff, R.M. & Pratt, K. (2003). The Virtual Student. A Profile and Guide to Working with Online Learners. San Francisco: Jossey Bass
Schlenker, Brent. Corporate eLearning Strategies and Development. Phoenix, Arizona. http://elearndev.blogspot.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
