- My experience with online classes is mostly in structured systems (for me, WebCT and later Blackboard CE6, with a bit of Moodle). I'm really looking forward to experiencing the alternative, and to learning how these pieces/parts can be put together into a functioning course. So far, it looks _really_ different.
- Having each student maintain a blog seems to be a sharable form of journaling. I like this; journaling my way through a new learning experience forces me to articulate and document my experience, and it goes a long way toward helping me nail down the details of what I'm actually experiencing.
- Having said that, as near as I can tell, each of us is going to be blogging -- and is also expected to monitor the blogs of some 60 or 70-some-odd other classmates. I'm really intimidated by the sheer volume of content that might represent. Drinking from a fire hose?
- I understand (in theory, at least) how RSS feeds could be used to bring all these blogs to a central source so that we don't have to look at 60 or 70 different places every time we come online. From monitoring the conversation on the mailing list, I understand that some of my classmates are experimenting with a variety of different ways to do this. I really appreciate their efforts -- and I'm totally intimidated by what looks like a level of technological competence that is light years beyond my own. I've got a _lot_ to learn here! I'd like to learn it, too, but not right now -- first I need to get the basic class content in hand.
- I'll settle for smaller victories just now. I've used Blogger to set up blogs before, and I use RSS feeds as a customer by way of a feed reader (usually Google Reader). But I've never "closed the loop" by learning how to set up an RSS feed for one of my blogs. I just learned how to do that, and the truth is I'm feeling proud of having been able to add an RSS feed URL for my blog to my introduction on the home page for this class. I feel a little like a toddler who just walked all the way across the living room without holding anyone's hand, while the adults look on and smile...
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Thoughts as class begins
In no particular order...
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6 comments:
Dr B,
One of the reasons I fell in love with the web2.0 was the possibility of reading people's thoughts. Another one was the chance to register an experience, so I also think it is a a great idea that we all blog about this course. It is a bit overwhelming the number of posts we are bound to produce and your "drinking from a fire hose" metaphor certainly describes my owns feelings. However, RSS will facilitate our reading. I sometimes think it's not necessary to understand exactly the way tools work, just as we don't need to understand why ink comes out of a pen when we press it to the paper, the same could be applied to digital tools.
Loved your image of a toddler, it's great to recover the feeling of that sort of achievement now that we are grown-ups.
Re the volume comment...I'm hearing you! :-) Imagine trying to do this without a reader. As Gabriela says it will facilitate our reading.
The other challenge is how to keep up with comments, and how to cross reference comments. Hmmm, maybe I'm trying to make blog discussions into forum discussions.
Kia ora
I love your "drinking from a fire hose" metaphor. How very powerful! It does seem overwhelming, but Google Reader has a great "next item" button. I find if it all gets too much then I whisk through postings quite quickly rather than trying to digest every word. Look forward to reading your posts however, as they sound wonderfully reflective.
Naku noa (regards)
Naketa
I have also started using LMS platforms like BB and Moodle.As you say, these are in fact more structured, closed systems which, like everything else, has it's advantages and disadvantages. Since I have known the Web 2.0 tools, like blogs and wikis, I felt as if many doors had opened to the outside world. This openness is one of the main powers of these tools and certainly one reason why they are fascinating.
RSS is an amazing tool to control the amount of information that comes out of that "fire hose" you mention. Google Reader, Pageflakes, Yahoo pipes or Netvibes like the one I set up for the group (http://www.netvibes.com/joaoalves#FOC08) can be very useful to manage the overload of information. And don't feel intimidated, these tools are all very simple to use. I used Netvibes for the first time to aggregate the blogs and it took me just a few minutes to grasp how to setup a public page and add the blogs' feeds to it. You just need to know a few elementary things and that is often enough to encourage "the toddler" to walk across many living rooms. :-)
Looking forward to interesting interactions.
Joao
I'm trying not to drink from the fire hose. I think I've read a post by Leigh somewhere in the recent past that suggested we read the blogs that most interest us. He thought we would sort ourselves into smaller networks. I have put all the feeds into netvibes, but I expect soon I will choose the ones I find most interesting.
Like you, I've found myself toddling along today. Reading all these posts seems more like running than toddling (or maybe skipping for some people). I'm pretty good at standing up but I'm still trying to get the hang of keeping my balance when I cross the cracks in the sidewalk.
I understand how you feel; I'm also struggling, but with the language :)
I have found such a nice bunch of participants eager to help in this course that all you need to do is ask and help will come.
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