Tag Archives: blogging

TxDLA 2008 Conference

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I just found out that I am being blackmailed into doing another blog. TxDLA (Texas Distance Learning Association) usually has a blog that goes along with their yearly conference. I’ve been asked the past couple of years to help out, but have managed to avoid even having to answer. Of course, when your manager is the one doing the asking, you can’t just forget to respond to the email. Or, in our case, the Google Talk IM. Yes – I am a whole 15 feet away from my manager and we still communicate by IM. All I have to say is, don’t ever say “no” to Harriet. See gives new meaning to the term “one tough Grandma.”

Okay, it as more like she said “Matt can you help” and I was like “sure, whatever.” Blackmail just makes for a more interesting blog post.

So, anyway – if you are planning to be at TxDLA 2008 (or just happen to be free the week after Spring Break), feel free to drop by my session. I’ll be doing a hands-on session about “Effective instructional design techniques in Moodle and Second Life.” Sounds fairly… ambitious… huh? It should be fun.

Even more ambitious than that is my presentation in June in Utah: “The Future of the Internet – Web 3.0 and 3-D Web.” That is at a smaller conference for a specific set of people, but I am also working on getting my ideas in this area published in a compilation. We’ll see how that goes.

Blogs or Discussion Boards in Online Classes?

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I was interviewed recently by Magna Publications about the differences between using Blogs and Discussion Boards in Online classes. In the next month or so, I will also be developing this idea into a full article. I will let you know when that is published. Until then, the interview on this issue contains the basic thoughts and can be read here:

Focus on Faculty: Blogs or Discussion Boards?

Working in the Cold

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It’s the coldest day of the year, so I knew what to expect coming in to work today: the window washers for the seven story building nest to where I work would be out cleaning the windows today.  It never fails that they are always up there on the most frozen day of the year.  Now, they either have the cruelest boss in the world, or the world’s most unlucky schedule maker.  Either way, I look at them and think back to the worst jobs I have ever had, and think “at least I was never sitting on a plank of wood 5 stories up working with water on a near freezing temperature day.”

Of course, I am now sitting in my office with the A/C blowing on my, a huge sweater and my coat on to stay warm.  But I get to sit here and do blogs like this.  So, I’ll put up with the temperature.

Especially since I get to work on some fun things.  I am finishing up a rough draft on a chapter in a Web2.0 in Education book.  My chapter looks at Web3.0 and the future of online education.  It’s really fun, and I hope it passes the next round of approvals.  If not, I am presenting on this same subject at a conference in June, so I can at least use this content there.  I also need to get to work on an article about choosing between a blog or a discussion board in online classes.  Should be fun to write, also.

Micro-Blogging

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Microblog Websites

As the ‘Net’ generation went mobile, the Net itself wasn’t really ready. And, to be fair, most mobile devices weren’t really made to handle the full Internet, even though the iPhone has recently proved that it didn’t have to be this way. As a result, applications that Net users wanted to keep using were adapted for quick, portable mobile devices.

This is where micro-blogging came in. People who wanted to keep blogging from cellphones found that their web browser-lite cell application couldn’t really pull up a full blog site. Thus, micro-blogs were born. According to the Wikipeida article on micro-blogging:

Micro-blogging is a form of blogging that lets you write brief text updates (usually less than 200 characters) about your life on the go and send them to friends and interested observers via text messaging, instant messaging, email or the web.

The main idea is that you send in a short blurb on something, and then all of the people that are your friends can instantly see that update. They can choose to get updates by text messages, e-mails, RSS feeds, or on the web.

Of course, the danger here is that you get an endless stream of “I just brushed my teeth” or “wow – what a cute dress I found just now” updates. Some people can get too in to that. Some people have even found humorous uses for this technology. There can be educational uses.

At EduGeek Journal, we use Jaiku to update other EduGeeks with good articles, ideas, and funny statements throughout the day. Basically, stuff worth sharing but not in need of a full blog post.

Another use could be in group projects. Micro-blogs usually have the option to create “channels” that allow you to send specific posts about specific projects to that channel, and not your main micro-blog. If you have a group project, create a group channel and have your group members send in updates on their progress. Take the code for an update “badge,” insert it on a group wiki page, and everyone can quickly learn where everyone else is.

The two main micro-blogging platforms are Twitter and Jaiku, I personally prefer Jaiku, because it has a cleaner interface, and more features. But both are solid applications. Pownce is also a new site that mixes micro-blogging with file sharing.

There are probably many other uses for this. If you have any ideas on how you could use micro-blogging in an online course, please add a comment to share that idea with everyone else.