August 2008 Archives

"An Error Occurred"

Yeah that's all that's left of my blog that I spent most of the day formulating in my head and a good hour making it sound right. Total FAIL there.

So I learned my lesson after the mishap of losing a blog. Never will I publish again without first saving a copy. Blaming my concussions from my student-athlete days, I of course cannot remember most of what I wrote about yesterday in my first attempt. So here goes again...

Engagement was a big takeaway from Learning Design Summer Camp (LDSC08) and I wanted to draw attention to Nikki Massaro Kauffman's posting on the topic. She talks about causing engagement due to a common cause or mission. Also, if people feel that they are "missing something" they'll end up bending to the pressures and adopting. Take Twitter for instance. So many attendees at LDSC08 were already on Twitter that it was obvioius that these people had some sort of "connection" or "network" with each other... even though many had never met each other. What did this seem like to the outsider? They were missing something. There was something fascinating going on that people were sharing inside jokes about and they had no idea. Result? Lot's of instant Twitterers (is that a word? I'm still new to this Twitter thing myself).

The other topic from yesterday that still stands out is my excitement at the Blogs@PSU project. Really I'm not paid to say that because I'm personally assigned to the project. I'm just THAT excited. I was introduced as the instructional designer for the project and was excited that during the next break several people came over and introduced themselves to me, asked me questions, and gave me ideas and suggestions. I've been in constant conversation with these people for the last two days now and progress is being made! We'll be working with different departments in the coming weeks for trainings on the version update and the new ePortfolio feature.

Another neat way to use blogs is as a professional development tool. I'll be researching and blogging more in-depth on that topic in the future... but start thinking!

Learning Design Summer Camp is Behind Us

These last two days have been such a breath of fresh air and a total mind-jumbling drain (in a good way) all wrapped into one. I expected Learning Design Summer Camp to be amazing and it didn't disappoint! We have such an active and engaged community throughout Penn State's many campuses and it was wonderful--especially being new--to be able to meet everyone and make some connections. The topics were all so valid and interesting that after a lively lunch session today on Day Two I was left all but completely drained. I just have so many new thoughts in my head and I've been working to get them onto paper this afternoon in hopes of making some sense out of everything in the next couple of days. I feel that I'm so mentally spent right now that I'm not sure how I'm typing. I LOVE that feeling! I may be crazy but I view it as total accomplishment. Nothing better.

So here are some thoughts for all to ponder:

• Do the communities you participate in help to form who you are? How do you control this?
• Is Twitter really so engaging that a group will continue to use it after a specific project or class is complete but let blogs or discussion groups die right away? Why is this the case?
  
• What does everyone think about blogs and copyright/public information issues?
• Are ePortfolios going to take over? Is it truly due to a generation on the move or are people just tired of killing trees and creating dust magnets out of shelved portfolios?
• Can a blog be used for professional development? In what ways?
  

One of the main themes that is actually clear to me right now was engagement. Hopefully this leads to adoption but let's not skip too far ahead. As evidenced from Camp, we are truly an engaged community and thankfully we have the tools, as well as the personalities, to stay that way. So how do we go about engaging others? Will it be different for faculty, students, administration? We have a really good thing going. Now is the time to act. I traded a good deal of contact information with others and I'll be sending them all an initial "hello" within in the next week. As discussed at Camp, one person can have a good idea... but if you have a group, another person can expand... and another can expand... and another can expand... and then... genius.

Learning Design Summer Camp

While I know I said my blog posts were going to focus on blogging uses I've decided to take a break (or maybe a side step) for the next couple days. I'm leaving in minutes now to attend the Learning Design Summer Camp and couldn't be more excited for the possibilities ahead for the next two days. A large part of the Camp is really about the community engagement that is going to take place and drive discussion on a number of topics. I know I'll learn of new insights on blog use to share and expand upon but that will be just the tip of the iceberg. Design/development and issues related to implementation are also high on my list of discussion topics.

We're going to learn briefly about ten different technologies during the "Lightening Talks" today and be able to quiz the experts throughout the rest of today and tomorrow. I'm hoping to see what else is out there and hear of any tips/tricks that people have used to make adoption and implementation go smoothly. I'm very into being able to show people the "value-add" that will come from the blogs project and I think this will be a great source of information knowing how others have done implementing theirs.

Here we go!!!

Adviser Blogs

So I came across another good use for a blog last Friday but was so tied up this weekend I didn't get a chance to put it into writing until now. That's fine because it actually gave me a chance to do a little research on the proper spelling of adviser vs. advisor. You'll all be happy to know that you can rest at ease with the new knowledge that Webster, and therefore Penn State, use "adviser" as the proper spelling. Imagine that. Useful knowledge before lunch on a Monday. It's going to be a productive week!

So getting back to the blog topic. It was discussed last week that when doing a project such as what the Schreyer Honors College is looking to do (see Blog-A-Day:3) it might be helpful to eventually tie advisers into the mix. Students could create the reflection pages and advisers could look at the individual's blog before meeting with them to discuss scheduling and other issues. This got me thinking, couldn't advisers have blogs too? What would these look like?

I did a little digging and came up with the Advisor Blog (yes they spell it that way... obviously leading me down the path of confusion stated above) from the Texas State University - San Marcos. In thinking about it, a blog is a perfect tool for advisers to answer FAQ's and disseminate pertinent information to a large audience. Perhaps less students would need to schedule an advising meeting if a blog were maintained. When a student asks a question that can pertain to a large audience, why not make a blog post? If graduation requirements change, why not make a blog post? With many advisers being booked weeks in advance this would be a great way for students to search for the answers ahead of time or be more informed on a topic before actually meeting with their adviser... not to mention, throw in an "about us" section and advisers just might have become humans with lives and interests in the eyes of the student body! Happy day for everyone!

Another Take on Using a Blog for Class Notes: Student-Maintained Reflection Pages

Continuing on yesterday's theme of using a blog for a class notes page, I want to discuss another way that this could work. Yesterday I wrote about a notes page that was maintained mostly by a professor or an assigned TA. Students were involved by each taking a turn to write up the notes for the day as well as post a "main highlights" entry. Today I want to discuss a different take on a notes page--student-maintained reflection pages.

This type of blog would be managed by each individual student. The purpose would be to have a place to post their course notes or reflections as they take shape. The professor could set up a main class page and create a tag for the student's to use. Then students can visit the main page, be able to take a look at everyone's postings, and visit particular blogs to comment should they choose to do so. Using the blogs in this manner really makes the learning a student-centered and student-maintained activity.

A blog used for notes purposes doesn't just have to be tailored to a specific class or learning activity either. We are currently working with the Schreyer Honors College on a project that is similar to what I've described, yet not for a particular course. Dean Brady's post explains things in greater depth but basically he's hoping to get a group of first-year students together to start blogs that they can then maintain throughout their years here at Penn State. More details will be worked out in a meeting next week but the idea is to have these students feel like they have a place to reflect, post pictures, engage, and grow while completing their studies, various activities, and programs such as a study abroad or an internship.

It's going to be very interesting to meet first with Dr. Brady and then with students and staff alike to see how this pans out from the start at the most basic level. I think it has the potential to be a really great tool in advancing engagement along with personal growth.  

Using a Blog for a "Class Notes" Page

Among the many interesting sites I've stumbled upon so far in my research on using blogs for educational purposes is a Harvard blog used to keep meeting agendas and notes. This format can easily be transferred to an educational setting and have huge benefits immediately. Think of having a running log of the highlights of each class lesson, pages with expanded material, and categories such as Ask the Professor, Ask Classmates, Schedules, and even Network.

In large classes the professor or a TA could be responsible for posting some highlights to the main page and more in-depth notes on a separate page. For smaller and more advanced classes, this is an activity that the instructor could assign to an individual student each time for creation. Learning becomes much more tangible when say the honors student realizes that part of their grade is attached to two or three posts of notes for fellow students throughout the semester.

While some professors may worry that posting notes from every class may drop attendance, people are starting to realize that this is not the case (of course that's not 100% but just work with me here). I spoke to one professor that was originally worried that recording his lectures and posting the podcasts would drop attendance. He gave it a shot and says he will never NOT record a lecture now. Attendance did not drop and he actually now has less questions to answer because people are able to go back and listen to what he said over and over again until they grasp the concepts.

Adding an Ask the Professor category will help students to realize that they still do have contact with their professor should the need arise, but with an Ask Classmates tab also present it is possible that they post there first if the question is general enough to the audience. This can help to create a sense of community and belonging that should spill over into the classroom... and with that thought in mind, the Network tab. A place for the students to go in, post about whatever suits them, and get to know each other without the pressures of school standing in the way.

These additional tabs are obviously general enough to be added to many blog uses but I figured I would clarify them here in one of my first postings. The main idea here is the notes, the sharing, study/review resources right at ones fingertips, and the community that has just been built around it all.

The Blog-A-Day Challenge

So I was away from work for the first two days of the Blog-A-Day Challenge due to a wedding and therefore decided that I was unable to take part. A total lack of Internet access makes it pretty hard to contribute. In any case I've been back at work for two days now and feel that I'm missing out on something if I continue to not take part so I'm creating my own rules.

The people in the Challenge have committed to making 21 posts this month by only posting on weekdays. With more than 21 days left in August I've determined that I can catch up. It could mean blogging over the weekend or posting two meaningful posts in one day... I haven't determined that yet... but like I said, my rules. I'm liking this already.

The focus of my entries is going to be just that--blogs. I've been an instructional designer with ETS for a whopping 7 work days now and my focus is the Blogs@PSU project. We're getting ready to move from MT4 to 4.2 and I have a lot to learn--not just about the differences in the upgrade but the full power that the the blogs project has to create change and growth/development opportunities for everyone involved (faculty, staff, students, departments, colleges, etc.). Therefore, my entries are going to share my growth in what I'm learning about the project each day. Some may focus on features while others may focus on unique ways for our audience(s) to use the platform in general.

It's a little daunting staring down the road and wondering if I'll have enough to contribute for another 20 posts but I think the real problem is going to be that as this all unfolds I'm going to find that 21 posts may not be enough. I have a lot to learn and I'm at the starting line. Here goes...