1. How would you design and manage content in a blog?
A blog needs to be designed for ease of use by the author as well as by potential readers. It should be visually appealing to help engage readers. Headings and tags should be used for ease of naviagtion. Font needs to be easy to read and consistent to improve readability. It should be easy to upload new entries, photos, images and video, and provide opporunitites for readers to provide comments and feedback on the content.
2. Summary of Blogger
When having to set up a blog for this subject, I chose Blogger because it was very easy to use and set up. A video tutorial was provided to help with setting up the account. I was easily able to set up a profile and choose an appropriate level of security to allow others to access the site and make comments. It is easy to create new posts and edit old ones. I can choose a variety of fonts and colours to help make text stand out, and topic titles and tags make it easy to navigate through a blog. I was able to include an introduction which stated the purpose of my site. Blogger enables others to follow the site and provide comments and feedback, making the establishment of community easy. Blogger is designed for growth and change, allows you to create and maintain community feedback, and allows members to eventually take more control.
I have had some issues with using Blogger that have caused frustration at times. I would like more control over how the contents and topics are organised. I would like to be able to sort the topics into categories so that all OLR Exersices are listed together, all Chat Reflections listed together etc... However Blogger only seems to list them in reverse chronological order. I have also had difficulty changing the layout of text, for example using tables or columns, and inserting pictures and placing them where I want them.
Exercise 4.2: Hosting Good Conversations: House Rules!
a) Discuss three ways of providing users with more control in an online community
1. Provide good help tools, for example online videos and tutorials to help users become familiar with how to use the technology. As users become more familiar and comfortable with the technology, they will gain more control of the community.
2. Provide clear objectives and guidelines for the community, including accepted rules and protocols.
3. Provide a forum or chat facility which enables users to discuss and share issues and problems, and suggest solutions.
b) Howard Rheingold wrote the The Art of Hosting Good Conversations Online in 1998. What three rules or tips did you find interesting or have experienced so far in your online meetings or interaction?
The three tips I have experienced with our online meetings and interaction so far are:
1. A spirit of group creativity, experimentation, exploration, good will.
In our online meetings we are certainly experimenting and exploring different online facilities, and are providing good will and support to each other as technology works or challenges us.
2. A shared committment to work together toward better communication, better conversations.
We are working together to find a tool that supports all of our technology platforms, time zones, and large group communication so that we can have better conversations.
3. A place where everybody builds social capital individually by improving each other's knowledge capital collaboratively.
We are working together to improve each other's knowledge and understanding of this subject, the terminology and technology, therefore improving our knowledge capital.
c) Read the ISPG policy for user behaviour in a MOO at http://ispg.csu.edu.au/subjects/cscw/moo/moo-policy.doc and compare it with the Community Guidelines at http://digg.com/guidelines.
I have finally been able to access the Moo Policy Document after having problems the first time. The document is very wordy and uninviting to read. It is quite formal and is written in academic language. It explains the rules of engagement and provides examples and reasons why certain behaviour is acceptable and unacceptable. Rules are basically designed to ensure appropriate behaviour, language and respect for others are used.
The Community Guideleines at Digg are explained very simply and clearly. It is quite informal and the language is more modern and youthful. There are 5 rules which users are expected to follow, which are simple to read. The use of graphics and the simple layout of the page make it easy to read.
While both documents have simlar rules of engagement and expectations of behaviour and language, the guidelines at Digg are far easier to read and understand than the Moo Policy Document. The Moo Policy Document is far more explicit in its expectations of appropriate behaviour. They are both designed to convey the same message, and users are more likely to read and pay attention to the simple rules at Digg. I think most users would not bother to read the Moo Policy Document.
Why do collaborative social software systems with synchronous and asynchronous communications need to develop a set of “rules of engagement"?
Any community or society requires a set of rules in order to keep law and order and prevent anarchy. An online community is no different. Without rules and expectations, people may be encouraged to behave inappropriately towards others. People want to feel safe and valued within the online community, just as they do in reality. Although there will always be an element of any society who bend or disobey the rules, most people are more likely to accept and follow them. This is because people generally want to be accepted and respected by the community. Also by having rules, it allows communities to exclude those who do not comply.
Is the need the same or less when using a document sharing system only?
In using a document sharing system, there is still a need for rules and expectations about how people needs to be respectful of others. Documents can be used to hurt others and can be evidence in legal cases. Most businesses who use document sharing systems would have a set of guidelines about appropriate use.
Exercise 4.3: Social Networking Tools for your "PLN"
a) My heuristic of sites which do/do not have potential and challenges for learning
Sites which have potential for learning:
- Yahoo!
- YouTube
- Ning
- Delicious
- TeacherTube
- Flickr
- Bubbl.us
Sites which have potential for Professional Development:
- Yahoo!
- YouTube
- Ning
- Delicious
- TeacherTube
- bubbl.us
Sites which do not have uses or have challenges for use in education:
- Bebo
- MySpace
- RevYu
- SocialGo
- Digg
These sites are mostly social / gossip pages that would have issues around privacy and security of students and can not be accessed by students through education portals. They also may provide more distractions than educational value.
b) 2 new social profiles:
Ning
I have set up a profile at Ning. http://www.ning.com/
I have been meaning to do this for a while because the netbook trial I am involved in had set one up and I had been meaning to join. The netbook trial is using it as a place for teachers involved in the netbook trial to communicate, share ideas and access information about various issues including technical difficulties. This is proof of the site's worth as a Professional Development tool. Click the following link to find out more about the 1 to 1 Netbook Trial - "In their hands" - State of Victoria, DEECD
While I was setting up my Ning profile, I also created a social network for the Blue Pod and have sent a message asking for email addresses so that I can invite others to join. The link is http://itc501blue.ning.com/
I have set up a profile at Twitter, but I have no real idea what to do with it because I do not really know anyone who uses it. It seems like a good time waster to me. I followed Dave Hughes because he was the only person I could think of at the time, and I wanted to see what happens. but I have no real interest in it.
c) Do I have a "PLN"?
Yes I guess I do, although I had never thought of it in these terms before. I have had to join so many sites because of this course, and have to remember so many usernames and passwords, that I have set up a Word Document with hyperlinks to each site, and have listed the usernames and passwords. Not very good security I suppose, but I have to store them somewhere, and this was the easiest option.
d) Optional: Create a social network for your POD group:
I have created a Ning for our POD group and invited others to join. The link to the site is http://itc501blue.ning.com/
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