Introductions

[Harold Jarche]

Please tell us a bit about yourself and what brought you here. You may want to ask some questions or describe some issues that you are facing.

Don't be shy!

[mireille]

Hello

My name is Mireille (said like Me-Ray) I'm a corporate educator wanting to learn more how to use web 2.0 technologies to better connect, communicate and collaborate with people in my courses.

As part of one of my courses Connectivism and Connective Knowledge, I have offered to collaborate with my global community in creating a wiki to offer tutorials on learning the tools that have been suggested.

[paul lowe]

I run a Masters programme in photojournalism and documentary photography at the London College of Communication, University of the Arts London. We have a traditional f2f mode but also a new fully online 2 year part time mode that is delivered using live webconferencing, blogs, VLE (blackboard) and a digital image asset management system.
I'm trying to instigate change within my organisation at a grassroots and a management level, to encompass a wider shift in our culture towards greater collaboration using web 2 tools and thought processes - we are a practice led institution with a lot of professionals turned academics on the staff. So am interested in how to encourage and manage change in a large unwieldy organisation like a university with different campuses and cultures.
I'm particularly interested in using blogs as reflective journals, using wikis to develop group based research projects, tools like IM and twitter to enhance engagement and collaboration, and delivering real time synchronous sessions using web conferencing.
You can see my blog at http://eflections.edublogs.org/

[Harold Jarche]

Bonjour Mireille and hello Paul; our first commenters. Perhaps another question to ask of everyone (there's always one more, isn't there?) is whether you consider yourself 1) a spectator, or 2) a joiner or 3) a creator - for the purposes of this course.

[Skyden]

My name is Howard Wu, I am a Chinese-American living in Canada. I have been in tech for 10 years on the marketing side, worked in China, US and now Canada. Recent shift into eLearning environment as the company I work for (Lambda Solutions) focuses its core competency in this sector. The web 2.0 side interests me a lot with cloud computing, web based apps and social networking. I think we are witnessing the software revolution similar to what happened in the Semiconductor industry 20 years ago when Foundry business model started. (I'm trying to keep the intro short...) I am very excited to meet everyone in this forum and I look forward to learning from each and everyone of you.
P.S. I'm a creator (I hope)

[Collin Kromke]

I attended the Guild's Summer Seminar Series workshop in Chicago on Collaborative Learning, and haven't looked back since. I was truly inspired by what I saw and I just can't seem to get enough information on Web 2.0/Learning 2.0, so here I am! I just wish my real job would quit getting in the way of my pursuit of this new love in my life!

At different times during the course, I'll be a spectator, a joiner or a creator depending on other work commitments, etc. Ideally, I would want to be a creator most of the time, but chances are I'll end up being a joiner instead.

[Rheinard Korf]

Hi Everyone,

I'm Rheinard Korf. My background is in software/web development and database design. I've been an educator for about 5 years now... started as an IT trainer and now employed in the same organization as a Senior Educator as part of an E-Learning team.

My role is to use my experiences and knowledge to assist other teachers in the organization - helping them integrate technology into their delivery (where applicable).

I'm interested in seeing how other educators are using technology and look forward to building some networks.

[Melanie Jennings]

Howdy-do! I work in the field of educational technology, providing professional development for teachers in the effective use of technology in the classroom. I found this network through the Bamboo Project Blog. I also teach biological science courses at a local community college, and I look forward to acquiring some new skills through this network.

[David Fair]

Hello. I have worked in IT support roles for seven years and have gradually migrated into the eLearning world as I discovered my aptitude for training and a demand for training skills (on the part of corporate management and my user communities). I have just completed a cross-country move to Minnesota to live on the beautiful north shore of Lake Superior.

I am entering into full-time eLearning development. I am somewhat familiar with Web 2.0 technologies, but I want to delve deeper into their use – especially as they pertain to eLearning. I plan to be a “creator” for this learning experience. I regularly read Tony Karrer’s eLearning Technology blog, which brought me to this 6-week course. I am looking forward to it.

Since Harold urges us not to be shy and to describe issues we are facing... I can create course outlines and build eLearning content. (I am certainly looking to improve, of course.) My biggest issue at present is to learn how best to plan out an eLearning project for a customer, so that I know how much to propose (charge) for my time.

[Matt Blackstock]

Hi all,
My name is Matt Blackstock. I am a Learning and Development specialist with a large regional financial institution. I have a background in psychology, acting, retail and finacial services.

I am currently administrating the shift to a blended learning approach for our corporation which has to date strongly relied upon a face to face model for its training delivery. Our demographic has expanded beyond our head office region so it is becoming more and more imperative that we are able to offer some of our material via an elearning environment.

I am a closet computer geek, and love the possibilities that Web 2.0 tools offer to take us outside our traditional understanding of training.

I am looking forward to interacting with everyone, and getting their 'take' on Learning 2.0, how they use Web 2.0 in their learning delivery, as well all associated tools and possibilities!

[Mark Frank]

I am a freelance trainer/learning consultant based near Winchester, UK. I have spent much of my career designing and implementing training programmes to support IT roll outs. This kind of training is often driven by IT project management with an (understandable) focus on demanding deadlines and essential cognitive skills for both users and technical staff. What is neglected is affective objectives and the wider learning context - what happens before and after formal training. I am interested in ways of meeting these broader requirements.

I would hope to be spectator, joiner and creator :-)

[Michele Martin]

Wow! It's great to see so many people here already, with a range of experiences and interests related to social media and learning. This should make for some really interesting discussions and possibilities throughout the next 6 weeks.

Thanks for signing up and please let us know if you have any particular questions related to any of the topics we'll be exploring. We want to make sure that the course meets your needs (to the extent that we can), so your feedback and ideas are very much appreciated.

[Hilda Cove]

Hello everyone,
My name is Hilda Cove and I am currently coordinating an offshore delivery for first and second year university students at Liaoning University in China. I work for Victoria University (Australia) and am involved with developing and piloting an online reading elective course for students who are studying English as a second language; I strongly believe that web 2.0 technologies should be incorporated and will look forward to gaining some ideas through this course.

I'm also interested in figuring out how to use blogs and wikis in our regular semestered courses in order to move away from using email as the means to receive student assessment tasks.