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!

[paul lowe]

FYI
I’m giving a Distinguished Speaker lecture at Wimba online tomorrow wed sept 24th at 16.00 BST/11.00ET about blogs in postgraduate education as an aid to reflective practice.

you can register here

the abstract is here

Blogs form a vital part of the collaborative space in which postgraduates interact with each other and with tutors and industry professionals; operating as the core of the learning circle, connecting and interlinking its stages and transforming practical assignments into an Schonian repertoire of experience that prepares the student for professional practice. Their real time nature and the seamless mashing up of ideas, reflections, images, links and emotions of the blogging format create the foundations for a future generation of E-flective Practitioners.

This presentation discusses how the School of Media at the London College of Communication, University of the Arts London, uses blogs alongside synchronous interactions using the Wimba classroom to map the participants learning journey on the course in both full time face-to-face and fully online part time modes, and to build a collaborative community of practice on the course.

Blogs act as a conduit of connected knowledge between the teaching staff and the cohort, offering an unparralled insight into the working methodologies, influences, problems and successes of the group in real time in a way traditional tutorial forms cannot replicate.

The Media School targets mature students who are mid-career professionals looking to deepen and extend their practice, or who are looking to gain the skills and methodological toolbox to operate as professionals in the media and related areas.

Through student feedback and analysis of the role of blogs on the course, the course team identified several key features of blogs, identifying both the strengths and potential problem areas; and how they map onto Schon’s concepts of reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action.

[Tony Karrer]

Great to see people coming in already and that folks are able to get into Ning okay.

[Brent MacKinnon]

Hi everyone,

I am using web 2.0 tools in a project I'm managing in York Region, just north of Toronto. I am totally immersed in learning about web 2.0 for my work and personal learning. I recently completed (summer 2008) a fantastic learning experience called Social Tech Training sponsored by the MaRS organization and leading web 2.0 organizations across Canada and the States. I've decided to move my work and career into this new emerging role of community engagement with social tech/media. I have a discovered a new personal passion for supporting change and learning through social media and I intend to work with groups and individuals who are willing to move in this direction.

I'm enrolled in the Connectivism and Connective Knowledge course and I'm enjoying that however it's huge and difficult to follow at times, especially carrying a full load in my work week. This course looks like it will be very helpful for me, especially in acquiring and practicing new social media skills. Michelle Martin and Harold Jarche are bloggers that I follow and I benefit from. I'm sure it will be stimulating experience for all and I look forward to contributing to the course.

Brent

[Karyn Romeis]

Hi Duncan - thanks for the good wishes. May I reciprocate? I am enrolled at one of those 'institutions' at the moment, and the 'issues' abound. Bless them, some of the lecturers have started to use the Bb dicsussion forums and feel so very 'out there' and leading edge-ish as a consequence. They show no signs of upping the ante by moving forward another step any time soon ;o)

Duncan Greenhill said:

Hi Karyn,
I read your blog - just wanted to wish you success with your 'new freelance' status.

Duncan

Karyn Romeis said:

I'm Karyn Romeis aka the learning anorak, a (newly) freelance L&D consultant. I am all about learner empowerment.

I found my way here via a Twitter message from @soulsoup aka Anol Bhattacharya.

[Gina Minks]

Hi everyone! My name is Gina Minks, I develop technical training course for EMC Corporation. I'm also a graduate student in the Instructional Systems program at Florida State University. I blog about the intersection of my job, my graduate studies, and Web 2.0 tools at my blog Adventures in Corporate Education.

I'd like to see some ideas of how to blend the new tools with existing tools and frameworks. We already do a pretty good job with training, so how do we design with these tools to take it to the next level?

[Chris Dube]

It is time to enter a new technological world before I am dragged into it kicking and screaming! The face of technical training will be changing. I have always been the guy who is the subject matter expert who goes along with the decision of others on how the courses I develop are delivered. Ultimately I want to come up to speed on this arena of which I am unfamiliar and uncomfortable to prepare myself for what is coming.

[Jennifer Freed]

Hi! I'm Jennifer Freed and I am the faculty chair for Instructional Design at Rio Salado College. We have just started an eLearning Design certificate program (the first course was offered in July) and I'm constantly trying to learn new ways to incorporate web 2.0 in to the courses I am writing/teaching and also in eLearning in general so I can share strategies and ideas with the students in my program.

[Virginia Yonkers]

I am an instructor in business, communication, globalization, and educational technology. While I have been teaching about social media, I have some big wholes in my background (which fortunately, my students are able to help me with). I am also interested in learning how it's being used in workplace setting to better prepare my students. Finally, I am finishing my dissertation, in which I am studying a group that is incorporating (or at least thinking about it) social media into their training. I am hoping this course might give me an insight into how unique their situation is.

As I teach, am writing my dissertation, and have two teenagers, I am thinking I'll only get to be an observer, although I would like to be a creator with the abrogators (which totally mystify me).

[Peggy Layne]

Hi...I'm Peggy. Its really exciting to see who's participating and how diverse the backgrounds and locations are! I am an Instructional Designer who is a novice at Web 2.0. I want to learn as much as I can so that I can use it effectively and make e-courses that I design better for my students. This should be fun!!!

[Christine Freeman]

My work has focused on learning in school, first K-12 students and now college students. I'm working on online learning, primarily products that are used for homework and learning in partnership with in-person courses.

I get to play in a range of design disciplines within the overall umbrella of user experience design. The range includes instructional design, information design, some information architecture, usability, and interaction design. Every project calls for a different blend.

I'd call myself a lurker in terms of blogs. I'd like to get out there, try a variety of Web 2.0 tools, to learn more when and how each can contribute to more effective, interactive, collaborative learning. My goal is to be able to add value to online learning by integrating such Web 2.0 tools.

[Tim Butz]

Hi all,

I've been in the technology arm of educational publishing for nearly 25 years. The "eternal question" is "How can we use technology to best enhance the learning experience for students and teachers alike?". There are lots of "easy" things that can be done, but their effectiveness may be limited. Conversely, there is a world of potential in much more complex and expensive to produce solutions. How can I get the best bang for my technological dollar? What part does web 2.0 and social networking play in answering that question?

[Ourania Nikolaidis]

Hi everyone!
I am the web based training developer for Children's Hospital Boston. Currently we dont use any web 2.0 (Learn 2.0) in our learning. I would like to learn as much as there is so I can see about implementing it.

I am attending the DevLearn 08 conference and cant wait to learn even more..