Thing 28 - Conference Blogging

I've been thinking about my experience blogging the conference. Conference blogging requires a whole new skill set which I, regretably, have yet to acquire. Writing an article may seem easy, but it requires some basic writing skills - determining a subject, organizing thoughts, writing a rough outline, fleshing out the thoughts, re-writing, and adding the final touches. It often takes me a day or two to organize my thoughts before I commit them. Sometimes even longer. Conference blogging requires a really different strategy. To attend a session, organize my thoughts and post to the blog all before going to the next session was really overwhelming. I had never taken a laptop to a conference before, so my learning curve began at figuring out how to balance a laptop. It went beyond that, however. How do you take notes for yourself which will be comprehensive enough to be of use afterwards and at the same time create a posting about the overall impression of the session for others to see? The instantaneous distillation of the main points of each presenter is somewhat akin to spontaneous translation. I can imagine using a double screen might be of some use. One screen is for the blog posting. The other for personal notes. Conference blogging is one of those skills like rubbing your tummy while patting your head, that not everyone can get the hang of. I wonder whether I will conquer or be conquered.

Thing 27 - Portability

Several months ago I purchased a laptop. I debated long and hard about the purchase. I didn't really need it, but it sure would make life a lot more efficient. I finally took the plunge. My laptop is a Dell Inspiron 1525 in purple with flowers. I love it. For a long time I didn't like laptops because I didn't like the way the keyboard felt. Either I have gotten used to it or they have vastly improved.



I have taken this laptop many places and logged many hours on it. It has helped me to accomplish more when waiting. It has made it possible for me to work more efficiently. It has enabled me to participate, remember and process more than ever before. Portibility means flexibility and a higher level of productivity for me.



So I am very excited for the opportunity to bring my laptop with me to the MSLA conference tomorrow and Monday and join in the blogging there. If you want to sign on and see what is happening you can check at the conference blog.



Thinking back to a year ago, it is amazing how much technology has become a normal part of my life.

Thing 26 - Technology on the Go

I experienced a powerful surge of technology melding this month as I debated what to do about my car. The poor car needed repairs which would cost more than it was worth. Faithful servant though it may have been, it was time to replace it. It will surprise no one this July that good gas mileage was high on the list of priorities. After consulting a stack of Consumer Reports I went to look at some of my top choices.

While I made my final selection based on reliability, excellent gas mileage, and service I found some perks which delighted me. All the cars I looked at were MP3 compatible. I merely needed to purchase a cord to hook my MP3 player into the car’s audio system. I can now listen to music or downloads through the speakers of my car. This opens up whole new worlds of commuting activities. I used to split my listening time between music and National Public Radio news. Sometimes I would secure a recorder to my safety belt and record lesson ideas as they came to me. These I would type at home. Now I also have the option of catching up on all of those podcasts which I subscribe to, but seldom have time to listen to in the evenings. More options. More decisions. Sometimes information overload overwhelms me, but the opportunities which MP3/car compatibility have opened up for me help to ease the strain.

In the process of getting myself ready, I had a funny encounter with a digital native. The necessary cord had to be purchased and I was directed to Circuit City. Looking around I was unable to locate the cord easily and decided it would be faster if I asked an employee. The young man I selected knew just what I was looking for. When I told him how excited I was to have this new capability he fixed that “Mom, you’re embarrassing me” look, rolled his eyes and said “It’s quite a common thing these days. Nothing special.” I walked away amused and awakened. Whenever I think I’m catching up, that I might even be on the cutting edge, something happens to awake me from my revere. So long as I don’t slip too far behind.

Thing 25 - Seeing clearly

Back in April I had the good fortune to meet with three women I greatly admire and respect. All three of them are intelligent, vivacious, warm and powerful. All three of them have seen me through some tough times. I hadn't seen any of them in months. Imagine my surprise when I found that all three of them now sport purple specks! We decided that it must be a sisterhood of kindred spirits.

So what does that have to do with web 2.0? As it turns out, plenty. As I visited with these friends and shared what I had found through the course, I found myself thinking more and more about the end user. My friends reminded me that web 2.0 is just a set of tools to use. I spent the rest of the spring thinking about when to use one of these marvelous tools and when using the tool might mean loosing sight of the end user. This may be a simple, obvious thought, but one I have found worth revisiting as I become more accustomed to a wider variety of web 2.0 applications.

By the way, the picture above was taken at a museum using my cell phone. This represents a first for me. All three of the glasses are purple, but they are all different. This underscores for me the fact that even with our similarities we are all individuals. That's something I want to remember when thinking about web 2.0.

Thing 24 - Cluster Maps

I decided to keep on counting. What better way to do that than add a Cluster Map to my blog? I've noticed those world maps on blogs which show how many people are viewing the blog and where in the world they are. Today when I pulled up a blog I noticed one and decided to look at it more closely. It said you could click on it to get one. Well, I'll be...

If you want one, go to http://clustrmaps.com and follow the directions. It was simple to apply for, easy to copy and paste the html and it showed up immediately. Now if only I can get people to view my blog! It will be fun to see where those dots will appear. So those of you who are traveling, I'd be much obliged if you would just look at my blog from a distant location. :-)

What a good reflection on this class it is that I would just figure it out and get one of my own. In the past I might have just wished for one. How empowering this web 2.0 has been.

Week 9 Thing 23 - Copyright, Creative Commons and Congratulations

What a wonderful way to finish the class. I thought I knew what Creative Commons was, but my thoughts were somewhat warped. The tutorials, videos and links were all quite helpful to understand CC more clearly. Also the resources were quite timely as I am currently having multiple conversations about copyright and what fair use means. These resources help me to refine my own understanding, something I find I can never get complaisant about.

Now for the questions:
1. What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?

Flickr, mashups, del.icio.us, wikis, zoho, library thing (and therefore Good Reads), YouTube, podcasts and Creative Commons are the objects.

A favorite discovery was how really able we are to use these resources, continue to learn and how in 9 short weeks these new technologies have become part of how I work and see the world. They do say that it takes 7 weeks to form a new habit. It appears that this habit has stuck with me. It will be interesting to see how long it lasts.

2. How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?

Lifelong learning means always being open to new things, taking an interest in the world around you and continually trying to improve yourself. At least that's what it means to me. This program has made it easier for me to learn about a number of things which I was very interested in, introduced me to things I knew nothing about and assisted me in going further than I had before or was likely to get on my own. Let's just say it was like the Triple A or Mapquest of Web2.0. You mapped out the route, but I drove there. And I didn't even have to pay for the gas. However it did take a toll on me... (couldn't resist.)

3. Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

Del.icio.us is a big grab bag treat. I find that I am starting to think about using it and am enjoying using it. While I still bookmark things using favorites, I find that I actually have started to use del.icio.us instead. That's a pretty big paradigm shift for me. Checking my RSS feeds regularly is also a big leap. Both have really changed the way I relate to my PC.

It must be said that with all these new ideas and technologies churning inside my head, I find myself being more open to new things around me. I was in Circuit City this evening and found myself playing with laptops. Usually I go for one thing and don't get distracted, but this evening I wandered around and learned a lot. This course has had a big impact.

4. What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?

There were a couple of very interesting links which weren't hot. Fixing the links or finding other links to do the same thing would have been helpful.

5. If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you choose to participate?

Absolutely. Positively. Without a doubt.

6. How would you describe your learning experience in ONE WORD or in ONE SENTENCE, so we could use your words to promote CSLA learning activities?

Transformational.

Thanks to everyone who took the class for making it a richer experience and especially to the people who made taking this course possible. I enjoyed reading everyone's blogs and gaining further insight. It will now take several months to really go back and dig deeper into the material.

Week 9 Thing 21 - eBooks and Audio Books

My opinions about what constitues reading, how it should be done and "correct format" have gone through considerable transformation over the past 5 years or so. Purist might have been a kind term to refer to my thoughts before I began the journey.

Audio books have stolen my heart. I used to think that listening didn't count. One had to read a physical book for it to "count." The fact is, though, that I can never read as much as I want to, even if I had all day to do it. Audio books allow me to increase my cultural literacy in the time that I do have. Still, students should read, shouldn't they? Getting over this misconception took me a bit of time, but now that I realise that so much of preliteracy involves being exposed to language audio books have a great part in learning to read and improving fluency. Also reading along while listening is an excellent strategy. So audio books have a special, if hard won, spot in my heart.

The new hurdle for me is getting used to downloading the books myself, finding appropriate storage methods, adjusting to a new format and making it part of my work/life.

Personally, I still feel more comfortable reading a book made of pulp. The amount of online reading I do is substantial, but it can be hard on the eyes. When I'm going to focus on a full work, I'd prefer to have a physical copy. I also wonder about the advisability of the focus on making libraries digital in an age when our natural resources are dwindling. One wonders how much we should be relying on electronic versions of books which are energy efficient to use (not produce) in the long run. It may be a moot point, but one I wonder about from time to time.

Frankly, I never thought I'd want to read a book online and then someone told me about Daily Lit. The folks who created Daily Lit found that they didn't read as much as they wanted to because they had busy schedules. They realised that they were reading their emails every day, but not finding time for great books. What they decided to do was to serialize books and send them by installment via email. There is also an RSS option. Through daily lit I have revisited many old favorites and found it very manageable. You control how often you receive the installements. The homepage shows books for purchase right up front, but if you browse you will see that most of their offerings are free. In the past I have chosen to receive them via email. This morning I tried to add the RSS feed to Google Reader without success. Using the feed option on VISTA worked, but I prefer to check Google Reader so I will have to conquer that hurdle. Daily Lit has made it easier to be open to the ebook and reading literature online.

It is great to have so many resources available.