#13: Well, I opened my delicious account and now I can't get it off my dashboard. I feel the same way about it that I did about Google reader and basically it hurts my head to read the directions and if I do all this tagging, it's time to go out and play with real live people. Don't get me wrong I love all the 2.0 things I'm learning but I can only handle so much information.
I spent 12 years as a film and video producer. The technology was continually changing but one thing was consistent. It got simpler and easier to use so much so that untrained people thought they could do it (for example PowerPoint). I guess my point is that it is the same theory with 2.o, there will always be techies who like all things complicated. I take the "if it's simple and works consistently I'm all for it" approach.
About Nings. I belong to three Nings. One is an Independent Educators Ning, one is the Ning started for my school community a year ago summer, and one is a Ning I started for a school group I advise. When I first joined my school Ning everyone had to get on it as a requirement. I joined discussion groups, changed my page design, and was very active. After about a year, my entire school faculty hates it and refuses to get on. They would rather converse over email . We had one group on the Ning to discuss boarding student behavior last year - this year all the dorm heads insisted on email. I don't think anyone has gotten on the Ning for over 6 months. My students also found it complicated and would also prefer email.
#14: I opened a Technorati account and "claimed" my blog. I also followed Technorati on Twitter. I have to say I like Technorati better than Delicious and really like the authority feature. I'm still not sure I'm sold on tagging but I will play with it and see if I can get into it.
#15: I have been familiar with Creative Commons for some time and belong to a Facebook group. I learned about it when Linda Braun from YALSA came to do a technology training session at my library. I now follow the Lessig blog. I absolutely love the copyright comic put out by Duke University students and can't wait to use it with my kids.
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I'm not sure I get Nings. Why not just email? I like your thought about taking the simple and consistent new technological developments. I'm afraid that being quite so "hooked up" reminds me of the book, "Feed", by MT Anderson that I read for YA this last summer. It's SCIFI but a little scary as to how real it seems!
ReplyDeleteThat is so interesting about your experience with Nings at school. I am part of several too and I really don't keep up with them. It's just too complicated. The thing that would make it better than email is that it's a group discussion. But you have to be really interested and have it be on a priority topic in order to keep it active.
ReplyDeleteAt my school we have a student Ning for the middle school. The kids have a leadership group for social activism. They raised $3000 last year for Darfur. They use the Ning to hold discussions on fund raising ideas, plan meetings and events, and socialize. They love it! Faculty advisers are there too, using the Ning to organize the students and teach digital citizenship. Its working really well I think.
Personally, I like "transparent" tech. If I have to focus too much on the navigation/format, then it isn't worth it. Soft of like being a good waitress (service without attention)
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