Transcript Blogs must be the Core tool you use (not just an add on)

BMU Research Seminar:
Blogging in Tertiary Education
James Farmer
Deakin University
http://incsub.org
An outline of this seminar is available at:
http://incsub.org/blog/bmu-research-seminar-blogging-in-tertiary-education/
The evolution of the ‘web log’
The evolution of the ‘web log’
The evolution of the ‘web log’
The evolution of the ‘web log’
The evolution of the literature
Into the Blogosphere
blog.lib.umn.edu/blogosphere/
Blogtalk Downunder
incsub.org/blogtalk
HigherEd BloggerCon
higheredblogcon.com/
Uses of Blogs
snurb.info/index.php?q=node/158
The BLOGS
@ ANYWHERE
REVELATIONS
aka: important guidelines for the uses of blogs in educational contexts
supported by experience, research and theoretical exploration into their use
and application across a range of disciplines and cohorts encompassing various
pedagogical approaches and assessment tasks
Revelation 1
Never approach blogs
as discussion boards,
listservs or learning
management systems
Revelation 2
GROUP BLOGS, However
Tempting, are A BAD
IDEA AND DO NOT WORK!
Revelation 3
You’ve
Gotta
Have:
Bloglines
RSS
aggregation
Subscriptions
SYNDICATION
Revelation 4
Use the Right tools
For the trade!
Revelation 5
Blogs must be the
Core tool you use
(not just an add on)
Revelation 6
Without appropriate
Assessment… you’re
stuffed
But more seriously…
• Blogs are unique tools that facilitate unique online interactions
• Most significantly they focus on the individual
• Critical to their success is the facility for and use of ‘aggregation’
• It is very difficult to build, from scratch, a successful blogging tool
• Blogs should integrate fully and integrally with your teaching and
learning approaches
So as a teacher….
Tasks should most likely be ones which focus on the individual first and
the group second
Try as hard as you can to forget about discussion boards
You’re gonna need to get one for yourself!
… and start aggregating
Assess as appropriate to the medium.
And as an organisation….
Be brave!
Employ ‘soft security’
You’re going to need to get someone who knows about these things
Consider alignments with Digital Object Management processes &
systems
Support your teachers
(your students will be just fine!)
Where to start?
Set yourself up with a free blog at edublogs.org
Set your students up with free blogs at uniblogs.org
Explore the area further, subscribe to incsub.org/blog or
downes.ca/news/OLDaily.xml
Any questions: [email protected]
Take a deep breath