Podcasting.. overlooked and underused?

Reading Eashe's article on podcasting (2006, http://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/apr06/Eash.shtml) it occurred to me that I have been incredibly dense. I had what I thought was the great idea of getting the children to write stories, or any other creative efforts, in their spare moments and to then rcord them using Audacity. This has been successful so far, at least with some of them anyway. I intended to find the time to share these in class, but the curriculum being what it is we have nowhere near enough time.Now I know that I should have been releasing these audio files as podcasts for all to share. Parents could even sign up for an RSS feed if I look into it properly.
Beyond that, I should be getting them to post reviews and lectures of their own to share what they have learned in a real and motivating way. It is so easy to do, but it is also so easy to overlook the obvious possibilities presented by a technology until you step back and look at the broader picture. Next term then..

Microblogging... a big word for a little thing

So, micrologging eh? We had a staff PD on Twitter last year at which almost every single person conceded to never having looked at or considered joining Twitter, and I am pretty sure the numbers would be pretty much the same a year later, except that I would now have to confess to being a 'follower'. Personally I find it a massive struggle to even find the time to check my emails each day and when asked whether I received one often have to confess that it is probably buried in the list of messages that didn't look urgent enough to bother opening just yet. I don't believe I am alone in this. Realistically then, is there a place for microblogging in schools, and is there any hope of getting the teachers on board with it?
Having laid aside my initial aversion to having another layer of communication dumped on me I began to think of how this might possibly be of benefit. Firstly, it might actually lessen the size of my email inbox. Many unimportant messages that are currently emailed might be better placed as a microblog.
Secondly, we are often asked at the end of meeting to go away and look at something and feedback our thoughts later. Of course, as soon as everyone walks out of the door that is instantly forgottten. Staff might find it easier to add their thoughts to a microblog discussion, and the administration should be able to get their desired feedback.
So, what would need to happen for this to work. The crucial factor, according to Grenfell (2011, http://www.steptwo.com.au/papers/kmc_microblogging/index.html) is that leadership must be engaged with the tool. Staff can feel more involved and appreciative of the organisation's purpose/direction, but they need to know that they are part of a real conversation that the management are also involved in, otherwise they might as well just chat about it in the staff room at lunch time.
I think also, that what people want now is easy access. They want to be able to access and communicate on their phones or tablets as well as their laptops. To this end it is important to research the available tools and select the most flexible.
There are also issues of discussions that you want to keep to select groups, and you need to be able to maintain your membership lists. Most tools allow this kind of thing (http://www.cio.com.au/article/328255/12_microblogging_tools_consider/) but again it is important to research how the different tools will meet your needs.
There is certainly a place for microblogging in most organisations, even schools. You might even want to let the kids in on it! The key thing is to know what you want it for and to implement it accordingly.

Exploiting Social Media

So, I have read, watched and listened to various experts telling me about how how social networking and social media are now vitally important to businesses. What is surprising is that there is anyone who still doubts this. But apparently there are many high-end business leaders for whom the idea of giving up control and communicating with the public is offputting. Then there are those who want to use these networks but see them as simply another old-style promotionl tool. It must be noted, however, that these articles are a little bit dated.

The key messages that I have imbibed from Gary Hayes and Charlene Li are that if you want to promote your product/message you need to engage the audience in a conversation. They need to feel free to give feedback and offer ideas. For that to happen you need to come across as more than a faceless institution. You need to invest time and energy into getting to know your audience and, critically, building a trusting relationship with them. This is of course no problem because we all spend insane amounts of time online nowadays. The key question for teacher librarians is where to find this time. There will be those who argue that they can't spare it, but in today's world this should and must be a priority, so that time will have to be found.

Lost in an Endless Forest of Mediocrity

Ok, so I've done the reading and watched the YouTube video. I now know that Web 2.0 is all about blogging my little cotton socks off, linking, sharing and generally collaborating with every other online user of the  internet. Software is no longer a product to be bought and installed on your PC, it is a service that you subscribe to, and the more of us that use it and give feedback the more effective it becomes.
Web 2.0 applications operate by harnessing our collective intelligence and we advertise them for free by liking, sharing and linking on our other networks. I feel empowered and motivated to participate in building this grand new online landscape.

But wait! There are voices of dissent in this brave new world. Is 'web 2.0' just a buzzword? Are these definitions merely rehashed ideas that permeated the initial creation of the web?

Well, yes and no. These ideas of collaborative sharing were certainly part of the initial vision of the internet, but there can be no denying that the application of this vision has caught up with the idea. It is not a new web, but it is a more developed web. Where the next stage of that development goes will be interesting to see, if anywhere. Perhaps the web has already done the bulk of its evolution and anything that come from now on will be just window dressing?

Hopefully there will be more effective methods for filtering through the boggy mire of detritus. One of the major criticisms of web 2.0 seems to be that it has perpetrated a cult of amateurism, and that it is nigh on impossible to sort the quality from the vast amounts of junk. Still, on the positive side, therein lies an opening for your friendly local teacher librarian to step in with a highly developed set of search skills to light your way.

INF506 Social Networker.. Me?

My own definition of Social Networking is quite simply that it is the interaction between individuals and organisations via websites designed for that purpose. I think this phenomenon was founded in the desire to communicate more effectively with groups of friends in a public forum, but grew on the twin desires to show off our lives to others, and to know what other people are up to. Some people are prolific contributors while many will only ever look. However, these networks now also allow for communication by public and private organisations as we choose to include them in or personal networks, and they are increasingly more reflective of society as a whole.

I think my use of social networking sites is motivated by the desire to keep in touch with people I would not otherwise see often. I speak of course of Facebook, although my recent experience is that most people I know rarely/never post updates, while a small number of individuals with a lot of spare time post every mundane activity in their lives, and I tend to wonder why I am still checking it out. Beyond that I have dabbled in social bookmarking such as Delicious and Diigo for study and work, but tend to forget that they are there. While I have used blogs in study and at school, I would not use one in my private life. I think that, like many people, I do not have the time to use these networks often enough for them to feel useful.

I suppose I expect to learn new ways to use social networks/media from INF506, and to reprogram myself to be a more automatic/comfortable user of sites such as Twitter. I am particularly interested to see how we use Second Life. I have been aware of its use in education for some time, but have yet to see this in action.