Where To, Classroom 2.0?
When Classroom 2.0 started, there was a big question about whether social networking would even be an appropriate tool for an educational network. I believe that was quickly answered, and for many of us, CR 2.0 became a place of some amazing and engaging dialog.
The original purpose of the site was to provide an easy, user-friendly entry-point into using Web 2.0 for those who didn't have much (or any) experience with the collaborative web. I still think the site does that, but now that it's grown to almost 3400 members, I get the feeling that some of the sense of being a "community" that originally developed is harder to experience. And maybe that's OK, as lots of you have taken Ning and built your own communities that are more specific to your particular needs.
But I'd also like to tap into some of the "old guard" and find out if there are things you think I could be doing to improve/grow/facilitate what takes place here. When you take the time to participate, you make a huge difference and are appreciated.
(I also have to say that I really think it's time for some kind of a Classroom 2.0 get-together, virtual or physical. I'll be announcing EduBloggerCon 2008 soon, to take place in association with NECC, and this year we're also going to have EduBlogerCon West in March as part of the CUE.org show in Palm Springs. I'm hoping a lot of our CR 2.0 friends will come. But I keep wondering if there is enough critical mass to do a Web 2.0 in Education conference by itself... It wouldn't have to be huge, but I think it would be an amazing event.)
So, old and new guard, where do we go from here?
The original purpose of the site was to provide an easy, user-friendly entry-point into using Web 2.0 for those who didn't have much (or any) experience with the collaborative web. I still think the site does that, but now that it's grown to almost 3400 members, I get the feeling that some of the sense of being a "community" that originally developed is harder to experience. And maybe that's OK, as lots of you have taken Ning and built your own communities that are more specific to your particular needs.
But I'd also like to tap into some of the "old guard" and find out if there are things you think I could be doing to improve/grow/facilitate what takes place here. When you take the time to participate, you make a huge difference and are appreciated.
(I also have to say that I really think it's time for some kind of a Classroom 2.0 get-together, virtual or physical. I'll be announcing EduBloggerCon 2008 soon, to take place in association with NECC, and this year we're also going to have EduBlogerCon West in March as part of the CUE.org show in Palm Springs. I'm hoping a lot of our CR 2.0 friends will come. But I keep wondering if there is enough critical mass to do a Web 2.0 in Education conference by itself... It wouldn't have to be huge, but I think it would be an amazing event.)
So, old and new guard, where do we go from here?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Konrad Glogowski on
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Steve,
I really think that a weekly chat would be a great addition to this community. Would Mondays work well? It would give people time to prepare over the weekend - might be an important factor for those with very busy schedules.
I'd love to do a TalkShoe testdrive with you and anyone else who's interested. When would be a good time?
I also agree that SL can involve a steep learning curve ... but learning is about overcoming hurdles and challenging ourselves, so why not give it a try? There are some very experienced SL people in this community who, I am sure, would love to help out. Should we get their opinion on this?
- Konrad
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Permalink Reply by Connie Weber on
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I love the idea of a chat for CR2.0. Make sure the meeting time is outside of school time for many, and vary the time week to week... Would there be a theme for the discussion, or just "anything goes"?
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Permalink Reply by Colette Cassinelli on
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I recently started participating in the live shows for Women of the Web (WOW) and Edtech Talk and have thoroughly enjoyed listening to the conversation and participating in the chat. I would love a Classroom 2.0 show. Since this forum is great for beginners maybe once a month could be dedicated to teachers just into Web 2.0 and all the great tools like delicious, wikis, RSS could be explained in simple terms.
I would be willing to help with this (or any idea).
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Permalink Reply by Steve Hargadon on
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So, if I try to pull these ideas together, what if we did a bi-weekly chat show, the first 45 minutes of which was an introduction to a particular technology, a short tutorial, and Q&A? Then we could have the second 45 minutes of the show be just chat from the members who want to chat. People could come to either or both.
We could organize volunteers to do the tutorials. I wonder if Elluminate would consider sponsoring the show so we could use their robust environment. Would there be a better way?
Konrad: is there any tool for chat the bridges SL and a regular chat window? If you wanted to go ahead and organize some SL meetups, go for it and we can announce them here.
Something that would be interesting would be to see if people would want a live chat (text or voice) that was free-form and available every night or even all the time. I just worry about adding to already busy schedules.
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I like the idea of 45 presentation w/ 45 of chat. If that is too long then maybe pare it down to 30/30.
We already have a ready made audience in Classroom 2.0 - why don't we create a poll to discover what level people think they are and what they would like to see in a live show?
Elluminate would be great - I haven't used Talkshoe but would be willing to give it a try. SL is fine but has so many technical hurdles to overcome - I think that would be hard for beginners.
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Steve,
Unfortunately, the tool you mentioned doesn't exist. ... at least not in a truly usable and worry-free package, which means that it's not even worth considering. Merging SL and the web in real time and in a two-way fashion is not going to work.
I will, however, organize our first ever Classroom 2.0 meetup in a couple of weeks and we'll see what happens. You and Colette are right, there are some technical hurdles to overcome, so we may not have as many participants as on the web. Nevertheless, I believe it's worth trying, so I'll get it started. If people are interested, I'll keep it going. I'll start thinking about it this week and will keep you posted. I see no reason why it couldn't happen in, let's say, two weeks or so.
I'd love to help out with the podcast, too. Have you made up your mind re: TalkShoe vs. Elluminate?
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Go for it! Can't wait to see the outcome. I'll definitely be there. :) What help will you need?
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Steve,
I will schedule the meetup sometime next week and then use this community and other channels to make everyone aware of it. Might need your help with promotion. Will let you know once I choose a date. Thanks for the offer to help!
- Konrad
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Permalink Reply by Elizabeth Davis on
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That sounds great. I've recently been part of some Ustream TV presentations that Jeff Utecht has done from conferences in Texas and Malaysia. They were so much fun. I also moderated a session for When Night Falls at the end of the K12Online conference. They used Elluminate. Maybe we could offer a few different options for different times - since timezones are going to be a problem for people. I'm on the east coast of the US - I would be willing to help moderate something in the evening (after my kids are asleep). I think Elluminate costs money. Talkshoe looked like it could be a useful tool. It might be helpful to come up with a guiding question or theme to help shape the conversation.
Let me know how I can help.
-Liz
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Permalink Reply by BobStimson on
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Steve, I really like your idea of a live chat (text or voice) that was free-form and available all the time.
But it would be nice if it also incorporated video, since so many CR2.0 things require a visual component.
I would be happy to provide any member of this thread with a free webcam and a free channel on
channelme.tv., which in essence gives you your own TV channel on the web. All I would ask is that you let me put the video feeds on my sites at Mogulus, WorldMindNetwork, or Mystreams.
This would be great because at any time of the day or night you could go to the site and see SOME CR2.0 member doing SOMETHING live.
Why am I willing to give you the equipment and the channel hosting for free? Simple-- because the grants that support my site require VISITORS. And I know that once teachers and students discover the wonder of seeing themselves and their compatriots around the world on live streaming video, they will tell all their friends on MySpace and Facebook and Skype etc., and the site will grow.
Bob
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Permalink Reply by Sharon Betts on
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Hans,
I agree - I get a bit upset with myself for forgetting to view the different groups forums. I tried to subscribe to many - but that really wasn't feasible either. I love the idea of podcasting and videocasting individually. I am waiting.
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Permalink Reply by Hans Feldmeier on
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Hi Sharon, hi all
yes I think collaborating within a group must focus on more interactive possibilities offered by Ning! As to group DigiSkills I added Eyejot to get in touch with members via E-mail Videos.
Please check it out!
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