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 Connie Weber on
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From the recent responses in this discussion, new questions are arising: content? standards? relevancy criteria?
Questions arise from the questions:
Is it absolutely clear who the moderator of a discussion is? Can there be many?
What types of "content" are we talking about? Is content clearly definable? (Is it a package, inside a box? Is the box apparent?) Are "themes" the same thing as "content"? If not, is it because themes are more open-ended? Should theme categories be predetermined? Should content?
How would definitions of standards, expectations, or relevancy-criteria be formed? Would the definitions be evolving?
Is it desirable to emphasize--and can a network like this emphasize-- both the content and the process of learning?
Thanks for bringing up such thought-provoking questions and ideas-- Lots to ponder.
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Permalink Reply by Ginger Lewman on
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As a member of the "old guard," joining about 3,200 members ago, I really cannot say how much I (and my students, colleagues, administrators, parents, etc) have benefitted from my participation in CR2.0. It truly has changed my life and given me wings to try new things in many aspects of my educational and personal life.
While it's an itching need to meet in real-time and space, I'm not sure how wide-spread or what the purpose would be. What can be said/done there that can't happen here? BUT, what I love about social networking is that you can opt in or out of anything as you please. If this conference/meeting happens, I can choose to participate or not, based on the value it has to offer to my students. In this large of a network must have freedom to opt in or out of everything. Instead of (or in addition to), if you want a more personal connection than simply typing, consider sharing Skype IDs and go from there!
I've been a very active member in the past, and after a recent couple-month hiatus to explore other growth areas, I find myself coming back "home" to a bigger and ever-growing resource of information and thought-provoking discussion. How should we guide its evolution? The sidebar tags were a helpful addition, as was the expansion of seeing more forum discussions. I always like a good host at this type of party to help keep the general flow of the party congenial!
As ddeubel mentions above, it's like a beachparty--and that's PRECISELY what I love about it. To put too much structure and guidelines to the natural evolution of the process could kill the friendly, easy-going nature of networking. We need to be able to pop in and out at will, each creating our own sense of need. The original purpose was to be a resource and it's filling that purpose nicely. Why can't that transfer to 5 or 10K?
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Permalink Reply by Sylvia Martinez on
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Yeah, I agree with the party metaphor. Sometimes I want to just enjoy the ride, sometimes I want to debate philosophy.
Steve, you must be the "host with the most"!
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Permalink Reply by Ian Grove-Stephensen on
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Hi Steve
View from a new guard: I've dabbled with online social networks since the early days of Ecademy and Linkedin, and found them universally a waste of time. I came into Classroom 2.0 with no great expectations, but I'm finding myself spending a significant chunk of time here. The big attraction for me is the huge diversity of the active membership that is sparking lots of ideas of where Yacapaca might go next. Steve, I'm sure I am echoing a lot of other people when I say you deserve huge credit for starting all this.
> I really think it's time for some kind of a Classroom 2.0 get-together, virtual or physical.
With members from Albania to Zimbabwe, a physical get-together would be unlikely to represent the diversity that makes Classroom 2.0 such a delight. And as we all have crowded diaries and disparate timezones, it would be best IMHO to go for some kind of asynchronous gathering. I'm imagining a 'standing conference'... a permanent online presence where each member could contribute as and when they wished. This train of thought brings me back to the conclusion that C2.0 is successful because it is already in the optimum format to meet the needs of this particular community.
Thinking about growth, let's assume that it is still exponential (do you graph membership/time?) and about to explode. One possibility: turn on its head the conventional desire to build as big as you can, and instead actively encourage sub-groups to bud off and 'steal' members from the core. Just an idea, thrown in without knowledge of your personal goals for the site.
Ian
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Permalink Reply by ddeubel on
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Ian,
It couldn't have been said better. Classroom 2.0 is great because of the plurality and diversity of members - a key in my opinion to any successful Web 2.0 social network application.
I'd like to see a more international approach and a start could be the online gathering. Once a year or biannually. But it could make an impact in a lot of classrooms (and how I judge any and all things educational, how does it reach the user?).
I am really wondering about the group function and hope that Ning comes up with better functionality for groups and communicative functions as well. I'm waiting . As is, I am a little pessimistic about "groups" on Ning. They seem to get started with a lot of energy but then not much happens. More like posters on a wall. Also, I'd love to be able to pick and chose from groups what could be posted on the mainpage.....
David
http://eflclassroom.ning.com
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Permalink Reply by Nancy Bosch on
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I think that Classroom 2.0 works fine, I don't feel the "size" at all. If i'm interested in the topic and want to discuss it I jump in and enjoy a discussion with one or two people. I generally read all the new forums, some I post on some I don't. I think if groups get started it will limit who I get to hear from---kinda like everybody going into their classrooms and shutting the door or only sitting with the grade level teachers at lunch. I like this cocktail party apporach.
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Permalink Reply by Steve Hargadon on
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Great thoughts! I think you must have been reading my mind. You and David, Nancy, and Hans!
There's more going on in my brain about this than I can fully express, so let me just start, and you can help me out.
1. I've been thinking about some kind of conference, and had the same thought about doing an online event. I'd like to take it a step further, and make it a "collaborative conference"--meaning, anyone who wants to suggest a presentation can do so and present or facilitate (like our EduBloggerCon "unconferences," but virtual). I need to figure out how to best do that, but I think the conference should be as *inclusive* as possible.
I do worry that there is now so much going on that I don't want to just add something for the sake of adding it. I wish that the K12Online conference were more inclusive, because we could then just point people there. But so far they have had a selection process for presenters, which in my mind goes against the collaborative nature of Web 2.0... And they have been very "non-participative" with other sites. For example, they created their own Ning site instead of working with CR 2.0, and actually rather forcefully "asked" me *not* to hold any structured discussions about the presentations so that all the discussions would happen at their site.
I'm interested in something much more expansive, open, and collaborative. So if someone who has never presented before wants to present, they can, and if they only get a few viewers or participants, so be it. Then the key is to have some kind of system for categorizing and easily finding presentations. And how much do we want it to be presentations? Is it a one- or two-day event, or, like you said, a "standing" or "running" conference?
One way to do this would be to create standardized social bookmarking tags and then link to them from CR 2.0, giving an explanation of how to create a presentation, then how to find other presentations.
I still think that regional, hands-on, collaborative workshops (even international) makes a lot of sense. If we could figure out how to do it and get a variety of sponsors, and involve local educators in being the primary facilitators, we could do something very "Web 2.0" in a physical way.
2. The growth and groups issues. I agree with Hans, I don't think Ning groups are robust enough yet to host the major subgroups. And I wish that the site moderator (me) had more control over groups, so that they could be more structured and organized.
One option would be to encourage the building of parallel Ning networks for different areas. You could have history.classroom20.com, biology.classroom20.com, etc. Then we could have some standard resources, but each of those would be their own Ning network. I kind of like the idea, and it would allow us to link out to each of them centrally, but for them to have more intimate discussions.
I really appreciate you bringing this up. Can't wait to get some feedback and more brainstorming!
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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Koch Lubke on
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I've already pitched a similar idea to some media educators on a listserv that I subscribe to. Most of us are alums of the media literacy program at Appalachian State University, run by Dr. David Considine. We are geographically dispersed (national and international) and do a lot of sharing of resources and ideas via this listserv, but the listserv just isn't all that dynamic and it's pretty sealed off.
Two folks have already responded with interest in my idea. I am eager to hear more, Steve, about your thoughts for "parallel Ning networks for different areas." I would like to add "mediaEd" or mediaLit" as one possible content area, should this be a direction we go in. And I would be *very* interested in moderating and facilitating this particular content area network. I think I am ready for the challenge, and it could dovetail nicely with my thesis work!
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Permalink Reply by Elizabeth Davis on
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Steve,
I'm surprised and disappointed to hear that the K12Online folks were so exclusive about their ning site. That is too bad, because I know I can only really manage one ning Site at a time. They really could have used this space - created a group or something like that. What a waste.
I love the idea of meeting in person somewhere and also providing an opportunity for a virtual presence for people who can't attend. Edubloggercon at Necc was the best part of the whole conference for me. The actual Necc conference was disappointing.
What about hooking up with educon20 at SLA in Philly? It feels like Chris Lehmann is trying to reproduce the edubloggercon experience. I'm hoping to attend. At this point, that is the only kind of conference that I feel is really worth my time.
-Liz
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Hi, Liz!
I agree--I wish they had used this site... :) Two things I love about Web 2.0: conversations can take place anywhere, and you never know what's going to happen next!
We're going to do an EduBloggerCon West in March in Palm Springs as part of the CUE.org conference, and then EduBloggerCon 2008 in San Antonio. I'm thinking of changing the name to "EduBloggerCon + Classroom 2.0 LIVE" to broaden the audience. I'd really love it if CR 2.0 folks attended and participated.
I'm hopeful to make CL's Philly event. He's really running it independently, and I've actually never talked to him about it, so I have the sense he wants it to be different than EBC. It does seem a little more structured than EBC, and also less about the technology. It's a good addition, I think, to the F2F programs.
My interest with CR 2.0 is helping to draw people in who are learning about Web 2.0 and feel new. That's why I keep coming back to the regional workshops. Just brainstorming...
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Unfortunately (for me) I am on the east coast. I wish I could attend Palm Springs and San Antonio - but with small children and a small budget, that is unlikely. Philly fits my pocketbook and my time constraints. Steve, it would be great if you could be there - yes Chris is doing his own thing, but it is the people who attend that will shape the experience. Maybe I can encourage East Coast CR 2.0 people to attend and try to schedule some ways for us to get together.
B.T.W for those of you following this thread. Here is the link to the info about the conference: http://educon20.wikispaces.com/
What is going on with this exclusivity? K12Online wants a separate ning Site... Chris isn't talking to you about educon 2.0... yikes, this doesn't sound good.
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I don't think Chris necessarily needed to talk with me. His conference is different than EduBloggerCon--as he says, it's not a technology conference, there is a cost to attend, and it's really not an "unconference." I think much of the fun of what is going on are the different things being tried. While much of what gets talked about here on CR 2.0 is philosophically aligned with his event, CR 2.0 is definitely addressing the technology.
What will be interesting to see is if school20.ning.com starts resurrecting its dialog...
There is an interesting discussion to be had, I think, about how far-reaching the changes in our culture are going to be because of the influence of collaborative technologies. We are watching a lot of these things take place as they happen, and the mix of old and new models is fascinating. I keep thinking this when attending conference sessions about collaboration where the format is lecture style. Maybe the edublogosphere (myself included) suffers a little from this in the area of collaboration. It's hard to throw away the old models of "ownership," and walking bravely out into the arena of true collaboration. Your value in the marketplace, your sense of self, your ability to shape your career--the models all change in a collaborative world, and we're all just figuring it out. Plus, blogging has depended on, and maybe even promotes, much more of a sense of ego than, say, a social network dialog does.
You probably remember that CR 2.0 got some criticism at the start from some of the traditional bloggers who felt that coming on to a social network was "too easy," and wouldn't provide the same personal/intellectual benefits that blogging had for them. That was probably true, but social networking has also allowed a significantly larger community to become involved, and both have value. I don't know how representative I am, but I spend much more time in CR 2.0, and have a much greater sense of engagement, than I do with reading or writing blog posts now. But I still do both, and see them both as valuable.
I'm really glad all kinds of different events/sites/networks/conferences/unconferences are being tried. And as much as possible, I'm personally going to try to model collaboration and inclusiveness in the creation and running of the ones I'm involved in. I'm much more cooperative than competitive, and love the free market because it fundamentally allows choice, not because it is based on self-interest.
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