Blogs and Aggregators...a Match Made in Heaven

The Big Picture

Many historical events have stopped the world in its tracks. Events like the theory of relativity, the invention of the printing press, and the birth of Tim Hortons rank right at the top of the monumental events list. But ultimately, stories of love continue to strike our souls at the very core. Many of you may be thinking of New Moon but before those vampires hit the screen, the biggest love story of all time was...
Randy the Macho Man Savage and Elizabeth.

The Proposal



The Response



I still remember where I was for this wedding....Barbados, drinking sour sop punch and sweating like a mad man. What is the point? Blogging and feed aggregators are two tools that were meant to be together. Any teacher or librarian who chooses to bask in their radiance will be changed forever. Don't believe me?

My First Experiences with the Lovely Couple

Before September I hadn't met either partner. I didn't know what blogs were and I definitely didn't know what 'RSS' or feed aggregators were (hmmm...sounds like aligators). This posting could go on for days so I want to focus more on the relationship between the two tools rather than breaking each down individually. If any of you are unsure about what blogging is you are reading one right now and my colleague did a great posting about the basics of blogging (Click here) Check out the links under "Google Reader Wonderfulness" on my sidebar to tour blogs and to find blogs about blogs.

The learning process has been long so I will give you brief highlights in the screencasts below.

1. blog_and_RSS1

2. feeds

3. Blog_and_RSS2

4. Blog_and_RSS3

The Couple's Impact on Me and Society

1. Self Efficacy - I am a person who wears many hats. Many of the roles I play in my personal life require skills that I don't have. As a dad, this fact drives me crazy. My mom always talked about how her father and mother would show her everything she needed to know. She walked side by side with them as they demonstrated the skills that she needed. Fast forward a few decades, I come along, both my parents worked, and the information age kicked into overdrive. Now I have to figure things out on my own. My son, my professors, my wife, my in-laws all seem to turn to me for advice or throw things my way that I am ill prepared to deal with. Having a planet full of bloggers and simple data collection tools such as Google Reader and Bloglines mean that I can learn what I need to know at any time. Even silly stuff like not knowing how to cook yams for his supper. Click. Click. Subscribe. Voila...recipes, tips, tricks, coming out the wazoo. I used to workout so people ask me for weight management tips. Besides referring them to a pro I can say check this out.

2. Move at my own pace without offending - One pitfall of feed aggregators is that they don't stop. They constantly bring you more...more...more. In fact, an hour ago I had only about 200 unread items, now I am at over 700. You can and will feel overwhelmed. The advantage to these tools is you are one step removed from a conversation. If you decide to ignore the incoming information or if you decide to mark them all as read so they magically disappear, no one is offended. Unlike Twitter where you are interacting directly with a community, these tools make learning all about you. Read what you want, when you want and nobody else is the wiser. For other management tips or considerations, check out Crystal's blog under Personal Implications (Click Here)

3. Join in...everybody's doing it - Take some time to read or listen to people like Joyce Valenza, Mack Male, Will Richardson, and Wesley Fryer. The constantly hit home that the web is now a venue for participation and conversation. If someone blogs something that strikes my fancy or gets me going...I don't have to sit idle. I can do my research, generate my own blog posting, and link my readers directly to the person I am responding to. I am part of the game. I am not on the sidelines anymore. This makes the internet far more exciting, personal, and alive.

"I suspect that the world-reach thrill of blogging might be novel and might wear off. But it occurs to me that the true power of working within an audience, as opposed to performing in front of an audience (writing to the teacher, what you thing the teacher wants to read), is the power of conversation. It’s knowing that somebody (even the guy in the next row) is reading what you are writing (not measuring it), and that the reader may respond to what you’ve written, pushing you to rethink and respond back." (http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/?p=2020)

4. Positive pressure to improve - My son and I are about to start our own blog before Christmas. Knowing that people are going to read our stuff, that they will be able to use Google Reader to track our writings, and that they may choose to stop following us is exciting/challenging. Blogging pushes us to become better bloggers for our reputations' sake and for the sake of our community (http://www.copyblogger.com/off-track-writing/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Copyblogger+%28Copyblogger%29&utm_content=Google+Reader).

5. Styles of learning - I don't have research to back up this point. As my thrill over Google Reader calmed down a little, and as I reflected on the story I told about my mom growing up, a thought struck me. What happens to a society where reading and communicating online becomes the ultimate form of learning/interacting? I was fortunate to grow up with parents and grandparents that forced me away from my Vic 20 to go out and build, fix, and experiment with new things. My parents forced me to put my book down and try new experiences. I spent 6 hours in front of my computer today just touring blogs, flipping through my feeds and learning through conversation. I had to yank myself away once I realized my son needed to eat. What's the point? As cool as these tools are, they shouldn't replace all other forms of learning. I will have to continue the tradition and say "Son, enough reading about BBQing or how to rebuild an engine. Let's go do it"

How can This Relationship Help My Profession?

Much like the Macho Man and Elizabeth, aggregators (like Google Reader and Bloglines) and blogs are powerful on their own but together they can be magical.

1. Resources - Have you ever been on a tight budget? Have you wandered around education fairs wishing you had the cash to buy everything? Concerned about the environment as you print off copies of articles or lesson plans for colleagues? Blogging is free. Accessing blogs is free. Highly skilled professionals are sharing infinite mounds of good stuff through these free tools (check this out). You can share these resources paper free (thanks for the idea Wesley and Will).

2 & 3. Enriching + Time Saving - Will Richardson (2009) drives home the power of blogging to engage students in rich learning experiences. He also suggested an idea I wouldn't have come up with on my own. Imagine a world where students' work was not only interesting but it automatically came to you instead of you having to travel around to find it:

"If you already use Weblogs with your students, the uses of RSS should be pretty apparent. Instead of checking out all twenty-five (or thirty, or more) student Weblogs every day, you could just collect their work in your aggregator using RSS feeds. That way, you can scan through all of the class content in one place, make sure it's all appropriate, and clich through to a particular post if you want to comment on it." (p. 77)

4. Be or have a guest speaker in a whole new way - I live in an isolated community. If you watch Ice Road Truckers or the new show Ice Pilots, it will give you an idea how hard it is for me to get people in to my class or for me to contribute to another person's class. Josh Hanagarne opened my eyes to a new possibility. He did guest postings on other peoples' blogs. Potentially I could have specialists in various fields actually do posts on my blogs which will automatically be passed on to my students and colleagues through their aggregator of choice :) Here are a few other lessons Josh learned:

By November 1 I had written over 50 posts. 42 of them had aired on other blogs. Here is what I learned:

•A lot of bloggers seem to have a fear of guest posting. Get over it or be happy with your current rate of growth.
•You will meet awesome people.
•Those people will act like you are doing them a favor by borrowing their traffic.
•You are doing them a favor, provided you give them something they can use. I love to have guests!
•This marathon approach is not for everyone. Do not try to write more than you are capable of. Test yourself but don’t flame out. I have a masochist work capacity and I still wound up with more than I could handle. I thought I would get the 80+ posts written before November 1. Life, sleep, the flu, a book proposal, and kettlebells all conspired against me.
•Don’t commit to anything that will prevent you from taking care of business at home(page). There’s nothing more pointless than writing a killer guest post and having all those new visitors land on a dancing Hello Kitty graphic that’s a year old.
•Don’t pretend you know things you don’t. If you can’t talk about stocks, either find another approach or turn it down. Don’t be a poser.
•Don’t be afraid to say no when people pitch ideas to you. You made the rules, right?(Click here for the full posting)

Oh and he also mentioned the slight benefit of a drastic increase in people subscribing to his blog. A nice little perk...

5. Protect yourself by Projecting yourself - It is sad to say but due to the position that leaders such as educators hold, we have to be vigilent in everything we do. Our codes of ethics and professional conduct combined with our natural instincts for self preservation have always kept us conscious of how we portray ourselves in public. Thanks to the new read/write web and the Google monster...public has a totally new meaning. Blogging, publicly sharing your links/feeds, linking yourself to other reputable people and other online practices can help you generate a digital footprint to be proud of. Wesley Fryer is a major proponent of actively generating your footprint. (Click here to explore further)

There are so many more tips, tricks, applications, and implications surrounding blogging, RSS feeds and aggregators. I can't possibly cover it all (check out my followers as many of them will be adding to this conversation as well). Ideas are constantly...wait...one more.

6. Social Bookmarking - This just hit me....how can a teacher remember why they subscribed to a feed or a specific post? What if you used your aggregator to bring in the information and as you read you used your Diigo account to highlight key points, add notes, and generate conversations? Not only will you have a permanent record of why the blog posting was important to you, you can actually network with others in a different way. (If you are new to social bookmarking check out my archived posting or Joseph's)
Give blogging and Google Reader or Bloglines a try. The relationship they share will likely enhance your life, the lives of your colleagues, and the lives of your students. Possibly even more than the Macho Man's wedding did :)



Nonlinked References:

Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Twitterverse and Infinite Meteors

Okay...the title may seem a little vague but by the end of this post hopefully it will become clear. I have technically spent more elapsed time around Twitter the last few months than any other Web 2.0 tool and yet I feel inadequate and unprepared to add to the cosmos of information about it.

Quick hint#1: How many meteors per minute would generate the most amazing light show you have ever seen?

Three Stages of Personal Learning:

Stage 1: Clicking Blind

Stage 1 Screencast-2009-11-17_1240

Stage 2: Desperately Seeking Accomplished "Twitteronomers"

Stage 2 Screencast-2009-11-17_1320

Quick Hint#2: How many meteors per minute would totally ruin a meteor shower for you?

Stage 3: Returning to Ground Control

Stage 3 Screencast-2009-11-17_1437

Social Implications

I think it is important to look at the broad social implications to tools such as Twitter. At the end of this posting I will provide links to sites that give specific applications of Twitter to your daily life but I found the "bigger picture" stuff to be most interesting this week.

While I could bounce around from resource to resource, I would like to springboard off of an impressive transcript of Danah Boyd's presentation at the Web 2.0 Expo in New York (click here for transcript). Some of her thoughts more eloquently describe the intended message behind my concept of "infinite meteors".

Quote #1: "Consider what it means to be "in flow" in an information landscape defined by networked media and you will see where Web2.0 is taking us. The goal is not to be a passive consumer of information or to simply tune in when the time is right, but rather to live in a world where information is everywhere. To be peripherally aware of information as it flows by, grabbing it at the right moment when it is most relevant and valuable, entertaining or insightful. Living with, in, and around information....Being in flow with information...it's not about perfect attention, but it is about a sense of alignment, of being aligned with information."

Twitter and other social media are definitely about being in tune with the world around us. They are about being surrounded, immersed in diverse experiences and connections. Twitter and other similar tools such as texting and instant messaging focus on the present. What is my point? I am concerned about what direction this intense emphasis on immediate information combined with the growing cultural drives to (1)be in the flow 24hrs a day and (2) have our peripheral senses/attention constantly jammed pack with stimulation. As I am typing this I have Tweetdeck chiming constantly with updates from Twitter and Facebook. Next to me I have my Blackberry registering an inflow of text messages and email updates. For good measure I have two screens operating so I can work on this post while keeping up with my two email accounts. When I go downstairs to relax, I will turn on my xbox which now has full Facebook and Twitter capability. When I head into town my Blackberry will be constantly chiming with updates from 2 email accounts, Twitter, Facebook, Blackberry Messenger, Times Magazine, Macleans Magazine...and the list goes on.

I feel like this meteor shower of information that started off as stimulating, beautiful, and inspiring is now approaching a critical social juncture for us which leads to quote #2 from Danah Boyd.

Quote #2 "People consume content that stimulates their mind and senses. That which angers, excites, energizes, entertains, or otherwise creates an emotional response. This is not always the "best" or most informative content, but that which triggers a reaction.

This isn't inherently a good thing. Consider the food equivalent. Our bodies are programmed to consume fat and sugars because they're rare in nature. Thus, when they come around, we should grab them. In the same way, we're biologically programmed to be attentive to things that stimulate: content that is gross, violent, or sexual and that gossip which is humiliating, embarrassing, or offensive. If we're not careful, we're going to develop the psychological equivalent of obesity. We'll find ourselves consuming content that is least beneficial for ourselves or society as a whole."

Imagine what it would happen if a meteor shower hit every night for 15 years. Each successive night the number of meteors that illuminated our sky grew in number exponentially to the point that no dark sky remained. Imagine the stages we would go through as a society...slight amusement, wonder, awe, concerned, scared, annoyed, avoidance accepting, dependent and numb. By year 15, people's lives would be fully dependent on the light the meteors provided and yet consciously they wouldn't even acknowledge their presence. You would even have a whole new generation that is born and being raised based on this dependency.

I don't want to come across all doom and gloom. I just think everyone including parents like myself need to consciously look at what is going on. There are consequences to the road we are on.

What will happen to my son if I make the conscious decision to limit his access to social media? How will my work suffer if I make the choice not to have internet access at my house? How will intergenerational relationships survive when you have one generation who is in the flow and another who isn't? How will my view of graduate professors change if they aren't immersed in the flow and I am? How can businesses and communities in the Northwest Territories compete when so many of them lack adequate connections to the flow?

Danah Boyd goes on to discuss other equally important challenges such as democratization, power imbalances, and homophily. If nothing else it may draw you back to making sure you have a conscious purpose (http://www.crowinfodesign.com/downloads/twitter_beginners.pdf) for things like Twitter instead of just going with the flow.

Professional Implications
Despite the challenges listed above. Twitter does have potential for professionals in the world of education:
1) Instant connections with other teachers about what is going on in your classroom (http://twitter.com/dstresca)
2) A consistent flow of encouragement between professionals (http://twitter.com/LitCoaching)
3)Up to the minute updates between the providers of technology and the educators that use it (http://twitter4teachers.pbworks.com/Interactive-Whiteboard-People)
4) High interest content instantly accessible from experts in cool fields such as astronomy (http://twitter.com/NASA)
5) Twitter taps into the natural drives of youth which opens the doors for more engaging lessons (check out this news story)
6) "Self Awareness and Reflective Practice" (http://mrslwalker.com/index.php/2009/03/29/nine-great-reasons-why-teachers-should-use-twitter) I have enjoyed conversations between and with educators that are struggling through real issues or who are experiencing the joy of real triumphs. I have traditionally used Ning or Facebook for this but Twitter may be slightly quicker and more portable to support those surprise reflective moments.
7) Interactive presentations that can better respond to the needs of the audience. Imagine being in a large conference where you can receive Tweets right into your Powerpoint to guage the effectiveness of your presentation or to take poles of your audience to support your stance with highly local data. (Tools to support this)

There are many other potential applications for Twitter but I will close on a couple big picture considerations.

First of all, much like kids who become aware of meteors for the first time, teachers will have to adjust their focus to fully participate in what applications like Twitter have to offer. Instead of just focusing on the world inside the four walls of your classroom, you will have to truly open your professional life to other professionals and possibly your students and their parents. Certain mysteries held behind close doors will become transparent to the broader community which can be humbling but it also opens the door to new possibilities...new lasting connections.

The final consideration is for administrators, parents, and community members. Take the time to get to know the staff within your schools and your divisions. If people like Danah Boyd, Joyce Valenza, Wesley Fryer, and Will Richardson are right then the world's focus is changing. Education is being influenced by new generations of star gazers that aren't content to watch the meteors as they pass. They want to hop on, go for a ride, and to invite everyone else to share the experience. Support your staff and students as they consciously wade through the Twitterverse. It will take time for meaningful educational change to happen. Join in on the conversation and help guide practice instead of closing doors because of perceived risks.

Finally, don't assume that a closed classroom door means that students aren't learning. Who knows, the kids on the other side of that door may have spent the day mingling with astronauts, researchers, activists, and heads of state. Are experiences like this worth the risks? You decide....

My place in Twitterdom

Mark's Neigbourhood (Exploring Social Networking)

Learning about Mark's Neighbourhood

Once upon a time when I was five years old, I lived in a neighbourhood called Petrolia in south Edmonton. How did I learn about my neighbourhood? Well, here were the basic steps as I remember them.
1) My parents drove me around the neighbourhood to show me all the people and places.
2) My parents talked to me about my neighbourhood and how to be safe as I gained more and more freedom.
3) My teachers forced me to memorize my address, my phone number, and other key numbers so I could be safe if I got lost or if I needed help.
4) Police officers and block parents came into the school to teach me what to look for in things to avoid and places to run to if I needed to.
5) My parents followed behind me as I walked to the places they told me were safe in my neighbourhood. Then my dad would praise me about what I did right and correct me if I skipped or ignored rules learned in the previous steps.
6) Once I had passed all the above tests, I finally got to tour my neighbourhood with friends on my bike with very strict guidelines.
7) My final emancipation to truly claiming my neighbourhood came when I was 9 or 10, when I was allowed to bike on my own to and from school, my friends houses, and even the local mall.
Learning about my 21st century online neighbourhood was similar. Four or five years ago, students in computer classes started touring something called Bebo. I assumed it was a regular webpage until I noticed their pictures, their comments, their top then lists, and all their friends were listed. I thought this was cool but this was quickly shut down as parents and colleagues began noticing profanity, references to substance abuse, inappropriate images and detailed personal information on these pages. Fast forward a couple staff meetings....Bebo and the like were banned and it was our job to police our students to make sure the evil was kept at bay.
Fast forward a few years, I notice staff and friends with Facebook pages. This didn't seem evil as they were sharing about deep stuff like family members who had passed away, memories about high school, and aspirations for the future. I took a leap and joined in and voila....roughly 280 friends later, tons of useless add ons later I am fully Facebooked. No more carrying around photo albums or wondering what my old chums are up to....Facebook opened the door to allow me to explore my social neighbourhood with ease (cool thing is...I don't need a bike with a banana seat to tour this neighbourhood).
Enter EDES 501. It is suggested to me that other neighbourhood touring/creation tools exist. I created a network through Ning (http://teachnwt.ning.com/) that allowed colleagues and myself to freely share resources, ideas, coping strategies, best practices....each other without having to fly or drive thousands of miles. In a very short time, they joined, added their own images and new conversations began. The professional neighbourhood that I thought had disappeared when I moved away was reestablished....until the great filter tragedy (more on that later). The more I explored other peoples Ning networks the more excited I became at the possibilities because it appeared to be more "adultish" and powerful than Facebook. This was cemented by joining an actual online conference through Ning that instantly exposed me to countless professionals that existed in my global neighbourhood that I didn't even know existed (instead of just embarassing jr high photos being posted by old girlfriends).

Personal Social Networking Ramifications

1) Redefining "fake" - My childhood neighbourhoods consisted of people, pets, smells, sounds, allergens (oh...hives), metal, cement, churches and junk food. All of these elements were real. My friends and I had imaginary friends but even we knew hangin with real friends beat fake buddies any day. 20 Years post 80's...

An alternative perspective sees virtual worlds as three dimensional social networks-online environments where users meet and interact with each other and collaboratively create and edit virtual objects" (Davies & Merchant, 2009)

Social networking sites take out the concrete and physical contact and force me to focus on the invisible parts of neighbourhood life...namely connections and shared purpose. Instead of seeing these sites as being full of imaginary friends, I am accepting these sites as tools to connect me with people who genuinely want to shoot the breeze about things we mutually care about. It is just hard getting used to creating virtual objects in virtual environments.
2) Neverending teenage syndrome:
Take a quick look at the vids below.



I loved being a teenager and I love working with teenagers but...social networking does seem to amp up some teenage like qualities that I struggle with. In the first video, he talked about people being not only able to see you but also all of your connections...24 hours a day. While this may facilitate getting together with old pals, this also opens up people snooping into my business and possibly misinterpreting relationships/links I have with other people. The second video hit home the frustration I have had with Facebook mostly. Now prying eyes can see all my affiliations, surf through to make whatever assumptions they like, and leave ambiguous comments that may be misinterpreted by others (short version major drama potential...bad teenage memories). I am still uncomfortable with my personal connections being so public. I am even more uncomfortable with seeing other people battling it out online as text, images, and video are far more permanent. Instead of just having to explain yourself to a couple people....you may have hundreds of people to be accountable to. This is why I think I prefer Ning as it affords me more control.

Professional Implications of Social Networking:

The video below is by no means extensive but it will give your eyes a break from reading and a few things to think about.

GoAnimate.com: Global Neighbourhoods by nwtbajan

Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!

I truly believe that if we take the time to learn how to introduce students to social networking like my parents introduced me to Petrolia, students and staff will be empowered to explore, to connect and to grow. If my parents had locked me in the house to protect me from my neighbourhood instead of guiding me...what would I have faced after I moved out? What will happen if we do the same with social networking in schools?

Next week....chatter about Twitter!