A social networking "primer"

I found this article about social networking by way of Weblogg-ed last month. It was just what he said it would be: an excellent "primer" for educators (and others) who are starting to explore the potential of social networking sites. The article explains in simple terms how social network sites work. This information couldn't have arrived at a better time, as I am experiencing MySpace vicariously with my son's babysitter, who, incidentally, is NOT a teen. She is 43 and a grandmother. We plunged together into MySpace a few weeks ago when she asked me to help her set up an account so she can stay in contact with cousins and other relatives separated by busy work schedules and geographic distance. They are all on MySpace!

While acknowledging the attendant challenges -- the blurring of the line that separates the public and the private spheres, the many unresolved questions about how to engender appropriate and responsible use -- the author, Danah Boyd, encourages educators to embrace social networking applications. (I am reminded of Chris Lehmann's suggestion that we think of these tools in terms of "academic networking." It's a good starting point.)

Boyd concludes with a number of recommendations and next steps for educators. Two big "ah-hahs" for me:

First, she recommends we create a presence (a profile) for ourselves on the sites most popular with our students. Wow. I have always maintained it's "their space." Why would I want to intrude? Now, thanks to Boyd (and Teresa, the babysitter), I am starting to come around in my thinking.

Second, and more important to me, is Boyd's reference to the role media literacy curriculum will serve in preparing students for engaging responsibly with these new technologies. This is huge! I'm thrilled to see someone drawing this connection.

Is anyone else out there examining classroom 2.0 through a media literacy lens?

A social networking "primer"

A social networking "primer"

I found this article about social networking by way of Weblogg-ed last month. It was just what he said it would be: an excellent "primer" for educators (and others) who are starting to explore the potential of social networking sites. The article explains in simple terms how social network sites work. This information couldn't have arrived at a better time, as I am experiencing MySpace vicariously with my son's babysitter, who, incidentally, is NOT a teen. She is 43 and a grandmother. We plunged together into MySpace a few weeks ago when she asked me to help her set up an account so she can stay in contact with cousins and other relatives separated by busy work schedules and geographic distance. They are all on MySpace!

While acknowledging the attendant challenges -- the blurring of the line that separates the public and the private spheres, the many unresolved questions about how to engender appropriate and responsible use -- the author, Danah Boyd, encourages educators to embrace social networking applications. (I am reminded of Chris Lehmann's suggestion that we think of these tools in terms of "academic networking." It's a good starting point.)

Boyd concludes with a number of recommendations and next steps for educators. Two big "ah-hahs" for me:

First, she recommends we create a presence (a profile) for ourselves on the sites most popular with our students. Wow. I have always maintained it's "their space." Why would I want to intrude? Now, thanks to Boyd (and Teresa, the babysitter), I am starting to come around in my thinking.

Second, and more important to me, is Boyd's reference to the role media literacy curriculum will serve in preparing students for engaging responsibly with these new technologies. This is huge! I'm thrilled to see someone drawing this connection.

Is anyone else out there examining classroom 2.0 through a media literacy lens?

A social networking "primer"

Musicians as self-publishers

A very cool article appeared this weekend in the New York Times Magazine. If it wasn't for the title, “Sex, Drugs, and Updating your Blog,” I'd post it as a resource on Publish Me! But, well, . . . anyway it's a terrific account of what can happen when artists (in this case, musicians) adapt the self-publishing potential of the web as the basis for managing their flowering careers. Singers, songwriters, and music groups are using the web to build collaborative, symbiotic relationships with their fans. Some are planning concert tours, releasing entire albums of music, and earning a viable income from their music -- all without the backing of a major record label.

A teacher could share even just a portion of this article with students as a source of inspiration. Yet, the stories of these musicians also provide a basis for asking some critical questions. The article is by no means a glorification of social networking tools; the author does a good job of discussing the trade-offs involved in self-managing one's career on the web. How do these artists adjust their personal and professional lives when Internet relationships devolve from intimate to intrusive?

I'm still thinking about the last paragraph, the sentence about "correct emotional tools." There are some implications here for teachers, and not just teachers who work with emerging musicians. This is the challenge: how do we sensitize young people to appropriate use of social networking so they too can experience a "fresh route to creative success," whatever their creative outlet might be?

Musicians as self-publishers

Musicians as self-publishers

A very cool article appeared this weekend in the New York Times Magazine. If it wasn't for the title, “Sex, Drugs, and Updating your Blog,” I'd post it as a resource on Publish Me! But, well, . . . anyway it's a terrific account of what can happen when artists (in this case, musicians) adapt the self-publishing potential of the web as the basis for managing their flowering careers. Singers, songwriters, and music groups are using the web to build collaborative, symbiotic relationships with their fans. Some are planning concert tours, releasing entire albums of music, and earning a viable income from their music -- all without the backing of a major record label.

A teacher could share even just a portion of this article with students as a source of inspiration. Yet, the stories of these musicians also provide a basis for asking some critical questions. The article is by no means a glorification of social networking tools; the author does a good job of discussing the trade-offs involved in self-managing one's career on the web. How do these artists adjust their personal and professional lives when Internet relationships devolve from intimate to intrusive?

I'm still thinking about the last paragraph, the sentence about "correct emotional tools." There are some implications here for teachers, and not just teachers who work with emerging musicians. This is the challenge: how do we sensitize young people to appropriate use of social networking so they too can experience a "fresh route to creative success," whatever their creative outlet might be?

Musicians as self-publishers

Introducing Publish Me! Beta

I am officially announcing the beta release of Publish Me!, my project site developed for IT 578. (I think I just coined a new oxymoron: “officially beta.”)

In this post, I want to document some questions, doubts, and struggles associated with the development of Publish Me!

First of all, a little background about my schizophrenic semester. I enrolled in two challenging courses this spring: IT 521 and IT 578. In IT 521 (computer applications in education) I learned about blogs, open source software, web-based applications, and the concept of “web 2.0,” a term that refers to the Internet's growing capacity for participation, collaboration, and networking. In this class I developed a nascent appreciation for what some educators are calling “classroom 2.0.” Check out this succinct description of classroom 2.o with helpful visuals.

OK, so all of this makes IT 578 (intro to web design for educators) seem pretty conventional. Our assignment for the semester, by no means small, was straightforward enough: develop and create a web-based instructional module (an educational web site) using Dreamweaver software. My idea for a site was based on a desire to improve publishing opportunities for budding student journalists and creative writers at the high school level. Thus, Publish Me! was born.

I have always said from the get-go that my primary objective in starting the master's program in instructional technology was NOT to become an instructional technologist (an end in itself) but to find out how to use the technology to support my classroom practice. How do I integrate technology into instruction in ways that are motivating and relevant for students and, at the same time, teach them to engage more critically and responsibly with all forms of new and electronic media? (That last part is a plug for media literacy, near and dear to my heart.)

I think classroom 2.0 is the answer to my original question. But now I have new questions.

For starters, can Publish Me! stand up to the classroom 2.o standard?

If classroom 2.0 is based on a radical restructuring of information transfer, in which top-down models give way to collaborative and creative exchanges, then Publish Me! leaves a lot to be desired. I mean, even the name connotes passivity. It suggests the "old way" of doing things: the publisher as the authoritative middleman, connecting the writer to the audience. Should I have named the site "I Publish"? Am I overthinking this?

Then, by way of Judy Breck's Golden Swamp blog, I stumbled upon an excellent article about the future of journalism written by Bruno Giussani for the Knight Forum. Following Breck's advice, I read the article looking for implications for educators. It's an enlightening exercise; read the last two paragraphs, as she suggests, and replace all instances of “journalism” with “educator/education.” Here is a portion of the article that may resonate with teachers:

The new power of editors and journalists will depend on their ability to take on new tasks: to animate a group of people; to develop ways to organize how information is gathered and used, with the participation of what used to be called "the audience;" and to help people navigate an information landscape that's increasingly crowded and constantly shifting. If it sounds confusing -- and scary to some in the media -- that’s because it is. Nobody really knows how this emerging immediate, unmediated world will develop.

Throughout the article Giussani emphasizes the transformative nature of web 2.0; those in traditional gatekeeping roles will become nurturers and facilitators instead. I really like this! He uses the term “soft structure,” a perfect description of the teacher's contribution to the classroom 2.0 model.

So, Publish Me! will keep its name. For the moment, the site doesn't promote or employ any of the really powerful and empowering applications – social networking tools like blogs, wikis and so on -- but some day it can! It has the potential for lots of development in these areas.

In the interim, Publish Me! is what it is: a portal, a collection of external links connecting teens to traditional print and electronic publications. Aside from a word processor and Internet connection, the only application you need is email, which hardly ranks as a social networking tool, and if it does, then it has got to be the “granddaddy” of them all.

Imagine my surprise, then, when a teacher told me a few weeks ago (just days before Publish Me! was due to be evaluated) that the county school system prohibits student email use on campus. I am still trying to confirm this claim through the proper channels, but the person I spoke to was adamant and had a story about student trafficking in pornography via email to back up his vehement protest.

Of course, when I spoke to other teachers, I heard plenty of positive examples of instructionally sound email use -- everything from "my students use email to turn in assignments" to "I just helped one of my students register for a Gmail account so she would have an email address to put on her resume." Yet, I can't put a web site out there and ask my fellow teachers to use it if I suspect that it violates school policy. Can I?

When I shared my dilemma with an English teacher who uses technology regularly, she suggested that a student could submit writing to her on disk and she could send it to an online publication using her school-sanctioned email account. In other words, the teacher becomes the conduit of information between the student and the publication. This is certainly an option, but it is decidedly un-2.0.

I never resolved the email question. With the assignment due date looming, I scoured every page of Publish Me!, looking for references to email. The site is now laden with notices to "always ask an adult's permission first," and I come across as a strident prude who doesn't trust teenagers.

I also created a resource section titled “Think before You Post” with links to PSAs produced by the Ad Council in collaboration with the U.S. Justice Department. A few days later, I read a scathing review of these ads at the VirtualPolitik blog. I like the VirtualPolitik blog; it contains numerous, thought-provoking critiques of government-produced media. Now, I felt like a big dope. I thought the PSAs would be a good hook for engaging young people in a conversation about appropriate use. I had not considered the inherent "voyeuristic sexism" of the ads.

Whew! For me, this process represents a perfect example of the chasm between educational theory and practice. I may be working outside the classroom, but I am still seeing the tightrope, if not walking it.

If you have managed to read through all of the above and not be completely turned off, please consider working with me! I need classroom-connected people to help refine Publish Me! and take it for a test drive with students. Any takers?

Introducing Publish Me! Beta

Introducing Publish Me! Beta

I am officially announcing the beta release of Publish Me!, my project site developed for IT 578. (I think I just coined a new oxymoron: “officially beta.”)

In this post, I want to document some questions, doubts, and struggles associated with the development of Publish Me!

First of all, a little background about my schizophrenic semester. I enrolled in two challenging courses this spring: IT 521 and IT 578. In IT 521 (computer applications in education) I learned about blogs, open source software, web-based applications, and the concept of “web 2.0,” a term that refers to the Internet's growing capacity for participation, collaboration, and networking. In this class I developed a nascent appreciation for what some educators are calling “classroom 2.0.” Check out this succinct description of classroom 2.o with helpful visuals.

OK, so all of this makes IT 578 (intro to web design for educators) seem pretty conventional. Our assignment for the semester, by no means small, was straightforward enough: develop and create a web-based instructional module (an educational web site) using Dreamweaver software. My idea for a site was based on a desire to improve publishing opportunities for budding student journalists and creative writers at the high school level. Thus, Publish Me! was born.

I have always said from the get-go that my primary objective in starting the master's program in instructional technology was NOT to become an instructional technologist (an end in itself) but to find out how to use the technology to support my classroom practice. How do I integrate technology into instruction in ways that are motivating and relevant for students and, at the same time, teach them to engage more critically and responsibly with all forms of new and electronic media? (That last part is a plug for media literacy, near and dear to my heart.)

I think classroom 2.0 is the answer to my original question. But now I have new questions.

For starters, can Publish Me! stand up to the classroom 2.o standard?

If classroom 2.0 is based on a radical restructuring of information transfer, in which top-down models give way to collaborative and creative exchanges, then Publish Me! leaves a lot to be desired. I mean, even the name connotes passivity. It suggests the "old way" of doing things: the publisher as the authoritative middleman, connecting the writer to the audience. Should I have named the site "I Publish"? Am I overthinking this?

Then, by way of Judy Breck's Golden Swamp blog, I stumbled upon an excellent article about the future of journalism written by Bruno Giussani for the Knight Forum. Following Breck's advice, I read the article looking for implications for educators. It's an enlightening exercise; read the last two paragraphs, as she suggests, and replace all instances of “journalism” with “educator/education.” Here is a portion of the article that may resonate with teachers:

The new power of editors and journalists will depend on their ability to take on new tasks: to animate a group of people; to develop ways to organize how information is gathered and used, with the participation of what used to be called "the audience;" and to help people navigate an information landscape that's increasingly crowded and constantly shifting. If it sounds confusing -- and scary to some in the media -- that’s because it is. Nobody really knows how this emerging immediate, unmediated world will develop.

Throughout the article Giussani emphasizes the transformative nature of web 2.0; those in traditional gatekeeping roles will become nurturers and facilitators instead. I really like this! He uses the term “soft structure,” a perfect description of the teacher's contribution to the classroom 2.0 model.

So, Publish Me! will keep its name. For the moment, the site doesn't promote or employ any of the really powerful and empowering applications – social networking tools like blogs, wikis and so on -- but some day it can! It has the potential for lots of development in these areas.

In the interim, Publish Me! is what it is: a portal, a collection of external links connecting teens to traditional print and electronic publications. Aside from a word processor and Internet connection, the only application you need is email, which hardly ranks as a social networking tool, and if it does, then it has got to be the “granddaddy” of them all.

Imagine my surprise, then, when a teacher told me a few weeks ago (just days before Publish Me! was due to be evaluated) that the county school system prohibits student email use on campus. I am still trying to confirm this claim through the proper channels, but the person I spoke to was adamant and had a story about student trafficking in pornography via email to back up his vehement protest.

Of course, when I spoke to other teachers, I heard plenty of positive examples of instructionally sound email use -- everything from "my students use email to turn in assignments" to "I just helped one of my students register for a Gmail account so she would have an email address to put on her resume." Yet, I can't put a web site out there and ask my fellow teachers to use it if I suspect that it violates school policy. Can I?

When I shared my dilemma with an English teacher who uses technology regularly, she suggested that a student could submit writing to her on disk and she could send it to an online publication using her school-sanctioned email account. In other words, the teacher becomes the conduit of information between the student and the publication. This is certainly an option, but it is decidedly un-2.0.

I never resolved the email question. With the assignment due date looming, I scoured every page of Publish Me!, looking for references to email. The site is now laden with notices to "always ask an adult's permission first," and I come across as a strident prude who doesn't trust teenagers.

I also created a resource section titled “Think before You Post” with links to PSAs produced by the Ad Council in collaboration with the U.S. Justice Department. A few days later, I read a scathing review of these ads at the VirtualPolitik blog. I like the VirtualPolitik blog; it contains numerous, thought-provoking critiques of government-produced media. Now, I felt like a big dope. I thought the PSAs would be a good hook for engaging young people in a conversation about appropriate use. I had not considered the inherent "voyeuristic sexism" of the ads.

Whew! For me, this process represents a perfect example of the chasm between educational theory and practice. I may be working outside the classroom, but I am still seeing the tightrope, if not walking it.

If you have managed to read through all of the above and not be completely turned off, please consider working with me! I need classroom-connected people to help refine Publish Me! and take it for a test drive with students. Any takers?

Introducing Publish Me! Beta

End-of-semester reflection on web design

According to the syllabus today marks the last formal class meeting for IT 578, which is an introductory course in web design and Dreamweaver. Our project sites are due exactly one week from today. My site, a publishing portal for teen writers, is no where near complete and neither is my understanding of the complexities of web design and web site development.

One thing I am certain of is this is an intensely visual medium. I may be stating the obvious to some people, but I don't think the casual Internet audience can really appreciate this fact until they juggle the myriad choices and decisions that go into the creation of the user interface and navigational matrix. (Now, that sounds just plain geeky!)

These last six weeks, I have been completely consumed with aesthetics, leaving myself very little time for the development of actual content. The last four days alone I have obsessed over the appearance of my hyperlinks, for gosh sakes! How the color and format of the links actually contribute to the instructional value of my site, . . . well, it is just too ridiculous. Yet, here I have been since Sunday night, changing and re-changing their color and behavior until finally deciding to go back to the original default settings!

The authors of the style guide used in IT 578, Patrick Lynch and Sarah Horton, begin each chapter in their text with quotes from some surprisingly literary sources – even Henry David Thoreau, who famously admonished Americans to “Simplify, simplify!” and who questioned the value of telegraph lines and transatlantic cable. (Relax, it's just Cliffs Notes! If you want to read the original, see "Economy" from Walden.) I don't know if Lynch and Horton are going for a sense of irony, or what, but Chapter 6 on editorial style begins with this quote from the Hitchhiker author, Douglas Adams:

First we thought the PC was a calculator. Then we found out how to turn numbers into letters with ASCII – and we thought it was a typewriter. Then we discovered graphics, and we thought it was a television. With the World Wide Web, we've realized it's a brochure.

I have thought about how I would teach a course in web design to high school students. I don't have the artistic sensibility to do it justice. Ideally, I would like to teach the development portion, in which I help young people compose the editorial content with consideration to style, brevity, and some journalistic principles thrown in for good measure. Another teacher could work with the students on the technical side of things, including graphics and visual presentation. It would be cool if a course was taught in tandem like that. I wonder if it's done that way anywhere?

In true web fashion, I will conclude this reflection with a Top 10 list. This list is composed of facts as well as general impressions and observations about web design that I hope to remember should I ever again have the opportunity to construct a site from the ground up. So, here are the Analog Girl's Top 10 Principles of Web Design, in no particular order:

• You can never give the audience too many ways to navigate your site.


• Throughout the development process, check your site frequently on different machines and in different browsers.


• Every web page should include these five elements: title; creation/revision date; link to homepage; homepage URL in footer; and the site administrator's contact info.


• Make your page titles into “pearls of clarity.” Each page must be able to stand alone, apart from the context of the site.


• Use white space for emphasis. Pure, subtle, elegant.


• Make links descriptive so the reader knows exactly what he or she is going to get. In other words, avoid “click here” and other empty phrases.


• Pay attention to factors that will make your site more accessible and readable. To that end, the World Wide Web Consortium provides 10 quick tips for web designers.


• Animated gifs suck. And there is a word to describe over-use of multimedia -- “Flashturbation.” Love that one!


• Remember, it's the WORLD Wide Web! OK, while I like the elegance of the international date stamp, I don't know how I feel about completely purging idiomatic expression and regional language from the web. Where's the color and humanity in that?


• Know and respect your audience. It is the quintessential rule of good writing, and it's no less true for the web.

These last two items on my list of observations about web design may seem mutually exclusive, but I think it's the tension between the two that makes it all so exciting! Here is a great conversation about the problem of language in digital learning environments on Julie Lindsay's e-Learning blog. The comments that follow her post are quite illuminating.

End-of-semester reflection on web design