The benefits of teaching yourself go beyond the skill you just learned: You underscore your own responsibility for your [...]]]> Some great points from Steve Buttry on why journalists need to take over their own professional training rather than wait for their employers to do it for them.

The benefits of teaching yourself go beyond the skill you just learned: You underscore your own responsibility for your professional growth; you are less intimidated the next time you encounter a new tool or technique you know you should learn; lessons stick better when you learn by doing.

I’ve been fascinated by the ideas behind networked learning and how they feed into networks and communities of practice – I agree with Steve it is about taking over our own development and for me the key to do this is engaging with others working in your field.

A few years back I did a bit of research looking at how practitioners can use social media and at that point conversations tended to focus on blogs, RSS readers vs Twitter and social bookmarking tools like Delicious.

Obviously a lot has changed since then (including all the problems with Delicious and the massive rise in people using Twitter) but I’d be really interested to hear from lecturers and journalists (or those who are both) about how they keep in touch with all the changes around them and if their organisation is able to offer the kind of support they need.

And Steve’s point about mindset is an important one for me – I try to work with my students to help them develop this kind of approach, a tool may go down or become paywalled tomorrow (remember SproutBuilder anyone?) but the ability to play, learn and investigate is vital.

I’ll quote Mr Buttry again with a great parting shot for journos from the full guest post he wrote

Pursue learning opportunities as persistently as you pursued your toughest story.

 

Talk about two very different experiences – which in a round-about way made me think about [...]]]> I popped into Cardiff city centre during lunch today, not something I often do, but decided to go to the deli (chorizo and morcilla if anyone cares) and Waterstones to have a look for a book on Ruby.

Talk about two very different experiences – which in a round-about way made me think about journalism and social media.

So shop 1: Wally’s Delicatessen in Cardiff’s Royal Arcade.

A family-run business which has been in Cardiff for nearly 60 years, a great place to go and get global foods, and the only place in Cardiff I know where you can buy morcilla (Spanish black pudding). I picked up my main purchase and then noticed one of those fancy tea ball that unfurls in the cup. A quick chat with a member of staff later, I walked off with two and some more recipes and ideas for my Spanish cookery.

Result: a warm fuzzy feeling, and confirmation that Wally’s is a place I like to go and part with my cash.

The second experience (and within a two-minute walk) was entirely the opposite.

I’d seen groups of young people hanging around outside Waterstones, coralled in so they couldn’t run amok. And when I went in the store I found out why.

N’Dubz were doing a book signing. After a little chuckle to myself about Dappy as seen from Never Mind The Buzzcocks, and an even bigger chuckle involving words like oxymoron, I went upstairs to check out the Ruby books with a view to buying.

Then I hit a moment straight out of Wayne’s World – Ruby, denied!

Yup, turns out that the signing was right where I wanted to be and the big bouncer type didn’t want me to go anywhere near the N’Dubz posse (what was I going to do register a rocker’s protest or pull down one of Dappy’s ear flaps for being a crime against fashion?).

And to be honest, that made me more than a little angry.

As a regular customer at Waterstones (I often pop in when I’m in town and buy a book – yes, I do shop online and know I can get loads of great free Ruby resources online too) I felt more than a little let down. Until fairly recently Cardiff types could choose between Waterstones and Borders, and then Borders went bust leaving us with only one large book seller in town (wonder if you can see where this is going in relation to journalism?)

So I went downstairs and let fly at a poor member of staff who looked to be policing the stairs. Poor sod, he tried to be helpful – “Tell me what book you want?”. Two problems there chief – one: I’ve been been essentially told by the guy upstairs that my custom is less important than a bunch of screaming N’Dubz fans who probably will not shop here regularly; and two – do you know what Ruby books you have?

Result and parting shot: I’ll just log on to Amazon then.

And it just made me think of how Wally’s were local, adaptive and interested in their customer while Waterstones were losing custom because someone at head office decided it was a good idea to bring in an event from out of town to generate some sales.

Anyone other than me thinking hyperlocal/social media vs big media?

There are lots of issues regarding brand loyalty and customer-service that all businesses, media included, are struggling to get to grips with. For example, if we put an event on we can generate custom and then try to turn that into returners. But what if that knocks onto your core market? How can we ensure that any disgruntled customers don’t run off and tell their friends? Or even worse, rant about it via social media to their networks (like I’ve just done).

But more crucially it makes me think of the lack of opportunity to join the community round some news businesses’ web site. Yes this is an old chestnut, and still an important one. I’m a member of plenty of online communities where I get respect, help and guidance towards product (be that news or something physical) which helps me make an informed decision about the choices available to me.

Want me to pay for stuff? Give me a good product I can’t easily get from anywhere else and make it a pleasant experience – probably why Johnston wound up its paywall experiment – and I’ll come back. Make me feel part of the community and I’m also more likely to pop in even when I had no intention of buying.

Registering to comment, paying for news – all things that put people off sites, unless they are core to what you need to do in your life.

When businesses are fighting for custom, seems pretty stupid to make their life difficult and virtually encourage them to go to someone else.

And Dappy, sort that hat out!

There were Tweets flying back and forth, people discussing and joining in via the back channel as [...]]]> The other week I attended the Eduserve symposium as a virtual delegate, an interesting day which steamed the presenters and gave those of us at a distance the chance to join in via Cover It Live.

There were Tweets flying back and forth, people discussing and joining in via the back channel as well as questions being transmitted to the floor.

What did I get out of it? Detail about what the Guardian and the BBC are looking at in terms of social media, some new Twitter buddies and a lunch with my colleague David Harrison this very day.

I’ll leave David, who I stumbled into during the live blogging,  to tell you the story. But it kind of shows  how social media often has knock on effects that people often do not anticapte. In my case that would be pizza, an interesting chat and the opportunity to explore some new tools and ideas that might just provide a very interesting spin on some of the projects I’m currently looking at.

And that’s a good start from any blog posting in my humble opinion.

We were looking at theories including push/pull in learning and teaching and how this applies to elearning (we’re doing some old-school reading of books and were discussing E-Learning Strategies: How to Get Implementation and Delivery Right First Time by [...]]]> Had a fun Flashmeeting with my tutor and some of my course mates last night.

We were looking at theories including push/pull in learning and teaching and how this applies to elearning (we’re doing some old-school reading of books and were discussing E-Learning Strategies: How to Get Implementation and Delivery Right First Time by Morrison.)

At one point we got chatting about how/whether pull learning (where you get what you want when you need it, rather than having it pushed at you by an employer or teacher) could lead to the end of a set and formalised syllabus for some courses.

One of the things we were wondering was how this could work and, indeed, if it should even work.

Would we need a VLE, or would a collection of Web2.0 technologies be more appropriate?

Just doing some blog reading and found this by the OU’s Martin Weller – who blogs as The Ed Techie.

The OU are working on how to use web 2.0 and social learning in what is a very rapidly changing world.

Here’s Martin’s slideshow

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But do please go and have a look at Martin’s own site.

Oh and he ‘dared’ to say that a Prof’s views could be as valid as a blogger out in the wilds of t’internet somewhere. Got to be the blogger, surely

Blogged with Flock

Tags: PLE, social learning, Open University

I’ve been using ELGG for about a year for individual group projects and have been using the main site since then (but started using it properly in September).

There’s a load of content up there and some really interesting things that [...]]]> Just read that Eduspaces is to close in the New Year – bummer.

I’ve been using ELGG for about a year for individual group projects and have been using the main site since then (but started using it properly in September).

There’s a load of content up there and some really interesting things that people are sharing. So what’s going to happen – we need a rescue mission, otherwise there will be a flood of educators and students looking for a community blogspace.

I’m hoping help will arrive, but I’m going to back up my content just in case.

Blogged with Flock

Tags: Eduspace, ELGG, learning community

We got sidetracked and started talking about social networks and then someone piped up with “But it is my FaceBook and I don’t want [...]]]> I was at a lecture into online journalism yesterday and we were discussing blogs, the rise of the ‘new trade press’ (expert bloggrs) and how journalists fit into all of this.

We got sidetracked and started talking about social networks and then someone piped up with “But it is my FaceBook and I don’t want employers to be able to see pictures of me doing….”

Cropped up in an article in the Guardian called Online investigations into job candidates could be illegal (been catching up on some reading today) and people are talking about the same things.

Is it illegal for people to look around a social network? The regulators think not.

On private closed sites where you can invite only the people you want this may be a problem, but Facebook et al are not private (Or are they? Never quite sure about that one.).

The lecturer at the session had a simple answer – common sense. Stuff will be around the net forever, so don’t post it. Do we need to see you being sick in a gutter wearing a condom on your head, while gurning like a buffoon? I think not (the mirror is good enough for me).

So, implications for education then? Should we be ‘friends’ with our students in FaceBook etc or should we be looking at separate groups.

There are things about colleagues and students I don’t wish to know, so I don’t ask. Groups seems the way forward at the moment, but we’ll wait and see on that one

Blogged with Flock

Tags: FaceBook, social network, privacy, Guardian, blog

We’re in agreement about the role of the letters page after all.

Doesn’t change anything for me (apart from wanting [...]]]> Paul Bradshaw (see previous post) has been in touch. I’ve misconstrued what he’s said. Have a look at his comment on the original article.

We’re in agreement about the role of the letters page after all.

Doesn’t change anything for me (apart from wanting to buy him a beer to make up for it next time out) – it’s a very interesting idea and one that I’ll be watching with interest.

Memo to self: don’t sit at the back in class, and pay attention boy!

I’ve always had a problem with blogging – as a journalist I was always taught that my view isn’t important, it’s all about what the [...]]]> Online communities are the order of the day for my master’s this semester. So we’re blogging, using an ELGG community and a wiki as part of the fun and games.

I’ve always had a problem with blogging – as a journalist I was always taught that my view isn’t important, it’s all about what the reader is interested in. You write for a community and are involved in it, but maybe were more apart from it rather than a part of it. Traditionally you got scared when a reader called to talk about a story (maybe because you were worried there had been a mistake).

This has changed since the advent of the comment box on the end of the story, as the reader can now comment on what has been said. Interestingly though, most journalists don’t want to/aren’t encouraged to engage with the commenting public on these.

Met a very interesting guy called Paul Bradshaw a few weeks ago, he works at UCE in Birmingham specialising in new media. His view is that blogs and wikis are the new journalism and are more vital as they are participatory – that everyone is part of the community. Check his ideas out
I like this, but as per usual I’m more of an evolution rather than a paradigm shift kind of guy.

Paul was talking about newspapers getting out of the age of letters to the editor, ‘who cares about the editor’ he said. He believes we cut out the middle man and talk to each other.

I agree blogs and wikis are the way forward here (and comments on the bottom of news stories will help us while we upgrade), but in my view and that of a lot of journalists most ‘letters to the editor’ were actually to the other readers. A print-age community noticeboard perhaps?

Paul doesn’t agree and there’s a great Twitter from the Future of Newspapers Conference aimed at me and at one of the guys who teaches sports journalism at Brighton University who was sat in front of me.
But then we’re both from a newspaper background, mine is in regionals – Paul’s experience is from mags.

And this is an interesting point (and the long lead in ends now, so the little wind-up monkey who has been banging his drums can sit down for a pint and watch Heroes. Hey, there’s a thought “Save the wind-up monkey, save the world!”).

Newspapers, at a regional level, are interested in a geographical community (yes, ok you can argue that it is self selecting and an old-fashioned hegemony of old white men etc – don’t agree with you, but please feel free as I hear it everyday at work from my academic colleagues. As if I’ve not got enough of a complex already!) so there is a broad focus.

Magazines are communities of interest, people buy mags around a specific subject just like they pick their favourite blogs et al.

But then if you read history books about Punk fanzines like Sniffin’ Glue, it was possible to reach out to a new community of interest with a cheap (relatively) and effective form of publishing. They used a Xerox machine, now we’re using blogs and wikis

Maybe this new technolgocial approach is better, maybe it is a paradigm shift or maybe it’s just going to be a group of usual suspects getting involved in a community of interest. Now they’ve got the tools to go worldwide rather than reach like-minded people on a regional or national level.

Is it better? Who knows, who cares? Not me, I’ll be having too much fun watching what happens and listening to the opposing theories.

I may even break some of my journalistic training and have an opinion every now and then. Welcome along for the ride – Communities 2.0, and this time it’s even more personal.

Hasta la vista, neighbours.