Reflections on Exploration

The past six weeks have been extremely fun and meaningful as I've studied Web 2.0 technologies from a perspective of their applicability to learning and performance needs. I have learned several things:

• A technology's application to learning may not be immediately obvious, and may only reveal itself when viewed through the lens of another technology.
• There is no one Web 2.0 tool that can address every learning need, though Ning covers many bases.
• Web 2.0 sites/tools often take on a life of their own.
• Sometimes the best Web 2.0 tool is a combination of two Web 2.0 tools.
• Being a produser has made me a more critical user.
• It's okay to experiment - you can put things "out there," hope for the best, and see what happens. If a project doesn't take off, all you've really lost is a little time, but you've also learned something.

In the future, I will take the spirit of "educated experimentation" I've gained from my six weeks of exploration and give myself a little more liberty in exploring the unknown. You can design a good product, but you simply can't control how Web 2.0 tools will be received - not 100%.

Really, corporate America, get with the times!

I am looking at this month's issue of Training magazine. On page 12, they've featured the results of the poll, "Is your organization using Web 2.0 technologies?"

All the time - 9%
Experimenting with them - 44%
Not yet, but formal plans are underway - 16%
No, we are not permitted - 31%

It's a good thing for corporations jobs are more challenging to find right now. If it were an employee's market, I think it would be important for these numbers to change in order to attract young talent. Even worse, 46% of attendees at Training 2009 Conference and Expo indicated they do NOT have accounts on any of the major social networks. All I can say is, "Yikes, people, get with the program!" Sure, Web 2.0 doesn't solve all performance issues - not even close. But it can make work a little more fun while you tackle those issues, right?

The Ultimate Mashup? Or a big mess?

After prolonged deliberation, I finally decided on my second project for my Web 2.0 class - a mashup of Technorati and Blogging (which probably doesn't sound like a mashup at all, since Technorati is all about the blogs...well...) Here's my rationale...

For this summer's EME 6635 Web 2.0 Learning and Performance class, two produsage projects were required. I've seen some amazing things come out of these projects, and I'd like to be able to refer back to them easily. What I'm trying to do is create the ultimate mashup of all of our projects. We already have a Twitter account for our group (http://twitter.com/fsuinsys), so I wanted to add a couple of components to help ready our previous projects for easy retrieval in the future. First, I created a blog, http://fsuisandweb20.blogspot.com
What I hope the blog will be is a place to link to all of the wonderful projects done to date (specifically those that are not blogs - more on blogs in a minute.) If you created a WikiSpace, a SecondLife tutorial, a Flickr project, or anything else, I'd like for you to provide a link and description for it here in the blog.
Now, on to blogs. I set up a Technorati account for the class to use collectively - what I'd like to do with it is to have each of the blogs created for this course (electronic journals and produsage assignments) marked as favorites. I'll be adding those later today. Then, as you encounter blogs you want to share with others, add them as favorites to the collective Technorati account.

A huge mess? A brilliant mashup? Time will tell - but I hope for the latter, as it will facilitate continuous learning for us all as we continue to learn about and explore Web 2.0 technologies.

In experimentation,
The Mad Technologist

Authorship and copyright in Web 2.0 activities

In the past, I never really gave much thought to copyright issues and web content, possibly because I’ve never shared anything on the web that I wanted to protect. Recently, though, I was somewhat shocked when a 264-page partial draft of a new novel was shared by an author on her website. She indicated that the in-progress manuscript had been leaked already, so she wanted to go ahead and share it officially with her fans who, out of respect for her as an author, had not already accessed the bootlegged pages. That act did get me thinking. Thinking if her actions would decrease sales of the book once it was published, thinking about the nature of content ownership, and thinking about what I should or shouldn’t put out on the web.

There’s a movie coming out soon, called “Julie and Julia,” which interweaves the stories of Julia Child, famous chef, and Julie Powell, who makes every recipe from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking over the course of a year and blogs about it. At least I think I’ve got all that right. What interested me in particular was wondering if the real life author started with a blog before publishing her account as a memoir, and if so, how she protected her content from desperate screenwriters. Authoring a piece of work usually includes sharing it with an audience, but at the same time, original work must be protected from plagiarism and theft. I don't know all the ins and outs of copyrights on the web, but it bears further research. Given that one of my post-grad school goals is to write a novel, I’ll be keeping a closing watch on this evolving issue.

I'll stick to my first life, thanks...

I remember almost three years ago, when I was brand new to the firm where I work, we held an Extreme Learning Lab for about forty of our 200+ learning and education staff. I was fortunate to get to participate, and while wandering among the Wii, the Playstation 360 (or whatever was the current model then), Rosetta Stone software, Second Life, info about blogs, wikis, and Twitter, I was patting myself on the back for joining such a fun company. Of course, every day can't be that way, but in my department we often look at emerging technologies and how/if they might be useful in the learning programs we create.

When I saw Second Life at the lab, it was my first peek, and I thought it was pretty cool. Since that introduction, I've seen at least a dozen cover stories/feature articles on the use of Second Life in training (particularly in Training magazine, the eLearning Guild's online magazine, and ASTD's magazine). Interestingly, for all its popularity in the industry, I have yet to see a use of Second Life in learning that really impresses me. What can you do in Second Life that you can't do with videoconferencing or other eLearning solutions?

I've downloaded and used Second Life on a half dozen occasions, and I'm beginning to wonder why I just don't get it. The graphical user interface is impressive - the graphics are fun, and the ability to build your own stuff is interesting (and costly, from what I can tell...), but I'm simply not buying it. I am all for embracing new technology and using it in learning programs, particularly given that the average age at my company is 27 - we need to think young in terms of how we deliver training (to an extent.) But I just think too many people are making training fit Second Life rather than using Second Life to enhance training. Your thoughts, please - I'm willing to see it differently!

Expertise? Sources, please!

One of the things I've been asked to consider in my current class is my view of expertise on the Web, and how it compares with how I consider expertise in face-to-face environments. A few things in particular come to mind:

• As an undergrad, I majored in English, and have a bit of an obsession with writing. Now it's true, I miss a comma here and there, but I also have a sense of pride in constructing an effective sentence. With this in mind, I have to remember that good writing does not mean someone is necessarily an expert on their shared subject matter. In face-to-face settings, I have to remember not to equate effective public speaking or proper elocution with expertise. (Note to self: There are plenty of polished idiots in the world, both on the Web and in f2f situations.)
• Expertise takes different forms. There are classic bibliographies and reference lists, but I also believe that a person's experience can be a type of expertise. I have a great deal of experience using synchronous eLearning platforms that I have acquired over the past ten years, and this has enabled me to mentor others. This, in my book, equates to expertise. Going back to bibliographies and reference lists, I think there are undending opportunities for individuals to misuse credible sources, in both web and f2f settings.
• Now more than ever, I will look at a person's source material when referenced; I'll ask for a source if one is not cited. It's important to me not to perpetuate misinformation - if I pass along information that I have not personally verified, I share my source along with it so that others can look it up if they desire.

How do you verify information you receive? Or do you? As always, interested in your thoughts.

Socially antisocial?

Facebook has some very popular games that I've been "researching" lately. Okay, I'll just admit, I'm totally addicted to a couple of them. After repeated invitations from friends to be their "neighbor" on FarmTown, I decided to check it out. It is quite fun to design a farm, plow, plant, and harvest crops, and grow the farm into my personal creation.

While most of the game play is solitary, you can involve other farmers in your farm activities (they profit from doing so). You can have roughly twenty neighbors, who can plow and harvest for you, and water your plants as well. If your neighbors are unavailable, you can head to the marketplace, and enlist the help of other farmers. These individuals - essentially strangers - can be added to your "buddy" list in the event you'd like to work together again. So, it happens from time to time you become friendly with one of these people and want to add them as a neighbor. The catch is, you can only add Facebook friends as neighbors. In one case, I have added a farmer as a friend and neighbor, and it's been fun getting to know someone who lives in Saskatchewan, Canada.

The reason I mention this is because I have for some time felt as though social networking and Web 2.0 technologies (along with other technologies) are changing the nature/definition of friendship and what it means to be social. Last week, while on a business trip, I posted a request on my friend Jessica's Facebook page to please water my plants while I was gone. She knew that I was referring to the plants on my farm, but to others, the context wouldn't have been obvious. Are we really becoming virtual neighborhoods and increasing our sense of community? or are we watering it down and confusing friendship with acquaintanceship? I can see arguments for each, and would love to hear your thoughts.