Thing 23: Recap and reflection

I really liked the variety of technology that we were introduced to.  Even though I thought they had spread out some of the issues where there needn't have been.  It was a great way to discover and an excuse to play with some features I had never had time to play with.

Thank you, Mike, for your patiance with my venting about some programs.  I am quite open minded and like to try a whole slough of new software/webaps but when I have already spent a year or more playing with one and don't like... I let people know.

I wish we (as a class) spent more time commenting on other peoples blogs.  That would have been nice to see what other were doing.  I am to blame as well.  I commented on other for steps 1-4 but then stoped.  Perhaps because I got just a tad busy this summer, or because there was really no reciprication, or like most people I started working and didn't engage the others around me.  Not sure.. something to ponder about.

I say we keep challenging each other to try new software.  I'll keep sending out my e-mails over the school year and lets hope people keep sending them to me.

Thanks Mike.

Thing 22: Keeping Up

I had to laugh at this post.  The idea of being able to keep is neigh impossible.   There are thousands of new widgets, tools, software, webapps per year.  However, by having a high interest and the willingness to try new programs one can at least be on the front end of things.

I attribute on-line tool development to be sort of like writing novels.  90% of them are terrible, they are written poorly, bad plot etc.  So you have to wade through all the bad books before you find the gems.  The same is true for new computer technology and development.

By continuing to challenge ones self and trying to utilize the tools found in the classroom puts you on par with the person who likes a genre of literature and so reads everything they can.  They put down a lot of books, finish others but don't like... but with the ones they really like, they spread the word.

That is sort of our charge.  We need to pick up that new piece of software, try that new application and most of them we will uninstall, or stop using.  But the few that we find and really like we will spread the word.  No matter how good we are at doing this, a colleage will find something that we missed and share it with us.  Thus that sharing (thus the usefulness of comunicating via e-mail or network sites like ning).

Keeping up is about:

• trying
• evaluating
• sharing
• staying on line
• comunicating

I promise that I will continue to do all of these things and more.

Thing 21: Beyond Myspace

Although crude in its appearance and user interface, I am having larger hopes for Ning.  

The fact that it self filters by definition will help.  This will limit the number of lurkers and "false friends" from being part of the system.  It keeps people of like issues together, I like that.  Not only that, but it has better privacy for setting up "by invitation only". 

The interface is really crude and visually it is terrible.  However Ning has some potential.  I will continue to play with it and see what is available.

I didn't really spend much time with Gather or with Webjunction.  There is this whole time, signing up for one more accunt, one more password, setting up another avitar... account information etc.  So I let them go.  But Gather is looking like an even better option than Ning.  I'll have to do some more exploring to see what is looking good to me.

Perhaps my attitude will change...