While the first two videos are much shorter compositions that show more than tell, the Library of Congress video offers a longer (55 minutes) commentary and analysis of YouTube and Web video in general as a cultural phenomenon. Take the time to view all three – roughly an hour and five minutes – and you’ve got a great Web 2.0 learning package.

via Open Culture.

JTC

P.S. If you enjoy what you read here on Mission to Learn, I encourage you to subscribe to the RSS feed or use the e-mail subscription form at the top right side of this page.

If you are a librarian, however, give yourself a pat on the back. The e-mail announcing the new version of WebJunction has prompted me finally to voice here what I have voiced numerous times in speaking engagements and other forums over the last year or so: libraries have done an admirable job engaging the new Web and making it part of their toolset.

Here are just a few very quick examples. I encourage you to comment and contribute your favorite examples.

Learning 2.0 and Social Media

What Helen Blowers – originally at the Charlotte Mecklenberg County public library here in my home state of NC when the ball got rolling – sparked with her Learning 2.0   program is really quite remarkable. Helen’s original Learning 2.0 program was designed as an “online self-discovery program that encourages the exploration of web 2.0 tools and new technologies, specifically 23 Things”

Variations of the program have now been picked up by I don’t know how many libraries as librarians have embraced the challenges of the social media and the Web 2.0. Check out 23 Things on Stick in Minnesota, for example. And be sure to listen to a great podcast interview with Helen on another library social media site: Library Beat.

Helen blogs at LibraryBytes  and is now Digital Strategy Director for the Columbus Metropolitan Library. (Wow. Does your organization have a Digital Strategy Director?)

Open Education and Open Access

Libraries have also been in step with how the Web has opened up access to knowledge and education. Check out this recent interview at Creative Commons with Rima Kupryte, Director of Electronic Information for Libraries (eIFL.net), and Iryna Kuchma, Program Manager of eIFL-OA (Open Access).

Note also that eIFL is creating an online course on copyright for librarians in collaboration with the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School.

Virtual Worlds and Digital Games

As reported at Educational Games Research, the Alliance Library System, in cooperation with Learning Times is putting on a conference in Second Life called “Stepping into Literature” as part of their Stepping Into Virtual Worlds series.

As the “Stepping into…” site puts it:

What if, instead of staring at a two-dimensional website, we could walk into and through the page of the screen?

The technology of virtual worlds is opening up a new universe of possibilities for students and lifelong learners. Many experts say we are moving from the area of the two-dimensional webpage to the era of the three-dimensional virtual world. The “Stepping into” series of conferences is your chance to learn about, and experience for yourself, the power of virtual worlds. Over the coming months, we will explore some of the best and most creative work being done in virtual worlds, in the areas of history, literature, medicine, science and more.

Even if you miss Stepping into Literature (August 6), be sure to keep an eye out for some of the other offerings that will be coming.

Also, I’ll close by noting that, through a grant from Verizon, the American Library Association (ALA) will launch “an innovative project to track and measure the impact of gaming on literacy skills and build a model for library gaming that can be deployed nationally.”

Like I said above, please comment with other examples – and be sure to give kudos to the next librarian you meet!

JTC

P.S. If you enjoy what you read here on Mission to Learn, I encourage you to subscribe to the RSS feed or use the e-mail subscription form at the top right side of this page.

• The Digital Curator in Your Future
  Steve Rubel, MicroPersuasion
• Collective Intelligence? Nah, Connective Intelligence.
  George Siemens, elearnspace
• Any Free Hosted CMS or LMS? (Yes, Obama Says!)
  Zaid Ali Alsagoff, ZaidLearn
• The Problem with Social Media Marketing
  Joshua Porter, Bokardo
• How Do You Consider the Intangible Benefits of Social Media
  Beth Kanter, Beth’s Blog
• Surprise, Not all Women Think Alike
  Holly Buchanan, Copyblogger
• Job Searching the Web 2.0 Way
  Michele Martin, The Bamboo Project

It seems appropriate to start with Steve Rubel’s The Digital Curator in Your Future, the post that inspired the title of this post. Rubel argues that, in order to manage the massive amounts of information now flowing across the Web, the world needs digital curators, “people who are selfless and willing to act as sherpas and guides. They’re identifiable subject matter experts who dive through mountains of digital information and distill it down to its most relevant, essential parts.” I think we can all probably already identify “curators” on whom we rely. Of course, all of this is also reminiscent of George Siemen’s notion of the teacher as curator, which I mention briefly in my earlier Connectivism Considered posting.

And speaking of George Siemens and connectivism. In Collective Intelligence? Nah, Connective Intelligence, Siemens explains his preferences for the term “connective intelligence” over “connective intelligence.” “For reasons of motivation, self-confidence, and satisfaction,” Siemens writes, “it is critical that we can retain ourselves and our ideas in our collaboration with others. Connective intelligences permits this. Collective intelligence results in an over-writing of individual identity.” A subtle distinction, but an important one. And by the way, while Siemen’s blog is one of my frequent reads, I have to acknowledge that I first noticed this particular posting via curator extraordinaire, Stephen Downes.

Continuing with the curator theme, I do believe that Zaid Ali Algasoff is in the process of firmly establishing himself as the e-learning curator of Southeast Asia. His recent Any Free Hosted CMS or LMS? (Yes, Obama Says!) is just one piece of the accumulating evidence. In particular, I am eager to check out Ecto which claims to be “the only learning management system built from the ground up on the principles and architecture of social software.” It’s worth noting, too, that a feed reader does not do Zaid’s blog justice. This is one where you will want to stop by the site itself on a regular basis to get the full effect of text styling, layout, and graphics.

Changing gears a bit, in The Problem with Social Media Marketing Joshua Porter criticizes those who promote social media marketing as a way to create buzz. As Porter sees it, “Giving people a platform for expression doesn’t necessarily create buzz and demand. It only amplifies what the opinion was in the first place.” And the clincher: “You can’t simply set up social media tools and expect your business to get better. You have to change your business for your business to get better.”

Along with Porter, Beth Kanter is one of the people I always look to for wisdom on how social media may or may not be effective. I starred her recent How Do You Consider the Intangible Benefits of Social Media because I think the concept is so important to how organizations should be thinking about social media (see my earlier posting on the topic) and because I like her Harley Davidson metaphor.

Like many bloggers, I am a frequent reader of Brian Clark’s excellent Copyblogger. Those who know the focus and content of the blog won’t be surprised that Surprise, Not all Women Think Alike caught my attention mainly because of the headline. It made my star collection, however, because I like the way Holly Buchanan takes the reader though a brief but effective process of establishing four very different profiles for four superficially identical women. An exercise that might help out many a strategic brainstorming session.

All of these are bright twinklers in the Web 2.0 galaxy, but I may have to give superstar status to this last one, Michele Martin’s Job Searching the Web 2.0 Way series. Michele is definitely in a groove as she works with Shari Ward, a mid-career training professional, to leverage all of the power of Web 2.0 to develop her personal brand and conduct an effective job search. Before diving in, you might want to get in the right frame of mind dropping by ReadWriteWeb to read Alex Iskold’s “Are YOU replaceable?”

Well, time to pack for the next trip.

Your curator,

JTC

As my recent Learning 2.0 eBook and other writings here make clear, I believe social media technologies can greatly enhance online learning opportunities. To me—and, I suspect, to most Mission to Learn readers—the equation seems pretty straightforward and obvious.

learning opportunity + social media = more effective learning opportunity

But I wonder more and more about a variation on that equation:

social media + learning opportunity = more effective social media

It seems like an equation that demands the attention of anyone concerned with how to realize value from social media initiatives.

Social media for entertainment alone is ephemeral. The funny YouTube video that goes viral today will be forgotten next week or next month.

Social media for distributing news or information is only as valuable and sustainable as the news or information.

Even an emphasis on relationships, collaboration, and user generated content in social media environments only goes so far if the object of these activities lacks substantive value.

When I look at my own social activities online, the common thread across the ones that I visit most frequently is that they are places where I consistently find I can learn something. Not just find information—Google does just fine for that—but truly expand my knowledge in a way that is meaningful to me. And this generally means that I can engage in a learning conversation. Whether I choose to or not, I can respond. I can engage and contribute.

This may seem like an obvious point—particularly to readers here—but as I scan what I am able to of the content out there on topics like social media ROI, the business value of social media, social media marketing, and social commerce, I find that meaningful discussions of learning as a value generator within social media environments are few and far between.

Admittedly I am biased, but I suspect many of those seeking success in their social media initiatives could benefit greatly from knowledge of adult learning theory, instructional design, and assessment and evaluation. Even in the seemingly uncontrollable world of social networks, these disciplines offer tools that can help shape a much higher value social media initiative.

Maybe it just all comes down to this: Good teachers could teach marketers and Web strategists a thing or two. What do you think?

JTC

• Given the response, I can only assume that quite a few folks are thinking about this topic and, based on some of the comments about the book in other blog postings, it appears there is a real need for tools to help explain Learning 2.0 within organizations;
• I don’t have any real insight into who downloaded the eBook, but I can tell that the number of downloads of the PowerPoint presentation on which the eBook was based has increased nearly tenfold so far. I think this makes sense because the PPT contains the script (in the notes area) on which the book was based, all of the relevant images, and can easily be modified to meet the needs of just about any organization—not just associations;
• News of the eBook got shared on quite a few sites outside of the U.S.—more than in the U.S. as of this posting (note: I have updated the list below since). This is surprising only to the extent that Mission to Learn got noticed, as my suspicion has always been that–in spite of all the general frenzy about social media in the U.S–thinking on Learning 2.0 may in fact be quite a bit more advanced in other parts of the world. (I welcome comments from anyone who cares to argue otherwise or offer their thoughts on why this is the case.)

More important than these brief observations is the thanks I’d like to extend to the bloggers who talked about and/or linked to the eBook from their blogs or commented here. Below are the ones I have identified so far. I’d like to encourage Mission to Learn readers to visit and (depending on your language skills, of course;-) read any of these blogs that are not already on your list:

North America

• AE on the Verge
• The Bamboo Project
• Beyond Certification
• C3 Communication, Collaboration & Connectivity Community
• Cakes: Learning Technology Blog
• Dave’s Whiteboard
• DE Tools of the Trade
• Effective Design.org
• eLearning Weekly
• Learn-Learn-Learn
• Lore Librarian
• OLDaily
• PILOTed
• Social Software in Libraries

Europe and Asia

• Boomzalvers Links Blog
• Catepol 3.0
• Dellaplane
• Edu2Do.com
• edu.tainment.de
• e-learning na uczelni wy?szej
• eLearning Network
• Game-based eVideo Network
• The Gurteen Knowledge Website
• Hans on Experience
• Wilfred Rubens: technology enhanced learning
• KK.stiftelson
• Wepissä vastaan tullutta …
• www.weiterbildungsblog.de
• ZaidLearn

Finally, I continue to welcome any comments about the eBook or general insights and observations you would like to share about Learning 2.0.

JTC

P.S. - If you enjoy what you read here on Mission to Learn, I encourage you to subscribe to the feed.

JTC

Update: Just noticed this bit of acerbic Facebook commentary from Nicholas Carr and couldn’t resist tacking it onto this post.

First:

Blog Spottings and Other News

As I have mentioned before on Mission to Learn, how to market and sell e-learning is one of the main areas of concern for my clients. While not specific to online learning (or any other product or service, for that matter), what Seth Godin has to say about marketing in general is worth reading and applying to your e-learning marketing efforts. I’ve mentioned his Purple Cow concept elsewhere. More recently, Godin has jumped on the customer evangelism bandwagon and published a new e-book called Flipping the Funnel. I recommend this as well his recent posting on The Scarcity Shortage . Nonprofit readers may also appreciate the take on this concept at What is Scarce in Advocacy and Campaigns?

Speaking of Purple Cows. I’d like to renew my general call for Purple Cows of the nonprofit online learning world. See E-learning: Where are the Nonprofit Purple Cows, post your examples, and please spread the word.

Now:

Second Life Second Hand

I have been planning for some time now to explore and write about Second Life, but one thing or another has held me back. For those unfamiliar with it, Second Life is a 3D virtual world, or multi-user virtual environment (M.U.V.E) in which participants literally set up a “second life,” complete with a new, virtual identity, and interact with other users in many of the same ways that people interact in a real world, i.e., buying things, selling things, socializing, teach, learning, and so on (with “and so on” including some of the inevitable shadier sides of the Web).

Not the least of the factors holding me back from exploring Second Life has been the sheer amount of time and effort that doing so in any depth would seem to require. I have enough going on in my first life without trying to maintain a second one. Still, the enticement has been strong. When I noticed that Brandon Hall had set up a research office in Second Life I almost made the leap. And when I saw that Karl Kapp was conducting a summer class on Learning in 3D. I was once again almost lured into the light. But still I clung to this life.

Recently I began to think that perhaps my doubts have been justified. In August, Wired published an article portraying Second Life as a virtual wasteland –one that is “slurping up corporate dollars and delivering little in return.” To add insult to injury, Chris Anderson, who is both the acclaimed author of The Long Tail and the Wired editor who commissioned the article, roundly dissed Second Life in a recent posting on his blog and has closed down the magazine’s virtual office there. In the world of higher learning, the Chronicle of Education’s Wired Campus blog has picked up on the debate and is asking what value is being realized by the more than 100 colleges that have set up a presence in Second Life are realizing.

At this point, it might be wiser to join the doubters, spare myself the time and effort of a closer look at Second Life, and move on to other topics. The problem is that much of the debate sparked by Wired, Anderson, the Chronicle and others misses the mark. As some of the commentators on Anderson’s blog have noted (rightly, in my opinion) the Long Tail author himself discounts the potentially large long tail impact of Second Life. Perhaps more importantly from the perspective of education, however, Second Life at this point is primarily an event-driven medium. While it may aspire to being a culture and an economy (and with more than 9 million users, it may be making some progress), what appears to work best there right now is a virtualization of that classic human communication modality—the meeting. Corporations (the main stakeholders addressed in the Wired article) that are expecting big marketing returns and universities that are expecting to build a virtual campus life are almost certain to be disappointed in the short term.

This is not to say that Second Life does not resonate well beyond the virtual walls of a single event, particularly when other social media tools or Second Life-friendly techniques like machinima are used along with it. Indeed, at this point, it probably works best as an educational medium when blended with these other tools. In any case, given the amount of traffic I have seen on the education listserv for Second Life (up to volume 459 as of this posting), what appears to be solid interest in the education track at the Second Life annual conference (37 paper submissions), and a vibrant emerging discussion of the pedagogical value of the 3D medium (see more Karl Kapp, for instance, as well as a recent posting on Educause’s HiredEd blog there appears be ample interest in the potential value of Second Life for learning, if not for marketing.

Of course, whether Second Life itself will ultimately be the delivery medium in which new pedagogical approaches are realized is an open question. A recent posting at TeleRead asks “Could it be, as some have suggested, that you should consider Second Life to be just a set of training wheels for less proprietary alternatives?“ I won’t pretend to have an answer to that one yet, but I am convinced my original plan to explore Second Life first hand is still worth pursuing. As of this posting, I have created my virtual identity (to be revealed at a later time) and am in the process of tricking out my avatar. Stay tuned for dispatches from the virtual frontier soon.

JTC

Books mentioned in this posting:

CONSIDER THIS: FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GULF opened by the Web, virtually all of the structures that management identifies as being the business itself seems to be bizarre artifacts of earlier times, like wearing a powdered wig and codpiece to the company picnic…The gulf the Web opens is, ironically, that of connection…The Web, in short, has led every wired person in your organization to expect direct connections not only to information but also to the truth spoken in human voices.
The Cluetrain Manifesto, 116

In a recent posting titled Connections and Comparisons: The Wealth of Blogs I stated that “Pursued conscientiously and self-consciously blogging and blog reading almost by default leads participants into the upper levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy of the cognitive domain: analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.”  This, I knew, was a perspective that was hardly original to me, and in some of the limited spare time I have had since that posting I have been tripping along the various threads that might weave together a cohesive theory of networked learning and its implications for mission-driven organizations.

It’s hard to travel down this particular road without bumping into Stephen Downes, who has written extensively about online learning, content syndication, and new media.  While re-reading his E-learning 2.0 article (which I strongly recommend to anyone who has not read it. See also his recent presentation on the topic.) Downes’s reference to George Siemens’s Connectivism jumped out at me, ultimately leading to the first of the opening quotes above.

While I can’t quite decide if a new “ism” is really necessary to encompass Siemens’s view (in many ways connectivism feels to me more like a difference in degree than a difference in kind from social constructivism on the one hand and knowledge management on the other, but this is an area in which I am admittedly a dilettante at best), his ongoing insights into how learning happens in a networked world, and the role of the “the individual formerly known as teacher” are highly valuable. In a post on his Connectivism Blog earlier this week, for instance, Siemens references Clarence Fisher’s notion of the teacher as network administrator and adds to it the concept of the teacher as curator:

The joint model of network administrator and curator form the foundation of what education should be. An expert (the curator) exists in the artifacts displayed, resources reviewed in class, concepts being discussed. But she’s behind the scenes providing interpretation, direction, provocation, and yes, even guiding. A curatorial teacher acknowledges the autonomy of learners, yet understands the frustration of exploring unknown territories without a map. A curator is an expert learner. Instead of dispensing knowledge, he creates spaces in which knowledge can be created, explored, and connected. While curators understand their field very well, they don’t adhere to traditional in-class teacher-centric power structures.

I am certain I will be mining Siemens’s insights for some time to come, but at least a couple of different thoughts occur to me in the near term. First, I have been following some of the postings of Rosetta Thurman, Michele Martin, and others about the potential role of blogging and other social media tools in professional development. Martin comments in a recent post “I’ve learned more in the last year of blogging than I think I did in the 5 years prior to that.” I agree wholeheartedly that blogging is a powerful tool—and a powerful process—through which individuals may pursue their own learning. The challenge for organizations, of course, is that most of them stand outside of this process at present with little insight into what type of learning is occurring or how to measure it. If the metaphor of the curator applies to the teacher, the metaphor of the museum may need to be applied to the organization. I have no idea how museums gauge their effectiveness as institutions of learning, but I am beginning to think I may need to find out.

My second thought is that organizations must recognize and embrace both the inward and the outward facing implications of connectivism. It is this thought that prompted me to quote The Cluetrain Manifesto above. (Downes also mentions this work in his E-Learning 2.0 article.)  A largely unfettered ability to connect—to information, and ultimately to the truth—has significant implications for staff and for the stakeholders they serve. “Markets are conversations,” reads the first thesis of the Manifesto, and conversations are, of course, all about connecting—whether these connections are intended to drive revenue, raise funds, or change the world. Increasingly the lines between learning and the “making of markets” blurs. Organizations that are not open to this dynamic, not only as a part of their professional development effort, but as an integral part of their strategy may find themselves stuck at the station as the Cluetrain departs.

JTC

Books referenced in this posting: