Tweeting, and attempting an online PD

So this has been a MASSIVE week of learning and sharing, and most of it was not in or from the directions I anticipated.

I had mentally declared this week my #moocmooc week; 

I'd enrolled, checked out the platform and resources, contributed to the first piece of homework (collaborative group writing in a Google doc on set topic, including requirement to cite from 3 specific references, embed a free-to-share or Creative'ly Commons'd image, and an exact word count limit.)

After tapping away a paragraph of my rough thoughts, and a good night's Australian sleep, I woke to find that the real work and collaboration had happened overnight. I learnt heaps by reading the completed docs, there are some excellent writers out there in the world, with very articulate turns of phrase, and it's amazing to think it was many minds working to complete such a coherent piece of writing. Some of the docs had left their chain of thoughts on the paper under a separate heading, so you could read the process they went through, in addition to their final piece. A very enlightening concept. So did I quit?

Well not in my mind, more a temporary retreat to lurker status whilst I got on with other things, like...

• signing up for the Classroom 2.0 online conference/Ning page (the conference starts this Monday 20 August 2012)
• sharing with Deakin Uni library colleagues the Classroom 2.0 link, highlighting the upcoming keynotes (Marc Prensky and a powerhouse library panel), and most helpfully, the schedule of all presentations, in my Melbourne'ised timezone! (+10, if you were wondering). I had been experimenting this week with timeanddate's meeting planner, but trying to work out daylight savings or not was doing my head in! 
• sharing (again w/ Deakin Uni library colleagues) the associated Library 2.0 conference which is in October.This conference is calling for presentations, and is another example of free pd and connecting opportunities coming together, in 'the cloud'.
• I was also bashing away on a strategic document with a colleague, something that will guide further actions for her and I, and other colleagues activity, but still leave room for creativity.
• And meetings, prep'ing for meetings, and writing a couple of reports... 

But more interestingly... this week I have:

• supported and learnt with other new people to Twitter and Yammer,
• started sorting out my Tweetdeck layout (the columns, the columns! Way to categorise, sort, and layout!)
• made sure I am uptodate with reading and viewing of @susie_mac 's latest post about Twitter, and gaming motivations 
• and revisited the #moocmooc stream, 'cause while I may not have participated as fully as I thought I would, I am interested in seeing what the more active participants are tweeting about their experience.

Technical self note

Yay! Downloaded Chrome app to iPad and so far I seem to be able to get more control of formatting, bullet points and layout, than when in iPad Safari browser. #points4persistence

I'm also going to experiment with the Blogger post template this week, to see if that helps me to write more regularly by having a structure, rather than the dreaded empty page.

* Sponsor's declaration

Work on this blog post was sustained by my PWMA banana cake. Easy to make, easy to eat! Tweet me if you want the recipe ;-) 

Kp

Digital presence: use it to your advantage

It's been a busy couple of days since last post.

Amongst the conversations with library colleagues at Deakin and across Melbourne, and the collaborations I've been working on with another division at Deakin - I've also been checking out and cleaning up my digital presence!

How?

• a quick Google search, to "see what I can see" about my name online (nothing scary so far!)
• I also set up an alert, so anytime Google finds fresh content about me, I'll be sent an email with links so I can check myself (or e-doppelgangers) out
• I hopped onto LinkedIn and tidied up my profile and account, changed all those weekly digests that were accidentally going to a personal email to redirect to work
• I invited some newer colleagues to link up with me in LinkedIn - and suggested a couple of the groups I find useful as possibilities for them. There's no guarantee of course - but some of their connections have since connected up with me - so the network is building, and hopefully we can help each other over time.
• I made sure all my social networking sites had a professional looking photo, and a useful description of me and my work, tho' the description is bound to change with time!

  

'Why the focus on your digital presence just now?', I imagine you asking... 

Well, I've been watching a new blog of a co-collaborator, whose most recent post advises on just that task.

You can check the specific post on your digital presence tips here.

  

Technical tip

The last post uploaded just fine by pasting from the iPad notes app, but I was unable to format using bold to have headings stand out.

It was easily fixed the next day by hopping online from the desktop, but I am hoping to finesse that, to remove double handling. Maybe I'll need to learn a little code?

Any workflow suggestions from other Blogger users very welcome!

* Sponsor's declaration

Work on this blog was sustained by my Mum's famous crumbly oat biscuits, collected on my last visit. Dee-licious! Thanks Mum :-)

Twitter: to lurk or not to lurk

So yesterday I mentioned the concept of lurking in social media; I've been quite the lurker in my time, and thought in this post I'd share my experience of the process of "de-lurking".


I've used the internet since 1995/6, am a huge internet banking convert, I use email for work and friends, and I "Facebook" with friends in about as locked down an environment as I can set.
However, I just didn't "get" the appeal of a twitter experience; I set up an account a number of years ago, had a bit of a search and look around, but never really delved or explored further to prove or disprove that perspective. Safe to say, it was one for the backburner.


Probably the two biggest prompts to me developing my Twitter involvement were:
1. meeting Susie Macfarlane @susie_mac through a curriculum renewal project last year.
Having joined Twitter back in 2008/9 and deep-lurked for some two-ish years, last year Susie "followed" me in the ether, and during our in-person meeting her enthusiasm encouraged me to get Twitter-active, and see where it lead.
Between Susie M, and my having met Deakin Uni academic and former journo and PR guru Ross Monaghan @themediapod , I had 2 real live humans in my workplace that I could connect to, follow, tweet, and more importantly, check out who they follow, to see who else out there "spoke to me".


2. attending the Melbourne component of the PLE Conference 2012 (thanks for the invite Joyce S).
Keynotes by Dr Alec Couros @courosa and Dr Inger Mewburn @thesiswhisperer, a room full of interested, engaged and tweeting professionals from academic and corporate origins, workshops that buzzed, and thoughtful and interactive panels took off. Tweets did fly! Add to that, the conference was co-sited in Aviero, Portugal in a different timezone, and there was quite the bunch of people connecting, commenting, sharing, retweeting, and encouraging each other. It was quite an experience. See the hashtag #pleconf for some of the flavour.


What does this mean for me?
Well, for starters it's not a competition. I'm not looking to gather @ladygaga like numbers of followers (27.9million as at 5/6/2012).
I follow some 200+ people for professional, personal and hobby interests. I am followed by less.
But I do want to connect and participate; I've seen the humble 140 tweet characters inspire and assist.
I hope this blog will be

• a place where I can share my ideas and experiences,
• use twitter to essentially advertise that my "thought of the day/post" is available,
• then create more meaningful and connected relationships with people via the comments or tweets that follow.

If you have any questions or thoughts about this post or blog, please use the comment field below, tweet me, or get in touch. I'll be pleased to continue the conversation.


Technical tip
This post was written in the notes app on my iPad, jumping between it and the Twitter and Safari apps to crosscheck links and facts. Then a cut'n'paste into Blogger software/app with some hyperlinking work.
Fingers crossed, a click of the publish button, and hey presto, post 2 should go live :-)




* Sponsor's declaration
I'll be making references to Susie Mac's blog http://futuresgazing.blogspot.com.au/ over the coming weeks, and am looking forward to seeing that blog project develop too!


Kp

Let's kick this off, shall we?

Well hello, and thanks for stopping by!

Welcome to my blog documenting my learning about, and work in, the world of social media, connecting people and their learning with technologies, and collaboration with colleagues near and far.

My goals are:

• to be active and present (ie cease lurking!) and thoughtful,
• to share my learning and ideas about educational technologies, information access (both open and subscribed),
• to expand my thoughts about what I read and do, informed by people and concepts that inspire me, in more than 140 characters, tho’ you'll find my tweets out in the ether too.

Just to mix it up, there will be the odd post about random personal interests when they connect with the digital world, because I’d like to have fun along the way :-) 

Feel free to lurk awhile, or dive on in and say hi – I’m looking forward to this venture!

kp