Opening the Box:Building online learning communities with multiuser blogging environments

Presentation by

Michael Wilder

Agenda

• Challenges of online learning• What is multiuser blogging?• How can MU blogging be used in higher education?• Requirements• Who else is using MU blogging environments?• Questions

Challenges of online learning

Challenges of online learning

Interaction• Student to content• Student to student• Student to instructor

Old Paradigm

Instructor – Student interaction

Challenges of online learning

Persistence of content• No public archive• No resources for capstone

Challenges of online learning

Closed system•Student to world•World to student

Challenges of online learning

Student ownership• Control of learning environment• Contribution to the curriculum

Overview

Overview

http://www.vegas-times.com/imd/

Overviewhttp://www.vegas-times.com/sloanc/

un & pw: sloanc

Overview

Overview

Overview

Easy Publication

•Full range of editing tools•Spellcheck•No Java!•Copy & paste keyboard shortcuts•Drag & drop media uploader•Custom visibility

Easy publication

•Drafts•Built-in custom characters•Word count•Paste from text and MS Word•Categories•Metatags

Overview

Overview

Overview

Overview

Overview

Overview

Overview

Overview

Overview

Overview

OverviewSyndication

OverviewSyndication

Overview

Overview

Overview

Overview

Social Media Hub

Social Media

Automatic reposting of blog posts with images and podcasts.

Uses the RSS Grafitti app.

One-way communicationNo privacy issues

Also:Facebook LikeFacebook Connect

Facebook “Page”

Mobile

Automatically adjusts WordPress posts to display on iPhone, iPod touch, Android mobile devices, Palm Pre/Pixi and BlackBerry OS6 mobile devices.

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wptouch/

Wptouch theme

Integration into LMS

Most left navigation links in contemporary learning management systems (Blackboard, WebCT, Moodle, for example) can be completely customized.

Customized Course menu

Requirements

Server• PHP• MySQLDomain name

Self-hosted<100$ a year

Hosting Solution

Requirements

http://www.wordpress.org

FreeOpen SourceEasy to installEasy to updateLarge development community

WordPress

Requirements

FreeOpen SourceEasy to installEasy to updateLarge development community

http://www.buddypress.org

BuddyPress

Requirements

1000+ Free1000+ CommercialEasily customizedEasy to installEasy to updateLarge development community

http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/

Themes

Useful Plugins

• Akismet – spam protection http://akismet.com/

• BuddyPress - Social networking http://buddypress.org/

• bbPress – forum softwarehttp://bbpress.org/

• FeedWordPress – RSShttp://feedwordpress.radgeek.com/

• podPress – Podcasting solutionhttp://www.mightyseek.com/podpress/

• WordPress Wiki – Turn WP pages to wikihttp://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wordpress-wiki/

• Wptouch – Format for mobilehttp://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wptouch/

Who else is using it?

http://tinyurl.com/7tazukz

200+ Major institutions Worldwide

WordPress in Higher Education

References

Brescia, W., & Miller, M. (2006). What's it worth? The perceived benefits of instructional blogging. Electronic Journal for the Integration of Technology in Education, 5, 44-52.

Downes, S. (2004). Educational blogging. EDUCAUSE Review, 39(5), 14-26.Ellison, N., & Wu, Y. (2008). Blogging in the classroom: a preliminary exploration of students attitudes and impact on comprehension. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 17(1), 99-122.

Glogoff, S. (2005). Instructional blogging: promoting interactivity, student-centered learning, and peer input. Innovate: Journal of Online Education, 1(5),

Jenkins, H., Purushotma, R., Clinton, K., Weigel, M. & Robison, A. J. (2006). Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Chicago, IL.

References

Kerawalla, L., Minocha, S., Kirkup, G., & Conole, G. (2008). An empirically grounded framework to guide blogging in higher education. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 25, 31-42.

Paulus, T., Payne, R., & Jahns, L. (2009). Am I making sense here? What blogging reveals about undergraduate student understanding. Journal for Interactive Online Learning, 8(1), 1-22.

Xie, Y., Ke, F., & Sharma, P. (2008). The effect of peer feedback for blogging on college students' reflective learning processes. Internet and Higher Education, 11, 18-25.

Credits/Contacts

This presentation made by:

Michael WilderInstructional Design Coordinator

E-mail | Web Site