Twitter Problems - Reconsidering Jaiku
May 29, 2008
Twitter’s had a number of problems lately. Seems it all started when they had the system down for upgrades a couple of weeks ago. Since then they’re on par with Second Life for technical problems. The two blur together for me: is it Twitter that has the database problem, with Second Life affected by VPN connections between servers, or is it the other way around?
All of this has me looking for alternatives. I don’t think I could stand Pownce again. I never liked the design and their AIR client was too buggy.
Jaiku was worth another look, though. It’s missing my social network, but overall it wasn’t as awkward as Pownce. My biggest problem with Jaiku was that I kept getting redundant Twitter feeds hours after the fact. A Tweet from D’Arcy would echo from Alan and Andy long after I’d seen it, with the attribution confused. It was like an echo chamber, with no way to stop. So I stopped watching.
But with Twitter in trouble I thought it was worth another look. And I’m glad I stopped by.
First thing I noticed was a note from Jaiku itself (1 month, 2 weeks ago no less):
Jaiku will be moving to the new Google App Engine. More on the Jaiku blog: http://tinyurl.com/3o2kkr
I figured by this point the move would be done. So what had changed? The first thing I checked was if I could use SMS on my iPhone to send Jaikus. Back in the day, it just didn’t work. My only choice was to have a Safari bookmark, which I didn’t like. Now? The test message went through, I was able to reply, and now I can use SMS to sent to Jaiku.
More importantly, as I started browsing my friends, I noticed an option for each feed they send to Jaiku: I can unsubscribe from just that feed. So now I can get Alan’s Jaikus, his Flickr stream, but not his Twitter feed or CogDogBlog if I don’t want.
That’s exactly the kind of control I would need for Jaiku to work. And so I’m back. Not giving up on Twitter yet - I’ve been playing with brightkite lately and like the ability to send posts to Twitter - but I am going to post to Jaiku more, just to see what happens.
Toolbox or Trap? Course Management Systems and Pedagogy
May 18, 2008
Lisa Lane has an article in the most recent issue of EDUCAUSE Quarterly, “Toolbox or Trap? Course Management Systems and Pedagogy.” For a brief article, she does a good job laying out the criticisms I hear most frequently about course management systems: their design is focused on integrating resources (as “inventory control”) instead of being focused on innovative teaching.
“The construction of the course syllabus, a natural beginning point for most instructors, is a good example of how the software imposes limitations. When they first enter a CMS, new instructors see the default buttons of the course menu, which are based on type rather than purpose: Announcements, Course Content, Discussion, even Syllabus. The buttons link to pages that simply provide a place to upload a document, which is exactly what most instructors do: upload a word-processed file of their in-class syllabus. It would be more natural for novice instructors to see a blank schedule in which they could create each week’s (or unit’s) activities. Most professors think in terms of the semester and how their pedagogical goals can be achieved within the context of time rather than space. The default organization of the CMS forces them to think in terms of content types instead, breaking the natural structure of the semester.”
Lane suggests that constructivist, learner-centered, or inquiry-based approaches are better supported by Web 2.0 applications, or by learning management systems that focus more on pedagogy than content management.
We’re exploring these tools at Richmond now, but at this point we’re connecting with our early adopters, not the majority. I wonder what it will take for most faculty to embrace social tools: they require more consideration up front, and if they want to use more than one tool, it’s multiple logins for them and their students. The effort has to be justified, and I think we’ll see that as early adopters share compelling stories of transformed learning. But is there something more we need to do, either to be sure the stories are communicated effectively or the administrivia streamlined?
I guess I’m trying to step into our learners’ shoes, to be sure our plans are effective. I can be patient, as social technologies work their way into instructor toolboxes, but I also want to be sure I’m not missing any opportunities.
RMA First Friday with Dr. Edward Ayers
May 14, 2008
Dr. Ayers speaks to the Richmond Merchants Association on May 2. An interesting overview of the University, but it’s especially interesting to see how he’s reaching out to make connections to the community.
Thanks to Andy Morton for the link.
