I’ll be doing 3 sessions in the next week on RSS. These are introductory sessions to 3 different audiences. I’ll do the typical basics of feeds, XML, bloglines, search feeds, etc. but somehow it lacks the personal touch and doesn’t get to the conversational aspect and connectivism that veteran bloggers enjoy.
So I’m going to try the analogy of a party to introduce folks to those people I’ve met and read over the past year. I’ll group people in the folder they occupy in my bloglines account. We’ll see how it works.
“Come on in, don’t worry if you’re late, you’ll find most folks very friendly and helpful. Let’s go into the living room. ”
EDTECHS (don’t ask me how I label and sort my folders, it’s just the way I’ve organized them)
“Sitting on the couch is David and Will. They’ve been at this for a long time. David dabbles in a lot and always bring some unique items to the party. Will’s kind of the center of attention but he’s constantly pointing out the good stuff of others. Barbara doesn’t speak as often as some but when she does, it leaves me with a lot to consider. I really got to know her the other day when she was talking with Jeff and Dave. Alan is also very innovative and sometimes is a bit over my head but talked about some stuff I’ve really enjoyed. George is a new friend of mine. I kind of enjoy that he’s Canadian and will challenge you to think. Rob, Rick and Alec are friends I talk with fairly regularly. Then there’s Stephen. He’s got more to say that any of them. Never talks for long but talks about a lot of different stuff.”“Let’s go into the kitchen”
TEACHERS
“I’m amazed these people have time when they’re so busy preparing. Yet I know they’ll talk to you. Bud, Clarence and Konrad live in different countries but both are very transparent with what they do. Just watching them will show you a lot. If you want to know what’s happening in the trenches, these are the people to talk to. Darren is another Canadian who can take a topic you might not think would be worthy of conversation but makes it engaging. Anne does some neat things as well. She’s pretty busy. I’ve known Kathy for years and she will do whatever it takes to get the job done. Very adventurous and works with people you might not think can handle much. She makes it work. Oh Steve’s just leaving the kitchen. He’s a great guy to listen to who will make you feel like you’ve known him your whole life. I’m not sure exactly which room he’s going into now.“I actually have many more friends than this. These are just the ones you should start talking to first. Find out what they think and they’ll also introduce you to others you might like as well. And when you meet someone you find interesting, let me know so I can talk with them as well.”
“Enjoy the rest of the party.”
To be clear, many of these people might not even know who I am but have shaped my thinking over the past year. This is part of the nature of the new web.
Entries (RSS)
November 13th, 2005 at 9:40 pm
This is very cool — a neat metaphor.
November 13th, 2005 at 9:45 pm
How do you label and sort your folders?
hee hee… we (edtechtalk) would love to meet up with the edtech posse eventually, we Canadians have to stick together. fun post!
November 13th, 2005 at 11:04 pm
Great post Dean. I really like how you have arranged this. Gives me great ideas for my own research on open source communities.
November 14th, 2005 at 12:21 am
What a great metaphor!! And a fantastic graphic! I’d love to be at this party. I think I’d end up standing in the doorway keeping my ears perked for everything being said.
Maybe you could invite folks to join you via skype — that might give it the “personal touch” you were looking for. I know I found my recent experience doing just that to be really energizing for everyone on both sides of the mic.
November 14th, 2005 at 12:25 am
Hey Dean - that’s a great way to describe RSS to a new crowd. I’m also explaining RSS to some teachers in the next couple of weeks and this analogy may make its way into my discussion.
And Dave - we’d (meaning me, but I think the other guys would be up for it) would love to get together and talk. Its such a great idea, I know that its going to have to happen!
November 14th, 2005 at 10:34 am
Wow! Talk about making teaching come alive. What a great visual to tell the story! Thanks for sharing, Dean. Hmmm. I’m thinking that we need to figure out more ways to let our students use visuals to explain what they are learning. Here we go again with more and more possibilities - it’s an exciting time to be teaching and learning! Story telling and visuals…. hmmmm. You have really got me thinking! Thanks for starting my Monday with such an uplifting note!
November 15th, 2005 at 2:26 am
Very original! And I had no idea I was even at the party (had too much kool-aid)
November 15th, 2005 at 10:08 am
Wow the metaphor you’ve chosen is a fantastic way to get the concept of RSS feeds across. I’ve given 3 sessions on RSS feeds to people in our school division at different levels of technical expertise and this description would have made things much clearer for them. I’ll piggy back on the idea in future sessions with your permission.
By the way I found your blog via a David Warlick podcast which mentioned Anne Davis’ blog which linked to this post. Talk about inter-connectivity!
November 15th, 2005 at 5:37 pm
Wow. Love the idea. I wish I was a Flash guru so I could turn this into something animated! Hmmm… Isn’t there a cartoon maker somewhere that creates Flash-like files for people who are too ignorant to do it right? Great idea, hope you don’t mind about 100 people stealing it?
December 1st, 2005 at 7:34 am
I really liked your metaphor Dean. I am working at explaining, promoting and introducing blogging and ICT at my high school in Newmarket ON. Your metaphor will help out a lot. Your visual makes it easier all around to understand the ease of use and the functionality of RSS. Keep up the great work.
Brent
April 4th, 2008 at 12:46 am
Please teach me to make cartoons. I’ll pay you. I’m begging. I have Photoshop. I have Illustrator. They scare me.
I’m begging. Please, baby, please.
April 4th, 2008 at 12:48 am
GREAT post, by the way. Original, not boring, conception and execution. I’m an English teacher. That makes it true.
April 4th, 2008 at 12:55 am
Clay,
Sadly, you weren’t my friend in 2005 else you’d be right in there, teaching us about cutting the crap, schooliness and bullying.