How Social Is Too Social?

We live in a time of social networking. Everyone is trying to increase their friends, connections, or expand their community with more followers. I agree being connected is extremely important at this time. Knowing what people are reading, what the trends are in your field, finding out about new initiatives; however, is there ever too much?

How productive can we be if we are forever tweeting, posting or responding? If we fail to give input do we become irrelevant? I am the queen of multitasking; and I find that there some days that I can not keep up with it all. I think there comes a time when you try out new networks, and then you have to decide where you are going to put your emphasis.

Trello Electronic Sticky Notes

There is a constant flurry of emails going back and forth crowd my inbox.

Who is handling what?

Where are they in the process?

Have we thought about everything?

These are questions, I ask myself regularly. Wouldn’t it be great to find a way to keep track of all those google docs that are being edited? Enter – Trello.

Trello allows each project its own space and allows everyone to monitor the progress. It cleans out your inbox, but allows communication to take place. Imagine sticky notes that have checklists, pictures, or links.

The use of collaborative tools allows people to work together when they are not physically present. They allow people to work asynchronously. How to manage the process is always the challenge. Trello makes it work.

Podcasts. Vcasts - Do they cast a new light on education?

Everyone has their "cast" that they like. Some people follow specific thought leaders, while others catch up on their favorite tv shows news. Podcasts /vcasts allow us to expand the roll of the blog. They allow us to create auditory monologues that people can listen to while doing other things.

The podcasts/vodcasts allow educators to reach student in a different way. By making "casts" available for course, no longer does a student have to rely on their friends notes if they are absent, or stress that they missed a section of the class to go to the bathroom.

Classrooms full of students can be engaged or inspired almost ignited prior to the teacher ever opening his/her mouth. The use of a vodcast could allow students to begin to ask questions and actively engage with their teacher or professor in a dialogue about the topic.

For many who used videos or dvds in the classroom, the use of casts is a mere extension. What makes this medium better is that the teacher can create media that fits his/her needs. The drawback is that teachers will need to worry about what is taped, how they sound, and how important are the production values. But, the pros certainly out weigh the cons.

Making Sense of the Twitter Noise

When I grew up, it was common to spin the radio dial looking for music. The trick was to spin it fast enough that you could barely hear the songs and then to stop on something you like. This game was fine anytime, but at 9:00 p.m. At 9 it was the top 9 at nine. This reminds me of microblogging.

On first glance, tweeting is a bunch of random thought. People giving their opinon or posting links to articles, videos, and blogs. Searching throught the random stream, one may or may not find what they want. However, knowing where to look and how to filter the information provides the user with their top 9 at 9. Tools like Tweetdeck and Seesmic help to create some order. They organize the incoming stream of thoughts and allow you to push information to multiple social media sites at once.Both have mobile apps. I happen to like the layout of Seesmic better. Both are helpful, but for someone with attention issues to begin with, it is very easy to get distracted by all the information.

To use microblogs effectively one needs to decide on the purpose and stick to the plan. Otherwise you can be searching the web like the radio dial for hours.

Blogs - A Discussion of Ideas or A Worthless Stream of Consciousness

Can an online diary change the way people learn or talk about education? Can teachers engage their students through words, pictures and links instead of classroom discussion? Can a teacher's words have a greater impact and create a discussion between a student and his/her parents when posted online?

In thinking about blogs, these are the questions that come to mind. I have been reading and engaging in blogs for a number of years. Some blogs share specific information while provoke reflection. I believe that blogs have an important place in education. They can be used to help students remember what was discussed in class. They can provide opportunities for families to engage on a topic. Blogs can also be used to provide additional information and resources, and create a form for thinkers to think out loud.

As terrific as blogs are, it is important that they do not become rambling, or a worthless stream of conscience. All blogs entries should have a focus.

For Jewish education, blogs can play all of the above roles and more. Blogs can provide an opportunity for the unaffiliated to learn and engage with the Jewish community on their own terms. They can learn and engage when they want and how they want. It is a way to connect to Jewish souls and show them that Judaism is relevant and meaningful to them.