kgitch on #etmooc week two | ETMOOC Blog Hub

After a few days disconnected, (though keeping track of the “Bill of Rights” drama and reading #etmooc blogs), these are my reflections on this past week.

#etmooc Blackboard Cheers!

I am thrilled to see people learning to blog and use Twitter. The Blackboard sessions were all about the basics to blogs, twitter and digital literacy. Since I am familiar with these concepts already, it was eye-opening to see how many have never tried or used these forums. Honestly, I just thought I hadn’t found their blogs yet, not that they hadn’t written! New to me, is using the recommended WordPress for this course. It’s simple, quick and easy to use. But honestly, as I am a #googlegirl, my favorite part is the ability to like a blog. Perhaps that is very Facebook of me, but it gives me the opportunity to cheer a person on for what they wrote. Plus I can read on my Kindle and like with ease.

“Pardon me, ma’am”:

I have to chuckle every time etiquette questions come up. “So, how do we speak to one another on this thing called twitter?” It’s the same etiquette of life, my friends, just happens to be online. Share, converse and be open to learning/disagreeing/helping. Don’t shame, yell or be rude. When someone talks (writes): listen & think. When commenting: be polite, compliment and if disagreeing, be professional. On twitter, if someone speaks to you, be polite and speak back. You are not committing to a marriage here, and you never know if this person might be a perfect member of your learning network. As in life, more specifically as a teacher in life, you know how important it is to acknowledge the person speaking without putting your own personal bias on them. They may not know everything, they may be confused, but you can still share, listen and be open to their thoughts. I’m a big fan of appreciating the retweets, shares or comments. Saying thank you goes a long way, especially in twitter world.

Nascar of Chatrooms:

Seriously? You #etmooc-ers can type!!! I’ve resorted to lurking on the #etmchat sessions, as it was difficult to keep track/comment as I sat in the hospital watching a nurse work with my mother. I’ve used Tweetdeck for several years, which is a brilliant application allowing me to read tweets in columns. My current columns are #etmooc, #etmchat, #edcmooc, #edchat and #lrnchat. This past week the flow of tweets was constant! Even the die-hard regulars made comments on how insanely fast the chats were moving. I applaud all who jumped in to the conversations. My participation? I resorted to simply favoriting comments and statements that were meaningful to me, it was quicker than trying to post a comment that was 30 minutes too late.

“Can I have your Google Business Card?”:

Best information share from @courosa were his thoughts on your digital footprint. (Connected Learning slides) The concept is simple: put the information YOU want out there – flood the internet with the news you create. You are in control of what is put out there. Yes, other people might have something about you, but if you are flooding the digital world with thoughts, articles, news, ideas and connections – guess what content is being pulled up? The stuff you put out there.

Connections/Tools:

This week I added 25 more people on Twitter, found 12 more technology tools/websites to add to my “learn list” and linked about 35 blogs to my readers (I use both Google and WordPress). The tools I am most appreciative of were the links to the free photographs on Compfight.com where the option to select ONLY Creative Commons is an option. The photo I used today came from there, and links directly to the photographer that allowed it.