Wednesday, March 3, 2004

Blogs, RSS, Trackback and "Learning Objects" Ways I spend my "continuing education" time: This 20-minute online presentation (plus link-browsing time) uses a Macromedia system called Breeze to combine "voiceover" sound with a slide show and Web links to demo blogs being used by hypothetical college faculty. Similar technology (and Alan Levine) are being used for a New Media Centers online conference next week, on topics including weblogs in education, Creative Commons licensing, and more. I was skeptical about the Flash-based Breeze system, but Levine and his colleagues put their presentation together well and the software worked nicely, even on a dial-up modem connection slower than what was recommended. Hint: Use the "pause" button at the bottom of the screen before you click any links or switch to another application. Otherwise the sound will continue, but you might miss some visuals, even if the multiple applications don't overtax your computer. If you're not a card-carrying "educational technologist," don't be discouraged by the jargon on the opening page. ("Their blogs are connected to the RSS feeds and provide a component of object contextuality that is beyond the meta-data.") The presentation itself is clear, the examples are good, and the ersatz faculty demonstration blogs even have authentic misspellings. The advice about learning about RSS by using it is so good that it was worth taking this picture... if nothing else so that Scripting or Dowbrigade can borrow it for their blogs. Update: Coincidentally, Macromedia is offering a special trial of that Breeze conferencing system this month. 3:11:40 PM    comment [] Bloggercon Shaping Up for April 17 If you need any more reason than springtime to be in Cambridge on an April weekend, the Berkman Center for the Internet & Society has come up with a free blogging conference on April 17 that is already listing more than 150 registered participants. Although the Berkman Center is at Harvard Law School, this is not a law conference or a traditional academic conference. The focus is the use of weblogs in electoral politics, journalism, education and more, along with the technology itself. The schedule itself is pretty loose, but there will be weblog workshops for beginners. Advance registration is required, but the price is "$0." The event is being put together by departing Berkman Fellow Dave Winer, founder of Userland Software and author of scripting.com, with help from the Harvard blogging meeting he launched last year. (Including such fly-by-nights as yours truly.) For the details so far, see the invitation and FAQ pages. In addition to celebrating the completion of your income tax on April 15, possibilities for having a good time before and after the conference include combining the event with the Boston Marathon April 19 or a Red Sox home game (even if it's the Yankees and sold out). 2:16:54 PM    comment []

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