Thing #7: Blog about Technology

Here's a quick and easy "thing" for you... simply blog about anything related to technology. You just have to share a few thoughts!

Perhaps you might like to talk about "creating content", or maybe a technology that you are using in innovative ways in your teaching or learning. Try for at least 100 words!

Please also be sure to add at least one comment to another participant's blog. That's what online communities are all about - connecting and communication!

Thing #6: Some Flickr Fun

Like many Web 2.0 sites, Flickr has encouraged other people to build their own online applications using images found on the site. Through the use of APIs (application programming interfaces), many people have created third-party tools and mashups* that use Flickr images. Here is a simple one that I put together very quickly using Bookr:

Here are a couple of other mashups that are interesting:

• Flickr Color Pickr - lets you find public images in Flickr that match a specific colour
  
• Montager - creates a photo mosaic from Flickr images

Discover more mashups, web applications, and Flickr tools. Please share any other links to lists of Flickr mashups and tools either here in the comments section, or on your own blog.

Discovery Exercise:

Your discovery exercise for this "thing" is to:

1. Explore some of the Flickr mashups and 3rd-party tools that are out there;

2. Create a blog post about one that intrigues you.

So have some fun discovering and exploring some neat little apps.

*Mashup note: Wikipedia offers some great articles that explain mashups. Basically they are hybrid web applications that take features from one application (like Flickr) and combine it with another (like a map).

Thing #5: Explore Flickr

Photo sharing websites have been around since the 90s, but it took a small startup site called Flickr to catapult the idea of “sharing” into a full blown online community. Within the past couple of years, Flickr has become the fastest growing photo sharing site on the web and is recognised as one of the first websites to use keyword “tags” to create associations and connections between photos and users of the site.

For this discovery exercise, you are asked to take a good look at Flickr and discover what this site has to offer. Find out how tags work, what groups are, and all the neat things that people and other universities are using Flickr for.

Discovery Resources:

Flickr Learn More tour (8 steps)
Mediamazine Flickr Tutorials
Flickr: Popular tags and Interesting - Last 7 days
Flickr Services (3rd party applications & mashups)

Discovery Exercise:

In this discovery exercise, you have two options…

• Take a good look around Flickr and discover an interesting image that you want to blog about. Be sure to include either a link to the image or, if you create a Flickr account, you can use Flickr's blogging tool to add the image in your post. Another option you have for including images in your post is to use Blogger's photo upload tool.

-- OR --

• If you're up to an easy challenge ... create a Free account in Flickr and use a digital camera to capture a few pictures of something that interests you. Upload these to your Flickr account and tag at least one of the images “monash23” and mark it public. Then create a post in your blog about your photo and experience. Be sure to include the image in your post. Once you have a Flickr account, you have two options for doing this: through Flickr's blogging tool or using Blogger's photo upload feature.

So go ahead, explore the site and have some Flickr photo fun. If you are familiar with a different online photo sharing site (other than Flickr), then please let us know via your blog, and include a link so that we can all learn from your experience.

PS: A quick word about photo posting etiquette - When posting identifiable photos of other people is it advisable to get the person's permission before posting their photo in a publicly accessible place like Flickr. Never upload pictures that weren't taken by you (unless you have the photographer's consent) and always give credit when you include photos taken by someone else in your blog. The photo of Geelong celebrating their AFL premiership victory on the weekend that I have included above has been licensed by the photographer under Creative Commons - in other words, I have his permission to use it here!

Thing #4: Register your blog

If you've made it this far, then you already have three "things" completed of the 23 that are required to earn your iPod.

But how do you qualify? By simply registering your blog, and then documenting your progress on each of the 23 things in your own blog over the next two months.

To register, simply visit this easy registration form. Remember, we'll only be publicly listing the name of your blog and its URL, not your own name (unless your blog is self-titled!). You may choose, however, to identify yourself in your own blog - that's up to you!

Over the next few days, as people register, a link to each blog will appear here in the central site. You are encouraged to visit regularly, and comment on other people's blogs. Together we will all learn more about each of the Web 2.0 tools as we explore and discover.

P.S. If you are not a Monash Marketing staff member undertaking this program by invitation, then you are welcome to follow along, however we won't be linking to your blog, nor will you be eligible for the iPod at the end of the program. Sorry!

Thing #3: Set up your own blog

OK - now that you've settled in to this program, it's time to setup your own blog and begin contributing your own thoughts, discoveries and exercises. There are a number of free blogging services available, but for this program I recommend that you use either Blogger (which is the one we're using for this main site), or Wordpress. The choice is yours. The following instructions are for Blogger.

Creating a blog using Blogger takes just three steps:

1. Create an account (if you don't already have a Google or Blogger account - see screenshot)
   
2. Name your blog (see screenshot)
   
3. Select your template (see screenshot)

Once you have created your blog, there are two simple things to know:

• To add posts: The maintenance interface that you will use to add posts, edit or change your blog settings is accessed online at http://www.blogger.com/. Be sure to write down or remember your login and password.


• To view your blog: Your blog address is http:// (xxxx).blogspot.com/, with (xxxx) = the unique name you gave the blog in step 2 above. Be sure to also write down and remember your blog address.
  

Discovery Exercise

1. Set up your own blog (preferably through Blogger, but you are welcome to use another blogging platform if you wish)


2. Add a test post or two. Note: One of your posts should be an entry describing your thoughts from "Thing #2".


3. Come back during the week and take a look at other participant's blogs. They will all be listed in the "blogroll" on the left of this main site. Add comments on their blogs, and respond to comments left on yours!
   

Note: How you choose to identify yourself on your blog is your choice. You can blog under a pseudonym if you wish, or anonymously, or as yourself. However, in order to qualify for the staff incentive, you will need to register (privately, in "Thing #4") so that we know who you are.

Thing #2: What is Web 2.0?

What is Web 2.0?

Here is a definition for you to consider:

• “Web 2.0 is the network as platform, spanning all connected devices; Web 2.0 applications are those that make the most of the intrinsic advantages of that platform: delivering software as a continually updated service that gets better the more people use it, consuming and remixing data from multiple sources, including individual users, while providing their own data and services in a form that allows remixing by others, creating network effects through an “architecture of participation,” and going beyond the page metaphor of Web 1.0 to deliver rich user experiences.” Tim O’Reilly, O’Reilly Media, 2004

Now watch this video, which attempts to explain Web 2.0 in just under 5 minutes:

Discovery exercise:

• Find other definitions and articles explaining what is meant by the term "Web 2.0". How do you think that Web 2.0 technologies will change the way we learn, teach and live?
• Write down what you are learning, and keep your notes. Next week you will use your personal blog (which you will set up in "Thing #3") to post your own thoughts about Web 2.0.
  

Coming next week: Creating your own blog so you can begin tracking your journey.

Thing #1: Welcome - this will be fun!

Watch this video:

Welcome to the Monash Department of Marketing "23 Things" program. It's great to have you involved in this exciting learning initiative. Together we'll be learning more about emerging technologies on the web that are changing the way that people, society, and in particular, students and teachers are accessing information and communicating with each other.

Over the next nine weeks we will provide instructions here in this blog to help you complete the 23 short exercises, so that you become familiar with blogging, RSS news feeds, tagging, wikis, podcasting, and many other online applications.

If at any time you have any questions or suggestions, then simply contribute right here, in the "Comments" section of any of the blog postings. Together we'll be able to help each other on this journey of discovery!

Make sure you come back here regularly, for the next "thing" - or even better still, subscribe to the RSS feed and you'll be notified when a new "thing" is posted!