Welcome to week 1 of 23 Things @ PPL 2015!
Thing 1 – Read this blog
Watch this short video clip Web 2.0 … The Machine is Us/ing Us. It illustrates the rapid development of web based communication and information tools and the way they encourage collaboration.
Over the course of the next few weeks, this blog will highlight a selection of technologies with exercises to help you become familiar with blogging, RSS news feeds, memes, wikis, twitter, online applications, and video and image hosting sites – in total, 23 things.
Each week we will introduce a new set of things, with exercises for you to complete.
You will be allowed work time each week – discuss with your supervisor how best to use this time, whether in short bursts or in one go. We hope that you will also spend some of your own time learning about the different things, either at home or at work. If you need help with any activity please contact one of the team (Nicole, Sally, Sue, Terri) or work with your colleagues.
Thing 2 – Set up your blog
You should work at your own pace tracking your progress through a blog where you will be expected to record your thoughts and experiences and add any ideas you may have on how to use these different Web 2.0 tools for yourself or at work. This is your time to experiment, have fun, and learn at the same time.
You can choose to use a screen name if you prefer to keep yourself anonymous. This name will be posted on your blog, but your “real identity” will not be listed. All participants will be linked to the 23 Things @ PPL 2015 blog but you will be anonymous if that’s what you choose.
Why blog?
People blog because they want to share with others. They may share their opinions, rants on particular topics, or news from a holiday. They may even have a professional blog where they share views on their work, or they may have a blog all about their pets. When you’re blogging, you can adopt any persona you like. Some people have written from the perspective of a cat.
(keyboard kat by The Flooz)
This program is based upon blog entries and during its course you’ll need to write on your own blog about each thing you complete. That will let the team track your progress. Will you want to continue blogging after you’ve finished? You may change your ideas on this throughout the course – let us know what you think.
Setting up your blog
Now that you’ve done some exploring around this blog and understand how the program will work, it’s time to set up your own personal blog. We would also like you to write your very first post where you can introduce yourself, or your persona, or explain what the blog is about.
Remember, your blog is where you will be recording your thoughts and experiences for the 23 Things program. If you are not sure how much to write, we would suggest at least 100 words each week, but don’t be limited – write as much as you like!
For this exercise, “Set up your blog,” we are using WordPress, a free online blog hosting service that is extremely easy to use.
Step 1: Go to the WordPress website.
Step 2: Click on Create Website – remember, you can use a made-up name if you want. Fill in the form, scroll to the bottom and click the Create Blog button under the Free column. Click “Next” and follow the instructions. Make sure you make a note of your username and password and the blog address.
Optional extra
When you get an email confirming your blog, you will be able to choose a different theme if you want to personalise your blog’s appearance – just look for the link about themes and search for one you like.
Registering your Blog
Copy and paste the URL of the blog YOU have created (the URL can be found in the address bar on the page from which you are viewing your blog) into an email and send it to Terri.
Once you have registered your blog it will be listed here on the 23 Things@PPL 2015 Blog. Our 23 Things blogs are a good place to gain inspiration and to support each other via the comments section in the individual blogs.
Important: Bookmark your blog!
Save your blog to your browser’s bookmarks or favourites folder so that you can return to it quickly later. You’ll need to add an entry to your blog for each 23 Things task you complete.
Thing 3 – Write your blog
Use your blog to write a short post about your experiences using digital tools for sharing and collaborating in research, teaching, and general communication — and what you hope to get out of the 23 Things program. Or, tell us what this first week has been like. (If you already have a blog, you are welcome to use it.)
So, how was it for you?
(Retro Keyboard by smileham)
23 Things @ PPL 2015 