An Eye on New Media

Great minds and ideas collided at the 2013 Harvard Initiative for Learning and Teaching (HILT) conference. My Key takeaways are this quote:
“The future is not really about onlineeducation,” he said. “It is about rethinking education” using the best technology in the best ways to improve learning outcomes:

and the concept of creating a system of having every teacher know the learning styles of all students before they enter a class.  I also like that this  conference reinforced the idea that we must not think of our courses in isolation. They must be part of a system that has connections to many other courses in a program.

Ken

I really like this article about the "why" and the "how-to" think differently about content creation.  I really like that the author includes quotes from people in the industry to back up her thoughts.1. Don't build on rented land -Social media is great....if you have a plan to get them to your home page.2. Help, not hype, your customer

Don't be yelling '"Buy this! Buy this!"  Be truly helpful

3. Write what people want to read, not what you want to write

Take the focus off of yourself if you want to win their trust!
4. Reference industry influencers
Help people know that you are always learning from the top minds in your industry.  Also, it will help your search engine juice!

5. Create content for all types of readers

 Help your customers feel at home in their community.  Think of ways to add value to their lives outside of your store.  The author gives an example of a real estate broker who made a blog about great pizza places.

6. There is more to content than links

Links are very important.  But don't let it blind you!  

7. Don't forget the "marketing" in content marketing

Don't be afraid to promote your content!  If it is important enough to create, it is important enough to promote! "If you don't promote it, Nobody will ever read it!" 

If you are shy, the author suggests writing something like this:

"Hey there folks, I just wrote up a quick post about some cool local resources I've been working on recently. If you have a moment, take a quick peek and let me know what you think. I'm just getting started with this whole content marketing thing, so any feedback you can give me will be greatly appreciated. Here's the link, thanks!"

8. It's all about relationships

Be an active team player.  Promote other writers' content.  This is important.  Engage!

9. Think like a publisher
Go to a book store and look at books and magazines.  Make your content look and feel like great traditional publishing.

Your job is to engage, entertain and inform!  Don't forget that

10. Use other sites to find out what kind of content people want

Will wearable technology force Apple to purchase or create a social network?  Mike Elgan says YES.  

Ken's Key Takeaway:

I have shared many links on MOOCs, but I am sharing this one because I feel like it does a great job of explaining MOOCs to those new with the concept. It also does a great job of tracking the recent history of MOOCs. It includes quotes from two people who I learn from weekly (Curtis Bonk and Stephen Downs).

2011 was the beginning of MOOCs being taken seriously by educational institutions after Peter Norvig ran a course that attracted 160,000 students from 190 countries. This caused enough interest in MOOCs to explode (in a good way) in 2012.  
 

Why did it take so long for MOOCs to ear acceptance.  Some say it was the combination of these three things that made MOOCs both practical and affordable.

Recession,

Low Cost of Technology

Widespread Internet Access

I think that MOOCs are great for self-motivated learners. I feel that their biggest weak point is the lack of feedback and accountability. I am aware of and following progressions in both of these weak areas and I have seen improvement. I took a course this past fall through Coursera where I was not allowed to watch the rest of the lecture until I could prove that I understood the lecture thus far.  I had to correctly answer a series of multiple choice questions. If I answered them incorrectly, I was given guidance on what to listen/look for as I rewatched the last few minutes of the lecture. 

Thank you to Curtis Bonk for sharing this article!

Some productivity tips and insight of How 25-year-old Tublr founder David Karp runs his day.  It won't work for everyone!!!

-He hates meetings and doesn't like schedules or meetings

-But he eats with his team most days

-He feels that appointments kill creativity flow.

-He takes advantage of a short commute to work

-He is a strong believer in email filters

-He prefers to not respond to most email to 'train' people to only send emails when really needed

-He is a big note-taker and has his own system

-With releasing updates in stages, he does it is small incriments at times when there is low traffitc.

-He isn't afraid of trying something and throwing it away if the users don't use it

-He prefers tea to coffee

-He works late until 8pm or 9pm and takes out other workers who are working late that night.

-He almost never works on weekends.

-He loves road trips to refresh

-He admits that he needs to expand his social circles

-Rule of the house:   NO TECH IN THE BEDROOM

KEN'S KEY TAKEAWAY:
Tale some of this advice and leave the rest.  This young guy has figured out how to do many things well.