This is the second version of a teaching resource for Indigenous students (so far used with Education & Arts students). Of course, its not finished - probably will never be finished. I'll do an online version - perhaps in a wiki. But there are still many people who like to have a document to take home & work through. So this is the hard-copy version. Would love to hear feedback.

1. Share, Connect & Change
Social Network Technology &
Indigenous People
by Leesa Watego, Blacklines Publications
This short paper is Version 2 of a paper developed as a teaching tool for Indigenous
education students. It attempted to outline two Social Network tools and how they cold
be useful in the classroom. I have expanded this original slightly to incorporate the idea
of a Personal Learning Network (PLN) for both education and arts students.
I will develop this information further online (probably in a wiki) , but for those who
require a document to print & read in hard copy this one is available. This version is not
the final one (I wonder if it will ever be final!). Please feel free to use it however I request
that you respect my copyright and do not use for commercial purposes. Please subscribe
to me blog for new Versions in the future.
Version 2_14September09
© Leesa Watego
© Watego 2009 1

2. Share, Connect & Change:
Social Network Technology & Indigenous People
1. Introduction ................................................. 3
Thinking Activity 1 .......................................... 3
2. What is a Personal Learning Network? .........4
Thinking Activity 2 .......................................... 4
Thinking Activity 3 .......................................... 4
But I can barely use email! ................................ 0
Share, Connect & Change .................................. 5
3. Some Tools to try when you're starting out ..6
Blogging .......................................................... 6
Twitter ............................................................ 0
Connecting through Twitter ...............................13
Google Reader.................................................15
Some extra reading (including Tweeps you
should follow) ................................................ 16
Acknowledgements ........................................ 16
© Watego 2009 2

3. 1. Introduction
Most of us don't think about cars as "technology", we think about
them as forms of transport, and mobility. One day web technology
will be the same.
Many people think about computers & the web as being about technology.
And yes, technology is a huge part of it. But today, in many communities,
it is about communication - connecting and sharing with other people
regardless of where they live. What if it was like this in all communities?
There are many who argue that there are:
• digital natives (these are people who are born with this technology
around them), and
• digital immigrants (these area people born before the technology).
However I also argue that we need to make sure that there are no digital
refugees (those who have no access to technology).
Thinking Activity 1
What are you? A digital native, immigrant, or refugee? Why do you think that is what you
are? What do you want to be?
Many people in Australia don't even have access to running water &
electricity so this is one area where much work needs to still be done.
© Watego 2009 3

4. 2. What is a Personal Learning Network?
A PLN is a concept driven from education professionals that is easily
transferrable to the arts. However, a PLN is not really a new concept,
particularly for artists, who regularly work collaboratively, go to each
other's exhibitions and reference the work of other artists. Networking
is also not new for Indigenous people. The 'Murri Grapevine' is a very
deadly tool for sharing information; and kinship and protocol are integral
to connecting.
Thinking Activity 2
When you need information in your daily life, what are the most common tools you use?
However, the key difference between traditional networks and a modern
concept of a PLN is social network technology. Key to social network
technology is the creation of online communities across different platforms
(ie. Twitter or Facebook or Ning etc).
A community in a social networking context is groups of people with
similar interests across a single or multiple platforms.
Thinking Activity 3
What do you want/need from a professional network? (for example, sharing experiences,
knowledge etc)
© Watego 2009 4

5. But I can barely use email!
Is this you? Remember you are not alone.
A lot of people are new to using online technology. And it can be very
scary and daunting when you are just learning. And some of us who are
deadly at using this stuff, can seem a bit like big-noters. There are two
things I'd say about this:
• If you're new to online technology & you do want to learn,
remember that it takes time to embed new knowledge; you need to
be brave and have a go at things even if you're not sure they will
work; don't be scared to ask questions; and remember unless you
drop the computer &/or spill coke on it, you can't break a computer
- so keep clicking.
• If you're already deadly at technology, remember that there are
lots of people out there who don't know. Don't big-note; take time
to share your knowledge; be patient and giving; and talk to people
in a way that they'll understand.
Share, Connect & Change
Connecting to others can make a difference. Whether its connecting with
• other Indigenous People in Australia,
• Indigenous People from the world,
• other Minority groups or people of colour,
• Whitefullas,
• or people in your profession and/or discipline.
Sharing is about sharing your experiences, sharing your story.
Connecting is about linking with others to create communities.
Change is about making a difference in the world.
© Watego 2009 5

6. 3. Some Tools to try when you're starting out
Personal Learning Network (Stage 1) Tools
The above diagram illustrates just some of the tools that you might use
in your Personal Learning Network. I will go into some detail (with screen
shots) below about Blogging and Twitter.
Blogging
A blog is short for “web-log”. A blog can really be whatever you want it to
be.
It can be a personal page where you share with your friends & family; it
can be professional and/or business oriented, where you share with
colleagues and business. You can also choose to keep your blog private,
so that only registered users (people you have approved of) can access it.
There are more and more teachers using blogs in their classrooms and
artists using them to connect with other artists, write about art &
showcase their own work. Blogs, in conjunction with Twitter, RSS Feeds
and Facebook are key tools in the event/project manager's tool kit.
In relation blogs, be clear in your purpose. As with all other forms of
communication, you need to be clear about what you want your blog to
do if it is to be most effective. (However, it is my experience, that you
© Watego 2009 6

7. only way you get "clear" about what your purpose is - is by actually
blogging - the act of blogging, helps to work out what it is & what you can
do with it)
Your blog can do many things such as:
• A diary of your experiences;
• A place to share resources with other teachers;
• Share resources with your students about a topic you are going to
study this term;
• A communication hub where many blogs are linked (all the
students in your class have their own blogs and they link to each
other and you)
• A back-up place for information, dates for your students (most
helpful if you teach in a school where most of the students will
have access to computers and the web)
So think clearly about what you want it to do if you are going to do with
your professional blog.
Some of the advantages of a blog are
· You have a web presence & a digital identity;
· They allow you to communicate with other people anywhere in the
world;
· It’s a great place to keep your information in one spot
Some disadvantages are blog are:
· You’re on the web & you need to be responsible for your digital
identity;
· Need to be aware of copyright issues and security issues.
One of the easiest ways to start blogging is using Google's Blogger. It's
got less deadly stuff than Wordpress, but for a beginnger, its the place to
start. And remember, where you start blogging will probably not be the
same place you'll be blogging by the end of the year. If you stick to it,
you'll start exploring other places.
Below is instructions for how to sign into Google (you need to get a free
Google account) and start your Blogger Blog.
© Watego 2009 7

8. Sign into Google & Blogspot and your digital career is on its way
1. Go to Google.com. Look in the top of the
page and you’ll see a hyperlink for Gmail.
2. When you click on the
Gmail hyperlink, you
will be asked to ‘SIGN
IN’ or ‘SIGN UP’. If
you’re new, then you’ll
need to ‘SIGN UP’ (on
the bottom left corner)
3. You will need to
complete the online
form. This will include
choosing an email
address for yourself.
Think about the email address
you want to choose, make it
something professional. If you
don’t want to choose your name
for your email address you may
like to call it the same name as
the name of your blog (or
something similar)
© Watego 2009 8

9. 4. Go to
www.blogspot.com (do
not go to
www.blogspot.com.au!!
– it won’t work). Click
on CREATE A BLOG
5. Step 1 is to create a
Google Account (use
the same information
for your Gmail!). Fill in
the online form. Click
Continue.
6. Step 2 Name your
blog. Fill in the online
form. Your will need to
find a blog title and
your blog URL (they
can be the same or
different)
© Watego 2009 9

10. 7. Choose a template
You can change your
template including colours
at anytime. So pick one
that will do for now, come
back later and change it
to how you want it.
8. Congratulations! Your
blog is created. Now
start blogging.
© Watego 2009 10

11. Twitter
Twitter is a free website that allows people from all over the world to
communicate simply by starting off with “what are you doing?”.
You can follow people from all over the world. There are forums for
Indigenous People, Feminism, Education etc. Learn more about what’s out
there, resources, events and communicate globally.
One of the important things to remember about Twitter (and there are
LOTS of Twitter help manuals out there) is -
• Don't spam (don't tell people you have stuff to sell - you will be
unfollowed very quickly)
• Use a profile picture
• Make sure you have a link (people will want to find out a bit about
you before they follow you back)
• Don't buy followers - slowly follow people and they'll follow you
back when you connect with them.
• Be honest, don't be gammin - just be you.
Below are instructions for how to sign up for Twitter. Please note the
images used below were from Twitter in 2009. The Twitter interface has
been slightly modified - but the "sign-up" process is fundamentally the
same)
1. Go to
www.twitter.com.
You will be asked
to “sign in” or
“sign up”. Click
GET STARTED
NOW (in green
box)
© Watego 2009 11

12. 2. Complete form.
Choose your
twitter name and
click create.
3. Find people
through twitter.
If you know
some-one’s
twitter name,
you can find
them. If you
don’t, as you
know more,
follow people
when they look
interesting.
© Watego 2009 12

13. Connecting through Twitter
An Organised Tweet
One way to connect through Twitter is through organised TweetChats.
Tweetchats use the hashtag rule to organise tweets on the same topic.
For example, sometimes I participate in a tweetchat about education
called #educhat. For this organised Tweetchat, there is an unofficial co-
ordinator who sets a topic, moderates discussion and creates a follow-up
post.
An unofficial discussion
The hashtag is also used for "unofficial" and spontaneous discussions
(these are much more common).
For example, when MasterChef was on Television this year, many people
tweeted about the show while it was one using the #masterchef hashtag.
Each Friday there is #followfriday or #ff where you recommend Tweeps to
your followers. (If you're thinking about becoming someone who
participates in #FF [most folks do] then you should read this post first!)
I've found when participating in official tweetchats, using Tweetchat.com
is really useful. Tweetchat.com is not run by the Twitter company, but is
another company that provides a service to support Twitter (and yes, its
free as well).
1. Go to
www.tweetchat.com.
Use your Twitter
username & password
to sign in.
2. Type in the Hashtag you want to
follow.
© Watego 2009 13

14. 3. If you post a tweet while you
are in Tweetchat, you DO NOT
have to type in the #hashtag.
If you post a tweet when you are
in your normal Twitter (& not in
Tweetchat), you DO have to type
in the #hashtag if you wish to
have your tweet included in the
conversation
When using Tweetchat you can have discussions with everyone who is
using that #hashtag, even people you are not following.
© Watego 2009 14

15. Google Reader
When you get a Google Account, you are able to access a whole range of
services, from GMail, Blogger, through to Ads (where you can earn an
income) and Websites.
Another really great resource to keep track of your PLN is using Google
reader. Rather than me try and explain what RSS and Readers are, watch
this short "In Plain English" video on You Tube. Click here to access the
video.
There are other resources available to teach you how to use Google
Reader.
Follow my blog & I'll point you in the right direction.
© Watego 2009 15

16. Some extra reading (including Tweeps you should
follow)
About Blogging:
www.problogger.net (@problogger)
www.howtomakemyblog.com
About Twitter:
ww.twitip.com
Twitter Handbooks
Twitter Handbook for Teachers by Tomaz Lasic (@lasic)
Acknowledgements
I have used screen shots from Google's Blogger, Twitter and TweetChat and logos from
Delicious, Blogger, Twitter, Facebook, RSS and Google Reader.
Connect with me -
Google www.google.com/profiles/lwatego
Blogs www.teacherswhotweet.com
www.inquirybites.com
Slideshare www.slideshare.net/leesawatego
Twitter www.twitter.com/LeesaWatego
Facebook Leesa Watego
Website www.blacklines.com.au
© Watego 2009 16

17. © Watego 2009 17