Main topics: * Challenges of online learning * What is multiuser blogging? * How can MU blogging be used in higher education? * Requirements * Who else is using MU blogging environments?

1. Building online learning communities
with multiuser blogging environments
Presentation by
Michael Wilder

2. Agenda
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•
•
•
•
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Challenges of online learning
What is multiuser blogging?
How can MU blogging be used in higher education?
Requirements
Who else is using MU blogging environments?
Questions

3. Challenges of online learning

4. Challenges of online learning
Interaction
• Student to content
• Student to student
• Student to instructor

5. Old Paradigm
Instructor – Student interaction

6. Challenges of online learning
Persistence of content
• No public archive
• No resources for capstone

7. Challenges of online learning
Closed system
• Student to world
• World to student

8. Challenges of online learning
Student ownership
• Control of learning environment
• Contribution to the curriculum

9. Overview

10. Overview
http://www.vegas-times.com/imd/

11. http://www.vegas-times.com/sloanc/
Overview
un & pw: sloanc

12. Overview

13. Overview

14. Overview

15. Easy Publication
Easy publication
•Full range of editing tools
•Spellcheck
•No Java!
•Copy & paste keyboard shortcuts
•Drag & drop media uploader
•Custom visibility
•Drafts
•Built-in custom characters
•Word count
•Paste from text and MS Word
•Categories
•Metatags

16. Overview

17. Overview

18. Overview

19. Overview

20. Overview

21. Overview

22. Overview

23. Overview

24. Overview

25. Overview

26. Syndication
Overview

27. Syndication
Overview

28. Overview

29. Overview

30. Overview

31. Overview

32. Social Media Hub

33. Social Media
Facebook “Page”
Automatic reposting of blog
posts with images and
podcasts.
Uses the RSS Grafitti app.
One-way communication
No privacy issues
Also:
Facebook Like
Facebook Connect

34. Mobile
Wptouch theme
Automatically adjusts WordPress
posts to display on iPhone, iPod
touch, Android mobile devices,
Palm Pre/Pixi and BlackBerry
OS6 mobile devices.
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wptouch/

35. Integration into LMS
Customized Course menu
Most left navigation links in
contemporary learning
management systems
(Blackboard, WebCT, Moodle,
for example) can be completely
customized.

36. Requirements
Hosting Solution
Server
• PHP
• MySQL
Domain name
Self-hosted
<100$ a year

37. Requirements
WordPress
Free
Open Source
Easy to install
Easy to update
Large development community
http://www.wordpress.org

38. Requirements
BuddyPress
Free
Open Source
Easy to install
Easy to update
Large development community
http://www.buddypress.org

39. Requirements
Themes
1000+ Free
1000+ Commercial
Easily customized
Easy to install
Easy to update
Large development community
http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/

40. Useful Plugins
• Akismet – spam protection
http://akismet.com/
• BuddyPress - Social networking
http://buddypress.org/
• bbPress – forum software
http://bbpress.org/
• FeedWordPress –
RSShttp://feedwordpress.radgeek.com/
• podPress – Podcasting
solutionhttp://www.mightyseek.com/podpress/
• WordPress Wiki – Turn WP pages to
wikihttp://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wordpresswiki/
• Wptouch – Format for
mobilehttp://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wptouch/

41. Who else is using it?
WordPress in
Higher Education
200+ Major institutions
Worldwide
http://tinyurl.com/7tazukz

42. References
Brescia, W., & Miller, M. (2006). What's it worth? The perceived benefits of
instructional blogging. Electronic Journal for the Integration of Technology in
Education, 5, 44-52.
Downes, S. (2004). Educational blogging. EDUCAUSE Review, 39(5), 14-26.
Ellison, N., & Wu, Y. (2008). Blogging in the classroom: a preliminary exploration of
students attitudes and impact on comprehension. Journal of Educational
Multimedia and Hypermedia, 17(1), 99-122.
Glogoff, S. (2005). Instructional blogging: promoting interactivity, student-centered
learning, and peer input. Innovate: Journal of Online Education, 1(5),
Jenkins, H., Purushotma, R., Clinton, K., Weigel, M. & Robison, A. J. (2006).
Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st
Century, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Chicago, IL.

43. References
Kerawalla, L., Minocha, S., Kirkup, G., & Conole, G. (2008). An empirically grounded
framework to guide blogging in higher education. Journal of Computer Assisted
Learning, 25, 31-42.
Paulus, T., Payne, R., & Jahns, L. (2009). Am I making sense here? What blogging
reveals about undergraduate student understanding. Journal for Interactive Online
Learning, 8(1), 1-22.
Xie, Y., Ke, F., & Sharma, P. (2008). The effect of peer feedback for blogging on college
students' reflective learning processes. Internet and Higher Education, 11, 18-25.

44. Credits/Contacts
This presentation made by:
Michael Wilder
Instructional Design Coordinator
E-mail | Web Site