Friday 25 May 2007

Quiet again

Well we've been beavering away even if it doesn't appear so from this blog !
The latest JISC Capital Bid is due in on 21st June and assessing a possible bid theme has taken some time. Also there have been a lot of activities for JISC Emerge.
The very very last of this year's MLA North East / Aimhigher-sponsored Year 11s are evaluating MySpace/Bebo/Facebook. We have done this before a number of times but it's always a successful activity and increases our experience of evaluation. We've been increasing our use of the JISC UIDM development model and evaluation was an area of UIDM that our staff focus groups identified for enhancement.
The last cohort of Redcar College students still didn't like Second Life as an MUVE !!
The Web Messenger Olympics went really well. KoolIM won again but only narrowly from ILoveIM and then Meebo and then eBuddy. In the 'desktop' event radiusIM beat goowy and Mabber
We are VERY pleased that Brian Kelly is likely to be 'officially' inputting more to the MLA North East 'project' that will help libraries to identify the possibilities of Web 2.o and to give them support on explaining the facts and myths on risks.
We're still looking for a partner for some more trial ThinkFree collaborative use

Tuesday 15 May 2007

Various bids & directions

Well, this blog was originally intended as a sort of list of current recommended Web 2.0 services/tools and a place for telling NE England partners about new / cool services and tools (something like http://oedb.org/library/beginning-online-learning/top-25-web20-productivity-apps or http://twopointoh.co.uk/2007/04/22/26-new-web-20-start-ups-another-web-20-showcase/) . Things have changed a lot since then with the promising idea of a MLA North East initiative and our JISC Emerge work that has strengthened our knowledge of evaluation.
We still believe there is the need on the ground for a 'branded set' of evaluated Web 2.0 sources backed by our own tested instructional material and by buddies who can help you get started and keep you going.

Tuesday 8 May 2007

Working away

Last week was busy on quite a few Web2.0ish fronts here. I must find an image of 'script writer throwing scrumpled up pieces of paper over shoulder' as we try to write final draft of report for MLA North East. The Librarian in Black blog entry on talking to IT people about IM is another useful piece to stimulate us.
I've been part of two inter-related grants (with Redcar & Cleveland College) from Foundation Degree Forward and HEA/JISC on student skills. We used 'academic writing' as the pilot skill and it may be that this fits in well with the new Emerge community on academic writing.