Re: [xmca] blog alternative to email list

Hi All--

Replying to this message provides an apt opportunity to discuss a few
central
issues in the continued operation of XMCA.

The changeover for signing in was quite painful, but seems to have been
accomplished
just fine. Now if you go to http://lchc/cgi-bin/xmca/subscriber_list.php you
will see that members can log in and fill out a little info themselves.
Unsubscribing can be done here
as well without bothering the members at large.

I understand the enthusiasm of some for a blog. At least for the present I
am not
enthusiastic about this idea. There are several reasons.

1. It would require creating a new support infrastructure.
2. Many web newbies are not going to be familiar with, or comfortable with a
blog.
3. The threaded discourse option at xmca offers a close equivalent to a blog
and is
    in place.
4. Many of those who favor a blog have never made a single contribution to
the ongoing
    discussion at xmca, and many of those who do contribute are not
enthusiastic about
    a blog.

    How to interpret #4? Is it that all the blog advocates would be
contributing to xmca if it were a blog? I doubt that, but its possible. Is
it that older members of xmca, who do contribute to the discussion are less
comfortable with blogs? This seems possible?
In any event, if the blog enthusiasts would like to jump in and help create
an xmca blog
and try it out, we here at ucsd would be glad to help by providing whatever
info we can, but the volunteers would be responsible for keeping track of
posters, keeping up the archive,
making it accessible, etc.

   Perhaps an interesting middle way to experiment would be to have the
upcoming, in the fall, XMCA course use a blog so people could try it out.
(The issue of this course will be
dealt with in a separate message).

Another issue related to posting. Somewhere near 100 people voted for a
discussion of the
Shaffer and Clinton article. It is chock a block full of interesting,
relevant ideas to this
forum. VERY few people have taken the trouble to comment. Of course, there
can be
all sorts of explanations. Summer has started, people are away, or busy
catching up, or
or or or or....... But the fact remains that XMCA is a lousy spectator sport
and learning,
I believe we all believe, should be an active process.

Why is it that we get a lot of activity discussing the medium, but avoid
engaging its content?
I do not think that shifting to a blog would solve this problem, but
perhaps. Meantime,
what do you think of the idea of toolforthought? Do you believe that agency
should be
equally attributed to artifacts and people? Do you believe that new
computational media
reduce the necessity of learning how to subtract 105 from 204? Do you think
that
David and Katherine have reinvented Vygotsky's criticism of the telephone
operater
mediated telephone network?

What do you think about all of this?
mike

On 6/21/07, jmgdo@berkeley.edu <jmgdo@berkeley.edu> wrote:
>
> Agreed. I love the blog idea. The "blogosphere" as its called (I am a
> particularly blog-loving member and participant) offers a wonderful shared
> space for community building. And its definitely the emerging media of
> "collaborative environment".
>
> My only practical concern is that every person who "posts" (rather than
> comments) must be invited into the blog as a contributor.
>
>
> > My 2 cents. Frankly, Email or 'listserv' is not a collaboration
> > environment. Collaboration needs a 'shared' environment... email
> > 'listsrve'
> > is simply crises-cross way of incomplete communication method - not
> > collaboration. New way of collaborating environments, say blogs, are
> > efficient and easier to extract 'knowledge' from the gathered 'content'.
> >
> > On Blog platforms, you have an option to subscribe/post new content via
> > Email or RSS based on their own frequency - real-time, once a day or
> > whatever and those who do not want to be interrupted with emails... can
> > visit blogs on their own time and contribute. Things in the world are
> > changing at an alarming rate that means we need to get on to new way of
> > collaboration starting 'yesterday' and not 'tomorrow', especially the
> > academia - the teaching community. Perhaps you may have seen this clip
> at
> > the YouTube but here are some facts..
> > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65wE6yFYgP8
> >
> > Enjoy...
> > ---
> > Naeem Hashmi
> > Chief Research Officer
> > Information Frameworks
> > T: 603-552-5171 M: 603-661-6820
> > W: http://infoframeworks.com
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Peter Smagorinsky" <smago@uga.edu>
> > To: "'eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity'" <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu>
> > Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2007 4:17 PM
> > Subject: RE: [xmca] blog alternative to email list
> >
> >
> >> add my vote for a regular old listserv. No way I'd do this if it meant
> >> keeping up with a blog. p
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Peter Smagorinsky
> >> The University of Georgia
> >> Department of Language and Literacy Education
> >> 125 Aderhold Hall
> >> Athens, GA 30602-7123
> >> smago@uga.edu /fax:706-542-4509/phone:706-542-4507/
> >> http://www.coe.uga.edu/lle/faculty/smagorinsky/index.html
> >>
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu [mailto:xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu]
> >> On
> >> Behalf Of Vera Steiner
> >> Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2007 2:07 PM
> >> To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity
> >> Subject: Re: [xmca] blog alternative to email list
> >>
> >> I agree with Carol. It is much simpler as most of us check e-mail
> >> messages
> >> once a day, Vera
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Carol Macdonald wrote:
> >>
> >>> Carol Macdonald says:
> >>>
> >>> I read the e-mails, whereas I might not migrate to a blog of my own
> >>> initiative when very busy.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> On 19/06/07, Tony Whitson <twhitson@udel.edu> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>>
> >>>> I agree with Naeem on this. I think a blog would be a far superior
> >>>> platform; and that if we were starting now from scratch, that is how
> >>>> we'd
> >>>> do it.
> >>>>
> >>>> On Tue, 19 Jun 2007, Naeem Hashmi wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>> > Agree with Diarmuid.. Interesting forum but instead of going back
> >>>> to
> >>>> 'old
> >>>> > email" distribution method, perhaps best is use a 'blog' forum.
> >>>> Goal is
> >>>> > achieved without constant 'emeil' interruptions...
> >>>> >
> >>>> > Naeem
> >>>> > ---
> >>>> > Naeem Hashmi
> >>>> > Chief Research Officer
> >>>> > Information Frameworks
> >>>> > T: 603-552-5171 M: 603-661-6820
> >>>> > W: http://infoframeworks.com
> >>>> > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Diarmuid Fogarty"
> >>>> > <diarmuid@madasafish.com>
> >>>> > To: "eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity" <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu>
> >>>> > Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2007 1:21 PM
> >>>> > Subject: Re: Is there a Ph.D. in "science" Re: [xmca] Fwd: New
> >>>> > DegreeProgramsOxford
> >>>> >
> >>>> _______________________________________________
> >>>> xmca mailing list
> >>>> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> >>>> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> xmca mailing list
> >> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> >> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> xmca mailing list
> >> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> >> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > xmca mailing list
> > xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> > http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
> >
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> xmca mailing list
> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
>
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Received on Thu Jun 21 11:56 PDT 2007