Web 2.0 Wednesdays--Should We Keep It Up?
When we ended the Comment Challenge several weeks ago, several people asked me to keep things going on a weekly basis with "Web 2.0 Wednesdays," where each week we'd do a different "challenge activity" related to Web 2.0 and learning. The first week there was a lot of participation, but in the past few, there's been a precipitous decline. So here's what I'm wondering--should we keep this up?
It's possible that the decline in activity is due to what I've been putting up for activities, so if this is something people want but they would prefer different kinds of tasks, let me know. If it's just that the idea has kind of lost steam, that's fine, too. Part of the wonder of Web 2.0 is that our ability to experiment is virtually limitless and I have no problem putting this down to a learning experiment that didn't quite work.
Let me know what you think. If I don't get any comments, I'm going to assume that Web 2.0 Wednesdays have outlived their usefulness and we'll move on.
Kia ora Michele!
Ashleigh Brilliant's quote comes to mind: "I waited and waited and when no message came, I knew it must have come from you."
No I'm not going to lurk on this one. There is nothing wrong with the tasks (my opinion of course). I wonder if it's to do with the openness of the tasks that has caused the drop in activity. Dunno.
The Challenge was a people oriented project - tasks involved interacting (with people) more so than just writing posts. But even that had a definite people orientation. Perhaps Web 2.0 tasks need to be more collaboratively oriented Michele. Whatcha think 'bout dat?
Just as an aside - my daughter's school just won a dance drama competition at the end of school term (Stage Challenge) sponsored by Supré. And guess what the title of their entry was - "Don't get caught in the web" - a dance drama based on social networking.
The girls did everything themselves including choreography and costume design and making. It was a fantastic extravaganza featuring a huge trojan (horse) that they wheeled onto the stage out of which jumped - you've guessed - computer virus in heaps. Even the judges had to remark about this coup-de-theatre. It was soooo spectacular. Well they won the trophy on the 2nd day of the challenge.
Ka kite
Posted by: Ken Allan | July 16, 2008 at 08:36 AM
Ken---love the visual of your daughter's dance company doing social networking--dance and social commentary at the same time!
As far as the activities themselves--by "more open" do you mean that there's too much leeway for what people can do and how they do it? Are you thinking that they may need a tighter structure?
I've seriously been thinking that the optimal challenge structure is to do week-long challenges at various intervals on certain themes. 31 Days is too long and the weekly intervals don't necessarily allow us to build on a theme and build momentum the way that the daily challenges do. What do you think about that?
Posted by: Michele Martin | July 16, 2008 at 08:52 AM
Hello Michelle I have been away on holidays, and notice that Kevin had posted about this activity. I like it and am sorry that I did not join in right at the beginning. However, I would like to try and participate each Wednesday and hope that you do keep it going.
Posted by: Anne Mirtschin | July 16, 2008 at 08:54 AM
Michelle, I admire and respect your dedication and energy to supporting the various activities. I have only participated in the first Wednesday challenge...and in the previous Comment Challenge maybe only one or two of the ideas.
Can such minimal involvement be construed as lack of interest?..of course...but if I sketch out my own journey you will see that there is often more going on than meets the eye!
I have been recently participating in a course focused on visual learning. As part of that we looked at what web 2.0 applications could be worth offering to Primary teachers. I was reminded of the usefulness of Twitter which I had registered for ages ago but never used. That led me to follow a few people in the random sort of way that these things happen and a post there alerted me to the Comment Challenge.
I realised that my blog was basically inactive so I got a new theme, redid some of the content and posted about the Challenge. Since then I have started using the social bookmarking applications, read many more education related blogs, keep getting alerted to new stuff that I want to develop in school...and so on.
I blogged about the first Wednesday challenge because I realised that I really enjoy writing and reflecting about the things I do- blogging is great for this, although I didn't know that before. For the children bloggers that I work with the knowledge that blogging is the perfect tool to support purposeful writing and reflecting on learning has helped a lot and I am looking forward to doing a lot more of it after the holidays.
I am still in awe of those who so actively share their learning through their blogs and Twitter. I follow a lot and only give back a little. When three people commented on my Wednesday Challenge contribution I was thrilled and I want to build on that. I want to participate more but only manage it sometimes. I have been watching for the Wednesday Challenges and wondering if the next one will engage me to write again.
Whether to continue depends a lot on if you feel you are getting anything back I guess. But I think that you must remember that if the take up seems low it could be the tip of the iceberg in terms of the way you are encouraging and have encouraged those of us starting from a low baseline.
Posted by: Chris Stott | July 16, 2008 at 09:41 AM
For myself, Web 2.0 Wednesdays sounded like a good idea but hasn't gotten me motivated to do anything. Some of that has just been timing with work & life. I guess it also feels a bit like a weekly homework assignment to me, which isn't really what I'm looking for. I don't know why the Web 2.0 Wednesday tasks have that feeling for me when the comment challenge didn't.
I like your idea of doing something focused for a week, with time between challenges, would let people build up more momentum than a once-a-week task. A week of related challenges, I think, has more potential to build deep conversations than disconnected individual tasks every week.
I think you might not want to do 7 tasks in 7 days since most people weren't posting every day even at the beginning of the comment challenge. 3 or 4 tasks in 7 days would be enough to get some conversations going but perhaps more manageable. On the "off days," people could spend time commenting on other posts; that way you're building both time for tasks and conversations into the schedule.
Chris makes an excellent point, too, about what you feel like you're getting back from this. Is creating the challenges helping you learn? Is anyone else helping you come up with challenges? Are you more likely to burn out doing something 1 day every week, or leading a focused week-long challenge with time to recover between?
Posted by: Christy Tucker | July 16, 2008 at 10:07 AM
I really like the tasks you have posted Michele but teaching and family come first and although I often intend to do the tasks they seem to get pushed to the side. I do come and look in on what is happening when I have time and will endeavour to complete at least some of the tasks. The comment challenge which I gor about have way through and these Web 2.0 Wednesdays are a fantastic way to network with teachers that you might otherwise not see/hear from. It would be a shame if they didn't continue.
Thanks for all the great work that you do.
Jane
Posted by: Jane Lowe | July 16, 2008 at 10:08 AM
Michele,
I love the Web2.0Wednesday, and was here this morning just to see what we were up to. The last two weeks I couldn't be active because I was on holiday with my family.
I guess that the lack of response could be motivated by that and not because it hasn't worked. People are on summer vacation, traveling, attending seminars, taking some down time. So, let us keep trying! If it keeps going, I'll certainly invite others to join us.
One idea that could help us here is connecting the web2.0wednesday to other projects going on on the Net, for example, one week we could have Web2.0wednesday connected to the PhotoFridays (http://flickr.com/groups/photofridays/) being carried out by Connie who took part of the Comment Challenge, if I'm not mistaken.Well, just an idea.
Posted by: carla arena | July 16, 2008 at 10:39 AM
Like others, I enjoy the Web 2.0 Wed idea but I have been bogged down in some other things and the experiments have gotten pushed aside. I like the idea of moving people to different ongoing projects (PhotoFridays is run by Bonnie Kaplan) and I would encourage folks to even consider Day in a Sentence over at my blog (http://dogtrax.edublogs.org/2008/07/16/days-in-a-sentence/)and other guest hosts, if people are interested in continuing connections, etc.
Thanks for all the leadership you do, Michelle, and whatever you decide will be fine with me.
Kevin
Posted by: Kevin | July 16, 2008 at 02:41 PM
Hey Michelle
I likewise really like the Web 2.0 Wednesday idea - but haven't managed to get properly engaged so far. Partly as I'm in the middle of trying to run an online training inspired by last years 31 days to a better blog learning journey. That particular training has drifted off the 31 days model into a weekly model also - and I'm finding it quite a challenge to keep momentum there also.
In thinking about the essence of 31 days, and Web 2.0 Wednesdays I wonder if there isn't space for some sort of 'LearnWithMe.com' along the PledgeBank.com model - allowing people to pledge to open reflective learning in a set time period about a Web 2.0 (or any) topic - but with the shared learning journey only launching when it reaches some sort of critical mass of other people committing to that particular topic... This is of course tangential - and may be too far off the informal learning challenge model of Web 2.0 Weds - but something I was musing about on the train home so thought worth sharing...
Posted by: Tim Davies | July 16, 2008 at 03:06 PM
Thanks, everyone, for your great comments. I'm not sure where I'm landing on this. It's obvious that people like the challenge idea, but that time, etc. can be a real problem for weekly participation. There's also the issue of whether or not something captures your imagination and makes you want to respond. I can continue to do these and see where things land, but I'm also wondering if personally the time wouldn't be better spent on trying to pull together some weekly modules (Christy, I like the idea of only 4 activities in 7 days, though) and running those periodically.
Tim, I like that PledgeBank.com idea of having people sign up for particular topics to explore and then running a challenge on that topic when there are enough people who are interested. I wonder if it would make sense to throw up a wiki and with some topic areas and let people sign up on that. Do we think something like that might work?
This feedback is really helpful--thank you!
Posted by: Michele Martin | July 16, 2008 at 03:15 PM
P.S. Chris--Your comment reminded me that, once again, I'm getting impatient with process. If I don't see immediate results, I start to think that maybe something isn't worthwhile. Thank you for the reminder that we don't always see all the ways in which we might have impact through social media. It's a long-term process. And because this stuff is online, it can also be something that people come back to much later. I've seen a few people doing challenges from Weeks 1 and 2 just recently. It's a marathon with this stuff, not a sprint.
Posted by: Michele Martin | July 16, 2008 at 03:17 PM
Hey Michele, You may find that there are people in the blogosphere who are still doing the Web 2.0 Wednesday thing.
On a personal note you have inspired me to do at least a weekly posting in my blog.
I've pushed the idea of Web 2.0 Wednesday with some of my groups who I mentor, so I would really like to see it continue. Some of them are just beginning in their Web 2.0 journeys.
Web 2.0 Wednesday activities are valuable pre-cursor activities to bloggers joining in with the Classroom 2.0 project begun by Steve Hargadon - http://www.classroom20.com/
Keep up the networking Michele we need champions like you.
CC
Posted by: Coach Carole | July 16, 2008 at 05:08 PM
Time has probably been the biggest constraint for all of us. Saying that I'm also aware that your involvement with numerous projects and another blog makes your time even more limited so time isn't a good answer.
The most motivating aspect of these types of task based challenges for someone like me is the sense of obligation and not letting others down; given me greater opportunity to choose not to do a task meant I was more likely to say ok will leave that for next week. Part of previous challenges was you would force yourself to keep up even if it keeping up was writing the post muttering about being behind while you did the task(Aussies are driven by the desire to mutter and rant).
Now going back through and analyzing the tasks so far so that I can reflect:
1) Web 2.0 in a minute was excellent because I was totally stumped and completed it really effectively using my trademark cheating method.
2)I couldn't do Tell Us Something Unique about Where You Live because TJ's post which inspired the task was inspired by my posts where I shared where I live and being Aussie -- I already write so many of these posts I couldn't add a new one.
3) Create an Invitation totally stumped me and really couldn't work out how to achieve this for a total Newbie.
4) "100 Helpful Web Tools for Every Kind of Learner" - amazing post but been sick since last Thursday and then son broke arm of Sunday.
My thoughts now I have listed them. Daily challenges are intensive so if you get behind they play on your mind until you do them; my learning style likes pressure favors pressure so I need to build that back in for me.
Final thoughts are as many point out the impact of these types of challenges impact a lot wider than any of us probably realise. Posts in response are just the tip of the ice berg of their impact. I'm amazed by the number of variations that people are doing to the 31 Days Blogging Challenge, Comment Challenge and now Web 2.0 Wednesdays. Occasionally joining the different takes like Photo Fridays, Sentence in A Week would also be great.
Posted by: Sue Waters | July 16, 2008 at 06:47 PM
Hi Michele,
I've been reading all these wonderful comments to your post and I feel I agree with them all, if I may say so.
I must add that, in my case, the main reason for being so late concerning the last two activities is that I've struggled for a too long time with the second task, and I've confirmed that I can't handle the web2.0 tools without help; I'm not a practical person, I can't learn that alone.
On the other hand, I don't know enough English to explain my difficulties to Sue Waters; last time, for instance, I had a project inspired in Carla Arena's first Wednesday, but the obstacles I've found concerned very small details that I can't name in English.
As I am a perfectionist, I was deceived and lost a lot of time before accepting to just upload some photos to Flickr.
As for the invitation, I asked a great friend to share a voice thread with me, as I would like her to join our community and as she is a teacher of English; but she is also a grand mother - as I could have been - so she doesn't find the right time to be on line with me.
Please don't be deceived for the fact that I keep reading you without posting myself; the work at school goes on, we are preparing next school year, I've been given a beautiful Toshiba with w. vista, we are about to have a wireless internet spot for the whole school, and I finally have managed to sleep early and rise early...but I never dispense the relaxing joy of reading your beautiful posts and commenting on the posts you sent your readers to, as those of Sacha Chua, for instance.
Thank you so much for being there in that "cross way", in the heart of the web.
Ines
Posted by: inpi | July 16, 2008 at 08:19 PM
Kia ora Michele!
Yes, at the moment there are no 'visuals' of the Stage Challenge to speak of as we were not permitted to take cameras in to the theatre - no photos allowed! But there was a designated photographer and a video-shoot that we've yet to see.
"Openness"? Hmmm. I wouldn't say there was a need for narrowing down the task - a broad scope to any task always sparks more imagination, innovation and intiative - I'd prefer my imagination to be stretched than neglected.
Week long challenges? Hmm. No, at the moment I'd prefer weekly challenges rather than week long ones. I guess it's all according to how one does things. I have had a lot of experience teaching boys (exclusively) and girls (exclusively) and one of many things it taught me was that I was not your stereotype male project worker. Boys tend to work in crammed bursts, girls favour a more regular approach to projects.
Your post certaily sparked enough comments! :-)
Ka kite
Posted by: Ken Allan | July 17, 2008 at 08:44 AM
Don't stop now! I just discovered your blog. I realize myself there's a lot of reading to do here, but likes the concept of PLE. So i'll come back here from time to time.
a belgian nurse, researching -on his own- e-learning and web2.0. (in my hospital they don't what i'm talking about)
Posted by: michlr | July 17, 2008 at 04:21 PM
Hi MIchele , just love the concept and really miss the community feel of the Comment Challenge, but I've been over-taken by my PhD and goodness knows what else I have to do. I'm with you in spirit if not in deed. cheers Sarah
Posted by: Sarah Stewart | July 17, 2008 at 07:45 PM
Keep it up! I'm collecting the great ideas. Thank you!
Posted by: Lee Kolbert | July 19, 2008 at 10:57 PM