<![CDATA[usecases : Weblog]]> http://curry.elgg.org/usecases/weblog/ <![CDATA[Great system - but how do you use it?]]> http://curry.elgg.org/usecases/weblog/3680.html Sun, 06 Nov 2005 23:01:28 GMT
I think that Elgg has great potential, but to be honest I'm not entirely sure how to use it.

I dont know many people on the system and find it difficult to "make friends" as there is no direct interaction between users other than posting on their blogs, which seems a bit intrusive. Yet the potential to create a community out of disparate people with a common interest is Elgg's strength

One of the problems is that there isnt really a forum for direct interaction - such as a discussion space, a chatroom or a whiteboard, with blogs being used as the main expositive vehicle. Perhaps its my natural shyness but I've tried blogging and am very uncomfortable with it. I;m aware that there are strong access permission associated with Elgg, however
there is difficulty in knowing your audience with a blog.

Perhaps with a defined community (eg course group) set up in advance and taken in to Elgg, these issues might be lessened as the norms of the community and its objectives would be pre-determined, however to some extent that mitigates against the potential of Elgg for learners to create their own communities.

Use cases would be very welcome, as indeed would case studies. I also think that Elgg would benefit from some communication tools, such as discussion forum tools or chatroom tools inbuilt into the system, which I think would give people an opportunity to enter into the system and initially define their identity through dialogue with others.

Mhairi]]> <![CDATA["Career Cybercounseling" community]]> http://curry.elgg.org/usecases/weblog/3046.html Thu, 13 Oct 2005 20:30:23 GMT

"This "Career Cybercounseling" community was created to investigate the potential of clients and licensed and/or certified cybercounselors using Elgg as a robust, state-of-the-art platform for conducting effective distance career counseling in a easy-to-use, safe, secure, private and ethically accountable environment."
]]> <![CDATA[Using Elgg]]> http://curry.elgg.org/usecases/weblog/2773.html Tue, 04 Oct 2005 00:43:34 GMT
This has come from a review of Elgg for use in P2P language learning. What do you think about the article's suggestion?

"Thus, in spite of its weaknesses, Elgg shows potential; teachers interested in putting Elgg to use with their students might want to start like this:

After having learners sign-up for accounts, they are prompted to fill out their profiles, especially the interests, likes, and dislikes section. From there, learners are encouraged to write weekly on their weblogs, especially on topics relevant to their own interests. They can then tag their posts with keywords and search for other Elgg users who are writing about similar topics. These people can then be added to the learners' contact lists, providing both weekly reading material and conversational partners. Learners can also be encouraged to join communities that are relevant to their interest and take part in the sharing taking place there. Furthermore, they can use the file repository to share audio messages, photos, or short videos; all with the purpose of engaging in conversation with others.

Educators should also take part in the activities as peer facilitators, helping students connect with others, giving feedback, providing examples, and so on. Learners should try to incorporate new language patterns and phrases encountered in their immersion back into new posts on their weblog or on comments made on others'. As educators both monitor and participate in their student's activities, patterns of language use can be observed and in-class lessons can be designed to improve upon problematic areas. The weblog will provide a textual record of a learner's use of the language; ideal for reflection on linguistic and cultural experiences.

Through such conversational immersion over time and encouragement from their teachers, learners might come to see that the environment is ever-present, the conversation never ends, and that they can continue taking part in it on their own volition. This realization is one of the main objectives of P2P learning strategies."]]> <![CDATA[Elgg use cases]]> http://curry.elgg.org/usecases/weblog/2090.html Sat, 27 Aug 2005 18:59:52 GMT Graham Attwell in which he highlighted some of the challenges various learners and instructors were having with Elgg.

This led to the two of us talking and deciding we needed to start an Elgg use cases community.

Graham has started to populate the community wiki with some ideas - I will also formulate some of mine into a coherent format.

There will be some overlap between this community and pedagogical impact. The main difference is in the focus - the aim of this community is to build a useful resource specifically for those using or wanting to use Elgg.]]>