VIRGINIA BEACH and AUSTRALIA: We were Social Networking about Social Networking

The previous blog and podcast was my first from Virginia Beach. Jason Baker from Regent University and I began talking about Social Networks and an exciting new concept in Learning Management Systems based on a Social Networking model, called Scholar 360. The podcast is so engaging I just had to capture more from Glen Moriarty the creator and project leader. So Glen and Jason joined me from the other side of the world and we recorded a podcast this very day (Nov 11 ... at least in Australia it is ) using the wonderful social networking software SKYPE There are more details on how we did this at the end of this blog if you are interested.

I asked for more information and more podcasts on Socal Networking and LMS models because everytime the subject came up in London and Dublin Irleand there was a very positive response and questions to know more about it. I am anticipating that there are many others who also will be interested in the subject.

This podcast started out to introduce the concept of social networking then to move onto more information about "Scholar 360" the Social Networking LMS project. However there was so much great content about Social Networking I decided to do yet another podcast about the LMS - that will be with the next blog entry.

Some Highlights from Today's Podcast:

• We discussed the Social Networking Definition from Wikipedia it reads: "In these communities, an initial set of founders sends out messages inviting members of their own personal networks to join the site. New members repeat the process, growing the total number of members and links in the network. Sites then offer features such as automatic address book updates, viewable profiles, the ability to form new links through "introduction services," and other forms of online social connections. Social networks can also be organized around business connections, as for example in the case of Shortcut.
• Discussed the role of social networking software
• Works similar to Face to Face - we discuss "degrees of separation" and that it is not an even distribution and there are people who are hubs. We then discussed if hubs are also the early adopters?
• Glen refers to Malcom Gladwell's book the Tipping Point and describes author's definition of Mavens and Salespeople and the concept of stickiness.
• Glen describes Five Loaves.net the social networking for Christians and the amazing way it came into being. He started by asking people in another social network how to do it?
• Research has showed it helps people feel connected and become more tolerant of each other .
• We discuss how the community processes how people with other world views.
• Jason talks about the strengths of social networking online and also we talk about the challenges and how does the community manage people with opposite points of view.
• Glen shares a real life-changing experience from Five Loaves.net and how the online community helped.

Creating Podcasts Using SKYPE:

If you are interested in making podcasts using SKYPE then you will notice another word slipping into the vocabulary of bloggers and podcasters. that of "skypecasting" . I consider this method of podcasting to particularly useful for educational podcasting, as it allows easy access to international Subject Matter Experts.(SME's) Extremely useful learning objects can be created in a very short time for little to no cost.

I use a Mac so I will explain how to do it for that platform first. Headsets are really necessary for control of sound input and to remove speaker feedback. While overseas I purchased a high quality headset specifically for podcasting and use in virtual classrooms. I highly recommend it, it is a Sennheiser PC 155 multimedia headset. You dont have to have such quality(therefore cost) but it all helps the output result.

Other than the latest version of Skype suitable for your operating system, on a Mac there is the most amazing low cost utility program that enables you to record the Skype conversation plus a lot lot more. It is called Wire Tap Pro and really worth considering if you want to record anything from any source on a Mac.

On a PC platform I think the best I can do is refer you to some great web resources. The Skype Journal has lots of good tips and tricks for Skype and tells you how to record from Skype. There are other sites out there and some research on Google will give you heaps of good information and possibilities.

Please contact us if you would like to discuss Social Networking and learning or have any comments about the podcast.

Regards
Allan