Professor Matt Bower

Brainstorming session with Mauricio Marrone

1. Insert a FB Social Plugin discussion

• Facebook Social plugin for discussions is not assigned to any particular FB account. Cannot add a FB discussion plugin that is from a FB group
• FB social plugin can be inserted into any web page, and the post that people make can also appears on their FB wall (and is announced to their friend) depending on whether they select that option
• Must nominate a URL if you are going to start a FB Social plugin discussion.
• Good for initiating a sense of community
• To embed just go to http://developers.facebook.com/docs/plugins/ and follow the instructions to insert a FB Comment.
• Note: cannot use the FB subscription tool as it relates to subscribing to people within FB

2. Insert a Twitter feed

• For instance, a convenor might want to capture every twitter comment relating to EDUC261.
• This can be done either by
  • A) grabbing the search widget from the My website section of http://twitter.com/about/resources/widgets and inserting it into a section of a unit website, or
  • B) using the Twitter block that comes built in with your LMS (say Moodle)

3. Insert a Disqus feed

• See http://disqus.com for a plugin that enables people to create a comment platform / community on your website. Allows for full integration with Facebook, Twitter and more.
• Interesting question – what are the different advantages and disadvantages between a Facebook Social Plugin discussion and a Disqus discussion?

Aims:

Important that the embedded functionalities are purposeful and useful to students.

From cloud to Moodle

1. Capture all tweets and have them appear in a sidebar of Moodle (done in 2 above)
2. Capture FB comments and activity (in EDUC261 FB group, say) relating to EDUC261 and have them appear in Moodle (?)

From Moodle to cloud

1. People receiving Moodle announcements, discussion activity etc in their FB (for example 1. Insert a FB Social Plugin discussion, investigate Moodle plugin)
2. People receiving Moodle announcements, discussion activity etc in their Twitter (retweet? Twitterfeed?)

Other ideas/questions:

• What is the bet way to conceptualise what we are trying to do using FB, Twitter, and other SN (eg is it just about capturing FB and Twitter within LMS, as well as pushing out LMS activity to FB & Twitter, or are there are other ways to think about what we are trying to achieve?
• How to make the most of the Photo/Video/Docs/AskQuestion features of the EDUC261 FBgroup

There is currently a great deal of change taking place at NTDET. In the immediate term there is no scope for partnership, but once their new social networking policy is put in place (next two weeks).

Operationally NTDET needs to:

• Move from individual to shared Facebook account.
• Circles in Google – overheads due to everyone has to manage their own circle.

NT DET moving from outcomes based learning to A-E learning which means less emphasis on differentiated learning. Shifting to uncomplicating the environment.

Alison Lockley is working in the social networking area – could possibly work with her.

Meeting with Warren Bailey, 30^th January 2012

• Not offering ARC Linkage grants in the first part of the year.
• 12 month projects to establish research partnership with a reasonable prospect of an ongoing project. Reasonable prospect is assessed based on the project being synergistic with the goals of the organisation.
• Application forms on the web, matching dollar for dollar.
• Warren is the gatekeeper for the scheme – 15 awarded last year.
• Reasonable chances of success if meeting the criteria.
• Assessed upon receipt.
• Warren can help with the application.
• Not only Linkage funding because they are becoming harder to obtain and offered less often.
• Talk to Macquarie Institute of Advancement (headed by Mark Williams) look at potential for Foundation money.
• Talk to Mark Wiggins to see if there is a Business Development Manager for Human Sciences who might be able to help source funds.