Loomio looks like a neat tool for groups to discuss a topic and to come to decisions. Often online discussions just go nowhere and don’t result in specific actions. Maybe this is a solution to that problem?
Dumb Store
Apparently, not everyone has a smartphone! News to me.
Anyway, the Dumb Store is potentially very exciting, I think. Apps for ‘dumb’ phones – ie those that have limited ability to access the internet and the web.
They can be interacted with by sending SMS messages or making voice calls.
The SMS option is most interesting as it turns your message into a command line of sorts. So, for the Google Maps directions app, you text something like:
dir High Street, Peterborough to Letsbe Avenue, Dundee
and you then get a text back with the directions. Neato!
Apps are written in Ruby, apparently. Still, a potential step forward for making web services more accessible to folk without the latest mobile kit!
Codebunk
Codebunk looks like a neat in the browser editor for writing and testing code. Particularly useful, I think, for those learning to program.
Here’s a video that demonstrates how it works.
Link roundup
I find this stuff so you don’t have to:
- John Lanchester: Google Glass
- Opinionated Infrastructure: ‘Pon the Floor, Impact, MobileFirst and Zend
- More information on Networked Councillor
- “We Want More”… Introducing Learning Pool Encore!
- Opening up
- Intranet WordPress theme now on GitHub
- Chromebook can make a surprisingly sweet machine for a developer
New successful digital engagement course open for registration
Our first successful digital engagement course is up and running and going great guns. In fact, I’ve already had a few people asking when the next one is going to be.
So, am happy to provide an answer! We’ll be running it again starting on 4th September 2013 and it will again run for 8 weeks, and so will come to a close in early November. You can find out more and book a place here.
Here’s a reminder of the course content:
The course consists of eight lessons, which last for a week each. Total learner time per lesson is around an hour, which they can do in one chunk or spread throughout the week – it is entirely up to them.
Support is provided both to the group as a whole, with discussion and sharing of experience and knowledge encouraged; and privately through email or telephone discussion between the course facilitator and learners.
Each lesson will include some or all of the following elements:
- An introductory video introducing the topic and explaining some details
- Downloadable templates, resources, guides and case studies
- Links to further reading and case studies
- Interviews with practitioners
- Screencast demos of how to perform certain actions
- Learner discussion areas
- One to one private email or telephone support
- Additional content in response to queries and requests
- Assignments to practice learning
The eight lessons in this course are:
- Introductions, objectives, how the course and the platform works
- What is digital engagement and what defines success?
- Strategies for successful digital engagement
- Different approaches – organisational, team based, individual
- Different focuses – external, internal, partnership based
- Different objectives – informing, consulting, collaborating
- Popular platforms and how they are best used
- YouTube
- Emerging platforms – how might they be employed to best effect?
- Tumblr
- Foursquare
- Other tools and techniques
- Web chats
- Blogging
- Commentable documents
- Crowdsourcing
- Skills and roles
- Community management
- Social reporting
- Curator
- Networker
- Bringing it all together – a chance for reflective practice