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Category Archives: community building


The growth of social networking

March 23, 2009 – 8:42 am

A recent Nielsen report on Social Networking’s “New Global Footprint” Global Faces and Networked Places (March 2009) begins with the statement “Social Networking has been the global consumer phenomenon of 2008″.
In one sense that statement isn’t telling us anything new, and in many ways the report confirms that the juggernaut that began rolling across the […]

By Kerrie Smith | Also posted in Educationau, Australian education, community development | Comments (1)

Blogging Corner Carnival

January 12, 2009 – 7:00 am

Alison Hall and I will be managing Blogging Corner in edna Groups again this year.
One activity we have already set up is a Blogging Corner Carnival.
The first Carnival will run on February […]

By Kerrie Smith | Also posted in Educationau, blogs, bloggingcorner09 | Comments (0)

Finding time for Social Networking

November 28, 2008 – 9:11 am

A byline for edna for a long time has been “saving time for busy teachers”. When you mention creating a variation to their normal routine, often the teachers in your audience will assume a sort of haunted look, unable to imagine where the time to learn and then utilise the new tool or service is […]

By Kerrie Smith | Also posted in Educationau, communication tools, social networking | Comments (0)

Educators and Social networks

November 17, 2008 – 3:20 pm

What do educators get out of being part of a social network?

support from fellow educators, like-minded teachers
new ideas
information about trends, events, new publications
professional development, both incidental and intentional
just in time assistance - you can ask questions
the opportunity to “define” yourself
a place to create an online e-portfolio
development of your understanding of, and confidence in using, web […]

By Kerrie Smith | Also posted in Educationau, professional development, social networking | Comments (3)

Setting Challenges

August 2, 2008 – 2:25 pm

Teachers, just like their students, need activities and challenges. They need the goal posts to shift just slightly so that they try something new.
That’s what I had in mind when, over on Blogging Corner in edna Groups, I set up the Blogging Corner Challenge 08 today. It will give participants in Blogging Corner a chance […]

By Kerrie Smith | Also posted in Educationau, blogs, edna Groups, bloggingcorner08 | Comments (1)

Developing and stimulating vibrant online communities

May 22, 2008 – 2:01 pm

In my job, I do a lot of thinking about how you make online communities work, how do you know they are “working”, and how do you know they have passed their “use-by” date?
I’m convinced that though the technology can assist, and obsolete technology can hinder, that the clue to success lies within the community […]

By Kerrie Smith | Also posted in Educationau, community development, virtual environments | Comments (1)

National Reconciliation Week (Australia) 27 May- 3 June 2008

May 19, 2008 – 8:51 am

Each year National Reconciliation Week celebrates the rich culture and history of the first Australians. It’s the ideal time for all of us to join the reconciliation conversation and to think about how we can help turn around the disadvantage experienced by many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The theme for National Reconciliation Week 2008 […]

By Kerrie Smith | Also posted in Educationau | Comments (0)

Better Blogging

May 7, 2008 – 3:49 pm

One of my aims all this year has been to become a better blogger.
I feel I have learnt a few lessons so far but have quite a way to go.
Here are some of the things I feel I’ve learnt:

choose topics that others want to know about
don’t make your postings too long
use a bit of white […]

By Kerrie Smith | Also posted in Educationau, professional learning, blogs, comment08, bloggingcorner08 | Comments (4)

In the company of critical friends

May 2, 2008 – 5:50 pm

I have just spent 2 days with colleagues Pru Mitchell, Cecily Wright, and Kim Edgar delivering edna workshops in Brisbane. There were 60 people yesterday and just over 40 people today. The keynote speaker was QSITE ICT Leader of the year, Dr. Margaret Lloyd from QUT, and she hit just the right spot. Her topic […]

By Kerrie Smith | Also posted in Educationau, edna workshops, ednaworkshops08 | Comments (1)

Importance of professional associations

April 3, 2008 – 12:54 pm

Professional associations in Australia typically have a volunteer committee and sometimes an employed executive officer. The state-based professional association is often affiliated with a national body, which is sometimes in turn affiliated with an international body.
Online communities can often complement the work of the professional association. However the face to face professional association often has […]

By Kerrie Smith | Also posted in Educationau, Australian education, professional development | Comments (0)