I reckon you have 4 seconds to make the right impression on someone when trying to explain/convince/sell them something. This is not quite the same as attention span, it has more to do with countering prejudice, getting a foot in the door, initiating interest. Get that far and you can start to rely on measures of attention span.
4 seconds, that’s about enough time to get 8 or 10 words out – so make them count. For that reason you have to choose your words carefully, and never use words that require further explanation. With this in mind I’m going to very conscious of my pitch to technophobic teachers and try to use words they should more readily identify with.
Web2.0 and Socially networked softwaresocial constructivismOnline presence and identity as well as network and online communitythe top 3 levels in Maslow’s hierarchy of needseLearning, mLearning, flexible learning and blended learning etclearningBloggingVygotsky-ismSoftwareMedia (Thanks Simonfj)
any more suggestions?
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January 23, 2007 at 8:26 pm
simonfj
A picture tells a thousand words. And words like “social construstivism” make my simple mind hurt.
I like this one. I think it was via Alex Hayes.
Not sure i agree with it, particularly the comparison in “Progress”. But it gets a conversation happening.
And never, never ( I have learnt) mention ‘software’. It’s ‘media’. On he other hand when talking to .edu geeks, you might try “What comes after usability?” about 1/3 of the way down this page. http://headrush.typepad.com/ At least it gets the arrogant ones past thinking that they’re producing quo vadis.
January 23, 2007 at 9:59 pm
leighblackall
Software – media, I like it, thanks Siomnfj.
That image you point to was also published by Kathy Sierra on her blog post Mosh Pit…. Its a good’n I think, and a great A-list blog to read hey.
Thanks for the comment Simonfj. Nice to have you around.
January 24, 2007 at 4:49 pm
The Tech Savvy Educator » Blog Archive » It’s not about the technology…
[…] administrators that may or may not be in charge of funding priorities when it comes to ed tech. An excerpt from that post: [I reckon you have 4 seconds to make the right impression on someone when trying to […]
January 25, 2007 at 9:09 am
ailsa
‘cept Web2.0 and Socially networked are not the same as software social constructivism. I note stephen says this but not why. My contribution is to say they are the is that it places the IT component into the box of merely being a tool, a new method, channel or media. When its (IT) is not. ITs a political tool that needs recognition as such. Thanks for the provocation though 🙂
January 25, 2007 at 9:31 am
leighblackall
Yes! Ailsa. I agree! I loath to have to refer to theories and terminology that in some cases are nearly 100 years old! And I’m sure they were political in their time too. The fact that these old theories are still a challenge for some, who work in a sector that proclaims acceptance and common place for them, but its far from the truth – well that in itself is quite political… then add to that the extent to which socially networked software takes this socialism…
January 28, 2007 at 6:13 am
Paul Reid
In an age of web2.0 buzz this is a refreshing post.
Student blog = Portfolio
Online survey = Multiple choice test
January 30, 2007 at 11:00 am
» Blog Archive » Polar Viewpoints
[…] within minutes of lobbing in my aggregator) and he recently had a play with words in his post No more new speak, back to old speak. As Leigh demonstrates, sometimes we can use different terms to describe the same thing in this […]