SocialLearn presentation in Elluminate

I did a presentation for George Siemens last night on SocialLearn. It was an open (naturally!) session in Elluminate. George recorded it and you can relive it in all its mumbling glory here.

I think it gives a reasonable overview of where we're at, and I tried to broaden it to wider issues also. George tries manfully to make me sound coherent by asking intelligent questions, but in case you hadn't twigged it, I'm a better writer than I am speaker, so it's a bit rambling in places I fear. Enjoy?

Comments

[AJ Cann]

Thanks Martin, I enjoyed that, especially the demo.

Technical comment: you definitely need to invest in a better microphone. Even with the compression, George's voice was much clearer. I strongly recommend: http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/page/shop/flypage/product_id/35872

Please could you discuss the tension between institutional branding (e.g. the s:l site) and the risk of loosing contacts in the transition from existing networks (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, etc). Exactly HOW do we avoid the creepy treehouse?

[Martin]

Thanks Alan - I think the reason George's voice sounds clearer may be that George has a clearer voice :) But you're right, if I'm to take this educator as broadcaster stuff seriously I should get a decent mic.

I don't see people having to migrate from sites, we're talking about developing a FB view for example. SL will use open standards like opensocial, so hopefully you can import a lot of that data.
But institutions may well want to run their own version, which does raise the creepy treehouse syndrome. I think being upfront - this is a social network for learning is part of the solution. Providing good tools, making it useful is another. Mainly it's by allowing the user, not the institution to maintain control.

[George Siemens]

Hi Martin,

Thanks again for a great presentation. I've read great comments about the presentation on several blogs today - obviously what you're doing is striking a cord.

Btw - As Canadians, we expect first deferral in self-deprecation. The order is something like: Canadians first, then British, Australians, Europeans, and so on (to be honest, I'm not sure how the list should look after Canadians - I just know we have the first spot :)). Americans are generally not on the list - they have more confidence than the rest of the world. The rule is, then, to first refer to the list. When dealing with a Canadian, you must permit them first opportunity. If they wave that right, you can then pick it up.

Anyway, you did a fantastic job. I appreciate you taking time out of your schedule to provide an overview of your important work.

George

[Carolyn Campbell]

George asked good questions but you gave great answers. If SocialLearn takes hold, it'll really change the elearning landscape. Thanks for sharing what you're doing. (And I loved the creepy treehouse metaphor. Definitely works for me.)

[Peter Miller]

I found the talk very interesting too. Trivial point but could I suggest that you stick to the s:l abbreviation (as per Alan's comment) or you're going to have significant overlap in search space with Second Life?