SCoPE: Seminars: Thanks, and let's keep going...

This has been a very fun, stimulating, and energizing couple of weeks! Rick, thanks so much for taking the time from your extra busy life to guide us through this complex topic. I think there were a lot of questions about e-books that we didn't even know we had! And the bonus was experiencing your inviting facilitation style. Your "au revoir" photo made us all smile. :-)

And I'll second the big thanks to Scott. The framework Scott used to explain platforms and strategies made things so crystal clear. Thanks also Randy and eCampusAlberta Professional Learning community for hosting Scott's session.

As Rick mentioned, our curators Hilda and Diana got us off to a really good start by organizing our discussion into themes/chapters. Remember, "DIG IN" is the approach we're using to bring this evergreen document together so don't hesitate to edit, add, reorder...whatever it takes. We're already exchanging a few ideas using the "comments" option in Google Doc.

Also, a few graphic recorders are keen to use this e-book project to practice capturing asynchronous discussions. Here's my invitation to the "RosViz" group (a community that has formed around annual graphic facilitation workshops):

We've been busy the past couple of weeks at SCoPE talking about e-books, and now we're writing an e-book that pulls and builds on the main themes that emerged from the discussion. I think a BIG missing piece from this project is VISUALS. For sure we don't want this e-book to be all text! Anybody feeling the need for some practice? It would be like graphic recording, only in slow-mo because the discussion is asynchronous.

So keep in mind that your contributions to this e-book can be any kind of media.

I've added the links to Scott's recording, slides, and the e-book Google docs to our forum description: http://scope.bccampus.ca/mod/forum/view.php?id=8951 Be sure to bookmark those e-book docs and invite your colleagues to add their names and content!

Our next SCoPE seminar begins on Monday, February 20: Cases in Online Interview Research, with Janet Salmons. See you there!

Re: Thanks, and let's keep going...

by Emma Duke-Williams - Monday, 20 February 2012, 2:58 AM

I'm afraid I'm coming rather late to the party - several weeks of marking etc., have meant that I've only skimmed the odd post!

What I haven't seen, though it's entirely possible it was in posts I skimmed way too fast - is a distinction between the different types of experience you look for in a book

To me; I look in novels for escapism; to draw my own pictures of what the characters look like ... essentially, I guess, I want the book to control me. So, for that, my Kindle is fab. It won't play me scary music if it thinks the plot merits it; it doesn't encourage me to annotate (I can if I'm really desperate); the battery life is awesome - I can read it in the sun (though not under the covers without a torch!) etc.

On the other hand, non-fiction; I like additional media to help me understand, etc; I want to control it. So, from that point of view; iPads/phones/laptops / even my OLPC is great; I can have the interaction with it that I want, I can read it under the covers (not sure I'd want to for a non-fiction book mind!) - even if not as well in the sun (unless it's the OLPC with its backlit or e-ink screen) - though the battery life isn't as good.

I did see on thread discussing what to call 'ebooks' (the software) - and presumably the hardware - does eReader apply to them all, (or is that predominantly what I see as my first option) - and, should there be a different name for the two different types.

Hope that makes sense; now off to read the posts from the new seminar, so as not to get too far behind!

Re: Thanks, and let's keep going...

by Richard Schwier - Monday, 20 February 2012, 6:37 AM

It's never too late, Emma! Thanks for this wonderful contribution. I also have both kinds of devices and I use them both in just the ways you described. I particularly love your description of what you're looking for in a book -- something that captures you and refuses to turn you loose from beginning to end. I think that's a critically important point. A good book is a good book, and it is the story that makes it good. Even in non-fiction and many of the best academic books I've read, it is still about the story. There is a narrative thread that we can follow from beginning to end, and the quality of the writing stands out. In e-writing, I think we need to remember this and keep it at the forefront of our work. We have so many new affordances, and particularly varieties of media available to us, that there may be a tendency to write a book that is choppy. We can add diversions, examples, asides, and take the reader in a bunch of directions. But we may also lose the narrative thread. This probably means we need to pay extra attention to staying inside our own story as we write. Obviously, you've got me thinking, Emma. Thanks for coming to the party!