4 Things to Pack for the #clmooc

     Summer, with its long days unmarked by school bells and claustrophobic class periods means it’s time to hit the road, whether it’s the asphalt highway or the digital interstate. Both kinds of trips require some packing. Here’s my list for the mooc:

     Flexibility.  Earlier this summer one of my students and I made a trip to Salt Lake City for the national speech and debate tournament.  While much of the week was tightly scheduled with rounds of competition, some of our favorite moments were completely serendipitous.  One afternoon we ditched the contest to go find the school where High School Musical was filmed, and on the way took a wrong turn, ending up on a secluded residential street.  Along one side, a chain link fence separated the neighborhood from a cemetery.  As we rolled slowly along the street, we spotted a mule deer curled up by the fence. Not far behind her, another stood munching on the long, green grass.  Farther along, behind the big iron gates, we spotted another pair.

     The detour that took us away led us to that encounter with wildlife right in the middle of the city! 

     The best approach to the clmooc is the same. 

https://michaelsweller.wordpress.com/tag/memes/

Three weeks of opportunity await you, but no one’s taking roll.  Drop in. Find something (or someone) interesting.  Let yourself experiment. Follow what other people do.  Put aside your digital connections for a trip to the beach or a museum. Come back to see what’s up.  It’s all good.

image from 24.media.tumblr.com

     Curatorial Tools.  Connecting with others and playing in the Internet sandbox will introduce you to a lot of new experiences, some of which will get lost unless you find a way to organize them.  Making a new bookmark folder and filling it with all the shiny things will not be helpful when you go back to find something interesting you halfway remember.  

     I’ve written about my experience in trying to curate my clmooc experience here and the binder I created at Livebinders is still here.

     Currently, though, my favorite organizing tool is Evernote.  You can save all kinds of sites, not just sites with ‘pinnable’ pictures, upload documents, and even create notes.   By creating a public notebook for the #clmooc I can share what I find interesting and useful. By using tags liberally, I need just one word to search and whatever resource I've gone back for is easily found.

http://www.contractormarketingpros.com/blog/growing-our-social-network-with-twitter

     Twitter Feed.  My experience with Twitter is documented in this Storify from the 2014 mooc. A lot of what happens in the clmooc happens on Twitter, so it’s a good idea to jump in; it’s also a good idea to create a strategy for your Twitter use so it doesn’t become overwhelming.

http://www.shemovedtotexas.com/equestrian-blogging-for-money/

                  

A reflection space.  Sometimes a writer needs an audience. Sometimes a maker needs a consumer. Sometimes writing it down means making sense of it.  I have a notebook for personal reflections and this online space for what I want to share with others. 

      The good news is, if you arrive with an empty suitcase, the participants in clmooc will help you fill it full of souvenirs. Sign up for updates on the clmooc and join the journey here.