Tapped In Newsletter: August 2005
...On the Tapis
August 2005
Issue 93
In This Issue
[1] I'm a TI helpdesk volunteer and I'm pulling my hair out!
[2] I'm looking for an educational chat room.
[3] Tapped In Technology Tip
[4] News Nuggets
[5] About ...On the Tapis
Quote of the Month - "Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless." - Mother Teresa (1910 - 1997)
[1] Welcome to TI. I'm a helpdesk volunteer and I'm pulling my hair out! (With apologies to all bald volunteers ;-))
To most new Tapped In guests and members, the offer of assistance is a welcome relief when confronted for the first time by all the tabs, menus, links, and chat options. Although the Tapped In interface was designed to be as intuitive as possible, each user has his or her own comfort level when it comes to technology. The Tapped In Helpdesk volunteers are a generous group of people who do everything they can to make first experiences in the TI interface as easy as possible. They welcome new members, schedule tours on the calendar, answer questions, and help maintain the warm and welcoming community for which Tapped In is known. The following exchange brings to a head a problem with which the volunteers have recently been dealing.
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TI Member: I am looking for educational chat rooms.
BjB: Hi. Welcome to Tapped In.
BjB: Tapped In is a community of practice for educators. Chat is only one of the many features here.
TI Member: Great! How do I get to the educational chat rooms?
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It appears that several instructors of online courses, recognizing the value of the Tapped In community, have assigned students to either log in as guests or members and explore the interface - with little or no utilization of easily available background material, handouts, help files, scheduled tours, and interface guide at the TI homepage. There is little evidence that any of these instructors are members of Tapped In and this exacerbates the problem.
Tapped In is YOUR community. The influx of large numbers of clueless and inquisitive guests and members puts a strain on the small number of Helpdesk Volunteers. The purpose of this message is threefold - 1.) If you are guilty of sending students to Tapped In without properly preparing them, then the least you can do is log in with them as a group for a scheduled tour. 2.) Give the helpdesk volunteers some relief by volunteering one hour a week. All volunteers are mentored. 3.) Pass this message on to any online instructors who may be involved in sending students to Tapped In.
The following is a sample of some of the dialogue Helpdesk has worked with during the first five days of August!
Thanks, what's it all about? ~ Hi, I am trying to figure out what I should be doing. This is an on-line course and as part of our class discussion we are to explore Tapped In and then relate it to a reading that was assigned. ~ This is my first time in here. Where else can I visit? I need some resources for expanding my knowledge in technology. ~ I'm sure it is [more than a chat room], but for right now, I am working on an internet class and need to use this site to find a group to put on my paperwork. ~ Hi, how do I find a room with chat taking place? Any group I have gone to I'm the only one. My class assignment is to join a group and summarize the chat. Any comments?
[2] I'm looking for an educational chat room.
Tapped In is not a chat room. It is a Community of Practice for educators. Chat is only one of the many features of the Tapped in interface. Other features for members include a private office, special interest groups, threaded discussion boards, storage for files and links, and a special K-12 Student Campus. Special Interest Groups (we have over 600) are primarily resource rooms where group members store their files and links. Groups will occasionally meet in their group rooms, but more often they use the threaded discussion board in their group room to communicate among themselves. If you wish to participate in a real time chat take a look at our Calendar of Events, log in a few minutes before the chat is scheduled, and a Tapped In Helpdesk Volunteer will get you to the room in which the chat will take place.
[3] Tapped In Technology Tip
So, where is this "easily available background material, handouts, help files, scheduled tours, and interface guide"? Start out at the Tapped In Homepage. Under the "Getting Started" section there is a link to the Interface Guide, Event Calendar, and Help Pages. The "Welcome to Tapped In" section includes such topics as:
What can educators do here?
What capabilities and services do we provide?
What organizations use Tapped In?
See our Tapped In Flyer.
Also on the homepage is an ABOUT tab with more information.
[4] News Nuggets
Tapped In member Joan Welch announces PATH (Pupils Ask, Teachers Help) a new FREE Homework Help service. Besides assisting students in grades 1 thru college with free homework help, PATH assists parents with homework tips, and Internet Safety. There are three special Service divisions: Homeschooling, Special Education/Needs and Reference/Research.
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ISTE Members Recognized for "Making It Happen" - Making It Happen Award recipients were recently honored at NECC 2005 in Philadelphia. Making It Happen, a nationally recognized educational program, recognizes educators leading the way with educational technology. Joining the illustrious group of more than 210 past winners of the coveted pink jackets were ISTE and Tapped In members Lynn Nolan and Kathy Schrock. Congratulations to these outstanding Ed Tech leaders!
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Tapped In Helpdesk Volunteer Jeff Cooper collaborated with Tapped In member Jeff Lebow on a presentation about Tapped In at Worldbridges.
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Tapped In member Marsha Ratzel has an entry on her blog, Reflections of a Techie about her Tapped In Festival 2005 experience.
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Tapped In member Linda Adimik logged in with this wonderful and greatly appreciated complement, "I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for all your help when I was just getting used to 'computer land.' I have learned a lot [more] than just writing this summer and I'm kind of excited about it! I don't know if I [will be able to] stay connected to Tapped In when the course ends. I know our room will close. So I thought I'd say thank you today!!" Maggi Doty, a Tapped In Helpdesk Volunteer replied, "glad you had a memorable time here, but [Tapped In] is something for your entire career."
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Tapped In member Yaodong Chen and his class were featured in an August 5 eSchool News article "Ed-tech helps spur U.S.-China exchange." The article can be read at eSchool News (free registration) or as an offline document.
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Do you have a News Nugget about yourself or another member of the Tapped In Community? Send your News Nugget to BJ Berquist at bjb@tappedin.org.
[5] About ...On the Tapis
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