It is now official, we’re planning a WordCamp educational edition as a NERCOMP SIG. At the moment it looks like it will be Feburary 2, 2009 in Worcester, MA, but stay tuned for more details. If you have ideas for speakers, or would like to get involved in the planning, please let me know. Here is some background:
WordPress, an open source web publishing platform, is a frequently used tool for content creation and distribution on college campuses. The software has proven to be useful for meeting the needs of a wide range of campus challenges. Uses include blogging sites for faculty and students (http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/), web site content management (http://conted.colorado.edu/), manuscript peer-review (http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/commentpress/), and course instructional support (http://brst440.commons.yale.edu/). The software has spawned a vibrant and active user community that offers a wealth of resources to learn about the program and extend its capabilities.
Wordcamp is a workshop type event that has grown out of this user community. The first Wordcamp was held in San Francisco in 2006. They have since been held around the world – all volunteer run, designed to help people learn more about using Wordpress, and to share their experiences with other users. The standard Wordcamp event is focused on the general interests of the blogging community. In my own research I haven’t found any examples of a Wordcamp focusing on the specific needs and interests of the higher-education market.
Here is an example of what the SIGs are all about — basically a day-long workshop event. Hope to see you at WordCamp: Educational Edition 2009!
Register now for NERCOMP SIG “Big Picture Instructional Technology” | Academic Commons
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Randall Rode's online home for thoughts, notes, and experiments with a wide range of technology topics. Visit the about page for info on my recent projects and professional background. I welcome your comments!
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