Thoughts from Krill

While reading The Move To Web 2.0 Increases Security Challenges all I could think about was the book Groundswell ~Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies, which I’ve been working at reading for awhile now. The web article, dated May 2007, focuses on the fact that businesses need to look out for security issues as they delve into using web 2.0 as part of their business. Groundswell, on the other hand, focuses on the positive benefits that businesses can reap from using web 2.0 technologies. By having message boards and/or social communities for products, businesses can have an ear on what their consumers are thinking about their products. Web 2.0 technologies give businesses a way to learn more about their customers. A business gains access to information they otherwise would have been merely guessing at.

Interestingly enough, this type of comparison can also be drawn when thinking about safety and web 2.0 tools in schools. Are there security risks in using these tools? Possibly. And, yes, it’s certainly possible to avoid using these tools and still deliver the information we want students to consume. But, can we be sure they’re actually getting the information? Or, are we just happy enough that we’ve told it to them? Another, more important question to be asking ourselves, is not if we should be using these tools, but how we should be using these tools? How can we leverage technology tools to accomplish the goals we want to accomplish?

I know there are many that feel that comparing education to business is inappropriate, but in many cases it seems to be very logical to me. This line from the article could easily apply to both!

…having [their] customers be participants and sharing information, rather than just getting information off the site.

I really love to read…I can sit down and read a good book from cover to cover and barely notice the passing of time. It seems that lately I feel too busy to sit down and read, so I began to quench my reading thirst with audiobooks. So, when the Kindle was announced, I have to admit I was skeptical. I mean, why read a book when you can listen to one? That’s what I was thinking. I even wondered if all books would go to audio??

Recently, I’ve begun to rethink those feelings. In attempting to listen to Getting Things Done and Cluetrain Manifesto, I’ve realized that there are some books that are just better when you read them rather than listen. In a book like Getting Things Done, it takes multiple relistens to ‘get it’. However, it’s difficult to maneuver to the exact part that you’re interested in hearing again. The same is true for Cluetrain Manifesto. There are many parts that I’d like to share with others, but now I have to try and remember the chapter number and the time that I heard those parts. Not that easy!

With a device like the Kindle, I could download the books that I wish to read and have the text handy for when I need to revisit a particular line or remind myself of a certain topic. I had this capability when I used a Palm, but didn’t take advantage of it at the time. I don’t see myself buying the Kindle reader, but I do think I’ll be doing some eReading in the near future. Best case scenario is an eReader for my phone so I don’t need another device!

Bottom line for me is that I have learned that some books are great as audiobooks, but others are better when I read them with my own eyes.

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