All posts by James Moore

Power Searching with Google

Internet, MOOC, Online Learning, , , ,
Power Searching With Google

Power Searching With Google

I received my certificate for successfully completing the “Power Searching with Google” online course. I decided to upload to the site rather than following Google’s suggestion to print out the certificate and affix to my wall.

I was impressed with what Google put together. Essentially this was a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) with short video presentations/tutorials immediately followed by short exercises to demonstrate learning. The element that I found less impressive was the use of Google Groups discussion boards – meaningful conversation was drowned out by the sheer number of participants. However, this criticism is endemic to MOOCS.

Also, Google did a great job at transcribing the videos. In some ways the written elements are an easier method to learn. Printing these out (or viewing them on a second screen) whilst watching the videos was a good way to learn.

Found Interest in Pinterest

Internet, Internet Marketing, Online Learning, , , , ,

Pinterest

Tom Jacobs at DePaul shared an article with me yesterday that genuinely made me interested in actually using Pinterest. I scavenged an account early when the service was launched, but saw little reason to use it. However, a blogpost (A researcher’s survival guide to information overload and curation tools) on LSE’s website has given me pause to reconsider.

I think I will give it a go now, perhaps spending a week or two to see if the concept grows on me.

The article also shares some other social media tools. Definitely worth reading.