http://disqus.com/by/ChrisP/enThu, 10 Apr 2008 12:02:09 -0000http://socialspacestation.com/post/31301512#comment-320540<p>I think this situation highlights some of the problems of using sites like Bebo for 'serious' activities like teaching.</p><p>The first one is that if someone is not on-board with using the tool, much of the set up work goes to waste.</p><p>The second is that students might be getting overwhelmed by all the different tools being used: Blackboard, Bebo, Wetpaint, MySpace, Blogs, Wikis, etc, etc</p><p>One way both these problems could be mitigated would be the use of tools that allow data portability. If we could move social groups around to different tools depending on personal preference, this could help. If one lecturer prefers blackboard and the other prefers bebo the communities should be able to be ported between them.</p><p>Another development that may help is the use of OpenID to reduce the need for managing multiple user accounts for all the different services.</p><p>We're still in the protoplasm stage of web applications. I have faith that standards will start emerging and that problems of exporting and importing communities between tools and of having too many log-ins are actually fairly easy to solve.</p>ChrisPThu, 10 Apr 2008 12:02:09 -0000