summer notes etherpad

Hi Everyone,
I've created an etherpad here for anyone who wants to upload their summer reading notes and collaborate with others.  So, you've got some choices about how to document your summer reading.  You can:

• write them out by hand
• post them to your course blog
• post them to the etherpad

Each of these media has advantages and disadvantages.  The act of writing engages your brain and "teaches" you as you go by actively reinforcing ideas as you write them down.  (This is why you're more likely to remember everything at the store if you write a list, even if you forget to bring the list with you.)  Posting notes to your course blog establishes your digital identity and gives you a way to start drawing traffic and engaging thinkers on your online turf.  Posting notes to the etherpad gives you a chance to see your work right next to your peers', which enables us (literally) to compare notes.  And there is a benefit to doing all three: as my mentor Coach Wooden liked to say, "Repetition is a key to learning."  For those practical/self-interested types, rest assured that the more value you create for this learning community (by becoming knowledgeable and sharing ideas with others) the more credit you will accrue on Project Infinity.

NOTE: Ashlie's already commented to the etherpad and expressed some reservation about using the platform for the purpose.  This is fair game.  I'm genuinely curious about your perceptions of these tools because I want to optimize the learning experience.  So I will often ask you about what you're using, how, and how well it works for you.  Over the summer you're forced to learn tools by trial and error, but next month we'll be learning about them as we go.  As we explore new tools we will have some discussion about the tools themselves and not just the content we're using them to explore.  In the meantime, if you have questions, criticisms or suggestions about any of the tools, please send me an email, or comment to a post like this one, or (when we get back) bring it up in class.  Let's reserve the actual platforms for their intended purposes so that we can evaluate how well they work.  We can always hack the tools and the tool-selection process later.