Here is an example of how I "capture" a blog post for future reference. I use the phrase "berry-picking" to illustrate the process of accessing and then picking the bits of data. You select the data according to quality, credibility, and relevance (although that is a general guess). You also scan the data in terms of date and length as well. You are unsure yet how (or even if) you will make use of the data.

To effectively select relevant content, then, you need to summarize the source as much as needed in the initial stages to allow you to make a decision at some later time. You need to give yourself as many cues for retrieval as possible. For example, you are anticipating you will be doing an essay on blogging sometime in the future, and have just come across this blog post. Just adding it to your list of favourites will provide no further details, and will not help you determine how relevant it is when you do get around to scanning the favourites. Thus, here is a suggested template to follow to capture details about blog posts for potential use later.

Blog Name: Virtual Canuck

Author: Terry Anderson

Title: Blogging Inside the Garden Wall

URL: http://terrya.edublogs.org/2007/04/03/blogging-inside-the-garden-wall/

Date: April 2007

Way-Making History:

Draws from Bill Ives' blog post

Is Blogging Inside the Firewall an Oxymoron

Tags Used: PLEs, educational social software

Summary:

• questions the value of blogging within formal contexts;
• skeptical of value of this learning activity (blogging)
• considers reasons for why instructors develop activities within "garden wall"

Benefits:

• Protection of Student Privacy
• Ease of Aggreagtion
• Control

Drawbacks, or "pedagogical and technical baggage":

• control costs
• assessment challenges
• decreased motivation
• decreased opportunity for community building

Relevant Quote: "... model of giving control to the end users and allowing them to selectively exercise that control may be the only solution that provides the advantages, yet addresses the challenges of educational blogging."

Reflections/Impressions: You can leave this empty for now, but you will want to complete it later once you have selected this content for your essay.