The+steps

=**Initial steps**=

Most MOOCers find their first MOOC quite overwhelming. Everything is new and all this newness comes in a massive quantity (hence the first letter - MassiveOOC). The steps below should give most newcomers a good start.


 * 1.** To get a quick overview of what MOOCs are all about go to[| **What is a MOOC?**] This is a very short and easy to follow clip designed and recorded by Dave Cormier who is a course faciliator.


 * 2.** Filter your email so that the MOOC emails go to a seperate folder. This way you can refer to this folder when you are ready to do a bit of MOOCing. Things move very quickly in a MOOC, even while you're sleeping. The daily newsletters, if available, are your line to what is happening. Read the latest emails first. If you miss a few, or lots, don't try to read the earlier ones. If after reading the first one, and checking out the items available, you find you have time, then read an earlier email. Reading one from each week can be enough to keep you abreast of what's happening.


 * 3.** If you don't already have one, set up a Twitter account. At the very beginning follow the course facilitators, they will quickly refer you to relevant pieces of information. After a while you'll find yourself coming across other MOOCers, you can add these as you go along. Also, use the #MOOCName to filter your twitter feeds.


 * 4.** While you're following the links you find you'll start to find sites of interest to you, this is where an online bookmarking tool like Diigo, or curation tools like Scoop.it or PearlTrees will come in handy.


 * 5.** For a quick guide to some practical steps to help you find your way into a MOOC check out

[|How To Succeed in MOOC] again by Dave Cormier.

6. Keeping a blog is another good place to start. Why blogging is important. I do at least 1 blog post a week. My posts consist of random questions, notes, quotes, pictures, summaries of presentations, and other incident stuff. My thoughts are very fragmented, disjointed and disconnected. Sometimes I will use the #change11 tag and put a post out to the world when I think it has some sense of coherence.

7. I am working towards building a personal learning network so I try and read a couple of blog posts a week in detail. I now have a few people I do follow. When they do a new post I get an email. I do try and post a comment on their blog. How to evoke more comments on your blog, of people to follow.

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