UPDATE: Shaz and I are beginning to curate at Scoop.it and CurationEd and in that particular context the questions above are easier for me to answer. The metes and bounds of the tool--Scoop.it--are much clearer. One of these aspects that comes into focus is the concept of reciprocation. Shaz and I are generating social capital with each other and we hope with others who are interested in curation in education. Social capital has been defined as "the value of social networks, bonding similar people and bridging between diverse people, with norms of reciprocity." We are bonded by our work at P2PU and in our open need to understand and apply the ideas and tools of digital curation.
What is even more interesting is that Shaz and I are bridging across our differences. I have discovered that she is interested in international development in education at her new Scoop.it site, EdDev. Looking over her curated site, commenting, reading, and 'borrowing' from her site, I realize that I need to know more, especially after watching a YouTube about the farm run by children in Germany. (I was going to send the reader to YouTube here, but Shaz has created some social capital with me so instead I am sending you to her curation site.) My wife and I are sheep farmers and the idea of children running a farm with minimal adult interference is an intriguing practical one, but isn't it the question that bedevils teachers in the classroom as well. How do we get our learners to a place where they are responsible for their own curiosity. Bridging across from her curatorial interests to mine, I now think differently about Shaz's interests as well.
Combining a course like P2PU with a curatorial tool really helps sharpen identity. Shaz sees and has commented upon several of my 'identities' in the curationsphere (there, I said it). That validation is very profound much like having a good comment section on your blog. It makes me realize the obligation I have to curate carefully and well so that her trust in me is earned. I am pretty sure that Shaz reciprocates because she has in a very analogous way 'anted up' by commenting, sharing, and opening up her own life through her curation. The topics one curates and the filters that we apply say worlds about who we are.
Our audience for CurationEd is, in the short run, all of us at P2PU. Perhaps it will only be Shaz and me. That would be OK because the act of curating is a clarifying one personally. My other topics at Scoop.it include work on teacher workflow, tech pedagogy, iPad ed, augmented reality, and a few others. I feel a duty toward those sites. I have gotten enough feedback from my audience (fairly small) to realize that my filters are of use to someone. That sense of responsibility even allegiance toward a relatively unknown and unseen audience has surprised me. Imagine the bonds that might arise from a curatorial team.
The implications? I think that is for another post as more folks join, but I can see tantalizing prospects for the college classroom that I teach in. I can't imagine a better icebreaker than to get students to curate their interests on Scoop.it and then follow each other throughout the semester to see what happens.
Remember, if you want to join in our curatorial garden just email me at terry dot elliott at gmail dot com or send me message via P2PU's messaging. It has already been eye opening.