Members of the #altc community are encouraged to get involved by contributing to the community blog. The #altc Blog publishes short, topical entries to help keep us all up to date with developments in learning technology, and provides an opportunity for discussion.

Contributing to the blog gives you the opportunity to disseminate your work, share something you are excited about, explore a common problem, or express an opinion.

Who can submit?

Any ALT (Associate, Individual, Certified or Organisational) member, in good standing, can submit to the blog.

What sort of posts can I contribute?

Entries can be text-based (usually 500-1,000 words) or use other media, so please consider a video post or supplementing your written post with video, images or audio.

We welcome podcasts, vlogs, audio or video posts. These posts work well for demos or narrative posts. If you prefer to create visual rather than written content, consider a vlog or podcast.

Your contribution should fall into one of the following suggested categories:

• A review or reflection e.g. of software, a book or other publication, a conference or event, or a course.
• A project report e.g. a summary of a research, implementation or development project with links to further information.
• A case study e.g. an account of your department or institution’s experiences implementing a technology, policy or process.
• A summary of a discussion. Discussions on the JISCmail list are a good source for summary articles.
• A preview or follow-up piece linking to an article in Research in Learning Technology or another of ALT’s publications.
• An interview e.g. ‘week in the life’ style or with influential and inspiring learning technology people.
• A report of ALT Members and Special Interest Group events or activities.
• An opinion piece on a learning technology or education topic.
• Advice or tips for your fellow Members.

Looking for inspiration? Visit our Inspiration Padlet for topics and ideas the community would like to hear about.

Posts with a commercial focus

We do not accept blog submissions with a primary focus on demonstrating services or products offered by a commercial provider and which do not explicitly address Learning Technology in a learning context.

Posts advertising job vacancies and upcoming events

We do not accept blog submissions that are solely to advertise job vacancies or upcoming events. Please submit those to the ALT News Digest.

What should my post look like?

Keep it simple! Use illustrations and different media as appropriate.

Please bear in mind:

Our audience

• Talk directly to the ALT community – be conversational, keep it brief, and pick a title that will draw in readers.
• Explain technical terminology, acronyms and avoid jargon and local colloquialisms.
• If appropriate, engage the community in discussion and comment. Raise questions to encourage readers to contribute using comments.
• Consider ethical issues associated with sharing information online.

What works online

• Write concisely, using simple language
• Start with a summary, then expand on this
• Use short sections and subheadings
• Use bullet lists and illustrations (jpeg, png or gif less than 4Mb)
• Respect copyright (use Creative Commons where possible)
• Use bold or italics for emphasis
• Avoid speech marks
• Link to other materials using the name of the resources (e.g. ‘see the project final report’). A couple of references in Harvard style can be included, if appropriate
• Vvideo and audio posts, such as podcasts and vlogs, must be accompanied by a written transcript and accurate closed caption file e.g. vtt.

Please provide some tags/keywords to help readers search the archives. These should include:

• your name
• your institution
• the name of any books/conferences/projects/groups referred to
• key words and phrases.

How do I submit my post?

Please send a draft contribution to blog@alt.ac.uk.

One of our Editors will contact you to discuss any changes. We aim to publish as soon as possible.

Unless otherwise indicated, posts and video interviews with editors are © their author(s) and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Who can I contact for more advice on writing for #altc Blog?

Please email blog@alt.ac.uk.