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Stay tuned as we build this page to
introduce you to these great educational technology tools: RSS,
Making and Listening
to Podcasts, Blogs, Moodle,
Wiki's, Web 2.0, Web Words To Know,
etc.
WHAT
IS RSS?
RSS refers to Really Simple Syndication. Put
simply, it's a process whereby specialized software called news
aggregators, RSS
readers, feed readers, feed aggregators or news
readers can be scheduled to go and find news, key
words, web logs, blogs, or other specific web content that you have
requested. (See also Podcasts.)
You don’t have to go check any web pages about your
favorite topics to see what’s been posted or changed recently.
Nor must you do a laborious web search on your topics – the aggregator
checks and delivers the new content to you automatically
(assuming the sites have RSS feeds and you have subscribed to them).
The software and service are usually free. To
use this technology, obtain an aggregator (download the software). Your
aggregator automatically receives new items or news from the
sources you specify at the frequency you specify. An itemized
list will arrive at intervals on your computer or mobile
device giving a very brief description of each update/feed.
You can then scan the list of new items in minutes, saving you hours of
finding the referenced sources on your own. You can then visit only
the sources which interest you if you are so inclined. RSS
can also be used to deliver audio or video feeds called podcasts
and vlogs or vidcasts. For
more information go to An
Introduction to RSS News Feeds.
See also a list
of news aggregators.
 What’s
a Podcast?
A
podcast is an audio program, much like talk radio, but you get to decide
when to listen.
Podcasts
can be intellectual, newsy, personal, educational, comedic, editorial,
trashy, political, amateurish, musical, or anything in between, so you
have to be careful and experiment to find the ones that are appropriate for you.
Podcasts are being made with increasing frequency about every
subject, including audio books The fun part about podcasts is that instead of reading content on a computer screen, you
listen to the new
content on an iPod or another
mp3 player. Or you can
listen to the show online. Or
you can save the program, burn a CD of it, and listen to the CD.
Best of all, podcasts are FREE!
http://www.podcast411.com/
Today there are a
number of these audio shows available.
Podcasts are usually mp3 files, just like the music you probably
already have on your computer. To
get some podcasts you will download an aggregator -- called a
“podfeeder” or “podcatcher” – to start and maintain a set of
“subscriptions” that are checked regularly and automatically for
updates. The updates or
podcast programs will be delivered directly to whatever file on your
computer you choose. They
will stay there until you can copy/transfer them to a mobile device or
burn them onto a CD.
The most popular
aggregator is iTunes, which you can
download and install for free with just a few clicks.
iTunes has a built-in directory where you can search for and
subscribe to a podcast with a push of a button.
But not all podcasts are listed in iTunes and it has some
limitations, so check out a few before you decide.
Podcast Software: Juice,
RSS
Radio, iTunes,
Doppler
Thanks
to www.wikipedia.com
To find some podcasts on topics you are interested in, go to www.podcastalley.com,
www.podcastpickle.com, www.ipodder.org, www.itunes.com, or
another podcast directory.
MORE ABOUT
PODCASTS
How
can I listen to podcasts?
Podcasts
are broadcasts that you can play on your iPod or other portable audio device, hence the name. However,
you don’t need an iPod to listen to podcasts. You can get them
delivered automatically to play on your PC or Mac every time there is a
new show. There are three steps involved in setting up your computer to
receive podcasts regularly.
1.
Get some podcast software
You
have to download a piece of software which will search the web to find
the latest version of the radio program you want. iTunes
is an easy way to get hold of podcasts and organize your music on your
PC or Mac.
2.
Add the address of the 'feed' to your software
Once
you have the software, choose the radio program, or 'podcast', you
want to have delivered automatically to your computer every time a new
episode is released.
To 'subscribe' to a
program, you copy the address of the podcast 'feed' from the web page of
the program and add it to your podcast application. (If you use iTunes, push the purple microphone icon. If
you don't, push the orange XML or RSS button to get the feed’s page.
Then copy the URL into your feed reader.
You’ll know you found the RSS feed because it looks like this:  )
3.
Start downloading
When
a new show that you have subscribed to becomes available your software
will automatically download it. You can listen to the mp3 on your
computer or transfer it to your portable player to listen to later.
The
software will automatically download any subsequent shows as soon as
they are available.
4.
Start listening
You
can listen right on your computer with your media player, burn a CD of
the shows and listen to that, or transfer them to your portable digital
device just like you would a music file.
Some aggregators will even perform the transfer automatically
whenever you sync your device.
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RECOMMENDED
READING: Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for
Classrooms by Will Richardson
WHAT
IS WEB 2.0?
The term "Web 2.0“ is a somewhat controversial buzz word
which refers generally to a supposed second phase of development of the
world wide web. (Some
people might refer to it as a marketing catchphrase.)
•In
educational circles Web 2.0 might refer to novel web-based teaching
activities that are more interactive, conversational, student-directed,
or project- and inquiry- based. For
an exceptional presentation about Web 2.0 and education, download Ewan
McIntosh’s “Web 2.0 in the Classroom”
(mp4 file).
Evidence of a shift from previous web
models could include:
-
•the transition of
websites
from information storehouses to interactive communities and
collaborative venues.
-
•a shift in economic value of the web, possibly
surpassing that of the
dot
com boom of the late
1990s.
-
•Teaching and learning using the internet in new and
innovative ways, i.e., weblogs,
linklogs,
wikis,
podcasts,
RSS
feeds and other forms of many to many publishing;
social
software, web
APIs,
web
standards, online
web
services,
Ajax,
and others..*
•However, a consensus on its exact meaning has not
yet been reached.
•
Companies or products that embody these new
principles and web functions are
Google Maps,
Flickr,
del.icio.us,
digg,
Stumbleupon and
Technorati.
WEB
2.0 VOCABULARY
Asynchronous
– not in real time, usually related to discussion boards, responses do
not happen simultaneously.
Blended course –
a course that mixes an online component with a traditional classroom
meeting. See also Hybrid.
Blog –online
journal-type page(s) that allows publishing and commentary
Browser -
what you use to access the Internet; FireFox, Internet Explorer, Safari,
Netscape
F2F - face
to face, traditional meeting in real life
FTP - a
way of loading your files up on an Internet server
Hybrid - a
traditional course with a web-enhanced component that extends learning
beyond when your class typically meets.
Podcast –
time-shifted audio that can be subscribed to.
RSS -
real simple syndication. The system that lets you subscribe to web page
updates, blogs, podcasts, etc.
Synchronous –
real time, chats and webinars
Webinar –
a live learning event that usually combines images and audio and allows
participants to interact online
Wiki –
an online “space” for shared document creation/editing
Web2.0 – the new world order online; simpler, cleaner and more
interactive internet
Bias - a prejudice in
a general or specific sense, usually in the sense for having a preference
to one particular point of view
Bliki – a wiki that is also a
blog
Credibility - the
believability of a statement or source, and the ability of the observer to
believe that statement.
DRM – Digital Rights
Management
Folksonomy - collaborative
labeling system that lets Internet users to categorize content such as Web
pages, online photographs, and Web links. The labels – called tags –
help to improve search engine's function. Labeling is called tagging. Two
well-known websites using folksonomic tagging are Flickr and del.icio.us.
Long Tail – Generally used (in technology and web discussions) to
describe the concept that there may be a large number of
early-adopters or early buyers of a new technology, but their
numbers trail off quickly. However, the lower numbers last for a longer period and may
add up to a higher total than the early-adopter group. (simplified)
Mashup- a website or web
application that seamlessly combines content from more than one source
into an integrated experience.
Social networking - a
category of Internet applications to help connect friends, business
partners, or other individuals together using a variety of tools like
blogs, folksonomy, etc.
Vlog – video blog
XML - Extensible Markup Language, XML is a way of describing
data and an XML file can contain the data too.
What
Is a Wiki and Why Should An Educator Care?
The term comes from the Hawaiian word wiki meaning quick or
fast. A wiki is a type of website
that allows users to add to and edit a page or site and is
especially suited for collaboration.
Wiki also sometimes refers to the collaborative
software itself (wiki engine) that make such a website run. Wikipedia
is, by far, the world's largest English-language wiki. Most wikis
offer at least a title search, and sometimes a full text search.
Some wikis allow completely unrestricted access so that people are able to
contribute to the site without necessarily having to register as they
usually would at other interactive websites such as Internet
forums or chat sites.
Wikis can be used in education for collaborative writing processes.
They offer a read-to-use means to produce web sites and blogs whether the
students have web design experience or not. A few ways to use wikis in
class are:
- Creating simple websites
- Developing projects with peer review
- Tracking a group project's progress
- Posting class notes and reviews
- Creating a Glossary
- Developing a series of topics
- Creating a book
- Discussing a topic or procedure
While wikis are
very accessible to nearly anyone with good or bad intentions, they
can verify the validity of additions to the entries. The most
prominent, on almost every wiki, is a "Recent Changes"
page—a list showing recent edits, or a list of edits made within a
given timeframe. Some wikis can filter the list for profanity, etc.
Wiki
vandalism can be a problem but most communities are self-policing and
deal with inappropriate changes within minutes or hours. Of course
educational wikis should always be created with clear parameters and
supervised closely. Thanks to www.wikipedia.com
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