In relative terms, some Web 2.0 tools have been around for a long time. As a result, us technology-types often forget that relative longevity doesn’t translate into people knowing how to use them.
Blogs are a perfect example of this.
One of the original Web 2.0 tools, web logs (you can see where the silly name comes from) have been the poster child of the participatory web. Now everyone with a thought and a computer to write it on can become a journalist, editorial writer, political pundit, sports writer, or budding Bridget Jones.
Blogs are web pages upon which it is very easy to write text and share with the internet.
Add to this the fact that the “style” of blogs is to show most recent submissions over past submissions, while archiving older posts and you can see why it has emerged as a “journal” like environment. Talking Tech - the very site you are reading - is a blog. So I am not going to go into too much detail about how they work. If you are here reading this, then you are seeing what blogs can look like. To see more, follow other links on the sidebar to other blogs.
Instead, let’s look at what makes blogs powerful educational tools.
Let’s start with a key question:
If they are “journals”, what makes them better than pen and paper ones, or a Word document that you store on your computer?
First and foremost, it is the power of linking. Because the site is on the web, you can link to other sites. Perhaps an article you are responding to, a video you are commenting on, or a picture that you are inspired by. You can connect people to information and you can give opinion/review on ANYTHING, sharing the original with the reader.
Second, RSS makes blogs better. Because readers can subscribe and have your newest posts “delivered” to them through a(n) reader/aggregator, the chance for increased readership grows. I’ve explained RSS before, so I’ll leave it at that.
So, great…you can link, readers can keep up, but what makes them powerful educational tools?
One word: conversation.
Blogs have created world-wide conversations. Because posts can be commented on, bloggers can now offer ideas, opinions, or information, and get feedback from their readers. The blog’s presence on the web extends the audience of readership beyond the walls of a classroom, beyond the limitations of a grade level, and outside of the confines of a school.
The audience is the WORLD wide web, and that’s a lot of people. Sure, not all of those people are reading one blog, but if the topic and the writing are meaningful, the audience will come. Teachers can facilitate this with school-to-school relationships or “blog-pal” classes. Parents can get involved and comment on students’ work (not to mention get insight into their writing style, their personality, and the issues they grapple with).
Teachers have used blogs to get information out to students: links to websites, YouTube videos to consider (yes, there is educational stuff on there), articles to read, and/or simulations to try. They have used it to prompt students, “what are your Top 3 books of all time”, “how can you make a difference on global warming?” The key has been to encourage student reflection.
The result has encouraged student conversation.
Kids naturally begin to comment on other kids’ comments. They start to talk. And when carefully monitored and encouraged, they continue that conversation in class too.
Why do blogs belong in education? They belong because they enable writers to enrich their writing with sources, suggestions, and links. They belong because they provide writers with the opportunity for self-expression with an audience. They belong because they allow for that audience to be ANYWHERE.
Here is a video from Frieda Foxworth on reasons to blog with students:
One thing we often encourage is for teachers, who want students to blog, to blog themselves. Start up your own blog at blogger or edublogs. They are free and they are easy to sign up for and set up. And let me know if you have questions.
Too often tech geeks (like myself) use words to name new technologies that serve to exclude people rather than include them. We come up with names like blog, Ning, Twitter, and Flickr. People hear the words, they read the names and they are intimidated. They fear venturing into something that they don’t know or understand. How do you approach learning what a Ning is when you don’t have even the faintest idea what it’s about?
And it’s my job to demystify that.
The irony is that these names describe technologies that are completely inclusive rather than exclusive. These technologies have made so much of what used to be the domain of trained professionals now available to EVERYONE. Yes, that includes you.
Podcasting is one of these things.
Podcasts are nothing more than files, mostly audio files, but not always anymore…now they could have video. These files are kept on the web. People download them and then people listen to them. Imagine a radio show that you like listening to, only it’s on at 2 am and you just can’t be awake at that time to listen to it. What if instead, that radio show was recorded and you could get it any time and listen to it anytime. That’s a podcast.
Well, almost.
What makes podcasts different from just any old file on the web actually has more to do with RSS, which I talked about in a previous post. Because RSS means that you can subscribe to a site and get information whenever it’s added to that site. For podcasts that means that once you subscribe to a “show” that you are interested in, every time a new “episode” is added, it will automatically download to your computer.
Here’s how Podcast Alley (more on them later) describe podcasts:
Podcasting, created by former MTV VJ Adam Curry, is a term that was devised as a crisp way to describe the technology used to push audio content from websites down to consumers of that content, who typically listen to it on their iPod (hence the “pod”) or other audio player that supports mp3 at their convenience. The term podcasting is meant to rhyme with broadcasting and is a derivative of the iPod platform. While not directly associated with Apples iPod device or iTunes music service, the company did contribute both the desire and the technology for this capability. Podcasting is not unlike time-shifted video software and devices like TiVo, which let you watch what you want when you want by recording and storing video, except that podcasting is used for audio and is currently free of charge. Note, however, that this technology can be used to push any kind of file, including software updates, pictures, and videos.
They go on to add:
What makes podcasting special is that it allows individuals to publish (podcast) radioshows, that interested listeners can subscribe to. Before podcasting you could of course record a radio show and put it on your website, but now people can automatically receive new shows, without having to go to a specific site and download it from there.
So that’s all they are. Files that you subscribe to using either an RSS reader or more typically, iTunes.
So how do you find podcasts?
A good place to start is the iTunes Store. Open your iTunes and on the left hand side, click on iTunes Store. It’ll take a second or two to load as it uses your internet connection to work. If you are reading this, then your internet is connected.
Inside the iTunes Store screen, you will see some choices - one of them is Podcasts, another is iTunes U. Both are great places to start. (see picture)
Also, use the Search field in the upper right hand corner of your iTunes Store window and search for a podcast. For example, I searched for “french” and got not only a list of songs that have artists named French, but also a long list of podcast files of French for beginners and more.
When you find one you like (and if it’s free), click on the Subscribe button. Now the podcast will join your list of podcasts in your menu (see picture) on the left in Library and above the link for the iTunes Store. Just under the iTunes Store link you will see a new link called Downloads. This tells you what podcasts are downloading at that particular moment.
Another way to find podcasts is to search the many Podcast Directories that are out there. Try Podcast Alley or Podcast.net to get started. Or just do a Google search on podcast directory.
If you find a podcast you want to subscribe to in one of these sites, you may have to copy the feed address from the address bar and then paste it in iTunes by clicking Advanced > Subscribe to Podcast and then pasting in the address.
So where to start? Try searching for an interest (pssst…it doesn’t have to be education)
Here are some links that will subscribe right into your iTunes without any searching whatsoever! Now that’s service.
In no particular order…
Counselor’s Podcast - counselors talk about how colleges make decisions, making the most of college visits, and how to handle the rush of recommendations you have to write.
World at War - a series of radio dramas about events taking place during World War II. Might be an interesting hook to start class with.
Coffee Break Spanish - beginner level Spanish learning (there are tons of language learning podcasts)
Mandarin - from the Times Online site, Mandarin learning from beginner levels on up.
Grammar Girl - one of the most popular podcasts in the world. Simple down and dirty tips on grammar in the English language. Great for all writers, SAT takers, and English as a Second Language speakers.
SmartBoard Lessons - educators share lesson ideas using the Smart Board. There’s got to be something in there for all of us!
Physics - this semester’s Intro to Physics class at the University of California Berkeley. Lots more from many of the top US universities in all subjects in the iTunes U section. High School teachers, you HAVE to check out iTunes U!
So you’ve read the last post and you want to get started with setting up your RSS reader.
You’ve chosen your format (a browser like Safari or an online reader like iGoogle or Netvibes), but now what?
How do you find content?
How do you find the feeds that are out there to put into your readers and get updates?
What do you do with them, when you get them?
Start with this: find the newspaper web site that you read regularly and look for their feeds.
They are sure to have plenty of different feeds that focus on front page news, local news, sports or anything in between. Here’s an example of a feed address for the Washington Post’s Top News page. This is the address you would copy and paste into your “Add Content” or “Add feed” box on your reader.
Once you have that, you may want to start looking for some professional reading by other bloggers in education or perhaps a special interest blog or online magazine. Technorati is a great site to search as they document and track blogs.
Below, I’ve listed some good education-focused blogs to get you started.
In each case, click on the main link to check out the site. If it’s something you like click on the feed link supplied at the end of each description, copy the address, and paste it into your reader under Add content.
Dangerously Irrelevant: a blog on leadership and educational technology by Scott McLeod , professor at Iowa State University and head of CASTLE. (feed)
Always Learning: Our own Kim Cofino’s blog on education, technology and creating a globally connected learning experience for students. She’s world famous! (feed)
Medagogy: ISB ES tech stud Justin Medved’s take on pedagogy, technology, and education. Where it should go, great resources and a wonderful vision of learning in the 21st Century. (feed)
MathNotations: High School Math ideas on assessment and teaching. Often looks at the math that is used on the SAT. (feed)
Academic Aesthetic: As the blog states – Art. Education. Technology. Most of his stuff is recorded too, so you can listen to it if you want. (feed)
Weblogg-ed: Will Richardson’s blog on learning with the Read/Write web. He spoke at the Shanghai Conference and seems to be a leader in talking about how learning will change with available technologies. (feed)
Crucial Thought: A MS Spanish and Latin teacher weighing in about technology and language education. (feed)
Common Craft: A site with video tutorials on all things Web 2.0. The video RSS in Plain English is from their site. (feed)
Give these sites a look and copy the addresses from the feeds and paste that into your Add Content field.
Most importantly, give it a try and stop wasting time surfing the web.
Photo by Snowbadger, found at Flickr Creative Commons.
While I maintain a professional blog, I felt the need for a blog about the tools that are out there and tips for teachers to use Web 2.0 tools with students.
Inspired by Alan November’s words at the Learning 2.0 Conference in Shanghai, China, I am reminded that classrooms should be global communication centers and teachers should be facilitating online learning and problem solving opportunities as much as possible.
This blog is going to share tools with teachers…a one-stop shop for what’s out there and what you can and should be using for yourself or with students.
So let’s get into it.
You can’t go anywhere in web 2.0 without first understanding RSS feeds.
In simple terms, RSS feeds are transmitters of articles or other content to other locations. For example, on this blog, you will see a feed for my other blog, Thinking Allowed. That comes to this site through an RSS feed, which collects the titles and sends them here. By creating a single site called an “aggregator” or “reader”, you can have all sorts of feeds come to one place.
No more surfing the web to find your articles…they will come to you.
Go here for “RSS explained the Oprah way” (no affiliation to Oprah).
Check out this video for a simplified explanation.
So you need to set this up? If you have and use a Gmail account, then I recommend starting with iGoogle (aka Google Reader). If not, check out Netvibes or Bloglines. Also, it’s worth noting that many browsers including Safari on the Mac and IE 7 on the PC have a feed manager built into the browser. Particularly for Mac users (because Safari’s is quite effective), you might find this a better solution. The advantage of the accounte in iGoogle, Bloglines, or Netvibes is that you can access your feeds from ANY computer. Browser solutions will only be on that one computer.
Once you get these set up by creating an account and confirming it from within your email, you will need to add feeds from sites you like to read from. You’ll be able to find some right there within the sites. Others you may want to add from blogs you like (like this blog). By using the feeds, you don’t ever have to check the sites for new articles or posts.
You just check your reader.
Look for icons like this to indicate a link to a feed.
Copy that address into your reader where it tells you to.
Don’t feel like you have to find all of the great feeds out there at once. You will add and remove feeds as you get a better feel for the process and what you do end up reading and what you don’t.
Of course, ask for help when you need it, but the first step is always going to be to check it out and give it a shot. The ONLY time technology is learned is JUST IN TIME.
