Saturday, June 7, 2008

Web 2.0 Video Tutorial

Web 2.0 Tutorial  An explanation of what Web 2.0 is, a look at how it benefits students, a closer look at blogs and wikis and tips on how to get started.
Can be found at teachertube at: http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=923aabc702667ba5f0d0

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Podcasting

Examples of Podcasts by Students and Educators:


Elementary Examples
http://cfbstaff.cfbisd.edu/beyond4walls/TCEA/
podcasts_by_cfb_teachers.htm

 New Teacher Hotline
http://www.newteacherhotline.com/

Ideas on Podcasting use in Education


From http://www.terry-freedman.org.uk/artman/publish/article_610.php
This is not meant to be a definitive list!


  • Record lessons for students (and parents!) to access in their own time.

  • Enable students to do a presentation about themselves rather than only sticking to PowerPoint!

  • Create a short introduction to your school, or the course you run, for potential to access, and to let parents know what they can expect their children to be doing -- get student contributions too!

  • Create a class radio station.

  • Enable students to submit work in the form of a podcast.

  • Create audio resources for use by sight-impaired students.

  • Find and use podcasts as part of project research materials.

  • Use foreign language podcasts to improve linguistic skills.

  • Use podcasts to get an insight into another country's culture, or another person's daily lifestyle.

  • Enable students to create dynamic presentations without the complexity of digital video.

  • Subscribe to various podcasts in different subjects in order to provide extra curriculum resources at virtually no cost.

  • Provide students with a different way of carrying out surveys in the local area.

  • Create an audio blog of a school field trip.

  • Create an enhanced podcast entitled "My summer holiday".

  • Subscribe or listen to different podcasts in order to help students develop their critical faculties.

  • Ask students to create a podcast to meet a real need, as part of a coursework project, for example for a local business.  


Tutorials:


Podcasting Tutorial: http://www.guidesandtutorials.com/podcasting-tutorial.html
Audacity Tutorial: http://www.guidesandtutorials.com/audacity-tutorial.html
Download Audacity: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/



Free Music for Podcasting:




Thursday, April 24, 2008

What is Web 2.0?

Web 2.0 is a term  that was introduced in 2004 to describe a new generation of Web applications which provides dynamic user participation, social interaction and collaboration.  In a nutshell, the next step of the www.

In an article written in 2005, Tim O'Reilly lists on O'reillyNet a sampling of an initial brainstorming of applications that are Web 1.0 vs. Web 2.0 at that time:












































































Web 1.0 Web 2.0
DoubleClick-->Google AdSense
Ofoto-->Flickr
Akamai-->BitTorrent
mp3.com-->Napster
Britannica Online-->Wikipedia
personal websites-->blogging
evite-->upcoming.org and EVDB
domain name speculation-->search engine optimization
page views-->cost per click
screen scraping-->web services
publishing-->participation
content management systems-->wikis
directories (taxonomy)-->tagging ("folksonomy")
stickiness-->syndication

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Blogging Teachers! What, Why, Who, How?

What is it? Definition of a Blog:


Wikipedia Definition: A blog (an abridgment of the term web log) is a website, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.
Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. As of December 2007, blog search engine Technorati was tracking more than 112 million blogs.
Blogs Defined by others:


  • PBS Teachers on Blogs - by Andy Carvin Internet activist, author, Edtech expert

  • Blogs in Plain English Video Created by "leelefever" on TeacherTube
    [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN2I1pWXjXI[/youtube]

  • 6 & 7 Year Olds Define Blogs– A TeacherTube video titled, "What's a Blog, Described by 6 & 7 Year Olds". Students from Nelson, New Zealand educate you about what they think a blog is, how they use them and what they love about them.
    [flashvideo width="425" height="350" filename="http://www.teachertube.com/flvideo/1908.flv" /]


Why should Teachers have a Blog:


A blog is a web page that's easy to publish and interactive way to communicate. It can be a reflective practice for the author and readers. It’s an accessible way to share ideas, explore them and take part in a larger community. It allows others to add input to the blog in a discussion or comment form. As you think about your reasons for having a blog, decide on your audience. Are you a classroom teacher trying to reach your parents? Are you a leader wanting more collaborative communication with your peers or other proffessionals? Are you planning to build a blog for your students to contribute to and interact with each other? In essence, the reason for having a blog is communication. In the words of James Humes, “The art of communication is the language of leadership.”


Who's Blogging? Examples of Blogs in Education:


http://supportblogging.com/Links+to+School+Bloggers#toc5-A wiki that contains links to multiple educational blogs. Categories include: Teacher blogs, Administrator blogs, Principal blogs, Librarian blogs and more.


How to get Started: Edublog Guides & Tutorials:



 

What will I say? Get Inspired Reading:


a. PDF File Strategies for Educational Blogging by Dr. Soo Wai Man, Temasek Polytechnic. Very insightful.
b. http://supportblogging.com/ - a wiki that lists hundreds of edublogs, teacher blogs and student blogs.
c. http://anne.teachesme.com/about/ Edublog Insights. A blog by Anne Davis, Georgia State University. Lots of reflective thinking, links to educational blogs and ideas on blog use. In her words, "This EduBlog is a place to reflect, discuss, and explore possibilities for the use of weblogs in education."