Derek E. Baird :: Barking Robot

Atomic Learning & Education 2.0

Atomic Learning is offering its Web 2.0 for Educators workshop free of charge for the month of November. The Web 2.0 workshop discusses blogs, wikis, RSS feeds, social networking and other online tools.

The workshop was created by Vicki Davis, a classroom teacher who has been recognized for her innovative use of Web 2.0 tools in the classroom and for her Cool Cat Teacher blog. Vicki is a talented and innovative teacher and I know that you will learn a lot from her workshop!

Related Resources

• Atomic Learning > Web 2.0 workshop
• Totally Wired
• Atomic Learning Workshops
• Generation Sputnik, Gen Y & Education

Social Media + Gen Y Learning

The use of current and emerging social media technology is clearly moving us in the education community closer towards Tim Berners-Lee’s ideal of using the web as "an information space through which people can communicate…by sharing their knowledge in a pool.”

In this world of increased web-based social interaction, meeting the unique needs of Gen Y learning styles is the bottom line.  In the 21 Century classroom, the ‘always on,’ student will control the how, what, and when a task is completed.

Gen Y students expect interactive, engaging content and course material that motivates them to learn through challenging pedagogy, conceptual review, and learning style adaptation. This approach offers Gen Y learners flexible, self-paced, customizable content available on-demand (via RSS feeds or Pipes).

Interactive and engaging content motivates students to learn through the course materials and apply them according to their own intrinsic needs and learning goals.

However, educators should be careful not to use social networking for the sake of using social media, rather they should keep in mind how the use of any type of technology element can support student learning--individually and as a collective group.

Social media engages the user in the content and allows them to be included as an active participant as they construct a learning landscape rooted in social interaction, knowledge exchange, and optimum cognitive development with their peers.

Teaching Toolbox: del.icio.us

This is a fantastic tutorial on using del.icio.us in the classroom! Social bookmarking tools like del.icio.us or MyWeb 2 are a great and easy way to find those hidden threads of community knowledge. Give it a try--soon you'll wonder how you lived on the web with out it!

Video originally uploaded on YouTube by jutecht on March 8, 2006.

Native Text: Your Blog, Their Language

"Nativetext is a free web service that translates RSS feeds from blogs and podcasts into foreign languages.

Using a new kind of distributed supercomputing, foreign language translation is performed by a network of humans around the world, not machines. Translated content is served to a global readership through native language syndication."

RSS 101: Using RSS in Education

What the heck is RSS?

Rich Site Summary (RSS) technology is an XML based format that provides the backbone for the distribution of weblog, podcasting, and other content.

RSS allows users to easily syndicate or publish their content for use by others. And conversely, it provides a way for users to easily subscribe and read content (blogs, podcasts, news, photos) published by other people or organizations.

And these days, most social media applications provide users with an RSS feed to publish their content on the web. This includes most blogging, podcasting, social bookmarking, and photo sharing social networks and communities.

After a user subscribes to a RSS feed, the content (blogs, websites, online community groups) automatically updates and is displayed in a RSS feed reader. There are several free news readers (also called aggregator) available, including Bloglines, My Yahoo!, and Rojo. The new Yahoo! Mail allows you to read RSS feeds right in your Yahoo! mailbox.

How do I use RSS to support instruction?

A key benefit is the users ability to pick and choose (subscribe) to a particular RSS feed and then have the content updated in real time. In this manner, RSS is an important educational media tool to facilitate and support the “always on” learning styles of millennials.

RSS readers allow students to self-publish and share their content feed with members of their learning community. The use of RSS further supports millennial learning styles by allowing the user to select which content is relevant and then have it delivered directly to them for "on demand" viewing at their convenience.

As an assessment tool, RSS feeds provide teachers with several benefits. For example, instructors can subscribe to each students RSS feed and have their homework delivered directly into their aggregator, saving them the time consuming task of entering each student’s URL in order to view their e-portfolio or blog.

A Modest Proposal: RSS @ University of Oklahoma

In her recent blog post, RSS and a Modest Proposal for OU, Laura Gibbs threw out a challenge to the academic community at the University of Oklahoma to fully embrace the use of blogs and RSS technology in the classroom.

While some OU departments are already using RSS technology to distribute and share information, for the most part the academic ecosystem at OU hasn't readily embraced RSS, blogs or other types of social media.

At the core of her her modest proposal, Laura feels that "every college on campus should have a blog with an RSS feed. That way we could all subscribe to news and actually know what is going on here at OU, something more than just football. Personally, I think every tenured faculty member should be required to keep a blog..."

Amen Laura. I couldn't agree more!

So as a new school year begins to unfold, why not follow Laura's example and issue a modest RSS and blogging proposal to your community of practice?

If you haven't already, go ahead and set up a class blog and RSS feed. Then help others in your department or school do the same. It may not seem like much, but it's a start...

RSS Resources

• University of Oklahoma Library + RSS
• Wikipedia > RSS
• Feed 101
• Bloglines: A Quick Tour of Bloglines
• Ed Media Lab + RSS

ProfCast: Publish Keynote or Powerpoint

ProfCast: "An ideal tool for recording and publishing your live Keynote or PowerPoint presentation.

All elements of your presentation, including slide timing and voice narration, are recorded. You can then publish your complete presentation on the web as a podcast, complete with RSS support."

Links

• ProfCast
• PowerPoint
• Keynote

Yahoo! Podcasts

Yahoo! Podcasts is a new (beta) service from Yahoo! Search that allows you to search, find, and listen to podcasts on your PC, MP3 player, or web browser.

This is the latest in a recent flurry of new product launches (and acquisitions) that dovetail with the Yahoo! mission to help users Find Use Share Expand (FUSE) knowledge and content on the web. Yahoo’s FUSE concept sounds remarkably similar to constructivist learning theory.

Yahoo! Podcasts allows you to subscribe to your favorite podcasts using either the Yahoo! Music Engine or Apple iTunes software. You can also contribute to the Yahoo! community by adding your own podcast RSS feed, writing podcast reviews, and rating podcasts in the Yahoo! Podcast catalog.

You can search for podcasts by author, subject, topic, or via keyword (tags). A quick search of the “education” tag yielded some interesting new podcasts:

• ChinesePod.com: “Learn Chinese with free daily podcasts and a personal learning center direct from Shanghai, China. There is no need for inconveniently scheduled and inconveniently located classroom lessons.” (Rated 4 ½ out of 5 stars by the Yahoo! Podcasts community)

• UNICEF Podcast: “A new global radio service from UNICEF focusing on the health, education, equality and protection of children. Hosted by Blue Chevigny with UNICEF correspondents from around the globe.” (Rated 4 ½ out of 5 stars by the Yahoo! Podcasts community)

• Wisconsin Center for Education Research News: “In the areas of mathematics, science, special education, and teacher education, WCER researchers use digital technologies to analyze and disseminate research data and to develop training tools.” (Rated 5 stars out of 5 by the Yahoo! Podcasts community)

As I’ve discussed before, educational podcasting and audio search hold great promise for education, mlearning, and techno-constructivist based learning environments.

The clean interface, ease of use, and interactive community features of Yahoo! Podcasts is bound to make this latest offering from Yahoo! Search a popular choice for students and teachers alike!

Links

• Yahoo! Podcasts
• Yahoo! Podcasts + “education” tag
• Social constructivism

Museum Podcasts as mLearning

The education department at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) have several interactive programs and curriculum materials available on their website.

In addition, SFMOMA, has started producing a series of podcasts that you can download and listen to while visiting exhibits at the museum, or use in your classroom.

SFMOMA produces two RSS feeds, one with audio and pictures for photo-capable iPods, and one audio only feed. Blending photographs and audio is an interesting educational use of iPods. Could this be a glimpse into the future of mLearning?

Of particular note:

Ansel Adams at 100: "Explore the world of ideas behind Ansel Adam's photography through archival footage of the artist at work, audio commentaries by art historians, and words from Adams himself."

Making Sense of Modern Art: "This program, recently brought to the Web in high bandwidth format, offers an extensive and engaging guide to modern and contemporary works in the Museum's permanent collection.

Its rich-media format enables you to "zoom in" on full-screen details of individual artworks, explore excerpts from archival videos and films, and listen to commentary by artists, art historians, critics, and collectors."
(both via SFMOMA)

iPod Goes Back to School

The 2004 Duke iPod experiment has been closely watched by many in the higher education community and this fall several colleges and universities will also begin testing the use of iPod technology in an educational context.

Drexel University, for example, is providing iPods for students in the school of education. In addition to the iPod, Drexel is distributing the Pod2Go software, which allows students to turn their iPod into a PDA, receive over 1,000 news or other RSS content feeds (including social bookmarking RSS feeds), as well as the ability to read or write Word, RTF, or text files.

iPodSoft also makes several applications which can be used to support student learning, including iStory and MarkAble. Teachers are also rapidly adopting podcasting as a means to distribute original curriculum materials and provide 'on demand' learning opportunities for their students.

Blogging and RSS for Educators

Blogging and RSS — The "What's It?" and "How To" of Powerful New Web Tools for Educators
Will Richardson, Supervisor of Instructional Technology, Hunterdon Central Regional High School

"The internet has long been valued by teachers and librarians as a powerful research and communications tool, and in the last 10 years, it has brought about a sea change in the way students find, manage, and use information. But the promise of the Web as more than just a readable, searchable resource has been slow to be realized ... until now.

Two new Internet technologies, Weblogs and RSS (Real Simple Syndication), are redefining the way students and teachers use the Internet, turning them from mere readers into writers to the Web as well, and making it easier to filter and track the ever-growing number of resources coming online each day. In fast-growing numbers, educators across the country and throughout the world are finding just how powerful this new interactive Internet can be."