Using web 2.0 tools to stimulate professional learning

This was a handout prepared for the 2008 CEGSA confereence

Online Communities

• edna Groups: http://groups.edna.edu.au
• Communities in me.edu.au: http://me.edu.au
• Blogging Corner: http://www.groups.edna.edu.au/course/view.php?id=1862
• Communities of Interest in me.edu.au: http://me.edu.au/public/browseCommunities

Connecting with Others

• CEGSA site: http://cegsa.editme.com
• Oz-teachers mailing list
• OZTL mailing list
• SATEL: satel@edna.edu.au
• Classroom 2.0: http://www.classroom20.com/
• School 2.0: http://school20.ning.com/

Monitoring RSS & Blogs
http://www.groups.edna.edu.au/course/view.php?id=1862

See also RSS Still a Mystery?

Write a blog

• me.edu.au: e.g. http://me.edu.au/b/jtravers/
• edublogs: http://theedublogger.edublogs.org
• blogger: http://paradise-mysteries.blogspot.com/

Online Professional Development

• Centra (used by DECSA) - synchronous
• through an edna Group – asynchronous (forums) e.g. http://www.groups.edna.edu.au/course/view.php?id=40
• through Live Classroom (a Wimba tool)- asynchronous: http://url.edna.edu.au/u5Et
• through podcasts: http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/go/news/podcast/eli

Easy to access online resources

• edna newsletters recommend
  http://www.edna.edu.au/newsletters
• edna theme pages
  http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/go/schooled/school_theme_pages
• edna search on every page: http://edna.edu.au

Online Projects
http://ozprojects.edu.au

RSS Still a Mystery?

This is a handout created for a session at the 2008 CEGSA conference.

For further information see http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/go/help/rss_help

Also see my earlier blog postings beginning with
http://kerrie-smik.blogspot.com/2007/05/what-is-rss.html

RSS in Plain English: http://www.blip.tv/file/205570/

Aggregators are web places where you can identify the RSS feeds that you want to monitor
You access them via the web from wherever you are
• iGoogle: http://www.google.com/ig
• Pageflakes: http://www.pageflakes.com/
• Bloglines: http://www.bloglines.com/
• Blogbridge: http://www.blogbridge.com/
• Google Reader: http://reader.google.com/
• Netvibes: http://www.netvibes.com/
• Newsgator: http://www.newsgator.com/

RSS Readers are generally software that you download and then install on your computerA list of RSS Readers that you can downloadhttp://blogspace.com/rss/readersRssReader - free RSS reader is able to display any RSS and Atom news feed (XML)http://www.rssreader.com/
Feed Reader3 – free RSS readerhttp://www.feedreader.com/
FeedGhost – Requires Windows XP or Windows Vistahttp://www.feedghost.com/

Creating an RSS feed is not nearly as difficult as it once was.

• The easiest way to go about it is to create a blog and they usually generate an RSS feed.
  http://www.blogger.com/


• Tumblr is a tool that allows you to generate a blog from a "web journey" and the resultant blog is available as an RSS feed.
  http://www.tumblr.com/

Other sources of RSS feeds

• Twittr


• http://del.icio.us/


• Flickr

Feed 2 JS tool
http://feed2js.edna.edu.au/
This is a tool that enables you to feed the content of an RSS feed into a web page through Java Script.

What’s in a blog?

What’s in a blog? – Kerrie Smith :
this was created as a handout for the 2008 CEGSA conference

• Why blog? – what would I get out of blogging?
• What makes a good blog?
• How do I get started? Where can I blog?
• What is a blog roll?
• How do I watch blogs of others?
• Support groups
• Tools to use in your blog
• Using blogs with students
  

Why blog?

• Learn
• Share
• Create
• Collaborate
• Professional development
• Reflect
• Showcase
• Be part of a learning community
• Chart your professional journey
  

What makes good blog?

http://theedublogger.edublogs.org/2008/04/27/heres-my-first-five-tips-for-writing-better-blog-posts-what-are-yours/

• Short paragraphs
• Headings
• Hyperlinks
• Comment on the comments
• Subscribe to your own feed
  

What to do with a visually noisy blog - by Christine Martell

The F reading pattern – reading for web content

http://www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html

• Readers first read in a horizontal movement across the top of the page
• Then a little further down the page, horizontally again
• Then in a vertical movement down the left side
• Users won’t read your post word for word
• The first 2 paragraphs are the most important
• Start headings, paragraphs, and bullet points with information-carrying words
  

Getting Started: Places where you can set up your blog

• http://edublogs.org/
• http://blogger.com
• http://wordpress.com/
• http://www.typepad.com/
• http://me.edu.au
• http://www.livejournal.com/

Layout, difficulty of use, and basic tools vary from blog to blog

Sue Waters: http://theedublogger.edublogs.org/getting-started-with-edublogs/

Tools

• http://theedublogger.edublogs.org/2008/07/11/simple-tools-for-creating-screen-captures/
• http://theedublogger.edublogs.org/category/blogging-tips/
• http://www.clocklink.com/
• http://feedjit.com/
• http://www3.clustrmaps.com/
  

Monitoring blogs

• RSS Readers & Aggregators
  e.g. http://rssreader.com or http://www.feedreader.com/
• Google IG
• Pageflakes
• Bloglines
• Netvibes
• BlogRovr
• Friend feed
  

Using blogs with students

• Authentic audience
• Connections between home and school
• Literacy
• Reflection
• Celebrating achievements
• Engagement with web 2.0 tools
• Free up the writing process
• Encourage communication
• Feedback from others through comments
  

http://alupton.edublogs.org/class-blogs-management-moderation-and-protection/

Support Groups

http://www.groups.edna.edu.au/course/view.php?id=1862

Blogging Corner is a place for bloggers, would-be bloggers, and blogging mentors.

http://edubloggerworld.ning.com/

an international network for educational bloggers and friends. A meeting place, as well as a coordinating location for live face-to-face and virtual events