Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers

2008-08-10T18:52:00.000-07:00

Is It the End or Only the Beginning?

Wow! You’ve completed the 23rd thing. Give yourself a pat on the back for finishing this program!

We hope you have learned many new things during Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers. And one thing you have learned is that Web 2.0 is anything but static. Changing, challenging, and exciting are hallmarks of Web 2.0. Here are some other things we hope you have learned:

It really doesn’t take that much time. You have some new tools—Bloglines, del.icio.us, RSS, calendars, to-do lists, and others that make finding news about new tools and ways to use them easy. You know how to use them to make keeping up easier. Of course, you can spend hours (and hours) playing around with Flickr or YouTube or other tools, but that counts as "improving your skills."

You know you can do it. Sure, there were trials and tribulations as you learned the new tools or struggled with glitches in the products, but you did finish and you did get the tools to work. That means the next time you see a new tool, you will be ready to figure it out and make it work for you. No fear!

It's fun to know and use these tools. Admit it, YouTube can be entertaining--and you can even see some uses for it in school. Some of the tools have more toy-like features than others which have a more obvious use. It is amazing what people will think of and more amazing what they create to enhance Flickr, Google, or whatever.

We need to keep informed. It is easy to get so involved in the day-to-day of teaching. In spite of all that work, we do need to stay up on what our students are using, talking about, and asking us for help with. As technologies continue to evolve, we need to be informed to evolve with them and guide the evolution.

Discovery Exercise:

1. Please give us some feedback by reflecting on your learning journey in one more blog posting. Here are some questions to guide you:

What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?

How has this program affected your lifelong learning goals?

Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?

How will what you have learned influence your practice as a teacher?

How do you plan to keep up with new developments in web 2.0? Recommend a way that you have found to be useful.

2. Where do you go from here? Some things you might want to do now are:

make a resolution to maintain your blog, use the tools you now know, keep up with new tools, and apply them in your classroom or job. Give yourself the gift of time—15 minutes a day, a Webinar now and then, conversations with classmates or colleagues about Web 2.0, whatever—but don't quit now! Put your resolution in writing in your blog!

every day, ask yourself, "What did I learn today?" Record your responses in your blog.

add your blog URL to your e-mail signature line

re-purpose your blog as your classroom blog
share your blog with your classmates, colleagues, and administrators
continue your learning by subscribing to the RSS feed for the Learning 2.1 blog

Thank you for joining us on this journey. Our hope is that this not the end of our learning together, but rather it’s just the start of something amazing …that will impact the way we work with our 21st century learners.

Thing # 23

2008-08-10T18:47:00.000-07:00

Creative Commons

Putting the ‘social’ into social networks allows us to freely exchange information. But with the free exchange of information comes the responsibility of how we share it, and how we give credit to the author of that information. Check out this video, “A Fair(y) Use Tale” and learn some history of copyright.

In the classroom, we are often faced with the challenge of determining when it is acceptable to copy something and how much an item [book, website, music, video, etc.] we can copy. Faced with declining budgets and little time, we are tempted to make the copies. But with the advent of file sharing, downloading, and RSS, we must acknowledge and teach the ethics of information gathering and sharing.

Creative Commons is a copyright license that allows us to choose to share our intellectual property. This course is designed under a Creative Commons license and is an example of how one can take a piece of information or a product and re-work it to make it fit your needs. By acknowledging the original authors, they have given permission for you to share. One place for good information about what's going on with the Creative Commons is Lawrence Lessig's blog. Lawrence Lessig is one of the Creative Commons developers and a Stanford University professor.

Discovery Resources:

Online copyright comic book developed by students at Duke University Law School.
Creative Commons website
Get Creative - covers the basics of Creative Commons
Wanna Work Together?
Flickr Creative Commons Photo Pool

Discovery Exercise:

Find an example or attribution that shows the Learning 2.0-23Things for Teachers blog was based on someone else's work and modified from its original.
Now that you know about Creative Commons licensing, how will you use it in the future as a teacher?

This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Thing #22

2008-08-10T18:40:00.000-07:00

Keepin' it Together: Livebinders

Did you ever wish you had a way to easily store, organize, and share your online resources? LiveBinders may be just the tool you need. Livebinders allows you to store websites, pdfs, word documents, and images in a convenient digital binder that is stored online. Best of all, you can share these web-binders, with anyone you like, and you can search for other public binders that have already been created.
Watch this short video about using LiveBinders -

Discovery Resources:
Here are some resources to help you explore how others are using LiveBinders:

Discovery Exercise:

Set up your own LiveBinders account.
Create three education-related binders in your account.
Find several resources to place in each of your binders.
Create a blog post that tells:

What are the titles of your binders?
Embed one of your binders in your post. Click on the Options button under the binder you have selected to share, and then click on Embed. Copy the code and paste it into your blog post.
Discuss how you might use LiveBinders in the classroom, including possible lesson ideas for students.

Thing #21

2008-08-10T17:19:00.000-07:00

Animoto

Make video clips like the pros!

You don't have to be Steven Spielburg to create professional video clips online. Animoto is a web application that produces professional videos using their own patent-pending technology. Animoto is the brain child of producers from ABC, Comedy Central and MTV who definitely know their stuff. Animoto analyzes your images and the music you use and pieces everything together to where it all flows perfectly in sync. If you don't like how your video turns out you can click the Remix this Video button and have Animoto automatically change it up for you or tweak it yourself. No two video clips come out the same which makes for hours of fun, as I found out today. Here is an example of one I did several years ago using some images from a trip to Disney World with our then two-year-old grandson.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Animoto is still in beta mode which means they are still testing things out and adding new features. One feature it doesn't offer yet is the option to link to your Photobucket account. But rest assured, I contacted the Animoto guys and it should be available in the upcoming weeks. Also, if you want a clip longer than 30 seconds it will cost. But, you can make as many 30 second clips as you want for free.

Discovery Exercise:

Create an account on Animoto.
Create a 30 second clip or Animoto Short, by uploading at least ten pictures. Still got the Flickr account from Learning 2.0? Animoto can link directly to it.
Choose from one of the songs in Animoto's music library or upload your own music file to go with your clip.
Embed your new 30 second clip onto your blog. There is a special code just for Blogger that you can use.
Blog about your experience using Animoto.

(originally posted on Explore...Discover...Play: Learning 2.1 and used here under a Creative Commons license)

Thing #20

2008-08-10T16:57:00.000-07:00

You, Too, Can YouTube

Within the past year online video hosting sites have exploded allowing users to easily to upload and share videos on the web. Among all the Web 2.0 players in this area, YouTube is currently top dog, coming in at #4 on the list of most visited sites in the US and allowing users not only to upload their own video content easily, but also embed clips into their own sites easily.

Do some searching around YouTube yourself and see what the site has to offer. You'll find everything from 1970s TV commercials and 60s music videos to a video of 200 people freezing in place in Grand Central Station. There's also the cult classic I Want to Be a Librarian. You can even see school administrators doing a parody of a Nextel commercial. In addition to the funny stuff, there are also videos Web 2.0 and student learning:

Of course, like any free site you’ll also find a lot stuff not worth watching too. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t explore and see for yourself what the site has too offer. :)

Discovery Exercise:

Explore YouTube & find a video worth adding as an entry in your blog.
Create a blog post about your experience. What did you like or dislike about the site and why did you choose the video that you did? Can you see any features or components of the site that might be interesting if they were applied to your library website?

OPTIONAL: Try placing the video inside your blog using the copy and paste code for the for "Embeddable Player.” Note: you'll need to use Blogger's Edit HTML tab when pasting this code.

Here's a video from YouTube that I embedded. It's called What Do Teachers Make by Taylor Mali, and I think you'll appreciate the message (warning: strong language).

Thing #19

2008-08-10T16:33:00.000-07:00

Beyond Facebook: Other Social Networks

Twitter and Facebook may grab the headlines in social networking, but there are many other social networks. Social networks are online communities created around interests with people-to-people recommendations and communication. These specialized social networks allow like-minded users to find and interact with one another, whether around crafts or cars or any other shared interest. In this Thing, we'll take a look at some of these networks.

Discovery Resources:

Gather
Gather describes itself as the “leading social networking and media site for adults, with some of the highest quality user-generated content on the internet.” Most of the discussion on Gather is in a debate format, focused around a single issue, book, or theme to appeal to busy professionals. American Public Media is heavily invested in this site as an outlet for National Public Radio listeners.

Ning is a social networking site with a different focus. With Ning, you can set up your own social network based on your particular interest or join one that someone else has already created. There are several educator networks from which to choose. To learn more about Ning, check out TeacherPop or school related groups below.

School-related groups on Ning: TeacherPop (a social network for preservice and inservice teacher started right here at APSU) Classroom 2.0, and Teacher-Librarian Ning.

Other social networks provide recommendations and reviews, focus on politics, promote career development, or revolve around an interest like music, pets, or food.

Wikipedia list of social network sites
My Guide to Social Networks, a satirical article on social networks in PC Magazine

Discovery Exercise:

1. APSU has a Ning network , TeacherPop. Join it and do at least 2 of the following:

Leave comments for another member
Upload your photos or video to the Ning
Add the Ning badge to your blog
Add another of the Ning widgets to your blog

2. Find another social network that might interest you. Explore the ones mentioned already or one of these suggestions:

Education

Music

Food

Movies

Books

Hobbies

Fuzzster(pets)
Yelp (local reviews/recommendations)
Crafts

3. Write a blog post discussing the following:

Are you a member of any online communities?
Are any of these social networks appealing to you?
What did you find that was interesting and that you might use later?

Thing #18

2008-08-10T16:25:00.000-07:00

Explore Social Networking

You've heard of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. In this Thing, we will explore these two sites.

According to the Wikipedia article on Twitter, it "is estimated to have 190 million users, generating 65 million tweets a day and handling over 800,000 search queries per day... A February 2009Compete.com blog entry ranked Twitter as the third most used social network based on their count of 6 million unique monthly visitors and 55 million monthly visits. In March 2009, a Nielsen.com blog ranked Twitter as the fastest-growing website in the Member Communities category for February 2009. Twitter had annual growth of 1,382 percent, increasing from 475,000 unique visitors in February 2008 to 7 million in February 2009. It was followed by Zimbio with a 240 percent increase, and Facebook with a 228 percent increase."
Facebook is another popular social networking site. Launched in 2004, it was originally intended as a network for students at Harvard College. The site quickly expanded to other Ivy League schools, then other universities. In 2006, the site was opened up for anyone over 13 to join. According to Wi kipedia, "Quantcast estimates Facebook has 135.1 million monthly unique U.S. visitors in October 2010. According to Social Media Today as of April 2010, it is estimated that 41.6% of the U.S. population has a Facebook account."
Discovery Resources

What is Twitter?
Twitter Frequently Asked Questions
YouTube tutorial - H ow to use Twitter
About Facebook
How to Use Facebook video series from ExpertVillage.com

Discovery Exercises

1. Set up an account with Twitter or Facebook (if you don't already have one) and post the link to your profile in your blog. If you are uncomfortable using your real name, use an alias. While on Facebook, be sure to join the College of Education Facebook page so you can keep up with everything that is going on in and around the Claxton building!

2. Search for schools, teachers, authors or people you know and add them to your friends list.

3. Write a blog post about your experience that addresses these questions. Why is it important that educators know how social networking works? What new insights did you gain about these popular sites? What did you like or dislike about each of the sites you explored? Which site had the most useful features? Can you see a classroom or school application for any of these sites?

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You're more than halfway through! Still having fun?? I hope so! Leave a comment and let me know how you're doing so far...

Thing #17

2008-08-10T11:50:00.000-07:00

Tagging and social bookmarking with Delicious

Tagging is an open and informal method of categorizing that allows users to associate keywords with online content (webpages, pictures, and posts). Unlike library subject cataloging, which follows a strict set of guidelines (i.e.Library of Congress subject headings), tagging is completely unstructured and freeform, allowing users to create connections between data any way they want.

In the past few weeks, we’ve already explored one site – Flickr --that allows users to take advantage of tagging and we use Diigo in class as a tool to share or Web sites of the Day. For this thing, we want to take a look at how tagging enables people to share their favorite web sites with others by using a social bookmarking site.

There are several social bookmarking sites available (for example Diigo), but one of the most popular and widely-known is called Delicious. Delicious allows you to bookmark a web page and then add tags to categorize your bookmarks. Many users, however, find that the real power of Delicious is in the social networking aspect, which allows you to see how other users have tagged similar links. It also allows you to discover websites on topics that interest you that other people have found. You can think of it as peering into another users’ filing cabinet, but with this powerful bookmarking tool each user's filing cabinet helps to build an expansive knowledge network.

For this discovery exercise, you are asked to take a look at Delicious and a couple of other social bookmarking sites to see how this tool could be used in your school.

Discovery Resources
1. Start your exploration of social bookmarking by watching this video by the Common Craft guys.

2. Watch the Delicious tutorial
3. Check out Digg and StumbleUpon - two other social bookmarking sites.
4. Watch a Digg tutorial here.
5. There's a StumbleUpon tutorial also.

Discovery Exercise

1. Review the resources above to get a good overview of social bookmarking - especially the Delicious tutorial.

2. Join Delicious.

3. Type in the tag "educational technology" in the search box. Explore the results and try clicking on a bookmark that has also been bookmarked by a lot of other users. Can you see the comments they added about this bookmark or the tags they used to categorize this reference?

4. Create a blog post about your experience and thoughts about this tool. Can you see the potential of this tool in the classroom? Or just as an easy way to create bookmarks that can be accessed from anywhere? How can teachers take advantage of social bookmarking sites?

Image by cambodia4kidsorg, http://www.flickr.com/photos/cambodia4kidsorg/260004685/

Thing #16

2008-08-10T04:51:00.000-07:00

Get Organized with Web 2.0 Tools

While it may seem that the Internet is populated by people with endless time on their hands who are out to torpedo our productivity, there really are Web-based applications that can improve productivity--or at least make some things easier.

These applications fall into a variety of categories including online office tools like the spreadsheets and word processing tools we learned about in Thing #13, calendars, start pages, project management tools, to-do lists, personal organizers, sticky notes, online collaboration tools, and much, much more. A search on “online productivity tools” turns up many lists of these tools.

RSS aggregators like Bloglines and Google Reader from Thing #10 also help your productivity by helping you keep up with the news and information you need.

In this Thing, we have selected several organizational tools for you to try. These are tools that have use in schools and libraries, as well as at home.

1. Customized start page

A customized home—or “start” page— like the one above, lets you collect and organize all of the information that is important to you on one page that displays whenever you open your browser. Since it is online, you can access your start page from any computer anywhere. iGoogle, PageFlakes, and Netvibes are three examples. Each lets you choose headlines, weather reports, links to your email and RSS feeds, and dozens of other widgets (or gadgets, in Google) to manage information—or your life. Note that many widgets require a download.

2. Online calendars

Online calendars all offer similar features—add events, get reminders, search, repeat events, coding, etc. and of course, the hallmark of Web 2.0, the ability to share your calendar with others. Google and Yahoo! Calendars integrate with their other services and features. Choose a calendar from this article and try it out. Other calendars include 30 Boxes and Scrybe.

3. Online to do lists

Try one of these online list tools to manage your activities. Ta da list or Remember the Milk or Jott.

4. Some tools roll multiple features—calendars, lists, reminders, etc--into one service. Take a look at Backpack's features.

But wait, there’s more! In addition to the tools listed above, here are some other productivity/organizational tools to explore.

Discovery Resources:

Top Ten Productivity Web Sites
Top 25 Web 2.0 Apps to Improve a Student's or Professor's Productivity, Online Education Database
Lifehacker is a Web site that provides daily updates on tools and applications. Add it to your Bloglines account if you want to really see all that is offered in the name of productivity.

Getting Things Done

StickyNotes.net and MyStickies - sticky notes (requires download)

CutePDF (requires download) - PDF converter

PDFConverter - converts files to portable document format (PDF) so they can be read on any computer

Zamzar - This program will covert one file type to another.

Discovery Exercise:

1. Look at the intro pages for each of the customized start page tools and choose one to create your own customized start page. Add, delete, and re-arrange the features and widgets on your new homepage.

2. Create an online calendar or to do list using one of the tools above.

3. Choose one other tool from the lists above to explore.

4. In your blog post for this Thing, address the following questions:

Which start page did you choose? Why did that one appeal to you? Will you make it your permanent home page?

How can the online calendars be useful to you?
What about the to-do lists—helpful, too much work…?
Did you find a tool that has some uses for you at the school or at home? Which tool(s) would you recommend to others?

Challenge (optional)

1. Have a big project that you need to complete? Online productivity tools can help with complicated tasks involving multiple people, deadlines, and activities. Compare and contrast these project management services. Write a blog post and let us know what you think.

Project Management Services

2. Explore more tools from any of the lists above. Share any you find especially useful.

Photo source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tidalotter/538731706/

Thing #15

2008-08-09T10:57:00.000-07:00

What in the World is a Wiki?

A wiki is a collaborative website and authoring tool that allows users to easily add, remove and edit content. Wikipedia, the online open-community encyclopedia, is the largest and perhaps the most well known of these knowledge sharing tools, but with benefits that wikis provide, the use and popularity of these tools is exploding.

Some of the benefits that make the use of wikis so attractive are:

Anyone (registered or unregistered, if unrestricted) can add, edit or delete content.
Tracking tools within wikis allow you to easily keep up on what been changed and by whom.
Earlier versions of a page can be rolled back and viewed when needed.
Users do not need to know HTML in order to apply styles to text or add and edit content. In most cases simple syntax structure is used.

As the use of wikis has grown over the last few years, schools, libraries, and individuals all over the country have started to use them to collaborate and share knowledge. Among their applications are pathfinder or subject guide wikis, book review wikis, professional conference wikis and even best practices wikis.
Discovery Resources:
Use these resources to learn more about wikis:

Wikis in Plain English

What is a wiki? - from about.com
Wikis: a beginner's look

Discovery Exercise:
1. Take a look at some ways libraries and schools are using wikis.

Book Lovers Wiki - developed by the Princeton Public Library.

Library Success: A best practices wiki
NECC 2008 San Antonio wiki – an example of a wiki created to support a specific event.
Mesquite ISD Library Policies and Procedures – an example of a wiki created for library staff to document procedures.
10 reasons why your next pathfinder should be a wiki - blog posting from the Neverending Search blog by Joyce Valenza
Westwood Schools Computer Science class wiki
Sample Literary Circle Wiki (10th Grade English)
TeacherLibrarian wiki
Welker's Wikinomics - winner of the 2007 Edublog Award for Best Educational Wiki .

Texas School Librarians' Wikispace

2. Sandbox is a term that wikis often use to describe the area of the website that should be used for pure play and exploration. Add or edit an entry in the APSU 23 Things Sandbox wiki. Select some of your favorite curriculum ideas from your own blog, copy and paste them into the appropriate page in the 23 Things Sandbox wiki. Add pictures, change the font size, color, format....whatever. This is your chance to experiment.
3. Create a post in your blog about the experience. How might you use a wiki? What did you find interesting about the wiki concept?
Challenge (optional):

Create your own wiki! There are many sites where you can create a free wiki of your own. Here are three that offer ad-free wikis to educators.

PBWiki
Wetpaint
Wikispaces

Choose a topic, create your wiki, add information, then post the link and let us know what you are doing.

[Note: Please remember to include THING# in your heading posts.]

Thing #14

2008-08-09T10:48:00.000-07:00

Go with the Flow

Who loves flowcharts? They can make concepts easy to grasp and solutions easy to find. When describing complex relationships or presenting a variety of choices and outcomes, they're wonderful at keeping important points from getting lost in translation.

Mind maps (an offshoot of the same idea) are similarly useful, though I think they work better for the creator than the reader. They're good at uncovering the relationships between multiple ideas and are not restricted to linear concepts like time and work flow.

So, here are some web-based tools that suitable for educational purposes.

Gliffy (flowchart)

Bubbl.us (mind map)

Flowchart.com (flowchart)

mindmeister (mind map)

Discovery Exercise:

Choose at least two of the above (one flowchart, one mind map) and set up an account.

Note that flowchart.com will have you request an invitation which should arrive within the day.

Explore the differences between mind maps and flowcharts, and consider using (or at least testing) one of these tools with a real project that you may have coming up.

Describe the tools you chose and why you chose them on your blog

(originally posted on Explore...Discover...Play: Learning 2.1 and used here under a Creative Commons license)

Thing #13

2008-08-08T05:11:00.000-07:00

Web-based Applications

The availability and use of online productivity web-based applications (think word processing and spreadsheets) has exploded over the past two years and for good reasons! These powerful applications provide users with the ability to create and share documents over the internet without the need of installed desktop applications. Some experts speculate that this emerging trend may mean the death to Microsoft Office and other software-based productivity tools, while others think web-based applications have their place, but not in the office. But no matter which side of the office suite platform you side with, on this both sides seem to agree; web-based applications ("apps") have their place.

One large benefit to web-based applications it that they eliminate the need to worry about different software versions or file types as you email documents or move from PC to PC. Another bonus is that they easily accommodate collaboration by allowing multiple users to edit the same file (with versioning) and provide users the ability to easily save and convert documents as multiple file types (including HTML and pdf). And, you can even use many of these tools, such as Zoho Writer and Google Docs to author and publish posts to your blog. It’s this type of integration with other web 2.0 tools that also makes web-based apps so appealing.

For this discovery exercise, participants are asked to take a look at a web-based word processing tool called Zoho Writer, create a simple document and then document your discoveries in your blog. If you're up to the challenge, you might even export your document as an HTML file or publish it through Zoho to your blog.

Discovery Resources:
A list of web-based productivity applications available at the Zoho site.

Discovery Exercise:
1. Create a free account for yourself in Zoho
2. Explore the site, visit Zoho Writer under productivity tools and create a test document or two.
3. Try out Zoho Writer’s features and create a blog post about your discoveries.
4. Explore Google Docs, Google's online word processing/spreadsheet/presentation applications.
5. Create a document, spreadsheet, or drawing and share it in your blog
6. Discuss in your blog how your students might work collaboratively using Google Docs.
7. Compare the two web-based productivity sites (Google Docs and Zoho). Which do you prefer? Why?

Photo source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/niallkennedy/374276243/

Thing #12

2008-08-07T07:27:00.000-07:00

Google is Not Just for Searching Anymore

Google is the most famous search engine on the web these days, with the very name becoming a verb in our language. Here's Wikipedia's entry on this phenomenon:

The verb to google (also spelled to Google) refers to using the Google search engine to obtain information on the Web. For example, "Mary googled for recipes." A neologism arousing from the popularity and dominance^[1] of the eponymous search engine, the American Dialect Society chose it as the "most useful word of 2002." ^[2] It was officially added to the Oxford English Dictionary on June 15, 2006,^[3] and to the 11th edition of the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary in July 2006.^[4] The first recorded usage of google used as a verb was on July 8, 1998, by Larry Page himself, who wrote on a mailing list: "Have fun and keep googling!"^[5]

Although we generally equate Google with web searching, that's not what this "thing" is about. Google also has a variety of free web tools that can be particularly useful in education. Some of these are:

Google Alerts - will e-mail the news to you as it happens. Just enter a search term (news topic, person, event, sports team, etc.) that you would like to keep tabs on. Whenever that topic appears in a news item or on the web, Google Alerts will send you an e-mail.

Google Calendar - lets you organize your schedule and share it with family and friends.

iGoogle - gives you a customizable home page where you can add links, news feeds, gadgets, etc. (Be sure and look at the gadgets - these are really fun!)

Google Translate - Translate text, Web pages, or documents

Picasa Web Albums - similar to Flickr; Google's version of photo sharing.

Discovery Resources

Google Alerts - FAQs

Google Calendar Tour

Google Translate

Learn More about Picasa Web Albums

Discovery Exercise
After looking at each of Google tools, choose two of them to explore further. Try setting up an alert, calendar, translate, picasa album or iGoogle page and using it. If sharing is an option for the tools you choose, make them public. Blog about your experience with both tools and include a link to your creation. Be sure and include possible educational uses.

Thing #11

2008-08-07T07:23:00.000-07:00

Finding Good Feeds

Now that you have an RSS reader(your Bloglines or Google Reader account), you can begin adding other feeds that interest you. Technorati, a blog tracking site, reports that they are currently tracking 110.7 million blogs. Out of the millions of blogs available, how do you find the ones that are of most value to you? There are several resources that you can use.

First, read this post from The Cool Cat Teacher blog for some great suggestions on how to select good RSS feeds: How to Create Your Circle of the Wise.

Next, explore some other options for locating appropriate RSS feeds.

Discovery Resources

When visiting your favorite websites -- look for RSS feed icons (like those on the left above) that indicate the website provides it. Often a feed icon will be displayed somewhere in the navigation bar of the site.
Consider Edublogs' award winners
Other Search tools that can help you find feeds:
- Google Blog Search - See what appears when you search "school library learning 2.0" or "mesquite isd"
- Topix.net - This search tool allows you to locate recent newsfeed items based upon keyword or phrase searching. The tool focuses specifically on news and media outlet RSS feeds for information, not weblogs.
- Syndic8.com - Syndic8 is an open directory of RSS feeds that contains thousands of RSS feeds that users have submitted.
- Technorati - Technorati is a popular blog finding tool that lets you search for blogs. Since RSS feeds are inherent to all blogging tools, Technorati Blog Search can help you find RSS feeds for topic specific blogs you may be interested in.
  Additonal Resource: Technorati Tutorial on finding and adding your blog

Discovery Exercise

Explore some of the search tools noted above that can help you locate some RSS feeds.
Add any feeds you like to your RSS reader.
Create a blog post about your experience that answers these questions:
*Which method of finding feeds did you find easiest to use?
*Which Search tool was the easiest for you?
*Which was more confusing?
*What kind of useful feeds did you find in your travels?
*Or what kind of unusual ones did you find?
*What other tools or ways did you find to locate newsfeeds?

EXTRA STUFF -- Feed icon information:

In February of 2006, the adoption of a standard feed icon among websites and browsers finally began to assist in stopping the madness and confusion caused by so many variations. So far this icon has been adopted by many websites and browers, including Opera and FireFox, where it displays in the address bar:

Internet Explorer 7 has something like this as well. For more information about this emerging new standard, see Feedicons.com

Thing #10

2008-08-07T07:05:00.000-07:00

Set Up an RSS Reader and Add Feeds

So everyone participating in Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers now has a blog and we told you to read your fellow learners’ blogs. Are you thinking, “What, I have to click on 40+ bookmarks to see if anyone has updated?!? Forget it; waaaay too much time.”

But what if you could visit all those blogs and more information sources in just one place and all at the same time? Would that be valuable to you? Well, you can! A lot of smart people out there who like to keep up-to-date and save time have created services to make it easy to follow your favorite blogs and other information sources. It’s called RSS.

RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication.” It is a file format for delivering regularly updated information over the web.

In the information world, RSS has changed the way news, media, and content creators share information, and it is changing the way everyday users are consuming information. Join the revolution by setting up a RSS reader (sometimes called an "aggregator") for yourself. These discovery resources and exercises focus on learning about RSS feeds and what free tools you can use to do this.

Discovery Resources:

Watch this video - RSS in Plain English

It Really Is Really Simple: RSS for Educators
(article)

YouTube video: RSS Explained

Getting Started Using Google Reader

Discovery Exercise:

1. Create a free account with Google Reader..

2. When your account is set up, subscribe to at least 5 different feeds that you will WANT to check every day or so.

TIP: Do not select any predefined information channels during the set up process. If you do, your reader will be pre-populated with a lot of feeds that you may not be interested in.

Some feeds to consider when subscribing:

Free Tech 4 Teachers

The Cool Cat Teacher

Dangerously Irrelevant

Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?

Pioneer Woman

4. Create a post in your blog about this exercise that answers these questions:

What do you like about RSS and newsreaders?
How do you think you might be able to use this technology in your school or personal life?
How can teachers use RSS or take advantage of this new technology?
Optional: If you're up to the challenge, create a public page with Google Reader. Why have a public page? To share your blogs with others!

Getting your news, personal and professional information via RSS is the wave of the future. Ride the wave!

Thing #9

2008-08-07T06:57:00.000-07:00

Online Image Generators

Generators? No, I’m not talking about those gas powered back-up things. The generators I’m talking about allow you to easily manipulate image and graphics to create fun images like these:

For this discovery exercise, I just want you to have fun. Find a few fun image or text generators to play around with and write a post in your blog about one of your favorites and display the result. Often adding the image you mocked up to your blog is as simple as copying and pasting code that the page provides. If not, you may just need to right click on the image and then save it to your hard drive before using Blogger’s image button to add it to your post.

If you’re having difficulty getting your image added to a post in your blog, ask a classmate for help.

Discovery Resources:

Comic Strip Generator
Custom Sign Generator
Image Chef
Happy Face Generator

Also try a Google search for online generators, text generators or image generators!

Discovery Exercise:

1. Play around with some image generators and find one that you like.
2. Create several different types of images and save them to your computer.
3. Post some of your creations to your blog and describe your process for creating it.
Note: Be sure to include a link to the image generator(s) you used, so other participants can discover it too.
4. In your post, be sure to include ways you might use these image generators in the library, classroom or personally.

Take some time and have fun with this exercise. (And remember to be tasteful too!)

Thing #8

2008-08-07T06:24:00.000-07:00

Flickr Mashups

What is a "mashup"?

Wikipedia offers a great article that explains mashups. Basically they are hybrid web applications that take features from one application (like Flickr) and mash it up with another (like Google Maps). In this example, you get Mappr.

Like many web 2.0 sites, Flickr has encouraged other people to build their own online applications using images found on the site. Through the use of APIs (application programming interfaces), many people have created third party tools and mashups that use Flickr images.

Discovery Resources:

Here are a few examples of mashups that use Flickr:

Mappr - allows you to take Flickr images and paste them on a map
Flickr Color Pickr - lets you find public photos in Flickr that match a specific color.
Mosaic Maker – create a photo mosaic from photos found on Flickr.
Clockr - uses random photos to display the time.
Big Huge Labs offers a round-up of Flickr tools.
Spell with Flickr - spells out your word or phrase with photos from Flickr.
Splashr lets you present your Flickr photos in a different view.
Create puzzles from your Flickr photos.

Discover more mashups, web apps, and Flickr tools.

Discovery Exercise:

Your discovery exercise for this “thing” is to:

Explore some of the fun Flickr mashups and 3rd party tools that are listed here.
Use the mashups to create something, and then upload one or more of your creations to your blog (most will give easy to follow instructions somewhere on the site about how to copy the code needed and where to place it on your blog).
In your post, talk about some ways Flickr and/or Flickr mashups could be used in your future classroom or personal life. What are your feelings about sharing photos online?

Have some fun discovering and exploring some of these neat little apps, but be careful. Playing with these tools can be habit-forming. You may discover that you have a new hobby!

PS: Play image above created by Spell with Flickr.

Thing #7

2008-08-06T15:07:00.000-07:00

Explore Flickr

Photo sharing websites have been around since the 90s, but it took a small startup site called Flickr to catapult the idea of “sharing” into a full blown online community. Within the past year, Flickr has become the fastest growing photo sharing site on the web and is known as one of the first websites to use keyword “tags” to create associations and connections between photos and users of the site.

For this discovery exercise, you are asked to take a good look at Flickr and discover what this site has to offer. Find out how tags work, what groups are, and all the neat things that people, schools, and libraries are using Flickr for. The Library of Congress even has a Flickr account with more than 3,000 photos that you are invited to tag!

Discovery Resources:

Online Photo Sharing in Plain English by Common Craft

Flickr Learn More tour (8 steps)
Mediamazine Flickr Tutorials
Flickr: Popular tags
Interesting- Last 7 days
Flickr Services (3rd party applications & mashups)

Discovery Exercise:

In this discovery exercise, you have two options…

OPTION ONE:

a. Take a good look around Flickr and discover an interesting image that you want to blog about. You can explore Flickr photos, search the tags, view various groups, and more without a Flickr account.

b. Use any keyword(s) you wish to find photos with those tags. When you find an interesting image or group, write a blog post describing your experience finding images, using Flickr, and anything else related to the exercise. Upload an image to your blog, being sure to credit the photographer. Don't forget to include a link to the image in your post.

-- OR -- OPTION TWO (the more FUN option!):

Create a free account in Flickr and use your digital camera to capture a few pictures of something around the house or in your school.
Upload these to your Flickr account and tag at least one of the images "apsu23things." Be sure to mark the photo public and also send it to our apsu23things group.
Add one or more of your images to your blog. Once you have a Flickr account, you have several options for doing this: through Flickr's blogging tool or using Blogger's photo upload feature.
Or, you can add your picture to your post by clicking on the picture icon and pasting the URL of the picture in the URL box.

How do you get the URL of a photo?

To use the URL of a photo (like when you add a photo to your Blogger profile), you must provide the web address (URL) of the image itself, not the address of the web page where the image is displayed.

Here's an example of a correct URL for a photo. Note the .jpg at the end:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/132375_0ca82ae31e.jpg

Here's an example of an incorrect URL for a photo. It points to the web page where the image is displayed, not the image file itself. Notice there's no .jpg at the end.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eric/132375/

(Click both of these links to see the difference.)

To get the URL of the actual image file, find the photo you want to use. Click "Share This" at the top of the page. If the "Share This" button is not active, the owner of the image has chosen not to share it, and you will need to find another picture. After you click on "Share This", click on "Grab the Link" and copy the URL of the image and paste it into your web site.
Once you have the photo uploaded to Flickr and tagged, create a post in your blog about your photo and Flickr experience. Will you use Flickr for classroom, library or personal photos, or in some other way? How? Have you ever used another photo hosting service besides Flickr? Which one? How do the two compare? How do you feel about having your photos in a public place (note that you can mark your photos private too) -- any concerns?

So go ahead, explore the site and have some Flickr photo fun. If you're interested in looking at some other photo hosting sites, then check these out:

Picasa Web Albums from Google
Smugmug
Photobucket

PS: A quick word about photo posting etiquette - When posting identifiable photos of other people (especially minors) get permission before posting their photo in a publicly accessible place like Flickr. Never upload pictures that weren't taken by you (unless you have the photographer's consent) and always give credit when you include photos taken by someone else in your blog. Take a look at this blog posting for an example of one way to cite an image from Flickr.

Photo source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/canonsnapper/2534297004/

Thing #6

2008-08-06T05:59:00.000-07:00

Discovering Web 2.0 Tools

Throughout the course of this Learning 2.0 program we will explore a small sampling of the new Internet technologies and websites that are empowering users with the ability to create and share content. But given time there are so many more we could explore. Current estimates place the number of web 2.0 tools at over 3,000 with several emerging as market dominators. And although time will only tell which of these new collaborative, social networking and information tools will remain on top, one thing is for sure, they're not going to go away (at least anytime soon).

For this discovery exercise, participants are asked to select any site from this list of Web 2.0 Awards nominees and explore it. With so many to choose from, it might be handy to first select a category that interests you (like Books or Personal Organization) and then simply select a tool/site to explore. Be careful to select a tool that is Free and that doesn't require a plug-in or download. The majority of these are free, so this shouldn’t be a problem.

Discovery Exercise:

Select any site/tool from the list of Web 2.0 Awards nominees.
Explore the site you selected.
Create a post about your discovery. Be sure to create a link back to the site where you found your tool. What did you like or dislike about the tool? What were the site’s useful features? Could you see any applications for its use in a school or library setting?

Web 2.0 – with so much to explore, just start with ONE. :)

Photo source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/circulating/254126209/

Thing #5

2008-08-06T05:29:00.000-07:00

Some Perspectives on Web 2.0/School 2.0 and the Future of Education

There is a growing desire to rethink education and learning, and the phrase "School 2.0" is being used to describe the new direction many think education should take. There seem to be three factors driving this discussion:

New collaborative computer technologies, in particular the read/write web or Web 2.0, distance learning programs, free and open source software, and videoconferencing.
The move from an industrial to information economy, and a change in skills that are valuable to employers.
A culture that is rapidly becoming more transparent and collaborative because of the new technologies, allowing a more open discussion about many aspects of our society, including (and especially) education.

School 2.0 is term used to describe a new vision for education in the 21st century. The name, as you may guess, is an extension of Web 2.0 and shares many of its same philosophies and concepts. In School 2.0, learning doesn't just take place in the school, but in a combination of home, school, and community that collaborates to bring the wider world into day-to-day instruction and provide a rich array of learning opportunities. In School 2.0, there is no one path to achieve learning.

Discovery Resources:

General Web 2.0 information

The Machine is Us/ing Us video - Web 2.0 in five minutes by Michael Wesch, Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology, Kansas State University
(scroll to the the bottom of this post to watch the embedded version)

Wikipedia - Web 2.0

What is Web 2.0? (Atomic Learning video)

Web 2.0 is Not About Version Numbers or Betas

Perspectives for teachers

Web 2.0: A Guide for Educators

Web 2.0 Is the Future of Education

The Horizons Report - 2008 Applications of emerging technologies to teaching, learning, and creative expression.

Teachers 2.0

Discovery Exercise
Web 2.0 and School 2.0 - these phrases mean many things to many people.

1. Read two or three of the perspectives from the list above.

2. Create a blog post on your reactions and thoughts regarding the articles you chose. In your post, make sure you include the answers to these questions:

What does "School 2.0" mean to you?
What does it mean for schools of the future?

Thing #4

2008-08-06T05:06:00.000-07:00

Why Commenting is Important

The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs according to this article in Wikipedia. A blog is a vehicle for a group of people with common interests to communicate, share, and learn in spite of barriers of time and distance.

Discovery Resources

How to comment like a king (or queen!) - from The Coolcat Teacher Blog
Your comments? - from The Blue Skunk Blog
Edublogger Etiquette - Responding to Comments - from Drapes Takes blog
10 techniques to get more comments on your blog - from ProBlogger

Discovery Exercise:

1. Read 2-3 of the blog posts above about the importance of commenting.

2. Since commenting has been described as essential for building a blog's community and interaction, we want you to have the opportunity to comment on your classmates' blogs. Choose at least five (5) of your Learning 2.0 - 23 Things classmates' blogs (found in the sidebar) to read and comment on throughout this course.

3. In Things 10 and 11, you will learn how to find blogs of personal interest to you. If you already know how to do this, select two blogs of interest to you from the blogosphere at large and make at least one comment on each of these. These blogs should not be a part of our Learning 2.0 - 23 Things community.

4. For your Thing #4 post:

explain why commenting helps create a sense of community and interaction
discuss two other points from the readings about commenting that you found important
give the names of the seven blogs (5 from our group + 2 others of your choice) you selected to read and comment on and tell why you selected them
discuss the comments that you chose to make and why you made them

NOTE:
Since you are just starting the 23 Things, it is understood that you will be making your comments at various times throughout the course. To fulfill this requirement for Thing #4, you may:

1. Create your Thing #4 post as usual and as you make your comments, come back to the post, use the edit feature, and add the information about the comments you made.
OR
2. Do your blog post about this activity at the end of the course. As long as you label the post with "Thing # 4," it does not have to appear in numerical order.

Thing #3

2008-08-05T13:59:00.000-07:00

Register Your Blog

We hope you are enjoying the adventure so far and are having fun. Remember to share with your classmates whenever you have any knowledge or experience that may help them out if they get stuck or vice versa!

If you’ve made it this far, you already have two items or “things” completed of the 23 that are required to earn credit for this course requirement.

Now that your blog is created, you MUST register it with your instructor by completing this online registration.

****IMPORTANT****
Until you register your blog, you aren't officially doing the assignment and won't receive credit. Your instructor must receive your information for your evaluation to be added to the gradebook. After you register, your name will appear on the 23 Things blog list under your class section number. (This has to be done manually, so don't panic when it doesn't appear immediately after you register. Just go ahead with your work on the Things. If you still don't see it after 48 hours, please e-mail and let us know.)

Other things to remember:

This section of the course will be entirely online.
You have the entire semester to complete the 23 Things. The first 12 things should be completed by the midterm project check date, and the last 11 things should be completed by the final project turn in date at the end of the semester.
You must make at least one substantive post on each "Thing" in order to receive credit. "Substantive" means that we will be looking for the answers to the questions posed in the activity in your posts.
Clearly identify the "thing #" in the title of each post.
There should be a separate blog posting for each "thing." Please do not combine "things."

Discovery Exercise:

1. If you haven't done it already, register your blog right away. You will then be officially registered and eligible to receive credit upon completion of all 23 Things!

2. For your Thing #3 post, write about ways that you might use a blog in your teacher education program or your future classroom. For some ideas, click on over to Edublog Insights by Anne Davis.

It’s really that easy and just think, now there are only 20 more things to go. :)

Thing #2

2008-08-05T12:53:00.000-07:00

Create a Blog, Add a Post and an Avatar

Now that you’ve done some exploring around this website and understand how this program will work, it’s time to setup your very own personal blog and begin recording your discoveries and thoughts about how Web 2.0 tools can be used for educational purposes.

Why use a blog? This is program is designed to facilitate your play with Web 2.0 tools, but it is also designed to make you think about how these tools can be used with our students. In his book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, Will Richardson writes:

...what really distinguishes a blog from your run-of-the-mill Website is much more than process; it's what you'll find there. Weblogs are not built on static chunks of content. Instead, they are comprised of reflections and conversations that in many cases are updated every day (if not three or four times a day). Blogs engage readers with ideas and questions and links. They ask readers to think and to respond. They demand interaction.

We're using blogs in this program because of this interactivity. The blog you are about to create will be a place where you can write reflections on the tools you are playing with and the experience you are having. Other participants in the program can read your postings and you can read theirs. We hope to have lots of commenting and sharing going back and forth across blogs during the semester. The more you share with each other, the richer the learning experience will be. And don't forget that your blog is out there live in the "blogosphere." Other people interested in Web 2.0 tools might also read and comment on your posts.

In order to receive full credit, you must make a thoughtful, substantive post for each of the 23 Things that we will be exploring. Please label each entry in your blog with the Thing # you are writing about. Each of your posts should provide insights into what you’ve discovered and learned. Feel free to share what worked for you … and what didn’t … what surprised you … what frustrated you … what amazed you.

On to creating the blog...

There are several free online blog hosting services including Blogger, Wordpress, Typepad or Edublogs. For this course, we recommend that you use Blogger, because it is extremely easy to use.

Creating a blog using Blogger takes just three steps:

Create an account (view screenshot)
Name your blog - please use your last name somewhere in the title of your blog. (view screenshot)

(2.0Tip: Remember that the whole web world can see your blog title and blog address, so you probably don’t want to use your real name. Consider creating a blog name that’s anonymous, yet uniquely you. The URL for your blog will look something like these examples:
http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/
http://preilly.wordpress.com/
http://memw.edublogs.org/
These are real blogs so you can't use any of these! ;-) )
Select your template (view screenshot).
Blogger has several templates - have fun choosing one for you!

Once you’ve created your blog here are two important things to know:

To add posts: You will need to sign into Blogger each time you want to add, edit or configure your blog. Be sure to write down your login and password.

(2.0Tip: It's a good idea to get a small notebook in which to write all the usernames and passwords that you will have to create during this program. All of the tools that we will play with will require you to create an account. Unless you can find a way to use the same sign in information over and over, you will want to have a place to keep all this information together.)

To view your blog: Your blog address is http://(xxxx).blogspot.com, (xxxx)=the unique identifier you entered in Step 2. Be sure to also write down your blog address.

(2.0Tip: This is a good time to "bookmark" your blog for easy access throughout the program.)

Discovery Resources:

If you run into problems or would like more information about blogs and using Blogger here are some discovery resources you can use:

Blogger’s Quick Tutorial

OK -- Now, it’s your turn...

Discovery Exercise:

Setup a blog for yourself through Blogger.
Add a post for Thing #1 - Write about which of the lifelong learning habits are the easiest and hardest for you and why. Also, write about what you want to learn by playing with Web 2.0 tools and your experience in setting up the blog. Was it hard, easy? Describe your feelings as you worked on this. (Remember to include "Thing #1" in the title of the post!)
Create an avatar for your blog.
An avatar is an online representation of yourself. (You'll notice my avatar at the top of this post.) Go to http://www.doppelme.com/ and design an avatar with a background of your choice. (You will have to set up a free account in DoppleMe). Save your avatar and add it to your blog.

[HINT: Here's how to add your avatar to your blog. When you are on your DoppleMe home page and have finished creating your avatar, click on Advanced Code and copy the html code found there. Click on Design in the top right corner of your blog page. Then click on the word Layout on the left side of your page. There you will see various page elements. Click on Add a Gadget. Paste (Control or Command V) the HTML code in the Gadget marked "HTML/Java Script." Then move that Gadget to wherever you want your avatar to appear on your blog - usually at the top of the page].

4. For Thing #2, post about your experience creating your blog and your avatar. In your post, consider answering these questions:

How did you decide on your posting name and the name of your blog?
What was your experience in creating the blog? Was it hard for you or easy? Why?
How does your avatar reflect your personality? Did you create an avatar that looks like your real self or someone totally different? Why?

Have fun!!!

IMPORTANT NOTE: How you choose to identity yourself on your blog is up to you. You can blog under a screen name, anonymously, or with your real name. Either way, in order to qualify for credit, you will need to register your blog with APSU Learning 2.0 team.

Thing #1

2008-08-05T12:22:00.000-07:00

Lifelong Learning and Learning 2.0

As educators, lifelong learning is one of those core values that we use to guide what we do each day. So it makes sense that before we embark on this new online learning and discovery journey that we should take a few minutes to review some habits that can assist in creating lifelong learners.

This tutorial, which is called the Seven and 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners, will provide you with a refresher on what it means to be a lifelong learner.

Discovery Exercise:

Make sure you have headphones or speakers attached to your computer.
Open up the 7 and 1/2 Habits online tutorial and view the online tutorial. The tutorial was developed by the training specialists at the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County (you do not need to email them as suggested at the end of this tutorial).
As you watch and listen, write down which habit among the 7 & 1/2 that is easiest for you and which is hardest. You will use your personal blog (which you will set up next) to post your thoughts about lifelong learning.

Have fun!

Next Up: Creating your blog so you can begin tracking your journey.

Web 2.0 Hints

2008-08-05T11:15:00.000-07:00

Many Web 2.0 tools are in beta--not the final version of a product or Web site, but close enough to show in public and work the bugs out. But the bugs may still pop up when you are using a site. Here are some hints if you encounter a bug:

Flash is required to view many of the applications. Chances are this is already installed on your computer, but if it is not, click here for a free download. Adobe Reader is required to read a few of the links. If you do not have it, you can get it free here. These tools are available on computers located on the second floor of Claxton.
Java needs to be enabled in your browser for many of the applications, too. Here are instructions on how to enable Java.
Be sure you are using the site as designed. You may not be able to use the back arrow, for example; the site may require you to click on a link to return to previous page. Read any instructions the site offers on uploading, exporting, labeling, or whatever you are trying to do.
Not all sites like all browsers equally. Switching browsers may solve your problem. Most sites seem to work best with Firefox and Internet Explorer.
Check that your browser is up-to-date. Services may work only (or the best) with the latest version of Internet Explorer or Firefox.
Click the Refresh button to make a stubborn tool wake up.
Try closing the site/browser/program and re-opening. This often solves the problem.
Not all links work all the time. Since there are often multiple links on a page to get to where you want to be, try clicking on another link. This often works in Blogger.
Firewalls and filters can limit access to sites or block actions on sites. Try clicking on a different link to that screen or just click again. If you are trying to do this at school, you may need to work on your home computer if you can’t do what you want.
Check your browser settings—you may need to enable pop-up windows, allow cookies, and make other setting changes to see if that works.
Some sites require plug-ins like Flash to operate. Be sure you have the up-to-date versions installed on your computer. Do a search on the plug-in name to find the download, then follow the directions to install.
Most sites like Blogger, Bloglines, Google, Flickr, & YouTube will have a Help or FAQ section. Use these to solve your problem.
Ask another participant for help. And offer your expertise on another "thing" to them.
Type a description of your problem ("can't change font size in blogger," for example) into a search engine. Odds are good that someone else had the problem and you might find the answer in a forum or group discussion.
When all else fails, move on to something else and try again later.

Keep in mind, too, that things change. Beta sites change a lot--you will see on the Blogger Dashboard where the Blogger Blog is, that Blogger is adding stuff all the time. Flickr, Google, Yahoo, and the others are continually adding and improving.

This recent New York Times article suggests some ways to Defang Scary Technology. It may help you think beyond the "which button in which order" approach to learning.

So if something looks different, something disappeared, or has a new name, the functionality is probably still there. You just have to explore the site some more. That's life in the Web 2.0 world--challenging, exciting, changing.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

2008-08-05T11:00:00.000-07:00

How does this online learning program work?
This is a self-discovery program which encourages you to take control of your own learning and to utilize your lifelong learning skills through exploration and PLAY. There will be no face-to-face teaching offered to support this program. Instead, you are encouraged to work through the discovery exercises (either on your own or in collaboration with another participant) and share your discoveries, techniques and "how tos" in a "learning blog".
Who can participate?
This program is for to ALL APSU preservice and inservice teachers enrolled in EDUC 3040/5618.
How long do I have to complete the program?
See your course syllabus for information on when these activities must be completed.
How do I track my progress for each of the 23 Things?
You will create a blog of your own in Thing 1 to use for tracking your progress. You will use your blog to write your reactions to the lessons and add any ideas that you may have on how to use Web 2.0 tools for yourself and/or in your future teaching position. This is your time to experiment, have fun, and learn at your own pace. Links to the blogs of all participants will be listed on the front page of the Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers blog.

Include the Thing # and title in the heading of each post. It will help you and the Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers team track your progress. It is helpful when you want to refer back or add something new on a specific topic or tool, too.
How will you know I have completed all the "things"?
You will write about each thing as you complete it (See previous question.) We will be reading your posts and commenting as much as possible.
How much do I have to write in my blog postings?
Each blog post must describe the Thing which you have completed (remember to put that in the post title, too), what your experience was learning about it - easy, hard, impossible - ideas about how you can use this in your future job and personally, and other comments on the process. We don't expect a dissertation on each Thing, but we do expect thoughtful reflection and active participation that is clear in the post (or at least answers to the questions posed in the activity). Single line posts or those that show perfunctory participation will not be counted. You will be notified if you need to add more to a post.
If I'm not enrolled in EDUC 3040/5618, can I still participate?
Yes, by all means, but you won't need to register your blog with the APSU Learning 2.0 team. You might want to track your progress with the 43Things site. Anyway, we welcome other participants to join in the fun and follow along.
Why 23 things instead of having participants do 43 things like the website?
Given the number of things that preservice and inservice educators already have to do and the time frame of the course, the number of "things" was reduced so that our preservice and inservice teachers already burdened with busy schedules wouldn't feel overwhelmed by having too many discovery exercises to complete.
Will there be any instruction offered to show us how to do this?
No, this is a self-directed learning program. If you feel you need assistance with an item, you are encouraged to be resourceful and to find a friend, family member or another participant who can help. Reading other participants' blogs can help, too. The Learning 2.0 team will provide helpful hints, encouraging words and post comments on your blogs from time to time. We are also available by e-mail to answer your questions.
Is there any tech support for this course?
We can help you with the course, but not with your computer or Internet connection. Here are some hints about Web 2.0 tools that may help you.
Do any of the Things require downloads?
Flash is required to view many of the applications. Chances are this is already installed on your computer, but if it is not, click here for a free download. Adobe Reader is required to read a few of the links. If you do not have it, you can get it here for free. Java needs to be enabled for many applications too. Here are instructions on how to enable Java.

A few of the Things have activities that may require a download. However, most of the Things have options that can be done without downloading anything extra. Most of the 23 Things are Web-based applications that do not require additional downloads or plug-ins to work. Many Web-based applications have third party features that require downloads. These are not required—although they are often fun and add functionality.
What if I need help - who can I do?
Since this program is self-directed and is being completed by many APSU preservice and inservice teachers enrolled in EDUC 3040/5618 simultaneously, you are encouraged to work with classmates along your discovery journey.
I don't feel comfortable with my colleagues reading my blog, can I participate anonymously?
Yes and No. Since you control all the information that you share on your blog, you can choose to use a screen name to identify yourself to keep yourself anonymous if that makes it easier/more comfortable for you. However, in order to receive the credit for this portion of your grade in EDUC 3040/5618, you will need to let the Learning 2.0 team know the name of your blog via a valid e-mail address. A link to your blog will be posted here, but your "real identity" will not be listed.
Once I complete all 23 things, how do I get my grade?
Your instructor will complete a rubric after you complete your 23 things. Your grade for this activity will be averaged in with your other assignment evalutions, resulting in your final grade.

Don't find your question answered here? Then enter it is as comment below.

About Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers

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This blog has been set-up as part of APSU School of Education's Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers project to encourage APSU preservice and inservice teachers to experiment and learn about the new and emerging technologies that are reshaping the context of information on the Internet today. The objectives of this program are to:

encourage exploration of Web 2.0 and new technologies by APSU preservice and inservice teachers
provide preservice and inservice teachers with new tools (that are freely available on the Internet) to better support APSU School of Education's teacher preparation standards
provide learning activities that meet the goals and objectives of EDUC 3040/5618
provide APSU preservice and inservice teachers with opportunities to think about how these new technologies can be used in their future classrooms

Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers is based on Learning 2.0 - 23 Things. That program is based on the Learning 2.0 program that was designed by Helene Blowers, Technology Director at the Charlotte Mecklenburg County Public Library system, with the support and assitance of several staff. Helene's program was loosely based upon Stephen Abram's article, 43 Things I (or You) might want to do this year (Information Outlook - Feb 2006) and the website 43Things.

The design of this online program was completely built on Web 2.0 technologies that are freely available on the Internet. These sites include: Blogger, Flickr, Odeo, YouTube, PBWiki & Bloglines.

The 23 Things

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Listed below are 23 Things (or activities) for you to do on the web to explore and expand your knowledge of the Internet and Web 2.0 tools. If you are a student enrolled in APSU EDUC 3040/5611, you must complete all 23 items on this list by the date listed on your syllabus in order to to receive credit for this assignment.

Getting Started
Read the About, FAQ and Web 2.0 Hints pages to find out about the program. Leave a comment on any of those pages with questions you may have that aren't addressed.

The 23 Things*

Lifelong learning
1. Discover a few pointers from lifelong learners and learn how to nurture your own learning process.

Blogging, avatars and commenting
2.Set up your own blog, add an avatar and write your first post.
3. Register your blog.
4. Learn why commenting is important to the blogging process.

What is Web 2.0 and why should I care?
5. Read and watch these perspectives on web 2.0 and the future of education then blog your thoughts.
6. Explore any site from the Web 2.0 awards lis t, play with it and write a post about your findings.

Photos and images
7. Explore Flickr and learn about this popular image hosting site.
8. Have some more Flickr fun with mashups and 3rd party sites.
9. Play around with an online image generator.

RSS and newsreaders: keeping up
10. Learn about RSS feeds and set up your own RSS reader.
11. Locate and subscribe to a few fun and useful blogs and/or news feeds.

Google does it all
12. If you thought Google was just a search engine, think again. Learn about the cool tools that Google has to offer.

Collaboration with Web 2.0
13. Take a look at some online applications - word processing, spreadsheets, etc.
14. Go with the flow and take a look at some free web-based applications for creating flow charts and mindmaps.
15. Learn about wikis and discover some ways that schools and libraries are using them.

Online productivity tools
16. Learn about some web 2.0 tools that will help make you more organized and productive.

Web 2.0 - the "social" web
17. Learn about tagging and discover delicious, a social bookmarking site.
18. Social networks like Twitter and Facebook are the way many people communicate. Explore one or both!
19. Twitter and Facebook get all the press, but there are other social networks.

Web 2.0 Video and Audio sites
20. Explore YouTube and other sites where you can watch and upload video.
21. Make your own video with Animoto.
22. Organize your digital resources using LiveBinders.

Who owns all this shared stuff?
23. Learn about Creative Commons.

One last thing...
Summarize your thoughts about this program.

*Note: This project is loosely based upon the website 43Things (which allows you to set and track personal goals) and the Stephen Abram article titled 43 Things I (or You) might want to do this year (Information Outlook - Feb 2006).

Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers

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Welcome to APSU School of Education's Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers program and blog.

Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers is an online learning program that encourages APSU School of Education preservice and inservice teachers to learn more about emerging technologies on the Web that are changing the way students, teachers, society, and schools access information and communicate with each other.

Over the course of the semester, this website will highlight "23 Things" and discovery exercises to help you become familiar with blogging, RSS news feeds, tagging, wikis, podcasting, online applications, and video and image hosting sites.

To familiarize yourself with this project, be sure to read the About page. The FAQs should answer most of your questions about this program. If not, then please add your question to the FAQ page as a comment.

Now fasten your seat belts, grab your mouse and get ready for a discovery adventure… and remember, it's OK to play in school and have fun!