What is RSS?
People who regularly follow many different blogs or Web sites may spend a lot of time checking each one to see if anythingf has changed since their last visit. You are already experiencing this by constantly checking your Group Discussion boards. One way to simplfy this task is to automate the process of checking for new content. Blogs and Web sites can share content using a propcess called Syndication. Really Simple Syndication (RSS) is a family of "web feed" formats used to publish frequently updated content such as blog entries, news headlines, and podcasts. An RSS document (which is called a "feed" or "web feed" or "channel") contains either a summary of content from an associated web site or the full text. RSS makes it possible for people to keep up with web sites in an automated manner that can be piped into special programs or filtered displays.
RSS content can be read using software called an "RSS reader", "feed reader" or an "aggregator". The user subscribes to a feed by entering the feed's link into the reader or by clicking an RSS icon in a browser that initiates the subscription process. The reader checks the user's subscribed feeds regularly for new content, downloading any updates that it finds.
Basically there are two types of RSS readers: 1)Web based, such as the Google Reader, and 2)Program based. There are lots of RSS reader programs you can download to run directly on your computer. In either case these RSS readers give you a handy interface to simultaneously monitor your favorite feeds from multiple sites and sources.. Just follow the directions for each reader.
More detailed information may be found at
What is RSS? http://www.whatisrss.com/
What is a Blog?
A blog (an abridgment of the term web log) is a website, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.
Follow this link http://teachingtoday.glencoe.com/howtoarticles/blog-basics to learn more about Blogs.
Group Blog
http://tgzs.blogspot.com/
Group Assignment 5.2
wiki
facebook
wimba pronto
twitter
myspace
skype
YouTube
TeacherTube
LinkedIn
Jenna & Andy
EDUC 675
Teachertube
1. Ease of Use: Teachertube was very easy to use. The links were all well labeled. The only problem was the advertisements that popped up after you chose what you wanted to do. You had to hit a skip button every time.
2. Login/Sign-up: There were no issues with login or sign-up. Very easy, just filled out a couple of questions.
3. Ways tool can be used in Education: This tool can be very helpful for an educator. There are many resources to choose from. You can upload videos, pictures, or audio to enhance a lesson. It also will store the videos or pictures you use so you can use them more than once or from year to year. There are also worksheets and lessons that you can print. Everything is separated by grade, subject, or events. It also have teacher resources available such as calendars and conferences tips. There is something for everything that you would want to do.
You also could share what you have done in your own classroom. You have options of either sharing with just yourself or the world (which they recommend).
4. Fees/Cost: When you sign up, you get a free 7 day trial. After that, it is $49.95 for a subscription.
Teachertube could be a real benefit for any educator. Teachers would be able to not only show students videos and pictures online, but could encourage them to make their own to post online in a teacher friendly way. The only potential con is the price.
Module 5.2
Nikki Wixo
Kathleen Scheeler
Twitter
Have you been “Tweeted?”
General Information
Twitter is a communication system used to keep people connected. People can write short messages, up to 140 characters long and have them quickly sent to all of their followers. Anyone can post “tweets,” but only their followers will have access to the messages on blogs, phones, and the twitter website.
Sign up was easy for this tool. Give them a bit of personal information, set up an account, verify that account through email, and start tweeting. Each registered person has access to a sign in page that keeps track of followers and the people you follow. It is easy to maneuver the site, and to keep all of your tweets organized. You are also able to search for other people and topics to see what people involved in those subjects are tweeting about. It is much simpler than other social networking sites.
There is no cost to become a member of Twitter, and the possibilities of who to follow are truly endless. If you don’t know what or who you’re looking for, you can easily get lost in the “Twitter” universe.
The help page on this site was really great. It offered video tutorials, and how to get started advice. It also had a very lengthy troubleshooting section, which is always helpful for struggling subscribers. The glossary was especially helpful; it explains all of the technical jargon along with the lingo, used in association with the site.
The uniqueness of Twitter is its brevity and its speed. It spreads information very quickly. However, Twitter is not used by school kids as much as other Web 2.0 tools. According to Manzo (2010), only about one percent of the 12 million Twitter users are 17 or younger (p. 40). The Twitter privacy policy states that it is not intended for those under the age of 13.
Uses and advantages of using Twitter include:
1. Create classroom chatter or conversations which helps create a sense of community
2. Worldwide tweets give a sense of the world and people around the globe.
3. Use at conferences as a means of communicating about events.
4. Use it for instant feedback on questions if it is set up on cell phones.
5. Follow famous people.
6. Collaborate with others with same interests, professional or personal.
7. Build a network of professionals, whether it is local or worldwide.
8. Use as a free marketing tool.
9. Make announcements.
10. Share websites.
Personal Experience from Nikki:
This tool has become very popular in the entertainment and small business world. I know several local businesses that tweet periodically. I had an easy time tracking some business names to begin following on twitter. Subsequently, I had a difficult time finding my group member through email on Twitter. When I typed the email address into the search button, they could not find an existing email address.
Twitter may not be used in the classroom often, but one way it could be beneficial is for “real time” updates and breaking news. For example, if you were a follower of NASA, a tweet could be sent whenever important events occur. On the other end a teacher could also have an account for her students to become followers on. She could tweet messages, updates, and reminders at any time.
Personal Experience from Katie:
I don’t know if it was my computer or Twitter this week, but the first time I tried to login, a message from Twitter came up saying that Twitter was over capacity and my login was unsuccessful. Another time a message told me that something is technically wrong, and my login did not work. I was able to get on otherwise.
Twitter is easy enough to send tweets, but I did not find it easy to use as a type of search engine to find information. I tried searching for people by name but was unsuccessful. I did finally remember a technology person who used Twitter, and I found an old email of hers with her Twitter name on it. I could not find her on Twitter by her real name because her Twitter name was different. Some of her tweets had links to educational links that were useful. I tried just searching on Twitter for libraries or librarians, but I got too much of people’s personal junk, some of which would was inappropriate. It was not so easy to find subject area information tweets.
Interestingly enough, on television this week a talk show host asked the audience to respond to a question via Twitter. The answers were then immediately shown. This is one mainstream use I see as an advantage of having Twitter.
Reference
Manzo, K. K. ( Winter 2010 supp.). Classroom connections@Twitter. Education Week, 40.
Denise Turnquist/Kelly Rexine
EDUC 675
Social Networking Tool: Skype
Were you able to try out the tool with your partner?
Both my partner and I downloaded Skype for the very first time this week. Neither of us have video capability on our PC’s; therefore a video conference between the two of us was not available. However, we were able to converse similar by way of texting via computer and through mobile phone. I (Kelly) have the ability to work with Skype through an app on my smart phone. I found the app to be a quick and simplified version to the website.
Ease of use.
Getting to Skype and reading what Skype has to offer was an easy process. I googled Skype which brought me to the main site. Once there, it was an easy step-by-step process to download Skype. I was very pleased with the information Skype had to offer as well. It gave explicit detail on what is available at no charge and what services required a fee.
I found that Skype was very user friendly and easy to navigate through the website. I love it when websites have an introduction video. Skype has a quick two minute video that unfamiliar users can watch to learn about Skype before diving into the website.
Login/signup issues/problems.
Signing up to become a member of Skype was very easy with step-by-step instructions. The signup process was also very quick and not time consuming at all. Once the signup process is completed, a Skype icon is posted to the person’s desktop for easy login whenever Skype will be utilized. All in all, both the signup and login were very easy to download. I did not have any difficulties.
The login process was quick and signing up was straightforward. I believe you only needed to enter your name, age, phone number, country and create a username/password. It was a very simple procedure and I had no problems what so ever.
Ways the tool can be used in education/business. Provide examples.
Having very limited knowledge on how Skype could be incorporated within education, I researched ways in which teachers have used Skype for their educational purposes. I found this information to be extremely useful and beneficial.
1. Before/After reading a class novel, chat with the author via Skype.
2. Use Skype to talk with someone who specializes in a certain topic being studied.
3. Bring field trips to the classroom using Skype.
4. Incorporate or teach foreign languages using Skype.
5. Skype can be used as a tutor for students who may need extra help
6. Conduct interviews with teachers and/or students.
7. Have a guest lecturer.
8. Foreign culture lessons by viewing a festival, clothes, homes, schools, etc.
9. Form friendships around the world.
10. Class plays and projects can be shared with family, other classes, or other interesting people.
11. Connecting field trips with parents or other classrooms.
12. Teachers can use Skype for professional developments.
13. Distance learning by ‘bringing’ in specialized instructors to teach a lesson or experiment.
14. Professional Development
15. Parent/Teacher Conference – Maybe this way more parents would be involved during conference time.
16. Be available to your student during evening hours – Teachers could set up a time frame that they could be available to help their students with homework if needed.
17. Collaborate with other classrooms of the same grade level in your district, state, nation, and world.
Terms of service. How will they use your information? What will they do if there is a breach of security?
With most social networks, Skype is not liable for any mishaps or wrong doing. All payments for extended use or other offers need to be paid in full prior to downloading. Refunds for unused offers need to go through a certain website and this is not a guaranteed refund.
Costs/fees
Anyone can talk or have a video conference via Skype for free as long as the other party also has a Skype account. Therefore, Skype to Skype calls do not require payment. If the other party does not have a Skype account, contacting them through Skype on their mobile phone will have a fee ranging around $0.02 a minute or little over $1 a month with a connection fee of around $0.50. To pay for these costs and fees, credit can be obtained on the Skype website using a debt or credit card or by using paypal.
Other interesting aspects
Skype is the leading global internet communications tool. That being said, educators are able to Skype with virtually anyone across the globe by incorporating this into their classrooms. Educators aren’t the only customer…millions of people use Skype on a daily basis, as well. Because of this, Skype is available in over 28 languages.
In 2008, Skype had one billion downloads, making Skype one of the most popular free software application of all time. Skype’s 370 million registered users have made more than 100 billion minutes worth of free Skype to Skype calls. Skype was founded in August of 2003 and is now the leading internet communication company.
Pros/Cons
Apparently, there are a number of pros to Skype as opposed to cons. Virtually everyone who uses Skype has stated that it’s the cheapest, most secure way to talk directly with someone around the world. This network is fast, easy, and can be used with computers or mobile phones. Anyone is able to access Skype and to be able to use it.
Skype is yet another great innovative way to integrate technology in the classroom. Free is good, if Skype to Skype conferencing wasn’t free I doubt that this software would be as popular as it is today.
The number one con I found relating to Skype is that the quality of sound is not as good compared to a mobile or landline. The sound from a webcam tends to deteriorate, as well as frequent background noise could cause disruptive service.
Another con I had was making sure Skype is always safe and appropriate for users. Skype runs on an internet connections so when using Skype for a lesson teachers need to be sure who they’re communicating with. The internet can be a fun and great way to introduce new activities to students but teachers need to keep all precautions in mind.
References:
Facebook. (n.d.). Facebook. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://www.facebook.com/
Make the most of Skype - free internet calls and great value calls. (n.d.). Make the most of Skype - free internet calls and great value calls. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://www.skype.com/
MySpace. (n.d.). MySpace. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://www.myspace.com/
Teaching Today How-To Articles Blog Basics. (n.d.). Teaching Today Home. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://teachingtoday.glencoe.com/howtoarticles/blog-basics
TeacherTube - Teach the World Teacher Videos Lesson Plan Videos Student Video Lessons Online Teacher Made Videos TeacherTube.com. (n.d.). TeacherTube - Teach the World Teacher Videos Lesson Plan Videos Student Video Lessons Online Teacher Made Videos TeacherTube.com. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://www.teachertube.com/
TGZ's Social Networking Tools. (n.d.). TGZ's Social Networking Tools. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://tgzs.blogspot.com/
What Is RSS? RSS Explained - www.WhatIsRSS.com. (n.d.). What Is RSS? RSS Explained - www.WhatIsRSS.com. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://www.whatisrss.com/
Wiki.com. (n.d.). Wiki.com. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://www.wiki.com/
Wimba Pronto. (n.d.). Wimba. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://www.wimba.com/products/wimba_pronto
YouTube- Broadcast Yourself. . (n.d.). YouTube- Broadcast Yourself. . Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/
country. (n.d.). LinkedIn Relationships Matter. LinkedIn Relationships Matter. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://www.linkedin.com/
