Thing 6: RSS and Newsreaders

#6 Make life "really simple" with RSS & a newsreader

You’ve heard of RSS? You’ve seen those small funny tags on websites? You’ve heard co-workers and acquaintances swear by it, but still have no idea what RSS is? Well don’t worry, according to a recent survey you’re still in the majority, but this is changing rapidly.

In the information world, RSS is not only revolutionalizing the way news, media and content creators share information, but it also is swiftly changing the way everyday users are consuming information.RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication” and is a file format for delivering regularly updated information over the web. Just think about the websites and news information sources you visit every day.

It takes time to visit those sites and scour the ad-filled and image-heavy pages for just the text you want to read, doesn’t it? Now imagine if you could visit all those information sources and web pages in just one place and all at the same time … without being bombarded with advertising… without having to search for new information on the page you’d already seen or read before… and without having to consume a lot of time visiting each site individually. Would that be valuable to you? Well, it’s available now through a newsreader and RSS.This week’s discovery exercises focus on learning about RSS news feeds and setting up a Netvibes account  netvibes account.  It is a free online newsreaders and they can bring your feeds together.

Here is a tutorial to watch on creating an account and intro page on Netvibes.

Discovery Resources:

Discovery Exercise:
Follow the discovery resources above to learn more about RSS and newsreaders.
Create a free online Netvibes account for yourself and subscribe to at least 10 newsfeeds to your reader. Try adding a new dashboard item (upper right hand corner in the drop down) and put in a topic that you want to research.  For instance I typed in Flipped Classroom

Then try adding a few other types of news feeds from news sources and even PLCMC's Readers Club site. (Select at least 3 from the list below to subscribe to)

The Learning 2.0 blog feed
Education Week
Education Week Digital Directions
Charlotte.Com news feeds (pick at least one)
PLCMC Core Compentency blog
Reader’s Club new review feeds

I also added my twitter feed, access to my email and Facebook account so that I can check everything at on site.

Create a post in your blog about this exercise. Optional: If you're up to the challenge, you can provide the URL address to your public netvibes account (find where to find this below)Don’t know what to blog about? Think about these questions:

What do you like about RSS and newsreaders?How do you think you might be able to use this technology in your work or personal life?How can libraries use RSS or take advantage of this new technology?

Let me know about your successes and struggles on this.  It is new. 

Thing 3, 4 and 5 Photos and Images

Photos and images#3. Take some digital photos and post one on your blog. Borrow a digital camera from your school if you don't have your own.
Post the photos on your blog using Blogger's photo upload feature.

#4. Explore Flickr and learn about this popular image hosting site.Watch the following video and create an account for yourself.
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 becoming 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 and other libraries (list also here) are using Flickr for.

Discovery Resources: Flickr Learn More tour (6 steps)Mediamazine Flickr Tutorials
Flickr: Popular tagsInteresting- Last 7 daysFlickr Services (3rd party applications & mashups) and let’s not forget to look at some other libraries

Discovery Exercise:In this discovery exercise, you have two options…Take a good look around Flickr and discover an interesting image that you want to blog about. Be sure to include either a link to the image or if you create an Flickr account, you can use Flickr's blogging tool to add the image in your post. Another option you have for including images in your post is to use Blogger's photo upload tool.

-- OR --Of if you’re up to an easy challenge ... create a Free account in Flickr and use your digital camera to capture a few pictures of something you did this summer. Upload these to your Flickr account and tag at least one of the images,and mark it public. Then create a post in your blog about your photo and experience. Be sure to include the image in your post. Once you have a Flickr account, you have two options for doing this; through Flickr's blogging tool or using Blogger's photo upload feature. Here is a picture of two proud parents at Emily's Baylor graduation. Go Bears!

PS: A quick word about photo posting etiquette - When posting identifiable photos of other people (especially minors) is it advisable to get the person's 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.

#5. Have some Flickr fun and discover some Flickr mashups and 3rd party sites, and create some mashupsLike 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.Here are just a sampling of a few …

Mappr - take Flickr images and allows you to paste them on a map
Flickr Color Pickr - lets you find public photos in Flickr that match a specific color.
Montagr – create a photo mosaics from photos found on Flickr.
Discover more mashups, web apps, and Flickr tools.

Discovery Exercise:Your discovery exercise for this “thing” is to:
1. Explore some of the fun Flickr mashups and 3rd party tools that are out there.
2. Create a blog post about one that intrigues you. Personally one of my very favorite tools is mosaickr
So have some fun discovering and exploring some neat little apps. And if you up to the challenge while you’re add it, why not create a Mosaick of your own. :)*

Mashup Note: Wikipedia offers some great articles that explain mashups. Basically they are hybrid web applications that take features from one application (like Flickr) and mash it up with another (like a map) In this example, you get Mappr (http://mappr.com/)

Thing 2: Blogging

Blogging
Thing #2: Set up your own blog, and add a post about what you did.

Now that you’ve done some exploring around these webpages (this blog) and understand how this program will work, it’s time to set up your very own personal blog to begin recording your thoughts, discoveries, and exercises.
Note: This Thing has lots of parts. Please read the WHOLE thing! Thanks, The Kickball CaptainsBackground of Blogging
1. View this short video from the CommonCraft guys that explains blogs "in Plain English."

if you can not see the video from this blog, go here and watch it.

2.View this PowerPoint for an overview of a blog's format and see some samples of different types of blogs you may encounter during this experience.

3. Read The 4 Cs of Blogging, a post about what to think about when setting up your blog, how to approach what you might write about, and how you will respond to others' thoughts.

4. Read 2¢ Worth David Warlick's posting on the value of edublogging.

Creating Your Blog
For this Discovery Activity, you may use any one of several free online blog hosting services including Blogger, Wordpress, Class Blogmeister, or Typepad.We are recommending Blogger. It comes through most district firewalls, is consistently available (no down time), and is also supported in Atomic Learning. Take the Quick Tour of Blogger for a look at it before starting.

To start your blog:1. Create an account. You will need an email address. It does not need to be a gmail account, but can be. We recommend that you decide on one e-mail account that you will use as you register for many activities in other "Things".

2. Name your blog. The portion that goes into the address is "permanent." It can not be changed once set up. The blog title that appears on the actual page can be changed or updated to meet the needs of your blog. A good rule of thumb...short and sweet and easy to type!

3. Choose a template (or skin.) You can always go back and select another one if you don't care for the look of your blog.When setting up your preferences, please allow for comments by anyone. You CAN set it up where you have to approve them before they show.MORE HELP with setting up your blog

Remember to identify EACH of your post titles with the word "Thing" & # that goes with what you are writing about. Each Thing should be written in a separate post.Now that your blog is set up:

1. Go back to Thing #1 and write (in a new blog post) your thoughts regarding the habit among the 7 & 1/2 that is easiest for you and the one which is hardest.Attach your contract to the post. Include any other thoughts about lifelong learning.


2. Write about the process about setting up your blog in a new blog post for Thing #2. Have you looked at anyone else's blog...have you made a comment or ask a question?Seems like a lot here, but you are over the hardest part and ready to write about all the new things you will be seeing and doing. Have fun!

Register your blog and begin your 16 Things Journaling. (you must have posts written for Thing 1 and Thing 2 with Things 3, 4, and 5 shortly). Follow the directions on the "Registering your Blog page".

Thing 1: Lifelong Learning

Thing 1 Lifelong Learning
Discover a fewpointers about lifetime learners and learn how to nurture your own learning process. You will write a post about this after creating your blog.

7 & 1/2 Habits reviews several key points of life-long learning and the variety of learning involved. You may recognize that the tutorial is loosely arranged on the format of the the widely-acclaimed 7 Habits of Highly Successful People.

Discovery Exercise:1. Open up the 7  1/2 Habits online tutorial and watch the online tutorial. The tutorial was developed by the training specialists at the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.2. As you watch and listen, write down which habit among the 7  1/2 that is easiest for you and which is hardest. 3. You will also fill out the contract linked
and attach it to your personal blog you create as Thing 2 this week.You will want to open it and then copy the template. Then create a username and password (if you don't already have one on Google Docs). Once into Google Docs, create a new document and paste the contents of the learning contract template (linked above). It will save automatically as you type. Completely fill out the learning contract, once finished you will want to click on share on the far right side of the page and at the top where it says you are owner and it is marked private - click and change it to "anyone with the link can view it". Then copy the URL of this google docs page and link it in your blog (on the initial page talking about Thing 1 and you should also 4. submit it in the Assignment Dropbox on Blackboard.

An Introduction to Web 2.0 tools

Listed below are 16 Things (or activities) that you can do on the web to explore and expand your knowledge of the Internet and Web 2.0 tools. As a member of EDAD 5319 you will be required to do several "Things" each week of the term. There are activities and instructions for each thing that include the creation of certain instructional tools along with a blogging requirement each week where you will reflect on the potential use of the tool in the classroom.

The idea for 16 Things came from several sources who have graciously agreed to share what they have done so that we can participate in this nationwide learning project. The original 23 things was designed as an online learning program that encourages School Librarians and other educators to learn more about emerging technologies on the web that are changing the way people, society, and Libraries access information and communicate with each other. Spring Branch ISD created their own version of 23 Things and 11.5 Things and modified a few of the learning tools. The original Learning 2.0 program was designed by Helene Blowers, Technology Director, Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County and is loosely based upon Stephen Abram's article, 43 Things I (or You) might want to do this year (Information Outlook - February 2006) and the website 43 Things. We also drew heavily from the Learning 2.0 Through Play.

The design of this online portion of your class was completely built on Web 2.0 technologies that are freely available on the Internet. These sites include: Blogger, FlickrCC, TeacherTube, PBWiki & Google Reader, and others.

Hang on, it is going to be a great adventure for all involved. Ready - Set - Play!