Learning 2.0 Assignment 10: YouTube

This week you will be examining the video sharing tool, YouTube. This assignment (the last assignment) is due Monday, November 24.

1. Read the Wikipedia entry on YouTube.
2. Read "7 Things You Should Know About YouTube.”
3. Read “College Students Love Their Video.”
4. Explore YouTube and find a video that you think is fun or entertaining. Follow the directions here to place the YouTube video in your blog.

Blog prompts (answer these questions in your blog):

1. Have you ever posted a video to YouTube? What about Facebook?
2. Did the statistics in the “College Students Love Their Video” article surprise you or seem accurate? Why?
3. Why did you choose the video you put in your blog?
4. Where else do you search for video?
5. What makes YouTube a Web 2.0 application?

Questions?

• Post any questions in the discussion forum in D2L
• E-mail your professor: Melissa Prescott or Robin Ewing

Learning 2.0 Assignment 9: Wikis

This week you will explore wikis. This assignment is due Monday, November 17.

1. Watch the video, "Wikis in Plain English"
2. Read "Veni, Vidi, Wiki," a Wired article by Ryan Singel
3. Read "7 Things You Should Know About Wikis"
4. Look at Wikipedia and Scholarpedia

Blog prompts (answer these questions in your blog):

1. Compare Wikipedia to Scholarpedia. What are the main similarities? What are the main differenes? Have you used either one before?
2. What do you find interesting about the wiki concept?
3. How do you think you could use a wiki for research and/or projects?

Questions?

• Post any questions in the discussion forum in D2L
• E-mail your professor: Melissa Prescott or Robin Ewing
  

Learning 2.0 Assignment 8: Online Collaboration Tools

For this assignment, you will explore online collaboration tools including Google Docs and Zoho. This assignment is due Monday, November 10.

1. Take the Google Docs tour, and explore some of the posts on the Google Docs blog.
2. Watch the video, “Google Docs in Plain English.”
3. Read the Wikipedia entries on Google Docs and Zoho.
4. Try Google Docs or Zoho.

Blog prompts:

1. Which collaboration tool did you try?
   
2. What is one main advantage of using an online collaboration tool such as Google Docs or Zoho?
3. What is one example of a way people are using online collaboration tools?
4. If you've used Google Docs, Zoho, or similar tool before, for what purpose did you use it and what did you like about it?
5. How do you think you could use these tools for projects (for school, work, or fun)?

Questions:

• Post your questions in the discussion forum in D2L
• E-mail your professor: Melissa Prescott or Robin Ewing

Learning 2.0 Assignment 7: Podcasting

This week we are exploring podcasting. This assignment is due Monday, November 3.

1. Read about podcasts. Bennington, Adam. 2007. Stick it in your ear: Keeping current with podcasts. Online (May/June): 31-32. Read the Wikipedia article on Podcasts. Watch the video Podcasting in Plain English.
   
2. Go to KVSC.org. Using the navigation on the left, find the podcasts by Henry Oertelt, Holocaust survivor. Listen to the introduction and part one. Using the Bennington article as a guide, evaluate the podcast.
   
3. Take a look at one or two of the podcast directories listed below to find a podcast that interests you. Listen to the podcast and link to it in your blog if you would recommend it to others.

• Podcast.com
• Podcastalley.com
• Yahoo Audio Search
• iTunes (if you already have it installed on your computer)

Blog prompts:

1. Share your evaluation of the Oertelt podcast.
2. Which of the podcast directories did you find easiest to use?
3. Are any of your professors at SCSU using podcasting with their lectures?

Questions?

• Post any questions in the discussion forum in D2L
• E-mail your professor: Melissa Prescott or Robin Ewing

Learning 2.0 Assignment 6: Digg, Newsvine, and Reddit

This week we’re exploring ways to keep up with news sources. One way to see what people are interested in is to check out what's popular on social media sites that allow users to nominate and then “vote” for news and other items they find interesting. There are many of these sites—and everyone from mainstream media (for example, The New York Times, slate.com, and the Washington Post) to blogs and Web sites includes links so readers can recommend content from these sites to other readers. This assignment is due Monday, October 27.

First, look for boxes labeled “Share” or “Article Tools” on news sites, blogs, and Web pages to find links for sharing the article. Here are some examples:

1. Read about Digg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digg iki/Digg), Reddit (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reddit), and Newsvine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newsvine).
2. Take the Digg tour (http://digg.com/tour/). “Digg is a place for people to discover and share content across the web, from the biggest online destinations to the most obscure blog. Digg surfaces the best stuff as voted on by our users.”
3. Look at the Reddit intro (http://www.reddit.com/help/). Reddit “is a source for what's new and popular online. Vote on links that you like or dislike and help decide what's popular, or submit your own!”
4. Take the Newsvine tour (http://www.newsvine.com/_cms/welcome). “Updated continuously by citizens like you, Newsvine is an instant reflection of what the world is talking about at any given moment.”
5. Read one or more stories on a news/information site (for example The New York Times, Washington Post, BBC News, Star Tribune, or another site) and then recommend it via the Share tools. You’ll notice that each site offers a different set of sites you can share with. In your blog posting, link to the story that you recommended.

Based on your readings and activities for this assignment, answer the following blog prompts:

1. How do you think you can use these tools in your school work or at home?
2. Do these tools seem to be productivity enhancers or productivity detractors?
3. Have you ever read a story/item as a result of seeing it on one of these sites?How do these sites compare to Del.icio.us?
4. Remember to provide a link to the story that you recommended.

Questions?

• Post any questions in the discussion forum in D2L
• E-mail your professor: Melissa Prescott or Robin Ewing

Learning 2.0 Assignment 5: Flickr

This week we’re exploring Flickr more thoroughly. In this assignment, 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 are creating thanks to Flickr. This assignment is due on Monday, October 20.

1. Watch the Common Craft video “Online Photo Sharing in Plain English” (review for most of you). Read “7 things you should know about Flickr” and "Evaluating Web Content: Social Bookmarks".
   
2. Take the Flickr tour. You can explore Flickr photos, search the tags, view various groups, and more.
   
3. Log in to the class account on Flickr. Go to the Discussions section of D2L to get the username and password for your class’s Flickr account.
4. Look at the tags that your class did for the photos of the library. Now that you’ve explored Del.icio.us and social bookmarking, think about how you would improve the tags. Identify one photo from the class (you don’t have to use one that your group took) for which you would change the tags.
5. Upload that photo from Flickr to your blog.

• Blogger directions for uploading a photo. This feature lets you add photos from your computer or from the Web and choose the placement (layout) in the blog post.

1. First, within Flickr, right-click on the photo you want to insert into your blog. Then, click “Save Picture As…” and save the file to your desktop or file space.
2. Second, within Blogger, click the little photo icon in the toolbar on the New Post page, in the row of tools above the post box. Follow the instructions to “Add an image from your computer.”
3. Assign new "improved" tags to the photo.

• Advanced feature (you do not need to do this): Flickr’s blogging tool lets you click the “Blog This” button (right above the picture) and add any public photo on Flickr to your blog automatically. If you wish to use Flickr in conjunction with your own blog in the future, you might consider using this feature.

Based on your readings, viewings and activities for this assignment, answer the following blog prompts:

1. In your blog posting, indicate what tags were assigned to the photo originally, what tags you’d recommend instead, and why.
   
2. Do you use Flickr or another photo hosting service? Which one? How does it compare to Flickr?
3. Do you upload images to your Facebook account? How does Flickr compare?
4. How do you feel about having your photos public (note that you can mark your Flickr photos private, too)--any concerns?

Questions?

• Post any questions in the discussion forum in D2L
• E-mail your professor: Melissa Prescott or Robin Ewing
  

Learning 2.0 Assignment 4: Social Bookmarking

This week we’re focusing on Social Bookmarking. This assignment is due on Monday, October 13.

1. Watch the Social Bookmarking in Plain English video. Read “The Brave New World of Social Bookmarking: Everything You Always Wanted to Know But Were Too Afraid to Ask” and “7 Things You Should Know About Social Bookmarking."
2. Do some tagging in your own blog. You can tag (Blogger calls them labels) your earlier Blogger posts with keywords or phrases. From the Dashboard, go to Manage Posts and choose the post you want to add tags to. Enter the words in the Labels for this post box in the lower right. Type in your tags (commas in between each word or phrase). Click Publish Post to re-publish the post with its labels (tags) to your blog.
3. Create a Del.icio.us account for yourself and discover how this useful bookmarking tool can replace your traditional browser bookmark list. Add a few websites and add your own tags to each of your links.
4. If you like Del.icio.us and want to easily add bookmarks to your account, you can put buttons on your browser toolbar. Instructions are available for Internet Explorer and Firefox.

Assignment 4 post prompts (answer these questions in your own blog):

1. Can you see the potential of this tool for your own research? Or just as an easy way to create bookmarks that can be accessed from anywhere?
2. How do you think you might be able to use this technology in your school or personal life?
3. What are some potential benefits of the social (sharing) aspect of social bookmarking?

For more information, view this 8 minute Del.icio.us tutorial to get a good overview of its features.

Questions?

• Post any questions in the discussion forum in D2L.
• E-mail your professor: Melissa Prescott or Robin Ewing

Learning 2.0 Assignment 3: RSS

This week we’re focusing on RSS. This post will give you a brief overview of the technology and explain the activities for the week. This assignment is due on Monday, October 6.

RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication and is a file format for delivering regularly updated information over the Web.

1. Read the articles “It Really Is Really Simple: RSS for Educators” and “News á la Carte,” and watch the RSS in Plain English video.
2. Set up an aggregator account with Bloglines.
3. Subscribe to the feed for this Learning 2.0 @ SCSU blog. Go to http://learning2scsu.blogspot.com/. To subscribe to this blog, look for the section “subscribe to learning 2.0” located on the right side of the blog. Click on the RSS icon and select Bloglines from the list of aggregators/readers.
4. Add at least three other news feeds, blogs, or Web page updates to your account. There are several ways you can locate RSS feeds. You might use only one of these:
• When visiting your favorite Web sites, look for the orange RSS icon. Often a feed icon like this will be displayed somewhere in the navigation of the site.
• Use Bloglines’s search tool. This tools lets you search for news feeds in addition to posts, citations, and the Web. Use the Search for Feeds option to locate RSS feeds you might be interested in.
• Do a blog search in Google. This search limits results only to blog postings.
• Look at the list of RSS feeds available for CNN.
• Do a search in Technorati. Technorati is a popular blog finding tool that lets you search for blogs.

Assignment 3 post prompts (answer these questions in your own blog):

1. What do you like about RSS and newsreaders?
2. Do you think you might be able to use this technology in your school or personal life? If yes, how and if no, why not?
3. Which tool for finding feeds was easiest to use?

Questions?

• Post in the discussion forum in D2L.
• E-mail your professor: Melissa Prescott or Robin Ewing.

Learning 2.0 Assignment 2: What is Web 2.0?

This week we're focusing on learning about Web 2.0. This post will give you a brief overview of the technology and explain the activities for the week. This assignment is due on Monday, September 29.

Read the Wikipedia article on Web 2.0 and the blog posting, If the Shoe Fits…Social Media in Seven Boxes. Watch the Web 2.0 … The Machine is Us/ing Us video.

Answer the following questions in your blog posting for this week:

1. Where are you in your knowledge of Web 2.0 tools?
2. What do we mean when we talk about "Web 2.0?" What defines a "Web 2.0" technology or practice?
3. Does Web 2.0 represent a radical departure from the ways in which we interact with each other and information online?

Questions?

• Post in the discussion forum in D2L
• E-mail your professor: Melissa Prescott or Robin Ewing

Learning 2.0 Assignment 1: Blogs

This week we’re focusing on blogs. This post will give you a brief overview of the technology and explain the activities for the week. This assignment is due on Monday, September 22.

Read the Wikipedia article on blogs and watch the Blogs in Plain English video.

Ready to start blogging? Your first Learning 2.0 assignment is to set up your own blog and add your first post.

Create your blog:

1. Go to Blogger.com. We’re using Blogger but other free blog services include: LiveJournal, WordPress.com, and Vox.
2. Click on the orange arrow that says, “Create Your Blog Now.” Follow the 3 steps.
3. You will need a Google account. Follow the directions to set up a Google account if you do not have one. You can use any e-mail address – you don’t have to have a Gmail address. Your e-mail becomes your Username. Your Display Name is how your posts are signed – you can use your real name, initials, or a nickname.
4. Create a password for your account.
   

Customize your blog:

1. Give your blog a title. Your title is the name that will appear on the banner at the top of your blog and it will be part of the URL.
2. Be sure that you have enabled comments. Your professor will comment on your posts.
• Under the Settings tab, click the Comments link. We recommend the second choice under Who Can Comment? Registered Users.
• Click Save Settings once you are done.
3. Choose a template for your blog.
   

Post on your blog:

1. Write an introductory post reflecting on your experience with creating a blog. Please clearly label this and future blog postings with the assignment number. Each of your posts should provide insights into what you’ve discovered and learned or any questions or thoughts you have on the activities you completed.
2. Post the URL and name of your blog in the Discussion area of D2L.
   

Need help getting your blog created?

• Watch the MINITEX Blog Tutorial
• Look at slides 10-31 of this tutorial
• E-mail your professor: Melissa Prescott or Robin Ewing

Learning 2.0 @ SCSU: Rubric for Weekly Activities

The assignment for each week will involve a post to your blog about the topic for that week. The assignment for each week will be posted on Monday and due the following Monday. These blog postings will be graded according to the following rubric:

A (Outstanding):

The blog posting clearly answers the questions with clear evidence of having read or viewed the background material.

B (Good):

The blog posting answers the questions with some evidence of having read or viewed the background material.

C (Satisfactory to Limited):

The blog posting mostly answers the questions with some evidence of having read or viewed the background material.

D to F (Poor to Failing):

Missing or late entry which says very little and fails to answer the questions. Little or no evidence of having read or viewed the background material.

Learning 2.0 @ SCSU: Weekly Activities

This is a list of the assignments you will be doing during the next 10 weeks. Complete information on each assignment will be posted on this blog on the Monday of each week (and linked in this post). The assignment will be due the following Monday. Each assignment will include background material for you to read or view and then reflect upon in a blog post. Blog postings will be graded using a rubric.

September 15, 2008, week 1: Blogs

• Set up a blog in Blogger and write your first post.
• Share the URL for your blog in D2L.
• Assignment due September 22.
  

September 22, week 2: What is Web 2.0?

• Learn about Web 2.0.
• Assignment due September 29.
  

September 29, week 3: RSS

• Learn about RSS feeds and set up an account with Bloglines or Google Reader.
• Add some feeds.
• Assignment due October 6.
  

October 6, week 4: Social Bookmarking

• Set up a del.icio.us account. Add a few websites and create your own tags.
• Install the del.icio.us browser button on your browser's toolbar.
• Assignment due October 13.
  

October 13, week 5: Flickr

• Find and upload to your blog one of the pictures the class took at the beginning of the semester.
• Evaluate the tags assigned to the class photos.
• Assignment due October 20.
  

October 20, week 6: Digg, Newsvine, & Reddit

• Explore Digg, Newsvine, & Reddit.
• Find an article to recommend.
• Assignment due October 27.
  

October 27, week 7: Podcasting

• Find and evaluate a podcast.
• Assignment due November 3
  

November 3, week 8: Online Collaboration Tools

• Explore Google Docs and Zoho.
• Assignment due November 10.
  

November 10, week 9: Wikis

• Learn about wikis like Wikipedia and Scholarpedia.
• Assignment due November 17.

November 17, week 10: YouTube

• Read about YouTube and embed a video into a blog post.
• Assignment due November 24
  

About Learning 2.0 @ SCSU

What is Learning 2.0 @ SCSU and why are we doing it?

Learning 2.0 @ SCSU is a hands-on assignment that provides an opportunity for students to explore Web 2.0 tools. Why are we doing this? In your future careers, you may be asked to create content using a Web 2.0 tool. In a recent survey of information professionals, "63% reported that their organizations used at least one of nine social software tools: wikis, blogs, really simple syndication (RSS), social network analysis, online social network, online virtual world, social tagging, social bookmarking and podcasts. Data suggested that of the nine tools, RSS, blogs, and wikis were used the most."* As you do research throughout your college career, you will also encounter information from Web 2.0 tools. Learning 2.0 @SCSU focuses on finding and evaluating information and sharing those findings using Web 2.0 tools.

For ten weeks starting on September 15, students will explore Web 2.0 tools and complete a number of assignments. Each assignment focuses on a particular type of tool and will give students the opportunity to explore the tool. Each assignment will be posted on Monday and due the following Monday.

Learning 2.0 @ SCSU has the following learning outcomes:

• Students will be able to identify Web 2.0 tools.
• Students will be able to evaluate information found in Web 2.0 tools.
• Students will demonstrate their knowledge of Web 2.0 tools in their blogs.
  

Learning 2.0 @ SCSU addresses the following course objectives:

Utilize the research process in the analysis and development of information

• Access information in a variety of formats and with a variety of viewpoints
  

Evaluate information critically and thoughtfully

• Identify both judgmental and nonjudgmental language in print and non-print sources
• Challenge content and question referential base in both written and non-print materials
  

Organize information

Communicate the results of research

Learning 2.0 @ SCSU is an adaptation of Learning 2.0 @ Mac (http://macetg.wordpress.com/about-learning-20-mac/), 23 Things on a Stick (http://23thingsonastick.blogspot.com/), and Learning 2.0 – 23 Things (http://plcmcl2-things.blogspot.com/).

*Reid, M., Gray, C., & Honick, C. (2008). Online social networks, virtual communities, enterpreses, and information professionals. Searcher 16 (6): 28-40. Retrieved June 23, 2008, from Academic Search Premier database.