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