Advanced Searching | Blogs & Microblogs | Concept / Mind Mapping | Interactive Maps | Mash Ups | Podcasts | RSS Feeds | Screencasts | Social Bookmarking | Social Networking | Web Conferencing | Wikis
Matrix of all Cited Resources
Web 2.0 isn’t a physical place on the Internet, rather it describes websites that use cutting edge technology to interact and engage users. Many Web 2.0 sites focus on interacting with the site visitor and providing a social networking experience.
You may be using a Web 2.0 site and don’t even realize it. If you use Flock, Feedburner, Skype, YouTube or Flickr, then you are an official “Web 2.0 user.”
For more information about the technologies that comprise Web 2.0 see the following:
- Web 2.0 Directory
- Web 2.0 Sampler presented at the 23rd Annual Distance Teaching and Learning Conference in Madison WI
- Syndicating Learning – Web 2.0 Connecting the Learning Community
Web 2.0 Technology Descriptions and Examples
In order to really ‘scrub’ the Internet for information consider using different searching tools. Try using a graphical, dialogue or natural language search engine as way to locate information on the Internet. See Beyond Goggle & Yahoo: Search Engine Alternatives.
Examples:
Touch Graph Google Browser, The Internet Archive, RSS Micro, Musicovery, WhoZat, Congoo, Blinkx
Blogs and Microblogs
Short for Web log, a blog is a Web page that serves as a publicly accessible personal journal for an individual. Typically updated daily, blogs often reflect the personality of the author. Microblogging, a form of blogging, involves the blogger sending out very short pieces of text to those who subscribe to the blog. See Introduction to Blogs.
Examples:
Blog.com, LiveJournal, Blogger, WordPress, Twitter, Tumblr,
A Concept Map is a graphical organizer for knowledge. Lines containing words typically link concepts. Concepts are represented in hierarchical fashion with the most general concepts at the top. Powerpoint works well for this type of tool.
See The Theory Underlying Concept Maps and How to Construct/Use Them by Novak and Canas.
A Mind Map is also a graphical organizer of knowledge but it is typically built around a single word or idea. Mind maps may be a powerful learning tool, especially for student note-taking.
Concept Map Examples:
Inspiration, Compendium, Bubb.us, VUE
The use of Interactive Maps in an online/blended class provide the perfect ice-breaker. Students can place a marker on a map that indicates where they live
Examples:
Map Me, Frappr, Google Maps with Markers
A Mash Up describes the merging of two or more applications within one webpage or application to create a tool more powerful than if the items remained separated. The purpose of a mash up is to gather, in one area, multiple streams of information or technologies specific to an individual user. Once a mash up is created you no longer jump between multiple applications or services, such a weather report and blog, because the applications are housed and viewable in one place.
Ray Schroeder’s Site Meter is an excellent example of using a mash up.
Examples:
Yahoo Pipes, How to Make Your Own Web Mashup, Mashup Feed
Podcasting is revolutionizing the way education is delivered. Initially growing out of audio blogs – podcasts have evolved over the past four years to become enhanced podcasting with graphics, chapters, and video! Distributed via RSS updates, the technology does not require an iPod – in fact many listen/view podcasts on their desktop and laptop computers. See the Podcast Resource from ITS at UIS. ITS has all the recording equipment and processes in place to ensure successful podcasting for your classes.
Other sites of interest include UIS iTunes U, The Freesound Project
Note that iTunes is fully integrated into Blackboard (below)which allows for seamless integration of podcasting.
An RSS (Really Simple Syndication) Feed provides a way to dynamically distribute or publish content. One party creates or gathers the content and then publishes via RSS feed and users subscribe to the feed in order to receive the updated content.
RSS feeds are not stagnant, each time you visit a page that uses an RSS feed new content appears. For example, the content on the first page of the COLRS site displays several RSS feeds (COLRS Training and Ray’s Online Learning Update) and those feeds are continually updated, which results in dynamic information. See Education World Techtorial: Understanding RSS Feeds.
RSS Readers:
Using RSS you can subscribe to a website or blog in order to get fed the new headlines. One way to bring all of your feeds together into one place is through the use of a RSS reader. Try Google Reader, Feed Reader, Feed My Inbox, NetVibes
Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and many other Web 2.0 technologies auto-generate RSS feeds, but anyone can create their own RSS feeds using online tools or by adjusting the file name and properties of a standard webpage.
See What is RSS or RSS – Present, Potential & Promise.
Create an RSS:
University of Illinois Web Toolbox – List Builder, Google FeedBurner
A Screencast is a recording of what is taking place on your screen and is played back by others at a later date. Screencasts provide a great way to teach a process within an application or to show step-by-step how to perform some function (i.e. attach a file to an email). Once the video is complete you can use editing software to add audio, callouts and other features.
Examples:
Camtasia Relay, Jing, Wink, Free Screencast, Screen Toaster
Social Bookmarking allows you to categorize, store and share bookmarks from within an online environment. You also have the ability to review and access bookmarks compiled by other users.
See 7 Things You Should Know About Social Bookmarking from EDUCAUSE or 125 Social Bookmarking Sites from Search Engine Watch.
Examples:
Delicious, Social Marker, Digg, Diigo, CiteULike
A Social Network is a structure based on the connections created between a group or individual, for example a person who is linked with family, friends, work, community, etc. The more associations created, the bigger the network becomes. Once the associations are established, you then interact and network with others in a online environment.
Stay on top of social networking by joining the Social Networking in Class Ning.
Examples:
MySpace, Friendster, LinkedIn, Ning, YouTube, Academia.edu,
When you want to meet in an synchronous environment that allows you to view, speak and text chat, then you need to use a web conferencing tool. Web conferencing is often used for weekly or bi-weekly class meetings for an online course, faculty office hours, guest speaker in an online course and other instances where the ability to interact synchronously is necessary.
COLRS maintains several Elluminate rooms that can be scheduled. It is important to note that Elluminate supports voice over IP (VOIP). This means that anyone using Elluminate will not need to also ‘call-in’ via a telephone number. VOIP is not only reliable, but provides superb quality.
ITS maintains another web conferencing tool, Go To Meeting that faculty may choose to use. Contact ITS to setup a meeting to review the tool and how to best roll-out within an online/blended course.
Examples:
Brio (Adobe Labs), Tiny Chat, Dim Dim
Wikis
A Wiki is a collaborative website that allows a group to modify content that has been entered, including the work of previous authors. Many educational institutions find wikis to be invaluable for facilitating student collaboration.
Before selecting a wiki you might want to compare wiki software.
Examples:
Mediawiki, Wikispaces, Wikia, Flexwiki, Netomat, Zoho, Wetpaint, Citizendium , PBWorks
