W5 Blogging

For Class Discussion (to prepare in advance):
Among many and evolving web 2.0 tools, blogging should be the first one worth being discussed. Blogging has changed web publishing in a radical manner, and it has revolutionized news publishing, marketing, and even journalism. Class lecture will go over good principles/practices of blog writing and in the lab, students will create a blog using blogger.com (should send the URL to the instructor via gmail by SU midnight).

1. Educause’s 7 Things You Should Know About Blogs
2. Reflecting, Writing, and Responding: Reasons Students Blog by Carie (Windham) Page 

Blogging Tools - As a group/pair, select one blogging tool from below or any popular one, then post a needed information about the tool to the course Google Site.

• Blogger - Free weblog publishing tool from Google, for sharing text, photos and video
• WordPress - A popular open source content management system focusing on web standards, and usability. A nice how-to screencast by Molly McDonald on setting up a WordPress blog (10 min)
• Joomla - Another popular free, open-source content management system (CMS)
• Drupal - Another popular free open-source CMS 
• MoveableType - Another popular free open-source CMS
• Tumbler - Another popular blogging service
• Some sites track blogging tools popularity (e.g., top ten comparisons,  techsoup.org * Be aware, ranking relies on subjective criteria, but still very useful)

Further Resources (for those who are interested in exploring further about blogging - these sources provide many excellent examples, ideas, or templates)

• Edublogs Award site
• Tom Barrett’s Interesting Ways series (tips and resources for using popular tools for education)
• Blogging Policies and Resources Wiki by Bud Hunt
• Blogger for Word - Can post right to your Blogger from Word
• Blogger for Word 2007 and 2010 - Help site for posting blogs from Microsoft Word 2007 and 2010
• The 25 Basic Styles of Blogging…And When to Use Each One
• Great blog post example from Will Richardson on: “Why Johnny’s Professor Can’t Read”
• WIU Blog Listings - List of WIU related blogs such as: rec center, grad school, featured student blogger, etc. Utech runs a blog through Wordpress. 

Your comment can be on any one of the followings, please make your comment as to the point, and address all parts concisely and thoroughly (200-250 words, using course contents, sharing resources/experiences are very helpful!):

• Which blogging tool is your favorite, why? Which feature(s) did you find most useful for teaching or learning?
• Any difficulty or problems experienced in publishing contents or using the tool? Did it make you think about challenges in adopting and leveraging blogging?
  For adoption or implementation within an organization, what is important?
• For what purposes do you plan to use your blog? Class lecture showed possible applications, such as portfolio, content/file management, class discussion, etc. 

W4 Find and Evaluate

Class discussion
I have little doubt that you frequently hear about problems, such as the poor quality and accuracy of information, and the information overload on the Web. About the information overload, sources below (#1 and #2) will give balanced perspectives (they say overload is a 'wrong' perspective. #3 and #4 clarify that the major innovations for the next generation of the Web are driven by 'post-filtering' and search algorithms (to improve search effectiveness and efficiency). On Monday, everyone will compare two different search procedures for his/her own topic of interests - online library database search (if you are not a student in IDT 351, try finding a journal article or magazine using an online library service (e.g., local university or city library, get help if necessary) vs. Web search (e.g., using Google search, Google scholar, YouTube, Slideshare.net, or professional association web site). Then on W, you will do a scavenger hunt to find and improve a rubric to evaluate the quality of retrieved search results using Rubistar (last resource on the list below). The goal is to learn how to find quality information when you have a topic that you don't know much, and how to evaluate the quality of such sources retrieved. 

As a class, it will be also very useful to brainstorm which filtering (e.g., like, # of views, tags, rating, indices, impact factor, selection of reactions on Slashdot.org, etc.) exist and how it has evolved to deal with information quality/overload, and how they shape/influence/affect "authority" or "expertise". If you like challenges, I like to state that some sees the next generation Web will focus more on managing exploding information and do quality control (Artificial Intelligence and algorithms are major drivers). If you think about location-based searches/services or community/group based organization (e.g., on facebook), these are all to make information management and learning more effective.

Your comment by Su midnight should answer how Web search vs. traditional (online or on-campus) library search compare in terms of quality, effectiveness, and convenience, and how the quality/accuracy should be evaluated.

1. We’re on information overload by Thomas Washington.
2. “It’s Not Information Overload. It’s Filter Failure” by Clay Shirky. A little under 24 minutes. The problem of information overload, different perspectives can reveal positive aspects of abundant participants: Cognitive Surplus (by Clay Shirky, 13 min, and Captcha project: Massive-scale Online Collaboration by Luis von Ahn, 16 min)
3. Tips for Handling Information Overload: Too Much Content by Dawn Foster (with Google Reader is gone as the most popular RSS tool, alternatives can be found here).
4. The Chronicle of Higher Ed: The New Metrics of Scholarly Authority by Michael Jensen for subscribers only. For an earlier and freely available version, see Authority 2.0 and 3.0: The Collision of Authority and Participation in Scholarly Communications by Michael Jensen.
5. The iPad and Information’s Third Age by William Rankin

Web tools/services:
Items 1~3 are information organization tools that allow browser customization. Zotero compares to a 3rd party citation tool called Endnote. Anytime you do online search, you can create a summary note. Rubistar is a great tool to create an evaluation/grading rubric. If you ever need to create a rubric to evaluate products or processes, it is a great, free, and easy to use tool. You will see one of the course project IDT 285: Technology integration for Preservice teachers is using it anytime software or web search is evaluated.

• Netvibes - personalized dashboard publishing platform for the Web
• Page Flakes - social personalized homepage (as of 2/02/2014, service is down due to DNS expiration)
• Protopage also allows to create a personalized homepage
• Zotero - A tool that helps gather, organize, and analyze sources and then share the results of your research
• Rubistar - A free evaluation rubric builder with a search feature (if you create a web or information search task, and trainees or students create artifacts (list of useful sources, summary of sources, etc., you would want to evaluate their work. Don't reinvent the same wheel, chance is, if your topic is popular, Rubistar might have something you can adopt and even contribute. WebQuest is the most popular activity in K12 (sort of scavenger hunt and evaluation of the source).

W3 Reaction Paper (due 2/08 SU midnight as comments)

Past two weeks reviewed major trends and issues, such as learning 2.0, trends in education and society, and online rights and safety. Establishing a good reason for why one should incorporate Web/social media to teaching or learning is a must.

The following question doesn’t have correct or wrong answers, but naïve or over simplified arguments must be avoided:

• (1) What is your perception/knowledge of the Web as teaching (or learning) tools now and why? (2) Assume that you are recognized for your knowledge in web/social media at school (or work), and have been charged  by your boss to improve digital literacy and web/social media use. Many employees have concerns about privacy, internet rights, and copyright infringement. 

Answer each question using contents from the previous weeks and knowledge you have gained. Your answer must be backed up by relevant materials/resources (about 1/2 page, single line spaced - see an example below). Reviewing related materials can greatly help (50 points total).

1. Clear and concise capturing of major benefits/strengths of the Web for teaching/learning (30%)
2. Use of relevant materials (minimum 2) to support views (30%)
3. Flow and cohesion (20%)
4. No naïve or over/rosy-generalizations (10%)
5. Accuracy of grammar and spelling (10%)

Example:

My understanding of the web as teaching tools is that tools, such as xxx are readily available for teachers to use in the classroom as well as outside the classroom. They can motivate students more with resources that show the application of contents, and engage students into active and reflective learning. For instance, Brown and Adler in their article, entitled Minds on Fire, show many web projects where teachers make the best use of resource-based, inquiry oriented, and cooperative learning environments. Unlike past teaching that heavily relies on textbook and knowledge transmission (as seen in Wesch’s video, Machine is Us/ing Us and Information R/evolution), web tools provide greater opportunities for students to search, share, and discuss related materials easily and publish work in view of audience outside the classroom. 

Richardson (2009) also points out, work remains after the course and these artifacts can work as resources for future students as well as their portfolio that can grow over time… However, care must be taken for online safety (or identifies) because xxx indicates that students are using popular social networking tools with little parent or teacher guidance…  Unless teachers pay attention to the issue of fair use and the existence of sources (can add related sources, such as Creative Commons) to support your view or as a resource), students may impinge on copyright without knowing or reinvent the same work ....

W3C2 Rights and Safety

Class discussion

Create a Google account (choose a login and password that is different from your university ones, and send your gmail address to hrdswon@gmail.com). The topic of online right and safety is thorny. Issues can result in grave consequences for any individual or workplace, and you will see many powerful arguments for using web 2.0 tools as well as against it. 

I believe, debates on whether the Web is safe for school kids/youth, or whether one should participate in Facebook or not, or whether companies must ban or monitor social media will completely miss the point. Web and social media are drivers of social and market changes, and balance is most important - simple that is. Any workplace and individuals must proactively plan, manage, evaluate, and improve online rights and safety, if they plan to leverage web and social media.

I encourage you to explore URLs here. If about an hour, watch first two videos. Then, check further resources #1, 2, 3, and 6, which talk about how to measure your online presence (Klout), how to build up your reputation (by utilizing popular services, such as facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc), and how to address/protect privacy. Others are related to policy and resource examples to address these issues through instruction or laws/regulations. Your comment for this posting is optional, but  don't forget to complete respond to the next post, which asks you to summarize your understanding of the first three weeks contents.

1. Be aware online filter bubbles (Eli Pariser, TED 9 min)
2. Google Profiles, Online Reputation Management, and Digital Footprints by Wesley Fryer (the second video: digital dossier inside the link, 4 min is strongly recommended)
3. The Online Amplification Effect by Margaret Soltan (many examples that show how stories can spread rapidly and affect individuals and workplaces)
4. Your phone company is watching (by Malte Spitz, 9 min)
5. Copyright-Friendly and Copyleft Images and Sound (Mostly!) for Use in Media Projects and Web Pages, Blogs, Wikis, etc. by joycevalenza - as an IDT major, if you want to share your work more with others or like to use their work properly, you must read this and also check the video on the top (3 min video)
6. Your online life, permanent as a tattoo (Juan Enriquez's TED talk video, 5 min) 
7. Recut, Reframe,Recycle by the Center for Social Media at American University - Did you ever wonder about whether you can use commercial work in your video or school project? Check the short video on fair use (about 4-5 min)

Further resources

• KLOUT - Online influence score by klout.com (check your score if you use multiple social media. Site requires facebook or twitter account)
• How to manage your online identity by Psychologytoday.com
• How Europe backs Web privacy fights by New York Times
• Real name policy - appropriate or abusing? by Danah Boyd at Microsoft
• How to protect your privacy and identity by Internet Society
• The complete guide to building a digital footprint by David Truss
• Unmasking the Digital Truth, a wiki by Wesley Fryer (exemplary laws/rules that administrators must know)
• The Electronic Frontier Foundation (Resources for how to defend your rights in the digital world)
• Firesheep should get your ATTENTION: Open Public Wifi Dangers are REAL by Wesley Fryer (includes laws and rules more than CIPA mentioned by Richardson)
• Universal design in instruction by Nicole McClure and Joe Madaus 
  
• Admissions of Guilt by Terry Calhoun

W3C1 Trends in Ed and Society

Class discussion (per each source)

#1 - Shows how learning would be like at school and work in the (near) future.

#2 - His book, the world is flat is one of the most popular sources people use to support globalization. See which 'flatteners' Friedman says as driving globalization. If you are keen on social justice and sustainable economic development, you will find Cambridge prof. Chang's work, entitled Bad Samaritans and his other work to be fascinating. He is not a capitalism skeptic.

#3 - His book Growing up digital captures core characteristics of digital youth very well, and discusses implications for organizations (hiring, career, development, etc.). Together, #1~3 gives both - positive and critical aspects of technology, innovation, and globalization. Infographics and data can be very useful for understanding any abstract but important phenomenon, such as global development (by Hans Rosling, 20 min TED talk).
#4 - Interested in leveraging social media for good causes? Based on a Stanford course on using social media, book includes many great cases as well as a model/framework for effectively planning/analyzing, designing, and implementing social media projects.
#5 -  Creating and leading a 'great' learning system is not easy, it involves visionary leaders, students, effective processes and support. Revisiting cases from Finland and Singapore from W2 will be very helpful seeing exemplary cases for Ken's talk.

1. A day made of glass (by Corning, 6 min)
2. Thomas L. Friedman’s 2007 MIT talk “The World is Flat 3.0” (Listen up to 37 minutes)
3. Growing up digital by Don Tapscott (26 min) (If further interested, also watch his 2012 TED talk: 4 principles of the open world, 17 min)
4. Dragonfly effect (changing the world using social media) - Blog site
5. Lastly, to make education right, it should be on teaching and learning, not on standardized tests or STEM only. Key Robinson is one of the most popular TED presenters. If you plan to create a holistic and systematic learning system, try applying his principles. Watch How to Escape Education's Death Valley (TED Talk, 19 min) and also Do School kills creativity? (20 min). How YouTube is driving innovation (Chris Anderson, TED talk, 18 min) can be one example of educational innovations.

Further resources - * Each source can take a while to read/review. You can skim each briefly, then devote more time later to peruse for particular interests.

• Jonathan Bergmann’s and Aaron Sams’ Educational Vodcasting - Their video screen casting has evolved to a pedagogy called Flipped Classroom (2 min video) 
• Horizon Report, a collaboration between The New Media Consortium and the Educause Learning Initiative. 2013's key focus from NMC is big data in education. A short video about 6 trends in higher ed is worth watching.
• KnowledgeWorks Foundation 2020 Forecast: Creating the Future of Learning. The World of Learning Resources menu has several short clips that capture educational/learning trends. They also added forecast for learning in 2025.
• 7 Things You Should Know About series from Educause

Exemplary projects and initiatives - Last week, when we talked about learning 2.0, many said participating in and utilizing (online professional) communities as the best way to leverage learning 2.0. You can click open each of the following, spend no more than a minute or two, can join selectively to spend more time later.

• Beyond Borders- if looking for education-oriented virtual communities around the world
• Kiva (empowering the world with $25 micro loan)
• The Open Source Teaching Project
• California Open Source Textbook Project, CK12 FlexBooks, Connexions - digital, open source book initiatives
• Academic Earth (from Rice Univ), MITOpenCourseWare, Open Learning Initiative (from Carnegi Mellon), Stanford on iTunesU, Open.Michigan. and of course, the famous Coursera (free courses from a consortium of leading universities). Also check Udacity.
• Google Scholar, DigitalCommons@UConn, DASH, eScholarship
• OER Commons (if needing to design/develop a new college level course, the first place to check - often, all weekly contents/assignments are shared), Creative Commons (every educator must know about Creative Commons, which is to share contents and handle copyright easier), Wikimedia Commons, Europeana, Open Culture, TED: Ideas worth spreading
• University of the People, Peer 2 Peer University, Think Global School
• Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) is one of the latest hot buzz in education. Sites like MOOC list  and Class Central aggregate MOOC schedule.

W2C2 Learning 2.0

Class discussion

#1~3 illustrates emerging/promising practices and challenges surrounding education. #4 and 5 embody the power of experiential and hands-on learning driven by authentic and relevant tasks. #5 incorporating elements of situated learning, communities of practice, and Dewey's productive inquiry. It introduces many innovative and exemplary educational practices from all over the world.

1. Information R/evolution by Michael Wesch (under 6 minutes)
2. What is Web 2.0 by UTech (under 6 minutes) - Another good video on Web 2.0 (consisting of interpersonal computing, Web services, and Software as a Service (SAAS) (7 min)
3. Learning to change - Changing to learn (5 minutes)
4. From Knowledge to Knowledgeable by Michael Wesch (17 mins video)
5. Minds on Fire: Open Education, the Long Tail, and Learning 2.0 by John Seely Brown and Richard P. Adler

You will see that media always portray brighter pictures of technology, when the reality of tech integration for teaching/learning and its impact are  complex, dynamic, and often slow/disappointing. I say, technology is as only good as people behind it. People balk about something as the next killer application, much less discussed among practitioners is how instructional design and learning principles should apply to guide the use of media (because those two drive what people do with tech). Further resources below introduce many short and informative videos about today's learners and what's happening with teachers and schools.

As/after you review these materials, think about:

• What is learning at its core? How one should learn? How has your view of learning changed?
• How learning will become different because of the Web? 
• Should any workplace or school actively adopt/use web tools/services into curriculum?
• If you are an ID person or one with expertise in instructional technology, what are the implication of these materials?

Further resources:

• Rethinking Learning: The 21st Century Learner by MacArthur Foundation (4 min)
• A vision of 21st century teachers (under 5 minutes) - contrast this with a humorous video: 20th vs. 21st century teachers (1 min) 
• Singapore's 21st-Century Teaching Strategies (7 min) - Shows the importance of leader support, on-boarding, culture, professional development, and hands-on learning. If you don't know, Finland is known to be the leader of educational quality and performance in the world. The following videos highlight several issues that are critical for the success of education at the systems level (K12 setting (6 min) & The full documentary of Finnish phenomenon (1hr 45 min)
• How digital generation learns by Howard Gardner (the famous author of multiple intelligence, 5 min) (If interested, he also talks about 5 minds for the future (disciplinary, creative, synthesizing, ethical, and respectful) that are increasingly important in today's teaching and learning (45 min, great video)
• New media and implications for learning by Henry Jenkins (9 min) 
• The Next Web of Open, Linked Data by Tim Berners-Lee (16 min)  
• Khan Academy (revolutionary approach to learning/teaching math, 20 minute TED talk)
• Sugata Mitra: The child-driven education (17 minute TED talk) 
• Bringing on the learning revolution (Sir Ken Robinson, TED talk, 18 min)
• 3 Steps for 21st Century Learning by Jackie Halaw (4 minutes) 
• Communities of practice by Mark K. Smith
• Web 3.0 (14 min)

Week 2C1 First Discussion

For course overview and expectation, please see the syllabus.

This course blogging site will work as an archive of web tools and services. Per selected week, the instructor will post a prompt for students’ blogging participation, which will work for your personal reflection as well as formative evaluation (e.g., suggestion, satisfaction, correction, etc.). Your comment can be brief, directed to the instructor’s post or others’ comments, and should address your positive/negative experiences, suggestions for improvement, and/or insights for improving the course. The only criterion is, your comment must add 'substance' to your learning or to the course.

The first prompt for you to comment is to share attitude/belief about web tools/services (e.g., whether they will truly change education/learning, whether it is another hype or passing trend, whether they must be used more for teaching/learning, etc). If there is a tool you already use for learning or sharing and you find it as very beneficial, you can use your experience to support your argument. Before class on W, check how others think of web tools for teaching/learning. There is no correct or wrong answer - you can be honest!