Frontier of Emerging Technology:
How to Incorporate Social Software into Your WebCT Courses

Presented by: Mr. Chris Bigenho and Dr. Rhonda Blackburn

Description:
Participants in this 3 hour workshop received a hands-on, interactive experience with several types of social software that could be used in conjunction with WebCT to enhance the learning experience of all learners. We explored RSS feeds and podcasting as well as blogs and wikis. Each participant established accounts in each of these domains and left with ideas as to how they could use these emerging technologies in their respective environments.

Presentation | Blogs | Podcasting | Wikis | RSS | Reading Resources

 

    

Presentation Materials


These are the slides that were used during the presentation. You will find additional information and resources in these slides. (pdf 1.3MB download)  

Blog Resources

 

Blogging Tools

  • Blogger: Free blog engine with no download required
  • Bloglines: Free blog engine. Also has RSS feed aggregator capabilities.
  • Edublogs: Free blogs for teachers. Run by Wiki Spaces
  • Live Journal: Free-Blog, Private Journal and Social Network
  • Movable Type: Powerful blogging software for purchase. Very flexible.

 

  
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Podcasting Resources

 

How to:

Software

Podcast From Phone

  • Audioblogger: Good until November 1, 2006
  • Gabcast: Free and paid service as well as 800 numbers and international numbers.

Sample Podcasts and Blogs

 

  
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Wiki Resources

 

Wiki Tools

  • Workshop Wiki "Sandbox": Feel free to play in the sandbox. Test out PHP Wiki with very simple coding. Check the bottom of the wiki for tips on editing wiki and to view key to simple coding language.
  • Wiki Spaces: Free and powerful wiki using WYSIWYG technology. You also have space for threaded discussions, notification (subscription) password protection and history.
  • Seed Wiki: Free WYSIWYG wiki. Similar to Wiki Spaces but not as many bells and whistles.
  • PBWiki: Free and as they say, as easy as making a PB and J sandwich.
 
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RSS Resources

 

How to:

RSS Feed Learning Object: This learning object was created to instruct about RSS feeds and how to create one in the WebCT 4.X environment. You can follow these same instructions for CE 6 and Vista 4 but place the copied code in the header of any folder.

JAVA Script Writers: These programs will write about 10 lines of code that you can copy and paste into any html page or text box in WebCT. You can find additional JAVA writers in search engines using the search term "feed2js".

Aggregators: These are programs and web resources you can use to subscribe to a feed.

Other Resources

  • Feedster: This is a search engine for RSS feeds

Sample Feeds: These feeds were constructed using a simple html editor and an automatic JAVA script writer- Feed2JS.

  
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Additional Reading

 

Marc Prensky

Seymour Papert

Learning Circles

Learning in the Digital Age

 

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