Review of 2 Web 2.0 Tools for EDUX432

1. Web 2.0 Tools A Review of Two Web 2.0 Tools: Blogger and Scoop.It J Taylor 2011

2. Web 2.0 Tools to support online learning Reviewing: Scoop.It – an online curation and ‘social bookmarking’ tool Blogger – a ‘content management system’ Source: McLoughlin, C. and Lee, M. J. W. (2007) – Social software ad participatory learning: Pedagogical choices with technology affordances in the Web 2.0 era. From: Proceedings ASCILITE, Singapore.

3. SCOOP.IT

4. A Little Bit of History Scoop.It was launched in November, 2010 Designed to be an alternative to blogging which can be time-consuming in terms of posting, etc Designed to be collaborative and interactive Main difference from other Social Media supported communities – you follow topics rather than people as on Facebook and Twitter Designed to curate and share information

5. Scoop.It Features Topic of the Day Advice on effective curation and other helpful hints What’s New? – people following your topic (You will find more people whose topics you can follow through this) Statistics for your topic – if you’re interested in stats – (A good way to see how well you’re connecting with your community) Variety of ways to connect with your Personal Learning Network (PLN) – Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Wordpress, Tumbler and Google + has just been added – this provides more ways to share information within your online learning community and keep track of the latest on your topic of interest

6. Explaining Scoop.It The following clip is from the blog section of Scoop.It.com (Click on the ‘iPod’)

7. Why Use Scoop.It? Quick and easy to curate your own topics An effective way of sharing information in your online learning community Access to a wide range of resources through the topics others curate Linking to other curators from Scoop.Itthrough Facebook, Twitter, etc. Broadens your PLN and expands your knowledge through community curation and sharing

8. How Easy is Scoop.It to Use? Go to http://www.scoop.it/ and click on “Get Invite” Within a few days you will have access to the site Use the Dashboard to begin curating – instructions are available as you work through this process. If you would like to look at my Scoop.It, please click HERE

9. How Does Scoop.It Support an Online Learning Community? Sharing information on a particular topic that is the focus of your online learning community Being able to access a wider range of research through collaboration with others in your group Communicating your ideas and understandings through linking to Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Wordpress, etc Discussions within the community itself Being able to connect with others who have the same learning needs / interests

10. An Example from the Online Scoop.It Community – click on the image

11. An Article: Curating Community by Curating Content – Marjorie Clayman(Found on Scoop.It – of course! Click on the image)

12. Advantages of Using Scoop.It One place to curate all the resources you find on the web for your topic of interest An online community of learners could use it as a central resource area to share resources and information Scoop.Itbookmarklet can be added to your bookmarks – click on it when you find something interesting on the web Easy to set up – simple instructions

13. Advantages continued Suggests topics for you to ‘Scoop’ – makes finding information easier Topic suggestions speeds up the process of research Others can suggest resources on your topic and you can suggest resources to them (builds community interaction) Suggestions often include a summary so you can check relevancy You can create your own summaries for resources you find Each topic has a unique RSS feed and URL – easier for people to follow your topic A variety of widgets to connect with your blog to widen your community (tools that link the two)

14. Disadvantages of Using Scoop.It Still in private beta which means it’s being tested; you need to request an invite Time to curate; made easier through using the Scoop.Itbookmarklet on your bookmarking toolbar Key words you choose for your topic – you sometimes need to redefine if the suggestions aren’t relevant. This can be frustrating! Need to take the time to check recommendations Time, in the initial setting-up phase, to explore all the resources available

15. Disadvantages contd Multicuration can be set up but it’s fiddly. You would want to be able to have this feature for an online learning community to make the most of sharing resources. At the moment the suggestion is to set up a Google account with one password that everyone can use. This is fiddly if someone leaves and passwords need to be changed.

16. BLOGGER

17. Explaining Blogger

18. Why Use Blogger? How Easy is it to Use? Easy to set up and start blogging in a few steps Ability to link to other blogs and websites by adding gadgets Ability to choose your own design Web-based and free Easy to use help section for troubleshooting Can have up to 100 authors

19. How Does Blogger Support an Online Learning Community? You can have up to 100 users attached to one blog – great if you want to use this as an online learning community blog All members can contribute to the blog and use it as a reflection tool to develop shared knowledge on a particular topic It can also become a curation tool through using the sidebars to link to resources to inform teaching and learning practice.

20. Advantages of Using Blogger No need to know ‘computer language’ – it’s WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get) – just like writing in Word, etc Privacy settings can be altered so that only your online community sees the discussion Easy to use the design features Blogger help and support are well-organised Web-based so it won’t ‘crash’ Owned by Google so it’s always being updated with the latest features

21. Disadvantages of Using Blogger You need a Google account – not everyone wants one It will sometimes ask for a cellphone number to confirm that you’re human. (This can cause problems when setting up multiple accounts for students as it will only allow the one cellphone number to be used a limited amount of times) Blogging can be time consuming and, if you want to build your online learning community, you need to be consistent in your posts to maintain interest and discussion

22. Disadvantages contd It can be frustrating if there are few, or no, responses to your posts This can mean it is hard to develop a true online learning community where ideas and understandings are created and explored

23. EXAMPLES OF BLOGS TO FOSTER ONLINE LEARNING COMMUNITIES

24. Blogs to support online learning communities The blog below – click on the link – was a blog used as part of an assignment for EDUX423 in the first semester of 2011 It explored what blogs are and how they can be used to foster an online CoP TO BLOG OR NOT TO BLOG

25. Blogs as Part of an Online Learning Community to Build New Knowledge This was a blog set up by 4 Masters students Its purpose was to explore the use of blogs to promote personalised, collaborative lifelong learning, interactivity and student-centred learning It became our online learning community as we explored our thinking about these purposes and created the knowledge and understandings shared on the blog

26. Blogs in the Classroom The blog linked on this page was my previous class’s learning blog We used the blog to share and reflect on our learning and to give and receive feedback This became our classroom online learning community THE TEAM IN ROOM 8

27. Ways Our Classroom Blog Supported our Online Learning Community Anytime, anywhere recording of ideas, reading of others’, responding to and giving feedback, creating knowledge through discussion and sharing of ideas Removal of the ‘timetable’ – students could communicate and share their thinking and post at anytime – they weren’t restricted to ‘school hours’ Helped them to realise that learning happens all the time and is supported with discussion

28. Why Do We Blog? For an insight into the power of blogging as a tool for an online learning community, please click on the following link These are the ideas of the Year 5 and 6 students I taught THE TEAM IN ROOM 8

29. Blogs as a Personal Reflection Tool and as a way to Develop an Online Learning Community THE eLEARNING BUZZ This is an example of a Blogger blog It is a personal learning blog where teaching and learning is reflected on and ideas shared with others The online community aspect comes from the discussions with other ‘like minds’ Through this blog I’ve connected with other educators to participate in other online communities of learners

30. What are your thoughts about these Web 2.0 tools? Do they have potential for use in your learning environments? Do they have potential in your own professional learning? I’m looking forward to discussing these with everyone!