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Pods, Blogs and RSS: Syndicating the Learning Process (Web v. 2.0). Ray Schroeder Office of Technology-Enhanced Learning University of Illinois at Springfield. Heraclitus – Prescient Philosopher. Heraclitus by Flemish Painter Johannes Moreelse "The only thing constant is change itself."
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Pods, Blogs and RSS: Syndicating the Learning Process (Web v. 2.0) Ray Schroeder Office of Technology-Enhanced Learning University of Illinois at Springfield
Heraclitus – Prescient Philosopher Heraclitus by Flemish Painter Johannes Moreelse "The only thing constant is change itself." Heraclitus 500 B.C.
Distance Learning Coordinator Circa 2006 Confronting constant change in the technologies and pedagogies of distance delivery the 21st century!
Objectives • Examine emergence of Web 2.0 • Contemplate the challenge of when to move to the next generation • Consider some key 2.0 technologies in DL • Look at the syndication thread that ties these technologies together • Gaze into the future • Continuing discussion/collaboration
Web 2.0 in Education What is the next BIG (or little) thing? Web 2.0 certainly is the context of what is coming! • It is NOT static – not the web page of the ’90s • It is a platform that is: • Dynamic • Interactive • Engaging • Syndicated • Origin of Web 2.0?
Web 2.0 in Education • Web 2.0 – So, what are some examples in education? • If you want to find out what 2.0 means to Education, you have to turn to a 2.0 tech – Wiki! • http://cpitwebtwoinfo.pbwiki.com/ • In common: Dynamic, Interactive, Engaging, Syndicated and constantly changing!
Choosing the Right Tools and Techniques at the Right Time! • Plethora of choices • How does one make a commitment? How long is that commitment ? • Licensing • Retraining • Bifurcation of delivery modes • Supporting multiple analogous systems • Need to conduct on-going review and aim for annual replacement/renewal cycle
When Do We Move to the Next Generation? • Driving forces • Innovators and early adopters • Both faculty and students • Financial Considerations • Example: open source movement in CMS/LMS • Competition – what our peers are doing • Mitigating factors • Knowledge • Licensing commitments • Transition woes (the reluctant, hosting, support, training)
An Example • Wikis • http://cpitwebtwoinfo.pbwiki.com/#Wikiplatforms • http://rayschroeder.wikispaces.org • http://rayschroeder.pbwiki.com • Next stage in collaborative environments • http://www.writely.com • Evolution is the wrong word – as Heraclitus would remind us - “constant change”
iPods and Podcasting • iPods • First iPod released Oct 23, 2001 – latest (?) generation is the fifth generation • http://www.ipodreview.co.uk/#1 • http://www.md3d.com/ (6th generation mock-up by md3d) • Podcasting = iPOD + broadCASTING • iTunes version 4.9 and more recent aggregates the podcasts (using RSS) and auto-transfers them to iPod • Podcasts can be heard on computer or iPod • Now they are shared http://ed-cast.org
Enhanced Podcasts • Change comes to podcasting! • Enhanced Podcasting • Enables insertion of graphics, photos, video • Enables chapters • Example (open with quicktime) • http://web.mac.com/margaretmaag/iWeb/Site/Podcast/Podcast.html • http://web.mac.com/rayschroeder/iWeb/Site/Podcast/Podcast.html • M-Learning arrives! • Students no longer need to be connected
Brief Reality Check Technology for technology’s sake does not cut it. Exercise: • Recall your favorite class (f2f or online) • What made it so special? • The textbook? • The classroom? • The view out the window of the classroom? OR was it……..
Interaction - Engagement … the interaction with the instructor and the other students in the class? Recall Web 2.0: • Dynamic • Interactive • Engaging • Syndicated Podcasting is dynamic and syndicated, but where do we engage and interact?
Student Podcasting • Students respond in kind via podcasts • My colleague Burks Oakley uses a simplified podcast mode for student podcasts: • http://audioblogger.com 415-856-0205 • Posts up to a five minute podcast to your blog! • Automatically hosted, RSS generated • And students can also post text, image or videos
Blogs While podcasts grew out of blogs, they have not supplanted blogs as a teaching/learning tool! • A blog created every second • Comment modes encourage interaction • Team blogs enable engagement • The “Blogosphere” is an incredible network with massive worldwide reach
Ray’s Blogs • Techo-News – begun in 2000 • Developed as a tool to share current research with students in graduate seminar • Selected current readings for required critiques • Ed Tech – begun at request of state board of ed • Online Learning Update • Turned into something more • Reach and Impact • Reflections – not just text
RSS • “Really Simple Syndication” RSS 2.0 • Xml format – concisely describes a site • Enables a variety of tools to access and manipulate the feed • iTunes, Sharp Reader, Yahoo, Firefox … all offer RSS aggregation • Have already seen dynamic web sites • The thread that links many Web 2.0 apps
Syndicating the Learning Process • Open Knowledge Initiative of MIT • Open Source Movement – Moodle / Sakai etc. • Sharing of Learning Objects – Merlot, Ed-Cast • Inter-institutional team teaching – UIS: • Chicago State University (HBCU), Northeastern Illinois University, Warsaw School of Economics • Movement to open access to scholarly journals • Web 2.0 technologies – syndicating via RSS • Breaking down institutional walls – opening education!
Where to from Here? • We have dynamic, interactive, syndicated, engaging applications and sites • Next steps commonly come from convergence • Ubiquitous – WiMax? xMax? BPL? Gigabeam? • Motorola and Nokia announce cell/wifi phones • Integration of devices • Phone/PDA/iPod/Computer all in one • OQO tablet $2,000 • Projection Keyboards $199
Ray’s Crystal Ball • This second half of the first decade • Access, access, access – broadband via seamless mix • Mobility – via merged devices (true m-learning) • Computers shrink into enhanced cell phones • Open source rules – 3rd party support rises • Distance learning becomes norm not exception • Learning no longer from a single sage – but an ever-growing network of living, dynamic sources syndicated across the net • Key will be to look beyond the newest deployments to those in the pipeline – begin looking two steps ahead
Contact We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately. – BF Ray Schroeder http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/onlinelearning/blogger.html Schroeder.ray@uis.edu 217-206-7531 http://onlinelearningupdate.com/MDLA.ppt