Transcript Web Logs (Blogs)

Emerging Technologies
Web Logs (Blogs), Wikis and
Open Source Software
August 30/04
Presented by Alec Couros
• "[This device] appealed at once to the eye and
to the ear, thus naturally forming the habit of
attention, which is so difficult to form by the
study of books .... Whenever a pupil does not
fully understand, [it] will have the opportunity ...
of enlarging and making intelligible."
• "[These instruments are] not uncommon, but
are but little resorted to by the teacher.”
• "The teacher knows almost as little how to use
it as his pupils.”
Quotes from the 1840’s and 1850’s regarding
the use of the chalkboard, from UPAEP.
• "...the existing system is utterly inefficient. The
teacher...may pour it in the ear, or extract it from
the printed page,...but unless he teaches
through the eye...no satisfactory instruction can
be conveyed."
Sir David Brewer (1856) regarding the magic
lantern and stereoscope.
• "[It] is going to make school so attractive that a
big army with swords and guns couldn't keep
boys and girls out of it."
Thomas Edison (1911) regarding motion
pictures/film.
• Edison continued …“Mix moving pictures with
education and you'll have something that
makes kids want to go to school. You'll have to
lick 'em to keep 'em away." (1911)
Featured Examples
• Web Logs (Blogs, CMS)
• Wikis
• Open Source Software
Web Communication/Creation
• HTML editing tools like Dreamweaver,
FrontPage, GoLive, etc. have been
popular, and may continue to be
important. However, there is a an
easier “solution” to managing web
creation through various new(er)
tools.
• Content Management Systems
(CMS’s), specifically blogs, may be
very useful in the classroom.
Content Management Systems
• What is a CMS?
• “A system used to manage the content of
a Web site. Can allow a content
manager or author, who may not know
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), to
manage the creation, modification, and
removal of content from a Web site
without needing the expertise of a
Webmaster.” (NoMensa)
• See one in action.
Source: NoNomensa.com
Web Logs (Blogs)
• Web Logs use a specialized CMS software, and
have various uses – mostly web type
journals/logs.
• Popular services include:
– Blogger (demo), LiveJournal, TypePad,
Pitas, etc. (100’s more).
• Blogs have many uses, and are becoming
popular in many facets of education.
• See a blog about blogging in education:
– Weblogg-ed - http://www.weblogg-ed.com/
Examples of Student Blogs
• Mr. West’s Class
• “Students as Columnists”
• NBCHS
For teachers, blogs are attractive
because they require little effort to
maintain, unlike more elaborate
classroom Web Sites, which were
once heralded as a boon for
teaching.
Open Source / Free Software
• The Open Source / Free Software
movement is complex … but what you
need to know, there are a lot of free tools
(software and content) that is available
for your use, for free.
• The most common examples include
Linux, Apache (web server) and Open
Office.
• Open Source software offers a strong
alternative to proprietary software (e.g.,
Windows).
The Wonder of Wikis
• Wiki is a piece of server software
that allows users to freely create
and edit Web page content using
any Web browser.
• Wikis allow everyday users to
create and edit any page in a Web
site. The concept is unique as it
encourages democratic use of the
Web and promotes content
composition by nontechnical users.
Wiki Examples
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Wikipedia
Wikibooks
Wikitravel
Examples of Classroom Wikis
Examples of Student Wikis
What’s available for free?
• All sorts of software is available:
– Entire operating systems (Linux)
– Web Servers (Apache)
– Content Management Systems (Nuke)
– Graphics Programs (The GIMP)
– Typing Tutors (Tux Type)
– School Administration (Open Admin)
– Office Suites (Open Office) – demo
… So many more …
And there’s content …
• The Open Movement has inspired free
learning objects, and even course
content.
– MIT’s Open CourseWare Initiative
– CreativeCommons.org
– MERLOT
– CAREO’
– Project Gutenberg
Many more here:
http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/CIE/AOP/LO_collections.html
Places to Start (for OS / FS)
• School Forge
– http://www.schoolforge.net/
• Open Source Education Foundation
– http://www.osef.org/
• Open Source Schools
– http://opensourceschools.org/
• K-12 Linux Project (terminal server)
– http://www.k12ltsp.org/
Keeping Up On New Technologies
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Network of Innovative Schools
SlashDot (news for nerds, stuff that matters)
Weblogg-ed
SchoolForge
Canopener
NewScientist.com
• My own Blog and resource site:
http://www.educationaltechnology.ca/couros
You can download today’s presentation from
here as well.
Thank you for listening.
Contact:
[email protected]
www.educationaltechnology.ca/couros