Web+2.0_Social+Media

Social media is quickly becoming an option for educators who would like to connect locally, nationally or globally! Not surprisingly, just as in f2f learning, just 'getting together' doesn't ensure that these tools will promote effective collaboration that improves teacher practice or student learning.toc

Social media can be a move toward democratizing of content on the web. Anyone can create content using free tools, and then users/readers can comment on, tag or rate the kinds of media that is produced. Arguably, there are still issues about who has access, who is motivated to produce and for what purposes, and what kind of control exists on the web related to what gets read and promoted. Critical literacy skills are increasingly needed to navigate this territory intelligently.

Watch this video for a quick description of Social Media http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpIOClX1jPE = = =Diigo or Delicious= I could live without a lot of my technology, but the one thing I can't live without is Diigo which helps me organize my web bookmarks through an account on the web either publicly or private. This means that I can access them at any computer or mobile device. Added to this is the ability to form groups, follow others and annotate or comment on webpages. It's an amazing learning tool! I actually began as a Delicious user and then imported my bookmarks into Diigo. media type="custom" key="24949876"

=Blogs and RSS=

What is a BLOG - From Commoncraft @http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN2I1pWXjXI

For examples of more educational blogs than you could ever get to in your lifetime check this out: http://supportblogging.com/Links+to+School+Bloggers Great ideas for helping kids make good blog posts:

Many blogs are created on free hosting sites such as:
 * www.blogger.com (e.g. www.thecleversheep.blogspot.com, www.mrssherry.blogspot.com http://avivadunsiger.blogspot.com/
 * www.wordpress.com (e.g. @http://markcarbone.wordpress.com/ @http://bsherry.wordpress.com)
 * www.edublogs.org (e.g. portablepd.ca)
 * http://classblogmeister.com/ (e.g. Tracy Muller's classroom blog )
 * How to set up a Blogmeister blog http://www.slideshare.net/hseufert/class-blogmeister
 * Kidblog.org A new hosting service where student emails aren't required and student blogs are attached to the teacher page

=Wikis=

What is a wiki? [] Here is a really comprehensive look into wikis - the WHY and HOW of wikis. It's great for the beginner, but the links provided are great for anyone! http://wikispaces.com [|http://pbworks.com]
 * Hosting Services for Free Wikis**

Wikis for Education:
Upper Grand Teacher Librarians: http://ugliwiki.wikispaces.com 21st Century Learning - Andrew Churches http://edorigami.wikispaces.com Teacher Librarian Wiki http://webtools4u2use.wikispaces.com Will Richardson's Wiki Page http://weblogged.wikispaces.com/Wiki+Links Educational-Blogging http://educational-blogging.wikispaces.com

Along the way, we'll look at some of the ways that you can organize the blogs and news that you read using RSS (Real Simple Syndication). Some popular ways to do this:
 * google reader
 * bloglines
 * pageflakes
 * netvibes

=Twitter= == Ever wondered...What on earth is all the fuss about Twitter? You have to really try it for yourself and see... Click here for more about Twitter //From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//
 * Twitter** is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read messages known as //tweets//. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the author's profile page and delivered to the author's subscribers who are known as //followers//. Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends or, by default, allow open access. Users can send and receive tweets via the Twitter website, Short Message Service (SMS) or external applications. While the service itself costs nothing to use, accessing it through SMS may incur phone service provider fees.

=Web 2.0 Social Tools That Enhance Learning //-// Great Links= Storybird- Use the exceptional artwork of artists to create a story to share - or write one collaboratively. No student email is required and teachers can easily set up classroom spaces. //Storybirds// are short, art-inspired stories you make to share, read, and print. Read them like books, play them like games, and send them like greeting cards. Explania - Animations that explains all kinds of different things Voicethread - Create Voicethreads to share conversations around images, video or audio content Audioboo - Record up to 3 minutes of audio that will capture explanation that you can save or embed. (computer or iphone) Fotobabble - Use a picture and add some audio explanations for demonstrations of learning, thinking outloud, or just plain sharing (computer, ipad, iphone) Scratch - Object oriented programming that is really engaging and versatile for demonstrations of learning. Voki - Animated avatars that can also include your voice and be embedded online