Using Web 2.0 Tools
Theresa Sevrence
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Blogs, Wikis & RSS - Oh My!
Blogs are becoming an increasing popular communication tool in education. Teachers and administrators are utilizing them as a way to share information with students and parents, thus breaking down the "walls" of contact that used to only happen within the ordinary school day. Students can also use them to keep digital portfolios, creative writing samples, journalism class or as a personal journal.
Wikis and Blogs are often used in conjunction with other Web 2.0 tools that can be embedded (i.e. YouTube, Voki, etc).
Blog Sites:
A wiki is a page or collection of web pages designed to enable users to directly add or modify content. Wikis are often used to create collaborative websites.
Wiki Sites:
RSS (Real Simple Syndication) is a format used to publish frequently updated works – such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video – in a standardized format.
RSS feeds can be read using software called an "RSS reader", "feed reader", or "aggregator".
An aggregator is client software or a Web application which collects syndicated web content such as news headlines, blogs, and podcasts in a single location for easy viewing.
The RSS feed simply allows users to subscribe to the podcast or news feed so that when a new episode is published, it is automatically updated. This is similar to the magazine subscription process. Instead of mailing back the subscription card and receiving a printed magazine each month in your mailbox, you click the subscribe button on the podcast or news feed that you wish to receive. They are typically free and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Google Reader as an RSS Aggregator
When subscribing to RSS feeds, you can use your Google Home Page as an aggregator.
iTunes as a Podcast Aggregator
iTunes is the most convenient aggregator to search and organize podcasts (Mac or PC). You can subscribe to various podcasts and iTunes will organize them in your Podcast Library. When new episodes are releases, iTunes will automatically download them.
Site updated on January 26, 2010
