etc@bmc
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
The Read/Write Web: a primer
The web is changing--and fast! And it's changing the way we teach and learn. Will Richardson has put together a reading list for those interested in learning more about how the web is changing education. I'm proud to say I've read most everything on the list. I'd love to participate in a reading group around them.
read/write web
read/write web
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Click and Double-Click: Social Bookmarking
Our podcast on social bookmarking is here. A screencast is coming soon. For more information and links, see the post below and an earlier post on social bookmarking.
social bookmarking, podcast, education
click and double-click
social bookmarking, podcast, education
click and double-click
Free/Open Source Word Processors
A while back, I wrote about two web-based word processors, Writeboard and Writely. While these are really cool word processors, that, I should point out, don't even require you to have a computer, some of you may want something you can actually use offline. Obviously, you can use Word, but many of us don't have the money to purchase it for ourselves or want to support open source software.
At home, I use AbiWord, a very nice open source word processor that imports and exports to Word. It works on Windows, Linux and Mac OS X (my system at home is OS X). It does footnotes and endnotes. I have been able to do everything I've needed to with it.
Another option, and one that I wrote my Master's thesis in, is OpenOffice Writer. Like AbiWord, it can import and export to Word. It can do everything that Word can do. I also used it to comment on student papers and write lots of other papers. OpenOffice Writer is part of a larger suite of software that includes presentation software, spreadsheet software, and drawing software. The only drawback for me is that it doesn't work well on a Mac. In fact, there's a whole separate project for it. It takes a little technical skill to get it installed and running on a Mac. On all other systems, it's quite simple.
I encourage you to try one of these out. They're not any more difficult to install and use than Word. And they're free and open. If you like them, donate some money to them.
word processors, open source, education
At home, I use AbiWord, a very nice open source word processor that imports and exports to Word. It works on Windows, Linux and Mac OS X (my system at home is OS X). It does footnotes and endnotes. I have been able to do everything I've needed to with it.
Another option, and one that I wrote my Master's thesis in, is OpenOffice Writer. Like AbiWord, it can import and export to Word. It can do everything that Word can do. I also used it to comment on student papers and write lots of other papers. OpenOffice Writer is part of a larger suite of software that includes presentation software, spreadsheet software, and drawing software. The only drawback for me is that it doesn't work well on a Mac. In fact, there's a whole separate project for it. It takes a little technical skill to get it installed and running on a Mac. On all other systems, it's quite simple.
I encourage you to try one of these out. They're not any more difficult to install and use than Word. And they're free and open. If you like them, donate some money to them.
word processors, open source, education
Monday, October 24, 2005
Social Bookmarking
I have already written on this topic before (see previous post here). However, it seems like a new social bookmarking tool comes out every day. And Friday, there was an article in PC Magazine reviewing a few of them. Tomorrow we'll be doing a podcast episode about them, so the air is abuzz with social bookmarking. Why is social bookmarking so cool? Lots of reasons, chief among them (for me), the social aspect. How is bookmarking social, you ask? Well, because people are involved. You know how when you search for books on Amazon, you also get the ever present "People who purchased this book also purchased . . ." list. Well, that's what social bookmarking gets you. When you save an article, you'll see a list of articles that other people who saved that article saved. Much as I love technology, a computer can only do so much for you. When you get to see what similar-minded people are interested in reading, it's like going to a conference everyday, only less expensive and more expedient.
So here's a brief preview of social bookmarking. First, I'd read the PC Magazine article linked to above. It gives a good overview. Also read my previous post linked above. In our podcast tomorrow, we'll cover the basics and look at a few different options. Here's a short list:
Furl
BlinkList
del.icio.us
H20 Playlist
Yahoo! MyWeb 2.0
Simpy
Scuttle
Those are the ones I'm familiar with. Tune in tomorrow to get the lowdown.
social bookmarking, education
So here's a brief preview of social bookmarking. First, I'd read the PC Magazine article linked to above. It gives a good overview. Also read my previous post linked above. In our podcast tomorrow, we'll cover the basics and look at a few different options. Here's a short list:
Furl
BlinkList
del.icio.us
H20 Playlist
Yahoo! MyWeb 2.0
Simpy
Scuttle
Those are the ones I'm familiar with. Tune in tomorrow to get the lowdown.
social bookmarking, education
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
E-Learning 2.0
E-Learning has changed significantly over the last few years and is set to change even more in the next five. Just since I've been here (3 years now), blogging has exploded, more and more apps are available on the web, and the students have incorporated technology into their lives more and more, thus expecting it to be incorporated into their education. Stephen Downes provides a good overview of where e-learning has been, where it is, and where it's going in this article in Elearn magazine.
He elucidates what's happening on the web in general and how that's changing how we think about technology in education. "In a nutshell," he says, "what was happening was that the Web was shifting from being a medium, in which information was transmitted and consumed, into being a platform, in which content was created, shared, remixed, repurposed, and passed along." No longer do people not interact with the information on the screen; they are active participators. They comment, expand, and truly participate in what is really a conversation.
The evolution of the Web does not have to do so much with the technology as one might think. As Downes says, "The emergence of the Web 2.0 is not a technological revolution, it is a social revolution." People want to interact with information and create their own. They are no longer content with being passive receptors of it. The same holds true for our students.
His article is worth a read. I think it will be enlightening for many people to think about the directions in which education and technology can go.
elearning 2.0
He elucidates what's happening on the web in general and how that's changing how we think about technology in education. "In a nutshell," he says, "what was happening was that the Web was shifting from being a medium, in which information was transmitted and consumed, into being a platform, in which content was created, shared, remixed, repurposed, and passed along." No longer do people not interact with the information on the screen; they are active participators. They comment, expand, and truly participate in what is really a conversation.
The evolution of the Web does not have to do so much with the technology as one might think. As Downes says, "The emergence of the Web 2.0 is not a technological revolution, it is a social revolution." People want to interact with information and create their own. They are no longer content with being passive receptors of it. The same holds true for our students.
His article is worth a read. I think it will be enlightening for many people to think about the directions in which education and technology can go.
elearning 2.0
Monday, October 17, 2005
Panel presentation on podcasting, screencasting, and blogs
Last week, I had the honor of participating on a panel with my colleague, Michelle Francl, and Jean-Claude Bradley and Scott Warnock from Drexel University. We discussed ways we're using podcasting, screencasting, and blogging in our courses. You can see and hear the talk here. I actually implemented Scott's idea of using screencasting to comment on a student's paper. I'm not sure how it was received, but it was a lot of fun to do.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Blackboard buys WebCT
For those of you who haven't heard, Blackboard just bought WebCT. For a couple of good articles about the merger, see Inside Higher Ed and The Chronicle of Higher Ed.
I'm not sure what this means. In general, I'm skeptical of big deals like this, especially ones that basically eliminate any competition. It might mean there's no incentive for innovation. And it might mean that the price goes up significantly. It could also mean they decide they're big enough to try new things. But it's not been my experience that huge companies try new things.
I'm not sure what this means. In general, I'm skeptical of big deals like this, especially ones that basically eliminate any competition. It might mean there's no incentive for innovation. And it might mean that the price goes up significantly. It could also mean they decide they're big enough to try new things. But it's not been my experience that huge companies try new things.
How blogging can help student writing
Yesterday, I participated in on a conference panel where we all talked about blogging, rss feeds, podcasting, and screencasting. There were two chemistry professors (one was our own Michelle Francl), another writing professor, and myself. The other writing professor, Scott Warnock from Drexel University, demonstrated how he was using tablet pcs to comment on student writing while I talked about the CSEM course that Doug Blank and I are teaching together. One of the things that we all ended up talking about was the way that blogging can help students find a voice, learn to generate their own topics, and write to audiences other than their teachers. This has been one of the most powerful lessons I've learned in teaching this CSEM course. I've always tried to do this in other ways, but blogging makes it really easy.
Then, today, I ran across this post by another professor who is also using blogging extensively in a writing course. He uses a quote from Donald Graves to illustrate his point (and mine!).
Barbara Ganley is also blogging in the classroom and has lots of thoughts and connections to others who are doing so.
Then, today, I ran across this post by another professor who is also using blogging extensively in a writing course. He uses a quote from Donald Graves to illustrate his point (and mine!).
Barbara Ganley is also blogging in the classroom and has lots of thoughts and connections to others who are doing so.
Monday, October 03, 2005
Writeboard
Remember when I wrote about Writely a while back? It's the cool, new online word processor that also allows you to collaborate and save final results as a Word file. Well, there's another web application out there that looks pretty promising. It's called Writeboard. It works slightly differently. Instead of having an account like you do in Writely, you create a whiteboard. My whiteboard is here (the password is "classroom" if you'd like to play). Although I don't think this application is as robust as Writely, I can see some interesting uses of it. Imagine taking a student paper, pasting it into Writeboard and then having the class go in and edit it. You'd have all the versions; you could discuss in class or with the student which changes are more effective. It definitely has potential.
web 2.0, writeboard
web 2.0, writeboard
