We asked those of you who could make the session to think about your favourite and least favourite technologies and be prepared to to talk about them at the session.
Favourite technologies included RSS, social bookmarking/delicious, flickr, personalised web pages, mobile technologies, virtual worlds and facebook.
Your least favourite technologies – twitter was top of the list, though different browsers and mobile technologies were also mentioned.
Please do fill in the post-course evaluation survey we have emailed you to help us to change future versions of the programme!
1. Watch this Screencast – LibX for staff and students (created by Kathryn Greenhill, formerly of Murdoch University) – to discover what the LibX toolbar is all about.
This week we are taking a brief look at browsers, toolbars, widgets and mashups.
Web browsers
Many people use Internet Explorer (IE) as this is the browser that comes with Windows. However it is useful to know that there are a number of other browsers out there that are better/different alternatives to IE.
For a quick overview (4.5 mins) of the differences between IE, Firefox, Google Chrome and Safari view this YouTube video:
Toolbars
A toolbar is a horizontal or vertical row of icons/buttons that enables you to easily click on/link to features of a particular programme, service or tool. It sits either within the programme, such as your browser or floats at the the top or on the side of your screen.
You can customise toolbars within your browser or programme, such as Firefox or IE or you can download or create toolbars for a variety of resources, for example the Pubmed toolbar (only works in Firefox). These are become more popular and are a good way of embedding us as a service (be this the library or the institution) in our user’s workspace. The LibX toolbar is a great example of this – we will ask you to install this as you do the activity for this week.
Widgets
The term widget has a variety of meanings depending on where it is used. In a nutshell, a widget is a piece of code that can be embedded into any html page that allows a user to do stuff. For a simple explanation of what a widget is, see What is a web widget? from Widgets for Web 2.0.
In the Learning 2.0 programme you will have encountered widgets in web applications such as WordPress and Wetpaint. As you may recall, they enable you to display content from other sources, such as embedding a YouTube video on your wiki page or you may have added widgets to your Word Press blog to enable the display of recent posts or your blogroll.
Mashups
Put simply, a mashup is what you create when you take data from various sources and put them together. A very popular current use of mashups is integrating some kind of data with Google maps, for example creating a map of the location of restaurants in your area. The plus is that you do not require high levels of technical skills to build mashups.
The Mashup Awards highlights the best of what’s out there on the web in mashups or you can view this video for a (slighly) more technical overview of mashups
First, you’ll need to create a Google account at: https://www.google.com/accounts/NewAccount. This will allow you to use Google’s advanced and password protected services, including Google Docs. You’ll need to enter your Hotmail address and a password and then go through a couple of simple steps to create your account.
For each group, there is a set of questions; the answer to each sum is used in the following question. You can divide the questions up between the people in your group, or work on them together – it’s up to you. The spreadsheet works like a standard Excel file – all you need to do is type the answers in the boxes provided. The sheet auto-saves, so don’t worry about saving anything.
This week we’ll be looking at online office tools – web based applications that mirror the functions of Microsoft Office programs like Word, Excel and Powerpoint. The market leader in this kind of online software is Docs, a suite of applications developed by Google. To see Google Docs compared to other online office suites, click here. What you get with Google Docs is a set of simplified spreadsheet, word processing and presentation tools, which are all web based and therefore not reliant on using the same computer or the same computer based operating system (like Windows) to be able to access your documents. Like wikis, there is also a strong collaborative element to Docs – you can invite people to edit or view your documents, comment on each other’s edits and, as all versions are saved online, you can always revert back to a previous draft if you’re not happy. As the document owner, you can also be notified via email when any changes are made to your work.
Google Docs represents a free and easy way of working and collaborating online, without being tied to the same desktop PC. There are arguments about the safety and security of storing important documents online, as your saved work is reliant on Google’s servers staying up, but Google Docs have evidently given Microsoft something to worry about, as they’re about to roll out Office 2010, a free, lightweight online version of Office. Sound familiar?
If this grabs your interest, have a look at some of the other free online office style applications which are available:
Wordle - creates ‘word clouds’ that pick out the most used words in a piece of writing or set of data.
Jing – free screen capture technology – take screen shots or make videos of what’s on your computer screen.
Please note you can complete either the gaming activity or the virtual worlds activity or both – it’s up to you.
Gaming activity
1. Dr Tracey Wilen-Daugenti has produced a short YouTube video highlighting the use of games in higher education, it is very U.S. focused, but is interesting nonetheless and is only around 3 minutes long. Please watch the video using the link below:
3. After you have watched the video and read your selected article, please write a blog post with a few of your thoughts on how you think games could be used in your Higher Education environment/role; if you do not think it applicable for your role please briefly say why and give any ideas you have on where you could see it being useful.
Virtual worlds activity
1. Attend the workshop on virtual worlds and Second Life. If you cannot attend, read through the presentation on Slideshare. If you have the time and you are able to download Second Life, try creating and avatar and having a look at Second Life.
2. Reflect on what you think about the role of virtual worlds in higher education and/or libraries. Do you think they are relevant? Write a blog post about it.
This week we investigate gaming and virtual worlds. The gaming content is featured in this week’s blog entry, and the virtual worlds content will be covered in the workshop we are running on Thursday the 13th August. This will be posted on the blog on the morning of the workshop.
Gaming
“Games are… the most ancient and time honoured vehicle for education.
They are the original education technology, the natural one, having
received the seal of approval of natural selection.1”
Games & Learning
There is a strong link between games and learning; experiential learning theories illustrate the importance of learning through play and learning through experience. Levine2 lists the following 6 attributes of games which highlight their usefulness and importance in learning:
• Games test our problem-solving skills;
• Games are inclusive;
• Games create community;
• Games facilitate learning;
• Games provide fields for practice of leadership and team skills; and
• Games develop identity.
At university now we are seeing students who are digital natives, they have never known life without computers. In particular computer games enable engagement with students in formats they’re familiar with in other areas of their lives and allow us to exploit the latest technologies and opportunities to create an exciting learning environment. The main work being done in this area is American, however UK universities are catching up and finding that that the field holds a lot of interesting potential that could be explored.
This week’s workshop on virtual worlds will give you an overview of virtual worlds and their key characteristics, as well as an idea on how they are being used in higher education and in libraries. We will focus on the virtual world “Second Life” as this is what is being used by many higher education institutions. The majority of the workshop will be a hands-on session where you will also get to create your own avatar.
For further reading on virtual worlds and Second Life, see the tags virtualworlds + learning2.0 in our Imperial Library delicious account.
References
1 Crawford (1982)
Cited by: Godwin, P. and J. Parker (eds.) (2008)
Information Literacy Meets Library 2.0. London, Facet.
2 Levine, J. (2006) Gaming & Libraries: Intersection of Services. Library Technology Reports: Expert Guides to Library Systems and Services, 42 (5), 5.
3 EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (2006) 7 things you should know about…virtual worlds. [Online]. Available from: http://www.educause.edu/ELI/7ThingsYouShouldKnowAboutVirtu/156818 [Accessed 7th August 2009].
Week 8 of this year’s programme looks at mobile technologies.
The Horizon Report (2009) identifies mobiles as a key technology to impact on education and teaching in the next twelve months. Over the past few years the capabilities of mobile phones (including their capacity to store data) have increased, have come down in price and are easier to use. Mobile broadband is now more available and affordable than ever before and there are wireless networks everywhere. These devices also include a range of handheld devices.
Examples
Well known examples include the iPhone and the BlackBerry, while other phone companies are developing their own versions of these so-called ’smart phones’. In addition to this, handheld technologies including PDAs, the iPod touch and games consoles such as the PSP and Nintendo DS are portable and an alternative way to access the internet.
Learning 2.0 tools and mobile technologies
Many of the tools (such as blogs, RSS, social bookmarking, social networking and multimedia) we have talked about during the Learning 2.0 programme can be accessed via your mobile phone. This might be via a pared down version of the desktop/web based version. If you are using an iPhone or similar options then you are able to view the actual webpage. The plus is that they are portable, practically everyone has one and costs are going down.
How do people currently use mobiles/mobile technologies?
Update their facebook/twitter status – enabled by mobile phone packages that enable phone users to access these services;
Phonecalls;
Sms /text messages – it is not unreasonable to assume that the majority of our users have/use mobile phones.
Surf the internet;
Search for specific info such as film times;
Students looking up catalogue info on their mobiles, they don’t write down a shelf mark on a piece of paper, they have it on their phone;
Use their iPod touch to search websites/read RSS feeds;
PDAs to manage email, calenders, connect to the internet, synchronise with your PC/Mac;
Use gaming consoles such as the PSP and DS to access the internet.
Potential uses for higher education?
Designing content for mobile phones (e.g. College website, iPhone applications, search applications);
Using mobile phones to communicate with our users (e.g. rather than emailing them – why not send a text message?);
Each year the Mobile World Congress is held and discusses top trends in mobile technologies. See Top 10 mobile trends for what was highlighted at the 2009 conference (note you will need to set up an ‘Access my Library’ account to view it).
How other institutions are using mobiles/mobile technologies? (Apologies – this is a bit library-focussed – feel free to comment with other examples if you discover them)
Below are some activities to get you using and exploring this technology. Have a go, but if you get stuck remember you can email us at learning2.0@imperial.ac.uk and we’ll do our best to help! There’s a tutorial video on Wetpaint wiki basics here:
Activity #1 – RSVP please!
Check your inbox (we will be sending the invites to your Hotmail accounts) – you should have received an invitation from WetPaint to join the Learning 2.0 wiki.
Please accept the invite and head on over to the wiki and register with WetPaint so you can start Activity#2.
Can’t find your invite?
First try checking your Junk mail folder in Hotmail – it may be in there.
You may need to sign in with the WetPaint username and password you created in Activity#1. To do this click on the ‘Member sign in’ button in the middle of the screen.
Once you’ve signed in you have a choice of what to do next:
These are designed for the Learning Groups and should show you how collaboration on a wiki can work. Here’s what to do:
Find the wiki pages navigation menu on the left of the screen:
Click on the Climate Change link for your group - there are 4 pages for each group, with information on climate change. Do as many of the following activities as you like:
The information is deliberately controversial – if you have any strong feelings about this, click the Easy Edit button and edit the text – either delete it and start again, or add your own information underneath:
You can start discussions on the pages, or comment on other people’s work. If you want to do this, scroll to the bottom of the page, where it says Threads for this page and fill out the message form. People can reply to this as you would in any message forum
You can add a new page anywhere by selecting the page you want to link from on the navigation menu and clicking on Add a new page. You’ll need to give it a name – once saved, it will appear under the page you linked from on the navigation menu.
Check the Updates tab to see who’s done what and when – Wetpaint keeps a record of all changes made to the wiki.
Watch videos on climate change and upload your own video ripostes from YouTube by clicking on the Videos tab.
Take the climate change poll – on the What is global warming? Page.
Quick activities
Click on Quick activities on the navigation menu
Add your favourite recipes and jokes to the relevant pages by clicking the Easy Edit button :
Comment on the best or worst jokes and recipes, using the Threads for this page message form at the bottom of each page.
