Emerging Technologies Crash Course

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Emerging TechnologiesCrash Course

• 12 May 2008

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Overview

• Audiocasts and Podcasts
• Blogs
• Social Bookmarking
• Use of Video
• Virtual Worlds
• Lunch
• Social Networking
• Wikis
• UEL Plus and New Technologies

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Trends and Issues

• User created content1
• Social networking1
• Mobile technology2
• Virtual worlds2
• The new scholarship and emerging forms of
  publication3
  
• Massively multiplayer educational gaming3

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Whats on the horizon today?
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• Podcast
• Second Life
• Skype

• Web 2.0
• Blog
• Wiki
• MashUp
• FaceBook
• YouTube/TeacherTube
• MySpace
• Del.icio.us

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Web 2.0

• Umbrella term for a group of technologies which
  facilitate a more socially connected Web where
  everyone is able to add to and edit the
  information space.
• Includes
• Blogs
• Wikis
• Podcasts
• RSS feeds
• Social networking websites etc...

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Audiocasts and Podcasts
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Uploading and Storage of Audiocasts/Podcasts

• Podcasts are slightly different to Audiocasts.
• The material of the cast is identical, but the
  manner in which it is accessed is different.
  
• Podcasts are available via RSS and a podcast
  server. Devices like iPods can be set to
  automatically download new Podcasts when they
  become available (podcatcher).
• Audiocasts are just audio files which can be made
  available in whichever manner is required e.g.
  from a website, UEL Plus, via email etc.

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Uses of Audio in HE

• Course/Topic introductions and backgrounds.
• Feedback on student assessments.
• Conversations, interviews, debates and group
  discussions.
  
• Student content and opinions.
• Enable students to practice their presentation
  skills.
  
• Provide exemplification for visual/diagramatic
  content.
  

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Benefits of Audio

• Enthusiasm and engagement with topic.
• Supported by student owned technology.
• Can be anytime- anywhere.
• additional/supplementary information which can
  support a lecture, course or concept.
  
• Student content can lead to resource banks.
• Excellent resource for some disabled learners or
  those with English as a 2nd Language.
  
• Educational Podcast Network - www.epnweb.org

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Audacity

• Free software Audacity available on the
  University Network.
  
• Start University Menu WEB Resources
  Audacity
  

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Skype

• Free audio conferencing 18
• Free video conferencing 11
• Need to use UEL adapted version
  https//www.uel.ac.uk/it/secure/skype.htm
  
• Potential use
• Guest speakers
• Teaching (presenting, class discussions)
• Meetings and research

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Blogs
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Example blog

• Furl blog http//blogs.looksmart.com/furl/
• Compare with CiteUlike news http//www.citeulike.
  org/news
  
• Differences?
• How would we define a blog (since it has
  similarities to web pages and wikis)?

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Blog elements

• Varies according to software and user but always
  contains an archive (calendar/list)
  
• Guerilla HR
• Brian Micklethwait Education Blog
• 50 best Business Blogs
• Usually Contain
• Recent posts Tags (as cloud or list)
• Links to other blogs RSS feed

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Uses of blogs in education

• Hobgood, B. (2002) Blogging. Learn NC August
  2002. Available online http//www.learnnc.org/ind
  ex.nsf/doc/timesaver0501?OpenDocument
  
• Hopgood provides a comprehensive explanation of
  blogging, detailing the five uses of blogs as
  journals, diaries, publication tool,
  administrative tool, and research source, all
  with particular relevance to education.

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Uses of blogs in education

• Branum, J.M. (2001) The Blogging Phenomenon An
  Overview and Theoretical Consideration. Available
  online from
  
• http//www.ajy.net/jmb/blogphenomenon.htm
• The origin of the division between blogs for
  writing (free style) and blogs for reading
  (filter style)
  
• Distinction?

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2 main blog types

• Filter style blogs
• Reader focused usually short commentaries on
  a topic and links to related resources.
  
• Free-style blogs
• Writer focused large range of uses but more
  like a traditional diary

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Filter style

• Can be multiple rather than single author
• Often an expert commentator in the field
• Can centre on a specialist subject area
• Valuable resource in education
• Excellent for keeping up to date with
  developments in a field
  
• But

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How do you evaluate them?

• Important for students to learn to evaluate blogs
  as its grey lit.
  
• Same evaluation principles as websites (currency,
  authority, accuracy, coverage etc).
  
• But
• More information on author status.
• Look for duplication of entries between blogs
  (though blogosphere can be a bit incestuous).

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Where do you find them?

• Weblogs Compendium
• Technorati
• Takes in links from Furl and del.icio.us, the
  bookmarks managers, so brings up specific entries
  related to the search.
  
• Globe of Blogs
• Use browse by topic from the left-hand menu

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How do you keep up with entries?

• Some offer e-mail feeds (daily/weekly/monthly) of
  new entries.
  
• Set up a blog with a blogroll of your choice
  (good for keeping your own notes on what you
  read)
  
• Use an aggregator if the blog has an RSS/XML feed.

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Blogging software

• Bloglines
• Notice that it has an inbuilt aggregator or
  feed reader so that you can have all your feeds
  from sites in one place to read.
  
• Blogger
• Another very easy to use piece of blogging
  software. Now acquired by Google.

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Aggregators

• Two main types
• Web-based (e.g. Bloglines) allows you to read
  feeds that you select on one site online, no
  matter where you are.
  
• Desktop (e.g.FeedDemon) is software you install
  on your PC - and has more functionality than
  web-based aggregators

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Social Bookmarking
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Social Bookmarking

• Store your personal favourites online and share
  with family, friends, students and colleagues.
  
• Create one account for a group enabling an online
  storage for interesting/relevant information.
  
• Discover new sites from the community (browse,
  find, get recommendations).
  
• E.g. http//del.icio.us/uelbusiness

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Web 2.0 Bookmarking

• Web-based
• Social
• Sharing
• SDEL also has a del.icio.us site
  http//del.icio.us/uelelearning
  
• Notice that you can follow who has also
  bookmarked in order to look at what theyve
  bookmarked.
  
• Or search to get your favourites and
  everyones favourites

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Alternative Furl

• www.furl.net
• Easiest with the furl tab on your menu (so need
  to install all computers you use)
  
• Notice how you can get clippings easily (just
  highlight what you want to copy)
  
• Allows comments
• Has star ratings
• Topics act like folders

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Alternative CiteUlike

• http//www.citeulike.org
• Designed for organising academic papers
  originally a repository contributed to by the
  authors.
  
• Now extended to online journals and web sites.
• Notice the tag clouds as well as search
  facility.
  
• Genuinely good source of scholarly material for
  research purposes.

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Use of Video
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Whats new?

• Videos, DVDs, educational TV programmes have been
  around for a long time but in recent years
  theres been a huge growth in
  
• Open (free) resources
• Amateur recording possibilities
• Publishing possibilities e.g. utube
• Options for integrating with other technologies
  e.g. VLE, websites, mobiles

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Examples (3rd party)

• External speaker Tre Azam at Leeds Met (YouTube).
  
  
• Clinical skills videos for medical related
  students (YouTube).
  
• MIT Video Lecture (MIT Open Courseware).
• OU Video blog (Open University Open Learn).
• Interviewing Tips (YouTube).

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Examples (UEL homegrown)

• Software demo Screen capture explaining
  Turnitin for students.
  
• Expert Guidance - carrying out common lab
  procedures

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Not just for Teaching

• Promotional (all from YouTube)
• Aston MSc in Business
• QUB MBA
• UEL General Introduction
• Students can produce their own videos
• University of Greenwich Student Project

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Useful links

• Teacher Tube (Business)
• YouTube (Business Education)
• SDEL multimedia production service

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Virtual Worlds
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Second Life

• Second Life a virtual world
• Opened for the public in 2003
• Boasts of a population of 11 million
• Residents from 100 countries age range 18-25
• Used for business, social interaction, education
  etc. (est. 100 HEI)
  
• Requires free software installation

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Further VW Resources

• UEL on Second Life
• SDEL Staff Development Training on Second Life
• UK Universities on Second Life

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Social Networking
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Social Networking

• What is Social Networking?
• Examples of Social Networking technologies
• www.facebook.com
• Launched February 2004
• Est. 42 million members
• www.myspace.com
• Launched August 2003
• Est. 200 million members
• Elgg.org (e.g. eduspaces.net)
• Open Source
• High degree of privacy control

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Social Networking

• How is Social Networking currently used in Higher
  Education?
  
• Increase out of classroom communication
• Additional channel of collaboration
• Allows for restricted or open forums
• What are the potential uses for you?
• Creation of subject specific affinity groups
• Connect to other networks to knowledge share
• Utilise existing applications (or even create
  your own!)

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Wikis
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Wiki Resources

• All resources on the use of Wikis in UEL / HE are
  available from the below Wiki.
  
• UEL Wiki

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Emerging TechnologiesCrash Course

• 12 May 2008