Module 3News Engine, Blogs, Wikis, and RSS feeds

Instructional Technology

SharpSchool Module 3 Agenda

• Introduction

• Connections Map– 21st Century Skills

• Using the news engine on your website.

• Create a blog page

• Adding a RSS feed to your webpage

News Engine

• Keeps students and parents informed of what is going on in your classroom.– Assignments , special classroom

events, etc.– Places a portal from your

announcement page to your home page.

Classroom Activity

Add a news event to your website

Blogs vs. Wikis

• Blog vs. Wiki Debate Video

WIKI BLOG

Definitions:  

A collaborative website which can be directly edited by anyone with access to it.

A personal or corporate website in the form of an online journal, with new entries appearing in the sequence as they are written.

Writers:  

Many authors such as teachers, students, parents, administration.

Typically one person, such as a teacher, administrator.

Others can comment, but not edit   Content:  

Grows rapidly. Grows slowly, one post at a time.

Constantly change and continuously updated. Discussions can take place on pages of a discussion forum.

Discussions take place in the comments of a post, typically approved by blogger.

Blogs

• A blog (a contraction of the term weblog) is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video.

• Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order.

• "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

• As of December 2007, blog search engine Technorati was tracking more than 112 million blogs.

– Wikipedia.com

Blogs

• An informative way of communicating with the world.

• An Online Journal where you share your thoughts, opinions and ideas on a topic.

• A blog can be used for classroom topics, projects, debates, and discussions as a tool to enhance your classroom online.

Blog examples:

http://carver.tulsaschools.org/blog/One.aspx?portalId=4092570

http://whitney.tulsaschools.org/blog/One.aspx?portalId=2840077

Art Teacher:http://zarrow.tulsaschools.org/blog/One.aspx?portalId=4977934

It’s all in how you promote and integrate your blog—

determines participation. Clear expectations!

Why Use Your Blog WITHIN SharpSchool as

Opposed to Blogger, etc.?• More control• More secure• Blog available only to those you

allow• More control over comments

Discuss

Turn to your neighbor and share

how you plan to use blogs on your

website.

Class Activity

Add a blog page to your class website

Wikis • "Wiki" is a Hawaiian word for

"fast"

• A webpage where anyone can edit, create, or change the information on it

• Wikipedia is a “Wiki” website

Wiki Examples

•http://wikisineducation.wetpaint.com/

•http://itcboisestate.wordpress.com/2008/05/21/10-best-practices-for-using-wikis-in-education/

Wiki on SharpSchool

Coming soon! They are available but you have to use HTML coding. Will soon be available

using the basic editor.

RSS feeds

• “Really Simple Syndication”• A subscription to the latest

information from different places

• You receive them all at once: they come to you!

RSS feeds

You

RSS feeds

You

RSS Feeds and SharpSchool

• Adding an RSS feed to your class website can give parents and students constant updates from websites that can help them be successful in your classroom.

Classroom Activity

• Adding a RSS feed to your site:

Nedra Weinreich of the SpareChange Blog