Session2

SESSION #2 ONLINE 1. Read chapters 1 and 2 in "Web Literacy for Educators".  2. If you don't understand what an aggregator is or are unclear what RSS is, please view the following video: RSS in Plain English  3. You will need to set up your own aggregator. For this class, we'll use Google Reader. Please go to Google Reader and get a free account. You will now begin setting up your aggregator with RSS feeds.  4. If you need assistance using Google Reader (adding feeds (subscribing) to your aggregator (Google Reader)), please view the following video: Google Reader in Plain English  5. Add your peers' blogs into your Google Reader. Here they are:
 * Name || Blog URL ||
 * Dr. Fritz || www.mokmfritzblog.blogspot.com ||
 * Jessica Cratty || @http://crattyedtec448.blogspot.com/ ||
 * Phil DeCrescente || @http://thedeecspeak.blogspot.com/ ||
 * Megan Bonner || @http://bonneredtec448.blogspot.com ||
 * Leslie Serany || www.gradclass448.blogspot.com ||
 * Mary Pandya || @http://mapandya.blogspot.com/ ||
 * Karen Mull || @http://karenmull.blogspot.com ||
 * Jen Atkiss || @http://edtec448psgv.blogspot.com/ ||

6. After adding your peers' blogs, take a look at some other professional blogs. You'll see a "Blogroll" in the left margin at the bottom of this page (scroll down to "Edtec448 Blogroll"). Visit those blogs to get a feel for what professional blogging looks like. Read the posts and the comments.  7. Find 5 new blogs and/or news sites and subscribe to them in your Google Reader. Just about any news, sports, entertainment site has an RSS feed within it somewhere. Look at the top of your browser page where you write the URL. All the way to the right - do you see the little orange (or blue) "RSS" icon they showed you in the "RSS in Plain English" video? Click on that and it will prompt you to go through your Google Reader account. Sometimes, news cites have a separate page within their website for RSS feeds. For example, go to CNN's website. Scroll all the way to the bottom and you'll see a link for "RSS". Click on that link and it will take you to a page for their RSS feeds. Highlight, copy and paste the "feed" that you are interested in - into your Google Reader.

 8. Blog Assignment #1 Due 5/7. Responses to others due 5/10. "Create" and "Publish" your first blog entry assignment. The topic is: "Your initial thoughts about using the Internet to enhance the teaching and learning process". Read the rubric in the syllabus so that you know how it will be assessed.

9. When typing a comment to a blog entry, you have to use a special code (HTML) if you want to insert a hyperlink to another website. Here is the HTML you need to put a URL in a blog comment: creative learning (Here is a link to more information on this topic. Read through Vicki Davis' blog entry and you'll learn about commenting. One of her points discusses how to hyperlink.)

10. In class, we discussed the use of Diigo for Social Bookmarking. Here is a link to view a video on the uses of Diigo. Also, here is a link for more information on Diigo and it's many uses.

11. You received an email invitation to join our Diigo group. Please accept the invitation and begin adding sites that relate to EDTEC448 content! Download the Diigo toolbar to your Internet browser. This will make it easier for you to add sites to your bookmarks (click here for the link to the toolbar).