Learn about Blogs:

Use any or all of the following resources to learn about blogs:

• Video: “Blogs in Plain English“
• Article:  “How Blogs Work“
• Article:  “Starting a Blog – Blogging Basics for the Beginner Blogger“
• Article:  “Blogging Basics“
• Article:  “The History of Blogging“

Create Your Research Journal:

Create a blog using Blogger. You can take a tour of Blogger, or you can watch this video or the first videos in this playlist if you need help getting started.  Any time you need help, go to the Blogger Help page.

This blog will be your research journal. Make sure that the title of your blog includes your first and/or last name, so I can identify the author when I’m reading your posts.

When you have created your blog, e-mail the web address (copy and paste it from the box in your browser) to me at the e-mail address in the syllabus.

You may use any layout or color scheme or widgets that you wish on your blog, as long as they are professional.  Please, though, make sure that the combination you choose for your font and background is readable.  Generally a dark font on a light background is easier to read.

Please turn on comment moderation and turn off word verification for comments on your blog.  To do this, click on the Settings link below the name of your blog in your Dashboard.  Then click on the Comments link (fourth from the left).  First, scroll down to “Comment moderation” and click on the circle in front of the word “Always” and input the e-mail address of the account you use most often so you will be notified when someone comments on your blog.  Next, scroll down to the question “Show word verification for comments?”  Click on the circle by “No.”  Finally, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on Save Settings.

Learn about Tagging:

Use any or all of the following resources to learn about tagging:

• Video:  “Tagging & Folksonomy“
• Video:  “Tags:  Content Tagging and Its Importance“
• Article:  “Tags“
• Article:  “Tags and Tagging: How Do You Create Good Tags?“
• Presentation:  “Tagging That Works“
• Presentation:  “Tagging“
• Presentation:  “Tagging in an Academic Setting“

Post in Your Blog:

“Google Wave is a new tool for communication and collaboration on the web, coming later this year.”  According to an article, “Google’s Wave Consolidates Core Online Features in One Tool,” on PCWorld.com, it “consolidates features from e-mail, instant messaging, blogging, wikis, multimedia management and document sharing.”  For more information, see “Google Wave:  A Complete Guide” at Mashable and the following videos:

Video: “Google Wave: Natural Language Processing“

Video: “Google Wave: Live collaborative editing“

Video:  “Google Wave Developer Preview at Google I/O 2009“

Video: “Google Wave Founding Team Interview“

Post three times  in your blog (research journal), using the numbers, letters, and phrases in bold as the titles of your respective posts:

1a: Possible Topics–Brainstorm a list of topics you’re interested in using for your research project this semester.

1b: My Topic–Write three paragraphs about the topic you’ve selected: (1) identify your topic and explain why you chose it, (2) discuss what you already know about your topic, and (3) discuss what you don’t know and want to learn about the topic. Each paragraph should be at least several sentences long. Grammar and spelling count!

1c:  Delicious Account–Create a link to your Delicious account.

Use the department and course number (ENG 1020 or ENG 122) and other appropriate tags (“Labels” on Blogger) for each of the three posts.

Use any or all of the following resources to learn about blogs:

• Video: “Blogs in Plain English“
• Article:  “How Blogs Work“
• Article:  “Starting a Blog – Blogging Basics for the Beginner Blogger“
• Article:  “Blogging Basics“
• Article:  “The History of Blogging“

Create a blog using Blogger. You can take a tour of Blogger, or you can watch this video or the first videos in this playlist if you need help getting started.  Any time you need help, go to the Blogger Help page.

This blog will be your research journal. Make sure that the title of your blog includes your first and/or last name, so I can identify the author when I’m reading your posts.

When you have created your blog, e-mail the web address (copy and paste it from the box in your browser) to me at the e-mail address in the syllabus.

You may use any layout or color scheme or widgets that you wish on your blog, as long as they are professional.  Please, though, make sure that the combination you choose for your font and background is readable.  Generally a dark font on a light background is easier to read.

Please turn off word verification for comments on your blog so your classmates and I can easily communicate with you on your blog.  To do this, click on the Settings link below the name of your blog in your Dashboard.  Then click on the Comments link (fourth from the left).  Scroll down to the question “Show word verification for comments?”  Click on the circle by No.  Finally, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on Save Settings.

Read

Article:  “What Is Web 2.0“

Article:  “What Is Web 2.0 Anyway?“

Blog Post:  “Basics for Beginners:  What Is Web 2.0?“

Watch

Video:  “Webvolution“

Video:  “Web 2.0 Panel Discussion – What Is Web 2.0?“

Video:  “What Is Web 2.0“

Video:  “What is Web 2.0? And what about 3.0? Part 1“

Video:  “What is Web 2.0? And what about 3.0? Part 2“

This semester I’m teaching four sections of second-semester freshman composition:  three sections of ENG 1020 (two on campus and one online) for Metro and one section of ENG 122 (online) for Red Rocks.   I’m using the same main textbook, The Bedford Researcher, for all the classes, and the assignments will also be the same for all of them.

I’ve been trying to figure out what would be the most efficient way to post instructions for assignments that I didn’t include in the syllabus (i.e., everything but the papers).  I could repeat the information in the wiki for the on-campus Metro classes and the course shells for both online courses, or I could post it once somewhere else and link to it.  That way, if I need to make any corrections, I only have to make them once.

I decided finally that this blog is the best place to post the assignments.  That way, my students can all ask any questions they have in the same place, and I’ll be notified immediately because I moderate the comments.

I’ll try it this semester and see how it works.

This fall I’m retaking IT 5660 through the University of Colorado at Denver.  I originally took the class two years ago and got an A in it.  At the time, the name of the class was Developing Educational Websites; now it’s called Designing and Teaching in eLearning Environments.  IT 5660 is the first class in CU-Denver’s certificate program in Designing eLearning Environments and its master’s program in eLearning Design and Implementation.

After completing IT 5660 two years ago, I decided to withdraw from the program.  Now I want to finish it to increase my employability and, hopefully, my income.  I’m currently trying to decide whether or not to apply to the master’s program.

For the class, I have to make weeily blog entries starting this week to reflect on the lessons I learned in the previous unit.

I’ve added Ellyssa Kroski’s Web 2.0 for Librarians and Information Professionals to my Recommended Reading list.  Even though it’s written for librarians, it’s a good introduction to web 2.0.  She has chapters on the following:

• web 2.0
• blogs
• RSS and newsreaders
• wikis
• social bookmarking
• photo sharing
• social cataloging
• video sharing
• personalized start pages
• social networking software
• vertical search engines
• social news
• answers technology
• virtual worlds
• productivity tools
• podcasting
• mashups

I do have a couple of objections to her classifications:  (1) She included Second Life in a book on “web 2.0.”  To access Second Life, you have to download their software; it cannot be accessed on the web (i.e., by using a browser).  Therefore, in my mind, it doesn’t belong in this book.  (2) She included Ning in a chapter on “Mashups” when it clearly fits under social networks.

I created a word cloud for my blog using Wordle.

It’s also in the Wordle gallery here.