Use of web based tools for E-LearningDr Hiran AmarasekeraDepartment of Forestry and Environmental ScienceUniversity of Sri Jayewardenepura

Three initial conceptsKnowledge society Generation YFlat world

Knowledge Society"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know the subject ourselves, or we know where we can find information on it." -- Samuel Johnson

Students = Echo boomers Generation Y

Echo Bommers (Generation Y)Up to 80 Million “Echo Boomers” (Generation Y)These are the children of the “Baby Boomers”entrepreneurial, globalbest educated; both men and womencomputers are a primary languageMobile phones, sms are commonThey grow up with economic prosperityThey are not afraid of challenging managers

Internet, mobile phonesDo not blame technology or young generationPrepare materials for this new media and new generation

World is flatA book by Thomas Friedman1989 PC – Windows – individual contenet creation 1995 Internet – email – browser – fiber opticsWork Flow collaboration – individual content uploadingWeb applications Open-sourcing (free knowledge)Out-sourcing

World is flatA book by Thomas FriedmanWeb applications – gmail, fickr, google docsOpen-sourcing (free knowledge)Out-sourcing http://academicearth.org/lectures/the-world-is-flat

World is flatA book by Thomas FriedmanBecause of individual content creation:World has changed from vertical system (command and control system to Horizontal system Eg Encyclopedia Britannica to Wikipedea

Three rules in the flat worldWhatever can be done will be doneeg. By Sabaragamuwa and USJIndividual imagination mattersLearn to collaborate

WIIFM: What’s in it for me?1. Traditional web and web 2.02. Key web 2.0 applications/ services3. Popular sites for learning4. Starting collaborative web sites

Have you used?GoogleBlogging – blogger, wordpressWiki – wikipedia, wikispaces Mutimedia sharing – flickr, youtubePodcasting – itunesVLE s – moodle, blackboard. webCTSocial Bookmarking – delicious, diggSocial Networking – hi5, facebook, linkedin

WIIFM: What’s in it for me?

Three target groups Group 1Group 2Group 3Just listen and learn the new technologies availableTry some of these things to enhance your internet browsing experienceStart web 2.0 based eLearning

Traditional E-learning (web 1.0)Computer-based training – (1980s) use of single or few computers for learningStatic content web sites – Dynamic content web sites – Database-backed websites providing information tailored to the viewers particular requirements.

Course Management System (CMS)The traditional approach to e-learningWeb application runs on a serverStudents can access the system from anywhere with an internet connectionEasy way to upload course materials, hold online discussions, chats, give quizzes

Moodle – Free and Open Source CMSDownload free at www.moodle.org or www.sourceforge.net

Moodle eLearining site at www.cometolanka.com/learn

Moodle eLearining site at www.cometolanka.com/learn

Web 2.0Traditional web - merely browsing the internet after searching search enginesWeb 2.0 - User generated content Users can contribute and shape the content of the web by means of blog posts, podcasts, wikis, sharing photos and videos

Big ideas behind web 2.01. User generated content2. Harnessing collective intelligence3. Open data4. Data on an epic scale

E-learning 2.0 – New approach to eLearningcoined by Stephen DownesUse of tools and web services - such as blogs, wikis, and other social software - to support the creation of learning communities.

E-learning 2.0Learning is centered around the interests of the learnerThis learning is immersive – learning by doingThe computer connects the student to the rest of the world

Learning is centered around the interests of the learner

This learning is immersive – learning by doing

The computer connects the student to the rest of the world

Technologies to enhance teachingWeb 2.0Tagging, SocialbookmarkingWikisBlogsKey services and applicationsMultimediashareingRSSPodcastingSocial NetworkingNewer Applications

Blogging - web log publishing Blog is an abbreviated version of "weblog“website that contains diary- type written material, links or photos being posted all the time, usually by one individual, on a personal basis Blogging is increasingly used in education (both in school and university), because it is easy to publish.Facilitate feedback, by letting readers add comments

Example blog siteshttp://environmentlanka.blogspot.comhttp://forestrystudents.blogspot.comhttp://forestrysymposium2005.blogspot.comhttp://classblogmeister.com/blog.php?blogger_id=99657

Ranked 8 on google.com

Blog software -obtain a free blogwww.blogger.comwww.wordpress.comwww.edublogs.orgwww.classblogmeister.com

www.blogger.com

Wikiswww.classblogmeister.com

WikisWeb sites that can be collaboratively updated using only a web browser. Enable group development of ideas and information sources. Eg Wikipedia (http://wikipedia.org).Start your own wiki for your class for free at www.wikispaces.com

Wikipedia.org

wikipedia.orgonline encyclopediaread articles on “any” subject, and also can edit them.Wikipedia is not a source so reliable you can cite it in real academic papers. However, it has wealth of information - more than a million user-written articlesgood starting point for research on new topics.

Multimedia Sharing

History of the wiki edits

Tagging and Social BookmarkingTag is a key word that is added to a digital object

Social Bookmarking – Find new web sitesSearch engines like Google can find material using keywordsSocial Bookmarking allow users to highlight their best sitesSharing bookmarks Provide you the collective intelligence of other users Help you find things that you never knew existing, but wished you did.

Social Bookmarking siteshttp://del.icio.ushttp://www.digg.com http://stumbleupon.com

www.delicious.com

www.digg.com

Multimedia sharing

Photo sharing - Flickr.com Publish digital photography to a wider audience. Valuable resource for images for use in presentations, learning materials Commenting function allows for feedback. http://www.flickr.com/photos/environmentlanka/

www.flickr.comRegister to flickr, upload your photos. Join a group named “University of Sri Jayewardenepura”. Post your photo to this group within the flickr.

Register to flickr,

upload your photos.

Join a group named

Post your photo to this group within the flickr.

Webcasts and videocastsstreaming video on the internet. Video Sharingyoutube.com video.google.com

You Tubewww.youtube.com

teachertube.com

www.slideshare.net

ScreencastingRecord your presentation and upload to slideshare.net

RSS feedsRSS feeds

RSS Feeds Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication allows users to subscribe to websites that provide RSS feeds such as blogs and news sites When new content is added, a software program called an aggregator automatically pulls in the feeds. Common news aggregator is Bloglines at www.bloglines.com.

Bloglineswww.bloglines.comwww.google.com/reader

Google Readewww.google.com/reader

Educational applications of RSS FeedsProfessional Development keep-up-to-date on a wide variety of subjects from leading experts in the field. You get closer to the leading edge of what is going on the particular field.Time Saving You can track more information in a shorter period of time. Now you do not have to spend a large amount of time surfing the internet for topic specific content. Information coming from contrasting sources You could subscribe to feeds from different parts of the news world about a current event in the news to compare and contrast the information and/or to check to see if there were any biases. Sharing what you are doing with other educators Any teacher can share information with thousands of other teachers using a blog or webpage with RSS technology. RSS feeds will have a major impact on the way we receive our information in the future.

Start PagesStart pages provide a desktop that can host all of a user's most common Web information such as news, weather, e-mail, RSS feeds, and more, all in a single user-controlled Web page.

Podcasts

PodcastingDistribution of audio files on the webThis has become a popular technology in education, because it provides a way of distributing educational content to learners.

Tools for podcastingYou need iPod software Download at www.apple.com/itunesGoto iTunes Music Store from within iTunesClick on Podcasts

Social Networking – www.hi5.com

Professional social network

Other web 2.0 applications 3d Virtual reality site http://www.secondlife.comPost things you do http://www.twitter.comPost or find events http://www.upcoming.org

Secondlife.com

Top sites for enhance teaching and learningLots of internet resources that can give you a quality education every day, free knowledge is available all around us.

free audio and video lessonsUniversity of California, Berkeley in USA is ranked as one of the best colleges in USA and in the world. Podcasts - lectures in mp3 format can download these Podocasts in as mp3 files and listen to them using ipod player or winamp in windows. Webcasts - courses with video. You can be in the classroom with the students watching or hearing some amazing teachers and accomplished professionals. http://webcast.berkeley.edu/courses

MIT Open Courseware – free online coursesMIT web site gives away course materials, including syllabi, lectures, assignments and reading materials free. free and open educational resource (OER) for educators, students, and self-learners around the world. http://ocw.mit.edu

google.commost accurate, and widely accepted search engine today. Other online softwareGoogle images (search images)Google video (search and download videos for free)email (with Gmail), cartography (Google Maps), literature (Google Book Search)Google Earth, an incredibly detailed virtual globe. Picasa (photo browsing and editing)google desktop search (good search engine to search your personal computer)

Amazon.comOnline retailer of mainly books, CDs, VCDsConsidered as the earth's biggest bookstore, you can order books if you have a credit card. You can browse through the world's most popular books in any subject and become reader of the very recent books published.

Sourceforge.netFreeware ApplicationsFree and Open Source Software (FOSS) is becoming very popular, most often as Microsoft alternatives. Mozilla Firefox browser is accepted as better product than MS Internet explorer. contains lots of free software.

100+ Free Websites to find out about Anything and Everything100+ Free Websites to find out about Anything and Everything by Jane Hart

Things you can tryCreate a blog at blogger.comCreate a wiki at wikispaces.comGet your RSS feeds using www.bloglines.comOr googlereader www.google.com/reader

Things you can tryShare your photos at www.flickr.comCreate your profile at www.linkedin.com Find new web sites using http://del.icio.us or www.digg.comDownload podcasts and webcasts for lecturesSetup start page to www.netvibes.com

Knowledge RevolutionVictory will go to the Smartest Individuals, Companies and Nations