The document discusses various web 2.0 tools that can be used for online publishing and e-learning, including blogs which allow individuals to publish opinions and thoughts online; podcasts which allow audio files to be published and subscribed to; video sharing sites that allow videos to be hosted and embedded; and widgets, badges and buttons that can be used to customize websites. Blogs, podcasts, video sharing, and widgets provide benefits for online learning such as facilitating collaboration, promoting reflection, and engaging multiple learning styles. Educators are encouraged to explore using these free web 2.0 tools to develop online content and enhance student learning experiences.

1. Online Publishing
Using Blogs and other
web 2.0 tools

2. Objectives
 You will learn:
• About blogs and why you should be
blogging.
• How and for what organizations and
individuals are using blogs.
• How to create a blog using Blogger
service.
• How to create a blog using Moodle
• About wiki
• Advantages and disadvantages of wiki in
learning

3. Blogs in Plain English
[Commoncraft Video]
www.commoncraft.com

4. Blog
 Blog is short for Web log and is
described as:
 A form of micro-publishing or documenting
your thoughts about an issue on the Web
 Spontaneous journaling
 An online personal diary (date/time
stamped)

5. What is a blog?
 A personal or corporate website in the
form of an online journal, with new entries
appearing in sequence as they are written,
especially as dealing with reflections or
opinion, and typically incorporating links to
other articles.

6. Definition of Terms
Blog: The term is a shortened version of web log. It is a
personal online publishing system which
allows
individuals to write and publish their opinions,
thoughts
and feelings on the internet on any subject they
fancy.
Blog posts: These are individual articles posted on a blog.
They are also simply known as ‘posts’ or
‘entries’.
Blogging: The act of writing a blog, maintaining it or adding
an
article to an existing blog.

7. Features of Blogs or Weblogs
 Weblogs are websites that are
automatically:
 Archived, Searchable, Time stamped,
Formatted into headlines and entries
 Weblogs rely on RSS technology –
really simple syndication or Rich Site
Summary
 XML (HTML-like tags) representation of
blog content and is used to support the
automatic retrieval and display of that
content (e.g., sharing headlines)

8. Blogs and Blogging
Features
 A frequently updated website,
automatically archived.
 Easily updated using any web browser
connected to the Internet.
 An online journal or newsletter, consisting
of personal thoughts & commentary
 Blogs include links to articles and
websites.
 Most blogs allow readers to leave
comments on posts.

9. Blogs and Blogging
Features
 Blogs can be authored by an
individual or by multiple authors.
 A main content area with articles
listed chronologically, newest on top
 Content can include text, images and
videos
 Self archive of older articles by date
 One or more "feeds" like RSS, Atom
or RDF files

10. Additional Characteristics and
Terminology
 A basic blog is pretty one-sided, it's just you
posting your thoughts on the Web using a
blogging tool (e.g., Blogger.com)
 Web-based communication tool
 Personal news space – online organized
personal newspaper
 Theater of interpersonal communication
 Blogging community - blogosphere

11.  Easy to create
 Easy to maintain
 Blogs are search engine friendly
 Blog allows you to interact with your
customer base.
 Blogs hosts available for free
 Blogs give you unlimited space.
Advantages Of Blog

12. Other advantages of Blogs
 An excellent way of sharing knowledge
within the organization’s intranet
 A positive way of getting feedback as
readers react and comment on posts,
suggest ideas, etc
 Can build profiles of the writers, thus
showcasing the organization's talent and
expertise
(McGovern, 2004)

13. Disadvantages of Blogs
 Writers may present different views from
those of the organization
 Since blogs are internet-based, students
gain access to a whole world of
information as soon as they log in, and
this may divert their attention away from
the discussion

14. Educational Benefits of Blogs
Blogs offer the following potential benefits:
 They are a combination of solitary and
social interaction
 They enable students with various
personalities to participate in a discussion,
especially those who do not participate
actively in class
 Students get into the habit of reading and
writing, which improves their reading and
writing skills

15. Educational Benefits of Blogs
Blogs offer the following potential benefits:
 They give space for collaboration
 They promote critical and analytical
thinking
 They are powerful tools to enable
scaffolded learning
 They give lecturers the opportunity to
explore how students feel about the quality
of learning and teaching, and help in
finding ways of addressing the identified

16. Disadvantages of Blogs
 Blogging requires a considerable amount of time
to update and post entries
 Blogging may not be a feasible option for
students who have limited or no access to a
computer and the internet
 There is no confidentiality as blogs are a public
forum

17.  FEEDBACK (allow to comment)
 Title and Tagline
 Search Box
 Permanent Link
 Subcribe
 RSS
 Tag
 Additional criteria
 More explanations through video/audio
Important Criteria for a Blog

18.  Listing in Directories
 Social Bookmarking
 Use Social Networking (eg Facebook Fan
Page)
 RSS
 Email Subscription
How to Promote Blog

19. Types of Blogs
 Personal blogs
 http://mason.gmu.edu/~ndabbagh/blog.html
 http://www.reusability.org/blogs/david/
 News blog
 Corporate blogs
 http://radio.weblogs.com/0001011/2003/02/26.ht
ml
 http://sixapart.com/corner/
 Educational blogs
 http://207.44.177.240/edutechblogs.htm
 http://www.ebn.weblogger.com/

20. Personal Blog

21. News blog

22. Organization blog

23. Examples
 Blogs for classes

24. http://www.librarymuhas.blogspot.com/
 Blogs for education - accessing
information

25. Uses of Blogs for learning
 To deliver content and manage courses
 To facilitate reflection in learning through
electronic portifolio
 Increase student interactivity
 Enhance peer review of assignments by students
 Aid ongoing teacher and peer feedback
 Grow online communities and networks for
learning
 Provide new channels to share information and
knowledge resources
 promote the use of technology
 Develop writing skills
 Promote reading habits

26. Potential of Blogs as an
Educational Tool
 “Serves as an online journal encouraging
personal reflection, and as a means of
encouraging collaboration through the sharing of
links to resources and up-to-date information
(Oravec, 2002)."
 “Offers a unique voice for students, empowering
them, and encouraging them to become more
critically analytical in their thinking because
others can critique, comment, and interpret a
blog (if it is public) and therefore a student has to
stand by one's opinions“ (Oravec, 2002).

27. Tools for Creating Blogs
www.blogger.com
http://wordpress.org/
http://www.typepad.com/

28.  Blogging facilities
 Blogger, wordpress, typepad
 Entry Editor – Microsoft Live Writer
 File hosting – Skydrive
 Some of useful widgets.
 Announcements – CBox
 Subscribe by email - FeedBurner
 Information gathering – GoogleDocs
 References/bookmarks - delicious
Developing blog using freely available
tools

29. Practice on Blogger
• Go to: www.blogger.com
• You need a Google ID to
sign in

30. How do I make one?

31. Exploring Web
2.0
Podcasts, video sharing, Instant
Messaging, and widgets for e-learning
purposes

32.  Podcasting
 Video sharing
 Instant messaging
 Slide shows
 Widgets, badges and buttons
In this lecture, you will learn about

33. Podcasting is a method of publishing files to the
Internet, allowing users to subscribe to a feed and
receive new files automatically by subscription,
usually at no cost. It first became popular in late
2004, used largely for audio files
 One can access podcasts via the web with
almost any audio software and/or with most
portable digital music players.
 Creating podcasts can be done using free
software or online services
 Podcast files can be hosted using various, free
online services
Podcasting

34.  Podcast in the classroom can be created
using software such as Audacity free
software.
 Audacity is free, open source, cross-
platform software for recording and editing
sounds
 Here you can record audio and add music.
 Or you can create, find or share podcasts
online at Podomatic.
Podcasting

35.  Podcast can be downloaded and listened in a
personal computer by using free software
such as iTunes
 Itunes is a media player and media library
application developed by Apple Inc.
 Itunes is used to play, download, save, and
organize digital audio and video on personal
computers running the OS X operating
system and the iOS-based iPod, iPhone, and
iPad devices.
Podcasting

36. create, find or share podcasts online
Example
Download and listen to podcasts in anatomy
http://www.instantanatomy.net/podcasts.h
tml
www.podomatic.com

37.  Access and listen audio files in anatomy
 http://www.learnoutloud.com/Podcast-
Directory/Education-and-
Professional/Medical/Instant-Anatomy-
Podcast/18796#listen
Podcasts

38.  Available 24/7 - portability and convenience of listening to learning
resources anytime and anywhere without requiring extensive
technical knowledge
 Student Review - A podcast of a lecture that can be downloaded by
students can become invaluable study aid for the student.
 to listen to course related material while they are engaged in other
activities
 Appeals to audio/visual learners
 To facilitate self-paced learning
 Access extra content to supplement learning
 For distance learning
 Offer a richer learning environment
 Facilitate multilingual education
 To allow lecturers to offer lectures to many classes at the same time
Benefits of podcasts in education

39.  lack of visual content,
 the difficulty of taking notes
 the divided attention of the listener between
environmental distractions and the material on
the podcast
 the material will be of most benefit to auditory
learners, and does not appeal to all students
Disadvantages of podcasts in education

40.  Mainly Audio
 Subscribe to updates
 Usually free
 Create using free software i.e.
Audacity
Summary on podcasts

41. Just as you can add images up to the
web you can also add video clips. There
are a range of different sites to host video
such as:
Video Sharing

42. Video Sharing – advantages in
education
• They stimulate knowledge and information
sharing amongst viewers
• Students using eLearning videos can
participate in a 2-way communication format
• Visual connection as well as interaction is
enhanced
• eLearning videos can considerably improve
student retention

43.  IM – Instant messaging (IM) is a
form of communication over the
Internet, that offers
quick transmission of text-based
messages from sender to receiver
 popular, widely used, with benefits
for collaboration
43
Instant Messaging (IM)
https://todaysmeet.com/MUHAS_First_year_2013
Web
2.0
• Example: TODAYSMEET
• conduct lecture in real-
time.
• Live stream to
• make comments,
• ask questions,
• and use that feedback to
tailor your presentation,
• sharpen your points, and
• address audience needs.

44.  Skype is a good example
of Internet telephony:
 Integrated voice, IM,
Web (and now video)
 Can be high quality
 Free / cheap calls
 Conference calls
 Accessibility benefits
 Proprietary
 Network and
management issues
44
Instant Messaging - Skype /
VoIP
Web
2.0
VoIP is coming, so now’s the time to gain experiences. What are the implications of
‘free’ always-on telephony (i.e. it's not just about software) - you could be
broadcasting this talk now!

45.  Encourages contact between students and faculty
 Facilitates feedback and promotes an active learning
 Develops cooperation among students
 High levels of interactivity and engagement
 Gives confidence to shy students
 Alternative way of learning
 Presence for distance/remote students
 Connect from anywhere - home, school, mobile
 Promotes a more informal and intimate student-educator
relationship
Advantages of IM in learning

46. You can embed videos into your blog,
wiki or website from sites such as You
Tube and Google Video. All you need is
the html code from the website that
hosts your video which you then add to
your blog, wiki or website.
Embedding Video

47. “A web widget is a portable chunk of code that can be installed
and executed within any separate HTML-based web page by an
end user without requiring additional compilation. Other terms
used to describe a Web Widget include Gadget, Badge, Module,
Capsule, Snippet, Mini and Flake. Web Widgets often but not
always use Adobe Flash or JavaScript programming languages”.
wikipedia
Widgets, Badges & Buttons
Widgets are objects such as slide shows, glitter
text, polls, counters, etc that you can use to
personalise your wiki, blog or website.
You create the widgets at a site then copy the
code and paste it onto your site.

48. Examples
Cluster Maps – To see where
people are from that are visiting
your site?
Flash Gear -
a range of
objects to put
on your site
such as site
counters, mini
polls, puzzles.
http://educationalsoftware.wikispaces.com/Widgets

49. Slide Shows
A place where power point presentations can
be uploaded and shared with a wider
audience.
http://www.slideshare.net/

50. Slide Shows
SlideShare is a community web service that allows
sharing and embedding of presentations that
contain images, graphics, text and embedded video,
created using PowerPoint, PDF or Open Office that
are uploaded by the community.
Benefits
- Access learning materials such as lecture notes
- learners can collaborate on producing and
uploading reusable learning objects that others
may find of use in their learning

51. Group assignment
Class representatives (8-10
members)
 to provide lists of group
names together with
 Names
 Registration number
 Study programme