Learning 2.0 Remix

Week 9 - Web 2.0

2008-11-30T11:14:00.000-08:00

To successfully complete No. 9 - Web 2.0 you must...
READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands On Activities.

Your total time commitment is about 30 to 40 minutes.

Introduction to Web 2.0
What happens when people, ideas and the Internet intersect? Web 2.0 happens. The Internet is evolving. It’s morphed from a way to access information into a virtual space for discovering and exploring new relationships and new passions. Web 2.0 tools, such as the blogs and wikis which you have learned about during the course of this training program, give everyone the opportunity to self-publish, connect with other people, organize their work and their lives and communicate with the world. Web 2.0 is not so much a new computing platform; it's a mindset. It's people exploiting technology to enable people at work, play and life.

Web 1.0 was a passive, surfing based environment. Web 2.0 is a user-driven, participatory and personalized environment where people create, edit, search, evaluate, organize and share information ---- with or without the involvement of libraries and librarians.

Experience Attributes of Web 2.0:

Decentralization - Users experience services on their terms.
Co-creation - Users participate in the creation and delivery
Remixability - Experiences are created and tailored to user needs by integrating the capabilities of multiple services and organizations.
Emergent Systems - Cumulative actions at the lowest levels of the system drive the form and value of the overall system. Users derive value not only from the service itself, but also the overall shape that a service inherits from user behaviors.

Foundation attributes distribute the value of the user experience across the network and down the long tail.

Foundation Attributes of Web 2.0:

User-Contributed Value - Users make substantive contributions to enhance the overall value of a service.
The Long Tail - Beating the sales of one or two best-seller products by using the Internet to sell a cumulatively greater amount of the products that have low demand or low sales.
Network Effect - For users, the value of the network substantially increases with the addition of each new user.

"Learn More About" Web 2.0
1. Read this Wikipedia article, Web 2.0 at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2 (Time Commitment 5 minutes)
2. Watch this YouTube Video, What is Web 2.0? at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LzQIUANnHc (Time Commitment 3:01)
3. Read this article, What is Web 2.0 by at http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html. (Time Commitment 15 minutes)

Hands-on Activity

Part 1 Add a Blog Post about web 2.0

Sign onto Blogger
Select the new post link in your dashboard or the create link under the Posting tab.
Use the compose tab to type a brief message about your experience with this hands-on activity.
Label your blog post: Week 9 - Web 2.0.
Questions to get you started: Is it all hype? What do you think about web 2.0? How is it essential to remain relevant to customers?
When you have finished typing and are ready to publish your thoughts, select the orange button, publish post. This will add the post to your blog. If you select the blue button, save now, the blog post will be added to your list of posts for editing and publishing at a later time.

Part 2 Add a blog post about Learning 2.0 Remixed

Sign onto Blogger
Select the new post link in your dashboard or the create link under the posting tab.
Use the compose tab to type a brief message about what you learned from this blog post.
Label your blog post: Week 9 - Learning 2.0 Experience.
Questions to get you started: What was your favorite exercise during this learning program? How has this program affected you? Were there any take-aways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
When you have finished typing and are ready to publish your thoughts, select the orange button, publish post. This will add the post to your blog. If you select the blue button, save now, the blog post will be added to your list of posts for editing and publishing at a later time.

Congrats! You are now web 2.0 savvy.

Evaluate this Learning Experience

2008-11-30T06:18:00.000-08:00

Through this program, participants were asked to provide feedback for individual lessons by commenting on blog posts. Comments were monitored during the course of the program. Adjustments were made to lessons based on participant's feedback. Thank you for this collaboration!

The program is at an end; we need your help again. To complete the overall evaluation of this learning experience, please fill out a Library Department Training Evaluation form on Beachnet.

Also, you can contact Cindy Hart at chart@vbgov.com with any suggestions or concerns.

Week 8 - Social Networking

2008-11-16T11:07:00.000-08:00

To successfully complete No. 8 - Social Networking, you must...

READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands On Activities, including reading the Important Tips.

Your total time commitment is about 30 to 40 minutes.

Introduction to Social Networking
For many, online social networks (OSN) are about establishing and maintaining personal connections and finding friends with shared interests. As noted in the 2007 Horizon Report by the New Media Consortium and EDUCAUSE, “Researchers note that online spaces like MySpace and Facebook give students a safe place to gather, in much the same way that young people of previous generations hung out at the burger joint, the roller rink, or the mall…” (pg. 12)

There are social networking sites for almost every conceivable topic and hobby; these sites range from photo sharing to music to book clubs to social activism. According to a January 2007 Pew Internet & American Life Project, in the past five years, social networking sites have moved from a niche activity into a phenomenon that engages tens of millions of Internet users of all ages. “Almost sixty percent of teens, aged 12 to 18, use online social networks”.

The Internet is woven into everyday life; it is transforming communication into a seamless process. People move between telephone, computer and in person encounters actually increasing daily social interaction. Social networking sites play an interesting role in the lives of many people today.

"Learn More About" Social Networking
1. Read this Wikipedia article on Social Networking Services at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_network_service . (Time Commitment 5 minutes)
2. Listen to this podcast on social networking sites.(Time Commitment 5 minutes)

3. Watch this YouTube video, Social Networking in Plain English at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a_KF7TYKVc (Time Commitment 1:48 minutes)

Hands On Activities

Part 1 - Try out a social networking site.

I recommend that you try either Facebook or LinkedIn. The Library Department has an organizational profile in Facebook. Many library staff are Facebook users as well. LinkedIn is a networking site for professionals. Hundreds of City of Virginia employees are part of the LinkedIn network.

If you want to try LinkedIn, watch this YouTube video on LinkedIn at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzT3JVUGUzM. (2:28 minutes)
If you want to try Facebook, watch this video on

Part 2 - Create a blog post about Social Networking
1. Sign onto Blogger
2. Select the new post link in your dashboard or the create link under the Posting tab.
3. Use the compose tab to type a brief message about your experience with this hands-on activity. Questions to get you started: Was it easy? Did you enjoy it? How can social networking help you improve communication at home or at work?
4. Label the post: Week 8 - Social Networking
5. When you have finished typing and are ready to publish your thoughts, select the orange button, publish post. This will add the post to your blog. If you select the blue button, "save now, the blog post will be added to your list of posts for editing and publishing at a later time.

One more week to go!

Week 7 - Web Widgets & Gadgets

2008-11-09T11:07:00.000-08:00

To successfully complete No. 2 - Web Widgets & Gadgets, you must...

READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands On Activities, including reading the Important Tips.

Your total time commitment is about 25 to 35 minutes.

Introduction to Web Widgets & Gadgets
A web widget, also known as a widget, is a small program (reusable code) that can be added to any web site including a blog or personalized start page. Widgets provide additional functionality. Some examples of widget including addding a YouTube playlist or embedded player to your blog, signing up for RSS or bookmarking a web page using the social bookmarking site del.icio.us.

A gadget acts and looks like a widget; they are created with proprietary programming code. It works only with a specific web site or a set of specific web sites. For example, Google Gadgets can look and act like widgets. But, they only work on Google pages.

There are many uses for widgets and gadgets. The Virginia Beach Public Library is using a Meebome instant messaging widget to chat with library customer. Information organizing widgets allow you to collect and use information that you find while doing research. Zoho Notebook allows you aggregate content from multiple sources or applications. It's a great tool for collaborating on team projects. You can sart a group notebook. Then, send content and comments and save it all in one place.

"Learn More About" Web Widgets and Gadgets
1. Read the article Web Widgets on Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_widget. (Time Commitments 2 minutes)
2. Watch the YouTube video, What are web widgets Part 1 at http://youtube.com/watch?v=HRAmQ_m2asg&feature=related. (Time Commitment 1:16)
3. Watch the YouTube video, What are web widgets part 2 at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoeHy40qjEs&feature=related. (Time Commitment 1:29)

Hands On Activities

Part 1 Add a Wideget to your Blog

Visit Widgetbox at http://www.widgetbox.com/
Select a widget to add to your blog.

Part 2 Create a blog post about widgets

Sign onto Blogger
Select the new post link in your dashboard or the create link under the Posting tab.
Use the compose tab to type a brief message about your experience with this hands-on activity. Questions to get you started: Was it easy? Did you enjoy it? How can you use a widget or gadget to improve efficiency at home or at work?
Label Your post: Week 7 - Wed Widgets & Gadgets
When you have finished typing and are ready to publish your thoughts, select the orange button, publish post. This will add the post to your blog. If you select the blue button, save now, the blog post will be added to your list of posts for editing and publishing at a later time.

Great job! Next week, it's all about social networking.

Week 6 - Tags, Folksonomy and Social Bookmarking

2008-11-02T07:01:00.000-08:00

To successfully complete No. 1 - Tags, Folksonomy and Social Bookmarking, you must...

READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands On Activities, including reading the Important Tips.

Your total time commitment is about 35 to 40 minutes.

Introduction to Tags, Folksonomy and Social Bookmarking

Tagging is an open, informal method of categorizing online content such as web pages, blog posts, images and documents. A tag is a keyword or term that is assigned to online content. The tag describes the content and allows it to be found by a user who may browse or search for it. Tags are chosen by the content creator or by the consumer (someone who views or uses it). A single piece of content can have multiple tags. A collection of tags is known as a folksonomy.

A folksonomy occurs when content creators and consumers collaboratively create and manage tags as a means of describing and categorizing content. The tags can be generated by everyone. They are freely chosen keywords instead of a select vocabulary. Tagging is a key component of many web 2.0 applications, especially social bookmarking sites.

Social bookmarking is a way for Internet users to manage online bookmarks. Users establish an account and add tags to intersting web pages or other online content. The bookmarks are accessible via any Internet device instead of tied to a computer and it's browser based favorites listings. In a social bookmarking site, bookmarks can be public or private. Users may share bookmarks chronologically, by category or tags, or via a search engine.

Listen to a podcast on tagging, folksonomy and social bookmarking

"Learn More About" Tags, Folksonomy and Social Bookmarking
1. Watch both of the following videos:
On YouTube video --- Tagging & Folksonomy, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wq6vwDSPcok (Time Commitment 2:12)
On YouTube video --- Social Bookmarking in Plain English, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x66lV7GOcNU (Time Commitment 3:25)
2. Do the Otter Group's Del.icio.us tutorial at http://www.ottergroup.com/learning2.0/?p=14. You do not need to download the file. Select the play button (side ways triangle) on the embedded player on the web page. (Time Commitment 8 minutes)

Hands On Activity

Part 1 - Create a Del.icio.us Account

Select the register link at http://del.icio.us/. (View Screen shot)

Enter the required information: user name, real name, password and word verification.

Install the buttons.

Do the button help at http://del.icio.us/help/buttons.

NOTE: Yes! You have to sign up for yet another account. Don't worry! This is a Yahoo company which is really a Google company. So, you really have one account.

Part 2 - Tag some web content using your account.

Read "A guide to saving bookmarks" at http://del.icio.us/help/saving.

Log-in to your Del.icio.us account.

Search or browse for web content to bookmark.
Use the Tag button or select the pull down for del.icio.us and choose "Bookmark this on del.icio.us.

Add notes to the pop-up from del.icio.us if desired.

Add tags to describe the web content that you are bookmarking. Use spaces inbetween tags.

Part 3 - Create a blog post about using Del.icio.us.

Select the new post link in your dashboard or the create link under the Posting tab.

Use the compose tab to type a brief message about your experience with this hands-on activity. Questions to get you started: How can you use multimedia in your work? How easy was it to learn about multimedia?

Label the post: Week 6 - Tags. Folksonomy and Social Bookmarking

When you have finished typing and are ready to publish your thoughts, select the orange button, "publish post". This will add the post to your blog. If you select the blue button, "save now", the blog post will be added to your list of posts for editing and publishing at a later time.

Important Tips
1. If you use a staff computers for this activity, the Internet tool bar has been locked down by ComIT. The Del.icio.us buttons will install as options in your browser bookmarks.
2. Use the “Post to my Del.icio.us” link to add a desired web page to your Del.icio.us bookmarks. You will need to log-in to Del.icio.us before you can do this.
3. Use the “My Del.icio.us” link to view your account.
4. Tags on del.icio.us must have spaces between them.
5. When using two or more words to create a tag, you can not use spaces between them. So, use no spaces, a dash or hyphen between words. Example: social-media, socialmedia, or social_media

Wow! You have discovered another an important facet of the social web --- tagging, folksonomy and social bookmarking. Enjoy!

Week 5 - Multimedia (Photosharing, Podcasting & Videocasting)

2008-10-26T08:22:00.000-07:00

To successfully complete No. 5 - Multimedia (Photosharing, Podcasting & Videocasting), you must...

READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands On Activities, including reading the Important Tips.

Your total time commitment is about 35 to 45 minutes. Please note that the time commitment is slightly larger for this week.

Introduction to Multimedia

Photosharing
Photosharing, either public or private, is the uploading and publishing of digital images to the purpose of sharing with other people. Photosharing is not liminted to web-based photosharing services life Flickr, Buzznet, Photobucket, SnapFish or Kodak Gallery; personal computer networks, camera phones and other devices are equipped with applications that make photosharing possible. Flickr is the fastest growing photosharing site on the web. It is also known as one of the first web sites to use keyword “tags” to create associations and connections between images and site users.

Podcasting
AUDIO FILE + RSS FEED = PODCAST. A podcast is an Internet radio show in MP3 audio file format. The file is uploaded with an RSS file by the creator to a server, then downloaded by the user for listening on a computer or other device with headphones or a speaker.

What makes a podcast special is how they are delivered to the user. They are downloaded automatically by software capable of reading feed formats such as RSS or Atom. The software is always-on when the user’s computer starts and runs in the background.

Listeners not need an MP3 player to hear the podcast; their computer does all the work. In fact, 80% of all podcasts are consumed on the PC which they were downloaded.

Listen to a podcast about podcasting. Too bad that I could not figure out how to make an alliteration out that sentence.

Vodcasts
Video podcasting, sometimes referred to as vodcasting or vidcasting, is video-on-demand. It is almost identical to podcasting except the content is video versus audio. The content is also more likely to be played on a personal computer than on a personal media assistant. It may be delivered as a file or as a stream. Estreaming is a form of Vodcasting.

"Learn More About" Multimedia

NOTE: Select one multimedia to learn more about, then Read, Watch and Do the corresponding activities and resources.

1. Read one of the following wikipedia articles:
Photosharing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photo_sharing (Time Commitment 5 minutes)
Podcasting http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcasting (Time Commitment 5 minutes)
Video Podcasting http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_podcast (Time Commitment 5 minutes)

2. Watch one of the following videos on YouTube
Online Photosharing in Plain English at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPU4awtuTsk (Time Commitment 3:00)
Podcasting in Plain English at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-MSL42NV3c (Time Commitment 3:00)
Adventures in Videocasting at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeI5WicdpiU (Time Commitment 4:45)

3. Do one of the following tutorials:
Photosharing - Flickr Tutorial at http://www.flickr.com/tour/ (Time Commitment 5 mintues)
Vidcasting - FreeVlog tutorial at http://www.freevlog.org/ (Time Commitment 15 minutes)
Podcasting - Podcasting Guide at http://www.guidesandtutorials.com/podcasting-tutorial.html (15 minutes)

Hands On Activity

Add a Blog Post about one of the three different types of multimedia

Select the new post link in your dashboard or the create link under the Posting tab.
Use the compose tab to type a brief message about your experience with this hands-on activity. Questions to get you started: How can you use multimedia in your work? How easy was it to learn about multimedia?
Label your post: Week 5 - Multimedia
When you have finished typing and are ready to publish your thoughts, select the orange button, "publish post". This will add the post to your blog. If you select the blue button, "save now", the blog post will be added to your list of posts for editing and publishing at a later time.

Important Tips

1. Due to bandwidth issues, please try to do your work for this week at off - peak Internet usage times during the business day.

Keep going! You're doing a great job. Comment on this blog post and tell us what you think of this lesson.

Week 4 - Instant Messaging

2008-10-19T06:08:00.000-07:00

To successfully complete No. 1 - Instant Messaging, you must...

READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands On Activities, including reading the Important Tips.

Your total time commitment is about 30 to 40 minutes.

Introduction to Instant Messaging

Instant messaging (IM) is a form of online communication that allows real-time (or close to) interaction between two or more people through personal computers or mobile computing devices via the Internet. IM users can exchange messaging privately, similar to email, or join a group conversation. Although typed text remains the primary convention for IM, the technology has grown and now allows users to send images, audio and video files and other attachments.
An early version of IM appeared first in the late 1990s. The list of IM tools has grown to include dozens of applications. Technologies that enable IM such as wireless connectivity and web-ready mobile devices have become widespread.

The interactive nature of IM is closer to spoken conversation that written correspondence. Users communicate in a manner that is a step beyond email. They get a sense of presence of other IM users through emoticons and other devices. Yet, they have a perception of distance and often safety.

Hundreds of millions of people use IM to stay connected. According to the September 2004 study "How Americans Use Instant Messaging," by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 53 million adults send instant messages on a daily basis. More importantly, an entire generation --- the Millenninals ---is growing up using IM. They do not think of it as technology. It's a regular communication channel that suits their needs.

Listen to a podcast on Instant messaging.

"Learn More About" Instant Messaging

1. Read this Wikipedia article on Instant Messaging, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant_messaging. (Time Commitment 5 minutes)
2. Read this article Email is Dead, at http://www.bigblueball.com/forums/general-other-im-news/41527-ap-aol-instant-messaging-trends-survey-email-dead.html (5 minutes)
3. Read this article, Instant Messaging Proves Useful In Reducing Workplace Interruption, at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080603120251.htm (2 minutes)

Hands on Activity

Part 1 - Try Instant Messaging
NOTE: Instant Messaging requires an account with an Instant Messaging service and a software download on your personal computer. To eliminate these obstacles, you will experience Instant Messaging through a web-based tool called Meebome. This tool allows anyone --- without benefit of a personal IM account--- to interact with library staff via Instant Messaging technology. Curious about how it works? Check it out at http://www.meebo.com/about/.

Go to the URL http://www.vbgov.com/askvbpl during the service hours of Monday through Thursday, 3 to 7 p.m or Saturday 1 to 5 p.m.
The status will show ASK VBPL online; type a question into the small box. The box says Type here and hit enter to send. Library staff will send you a response that will display in the larger box just above where you typed.

Part 2 - Create a blog post about your Instant Messaging experience

Sign onto Blogger
Select the new post link in your dashboard or the create link under the Posting tab.
Use the compose tab to type a brief message about your experience with this hands-on activity. Questions to get you started: Was it easy? Did you enjoy it? How can IM help you improve communication at home or at work?
When you have finished typing and are ready to publish your thoughts, select the orange button, publish post. This will add the post to your blog. Select the blue button, save now; the blog post will be added to your list of posts for editing and publishing at a later time.

Great job! Next week, you will explore multi-media.

Week 3 - Wikis

2008-10-12T11:29:00.000-07:00

To successfully complete No. 3 - Wikis you must...

READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands On Activities, including reading the Important Tips.

Your total time commitment is about 45 minutes.

Introduction to Wikis

A wiki is a collaborative web site and authoring tool that allows users to easily add, remove and edit content. Wikipedia, the online open-community encyclopedia, is the largest and perhaps the most well known of these knowledge sharing tools. Wikis are popular collaboration tools because they allow registered or unregistered users to add, edit or delete content without knowing HTML or other web-based computer languages, track changes made by users and revisit different versions of wiki pages.

As the use of wikis has grown over the last few years, organizations and businesses all over the country have begun to use them to collaborate and share knowledge. Municipal government can best use wikis to promote civic engagement by allowing citizens to directly contribute their ideas.

"Learn More About" Wikis

1. Read the article Wide Open Spaces: Wiki Ready or Not by Brian Lamb at http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERM0452.pdf. (Time Commitment 5 - 10 minutes). Yes, this is an old article. It is dated 2005. But, it's a good one.

2. Watch this video on YouTube, Wikis in Plain English, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dnL00TdmLY. (Time Commitment 3:52 minutes)

3. Do the Wikipedia Tutorial at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Tutorial. (Time commitment 5 -10 minutes)

Hands On Activity

You will collaborate with many others in the largest wiki project --- Wikipedia.

Part 1 - Collaborate using Wikipedia

Step 1. Create an account (view screenshot)

Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:UserLogin&returnto=Main_Page.
In the Log in box, select the link Create account.
If you already have an account, ignore the rest of these steps, sign in and proceed to Step 2.
You will need to enter some personal information into the online form to create the account. First, scroll down the web page a little and read the Wikipedia rules about user names, passwords and privacy.
Enter a user name, a password (twice), a email account and the word verification.
Select the Create Account button.
Wikipedia will send you an email with your account information.

Part 2 - Create or Edit a wiki page in Wikipedia

NOTE 1 - The first time you use mediawiki, the wiki software that powers Wikipedia, it's too stressful to create a new wiki page. So, please just make a small edit on a wiki page that interests you.

Select a topic in which you are very knowledgable. For example, the Virginia Beach Public Library System has a wiki page in Wikipedia. You can improve this wiki page by adding internal links. They are links to other related Wikipedia wiki pages. There is only one internal link in the VBPL wiki page. It's Virginia Beach, Virginia.
You can easily find a wiki page by using the Search box on the left hand side of your computer screen at the site.
Modify the wiki page that you selected by choosing the Edit this page tab at the top of your computer screen. NOTE: You will only see this tab if you are signed into Wikipedia.
Type in the new information or links.
Preview the changes by selecting the Show Preview button.
If you made an edit, fill out the Edit summary box so that other wiki contributors will understand what you did and NOT challenge it.
Save your changes by selecting the Save Changes button.

NOTE 2 - Mediawiki uses wiki coding language to make the wiki pages. You do not need to understand this computer language to make an edit or create a wiki page. You can use the buttons at the top of the editor. They look like the buttons that you find in MS Word. For example, the B button is bold. If you like to code things, please see the coding cheat sheet at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Cheatsheet.

Part 3 - Create a blog post about your Wii experience

Sign onto Blogger at http://www.blogger.com/ by entering your user name and password.
Select the new post link in your dashboard or the create link under the Posting tab.
Use the compose tab to type a brief message about your experience with this hands-on activity. Questions to get you started: Was it easy? How can your team or work group use this tool for collaboration and increased productivity.
Label post: Week 3 - Wikis
When you have finished typing and are ready to publish your thoughts, select the orange button, "publish post". This will add the post to your blog. If you select the blue button, "save now", the blog post will be added to your list of posts for editing and publishing at a later time.

Important - Tips, Hints and Tricks

1. You must create an account and sign in before you can edit Wikipedia wiki pages.
2. Save your Wikipedia account information, you will need it every time you get the urge to play in the world's largest sandbox.
3. Don't get stressed out over the wiki coding; anybody can create or modify wiki pages.

Week 2 - RSS

2008-10-05T06:22:00.000-07:00

To successfully complete No. 2 - RSS, you must...

READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands On Activities, including reading the Important Tips.

Your total time commitment is about 30 to 40 minutes.

Introduction to RSS
RSS stand for "Really Simple Syndication" or "Rich Site Summary"; it is a file format for delivery regularly updated information via the web. It's an easy way for you to keep up with news and information that is important to you.

It will also help you avoid the conventional, time-consuming methods of browsing or searching for information on web sites. RSS allows the content you want to be delivered directly to you without cluttering your email in-box. RSS content is called a "feed." It can also be called a channel. RSS is written in the Internet coding language known as XML (eXtensible Markup Language).

To use RSS, you need an RSS reader. An RSS reader is a small software program that collects and displays RSS feeds. It allows you to scan headlines from a number of news sources in a central location.

There are different types of RSS readers. Some Internet Browsers, such as Internet Explorer 7 or newer versions of Firefox and Safari, have built in RSS readers. If you're using a browser that does not support RSS, there are a variety of RSS readers available on the web --- web based and software downloads.

Bloglines and Google Reader are two popular choices of web-based RSS readers. You may want to select a web-based reader; it frees you from your computer. You can access your feed from any Internet ready device including your Blackberry or iphone.

The "Hands on Activity" in this blog post walks you through creating a Google Reader account.

Podcast on RSS (Time 1:48 minutes). To listen, select the blue play button with the right facing arrow.

"Learn More About" RSS

1. Read the "Introduction to RSS" on this blog. (Time Commitment 2 minutes)
2. Listen to the "Podcast on RSS" on this blog. (Time Commitment 1:48 minutes)
3. Watch this video on YouTube. RSS in Plain English at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0klgLsSxGsU. (Time Commitment 3.44 minutes)
4. Do the Google Reader tutorial by Andy Wibble at at http://andywibbels.com/flash/google_reader.htm (Time Commitment 5 minutes)
Hands On Activity

Part 1 - Set up an RSS Reader using Google Reader
Go to Google Reader at http://www.google.com/reader

If you do not already have a Google Account, select the link create your blog now (big orange arrow). If you have a Google Account, sign-in.
You will need to enter your information (as shown in the screen shot) into the online form to create the account.

Part 2 - Add RSS feed to your Google Reader
There is more than one way to add RSS feed from your favorite blogs or web sites to your Google Reader:

Search - ADD Subscription
1. Select the Add subscription link. The link displays when your preference navigation plane preference is set to Always start with the navigation pane visible.
2. Enter your search term. I searched for Library Technology and found dozens of blogs.
3. Select the Subscribe button and the feed is added to your Google Reader.

URL - ADD Subscription
1. Copy the URL of the blog or web site that you want to subscribe to in your Google Reader.
2. Select the Add Subscription
3. Paste the URL into Google Readers ADD Feed box.
4. If there is feed associated with the page, Google Reader will add it.

Search for Subscription Links
1. Search the blog or web page for links with the following terms: subscribe, syndicate, feed, rss, xml, atom. Copy the URL (address of the page into your Add Subscription box.
2. You can also look for images or buttons with these terms on them.

Part 3 - Create a blog post about your RSS experience

Sign onto Blogger
Select the new post link in your dashboard or the create link under the Posting tab.
Use the compose tab to type a brief message about your experience with this hands-on activity. Questions to get you started: Was it easy? Did you have fun? Which method of finding feeds did you find easiest to use? What kind of useful feeds did you find in your travels?Or what kind of unusual ones did you find?What other tools or ways did you find to locate newsfeeds?
Label Your blog post: Week 2 - RSS
When you have finished typing and are ready to publish your thoughts, select the orange button, "publish post". This will add the post to your blog. If you select the blue button, "save now", the blog post will be added to your list of posts for editing and publishing at a later time.

Important - Tips, Hints and Tricks
1. You will need to create a free Google account to use Google Reader. If you already have a Yahoo or Google account, just sign-in.
2. Write down your log-in and password. You will use this information every time you want to access your Google Reader.
3. If you like keyboard shortcuts, check out Google Reader's extensive list at http://www.google.com/reader/ui/772597556-en-keyboard-help-tearoff?hl=en.
4. Watch this YouTube video on Preferences at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buNHbx7HO70.
5. To change your view, select Settings, then preferences.
6. When using the Internet browser Firefox, you can choose Edit->Find in This Page to search for subscription links when adding RSS feed to your Google Reader.
7. Some sites have multiple feeds. Make sure that you choose the main feed and not a comment feed.
8. If the site gives you a choice between RSS and Atom, you may select either one; Google Reader works with both.

"Still Hungry for More About" RSS (Not Required)

RSS Feed for content publishers and web masters at http://www.mnot.net/rss/tutorial/
If you want to try creating your own RSS feed, do the RSS Tutorial at http://www.guidesandtutorials.com/rss-tutorial.html

Awesome job! Next week, you'll find out about wikis.

Week 1 - Blogs

2008-09-28T11:35:00.000-07:00

To successfully complete No. 1 - Blogs, you must...

READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands On Activities, including reading the Important Tips.

Your total time commitment is about 30 to 40 minutes.

Introduction to Blogs
A blog is a web site that is organized chronologically and self-archived by date with the newest entries appearing first or at the top of the blog. Each entry or blog post has a unique URL. Readers can comment on the blog posts and sign up for the RSS feed that syndicates the blog’s content. Next week, you will learn about RSS feeds.

"Learn More About" Blogs
1. Read this wikipedia article on Blogs at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog (Time commitment 5 minutes). NOTE: You do not need to follow the links contained in this article. Concentrate on the article content. If you choose to follow the article links, your time commitment will be longer than 5 minutes.
2. Watch this video on YouTube: “What's A Blog” at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzBvun2CLPo (Time commitment 1:38 seconds)
3. Do the Blogger tutorial at http://www.blogger.com/tour_start.g (5 minutes)

Hands-on Activity
NOTE: For this program, I recommend that you use Blogger. Blogger is a well known, easy to use, free blog creation and hosting service. You may choose to use another blogging software tool. All the instructions in the hands-on activity section below are for setting up a Blogger account and using Blogger as your blogging tool.

Part 1 - Create a Blog using Blogger
1. Create an account . (View Screen Shot)
Go to http://www.blogger.com/If you do not already have a Google Account, select the link create your blog now (big orange arrow). If you have a Google Account, sign-in.You will need to enter information into the online form to create the account.

2. Name your blog. (View Screen Shot)
Enter your blog's title. Your blog's title will appear on your published blog, on your dashboard and in your profile. You may change it if needed.Enter your blog address. The URL you select will be used by visitors to access your blog. You will not be allowed to change the URL.Word Verification. Type in the characters you see in the picture to verify that you are a "real person" signing up to create a blog...as opposed to a computer.Select the big orange arrow (continue) to finish setting up your blog.

3. Select your template. (View Screen Shot)
Preview the templates by selecting the links. You will see a different template each time.When you find one that appeals to you, select the radio button underneath the template entry. Then, you will need to select the continue button. (the big orange arrow)Don't worry! You can change the template later by selecting the layout tab, then clicking on the Pick a New Template link.

Part 2 - Add a Blog Post (View Screen Shot)
1. Select the new post link in your dashboard or the create link under the Posting tab.

2. Use the compose tab to type a brief message about your experience with this hands-on activity. Questions to get you started: Was it easy? Did you have fun? No! It was worse than a trip to the dentist!

3. Label your blog post: Week 1 - Blogs

4. When you have finished typing and are ready to publish your thoughts, select the orange button, publish post. This will add the post to your blog.

5. To save now, select the blue button; the blog post will be added to your list of posts for editing and publishing at a later time.

Part 3 - Complete your Registration
1. Email your name, agency, blog title and blog URL to Cindy Hart at chart@vbgov.com.

IMPORTANT - Tips, Hints and Tricks
1. You will need to create a free Google account to use Blogger. If you already have a yahoo or Google account, just sign-in.

2. Write down your login and password. You will use this information each time to access Blogger when creating a new blog post.

3. Access your account to add or edit posts or change your blog by going to this URL: http://www.blogger.com/. You will need your login and password everytime you access your blogger account.

4. To view your blog, you will use your blog address. Your blog address is http://(xxxx).blogspot.com, (xxxx)=the unique identifier you entered in Step 2 - Name your blog in the Hands On Activities.

5. Be sure to also write down your blog address (URL). Example: http://vbpl2point0.blogspot.com/

6. Your Dashboard is the starting place for doing any type of work, including adding new posts, on your blog.

Tell us what you think about this program so far by commenting on this blog post. Great job! Next week, you'll learn about RSS.

Getting Started

2008-08-09T02:23:00.000-07:00

The Internet is woven into the fabric of everyday life. Newly established and emerging Internet communication technologies such as blogs, wikis, and online social networks provide people with greater flexibility to collaboratively participate in an already complicated and continuously evolving information seeking process. These web-based technologies are enabling communication and increasing social interaction. Communication is transforming into a process where people move seamlessly between devices and in person encounters.

Learning 2.0 Remix is an online learning program to encourage Virginia Beach Public Library employees to experience these prevalent and emerging web-based technologies. They are changing the way in which people, business and society access information and communicate with each other.

The content for this online learning and discovery program will be posted to this blog over the course of nine weeks, beginning the week of September 29th and ending the week of December 1st. Yes! We skipped over Thanksgiving week. Participants have an additional week to complete the program. Learning 2.0 Remix ends on Friday, December 12.

Participants will…
READ each blog post.
THINK about the information contained in the “Learn More Resources”.
LEARN through completing the hands-on activities.
DO more in their professional and personal lives due to increased awareness, knowledge and skill.

For participants, these activities represent a total weekly time commitment of 30 – 50 minutes.

The online learning program seeks to:

Engage library employees in fun, collaborative, lifelong learning opportunities featuring information literacy concepts, skills and dialog.
Encourage new thinking and innovation through exploration of Web 2.0 and new technologies.

The Learning 2.0 Remixed blog will highlight the following web-based technologies:
Week 1 - September 29 - Blogs
Week 2 - October 6 - RSS
Week 3 - October 13 - Wikis
Week 4 - October 20 - Instant Messaging
Week 5 - October 27 - Multimedia
Week 6 - November 3 - Tags, Folksonomy, Del.icio.us
Week 7 – November 10 - Web Widgets and Gadgets
Week 8 – November 17 - Social Networking
Week 9 - December 1 - Web 2.0

Participants will use these technologies as learning tools and gain first hand knowledge of how they may be applied in business and in their personal lives.