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Session Outline

 Background
 Blogging setup for the SMSN
 Participants blog & comment (Hands on)
 RSS subscription & readers
 Moodle resources
Blogging, RSS and the Read/Write Web

 Blog: A weblog, web log or simply a blog,

as they are known are an easy-to-use web
site (no HTML required), where you can
quickly post thoughts, publish writing, and
interact with people. Such a website would
typically be accessible to any Internet
user.
Blogging, RSS and the Read/Write Web

 RSS: RSS stands for 'Really Simple

Syndication' or 'Rich Site Summary'

 RSS is being used to provide items

containing short descriptions of web
content together with a link to the full
version of the content.
Blogging, RSS and the Read/Write Web

The Read/Write web

Will Richardson
http://www.weblogg-ed.com/
The Read/Write web is about contributing to,
and having a voice on the Internet as
opposed to just being consumers of
information.
Blogging, RSS and the Read/Write Web

Example Blogs
http://www.bloglines.com/topblogs
http://dir.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/W

Example Wikis
Wikipedia - Free encyclopedia written by everyone!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Wiki books
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Main_Page
Sunraysia Mallee Schools Network

SMSN School blogs

http://www.smsn.vic.edu.au/blogs.php
 What were the needs of our network for
schools to get into blogging?
 Blogging software requirements
– Serverside vs clientside
– Support for multiple blogs
– Support for multiple authors
– WYSIWYG editor
– Good management for posts, comments etc
Sunraysia Mallee Schools Network

We went for the open source solution called

pLog http://www.plogworld.net

List of blogging software:

http://opensourcecms.com/
http://weblogs.about.com/od/weblogsoftwareandhosts/a

One of the most well known is www.blogger.com

What is a blog
Logging on …

http://www.smsn.vic.edu.au/ictev
Choose the log on link on the right

Type in your

Username:

Password:
Why is it powerful?

 A way to improve writing

 Provide a real audience for writing
 An easy way to create a web site quickly
 Weblogs are a personal writing space. Easy, sharable,
automatically archived.
 Weblogs are easily linked and cross-linked to form learning
communities.
 Weblogs can become digital portfolios of students'
assignments and achievements.
 Weblogs are a novice's web authoring tool.
What can you do with blogs?

What are the possibilities for weblogs in education?

http://anvil.gsu.edu/NECC2004/stories/storyReader$13

 post short current events articles to invite students

thoughts, reactions, and possible solutions
 create a literature circle
 post photos and ask students to create captions
 foster book discussions in the form of an online book club
 post a daily/weekly synopsis of ﾊ the curriculum taught ･
homework assignments
 a birdseye view of the class for parents
 honour and celebrate class achievements

 Cardross Blog Developing a community

Keeping track… RSS

Really Simple Syndication

Look for an RSS link or a button on a web page.

QuickTimeª
TIFF
are (Uncompre
needed to

Copy the ‘link’ from the blog.

(Right mouse click the link -> copy link location or URL)
Keeping track… RSS

Really Simple Syndication

 Copy the link into your News Reader
 Keeping track… RSS
List of
Really Simple Syndication topics

 You should now be subscribed to the feed

List of
feeds
Content
of the
post
More Resources
http://www.smsn.vic.edu.au/moodle/ Click on “The Read/Write Web” link

I have been developing a Moodle

course called “The Read/Write”
web which also uses open
source software and enables
the Read/Write web.

You can find many more

resources, files and links by
accessing this course.