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Webspiration now embeds!

Simon Robinson — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 08:45:38 +0000

To embed the document in a web page, blog or wiki, click the Copy Embedding Code link at the bottom of your published document.

Great news!
I have been using Webspiration since it the beta started and sent a feedback email early on requesting the embed feature. I was obviously not alone and now four months later it arrives. You have to first “publish” the document which generates a URL you can direct people to if you wish. If you go to the published document there is a button at the bottom to copy the embed code to the clipboard. It’s not the most elegant implementation but it’s a start. “Republishing” is required to update the document but (thank goodness!) the URL doesn’t change.
I’m hoping it will improve with age. Example below.

RSS The trailer

Simon Robinson — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 01:17:57 +0000

I espouse the virtues of RSS constantly and I have alluded to how useful I think it can be for students and educators. Sue Waters then put the pressure on so I felt compelled to deliver. I see it as a trilogy, “RSS in three parts” (Quick! Reserve the movie rights!). Basic, intermediate and advanced. In each of the sections I will endeavour to include strategies, experiences or ideas as it applies to teaching and learning. Like backing up your data, therre is truckloads of stuff about RSS and it’s derivative services written by far brighter people than I but my hope is to tailor it somewhat to suit the audience and to save you some legwork. Here’s an outline of what to expect;

Ep1 A quick intro (Basic)

Quick introduction, reading your feeds and bookmarking your feeds

Ep2 Share the feed-love! (Intermediate)

Sharing your feeds – Friend feed, Google Reader
Embed in your site

Ep3 Work that feed baby! (Advanced)

Combine, filter, syndicate and other things you can do to “work your feeds”

That will do for a start anyways. Ep1 coming soon…

Terminology and acronyms

Simon Robinson — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 23:16:02 +0000

I have decided I don’t like the term LMS (Learning Management System.)
It just implies that its all controlled and stuff.
I feel that online learning spaces as they are currently viewed by most (i.e LMS or CMS system) is fundamentally flawed (for high school students at least.) The names themselves “Learning Management System” implies a level of control that stifles rather than encourages curiosity, exploration and ultimately powerful learning. In my opinion, customisable, personal spaces for participants that can be easily connected with others in the learning community offers more opportunity and the freedom of expression that most young (and old?) people seek. The democratic power of technology is perhaps what ultimately scares traditional educational structures. I think we need to embrace that fear (anyone read Dune by Frank Herbert?)

You are subscribed

Simon Robinson — Mon, 12 May 2008 23:46:36 +0000

It was slow going to start with but everyone got there in the end. Subscribed to an RSS feed from a blog. Getting started is the hardest part but in my experience the most important. The whole RSS/social/sharing thing through the web is a difficult thing to wrap your head around especially at the beginning unless your in there doing it. Only through “getting a taste” can you start to figure out how powerful it can be and the different ways you might use it. Dealing with the “firehose of information” is what the students are faced with. They need these skills.
It’s a different way of thinking, a different approach. A challenge.
As “models for young learners” are we up to it, along with everything else?

[Caption]

Working the feed

Simon Robinson — Sun, 11 May 2008 13:16:23 +0000

Taking my own advice from last time we’re going to slow things down tomorrow afternoon. Plan is to revise RSS, blogs and wikis with people using some of the stuff I’m doing at the moment as an example. People will be viewing this post and adding the blog feed to their RSS reader (most likely IE7)

Atomic Learning has a tutorial showing how to add a feed to the feedreader embedded in IE7 called “Using RSS feeds” You’ll need your login details (email me if you don’t know what they are)

I might create a public wiki for people to have a look at, get the feel for what’s going on. Provide room for experimentation maybe and provide an opportunity for everyone to wrap their heads around using RSS feeds to get updates of any website they happen to be attached to.

Could we start again please?

Simon Robinson — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 18:46:38 +0000

Had a session with some staff the other day and I think it went a bit over the top. On reflection I introduced way too many things too quickly and missed the target. Well that’s how it felt anyway. I forgot to emphasise the regular “run of the mill” applications that people may wish to know more about or even streamlining current processes (e.g. how you deal with mail) to become more effective. In other words I didn’t keep the main thing the main thing (stupid!) [Thanks must go to DLU here for the timely reminders I rightly received in this area]

If you were at the session, feel free to leave a comment below with your impressions. I’m happy to be told otherwise.
In an effort to make up for the confusion I have caused I will review…

RSS as the “new way” to get information from the web
Social bookmarking to turbocharge your bookmarks and “share the link-love”
Google Docs for collaboration and peace of mind

A couple of people created delicious accounts and a few created blog accounts (thanks Edublogs) which I’m excited about. Unfortunately, with the large group we couldn’t have the in depth conversations with everyone as we would have liked but I will endeavour to pursue some of that one on one. Again I have to thank DLU for generously lending her expertise to assist. (Don’t forget the MyClasses page that DLU created last session.)

I have embedded the Common Craft “in Plain English” videos below so people can watch them again. These guys do some seriously useful stuff and I think are on the money with the explanations. I have also included some links to Atomic Learning (I can’t pimp the site enough really,) where there are short video tutorials on how to get a delicous or Google account, and explanations of RSS and RSS readers. If you can’t remember the school password shoot me an or ask around. For obvious reasons it can’t be published here.

RSS in plain english

Go here to view the Atomic Learning tutorial and learn more about it

Go here to view the Atomic Learning tutorial introducing RSS using IE7

Go here to view the Atomic Learning tutorial about using RSS feeds in IE7

Social bookmarking (with Del.icio.us) in plain english

Go here to view the Atomic Learning tutorial and sign up

Google Docs in plain english

Go here to view the Atomic Learning tutorials and sign up

I think I’ll get people to subscribe to the RSS feed of this blog as a learning activity. It would encompass most of the things discussed already. Should have done that the first time really…