As part of my presentation for the K12 Online Conference I am publishing this 50 page document. It is a combination of the 50+ RSS Ideas for Educators document and the Teaching Hacks wiki. It is geared towards an introduction to RSS, but carries on a bit further into topics such as tagging, social bookmarking, wikis and more. Link is to a pdf document.

Students read news reports and first-person accounts to imagine what it would be like to be in a blackout in a large city. They follow news reports as if the event were unfolding in real-time and keep weblogs or journals of their experience as they imagine it, taking on different roles of people who live in the city or commute there to work. They use their journal accounts to create a play or screenplay that depicts what the August 2003 blackout was like for the people in the U.S. and Canada who experienced it. Although this activity is geared towards fifth-grade and older students and Internet research capabilities are required, it could be easily adapted for younger students.

Students already use many forms of internet communication in their personal and social lives, and incorporating that into the classroom can make their learning experience more relevant and meaningful. Blogs help students put their thoughts into words, express their ideas publicly, and allow them to interact with each other’s ideas with comments. Blogging is a powerful form of digital communication used by many people; the availability, ease, and flexibility of blogging make it particularly appealing for teachers. In this module I analyze the benefits of blogging for a classroom, highlight some pitfalls, then examine some current usage of blogs.

What is a blog and what are the terms connected to this in French? Visit some blogs and complete the relevant empty spaces.

An exploration of the role that communication plays in the work of the contemporary engineering and science professional. Emphasis is placed on analyzing how composition and publication contribute to work management and knowledge production, as well as the "how-to" aspects of writing specific kinds of documents in a clear style. Topics include: communication as organizational process, electronic modes such as e-mail and the Internet, the informational and social roles of specific document forms, writing as collaboration, the writing process, the elements of style, methods of oral presentation, and communication ethics. Case studies used as the basis for class discussion and some writing assignments. Several short documents, a longer report or article, and a short oral presentation are required.

Inspired by the Learning to Love You More Project, the goal for these assignments is to incorporate creativity into your daily routine.
For a designated period of time (one week, one month, two months) have students choose a different assignment to do each day and post online, in a wiki or blog (Please include the link to your class wiki or blog at the bottom of the page). They may use a camera or sketch pad to document their work and must give the work a title and description. Students are also encouraged to add new assignment ideas that they create to the list.

Upon completion of this WebQuest, the young learner (3rd, 4th or 5th grade) will understand the basics of running a small Farm Stand business. Operations involved: Selecting the produce to be sold after product and pricing research. Calculating total sales. Substracting the expenses set by the WebQuest for their Farm Stand. Paying taxes based on their sales. Meeting savings, and charitable donation goals. Learners will experience how different decisions can affect results. They will be asked to think about the reasoning behind their choices.

Download the supporting PDF file for this episode http://bit.ly/e2Hxxs from the Learning to Teach Online project website.

Web 2.0 tools can be useful for any situation where discussion and content sharing is desired, and where accessing current information in certain topic areas can be advantageous for learning. This case study examines how and why Lubna Alam from the University of Canberra used the Moodle Learning Management System (LMS) as a central hub that both provided her students with easy access to the class blogs, wiki and Twitter, and a place where information from the different technologies was amalgamated. The integration of web 2.0 technologies into the learning process is examined, highlighting how this can improve student engagement, communication and collaboration.

Download the supporting PDF file for this episode http://bit.ly/bH53dD from the Learning to Teach Online project website.

This Learning to Teach Online http://bit.ly/d18ac5 case study features Tam Nguyen from The University of New South Wales, describing how a blog was used in one particular teaching context to promote peer-to-peer interaction, feedback and discussion. Tam's students also integrate YouTube and Flickr into their blogs, maximising the potential of both social media and a learning management system.

While the case study does examine one particular teaching application of a blog, the principles discussed can just as easily be applied to any teaching situation where the ability for individuals to chronologically record a learning process, collate different learning resources such as text, video and audio, and increased peer feedback or discussion between students is desired. This episode will examine the context, planning and teaching within the case study, and highlight any issues that were encountered, and benefits that make this type of online teaching worthwhile.