The first book about Elgg is now on the market. It is called Elgg Social Networking, by Mayank Sharma. The description of Elgg that is given in the description of this book has provided me with the first real understanding of what is different about Elgg. He describes how to
"Create and manage your own social network site using this free open-source tool.
Create your own customized community site; Manage users, invite friends, start groups and blogs; Host content: photos, videos, MP3s, podcasts ; Manage your Elgg site, protect it from spam )."http://www.packtpub.com/elgg-social-networking/book
"If you are looking to create your social networking site by tomorrow, then this book is for you. Elgg is an open-source social web application. It offers a networking platform combining elements of blogging, e-portfolios, news feed aggregation, file sharing, and social networking. Elgg has its own plug-in architecture, and can use plug-ins to provide a calendar and a wiki” It can be integrated with most third-party blogging clients. It can be integrated with our own WebCT".
"While anybody can use Elgg to create their social network, it is especially useful in education as it has many features making it suitable for e-learning, including groups, communities, and blogs that can be used for online classes where students can communicate in a new way with each other and with students around the world—in a managed, protected environment, creating what its authors term a "personal learning landscape". This book also covers using Elgg in teaching/learning.” © Packt Publishing Ltd 2008(http://www.packtpub.com/elgg-social-networking/book
Hope that helps you guys as much as it did me!
Sunday, March 30, 2008
International Children's Digital Library
I find the idea wonderful. I remember when I visited France for 3 weeks in 11th grade. I was all alone with a family that didn't speak English, and I spoke very little French. It was lonely, and when , half way through my stay, my host family arranged to have my sister's host family meet us halfway between our places, I was estatic to be able to express myself in my own language again. She and I talked and talked. It must be so much harder for a child to have to move permanently away from their country. The ICDL fills a void for these children, offering books for them to read in their own language. There may be no other place in the whole country that offers books in their particular language. Computers can bring these books right into their new homes, or into their local library. Happiness IS!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
WebQuests are cool
WebQuests are such neat little packages containing a study topic. The ones that I looked at were very stimulating. The kids that get to use those are so LUCKY. The opportunities for fun exploration of a topic are huge when they use a well designed WebQuest. I'll bet they really like them. I think of the schools up here, and NOTHING like this is being used (from what I can tell, anyway). I just want to turn them on to so many cool Technological tools! Maybe I will. I'll get good at using these things, and go on tour... :-) Brooke
A little more Elgg info
I'm back...
Elgg is described as a learning environment in which others with like interests gather together to exchange ideas. It is a student’s personal space in which to explore a topic, post comments, publish materials, and create links to information that they choose. "Elgg is all about a learner-centred, learner-controlled space in which you choose the connections, the resources and the communities you want to participate in," says David Tosh, one of its creators (http://education.guardian.co.uk/elearning/story/0,,1724614,00.html retrieved March 23, 2008).
Elggs can be contrasted to Virtual Learning Environments (VLE’s), which are very structured, patterned after regular college classes, with timetables and assessments. Follow this link to read a very helpful article entitled “A space on the web that we control” http://education.guardian.co.uk/elearning/story/0,,1724614,00.html.
Brooke
Elgg is described as a learning environment in which others with like interests gather together to exchange ideas. It is a student’s personal space in which to explore a topic, post comments, publish materials, and create links to information that they choose. "Elgg is all about a learner-centred, learner-controlled space in which you choose the connections, the resources and the communities you want to participate in," says David Tosh, one of its creators (http://education.guardian.co.uk/elearning/story/0,,1724614,00.html retrieved March 23, 2008).
Elggs can be contrasted to Virtual Learning Environments (VLE’s), which are very structured, patterned after regular college classes, with timetables and assessments. Follow this link to read a very helpful article entitled “A space on the web that we control” http://education.guardian.co.uk/elearning/story/0,,1724614,00.html.
Brooke
Saturday, March 22, 2008
New topic: Elgg
Hey, guys!
Wanted to give you my first impressions on my new topic: Elgg. I will be doing more research soon, but from what I can tell, Elgg is a wiki.. Since it's been singled out for study, however, I'm guessing that it's more than that, or perhaps not even that. It is a social networking tool. I'll get back to you soon!
Brooke
Wanted to give you my first impressions on my new topic: Elgg. I will be doing more research soon, but from what I can tell, Elgg is a wiki.. Since it's been singled out for study, however, I'm guessing that it's more than that, or perhaps not even that. It is a social networking tool. I'll get back to you soon!
Brooke
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Interesting facts about ebooks (topic somewhat related to iTunes U?)
I was looking around a database that my school purchased (leased? got? I'm not sure of the terminology), called SIRS Researcher, and decided to see what I could find about iTunes U in that database. I found an article from the Associated Press that had some interesting information that I didn't know:
Brooke
- Contrary to some parents' concerns, listening to books encourages reading. This expands on reading out loud to kids, which studies show boosts literacy (Belinda Jacks, Grand Prairie, TX).
- VangoNotes have been developed through a partnership between Audible, Inc. and Pearson Publishing. These are textbook chapter summaries and reviews in MP3 form.
- A Playaway is a audio player, consisting of a two-ounce flashplayer, pre-loaded with an audio book (made by Follett Corp. and Findaway World).
- Cost comparisons: "A new paperback copy of Charlotte's Web costs $8 on Amazon, whereas the Playaway version costs $30, and an iTunes download of it costs $17 (many other iTunes book downloads cost more--for example, Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice costs $26, and the more recent Harry Potter books cost $50)" (see URL below, retrieved March 8, 2008, 11:10 AM).
- The audiobook industry is one of the fastest-growing parts of publishing.
- Harrison Group conducted a study on teen technology trends, and when considering the new technologies that will merge phones and Internet browsers with MP3 players, Jim Taylor, the company's Vice Chairman states, "It's interestingly changing the way in which people are educated. You just need to ask intelligent questions, and you can get answers anytime, anywhere, in real time. Education becomes no longer a fact-based learning process, it's search-based, cognitive. It's kind of like what happened to math skills with the calculator" (see URL below, Retrieved March 8, 2008, 11:10 AM)
- Even with these technological changes, more people are buying books than ever before.
Brooke
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Assistive Technology
Oblinger and Ruby (retrieved March 3, 2008) they discuss the budgeting problems associated with providing Assistive Technologies in an academic setting. They described a University that didn't have enough money in their equipmement budget to purchase a screen reader application for the computer, so they hired a human reader for two years to accommodate a student's needs. With that experience behind them, perhaps they have figured out a way to losen up the rigidity of their budgeting system. Perhaps they have a line in the budget now for disability services, which can be used however it is decided best fits the needs of the student. If school budgets are done every year, I'm wondering why the University didn't hire a human reader for the first year, and budget in for the electronic screen reader for the second year.
They discussed the fact that people without disabilities often end up benefitting from accommodatoions made for the disabled. Use of the cut away sections of street curbs at crossings is an example of this. People with strollers or on bicycles benefit from being able to use them. Within the technological realm, even if we don't end up finding specific uses for people without disabilities, just being able to have closer affiliations with disabled persons in our schools can enrich our lives, both through an experience in diversity, and for what that student brings to the university regardless of her disability.
They discussed the fact that people without disabilities often end up benefitting from accommodatoions made for the disabled. Use of the cut away sections of street curbs at crossings is an example of this. People with strollers or on bicycles benefit from being able to use them. Within the technological realm, even if we don't end up finding specific uses for people without disabilities, just being able to have closer affiliations with disabled persons in our schools can enrich our lives, both through an experience in diversity, and for what that student brings to the university regardless of her disability.
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