A teeny-tiny introduction to using (some) social networking technologies at school
Some basic generalizations
- Most of these services do not require special technical knowledge or skills beyond installation.
- Most can be made as public or private as desired.
Blogs
A weblog (or blog) is a website that follows certain conventions, most notably that it is organized chronologically with the most recent entry first. Most allow interaction in the form of comments.
Examples:
University Laboratory High School Library blog
The “PR” arm of the library website.
Mabry Middle School
Teachers use their blogs to post homework, due dates, information about upcoming events, etc. Every teacher posts at least once a week.
Tom McHale's Journalism class at Hunterdon Central Regional High School
A good example of a blog that supports active learning. Students respond to Mr. McHale's posts and use their own blogs to post their work. He also uses the blog to provide links to class resources.
Darren Kuropatwa’s precalculus class
Students take turns being class scribes, summarizing each day's lessons. They also write personal reflections about what they've learned prior to each test (“blogging about blogging”).
Edublogs
Free blog hosting for “teachers, trainers, lecturers, librarians and other edu professionals.”
Wikis
A wiki is a website that can be authored and edited by multiple users.
Examples:
Deer Valley High School track wiki
A fabulous way for multiple coaches to post scores, photos, and other information.
Performing arts at Burr and Burton Academy
Wikispaces for teachers
Free wiki hosting for 100,000 teachers.
Forums
A forum is a website that supports topical discussion threads.
Example:
Uni High BBS: forum space for Uni High teachers and students.
RSS
RSS (really simple syndication, rich site summary – take your pick) is a handy way to make information come to YOU. It's an XML file format that allows content to be distributed to those who subscribe to it. When you see one of these icons or terms like “syndicate this site,” you'll know you can subscribe! You view your subscriptions using a content aggregator, also called a news reader. An easy one to start with is the web-based Bloglines. Try it by subscribing to feeds from the New York Times or LiveScience. For a great explanation of RSS (written by one of our own students!), see this overview.
A few other social networking services -- famous, infamous, and otherwise:
Back to Computer Literacy
A teeny-tiny introduction to using (some) social networking technologies at school
Some basic generalizations
Blogs
A weblog (or blog) is a website that follows certain conventions, most notably that it is organized chronologically with the most recent entry first. Most allow interaction in the form of comments.
Examples:
University Laboratory High School Library blog
The “PR” arm of the library website.
Mabry Middle School
Teachers use their blogs to post homework, due dates, information about upcoming events, etc. Every teacher posts at least once a week.
Tom McHale's Journalism class at Hunterdon Central Regional High School
A good example of a blog that supports active learning. Students respond to Mr. McHale's posts and use their own blogs to post their work. He also uses the blog to provide links to class resources.
Darren Kuropatwa’s precalculus class
Students take turns being class scribes, summarizing each day's lessons. They also write personal reflections about what they've learned prior to each test (“blogging about blogging”).
Edublogs
Free blog hosting for “teachers, trainers, lecturers, librarians and other edu professionals.”
Wikis
A wiki is a website that can be authored and edited by multiple users.
Examples:
Deer Valley High School track wiki
A fabulous way for multiple coaches to post scores, photos, and other information.
Performing arts at Burr and Burton Academy
Wikispaces for teachers
Free wiki hosting for 100,000 teachers.
Forums
A forum is a website that supports topical discussion threads.
Example:
Uni High BBS: forum space for Uni High teachers and students.RSS
RSS (really simple syndication, rich site summary – take your pick) is a handy way to make information come to YOU. It's an XML file format that allows content to be distributed to those who subscribe to it. When you see one of these icons or terms like “syndicate this site,” you'll know you can subscribe! You view your subscriptions using a content aggregator, also called a news reader. An easy one to start with is the web-based Bloglines. Try it by subscribing to feeds from the New York Times or LiveScience. For a great explanation of RSS (written by one of our own students!), see this overview.
A few other social networking services -- famous, infamous, and otherwise:
Back to Computer Literacy
Last modified August 10, 2007Send comments and requests for further information to Frances Jacobson Harris
Copyright 2007, Board of Trustees, University of Illinois. All rights reserved.