Assignment 1 - Web 2.0 Tools for Communication

Coretta's Personal Vocabulary for Distance Education Resource

















Differences & Simiarities Chart Description:





















Communication Tool used for Week 1: Google Wave

URL of the Tool: http://wave.google.com/about.html

Please select the one, primary category for this tool: Communication Tool

Please describe this tool in your own words.
Google Wave has been a product of Google since May 28, 2009. It is an online software application that can be used to communicate and collaborate with others. It also makes creative thoughts more easier to express.

While working in Google Wave blogger, the wave is being transferred live where people can discuss and work together using text, photos, videos, maps, and more.













The wave is a shared space on the web server that is immediately updated as you type new information in the document. When a new participant is added to the wave group, they can automatically edit, type-text, add pictures or graphics to the wave. The wave keeps a history of each individual conversation and media to help those who are just joining the group. Waves can be kept private, shared, or made public if chosen to do so.

While trying to install Google Wave, I had an option to get a faster and free web browser or keep the current browser at my own risk. There were three choices listed, Google Chrome, Safari 4, and Firefox 3.5. I decided to choose Google Chrome because I was familiar with the browser and found it to be user-friendly. And after all, the client did mention that it would run web pages and applications with the speed of lightning!
















In conclusion, this tool can be very productive for any group whose trying to communicate, collaborate, and keep updates with one another.

What do you need to know before using this tool?
Basic skills such as knowing how to use the Internet properly to surf through web pages and following instructions to install and create a Google Wave is all you need to know.

What do you need to have before using this tool?
Before using this tool you might want to install a faster web browser such as Google Chrome, Safari 4, or Firefox. The purpose of this installation is for faster speed so that your software and applications will run smoother while using this tool.

How do you use this tool?
Once you download the Google Chrome web browser and install the software, you will need to login by typing your username and password.

In Google Wave, you can use this tool by doing the following things:

• Have classroom discussions.
• Track student’s task/assignments that have been performed in and out of class.
• Set up student or parent meetings.
• Brainstorm with students about a specific topic or subject the students are learning for the week.
• Keep documents on file for each student performance every semester.

HOW TO USE GOOGLE WAVE FOR LIVE BLOGGING

STEP 1: Go to Google Wave website http://wave.google.com/about.html and start a new wave (please sign up first to become a member). When you start a new wave, by default it will not be public.

STEP 2: Add public@.com to start a Public Wave. This wave will become a live-blogging wave for the public to view. Your readers will be able to se the wave on your blog. It would be helpful to copy and paste the address and add this account to the Wave, then place it in your contacts.

STEP 3: You can decide to make your Wave Read-only or give your readers Full access to your Wave. When you give full access this means that any person can comment on your blog. When you make your blog read-only, it does not allow others to edit your blog.

If you decide to change these settings at anytime, simply click on the globe icon that represents the public@a.gwave.com account and change the access settings.

NOTICE: Public waves are set to “full access” by default.

STEP 4: You will need to get the embedded code and embed it to your Wave. Simply copy you URL wave from your browser’s address bar and go to the tool that says Wave Element, then paste the URL into the form. Click on Return to refresh the new URL.

Now you can select the desired size of the embed size to your blog, and go to the bottom of the page where you can find the updated embed code.











STEP 5: You can also go to your favorite blogging tool and paste the embed code into your new post. At this point, you can start blogging and your readers will see every word you type in real time.








Please create an example with this tool and either embed in your blog or submit the URL.
In Google Wave, I wanted to have a discussion with the students before the first class day. I clicked on the tab that said Discussion and simply wrote a note to all the students who will be attending the Microsoft 2007 training class. And it went a little like this:

(WELCOME! My name is Ms. Edwards and I will be your instructor today from 8:00 am - 12:00 pm. Please bring your Presentation Standards book to class July 20. Thank you and make it a great day).













Please describe a scenario of how you might use this tool in a teaching environment.
The Google Wave tool can be used in the classroom in many different ways by giving students information pertaining to their classes. It can help students with their work to make sure they are up to date with class assignments. For example, if a student did not come to class they can use the Google Wave tool at any location, and at any time to check assignments they have missed.

Google Wave can be beneficial to students who are having problems in a particular subject by having multiple people working on assignments together. They can teach one another how to solve a specific problem. For example, if students are working on an English paper and someone does not know how to word their paper correctly they can give each other ideas on how to write their paper properly. The students can also edit each other’s paper to check spelling, grammar, and capitalization.

The teacher can use the Google Wave tool for grading assignments to make sure the students are aware of when assignments are due. The students can also check to see if there have been any changes made to the assignment.

In Texas, there are many different weather conditions that can affect a student from attending school. By having Google Wave, the instructor can update the board to notify each student and parent on what to do about attending class for that particular day.

At times, there may be upcoming issues that can affect the school alone. For example, the instructor can update the Google Wave board to notify students and parents that the school’s hot water heater has broken and flooded the school and could possibly be closing to renovate and fix the situation.

If a teacher has an unexpected family emergency he/she can notify the students ahead of time to give them the opportunity to prepare or even work on assignments. A student can also use this tool to turn their work in on time to make sure that they are on the right track and understand the lesson given. If a student turns their assignment in early, they will be aware of any necessary changes.

In conclusion, the Google Wave tool is beneficial not only to the teacher, parent, but also to the student as well because it helps them to become up to date on what is going on in the class and around them.

What are the advantages of using this tool in a teaching environment?
The advantage of using Google Wave in the school environment can be very imperative for each student. For example, students will have the opportunity to receive live updates anywhere their located so that no one will be left behind or working on assignments that could have been omitted from the latest assignment. Also, Google Wave live updates could benefit each student if he/she is out sick or unable to make it to class due to weather conditions or personal matters.

What are the disadvantages of using this tool in a teaching environment?
The disadvantage of Google Wave in the teaching environment could be lack of communication or understanding when working on a specific project or assignment.

Google Wave can be used for educational purposes, but it is not one of the best web 2.0 tools to use for chatting live. When chatting live in Google Wave, the transferring of waves are much too slow for real-time communication.

Assignment 2 - Web 2.0 Tools for Creativity and Innovation

Name of the Tool: Dvolver

URL of the Tool: http://www.dvolver.com/live/home.html

Please select the one, primary category for Dvolver: Creativity Tool

Please describe Dvolver in your own words.
Dvolver moviemaker is a Web 2.0 Creativity and Innovation tool that can be used to make movies. It revolved from a tool called Dfilm (Digital Film). Dvolver was created by Ben Rigby in 2007.

When using Dvolver, people can create creativity widgets with software that allows people to communicate in a creative way using internet technologies. It is a basic software that gives you step by step instructions on how to make your own movies. Dvolver is said to be a communication tool, but I think it is more of a creativity tool. I say this because you are creating more than you are communicating.

Dvolver moviemaker is an inexpensive tool that can be fun and innovative for all ages. With this web 2.0 tool, you can select your own characters, background and images. You can also add animation to the scenario, create a dialogue, and add music of your choice, then share it with others.

What do you need to know before using Dvolver?
Potential users will need to know how to use the PC and the Internet to surf the web.

What do you need to have before using Dvolver?
Potential users will need a PC, Internet access, and have already sign up with Dvolver to access their account.

How do you use Dvolver?
Instructions on How to use Dvolver:

Step 1 - Go to Dvolver website http://www.dvolver.com/live/home.html and select the moviemaker image (please sign up first to become a member).














Step 2 – Select a background and graphic you prefer to create your film.
















Step 3 - Click on Next and choose the scenario after you have selected your background and graphic.















Step 4 - Select Next again, then add the characters you prefer.















Step 5 - Click on Next once you choose your characters and add the dialogue for each character. Reminder: Text is limited to 100 characters per line.
















Step 6 - Now you can add background music once you have downloaded the dialogue. Choose the music of your choice.
















Step 7 – At this point, you can add another scene and repeat the process. If you decide to stop now, you can click Finish Movie. To completely finish the movie, you will need to add a title and some ‘credits’, then choose a background design.
 Click the send button. Once done, this will allow you to view your movie and you can decide if you would like to send it to another person.
 If you are satisfied with the movie, you can send it to yourself and others by email.
 A link to the movie on Dvolver website will appear once the email is sent.

















Step 8 - After the movie has been sent to others, you will have the option to copy the embedded script. This will allow you to embed your movie into a website or blog of your choice.
















Please create an example with Dvolver and either embed in your blog or submit the URL.

http://www.dvolver.com/live/movies-432109



Please describe a scenario of how you might use Dvolver in a teaching environment.
The Dvolver moviemaker web 2.0 tool can be used in a teaching environment amongst students such as giving school presentations and special assignments. This tool could be an ice-breaker for class discussions and difficult topics to soothe students. It can also help students to understand the activities and assignments better.

Students that are taking courses online can also use Dvolver moviemaker to collaborate and discuss group projects.

I am not a teacher, but I train city employees on how to use PowerPoint presentations during city meetings. This tool could help the employees to create topics that they want answers to such as:
 How to draw, edit and format the red box around the title and text
 How to design a meaningful presentation.
 How to use animation in a presentation.

These examples are very helpful in using the Dvolver moviemaker tool, because it is simple to understand and is a good way to make a presentation less complicated.

What are the advantages of using Dvolver in a teaching environment?
You need only a PC and Internet access. And most of all, Dvolver is a free web tool that does not require equipment or anything to download.

What's great about this tool is that it is simple and quick, but has a professional looking results which can be shared with others. The music, images, and animation on Dvolver website is engaging and fun for all ages.

What are the disadvantages of using Dvolver in a teaching environment?
Some school districts may not allow Dvolver web 2.0 tool in class environments. Dvolver is open to the public for everyone to view.

I found this web tool to be one of the best and exciting online tools and if there are disadvantages when trying to create a movie, I found none.

Assignment 3 - Web 2.0 Tools for Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Name of the Tool: Webspiration

URL of the Tool: http://mywebspiration.com/about/details

Please select the one, primary category for this tool: Creative Thinking and Problem Solving Tool

Please describe this tool in your own words.
Webspiration is currently a Beta software that you can use to organize and expand ideas individually or as a group. It is a web-based visual tool that focuses on mind mapping, outlining, and brainstorming.

For those who are familiar with maps such as Inspiration or Kidspiration, the Inspiration team is the ones who introduced the online version called Webspiration. In Webspiration you can do the following:

• Create graphic organizers and diagrams to help your students think visually.
• Use outlines to get organized with students assignments, reports, and other documents.
• Collaborate with students anytime and anywhere.

Webspiration is fairly a new online web 2.0 tool that can benefit teachers, trainers, and students to think and learn visually when studying, planning, and organizing projects and documents.

What do you need to know before using this tool?

• How to build a hierarchy or flowchart.
• How to outline a document.
• The order or connections to the topic and the supporting details.
• Knowledge of how web 2.0 software can be used and shared in the classroom.

What do you need to have before using this tool?
An outline of the Presentation Standards and supporting details of what you would like to connect to the topic.

How do you use this tool? WEBSPIRATION INSTRUCTIONS BELOW
Step 1
Go to myWebspiration website and log in to your account (please sign up first to become a member).

Step 2

Click on the orange button that says "Launch Webspiration". You will see this link in the top right corner of the page and directly under the "My Account" and "Sign Out" options.

Step 3
Click on the "Diagram" link. You will be prompted to add a name to the document. Type in the subject of the lesson, then click the save button when done.














Step 4
Webspiration will automatically fill the oval with the name of the document. Click on any of the symbols in the dialogue box to the left side of the screen. This symbol will emerge in the diagram where ever you position your mouse.
Repeat this process so that there are as many bubbles or boxes as there are headings in the lesson. The symbols can be arranged around the main subject bubble by dragging them with the mouse. Add text to the symbols by clicking in them and then typing.

Step 5
Click on the border of the main topic. A pattern of squares and diamonds will appear. Click on the diamond that is closest to the first heading in the lesson. A transparent arrow head will appear. Do not let go of the left button. Instead, drag it to the first text box and repeat this process.













Step 6
Repeat steps 4 and 5 for the subheadings and their supporting details.

Step 7
The newly created graphic organizer can be used in your classroom by printing it out or by pulling it up with your classroom computer and projecting it on to the screen.

Please create an example with this tool and either embed in your blog or submit the URL.
http://mywebspiration.com/view/490941a10cd2





Please describe a scenario of how you might use this tool in a teaching environment.
There are many different situations that transpire when training city employees. Here are several examples of the main problems that occur during the final step of approving a presentation for city meetings:

• The presenter (city employee) did not create the title to be bold and increase or decrease the title font size to 40.
• The presenter (city employee) did not create the text to be bold and increase or decrease the text font size to 30.
• The presenter (city employee) did not know how to create the red box around the title and text box.
• The presenter (city employee) used more than two font sizes in the Master Slide.
• The presentation for the city meeting is turned in too late or is not placed in the appropriate folder.

When dealing with multiple presentations, it can be very stressful to check each presentation before setting up a meeting because it could be more than ten presenters that are presenting a presentation during a City Council, Planning & Zoning Commission, Zoning Board of Adjustment and Sugar Land Development Corporation meeting (just to name a few).

My responsibility during these meeting is to keep calm and make sure each presentation is in the correct standards and guidelines. This is very important the public will be sitting in the audience watch the meeting live and on the Internet and television, so it is very imperative to make sure each slide is large enough and legible to view.

By creating a simple diagram for the city employees to view as a reminder on SLIC Intranet (Sugar Land Information Center), may resolve the common problems that occur during the training stages of designing, editing, and formatting a presentation.

What are the advantages of using this tool in a teaching environment?

• As a student gets older, Webspiration can help them to take control of organizing their own learning.
• Teachers/trainers can create maps and invite students to collaborate and fill in information needed.
• Free software with nothing to download.

What are the disadvantages of using this tool in a teaching environment?

• The public has access to view your files.
• Can be restricted in the school districts.

Assignment 4 - Web 2.0 Tools for Collaboration

http://voicethread.com/#q.b1261255.i6777737

Click the image or the link above to view and participate in the VoiceThread. Making comments is really simple and you can delete and re-record as many times as you like.

A VoiceThread is an online media album that allows a group of people to make comments on images, videos, and documents, really simply. You can participate 5 different ways - using your voice (with a microphone or telephone), text, audio file, or video (with a webcam). It's easy to control who can access and comment on a VoiceThread, which makes it a secure place to talk about almost anything: business and academic presentations, travelogues, family history, art critiques, language study, tutorials, book clubs and digital storytelling. A VoiceThread allows an entire group conversation to be collected from anywhere in the world and then shared in one simple place.

Assignment 5 - Web 2.0 Tools for Reflection, Feedback and Networking

Name of the Tool: Google Groups

URL of the Tool: http://groups.google.com/

Primary category for Google Groups: Networking/Social Tool

Please describe this tool in your own words.
If you would like to connect with people, access information, and communicate effectively over e-mail and on the web, then Google Groups is the tool for you.

Google Groups is a networking and social tool that supports discussions from other groups such as Usenet newsgroups, based on common interest. It is a free service from Google and many groups are anonymous. Users can search different discussion groups related to their interest and start a threaded conversation, either through e-mail or by a web interface. In Google Groups, if you decide to create a new group, you can do so.

During February 2001, Google purchased Deja News, which provided a search engine to access an archive of Usenet newsgroups through the new Google Groups interface. By February 2006, Google customized Google Groups interface by adding profiles and posting ratings. Below are the notable interface features that were added:

• Google Search - Incorporates public groups into its results and return the posts which matches the search query, then displays the results with a link to the Google Groups directory.
• Profiles - Users can create public profiles which links to all of their postings.
• Rating Posts - Users can rate a post with 1 to 5 out of 5 stars. A user may not rate a post that belongs to them.
• Starring Threads - Users are allowed to mark up to 200 threads as “starred” to track them centrally.
• Email Masking - Google masks each e-mail address on its web interface by replacing up to the last 3 characters of the username with no less than three dots to prevent scammers or spammers from harvesting e-mail addresses from a group.
  Overall, Google Groups is a great way to send messages to a group of your interest, and it is a good collaboration system tool that allows networks of varying sizes to start message discussions, create group pages, and modify the process of communication online in the Google network.

What do you need to know before using Google Groups?
Potential users will need to know how to use the PC and the internet to surf the web

What do you need to have before using Google Groups?
Potential users will need a PC, internet access, and have already sign up with Google Groups or other Google accounts to access their account.

How do you use Google Groups?
Instructions on How to use Google Groups:

Step 1 - Go to Google Groups website http://groups.google.com/ and select "Create a group..." button on the Google Groups homepage.













Step 2 - If you're not already signed in to your Google Account, sign in, name your group, and fill out the other required information.












Step 3 - Create a group by adding the group name, group email address, and group web address. Then write a group description to verify that you are 18 years or older to use this site. You can also choose an access level on this page.















Step 4 - Enter the email addresses of the people you'd like to invite to your group. If you would prefer to directly add your members, click the "Add members directly" link. Then write an invitation or welcome message, and select an email subscription option for your members if you're directly adding them. Lastly, click the "Invite members" or "Add members" button. Google will send notifications or invitations to your group members.















Step 5 - This is what Google Groups new group will look like once you are done.









Please create an example with Google Groups and either embed in your blog or submit the URL.



Please describe a scenario of how you might use this tool in a teaching environment.
This tool can be used in a teaching environment such as training classes, organize meetings, conferences, etc. For example, I work for the city and this tool would be helpful to coordinate meetings on or offsite and within the departments.

The city departments that are located at different sites can use Google Groups to collaborate on projects or presentations instead of meeting face-to-face in a classroom setting.

This web 2.0 tool can also be used to stay in touch with former co-workers who have worked on the same projects or presentations for public city meetings such as City Council, Zoning Board of Adjustment and Appeals, and Planning and Zoning Commissions.

What are the advantages of using Google Groups in a teaching environment?
Google Groups continues to be very strong in the area of private, or restricted, mailing list discussions. Therefore, if students are using this web 2.0 tool with others students or co-workers; any attempts at using it for public discussion medium are completely useless.

What are the disadvantages of using Google Groups in a teaching environment? Google Groups fails to contain and manage spam filtering which can be harmful to the school’s personal computers. There are many different viruses and Trojans in cyber-space, and students are not always going to be educated enough to know which e-mails to open and which e-mails to delete.

Assignment 6 - Web 2.0 Tools for Presentation

http://www.dvolver.com/live/movies-435601




http://voicethread.com/share/1267029/