Web+2.0+Virtual+Field+Trip+(Short+Version)

A Virtual Field Trip of Web 2.0 Tools (Read & Do the Following!)

A Virtual Field Trip (VFT, as you may see it written in our class) is an Activity Type that structures an Internet search - it guides students to specific locations on the Internet where they can locate required information. Often, it is accompanied by a print or electronic Study Guide where students record their findings to share back with classmates!!

Virtual field trips can be used in instruction to introduce learners to places too remote to visit—OR toooo virtual—through the Internet. In this Virtual Field trip, you will be introduced to Web 2.0 tools that are currently in use in instructional settings, and because there is no library, museum, or physical building where we can go to learn about Web 2.0—this is one of those virtual trips!

In your EDUC 8Y24/34 course, you will be exploring blogs, wikis, and the use of online videos, through sources like YouTube, for other projects. This shortened version of the Virtual Field Trip into Web 2.0 tools features other tools that teachers should know and use in the 21st century classroom!

YOUR TASK! __**Your task**__ is to work through the set of activities below, taking a break every few minutes and tweeting about what you have learned. You may want to take notes during your exploration, of items you want to share in these tweets!!

So enjoy the stops along the way—each STOP will introduce you to a new tool and provide links for you to explore—let’s get started!!

Sharing while you learn!! Many social networking tools allow you to share while you learn. Examples of other social networks include facebook, MySpace, and the Brock Learning Network! Reflection is one of those metacognitive thinking activities that teachers use to help learners process information -- blending new knowledge with prior knowledge to construct a solid knowledge base. Social networking tools provide a forum for that type of activity. Also, social networks provide learners with opportunities to communicate ideas, practice writing for an audience, and engage in an authentic, real-world experience!! = = = =

= = =VIRTUAL STOP #1: TWITTER = Let’s begin our learning adventure by exploring one of the many social networking tools available online—Twitter! Notice that when you log into Twitter, Twitter asks, “What’s happening?” and provides a box for you to insert up to 140 characters (not words!) of text. A better term for that might be “What are you thinking?” For instructional purposes, ‘tweets’ require learners to think about what is going on during instruction, summarize it succinctly, and share. That action—processing of information to share succinctly—is one of the best instructional strategies teachers use to ensure learners construct knowledge, which must for deep learning to occur!! We will be using that strategy in this class to promote learning during class times.

Now, let’s explore the tool!

1. Go to @http://bit.ly/tvjZF6 and read through the best practices and rules for using Twitter. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">2. Then read about how to use hashtags at @http://bit.ly/vfthashtag <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">3. Following others will bring updates to your Twitter page. Check out the information at http://bit.ly/following-twitter.



<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">VIRTUAL STOP #2: PODCASTS
<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Podcasts can often take the form of a streamed video, but audio podcasts are easily created and shared with others as well. VIRTUAL STOP 2 will help you discover how podcasts are being used in the classroom!

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Explore the **Podcasts for Teachers and Students**

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Listen to __**ONE**__ of the podcasts.

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">TWEET Reminder! <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">You will be reminded throughout this virtual field trip to ‘tweet’ any “ah-ha” moments you are having, any great articles or resources you find, or any questions you would like answered as the tour progresses. You need to complete at least ONE additional tweet during the tour!! Don’t forget to include a hashtag +your classgroupname of your section! Take a minute or two now and see if you can add a tweet that describes what you are thinking about or the use of technology in instruction. The comment can be a reflection, an “ah-ha” comment, a question, a resource that is connected to your tweeting experience, or just a thought. If you aren’t ready to comment yet—no worries! You will have additional time later; just remember that you must tweet twice during this tour!

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">VIRTUAL STOP #3: RSS FEEDS
<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">So much information and so little time to read it. Why waste time clicking between around to read the updates of sites you visit regularly! The Internet will collect them and bring them to you - through RSS Feeds and Feed Reader Pages. Let's check out some RSS Feeds that might be of interest to you!!

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">1. Click on the link to RSS Feeds with Educational News of Interest in Ontario. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">2. Click on the tab at the top of the page called **News**. Here you will see RSS feeds from many different sites—all related to education. These are updated every few hours so any current news will appear. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">3. Browse through the various feeds that are here. Isn't it nice to have news from many sources delivered to one page for reading?? <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">4. Still unsure what an RSS feed is? View the video at CommonCraft RSS in Plain English

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">TWEET Reminder! <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">You will be reminded throughout this virtual field trip to ‘tweet’ any “ah-ha” moments you are having, any great articles or resources you find, or any questions you would like answered as the tour progresses. You need to complete at least ONE additional tweet during the tour!! Don’t forget to include a hashtag +your classgroupname of your section! Take a minute or two now and see if you can add a tweet that describes what you are thinking about or the use of technology in instruction. comment can be a reflection, an “ah-ha” comment, a question, a resource that is connected to your tweeting experience, or just a thought. If you aren’t ready to comment yet—no worries! You will have another chance; just remember that you must tweet twice during this tour!

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">VIRTUAL STOP #4: TEACHERTUBE
<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">We ALL know about YouTube.com, but have you heard about TeacherTube.com? TeacherTube is also easily searchable,and finding video clips related to educational topics of interest is simple! These same video clips can be collected and easily embedded and stored in blogs, wikis, and web pages for sharing with classes or groups.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Locate a video you would like to share. (Be sure to use the drop down menu in the Search feature to search for videos related to a content area you might use in your teaching or for professional development.) Tweet the URL using BIT.LY!

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">TWEET Reminder! <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">One last TWEET reminder! Don’t forget to a hashtag +your classgroupname of your section! Take a minute or two now and see if you can add a tweet that describes what you are thinking about or the use of technology in instruction. The comment can be a reflection, an “ah-ha” comment, a question, a resource that is connected to your tweeting experience, or just a thought.

<span style="color: #0000ff; display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;">You’ve completed the final stop of our virtual tour today! <span style="color: #0000ff; display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;">We hope you enjoyed this brief look at a few of the tools used by the tech savvy teacher of 21st century students!

<span style="color: #0000ff; display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;">You will be seeing many more in the following weeks!! <span style="color: #0000ff; display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;">ENJOY!

If you have time, you may want to search out the tools for teachers highlighted in the LONG version of this Virtual Field Trip! <span style="display: block; font-size: 12pt; height: 1px; left: -10000px; line-height: 115%; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 1px;">A Virtual Field Trip (VFT, as you may see it written in our class) is an Activity Type that structures an Internet search - it guides students to specific locations on the Internet where they can locate required information. Often, it is accompanied by a print or electronic Study Guide where students record their findings to share back with classmates!! <span style="display: block; font-size: 12pt; height: 1px; left: -10000px; line-height: 115%; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 1px;">Virtual field trips can be used in instruction to introduce learners to places too remote to visit—OR toooo virtual—through the Internet. In this Virtual Field trip, you will be introduced to Web 2.0 tools that are currently in use in instructional settings, and because there is no library, museum, or physical building where we can go to learn about Web 2.0—this is one of those virtual trips! <span style="display: block; height: 1px; left: -10000px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 1px;"> In your EDUC 8Y24/34 course, you will be exploring blogs, wikis, and the use of online videos, through sources like YouTube, for other projects. This shortened version of the Virtual Field Trip into Web 2.0 tools features other tools that teachers should know and use in the 21st century classroom J ! <span style="display: block; font-size: 12pt; height: 1px; left: -10000px; line-height: 115%; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 1px;">Your task is to work through the set of activities below, taking a break every few minutes and tweeting about what you have learned. You may want to take notes as you work of items you want to share in these tweets!! <span style="display: block; font-size: 12pt; height: 1px; left: -10000px; line-height: 115%; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 1px;">So enjoy the stops along the way—each STOP will introduce you to a new tool and provide links for you to explore—let’s get started!! <span style="display: block; height: 1px; left: -10000px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 1px;">** Sharing while you learn!! ** <span style="display: block; font-size: 12pt; height: 1px; left: -10000px; line-height: 115%; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 1px;">Many social networking tools allow you to share while you learn. Examples of other social networks include facebook, MySpace, and the Brock Learning Network! Reflection is one of those metacognitive thinking activities that teachers use to help learners process information—blending new knowledge with prior knowledge to construct a solid knowledge base. Social networking tools provide a forum for that type of activity. Also, social networks provide learners with opportunities to communicate ideas, practice writing for an audience, and engage in an authentic, real-world experience!! <span style="display: block; height: 1px; left: -10000px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 1px;">** VIRTUAL STOP #1: TWITTER ** <span style="display: block; font-size: 12pt; height: 1px; left: -10000px; line-height: 115%; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 1px;">Let’s begin our learning adventure by exploring one of the many social networking tools available online—Twitter! Notice that when you log into Twitter, Twitter asks, “What’s happening?” and provides a box for you to insert up to 140 characters not words!) of text. A better term for that might be “What are you thinking?” For instructional purposes, ‘tweets’ require learners to think about what is going on during instruction, summarize it succinctly, and share. That action—processing of information to share succinctly—is one of the best instructional strategies teachers use to ensure learners construct knowledge, which must for deep learning to occur!! We will be using that strategy in this class to promote learning during class times. Now, let’s explore the tool! <span style="display: block; font-size: 12pt; height: 1px; left: -10000px; line-height: 115%; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 1px;">1. Go to [] and listen to the “How To Use Twitter” tutorial movie. <span style="display: block; font-size: 12pt; height: 1px; left: -10000px; line-height: 115%; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 1px;">2. Following others will bring updates to your Twitter page. You may also wish to follow the updates on the Tech Showcase (@brocktechpd) - the event that you will be attending in January 2011 for your Professional Learning Community Assignment. <span style="display: block; height: 1px; left: -10000px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 1px;">** VIRTUAL STOP #2: PODCASTS ** <span style="display: block; font-size: 12pt; height: 1px; left: -10000px; line-height: 115%; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 1px;">Podcasts can often take the form of a streamed video, but audio podcasts are easily created and shared with others as well. VIRTUAL STOP 2 will help you discover how podcasts are being used in the classroom! <span style="display: block; font-size: 12pt; height: 1px; left: -10000px; line-height: 115%; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 1px;">Explore the 10 Podcasts for Teachers and Students at []. Listen to one of the podcasts. <span style="display: block; font-size: 12pt; height: 1px; left: -10000px; line-height: 115%; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 1px;">TWEET Reminder! <span style="display: block; font-size: 12pt; height: 1px; left: -10000px; line-height: 115%; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 1px;">You will be reminded throughout this virtual field trip to ‘tweet’ any “ah-ha” moments you are having, any great articles or resources you find, or any questions you would like answered as the tour progresses. You need to complete at least ONE additional tweet during the tour!! Don’t forget to include a **<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">hashtag ** +**<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">your classgroupname ** of your section! Take a minute or two now and see if you can add a tweet that describes what you are thinking about or the use of technology in instruction. The comment can be a reflection, an “ah-ha” comment, a question, a resource that is connected to your tweeting experience, or just a thought. If you aren’t ready to comment yet—no worries! You will have additional time later; just remember that you must tweet twice during this tour! <span style="display: block; height: 1px; left: -10000px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 1px;">** VIRTUAL STOP #3: RSS FEEDS ** <span style="display: block; font-size: 12pt; height: 1px; left: -10000px; line-height: 115%; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 1px;">There are many information sources on the Internet that are regularly updated. These include news stations, organizations, event calendars, weather sites, blogs, and wikis. These sites provide RSS Feeds that will update automatically for you in a Feed Reader if you set one up! <span style="display: block; height: 1px; left: -10000px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 1px;">**<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">1. ** Log in to the Brock Learning Network ([]) using the username and password you created using the BLN QuickSteps. <span style="display: block; font-size: 12pt; height: 1px; left: -10000px; line-height: 115%; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 1px;">**<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">2. ** Click on the tab at the top of the page called News. Here you will see RSS feeds from many different sites—all related to education. These are updated every few hours so any current news will appear <span style="display: block; font-size: 12pt; height: 1px; left: -10000px; line-height: 115%; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 1px;">**<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">3. ** Browse through the various feeds that are here. Isn't it nice to have news from many sources delivered to one page for reading?? <span style="display: block; font-size: 12pt; height: 1px; left: -10000px; line-height: 115%; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 1px;">**<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">4. ** Still unsure what an RSS feed is? View the video at [|CommonCraft RSS in Plain English] <span style="display: block; height: 1px; left: -10000px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 1px;">** TWEET Reminder! ** <span style="display: block; font-size: 12pt; height: 1px; left: -10000px; line-height: 115%; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 1px;">You will be reminded throughout this virtual field trip to ‘tweet’ any “ah-ha” moments you are having, any great articles or resources you find, or any questions you would like answered as the tour progresses. You need to complete at least ONE additional tweet during the tour!! Don’t forget to include a **<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">hashtag ** +**<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">your classgroupname ** of your section! Take a minute or two now and see if you can add a tweet that describes what you are thinking about or the use of technology in instruction. The comment can be a reflection, an “ah-ha” comment, a question, a resource that is connected to your tweeting experience, or just a thought. If you aren’t ready to comment yet—no worries! You will have another chance; just remember that you must tweet twice during this tour! <span style="display: block; height: 1px; left: -10000px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 1px;">** VIRTUAL STOP #4: TEACHERTUBE ** <span style="display: block; font-size: 12pt; height: 1px; left: -10000px; line-height: 115%; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 1px;">We ALL know about //<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">YouTube.co/ ////<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-style: normal;">But have you heard about // //<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">TeacherTube.co? TeacherTube ////<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-style: normal;">is also // easily searchable, finding video clips related to educational topics of interest is simple! These same video clips can be collected and easily embedded and stored in blogs, wikis, and web pages for sharing with classes or groups. <span style="display: block; font-size: 12pt; height: 1px; left: -10000px; line-height: 115%; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 1px;">Go to TeacherTube.com ([|http://teachertube.com]). <span style="display: block; font-size: 12pt; height: 1px; left: -10000px; line-height: 115%; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 1px;">Locate a video you would like to share. Be sure to use the drop down menu in the Search feature to search for videos related to a content area you might use in your teaching or for professional development. <span style="display: block; height: 1px; left: -10000px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 1px;">** TWEET Reminder! ** <span style="display: block; font-size: 12pt; height: 1px; left: -10000px; line-height: 115%; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 1px;">One last TWEET reminder! Don’t forget to include a **<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">hashtag ** +**<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">your classgroupname ** of your section! Take a minute or two now and see if you can add a tweet that describes what you are thinking about or the use of technology in instruction. The comment can be a reflection, an “ah-ha” comment, a question, a resource that is connected to your tweeting experience, or just a thought <span style="display: block; height: 1px; left: -10000px; line-height: normal; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 1px;">**<span style="color: #585879; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">You’ve completed the final stop of our virtual tour today! We hope you enjoyed this brief look at a few of the tools used by the tech savvy teacher of 21st century students! You will be seeing many more in the following weeks!! ENJOY! **