Blogs in Higher Education Pedagogy, Practice and RSS Syndication

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Blogs in Higher EducationPedagogy, Practice and
RSS Syndication

• Professor Emeritus Ray Schroeder
• Director of Technology-Enhanced Learning
• University of Illinois at Springfield

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What are Blogs?

• Web Logs Blogs
• Web Pages
• Automated updating
• Chronological postings
• May accommodate responses
• Internet-specific phenomenon
• Incomplete index of blogs
• http//blogdex.media.mit.edu/

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Some Sample Blogs

• Online Research Blog
• eCornell Research Blog
• Info-Commons Blog
• commons-blog
• Educational Bloggers Network
• EBN blog
• Science Blog
• Science Blog

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Rays Blogs

• Online Learning Update
• Techno-News Blog
• Educational Technology Blog
• Site Meter provides extensive data
• How many visited?
• What site referred them?
• What do we know about them?
• What time zone?

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Blog Pedagogy

• Sample online class by blog
• Pedabloggy
• Reflections on blogs in education
• Pedablogue
• Constructivist in Nature
• Gathering bits of information
• Constructing knowledge for blogger
• RSS constructivist as well

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RSS Aggregating Blogs

• Rich Site Summary
• Originally Netscape News Feeds
• XML Summary of Blog Entries
• Multiple Reader Technologies
• Allows for instant updates
• Examples
• http//people.uis.edu/rschr1/blogbox.htm
• http//people.uis.edu/rschr1/blogboxnews.htm

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Online Aggregator

• News is Free and Bloglines
• Rays Blogs in NIF Aggregator
• Rays Tech RSS Feed in NIF
• Creating your own page
• Register at NIF
• Create a Page
• Add to Favorites
• Receive email daily

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Selected Sources

• Introduction to Blogging
• http//www.techlearning.com/story/showArticle.jhtm
  l?articleID18400984
• http//wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,62537,00.html
  ?twwn_tophead_1
• http//www.pewinternet.org/reports/toc.asp?Report
  113
• http//www.rebeccablood.net/essays/weblog_history.
  html
• Blogging News
• http//www.blogroots.com/

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Selected Sources

• What is - How To RSS
• http//www.downes.ca/files/RSS_Educ.htm
• http//www.webreference.com/authoring/languages/xm
  l/rss/1/
• http//www.infotoday.com/online/nov02/OnTheNet.htm
  
• ABC Looks at RSS
• What is and How to RSS
• Aggregating RSS
• Refining Paperless News
• Yahoo Searches RSS Feeds
• Google Search RSS Feeds

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Contact Information

• Ray Schroeder
• Office of Technology-Enhanced Learning
• HRB-79
• One University Plaza
• University of Illinois at Springfield
• Springfield, IL 62703-5407
• 217-206-7531
• Schroeder.ray_at_uis.edu