Web 2.0 Applications

In this session the presenter will discuss: What a Wiki is? Why wikis have gained popularity in education? How can a wiki be used as a web authoring tool for students to achieve active and collaborative learning in an online/hybrid learning setting. We'll also introduce programs for creating wikis, show the process of creating a wiki, and share some tips about how to use this tool effectively to achieve your course's learning objectives. Some wiki sites created by students for class work will be demonstrated.

This is an update of the 2008 SIDLIT presentation on "Scholarly Research: Internet & Web 2.0." The session will address questions such as: How do we navigate academic research to include the resources of Web 2.0? What are those resources? Are they primary? Can you cite them? Is this too far out of the box for academic research? Is there a search engine? And please, what is Twitter doing here? During the session you'll discuss these and other specific questions—so, bring them along. Don’t think we’re going up the creek without a paddle! We’ll have at least 10 tools to get us through the excess of information available as we explore Web 2.0.

Nick will discuss the Open Source philosophy, the tools, and realistic ways for your projects to become more open and successful.

Plurk is a social network with an amount of allure and method that is not found in other social networking sites such as Twitter. Not only does it tie them together efficiently and effectively, but it does so with a flawless user interface. Plurking does not only offer the neurotic updates of Twitter, but also an interconnectivity and small taste of every other popular social website. Plurk connects them all and it does it easily and seamlessly. In this session you'll discover how to create and maintain a professional network of contacts in a “Clique” which sends your Plurk to only your group of personal and professional friends.

Attendees will learn to create a Plurk account, begin Plurking, add Plurk friends and create a professional Plurk group for use at their professional organization. Lastly, Plurkoids will share Plurk profile names to begin a professional network of Plurkers from C2C.

This presentation is designed to introduce traditional PowerPoint presentation software users to two Web 2.0-based presentation tools, SlideShare and Issuu. Presentations stored on either site (which serve as web-based publishing archives for your works) can be embedded in an online course or web site. In this session you'll see how a basic PowerPoint presentation will appear using SlideShare or Issuu and can increase accessibility, student engagement, and provide a more polished user interface.

Wordpress is well-known as a blogging system, but many people may not be aware that it is viable as a content management system (CMS) for building and maintaining a website. Before deciding on a large-scale CMS like Joomla or Drupal, one should consider if a simpler platform like Wordpress will meet your needs. The process of evaluation, preparation and transition to Wordpress as a CMS will be presented.

This session will address questions such as when should you use Google and when should you use other search tools? Will using Google Chrome, Calendar or Docs change your life? It's common to think you know all about Google because you use it everyday. Is that an accurate assumption? Is it the next Evil Empire? Google offers many tools. The presenter will discuss which ones to use and which to avoid. Attendees will learn about some new tools and share hear about successes and failures with all things Google.

Twitter: the word evokes opinions both of interest and affection as well as skepticism and disregard for the technology. Beyond the apparent hype and trendiness of this tool, it is more than just an outlet for narcissism or word of mouth advertising. Twitter is simply one thing: a tool. In its simplicity lies its potential, especially in teaching and learning. As an opt-in first-response notification system, polling utility, and support avenue, it can be used as a one way street as well as an infinite intersection of people and personalities. In this session we'll explore the potential of this tool in education.

Twitter has been getting a lot of attention lately, but it's not the only emerging application out there. In fact, by the time this presentation rolls around, there may already be something else making headlines.

Learn why these new tools can help you as educators, lean how to use them, and learn how to navigate the tools without drowning in a sea of information and ending up with no life.

Google has dozens of tools for educators and students. Learn how to make forms that feed into spreadsheets, blogs, social networks, websites, collaborative documents, videos, and more. During economic downturns it's more important than ever to make sure you and your students are utilizing free tools for collaborative learning and communication.