Wikiversity and Web 2.0 Course

Here is a link to my edit history on Wikiversity.

Here is my Wikiversity profile.

The Web 2.0 "course" on Wikiversity gives a general overview of Web 2.0. In order for it to be a full-fledged course, it should have many components. First of all it should be organized into modules. The first module would be the overview. After that, each module would focus on a different tool or concept and allow examples and time to practice and play with that tool. Similar to this class, students who are following the tutorials could even add each other as "friends" on the different sites. Students and teachers could upload tutorials and ideas. Each concept would build on another so by the end of the course students would have everything meshed together e.g. videos embedded in blog and website, links to other accounts, etc.

The course should have a glossary with Web 2.0 terminology. It should also have a comprehensive list of different Web 2.0 tools along with a description. Students should be required to try out as many as possible, depending on their time and interests.

I would also like to see students create a blog and post their blogs to the course page for other students to read and learn and make comments. They could post their work and thoughts there and definitely share what they have learned.

There should be a lot of information besides written explanation. There should be pictures, videos, audio clips, and links to websites and blogs. The activities should involve a lot of interactivity and collaboration among the students. It should appeal to a wide variety of learners and motivate them to continue learning about Web 2.0.

Wiktionary

I just added three entries to Wiktionary which was a somewhat frustrating experience. First of all I some of the words I wanted to edit were not in there. I am thinking I should add more words and definitions to it but what is the point when you have a regular dictionary online? I guess the point is knowing that I am contributing to the web and it may help somebody. And besides, it will be cool to be able to tell people that I added content online.

Once I decided which definitions I would edit, I got to work. I read the definitions which I thought were way too short and vague. Just know that I am a very detail-oriented person and I am quite long-winded. Brevity is just not my thing. So I crafted what I thought were sufficient definitions and then uploaded them. As it turns out, they were reverted back to the original because they were too encyclopedic (aka too long and detailed). Great! So I had to figure out how to trim those suckers down so it wouldn't be so encyclopedic. That is still a work in progress because two seconds ago I just received a message saying that two were already reverted back, again. Argh!!!

I can't really say that I am 100% proud but at least I completed it with a little more detail than the previous definitions although they sounded fine. Hopefully mine are better but I guess Wiktionary doesn't think so.

In any case, here is what I submitted:

Blog - This one reverted once but after I shortened the definition it was fine.

Meta Tag - I wanted the term Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to be included in the definition so I added the term and definition. I didn't write it I just copied it from the entry SEO.

SMS - Now I tried to edit this little bugaboo several times and they just don't like my definitions.

In case you are dying to see my user profile, here it is: My Wiktionary Profile

Learning about Web 2.0 Tools

I am learning about different Web 2.0 applications. Some I have used before such as Facebook, MySpace, Second Life (just dabbled with it), Twitter (again, just dabbled), Photobucket, Flickr, Slide, YouTube (never uploaded a video before), Skype and other instant messengers, Moodle, wikis, blogs, and a few others.  Now I am on a mission to learn more about Web 2.0 tools.
Even though I know HTML and CSS and love to design Dreamweaver websites I also would like to explore other tools for building websites.  I just created a simple CMSimple Website. It is very easy to use and fairly intuitive. One can very easily build a simple, yet nice looking website without having to learn HTML or CSS. I will confess I kind of scoffed at the idea of using a CMSimple website at the beginning but I have since changed my mind. It’s a great tool and a great way to have others who aren’t experts in web design to create a great-looking website easily and without having to spend a lot of money on expensive software.

I recently joined the Classroom 2.0 Community in Ning. I had heard of Ning before but never joined it. It is a great social networking site similar to Facebook or MySpace but more controlled and you can join groups specific to your interests. Ning is a great tool for teachers to use with a class since it is more controlled and they won’t have to worry about outsiders “crashing the party” so to speak. If you are an educator and would love to learn more about Web 2.0, social networking, and builing learning communities then I highly recommend Ning.

Another Web 2.0 tool that I love is Wordle. You copy and paste text such as a blog entry, paragraph, story, web content or anything and it will put it in a word cloud. I created one with this blog entry and here is what it came up with:

Stay tuned because I will be sharing more and more applications and their practical uses as I progress through my studies in the New Media and Global Education Program at Appalachian State University.