Week 5 - Multimedia

To successfully complete No. 5 - Multimedia (Photosharing, Podcasting & Videocasting), you must...

READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands On Activities, including reading the Important Tips.

Your total time commitment is about 45 to 50 minutes.

Introduction to Multimedia

Photosharing
Photosharing, either public or private, is the uploading and publishing of digital images to the purpose of sharing with other people. Photosharing is not liminted to web-based photosharing services life Flickr, Buzznet, Photobucket, SnapFish or Kodak Gallery; personal computer networks, camera phones and other devices are equipped with applications that make photosharing possible. Flickr is the fastest growing photosharing site on the web. It is also known as one of the first web sites to use keyword “tags” to create associations and connections between images and site users.

Podcasting
AUDIO FILE + RSS FEED = PODCAST. A podcast is an Internet radio show in MP3 audio file format. The file is uploaded with an RSS file by the creator to a server, then downloaded by the user for listening on a computer or other device with headphones or a speaker. What makes a podcast special is how they are delivered to the user. They are downloaded automatically by software capable of reading feed formats such as RSS or Atom. The software is always-on when the user’s computer starts and runs in the background.Listeners not need an MP3 player to hear the podcast; their computer does all the work. In fact, 80% of all podcasts are consumed on the PC which they were downloaded.Listen to a podcast about podcasting. Too bad that I could not figure out how to make an alliteration out that sentence.

Vodcasts
Video podcasting, sometimes referred to as vodcasting or vidcasting, is video-on-demand. It is almost identical to podcasting except the content is video versus audio. The content is also more likely to be played on a personal computer than on a personal media assistant. It may be delivered as a file or as a stream. Estreaming is a form of Vodcasting.

Learn More About Multimedia
NOTE: Select one multimedia to learn more about, then Read, Watch and Do the corresponding activities and resources.
1. Read one of the following wikipedia articles:Photosharing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photo_sharing (Time Commitment 5 minutes)Podcasting http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcasting (Time Commitment 5 minutes)Video Podcasting http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_podcast (Time Commitment 5 minutes)
2. Watch one of the following videos on YouTubeOnline Photosharing in Plain English at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPU4awtuTsk (Time Commitment 3:00)Podcasting in Plain English at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-MSL42NV3c (Time Commitment 3:00)Adventures in Videocasting at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeI5WicdpiU (Time Commitment 4:45)
3. Do one of the following tutorials:Photosharing - Flickr Tutorial at http://www.flickr.com/tour/ (Time Commitment 5 mintues)Vidcasting - FreeVlog tutorial at http://www.freevlog.org/ (Time Commitment 15 minutes)Podcasting - Podcasting Guide at http://www.guidesandtutorials.com/podcasting-tutorial.html (15 minutes)

Important Tips
1. Due to bandwidth issues, please try to do your work for this week at off - peak Internet usage times during the business day.

Keep going! You're doing a great job. Comment on this blog post and tell us what you think of this lesson.

Week 4 - Instant Messaging

To successfully complete No. 4 - Instant Messaging, you must...
READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands On Activities, including reading the Important Tips.
Your total time commitment is about 30 to 40 minutes.

Introduction to Instant Messaging
Instant messaging (IM) is a form of online communication that allows real-time (or close to) interaction between two or more people through personal computers or mobile computing devices via the Internet. IM users can exchange messaging privately, similar to email, or join a group conversation. Although typed text remains the primary convention for IM, the technology has grown and now allows users to send images, audio and video files and other attachments. An early version of IM appeared first in the late 1990s. The list of IM tools has grown to include dozens of applications.

Technologies that enable IM such as wireless connectivity and web-ready mobile devices have become widespread.The interactive nature of IM is closer to spoken conversation that written correspondence. Users communicate in a manner that is a step beyond email. They get a sense of presence of other IM users through emoticons and other devices. Yet, they have a perception of distance and often safety.

Learn More About Instant Messaging
1. Read this Wikipedia article on Instant Messaging, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant_messaging. (Time Commitment 5 - 10 minutes)
2. Read this article Email is Dead, at http://www.bigblueball.com/forums/general-other-im-news/41527-ap-aol-instant-messaging-trends-survey-email-dead.html (5 - 10 minutes)
3. Read this article, Instant Messaging Proves Useful In Reducing Workplace Interruption, at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080603120251.htm (2 - 5 minutes)

Hands on Activity -
Communicator is an instant messaging tool that enables real-time conversation in business environments. Open Communicator by selecting the icon on your task bar; it's located at the bottom right of your computer screen. Then, select open. Here are your hands on activities:

1. Status Change -To change your status, location or sign out, select the big green button at the top left on the open Communicator box. You can also do these same things by selecting with your left mouse button the Communicator icon on your tool bar.

2. Sort your Contacts -Select the icon at the far right side of the search contact box. All the functions for your contact list appear here. You can sort your contacts either by availability or name by selecting the appropriate option.

3. Create and View a Personal Note -Tell your co-workers more about about your status by creating a note. To view the note, rest your pointer over the status icon. The icon looks like a piece of paper. Keep your notes short. An effective note is just a few sentences. Notes show up next to your contacts name.

4. Search for people not in your contact list -If you would like to search for those people that are not currently in your contact list, type their name in the query box. Auto-complete will assist you by listing all possible matches in the organization.

5. Tag a Contact - You can set Communicator to notify you when a contact’s status changes to Online. In the Communicator window, in the Contacts list, right-click the name of the contact. Select Tag for Status Change alerts.

6. Send an Instant message - Double click on a contacts name. A dialog box opens. Type your message in the box.

7. Send a Instant message to multiple people simultaneously -To communicate with multiple people, select the first contact name. Select the enter key to open the chat sesson. Then, press the + key and hold down Ctrl key. Select subsequent contacts. Select the enter key again and they are added to your chat session.

8. Invite Others to join conversation in progress - During a conversation, to add additional people, select the invite option. You can invite others in your contact list or invite by email address. You can also do this under the actions icon. It's the dialog box at the top left corner.

Great job! Next week, you'll learn more about multi-media.

Week 3 - Wikis

To successfully complete No. 3 - Wikis you must...
READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands On Activities, including reading the Important Tips.

Your total time commitment is about 45 minutes.

Introduction to Wikis
A wiki is a collaborative web site and authoring tool that allows users to easily add, remove and edit content. Wikipedia, the online open-community encyclopedia, is the largest and perhaps the most well known of these knowledge sharing tools. Wikis are popular collaboration tools because they allow registered or unregistered users to add, edit or delete content without knowing HTML or other web-based computer languages, track changes made by users and revisit different versions of wiki pages. As the use of wikis has grown over the last few years, organizations and businesses all over the country have begun to use them to collaborate and share knowledge. Municipal governments can best use wikis to promote civic engagement by allowing citizens to directly contribute their ideas.

"Learn More About" Wikis
1. Read the article Wide Open Spaces: Wiki Ready or Not by Brian Lamb at http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERM0452.pdf. (Time Commitment 15 minutes). Yes, this is an old article. It is dated 2005. Yes, it's long. 8 pages. But, it's a good one. So, read it!

2. Watch this video on YouTube, Wikis in Plain English, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dnL00TdmLY. (Time Commitment 3:52 minutes)

3. Do the Wikipedia Tutorial at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Tutorial. (Time commitment 5 -10 minutes)

Hands On Activity

You will collaborate with many others in the largest wiki project --- Wikipedia.

Part 1 - Collaborate using Wikipedia
Step 1. Create an account (view screenshot) Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:UserLogin&returnto=Main_Page. In the Log in box, select the link Create account. If you already have an account, ignore the rest of these steps, sign in and proceed.
Step 2. You will need to enter some personal information into the online form to create the account. irst, scroll down the web page a little and read the Wikipedia rules about user names, passwords and privacy. Enter a user name, a password (twice), a email account and the word verification. Select the Create Account button. Wikipedia will send you an email with your account information.

Part 2 - Create or Edit a wiki page in Wikipedia
NOTE 1 - The first time you use mediawiki, the wiki software that powers Wikipedia, is too stressful to create a new wiki page. So, please just make a small edit on a wiki page that interests you. You might like to edit the wiki page for Virginia Beach, Virginia, Virginia Beach Public Library System or Mount Trashmore Park. You can easily find a wiki page by using the Search box on the left hand side of your computer screen at the site.

Modify the wiki page that you selected by choosing the Edit this page tab at the top of your computer screen. You will only see this tab if you are signed into Wikipedia. Type in the new information or links. Preview the changes by selecting the Show Preview button. If you made an edit, fill out the Edit summary box so that other wiki contributors will understand what you did and NOT challenge it. Save your changes by selecting the Save Changes button.

NOTE 2 - Mediawiki uses wiki coding language to make the wiki pages. You do not need to understand this computer language to make an edit or create a wiki page. You can use the buttons at the top of the editor. They look like the buttons that you find in MS Word. For example, the B button is bold. If you like to code things, please see the coding cheat sheet at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Cheatsheet.

Great job! Next week, we look at instant messaging.

Week 2 - RSS

To successfully complete No. 2 - RSS, you must...

READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands On Activities, including reading the Important Tips.

Your total time commitment is about 30 to 40 minutes.

Introduction to RSS
RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication" or "Rich Site Summary." It is a file format for delivering regularly updated information via the Web. It is an easy way for Internet users to keep up with news and information.

It will also help you avoid the conventional, time-consuming methods of browsing or searching for information on web sites. RSS allows the content you want to be delivered directly to you without cluttering your email in-box. RSS content is called a "feed." It can also be called a channel. RSS is written in the Internet coding language known as XML (eXtensible Markup Language).

To use RSS, you need an RSS reader. An RSS reader is a small software program that collects and displays RSS feeds. It allows you to scan headlines from a number of news sources in a central location.

There are different types of RSS readers. Some Internet Browsers, such as Internet Explorer 7 or newer versions of Firefox and Safari, have built in RSS readers. If you're using a browser that does not support RSS, there are a variety of RSS readers available on the web --- web based and software downloads.

Bloglines and Google Reader are two popular choices of web-based RSS readers. You may want to select a web-based reader; it frees you from your computer. You can access your feed from any Internet ready device including your Blackberry or iphone.The "Hands on Activity" in this blog post walks you through creating a Google Reader account.

Learn More about RSS
1. Read the "Introduction to RSS" on this blog. (Time Commitment 2 minutes)
2. Watch this video on YouTube. RSS in Plain English at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0klgLsSxGsU. (Time Commitment 3:44 minutes)
3. Do the Google Reader tutorial by Andy Wibble at at http://andywibbels.com/flash/google_reader.htm (Time Commitment 5 minutes)

Hands On Activity
Part 1 - Set up an RSS Reader using Google Reader

• Go to Google Reader at http://www.google.com/reader
• If you do not already have a Google Account, select the link create your blog now (big orange arrow). If you have a Google Account, sign-in.
• You will need to enter your information (as shown in the screen shot) into the online form to create the account.

Part 2 - Add RSS feed to your Google Reader
There is more than one way to add RSS feed from your favorite blogs or web sites to your Google Reader:

Search - ADD Subscription
1. Select the Add subscription link. The link displays when your preference navigation plane preference is set to Always start with the navigation pane visible.
2. Enter your search term. I searched for Library Technology and found dozens of blogs.
3. Select the Subscribe button and the feed is added to your Google Reader.

URL - ADD Subscription
1. Copy the URL of the blog or web site that you want to subscribe to in your Google Reader.
2. Select the Add Subscription
3. Paste the URL into Google Readers ADD Feed box.
4. If there is feed associated with the page, Google Reader will add it.

Search for Subscription Links
1. Search the blog or web page for links with the following terms: subscribe, syndicate, feed, rss, xml, atom. Copy the URL (address of the page into your Add Subscription box.
2. You can also look for images or buttons with these terms on them.

Important - Tips, Hints and Tricks
1. You will need to create a free Google account to use Google Reader. If you already have a Yahoo or Google account, just sign-in.
2. Write down your log-in and password. You will use this information every time you want to access your Google Reader.
3. If you like keyboard shortcuts, check out Google Reader's extensive list at http://www.google.com/reader/ui/772597556-en-keyboard-help-tearoff?hl=en.
4. Watch this YouTube video on Preferences at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buNHbx7HO70.
5. To change your view, select Settings, then preferences.
6. When using the Internet browser Firefox, you can choose Edit->Find in This Page to search for subscription links when adding RSS feed to your Google Reader.
7. Some sites have multiple feeds. Make sure that you choose the main feed and not a comment feed.
8. If the site gives you a choice between RSS and Atom, you may select either one; Google Reader works with both.

"Still Hungry for More About" RSS (Not Required)

• RSS Feed for content publishers and web masters at http://www.mnot.net/rss/tutorial/
• If you want to try creating your own RSS feed, do the RSS Tutorial at http://www.guidesandtutorials.com/rss-tutorial.html

Awesome job! Next week, you'll find out about wikis.

No. 1, Part 2 - Microblogs (Twitter)

To successfully complete No. 1, Part 2- Microblogs - Twitter...

READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands On Activities, including reading the Important Tips.

Your total time commitment is 10 to 20 minutes.

Introduction to Twitter
Twitter is a microblogging service that shares a lot of characteristics with communication tools that your already using: email, texting, blogging, etc... Here are a few points that make it unique:

• It's really easy to write and read. Messages you send and receive are no more than 140 characters..kind of like a headline in the newspaper.
• You can readily meet new people. Messages are public. No one needs permission to see what you have written. So, it's really easy to spread word about you. This means that what you have to say needs to be interesting, accurate, etc...
• Twitter works or fits everyone's workflow. You can send and receive message through your computer, your mobile phone, etc...
• Plus, it's really friendly and people oriented.
• It asks you to answer the question, What are you doing?. People answer. As a result, we all become more aware of each other without having to respond. It's establishes a lightweight but meaningful connection.

Twitter is good for distributing ideas and comments about what people care about and what they have expertise in. It is a great tool for sharing common experiences and mind reading. It's a great way to find out what people think.

It can be a key business channel. We can use it to engage customers, partners and constituents in a direct way that is both personal and public. People will tell us what they think about us, our brand, our services....

We can respond timely to customer service requests, have conversations with stakeholders and improve business through promotions. It's fun, useful and revolutionary!

Learn More about Twitter
1. Watch this video on YouTube, Twitter in Plain English, by Common Craft Productions. (Time Committment 2:25 minutes).
2. Read the introduction and history sections of Wikipedia's article: Twitter. It's a quick overview. (Time Committment 3 to 5 minutes).
3. Click through this slideshare slide show, The Twitter Tutorial. It's 69 slides. (Time committment 5 minutes)

Hands On Activity
1. Visit the City of Virginia Beach on Twitter at http://twitter.com/cityofvabeach.
2. Read through the tweets and get a feel for how it works.

Still hungry for more? Check out this awesome blog post, The Ultimate Guide to Twitter.