Communicating Online (See also Web
Page Building)
1) Electronic Discussion Groups/Mailing Lists: What
they are, how to join, how to start your own
2) Blogs: What they are, how to create your
own
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Electronic Discussion Groups or Mailing Lists
Electronic Discussion Groups (aka Mailing Lists or
simply Lists) allow for ongoing discussions among members.
You "subscribe," though there is no fee or commitment for doing
so. Some lists can be read and searched online, others require you to subscribe
for this access. Only subscribers can post messages, which are then distributed
to everyone else on the list. People can respond to you privately, or to
the list publicly. Some lists are moderated (the owner weeds out flames,
irrelevancies and redundancies) but many aren't. Some come in digest form
where messages are collected and sent in a batch once or so daily...a good
option for lists with a large volume.
Save the confirmation letter you receive when you subscribe ,
since it contains valuable information, like how to UN-subscribe, or search
the message archive. Familiarize yourself with the group first by searching
the logfiles or simply following the discussions before posting a question.
There are discussion groups for every topic imaginable, or you can even
start your own. Here are just a few examples:
EDTECH http://www.h-net.msu.edu/~edweb/
"With approximately 3500 direct subscribers internationally and
about 8000 readers participating through news groups, gopher and WWW sites,
EDTECH plays an influential role in determining the future directions of
the uses of technology in education for many universities and school districts.
"
WWWEDU http://www.edwebproject.org/wwwedu.html
"WWWEDU (pronounced 'we do'), is the Internet's largest forum on
the use of the World Wide Web in education. WWWEDU is a moderated discussion
with over 1600 members from 35 countries. You can use this web site to
learn more about WWWEDU, to browse through the archive of past discussions,
and to subscribe to the list itself."
H-HIGH-S http://www.h-net.org/~highs/
"The primary purpose of H-High-S is to facilitate an ongoing discussion
of curriculum, instructional strategies, and educational resources involved
in teaching history, social studies, and related subjects in American secondary
schools. "
MIDDLE-L http://ecap.crc.uiuc.edu/listserv/middle-l.html
"MIDDLE-L is a discussion list for anybody interested in middle
school education. Operated by the Early Childhood and Parenting (ECAP)
Collaborative at the University of Illinois, MIDDLE-L is the place where
parents, teachers, representatives of professional associations and government
agencies, faculty and researchers, students and teachers, librarians, and
anyone else interested in middle school education come together to share
ideas, resources, problems, and solutions. "
Find More Lists:
H-NET Discussion Networks
http://www.h-net.msu.edu/lists/
"With over 100 discussion groups, H-Net's e-mail lists function
as electronic networks, linking professors, teachers and students in an
egalitarian exchange of ideas and materials." Music, history, culture
and technology are just a few of the groups available.
Start Your Own
Yahoo! Groups http://groups.yahoo.com/
Start your own group, or join one. Their free service places ads at
the bottom of postings, pay services don't.
Listserv Software
http://www.lsoft.com/products/listserv.asp
There are so many discussion groups using LISTSERV software that the
name has become synomous with mailing lists. Learn about products available
and fees.
WASDINet http://www.wasdinet.org/
Online professional development resources include facilitated online
learning communities using FirstClass software. There is a one-time setup
fee plus an annual fee per user.
Blogs
A "web log" (BLOG) is bascially a journal of thoughts, comments,
opinions, etc. which is updated periodically (usually daily.) It's published
instantly, and doesn't require any special technical knowledge. You simply
use software avaialble via your browser, enter the information and voila!
Some blogs permit others to post comments and replies, though most require
that you login first. Blogs can be private (password protected) or public,
depending upon how you set them up.
Weblogs for Educators
http://kairosnews.org/weblogsforeducators
Learn more about student and instructor uses of blogs, choosing the
right blog software for your needs, and other resources, including the
creation of a collaborative book.
Technorati Weblog http://www.technorati.com/weblog/
The "blogosphere" is growing exponentially, and Technorati
is tracking it all. 2/20/06 count: 28.3 million blogs.
EdTechPost http://www.edtechpost.ca/mt/
"Technologies for learning, thinking, & collaborating."
A good example of an educational blog.
Become a Blogger
Be sure to read the FAQs, Terms of Service
and Privacy Policies before you create a blog.
LiveJournal.com http://www.livejournal.com
"LiveJournal is a simple-to-use communication tool that lets you
express yourself and connect with friends online. You can use LiveJournal
in many different ways: as a private journal, a blog, a social network
and much more." FREE
Blogger http://www.blogger.com/start
Hosted by Google, this is quick and easy to set up. FREE
TypePad http://www.typepad.com/
While free services like LiveJournal and Blogger are very customizable
and suitable to most needs, but a fee service such as TypePad offers many
more options.
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