This presentation outlines how higher ed instructors can use web 2.0 sites to build more cohesive learning communities around their hybrid and online courses.

1. Using Technology to Build
Community
Instructional Technologies Support

2. Introduction
Presenters from Instructional Technologies Support
• Emin Saglamer (es26@txstate.edu)
• Rori Sheffield (rp41@txstate.edu)
• Patrick Smith (ps35@txstate.edu)

3. What are Your Goals?
Community Building vs. Marketing
• Similarities and differences
Questions to ask yourself
• What are your goals?
o Inform
o Educate
o Marketing
• Who is your audience?
• What types of needs does your audience have?
• What's your current internet presence?
• Is your audience comfortable with the web?

4. What is Web 2.0?
Web 1.0 (1991 - 2003)
• We are merely consumers of information
Web 2.0 (2003 - present)
• We are now able to contribute, create, and share information
Web 3.0
• Web browser acts as a personal assistant
• Instead of keywords you will be able to ask full questions
• The answers to your questions will be filtered based
• Your Preferences
• Location
• Transitory conditions such as weather and/or traffic
• Augmented Reality applications and user interfaces

5. What is Cloud Computing?
Cloud computing is
•Internet based computing
•User data is stored at remote servers
•User is shielded from the details of application hosting
•User’s data is accessible from any data access point
When someone suggest using a “cloud” based service as
opposed to a TXSTATE service what do they mean?
– They are suggesting storing the data (be it student data or not) on a
remote storage/processing service hosted by a third party such as
Google, Microsoft, etc.
– Decisions on the use of cloud computing need to be made in compliance
with the privacy, security policies of the institution as well as in
compliance with the state and federal laws.

6. What is Social Media?
Social media is a term used to describe the type of media
that is based on conversation and interaction between
people online.
Where media means digital words, sounds and pictures
which are typically shared via the internet and the value can
be cultural, societal or even financial.
Social media use web-based technologies to transform and
broadcast media monologues into social media dialogues.
They support the democratization of knowledge and
information and transform people from content consumers
to content producers.
-- Wikipedia article on Social Media

7. TRACS
TRACS.TXSTATE.EDU
TRACS allows you to
• Manage access
• Share files, announcements, etc.
• Track use and participation
Examples
• SOWK
• School of Business
• Niem Huynh’s TRACS Site (Geography)

8. Adobe Connect at TXSTATE
connect.its.txstate.edu
Adobe Connect allows you to
• Communicate with your students in real time
• Host meetings, lectures and QA sessions
• Create tutorials
Examples
• Online meetings
• Tutorials
• Mini lectures

9. Adobe Connect Example

10. Places to Set Up Your Web 2.0 Presence
Web 2.0 Portals
• Blogger / WordPress
• YouTube / Vimeo
• Flickr / Picasa / Photobucket
• Google Docs
• Diigo
• Twitter
• Facebook

11. Blogger
www.blogger.com
What is a blog?
• A journal
• A source of information
• A method of self-publication
How are they used in Education?
• Information Sharing
• Peer Reviewing
• Student journaling

12. Blogger Example: Cool Cat Teacher Blog
coolcatteacher.blogspot.com

13. Blogger Example: ACT Student Blog
www.actstudent.org/blog

14. WordPress
wordpress.org
What is a WordPress?
• DIY blog software that needs a hosting service
• Host it yourself!
• Or use a Wordpress hosting service
• Infinitely customizable in terms of
• Graphics & Layout
• Content Modules from third parties
ITS is working on deploying WordPress at Texas
State as a service to anyone with a TXSTATE e mail
account. Stay Tuned!

15. YouTube / Vimeo
www.youtube.com / www.vimeo.com
YouTube will allow you to
• Share videos with students
• Use third party videos for your class
• Allow students to upload and share videos
• Peer review & comments
• Keyword, geographic location tagging
• Foster collaboration and discussion
• You can create private channels & videos

16. YouTube Example: TXSTATE Marketing
www.youtube.com/user/txstateu

17. YouTube Example: Alkek Library
www.youtube.com/alkeklibrary

18. YouTube Example: Psychology Department
http://www.youtube.com/user/txstpsych

19. Flickr
www.flickr.com
Flickr image sharing service provides
• Free as well as paid accounts
• Convenient uploading / cross-site integration tools
• Images can be tagged with keywords / Geo tags
• Images can be copyright protected
• Photo Sets / Collections
• Groups / Discussion
• Private Photo Pools
Visitor feedback
o Visitors can comment on pictures if enabled
o Visitors can suggest images for groups
o Visitors can place notes directly on the image
Flick groups feature
o Membership control & admin features
o Shared collaborative photo pool
o Discussion group

20. Flickr Example: TXSTATE Group
www.flickr.com/groups/tsusanmarcos

21. Flickr: Urban Decay Group
http://www.flickr.com/groups/decay/

22. Picasa
http://picasa.google.com/

23. PhotoBucket
photobucket.com

24. Google Docs
docs.google.com
Google Docs allows you to create MS compliant documents
• Word Processing
• Spreadsheets
• Presentations
• Drawings
• Forms
Advantages of using Google Docs
• No application to download or install
• Author and access your documents from anywhere
• Share your documents with others with one click
• Co-author documents with collaborators
• Track changes

25. Google Docs
docs.google.com

26. Google Docs
docs.google.com

27. Slideshare
slideshare.net

28. Social Bookmarking Phenomenon
Many sites are moving in the direction of providing tools to their users
to collect, organize and share their information sources.
The following websites are called Aggregators
• Diigo
• Delicious
• PageFlakes
• NetVibes
• iGoogle
• Technorati
• StumbleUpon
• Digg

29. Diigo
http://www.diigo.com

30. Diigo
http://www.diigo.com

31. Diigo
http://www.diigo.com

32. Diigo
http://www.diigo.com
Main Areas of Site Key Values of Diigo
1. My Library 1. Research
3. My Network 3. Share
5. My Groups 5. Collaborate

33. Twitter
www.twitter.com
Twitter is a micro blogging tool that features
• Free registration
• Micro blogging with up to 140 characters per message
• Tweets can include links to websites, images, and video
sources such as youTube
• Twitter is used by many media outlets and organizations
Twitter Jargon
• #keyword (no spaces) Hashtags allow you to tag your
posts with keywords or people's IDs
• @username replies to other people's tweets and posts
your response on their timeline

34. Twitter Example: TXSTATE Twitter Feed
twitter.com/TXST

35. Twitter Example: Professor of Geography
http://twitter.com/alew

36. Facebook
www.facebook.com
Facebook is a site for social networking that includes
personal profiles and status updates.
Facebook provides the following tools:
• Status updates
• Photo, Video, Link sharing, Notes
• Check ins
• Pages
• Groups
• IM chatting
• Applications
We do not recommend the use of Facebook for
TXSTATE class related activities.

37. Facebook Example: TXSTATE University Bookstore
www.facebook.com/pages/San-Marcos-TX/Texas-State-University-Bookstore/20815365631

38. Facebook Example: TXSTATE University Page
www.facebook.com/texas.state

39. Issues with University Copyright – Use Policy
Conflict with University Copyright Policy
Issue: Texas State University prohibits students from reproducing copyrighted
materials, while Web 2.0 technologies allow students to easily post digital content
that may be protected by intellectual property right legislation.
Resolution: It is important that students are aware that they must comply with
copyright law. If instructors are using Web 2.0 tools in their course they need to
provide information in their course syllabus guiding the students to current
University copyright policy.
Conflict with University Intellectual Property Policy and University Interests
Issue: A growing collection of resources is accumulating within the Creative
Commons, which has introduced copyright legislation that is much less restrictive
than traditional intellectual copyright.
Resolution: Staff, faculty and students may wish to mark their blogs, wikis and
podcasting sites with one or more of the Creative Commons designations so
visitors clearly understand how they may use any content that is posted.

40. Security/Privacy/Compliance: Student Privacy
Student Privacy Conflict with Family Education Rights and Policy Act
(FERPA)
Issue: The majority of Web 2.0 services on the internet house data on out-of-
country servers. Without consent from students, using these services allows
external companies access to any personal information that may be posted,
which is a violation of the Family Education Rights and Policy Act (FERPA).
Resolution: Faculty must ensure that students give their consent to using Web
2.0 applications and are aware of the risks of posting personal information to
each application that is used during instruction.

41. Online Communities Best Practices
Dos
• Have clear goals in mind
• Explore the technology that is available to you
• Contact us to help with planning and media selection
• Protect your privacy
Don’ts
• “Friend” your students from your personal account
• Become a victim of “overshare”
• Mix your academic identity with your personal one

42. Web 2.0 & Your Online Course's Presence
Your Web 2.0 sites may point to each other to increase readership
through cross marketing.
All your Web 2.0 sites should point back to the entity they are promoting,
be it an organization, a department or a hybrid or online course.

43. Samantha Penney's Bloom's Digital Taxanomy Diagram
http://www.usi.edu/distance/bdt.htm

44. Breaking Copy Answers the Age Old Question!
http://www.breakingcopy.com/social-media-flowchart-status

45. Social Media Campaign Chart