Within the past year online video hosting sites have exploded allowing users to easily upload and share videos on the web. Among all the Web 2.0 players in this area, YouTube is currently serving up over one million video views a day and allowing users not only to upload their own video content easily, but also embed clips into their own sites easily.
There are three sections of this tutorial to complete:
Section 1: YouTube
Explore YouTube to see what the site has to offer. You will find everything from 1970s TV commercials and 60s music videos to library dominos and a video made by library school students for National Library Week. There's also the cult classic Conan the Librarian.
See also:
Challenge yourself to place the video inside your blog using the copy and paste code for the for "Embeddable Player.” You will need to use Blogger's Edit HTML tab when pasting this code.
Take note that any free site, such as YouTube, also contains things that are distasteful or not worth watching. This, however, should not disuade you from discovering its multitude of educationally appropriate offerings.
Explore other popular video hosting sites:
Section 2: Podcasts
The word podcast is used to refer to a non-musical audio or video broadcast that is distributed over the Internet. What differentiates a podcast from regular streaming audio or video is that the delivery method for podcasts is often done automatically through RSS.
As podcasts use the MP3 file format, a compressed format for audio files, you only need a PC (or portal device) with headphones or a speaker.
Explore some popular podcast directory tools and locate an interesting podcast. Library related podcasts, such as book review podcasts or library news, are available. Once found, pull the RSS feed into your blog reader (i.e., Bloglines or Google Reader) account as well, so that when new casts become available you will be automatically notified of their existence.
To find out more about podcasts start with Yahoo: What is a podcast tutorial
There are numerous podcast directory and finding tools:
- iTunes, A free downloadable application created by Apple
- Podcast.net: Does not require a software download
- Podcastalley.com: Does not require a software download
- Yahoo Podcasts: Does not require a software download
- See also Educational Podcast Directory
Challenge yourself to be a podcaster. The following resources provide assistance:
- Yahoo: Publish a podcast
- Odeo’s Studio: Online recording studio
Section 3: eBooks
Explore sites that offer free ebooks:
- World EBook Fair' site: Offers FREE downloads from the Gutenberg Project.
- LibriVox: Started in August 2005 by Hugh McGuire, LibriVox offers audiobook versions of copyright-free books from the Gutenberg Project that are read by volunteers.
Connect
Learning experiences that incorporate podcasting could include:
- Interview: Question candidates for local office, or town officials about top issues in your community.
- News: Create a daily school news podcast, including an issue of the day such as copyright/music downloading/file sharing, Internet safety tips, or the newest Web 2.0 applications.
Reflect
Congratulations!! You have completed the program!
Please reflect on your learning journey and post a few thoughts. Here are some questions to prompt you:
- What were your favourite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
- How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
- Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
- What could be done differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
- If another similar program was offered in the future, would you choose to participate?
- How would you describe your learning experience in ONE WORD or in ONE SENTENCE?
I hope this is not the end of our learning journey, but the start of something amazing ….
