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Doubts

Page history last edited by Teresa Almeida d'Eca 12 years, 8 months ago

 

Problems along the way 

 

 

 

  1. Sidebar vs. Navigator
  2. Session sites
  3. When and Where are the classes?
  4. About the online sessions
  5. Converting GMT to your time zone
  6. Readings: where are they?
  7. Yahoo Group
      1. Changing contact email address
      2. Posting a message to the group
      3. Attachments in BaW11 YG
      4. Hacked Inbox
    1. Help! I'm lost
    2. BaW11 Blog: Posting messages
    3. Forum registration
    4. Registration for "Live Sessions"
    5. BaW11 wiki
        1. Placing the photos in the right place in the wiki 
        2. Have your photo show in the wiki comments
        3. Requesting access to the wiki
        4. Inserting a new row into a table
        5. Adding a link
      1. Guest map: posting
      2. Blogs vs. Social Networks
      3. PBworks wiki
          1. Creating a new wiki (problems)
          2. Allowing others to view your wiki
          3. Adding widgets in the Sidebar
          4. Inserting an image
        1. Wikispaces
          1. Inviting people to join
          2. Enabling Discussions
          3. Changing a site name
          4. Inserting a link
          5. Posting a link
          6. Embedding a survey
          7. Copying an image from one wiki and inserting it in another
          8. Moving a widget
          9. Problems a widget caused
          10. Reverting to a previous version
        2. Flag counter
        3. Tapped In: Connection problems
        4. Yahoo Messenger (YM)
          1. Logging into a conference
          2. Creating a group of friends
          3. Problems with audio
          4. Monitoring different groups/conferences
        5. Twitter
            1. Blocking a follower
            2. Netiquette
            3. How to use it
            4. Resources
            5. Tweetdeck (tutorial)
          1. Blogger
            1. Followers
            2. Changing text color
            3. Choosing a template
            4. Editing a post
            5. Leaving a comment
            6. Inserting a link
            7. Giving up comment moderation
            8. Following your favorite blogs
            9. Placing a flag counter and a clock link
            10. Changing the language
            11. Resource
          2. Netvibes: What is it for?
          3. Symbaloo
          4. Skype
            1. Recording a chat
            2. Starting a chat
          5. Voki
            1. Embedding a Voki in PBworks
          6. Hot Potatoes
          7. Classtools
          8. Quia
          9. File storage
            1. Google Docs
            2. Dropbox
          10. Online whiteboards
          11. Wallwisher
            1. Embedding Wallwisher in Blogger
            2. Pasting a picture
          12. Capzles
            1. Ideas on how to use it in class
          13. Webquests
          14. Movie database & download
          15. Glogster
          16. LinkedIn

           

           

          Here are questions that have come up either privately or in the mailing list that may help some of you solve problems.  The participant isn't identified when it's a private question.

           

          Sidebar vs. Navigator

          Q: What is the difference between a "Sidebar" and a "Navigator"? (Katia Hameg, 9jan11)

          A: I was going over a few things in the BaW11 and decided to go to the Help page (link at the top right of each page). I clicked on it and on the right I got the Navigator with a list of different folders. I clicked on "1. Getting Started" and then scrolled down and found "Navigator". I clicked on it and found a very simple explanation.

          "You may want to explore the pages available to you on your workspace without navigating away from the current page.  The Navigator on the right hand side of your workspace in view mode accomplishes just this".
          http://usermanual.pbworks.com/w/page/11632121/Navigator

          The Sidebar is the equivalent to a Table of Contents that you yourself create. To create one, click the "Edit the sidebar" link that opens a page just like any other wiki page. Delete whatever is there (that comes by default) and start creating links to the wiki pages you want in the Sidebar. Save your work and bingo. (Teresa, 21jan11)

           

           


          Session sites

          Q: What are the session sites and what are they for?

          A: Here's a table describing the different sites. (There links to them in the main wiki.)  (Teresa, 15jan11)

           

           

           


          When and Where are the classes?

          Q: Does anybody know when classes will start??? is there a specific timing we should all be present on line??? (Karima, 8jan11)
          A: The 5-week session officially starts tomorrow. Most activities are not live,
          Karima.
          To understand how this goes, please take a good look at the wiki. There are different pages.
          http://baw2011.pbworks.com/FrontPage
          Online sessions take place once a week and you can see the schedule in the "Live Sessions" wiki page.
          The Week 1 page will show you what is planned for the first week.

          During these weeks we are mostly in contact through email.
          To guide you all we have a wiki with different pages. To see what will be going on as of tomorrow, Jan. 10, it's important to go to the Week 1 page (click the link on the Table of Contents on the right).
          http://baw2011.pbworks.com/
          You can also check the live sesions, similar to today's, in the Live Sessions wiki page (link also on the right). (Teresa, 9jan11)

           

           


          About the online sessions

          Q: Are all the online discussions going to take place at Tapped In? Should I get registered there before the first session? (Gilberto, 9jan11)

          A: We will be using other meeting tools, but TappedIn is first.  It would be very good to register, and this will be announced again once we are running. (Sharon, 9jan11)

          A: If you go to the Live Sessions page you'll see that each session has a specific venue. If you have trouble seeing the whole page, scroll up and click on a little arrow towards the top right. When you're done, click the arrow again so you get a view of all the frames.
          We always advise participants to get registered in the different venues in advance.
          In the case of Tapped In, if you're already a member before the live session, you'll get a log of the chat in your email. (Teresa, 9jan11)

           

           


          Converting GMT to your time zone

          Q: The time allocated to the session is not clear. I do not know how to count it...

          A: Click on World Clock and in the "Search" field write your city and/or country. You are given several local times and, below that, the time in UTC / GMT, which tells the GMT time zone you are in. If it's, GMT +4, it means that you need to add four hours to the times of our live sessions. If it's GMT -4, it means that you need to subtract four hours from the GMT time of the live session.

           

          There is an alternative and maybe simpler way. Click on Time Zone Converter and complete the info requested. It gives the time in your neck of the woods.

           

          The times for the "live sessions" are always in GMT (our standard) and are all in the Live Sessions wiki page.  (Teresa, 10jan11)

           

          Lesley Cioccarelli suggested a different page of the World Clock, The Fixed Time World Clock. You write the GMT time of an event, click the "Calculate fixed time" button and the site gives you the local time in different cities. (10jan11)

           

           


          Readings: where are they?

          Q: Where do I find the list of recommended readings?

          A: The BaW11 wiki has all the materials you will need. If you look at the right frame, you'll find a Table of Contents (ToC) in the Sidebar with links to the different pages. Please look for "Readings" and click. They are organized by weeks. The pages for each week should also have links to the readings. (Teresa, 10jan11)

           

           


          Yahoo Group

           

          Changing contact email address

          Q: Would you kindly change my contact email address?

          A: Let me tell you how to do it, because I can't do it for you.

          • Go to the BaW11 YG.http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/baw2011/
          • Click on "Edit Membership" (a link above the title bar)
          •  Choose the email address you want, or add another one, and select it (Step 1)
          • Click "Save Changes".

           

          If you feel that receiving individual emails is too much, click "Daily Digest" to get a batch of emails in one single message (Step 2). (Teresa, 10jan11)

           

           

          Posting a message to the group

          Q: I can't send my message to: baw11@yahoogroups.com . My post is unable to deliver the message from <ia97dsv@...> to <baw10@yahoogroups.com>. Using the email address(es) I have registered with Yahoo! Groups I can't send too. Why? (SvetlanaD, 11jan11)

          A: To post a message to the group, you can do the following:

          - On the bottom of this message click on VISIT YOUR GROUP
          - You will be taken to the group page.
          - Next click on MESSAGES
          - Finally click on START A NEW TOPIC
          - Write the subject, the message and send. (JA, 11jan11)

           

           

          Attachments in BaW11 YG

          Q: Yesterday I wanted to send a letter with an attached document but I found out there is no the attaching service here !!! There is one in my Russian Yandex.ru mailbox and it is very convenient to attach photos, images and documents/files. I wonder, what do you do to send the attachments from your Yahoo mailbox, then? Or, you all use other services? (Victoe, 1mar11)

           

          A: our YahooGroup does not accept attachments and this is an anti-spam protection measure. If you would like to send us photos, for instance, you can upload them in the Photos section or if it's about another type of file, you can upload it in the Files section and the YG will announce us that a photo or file has been uploaded, or you can announce us yourself (Anisoara, 1mar11)

           

           

          Hacked Inbox

          My inbox was hacked and you have probably received e-mail from me. So, do not open any links (Jose Antonio, 28apr11)

           

          Q: Glad to know that this hacking event is a thing of the past. Can you tell us how you went about to solve it?

           

          it was my first time. What I did? I scanned my pc and eliminated the virus, next I changed my password. It seems it has worked. I stopped having e-mails bouncing back and my contacts have stopped alerting me  about the problem (Jose Antonio, 30apr11)

           

           


          Help! I'm lost

          Q: Help!  I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing or where I should be and when

          A: This is Week 1 of the course. A list of what you should do is in the Week 1 wiki page, under course objectives. But there are other important things on that page. On the wiki Sidebar (column on the right equivalent to a Table of Contents), you have links to other weeks and activities. (JA, 10jan11; just part of what he replied)

           

          Q: I feel lost, dont know what to do, or where to start. (Nawal, 14jan11)

          A: I suggest that you start with the Syllabus to get an idea of what BaW11 is about.
          http://baw2011.pbworks.com/Syllabus

          Then go to the Week 1wiki page to see the activities of this first week, which already ends next Sunday. You can do the activities that interest you most and you have time for.
          http://baw2011.pbworks.com/Week1

          This is a 5-week session that basically takes place asynchronously, meaning that most activities are not in real time. But every week there is a live (synchronous) session given by a guest speaker about the topic of the week. All these sessions are described in the Live Sessions page of our wiki.
          http://baw2011.pbworks.com/LiveSessions

          (Teresa, 14jan11)

           

           


          BaW11 Blog: Posting messages

          Q: When I post a message in the blog, the only option I can chose is Anonymous, how can I use my username? (Moira, 11jan11)
          A: Under the comment window you will see a drop down menu with some options. You can choose NAME AND URL. This option allows you to put your name and the website of your school or your personal blog. You can also use your Google ID, if you have one. (JA, 11jan11)

           

          I'd add one little detail: Choose your option before you write your post or you risk losing what you wrote. It's happened to me. (Teresa,  11jan11)

           

           


          Forum registration

          Q: I can't register to the forum. I've tried different emails. (Nataliya, 11jan11)

          A: You need to check the box to agree with the conditions of the application. (Daf)

          A: I had to use small letters in my username. (I guess that was the problem.) (Nataliya)

           

           


          Registration for "Live Sessions"

          Q: Where is the registration page for the ... session?

          A: Participants register for each live session in the Yahoo Group Database link (on the left).

          http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/baw2011/database

           

          There you'll find a direct link to the session for the week we're in.

          • click the link for the session
          • click the "Add record" link (top and bottom right)
          • fill in the required information
          • click the "Add record" button (bottom right)

           

          Registration for a Live Session gives guest speakers and mods an idea of how many people plan to attend. This is especially relevant in virtual classrooms where the number of seats may need to  be increased. (Teresa, 12jan11)

           

           


          BaW11 wiki

           

          Placing the photos in the right place in the wiki 

          Q: Why do my photos show up at the top of the page or in another place where I don´t want them?

          A: You need to place your cursor in the specific place where you want your picture before clicking on the link of the picture.

           

           

          Have your photo show in the wiki comments

          Q: Why does my photo do not show when I post a comment to the wiki?

          A:  It is because you probably have not uploaded a photo to your pbworks account profile 

           

           

          Requesting access to the wiki

          Q: Where do I request access to the wiki?

          A: The link to request access is located in the top right corner of  any wiki page. It says:   "To join this workspace, request access."

           

           

          Inserting a new row into a table

          Q: How can I insert a new row to an existing table?

          A: 

          • click the "Edit" tab
          •  scroll down to the last row created
          • place the cursor/mouse inside the far right column 
          • right click and select "Row" and then "Insert row after"

           

           

          (Fernanda & Teresa, 7feb11)

           

           

          Adding a link

          Q: I tried to add my new wiki and blog address in the Participants' work page but I don't seem to manage that. Could you tell me the steps? I pressed the EDIT button but I don't know how to proceed (Jo/Georgia Psarra, 6Feb11)

          A: -- click the "EDit" tab
          -- scroll down to the last row created (at this point it's Cristina
          Reboredo)
          -- place the cursor/mouse inside the far right column of Cristina's row (at
          the end of the text)
          -- right click and select "Row" and then "Insert row after" (Teresa, 6Feb11)

           

           


          Guest map: posting

          Q: I have been trying several times to insert there the dot pointing where I am from but in vain. My Intro post is there but no dot. (Victor Kirillin, 16jan11)

          A: To insert your pin, name, and message on the book map, you should first click on the pin icon POST on the top of the map. Next you should click on the location you are on the map. This will lead to a pop up window. Just insert your data and click on SUBMIT. (JA, 16jan11)

           

          A: I have just succeeded in placing you in our map.

          It's strange that you were in the List (button at top of map), but not in the map. Mysteries of the online world....

          Here's how I did it:

          • clicked on the "Post" button
          • clicked the place on the map
          • filled in the info in the small pop-up window
          • clicked the "Submit" button.

          (Teresa, 16jan11)

           

           


          Blogs vs. Social Networks

          Q: In the article "The use of blogs, wikis and RSS in education..." on page 2, says "What is a blog" and it gives the charactestics, my question is... "How do they differ from a Social Network like FCBK?" because in both I can publish, write, link and so forth.
          My 2nd question is also from the same article and is from page 7. It starts with "Educational benefits and uses of RSS", though it says in point 3 that RSS is better than mail subscription, I really don't get "why or how is it different from newsletters"? (Maria Bossa, 18jan11)

           

          A: You asked asked about the differences between blogs and social networking. You are right, in both you can write, publish, post links. The biggest difference resides basically in the networked nation of social networking. Social networking services such as Facebook , Ning, or Twiducate work like a series of interconnected blogs or websites. From your Facebook page, you can access your friends pages. Social networking websites are linked automatically. Besides that, social networking sites have a whole lot more features than blogs. They can work as a portal for a class when each student will have his\her own page with his\her own pictures and videos.

          About RSS, let me just say that we will not really explore this in this course. But let me try to answer your question about RSS being better than mail subscription. It has to do with the fact with RSS you can use a news aggregator such as Google Reader or Netvibes and these sites (called aggregators) will update the news or changes in the sites you follow and you will not have to visit them to find out if there is anything new, the aggregator does it for you and it works like a digital newspaper.  So, instead of receiving an e-mail every time content is updated, you will have a website you can visit to check your  “customized” news.

          I hope it is clearer for you now. (JA, 18jan11)

           

           


          PBworks wiki

           

          Creating a new wiki (problems)

          Q: I have a problem with creating a new wiki at pbworks. When I sign up for a new working place, it said that I can't create a new place at the moment. I like the template and I'd like to have my class wiki pages there. (NataliyaN, 20jan11)

           

          A: Go to https://plans.pbworks.com/signup/edubasic20
          Fill in the forms as required.
          Then you'll receive a confirmation email to activate your account. (Fernanda, 20jan11)

           

          A: Do you by any chance have other wikis in Pbworks? You can only create 3 free wikis with them. I would suggest you use Wikispaces (you can create as many wikis as you want, and you can play with the look and feel more than in Pbworks. You can also have protected pages with the free version which you cannot with PB. (Daf, 20jan11)

           

           

          Allowing others to view your wiki

          To make your Pbworks wiki visible to everyone, click on SETTINGS, next under access controls click on WORKSPACE SECURITY and on the option Who can view this workspace? mark ANYONE.
          You should also check LET PEOPLE REQUEST ACCESS TO VIEW OF EDIT THE WORKSPACE.
          This way other participants will be able to browse your wiki without necessarily joining in or being able to edit it. (JA, 20jan11)

           

           

          Adding widgets in the Sidebar

          Q: I need to know how I can add the clock or the time in my side bar (MariaB, 30Jan11)

          A: You can choose a clock from this site for example: http://www.clocklink.com/
          After you have chosen the one you like, click on View html tag, and accept the terms. The next window you'll have to choose colour, your time zone and the size ( I'd advise you choose a small size); in the end copy the html code; in your wiki, click on edit the sidebar; place your cursor where you want the clock and click on Insert/ HTML (dropdown menu) and paste that code you copied previously (Fernanda, 30Jan11)

           

           

          Inserting an image

          Q: in my front page I want to paste a pic, and everytime I've tried, it's either small or blurred.
          Can anybody help? (MariaB, 31Jan11)

          A: First choose the image you want to insert. Is it the right size? If it is too large, resize it with one of these online tools or with a image editor like paint shop pro:
          http://www.resize2mail.com/
          www.shrinkpictures.com.
          or download easy thumbnails:
          http://www.fookes.com/ezthumbs/

          • Now that your image is the right size, upload it to your wiki. (upload files)
          • In the page where you want your image, click on edit and place the cursor where you want the image to appear.
          • On the right, under Page Tools, choose Images and Files; you'll see a list of the images and files; click on the one you have just uploaded and it will be inserted on the page.
          • Save if you are happy with the result  (Fernanda, 31Jan11)

           

           


          Wikispaces

           

          Inviting people to join

          Q: How can I invite people to join my wiki in wikispaces?
          I have found that I can invite them by sending them an invitation, but I may not know their emails. Is there any other way? I'm sure it is :)  (NataliyaN, 20jan11)

           

          A: I think the only way to invite people to edit your wikispaces  is to know their emails, unless you make it public and let anyone edit it.
          If you make it public (in Permissions) Everyone, including anonymous visitors, can view and edit pages.

          Click https://help.wikispaces.com/New+Wiki


          Then click "Invite people to your wiki" (in the Table of Contents)
          Go to Manage Wiki > Invite People to send an invitation email to the folks who will be collaborating in your wiki. Just type in up to 100 email addresses or Wikispaces usernames, separated by commas or line breaks, and hit Send. (Fernanda, 20jan11)

          A: In Wikispaces, to comment on your wiki or to create content, people generally request access to join your wiki. I have just done that. So if you want to use it with your students, you give them the link and tell them to request access. By the way, yours is visible to non members and this is a good thing.

          A: One more thing:
          +++++++++++++
          Add accounts with the User Creator tool (K-12 and Super wikis only)
          If you are a teacher and need to add a whole class' worth of student accounts, you can do it all at once by going to Manage Wiki > User Creator. You will be able to make accounts for all of your students, even if they don't have email addresses.

          Keep in mind that every Wikispaces username must be unique. Try using numbers, or initials, or a first name-last name combination to create unique usernames.
          ++++++++++++
          I have an old wikispaces wiki and don't have that option. Do you have it?
          If you do, it may be an alternative to using emails. (Fernanda, 20jan11)

           

           

          Enabling Discussions

          Q: I used wikispaces - new for me, and it seems to me, much more user-friendly than PBworks. I enabled a discussion for anybody there, wonder if it really works for anybody? (Svetlana, 23jan11)

           

          A: Your discussion works. Those posting need to have a wikispaces account, but do not need to be members of your wiki.

          I use wikispaces for my school district and teachers find it easy to work with. (Sharon, 23jan11)

           

           

          Changing a site name

          Q: How can I change my site`s name? (VictorK, 26jan11)

          A: You can change the name of your wiki by going to Manage wiki (on the sidebar) and then Domain Name; in the text box write the new name and click on Change Domain Name. (Fernanda, 26jan11)

           

          A: Concerning page names, experience tells me that it's always best not to have spaces, because they generate this sort of "20%" code which mixes things up and can even cause broken links. I'm sure you've seen it in certain URLs.

          What I suggest is using the "-" (minus) sign between words or the "_" (underscore) symbol. No spaces! (Teresa, 6Feb11)

           

           

          Inserting a link

          Q: How to make the hyperlink or a link in the blog (Victor, 31Jan11)

          A:

          1. Click on "Edit this page" at the top

          2. Highlight the word you want to make a hyperlink to in the text

          3. Click on "link" (top menu)

          4. Click on "External Link" if it is a link to the outside website from wikispaces

          5. Enter the URL in the window opened

          6. Check the "New window" if you want the link will open in a new window in the text

          7. Click on "Add link"

          8. "Save" - top of page (Larissa, 31Jan11)

           

           

          Posting a link

          Q: I want to post the URL in the wiki page but I don´t find a cell, Do I have to insert it myself? Could you tell me how it works? (CristinaR, 3Feb11)

          A: The first question is - do you have permission to edit wiki? Do you see the button "edit" when you are on a participants' page? But if you are on the page right now, you should have "edit" permission.

           

          Here are the steps:

          1. On a participants' page click on "edit" - there are two options above the page title -"view" and "edit".

          2. When you click on "edit" you will see the window - similar to what we have in any editing tools, like Word Document.

          3. Type your production title, like Christina's wiki and highlight it.

          4. Click on Insert "add link" on top.

          5. iIn Pop-up window you will see Browse Pages and Files - click

          6. Again you will see a new window.

          7. Click on Web Address on the left.

          8. Insert your wiki URL

          9. Click on Insert.

          10. Save. (Larissa, 3Feb11)

           

          A: Click on edit and then place your mouse on the last cell, then right click and you'll have a context menu; choose insert row after. Check this image (Fernanda, 4Feb11)

           

           

           

          Embedding a survey

          Q: How can I paste a survey in my wiki? It is in the Zoomerang but one can`t view the survey itself. I can view it if I want to edit it only. How can I get it from there? (Victor, 5Feb11)

          A: You have 2 options: either you create a link in your blog/wiki with the survey url
          (http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22BUJ3JRLXF/) or you paste the code in your blog/wiki, if you wish to embed it, but there's no need to embed, what you want is that your students have access to the survey, right? It's ok if you just create the link. If you want to embed it, create a new page and then from the menu, choose widget, and
          then from the list on the left, choose Polls/other, and then embed your code and save. (Fernanda, 5Feb11)

           

          Copying an image from one wiki and inserting it in another

          Q: How can I put your nice Blue image (Baw`s symbol) into my wiki`s new page? (Victor, 13feb11)

           

          A: I copied the image, then went to my wikispaces http://el-access-2011.wikispaces.com/, logged in.

          After that I clicked 'edit Navigation', then I saw the menu. I chose the button with the Picture ( = Insert Images and Files), downoaded. 'Save'!

          Afterwards I changed the size of the image.  (Vale Si, 13feb11)

           

          Q: You have n`t save it in  your own computer first? (Victor, 13feb11)

           

          A: yes, you have to save it in your local computer.

          Use a jpg file instead of a bmp.

          To resize images online you can try:

          http://www.resize2mail.com/

          http://www.shrinkpictures.com/

          to install an image editor:
          http://www.irfanview.com/

          After uploading your image to the wiki, click on edit, place the cursor where you want your image and, on the right menu, select Images and files;  click on your image. and it will be automatically inserted. (Fernanda, 13feb11)

           

          A: You could have saved 2 steps: as you were looking for an external URL and the image is the BaW wiki, you could just copy the url of the image:
          right click with your mouse on the image and from the context menu,
          select Copy image location (if you're using Firefox) or Copy shortcut
          if you're using Internet Explorer.

          When I gave you  the instructions to insert an image in the wiki, I forgot you were using wikispaces.
          With wikispaces, do the following to insert an image from your computer:

          On the left menu, select Manage Wiki
          Then, under Content,  choose Files
          Upload files: select them from your computer and click on open.

          Then open the page where you want your image, select Edit this page, and from the top menu choose File (you have an icon of an image and if you mouse over it says Insert Images and files)
          Select the image and it's done. You still have a small menu to align the image, insert a tag, etc. (Fernanda, 14feb11)

           

           

          Moving a widget

          Q: I have made my Voki and placed it in my wiki, and it`s OK there, but I`d like to move it to be placed after my Feedgit but I failed, how to make it to be ahead of Feedgit ? I know hoe to embed but don`t know how to change the places (Victor, 19feb11)

           

          A: Not sure if I know exactly what you are talking about, but I hope I do. When you are in the edit mode of your wiki, if you highlight whatever text or thing there and then put your cursor on it, click your left mouse and hold it and slowly transfer the whole thing to required place, while still holding the left mouse, and when you have it there, release the left mouse button. And that's it. I do it like that, maybe there is another way, don't know (Svetlana, 19feb11)

           

          A: When you click on Edit navigation, on the side bar, you have the [light blue] icons saying "other widget" You can drag and drop them according to the position you want (Fernanda, 19jul11)

           

           

          Problems a widget caused

          Q: I tried to embed a feedjit in the sidebar of my wiki and I ruined the whole wiki.  When I press edit, it is dead. My wiki pages are completely on the right by my navigation bar has become enormous and I cannot do anything more. Does anybody know how to recover my wiki from yesterday? I tried through Recent changes but it does not offer the recover possibility. And I cannot find it in help either. Does anybody know please? (Svetlana, 19feb11)

           

          A: OH, yippee, I found the spot where to undo what I did before. It was in Content manager in the settings.  So I restored it to the previous version.
          So the thing I do not know now is how to add stuff to my sidebar without ruining the whole thing again (Svetlana, 19feb11)

           

          A: Good you managed to solve the problem. I don't know what might be wrong, I tried this morning to insert a feedjit in the sidebar of a wikispaces wiki and it is ok.
          This is what I did:
          Edit navigation
          Widget
          Other
          Copy the code in the window and save  (Fernanda, 19feb11)

           

          A: Thank you for your support, but I couldn`t do as Svetlana advised and the Wiki didn`t obeyed my dragging and dropping, Fernanda.

          So, I simply replaced their embedding codes and it worked!!! So minute victories but they give so much Joy!!! (Victor, 20feb11)

           

          A: My advise was meant for changes within one page, not in navigation. I understood only later that you had your widgets in the navigation bar. And when I then tried to place mine there, it all went completely wrong. I will try again (Svetlana, 20feb11)

           

           

          Reverting to a previous version

          Q: Has anybody figured out how to go back to previous state of your wikispace easily? I tried going through Recent changes but did not find there anything clickable to enable me going back to previous state - let's say yesterday.
          I sorted the problem by deleting unwanted pages my students placed there when experimenting with wikis through Manage Wiki and Pages.
          Yet I am sure there must be an easier way to go to previous state, I only cannot find it (Svetlana, 23mar11)

           

          A: I found a wikispaces forum with this answer:
          "You can now revert a page to a previous version when you are comparing versions. To revert a page to a previous version go to the history tab of the page, select the version of the page you want, and select the 'revert to this version' link."
          from here: http://www.wikispaces.com/message/view/home/13303111 (Fernanda, 24mar11)

           

           


          Flag counter

          Q: I send this to the whole group because I want to draw people's attention to the flag counter you [Chaouki] have there. I was impressed, how does it know I am Czech? How does it work? I did not click on anything and it counted me in (unless there had been another Czech person before me). Can you send us the source for this gadget and write something about how it works, if you know? (SvetlanaO, 21jan11)

           

          A: I like flag counters a lot. It's interesting to know the nationality of your visitors, sometimes it's surprising their origin, how did the get there?
          Well, I think it works this way: each computer has an IP address (Internet Protocol address) which is unique and identifies computers on a network.
          An IP is a number like this: 216.128.159.243
          IPs are allocated to regions and then to countries and then to ISPs (Internet Service Providers) the company that you pay to to have Internet access.
          There's a page here with details
          http://www.maxmind.com/app/ip-location-explained

          There are many flag counters:
          http://flagcounter.com/

          http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/neocounter2

          (Fernanda, 21jan11)

           

           


          Tapped In: Connection problems

          Q: Whenever I try logging in, I get the message "Couldn't connect to tappedin.org:8000". (Rosana, 22jan11)

          A: As I said in our chat at YM (saved in another computer), it may have to do with Javascript not being enabled.

          In your browser, go to Tools (menu) > Internet options > Security > Custom or Customize (button). In the Scripts section (towards the bottom), activate Java. (Teresa, 22jan11)

           

          A: By reading the message you get, I guess the problem is with your internet provider. I think you are not allowed to connect to port 8000. It happens when I try to get to Tapped In from my university in Caracas :-( (Daf, 23jan11)

           

          A: I was wondering if it has something to do with your user name. To login you can use your e-mail or user name. User names for Tapped in have to have the first and the last letter capitalized. Mine could be something like JoseS. Just trying to guess what is wrong and help. (JA, 23jan11)

           

          A: (BJ to Teresa) Rosana and I have had several exchanges of emails and have come to the same conclusion you have that the service provider has a firewall. I also contacted Patti, the TI Tech Coordinator and she agreed that that is probably the problem if all the other options weren't a factor.  If Rosana was using an incorrect login name, she wouldn't be able to even get the web window, so I don't think that is an issue.  Thanks for your concern. Hopefully, Rosana will resolve the problem soon. (BJ, 24jan11)

           

           


          Yahoo Messenger (YM)

           

          Logging into a conference

          Q: Am new to the messenger so do not yet fully understand how it works. Shall I just stay online and will be called? Or shall I sign up somewhere before the session starts? (SvetlanaO, 22jan11)

           

          A: You just need to log in to YM (Yahoo Messenger) about 20 mins in advance and then one of us - it's Mbarek, I think - will start inviting each one to the conference (it's a group chat with text and audio). Then each one will try out audio.
          You can go through the Audio and Video wizard in advance. In the main YM window,
          -- click the Help menu (top right)
          -- click Set up Video and Voice
          -- follow the steps
          (Teresa, 22jan11)

           

           

          Creating a group of friends

          In the main window

          • click Contacts > Manage Groups > Create New Group...
          • enter the name of the group (in the new window)
          • click Ok

           

          Each time you add new contact, choose the group you want it in in a drop-down menu

           

           

          Problems with audio

          MariaB and Teresa had problems with audio during Michael's presentation in Yahoo Messenger (sound not clear or sounding very far away from the mic). Here's what Teresa tried out and worked for her, MariaB and Fernanda.

          • go to the Help menu (in the main YM window) and click Set up Video and Voice
          • in Step 1, Microphone, there is a dropdown menu with two options. Choose the System Default option

           

          (Teresa, 26Jan11)

           

           

          Monitoring different groups/conferences

          Dafne does online group work with her students in YM. Here's where she explains how she does it (look for "Conferences") (Teresa, 26Jan11)

           

           


          Twitter

          Q: I only started playing with the Twitter after our online seminar so many questions popped up only later on. I noticed that Graham had in his Twitter timeline on the left and lists of people on the right. I only have "Trends", "Who to follow" and other similar default stuff. Cannot figure out how to change that. In the Setting you only change the background colour, not the functions.
          I downloaded TweetDeck too, but that does not seem to have the Search function, or am I wrong? I can see more columns at a time but cannot search there, must go to the original Twitter. Or is there a hidden search button anywhere? (SvetlanaO, 20jan11)

           

          A: I explored tweetdeck and I guess you are right. It really does not have a search function. To conduct searches, you´d better got to your twitter webpage. The timelime and the all friends or friends seem to be just the same. However you can add more columns on tweetdeck. On the very top on the left there is a + sign that allows you to add another column. 

          I am sorry if could not help much, I generally use echofon (which is a plugin for firefox). (JA, 20jan11)

           

          A: I use the same default interface on twitter and I have no idea on how   to change it if that's possible at all .As for  tweetdeck . In order to make a search , you need to add a column by clicking on the sign + at the top left , you get a dialogue box with a search bar . You simply type your quest and press search preferably with a hashtag # for quests and @ for people , the search results are presented in a new column on teweetdeck .If you have aready made a search , all you need to make a new search is to click on "edit" at the top right of your search column and type your new search. (Mbarek, 20jan11)

           

           

          Blocking a follower

          Q: How do I stop someone from following me on Twitter? (Marijana, 25jan11)

          A: Normally you can report people who seem to be using twitter for other purposes !! I've done it a few times. When you are on your mail page - look to the right at the bottom of the page. "Help" written in red. Click on this and follow the instructions for reporting spam and other unwanted behaviour! (Helen, 25jan11)

           

          A: No problem this person following you. What you can do is stop following him or her. Some people follow me and I don't follow them. When somebody starts following me, I always check their profiles and their tweets before start following them. (JA, 25jan11)

           

          A: You can block that person and report her for spam. There's an image attached so that you can see details. (Fernanda, 25jan11)

           

           

           

          Netiquette

          Q: I just signed up Twitter (3 days ago) and wondering if there is Twitter etiquette for gratitude. Some of the people I chose to follow have sent me direct messages. Do I need to reply to those messages? (Rafieh, 26jan11)

           

          A: Here are some links to give you an idea of some of the basic twitter etiquette:

          http://bit.ly/3ePsEp
          http://www.businessknowhow.com/internet/twitter-etiquette.htm

          You may also  be interested to look into the links below:
          - The five C's of Twitter: http://madhouseofideas.org/?page_id=311
          - Twitter for teachers: http://twitterforteachers.wetpaint.com/

          And here is an interesting twitionary:
          http://twictionary.pbworks.com/w/page/22547584/FrontPage

          (Hala, 26jan11)

           

           

          How to use it

          Here are two youtube tutorials to help you get an idea on twitter and how to use it:

          Twitter in plain English  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddO9idmax0o

          Twitter search in plain English :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGbLWQYJ6iM

          (Mbarek, 27jan11)

           

           

          Resources

          Twitter in the classroom: 10 useful resources

          http://janeknight.typepad.com/socialmedia/2009/08/twitter-in-the-classroom-10-useful-resources.html

          (Mbarek, 27jan1)

           

          50 Ideas on Using Twitter in Education

          http://cooper-taylor.com/blog/2008/08/50-ideas-on-using-twitter-for-education/

          (Teresa, 27jan11)

           

          Twiducate: the idea of a "safe" twitter network for younger learners seems appealing

          http://twiducate.com/
          (Helen, 27jan11)

          All I know i s that when you create a class, you add your students and give them passwords. The class has a calendar and a bookmarking feature, and you have the feature to send your post to all the class. (Mbarek, 27jan11)

          I have tried twiducate. It is works more like a social networking website (it does not send twits, but allows posts and comments). As you said, it is closed and safe. We posted two tutorials about it on the program of Week 2. (JA, 28jan11)

           

           

          Tweetdeck (tutorial)

          Q: I missed chatting with you on Twitter last night, now I don't know how to do that. (Marijana, 28jan11)

           

          Everything you wanted to know about tweetdeck but were afraid to ask!! ((Helen, 28jan11) Great comment, Helen!!!

          A: First, you need an account with Twitter http://twitter.com. In the beginning this is probably sufficient, as you will not have too many contacts.

          There are two types: People you follow, and people who follow you. A good way to find out who to follow is to look at the #TT (teacher Tuesday) and #FF (follow Friday) nominations. On these days teachers on twitter suggest great people to add to your list. You can click on their names to find out about them before you decide. You might even like to add people that they follow when you look at their profile. Many people will follow you back. http://screencast.com/t/sNtzi1ESB 
          But imagine that you want to follow what is happening in BAW. I suggest that you download TWEETDECK www.tweetdeck.com . [You will be asked to download Adobe Air first. Please accept. And have a look at this youtube  tutorial  Mbarek, 28jan11]. This will allow you to put your contacts into columns, such as #BAW2011. 

          On opening Tweetdeck you will see http://screencast.com/t/rSGeYbsF a list of columns. These are my choices today. I can change the number and category of columns by clicking on the silver button with the plus sign

          OK. On the left hand side (LHS) are two rows of buttons. There are another two rows of buttons on the right (RHS), and there are buttons below each tweet.
          LHS: Top

          Yellow button: you don't need this if you write your message in the large grey box which says `What's happening?'
          Silver Plus sign: this will add a column. You can choose between the core columns, your own lists, or add a new column. To do this you write the hashtag# and the name of the column you would like to open e.g #BAW2011. Now you have added a new column.
          Red Splodge: if you would like to find out about someone who is sending you tweets, you can access their profile information here.

          LHS: Bottom
          Url shortener: by default this is switched on. If you add a long address to a tweet it will be automatically shortened. Click here if you want to switch the feature off.
          Tweet shrinker: You can write a tweet using a maximum of 140 characters, including spaces. This tool will help shorten (e.g. Four will become 4) saving space.
          Translate: you can use the dropdown menu and translate into a variety of languages. I don't know how efficient this is, but try it out.
          Recent Hashtags: this will find you the hashtags to add to your message (or you can control this in another way).

          RHS: Top

          Refresh: speaks for itself
          Single Column View: You can keep #BAW2011 open and not be distracted by any other tweets at the same time. This is good if you are having a conversation. Wednesday at 12 and 21GMT every week there is a great discussion forum called #ELTchat. It is so fast and furious that anything else would be a distraction.
          Spanner: this is a drop down menu for the settings. It is worth having a look and playing with these to customise your tweetdeck.
          Support
          Log Out


          RHS: Bottom

          Teardrop: if you want, you can add your location.Camera: upload your photos or videos here. Make sure that they are not too big. Write your tweet, click on the icon, browse your machine, upload, and press send. 
          Video: use your webcam to record a video and upload it.
          Close

          If you want to reply to a tweet:
          Click on the thumbnail pic. There are 4 possibilities. You can reply (but others can read your tweet). You can DirectMessage (private), you can retweet, so that others can read it, or you can save it as a favourite to read later.
          The Plus sign under the tweet will allow you to add the tweeter to your list of followers, if you want to. If you are not happy to have this person as a contact, you can block them by clicking on the picture, opening the flower on the lower right, and clicking User, Block.
          Have fun, and ask if you need help. Everyone is really friendly.

          (SueA, 28jan11)

           

           


          Blogger

           

          Followers

          Q: I need to know if "Followers" can follow my blog without any question from the part of the blog author. In my blog I have 1 follower (whom I don't know) and I didn't get any notification about it. (MariaB, 20jan11)

           

          A: Blogs are different. People do not need permission to follow your blog. They will need to be invited to be authors on your blog. You don´t get notifications of followers. Darlene is the one following you. If you click on the picture, you will see her name. I am also follwoing you. (JA, 20jan11)

           

           

          Changing text color

          Q: I am trying to change the text colors in the lower part of my blog homepage, for the  black text is hard to read in dark blue background. I tried the edits but there aren`t any sourses to change it, tried then the template`s edition but I was afraid to cancel it for good... (Victor, 25jan11)

           

          A: If you change your template via the dashboard of your blog provider, you should not lose any of your hard work !
          Changing your template may move things around a little and sometimes you may think you have "lost" something !!  - when in fact the template you have chosen has not been made for the widget you want to display. Simply clicking back to your original template can be reassuring! (Helen, 25jan11)

           

          A: There's a simple way to solve your problem; in the dashboard, design, page elements:

           

          Now move your gadget "recent posts" to the side bar. The background colour is different there, and you can easily read text and links.

           

           

          If you want to keep that gadget "recent posts" at the bottom of the page, you'll have to edit the template, are you familiar with html and css code? Ask me for details if you prefer to keep "recent posts" where they are now. (Fernanda, 25jan11)

           

           

          Choosing a template

          Q: Do I first create a blog and choose the template or vice-versa??? (Patricia, 23jan11)

           

          A: You first need to create your blog and then change templates. If you choose one of the blogger templates it is all done when you create the blog. If you choose one of the templates from this site: http://www.bloggerthemes.net/
          do the following:
          1.Create your blog with blogger.com
          2. Download the template you want to install and save it to your hard disk
          3. In dashboard, choose Design, Edit HTML
          4. Choose Upload a template from a file on your hard drive and get the file you downloaded. (Fernanda, 23jan11)

           

          A: You can do both at the same time. When you create a blog you are asked to choose a template. Blog templates are like clothes. You can always change them whenever you want. (Very cute last sentence!) (JA, 23jan11)

           

          A: @Victor I suggest this website where you can download free templates fro your blog. http://btemplates.com/

          To change your template go to your blog dashboard >>Design>>edit HTML >>Upload a template from a file on your hard drive.

           

          If You want to change the colors of your template  go to your blog dashboard >>Design>>template designer >>advanced . There are color palettes to choose from. (Mbarek, 25jan11)

           

           

          Editing a post

          Q: Am I right thinking I cannot go back to my posting and edit it again? I can only add new postings? (Svetlana, 7Feb11)

          A: I've edited the posts in Blogspot and Wordpress blogs. There is a Dashboard with buttons 'edit', 'view',  'delete', etc. (Valentina, 7Feb11)

           

          A: If you have Blogger, go to your blog and sign in with your Google Account. In the Dashboard you will see the options: New Post, Edit Posts, etc. (Anisoara, 7Feb11)

           

           

          Leaving a comment

          Q: What must one do to be allowed to comment? Is it necessary to sign in to each particular blog? When I reacted to Patricia's wiki, I simply signed in with my wikispaces name. It is presumably different with blogs? (Svetlana, 27jan11)

           

          A: To post a comment on blogger , I think you should use one of the following accounts which  blogger suggests:  Google, Livejournal, Wordpress, Typepad, AIM, Open ID. in addition to a security code. (Mbarek, 27jan11)

           

          This was exactly what I did not understand in blogs. When I got to that Google, Livejourna, Wordpress, Typepad, AI , Open ID. I had no idea what to choose. So I will try Google and will see what happens. (Svetlana, 27jan11)

           

           

          Inserting a link

          Q: How to make the hyperlink or a link in the blog (Victor, 31Jan11)

          A: If you want to add hyperlink to an existing post

          • go to New Post (top) - then, Edit Post - choose the post you want to edit

          If you compose a new post

          • click on New post and enter the text in the box (you know it already)
          • Highlight the word to make the hyperlink
          • Click on Link (a globe icon top)
          • Add url
          • Click OK
          • Publish post (Larissa, 31Jan11)

           

          A: It's quite simple to create a link in blogger. When you create a new post or are editing an old one, just select the text where you want the link to be created, then in the menu choose Link (a small icon, you can read link if you pass your mouse over it), and in the new window paste the URL ( you previously copied from another browser window or tab) and then click on OK. (Fernanda, 31Jan11)

           

          Q: I need to know how to embed links in my blog as everytime I copy the link, it says "invalid link, it contains invalid characters". I use blogspot and my blog is http://mariabossa.blogspot.com/ (Maria, 27feb11)

           

          A: You have detailed instructions here:
          http://bloggerfordummies.blogspot.com/2006/03/how-to-make-clickable-link.html

          See the section:

          Using the hyperlink icon to make a clickable link  (Fernanda, 27feb11)

           

           

          Giving up comment moderation

          I think I have also changed moderating a comment! (Marijana, 7Feb11)

           

          To give up comment moderation, you can follow the steps:

          1. Once in the Blog 'kitchen' go to Settings and then Comments.
          2. Who can comment? if you want anyone to comment, choose Anyone
          3. Comment moderation: Choose 'Never' if you don't want to moderate comments. (Anisoara, 7Feb11)

           

          Following your favorite blogs

          If you subscribe to google reader to follow your favourite blogs, you can insert a blog roll easily:

          In blogger, go to Design, Add a gadget (sidebar)
          Blog List
          Choose a title and the settings, then click on "Add a blog to your list" and select "Import subscriptions from Google Reader" and finally, Add

          It´s important that you organize your subscriptions in Google Reader in folders  (Fernanda, 8feb11)

           

           

          Placing a flag counter and a clock link

          Q: I am trying to create a blog and got stuck immediately. I do not know how to place the flag counter there and the clock (Svetlana, 6Feb11)

          A: Here are the steps to insert the link to Flag Counter on your Blogger page:

          1. in Blogger, go to Design (top).

          2. Add a gadget

          3. Choose HTML/Java Script

          4. Get the code from Flag Counter page

          5. Add the code

          6. Save

          7. View the blog (Larissa, 6Feb11)

           

           

          Changing the language

          Q: My blog is now in English because I changed it to English, but some bits are still in Czech and I do not manage to convert them to English. Is there anywhere a "switch button" for everything in my blog? (Svetlana, 7feb11)

           

          A: You can change the language in the dashboard/language
          or
          in Settings/Formatting/language  (Fernanda, 7feb11)

           

          Regarding Jo Psarra's Feedjit

          A: You go to Dashborad, than Settings in the Settings the third from the left is Formatting or whatever is for you in Greek. Click on it and under Time zone you have change Language. Your settings can there be easily changed into any language you want. When you choose the language click Save (Marijana, 21feb11)

           

           

          Resource

          I'd like to share with you this very interesting  resource  on blogger:

          http://bloggerfordummies.blogspot.com/ (Mbarek, 7feb11)

           

          it's a great page, explains everything in steps (Marijana, 8feb11)

           

           


          Netvibes: What is it for?

          Q: Does anyone know the exact use/purpose of netvibes.com? What is it for? (Patricia, 25jan11)

           

          A: Netvibes is a news reader or aggregator. Remember that we briefly discussed RSS in week 2. In Netvibes, you can just copy the url or rss of your favorite websites and it will automatically update news for you. So, when content changes, you can read straight on your netvibes page.  You can have a public and a private page. There other services that do the same: Page Flakes (cited by Lesley), Google Reader, Blogglines. (JA, 25jan11)

           

          A: Netvibes is a mashup, similar to iGoogle and Pageflakes. You can place in one just screen all the stuff that interests you on the internet; news, the blogs you follow, your mail, photos, weather, and so on.
          I found this article that you may find interesting:
          How Netvibes helped me cram the whole Internet onto a single screen.
          http://www.slate.com/id/2164666/

          If you just want a blog aggregator, then you can use Bloglines or Google Reader. (Fernanda, 25jan11)

           

          A: I have used Netvibes for many presentations - as a compilation of links and facts - you can make certain pages open to the public and others just for you behind a login.
          Here is an example with 7 public pages:
          http://www.netvibes.com/meprincipals#Begining_Presentation  (Sharon, 25jan11)

           

          A.Netvibes is bookmarking website which allows you to gather your favorite links in the same place . there are two interfaces of your netvibes . One is personal and the other is public . I had created an account some time ago and here is the public link http://www.netvibes.com/akaddar#ICT_%2F_TIC  (Mbarek, 25jan11)

           

          A: Just wanted to share "feedly" (http://www.feedly.com) with you. I discovered this (thanks to twitter) recently and I really like it so far. It's linked to my google reader account to and is a lot nicer to look at ! It can be organised in various ways and I'm finding it very "user-friendly"!!
          For me it's a nice way following interesting blogs and websites on one easy page! (Helen, 25jan11)

           

           


          Symbaloo

          I'd like to share Symbaloo with you. I like the layout and all the lively colors of the little tile-looking squares. "Symbaloo is an ancient Greek verb meaning ‘gathering’ ‘assembling’." http://www.symbaloo.com/

           

          And don't miss this intro to Symbaloo by an American 7th grader. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEls3tq5wIY

          (Teresa, 26jan11)

           

           


          Skype

           

          Recording a chat

          Q: I would like to thank Helen for a nice chat on Skype, we raised the topic of how to use skype in our teaching (can we, for example, record a skype chat and replay it to student?!)? (Ayat, 25jan11)

           

          A: You can record Skype chats using Pamela  http://www.pamela.biz/en/
          Instructions here:
          http://www.pamhelp.com/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=viewarticle&kbarticleid=108
          Then you can upload the file to Podbean and then embed the player in your blog/wiki:
          http://www.podbean.com/
          (Fernanda, 25jan11)

           

          A: I'd like to add another recorder that has worked very well with me, MP3 Skype Recorder. I find it very user-friendly.

          http://voipcallrecording.com/MP3_Skype_Recorder

          and

          http://voipcallrecording.com/

          I've also used Podbean and like it. I'd just like to say a couple of things:

          --uploads don't work well with IE. Michael's presentation recording upload kept crashing, but it worked fine with Firefox at first attempt, so I didn't even try Chrome

          -- you get an embed code, so it's simple to embed it in your wiki and blog (I did in Michael's session page).

          Here's my Podbean page.  http://teresadeca.podbean.com/

          (Teresa, 25jan11)

           

          Q: Just one problem, I'm a mac girl and they all seem to state that they are compatible with Windows OS. Would any of you have a useful comment about Skype/Video Chat recorders for Apple OS X? (Jennie, 26jan11)

           

          A: Some of my friends uses Call Recorder, but it is not free:  http://www.ecamm.com/mac/callrecorder/
          I believe that Apple offers a version for download on their site:  http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/email_chat/callrecorderforskype.html
          Sharon (26jan11)

           

          A: I googled and I found a list of recording programs, some for windows and some for Apple. I'm not a mac user, so I have no further information about them.
          http://www.voip-sol.com/15-apps-for-recording-skype-conversations/
          http://www.aboutonlinetips.com/free-skype-call-recorders-3308/
          http://download.cnet.com/Call-Recorder-for-Skype/3000-2349_4-95407.html
          (Fernanda, 26jan11)

           

          A: This may not add much to what's been sent, but here goes what I've come across by googling.
          Call Recorder for Mac OS X / 2.3.2:  https://extras.skype.com/623/view
          Skype Recorder Mac:  http://www.fileguru.com/apps/skype_recorder_mac
          SkypeCap - Skype Call Recorderfor Mac
          http://www.download3k.com/Press-SkypeCap-Skype-Call-Recorder-for-Mac.html

          (Teresa, 26jan11)

           

           

          Starting a chat

          To start a skype conversation, you  will have to start a conversation with one contact first, then you click "add other contacts" to the conversation second in the conversation box. When you get a box showing the list of your contacts, select the ones you want to add one by one from the box on the left to the box on the right then click add and they are there in the same window. (Mbarek, 27jan11)

           

           


          Voki

          Hi everybody
          this is maybe a little late as I've just "caught up" with my mails :) but Voki have just started doing stuff for educators with a blog and various suggestions. It might be worth checking it out here
          http://blog.voki.com/education/  (Helen, 7feb11)

           

          Q: I`d like to ask you a question on Voki, where and how I can find/try it? (Victor, 14feb11)

           

          A: you can read about and create your own Voki avatar at:

          http://www.voki.com/

          You'll find there all the info you need about how to customize it, add voice, publish to your website. (Anisoara, 14feb11)

           

           

          Embedding a Voki in PBworks

          Hi Svetlana!
          Your voki looks great!
          To embed it, try choosing Insert/ HTML/Javascipt, paste your code ,
          check Allow JavaScript and  then click again on Insert plugin. (Fernanda, 10feb11)

           


          Hot Potatoes

          Q: Do you know of a way how to upload a HP exercise in the wiki? (Svetlana, 5feb11)

          A: When you create a HotPot exercise, you should always save it as a HP file first (it's like a backup), I mean, with a HP extension such as .jcz or .jcw . Actually, that's the file that opens the exercise in your computer.

           

          When you want to create a .html file (or webpage) of your exercise so you can upload it, you do this:

          • open your exercise
          • in the "File" menu select "Create Web page" > Standard format
          • click "View the exercise in my browser"  ((if you like it, then...)
          • click "Save"

          To upload it to the wiki, you only need the HotPot .html file. Do the following:

           

          • click the "Edit" tab in your wiki page
          • click "Images and files" on the right frame (same as you did for uploading your photo in week 1)
          • click "Upload files"
          • in the window that opens, find the file you want to upload, click on it and click the "Open" button (bottom right)
          • wait for the file to be uploaded to the wiki
          • when it's done, put the mouse where you want the link to the exercise file to appear
          • click the file name on the right frame to create a link to it (it will show like this:  colors.htm )

           

          • click the link to open the crossword puzzle and do it (Teresa, 5feb11)

           

           

          I tried to upload it through the widget, not through files. Somehow it seemed to me from the description it is only for pictures. So thanks again.
          This way helps those teachers who do not own space on websites and want to upload HP for their students. However, there is a catch - you can only upload regular HP exercises, without pictures. I tried to upload one exercise where I have pictures and it does not work properly. I suspected it and understand fully why - there is relative link to pictures, not absolute link. I left it there for you to see.
          http://ict1olomouc.wikispaces.com/hotpotatoes

          But at least the basic version of the exercise, that is fabulous, because any teacher can create a wiki, so should be no problem then to offer students exercises online. I love working with HP, you can do so much with them. I even experimented with videos in them and the results are really beautiful. You only need your own webspace to get them online. (Svetlana, 5feb11)

           

          When I wrote my mini-tutorial, I forgot to say that it applies to PBworks. After receiving your second message, I remembered that if we create a folder with all the files related to the exercise, it works. I tried it and it worked.  :-)

           

          So... there is a way out in PBworks for HotPot exercises with images. I don't know about audio, but I guess it's the same, though I don't have an exercise of this type to experiment with.

           

          How to upload a HotPot exercise with images to PBworks (all this takes place in the "Pages & Files" page):

          • click the "Pages & Files" tab, then click the arrow in the "New" button and select "Create a folder"
          • name the folder (I named it "HotPot")
          • click the "Upload files" button ((next to the "New" button)
          • in the new window, select the files to upload and click the "Open" button
          • check the files you want to move to the folder you created (in my case, I checked the image files and the .htm file)
          • click the "Move" button

          To place the link to you exercise in the wiki,

          • go to the wiki page where you want your exercise
          • click the "Edit" tab
          • on the right, click the "Images and files" tab
          • place the cursor where you want the link
          • click the .htm file of your exercise (and see the link appear)
          • click the "Save" button

          Take a look at my example. http://www.digibridge.net/teresadeca/school/exs6/body-mt.htm

           

          In Wikispaces you can't create folders (I couldn't find how, anyway), so I uploaded the 15 files associated to the "Parts of the body" exercise by going to the "Manage Wiki" page and clicking "Files". Then went to the HotPot page, clicked the "File" button and, finally, clicked the exercise .htm file. The link was put in place at once and the exercise works great. (Teresa, 6feb11)

           

          In the meantime, Fernanda told me that this last process only works with IE and when it's our pre-defined browser. It doesn't work in Firefox or Chrome (Fernanda, 6feb11)

           

          I just tried creating a link to a name I like for the exercise. Instead of "body-mt.htm, I called it "Parts of the body". This in PBworks.

           

          • give your file a name (in my case, Parts of the body)
          • select/highlight the complete name
          • then click the name of the file under "Images and files" (on the right)

           

          I think it looks much better. Take a look, Svetlana! http://teresadeca.pbworks.com/w/page/35855231/hotpot_exos

          (Teresa, 6feb11)

           

          Q: I need to know if to create exercises in Hot Potatoes I have to download the program. When I go to the site, it tells that I need to do so. Can you help? Thanks (Maria, 7feb11)

          A: yes you do need to download the programme - there are links on the site to some very useful tutorials too  [http://hotpot.uvic.ca/tutorials6.php] (Helen, 7feb11)

           

          Q: I am struggling with HotPot exercises but it`s too time consuming and tireable. I enjoy using Svvetlana`s "Puns", it is absorbing and one may be carried away easily. And it is entirely endless !!!

          So, I`d like to be more cunning and find any other resourses to easily copy them into my own HotPot exercises. Do you know them ? Of course, I always can make my own exercises connected with the local culture and language, but I need the ready-made resourses to make the HP now (Victor, 26mar11)

           

          A: As for HotPotatoes, I suggest you take small steps.
          For example, as there are several types of exercises you can create with Hotpotatoes, star with one of them until you manage it well.

          I suggest you download the latest version of HotPotatoes:
          http://hotpot.uvic.ca/index.php#downloads

          Here you can see some types of exercises you can build with HotPotatoes:
          http://hotpot.uvic.ca/wintutor6/index.htm

          Why not start with  JQuiz?
          Here you have a guide about how to write a good multiple-choice exercise:
          http://web.uvic.ca/hrd/hotpot/howto/mcquestion.htm

          Read this about how to create a multi-select question:
          http://web.uvic.ca/hrd/hotpot/howto/msquestion.htm

          Here you have a tutorial:
          http://hotpot.uvic.ca/wintutor6/tutorial.htm

            • Click Start and then choose: What is Hot Potatoes?
            • See this exercise: A Quiz made with JQuiz
            • Go back and choose: The Potatoes, one by one/JQuiz (question-based exercises)/Introduction to JQuiz
            • Go back and choose: Getting started/Three steps in making an exercise/
            • Step 1: Entering data
            • Step 2: Configuring the output
            • Step 3: Creating a Web page
          • Do this example exercise: Example JQuiz exercise showing all four question types


          If you need images, you can find free clipart here:
          http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/?CTT=97
          http://www.openclipart.org/browse
          http://www.iconarchive.com/
          http://www.templatesgear.com/cliplib.html
          http://www.clipart.dk.co.uk/az

          Step by step:

          • Install HotPotatoes
          • Register HotPotatoes: Help/Register
          • Open JQuiz
          • Go to Options/Configure Output
          • In Titles/ Instructions include instructions for the exercise
          • In Prompts/Feedback change what you find convenient
          • In Buttons decide if you want a navigation for your exercises
          • In Appearance, choose the colours for your exercise
          • In Timer, decide if you want a limted time to do the exercise
          • IN Other, select the boxes you find convenient
          • Don't change Custom or CGI
          • Click on OK


          Now the exercise itself:

          • Create an example of each of the several types of exercises you can create with JQuiz: Multiple-Choice, Short-Answer, Hybrid e Multi-Select
          • Create the web pages ( File/Create Web page or click the ícon)
          • Upload the files to a webserver; you can use pbwiki as well.

           

          I hope this helps ( to start with); if you want, I can give you more detailed instructions on the other types of HotPotatoes  (Fernanda, 27mar11)

           

          Victor, I'm very pleased to share with you and every BaWer the tutorials I created for the Yakutsk workshop last February.

          http://yakutskfeb11.wikispaces.com/hotpot  (Teresa, 1aug11: trying to complete this Doubts page)

           

           


          Classtools

           

          I have posted them on my new blog WOW and will post it on our wiki page.
          But you can chack them here too. I am still exploring, hope to make many more.
          http://classtools.net/widgets/quiz_1/KHCga.htm
          http://englishlearning-marijanasblog.blogspot.com/
          Marijana (5feb11)

           

          I wanted to add a comment to one of your posts  but was  denied the right. (Mbarek, 5feb11)

           

          Hi, Mbarek I have changed the settings now, I think everybody can leave comments now or at least people with google account, but you follow me so you can easily leave comment now right? (Marijana, 7feb11)

           

          Marijana,
          I'd like to add that to give up comment moderation, you can follow the steps:

          1. Once in the Blog 'kitchen' go to Settings and then Comments.
          2. Who can comment? if you want anyone to comment, choose Anyone
          3. Comment moderation: Choose 'Never' if you don't want to moderate comments. Anisoara, 7feb11)

           

           


          Quia

          Quia < http://www.quia.com > is about fifty dolars a year, but well worth it. Everything is stored in their site and we can have everything organized. There's a 30-day free trial. I subscribed for several years while I was teaching and my exercises are still there, available to anyone. (Teresa, 4feb11)

           

           


          File storage

           

          Google Docs

          I'm trying to understand if you want to have an online document store?
          Or if you want pupils to be able to access work in class or outside ?
          If you want storage space I use "Google docs" to store all sorts of non audio/video documents - this is very useful as you can access your documents wherever you are and edit them with people.
          Otherwise... (Helen, 7feb11)

           

           

          Dropbox

          "dropbox" is a very useful way to store and share documents (audio and video too)
          https://www.dropbox.com/  (Helen, 7feb11)

           

          For file storage you have for example Dropbox; I've used  it  for more
          than a year and it is great. You do't need to carry pens to school
          anymore or to copy files from your laptop to your desktop or viceversa.
          You can have access to your files in a browser or locally, providing you
          have internet access, they syncronize and you can have the same files in
          your computers.

          http://www.dropbox.com/features

          Dropbox allows you to sync your files online and across your computers automatically.

          2GB of online storage for free, with up to 100GB available to paying customers.
          Sync files of any size or type.
          Sync Windows, Mac, and Linux computers.
          Automatically syncs when new files or changes are detected.

          Sharing files is simple. It takes only a few clicks.

          Shared folders allow several people to collaborate on the same files.
          See other people's changes instantly.
          Use your "Public" folder to link directly to files.
          Control who has access to your shared folders. Kick people out and remove the shared files from their computers in the process.
          Automatically create shareable online photo galleries out of regular folders.

          There are other possibilities, but I have no experience of them:
          http://www.fileden.com/
          http://www.mediamax.com/
          http://www.esnips.com/
          http://www.box.net/
          http://www.4shared.com/
          http://www.elephantdrive.com/
          (Fernanda, 7feb11)

           

           


          Online whiteboards

          Thank you Jose Antonio for a nice chat, experimenting online whiteboard sites. I have tried again later with a friend and we explored its features and were excited about using it in class !! :)

          http://www.scribblar.com/rooms/index.cfm?r=1yujsp

          http://www.scriblink.com/index.jsp?act=phome&roomid=2073&KEY=1092C5E6FC166549B4133837D797D399
          (Ayat, 8feb11)

           

           


          Wallwisher

          I've just embedded Wallwisher to my blog. It's so easy and interesting!

          1. Go to www.wallwisher.com
          2. Register or sign in with other existing email account.
          3. Create your wall. Change the title, subtitle and picture.
          4. Double-click to stick your notes.
          5. On the right hand side, on 'Do More', find embed.
          6. Copy the code.
          7. Go to your blog. Click on 'Edit HTML'.
          8. Paste the code and view your blog!!

          For your information, you can use Wallwisher for synchronous or asynchronous note-taking. I will use it for brainstorming session with my students. (Yoon, 8feb11)

           

           

          Embedding Wallwisher in Blogger

          Q: I am still afraid to loose my old template of my blog if I embed the Wallwisher there. How could Yoon do it, I wonder, she didn`t describe in steps, I saw there too much stuff, so, I am afraid. Yeap, I see the "Edit HTML" there but I donnow where particularly to paste the URL?

           

          A: I don't think there's the risk of loosing your template. I've chosen the
          same template as you in my test blog and there was no problem at all.
          You may take a look:
          http://eflclass.blogspot.com/

          Yoon described the steps in wallwisher:
           1. Go to www.wallwisher.com
          2. Register or sign in with other existing email account.
          3. Create your wall. Change the title, subtitle and picture.
          4. Double-click to stick your notes.
           5. On the right hand side, on 'Do More', find embed.
           6. Copy the code.
           7. Go to your blog. Click on 'Edit HTML'.
           8. Paste the code and view your blog!!

          In step 7, it's when you create a new post in your blog and on the top
          of that window you have 'Edit HTML' and Compose. Choose 'Edit HTML'.

          Paste the wallwisher code in the new post window; the code  is something
          like this:

          <iframe src="http://www.wallwisher.com/embed/myonlineclass"
          frameborder="0" width="100%" height="400px" style="border: 1px solid
          #999999"></iframe>

          You can change the width or height if you wish.  (Fernanda, 15feb11)

           

          Pasting a picture

          Q: I have not been using Wallwisher for quite a while. Now I wanted to add more stuff to my wallwisher and I just cannot figure out how did Mbarek paste in a picture there. Helen even pasted in a video, but that one does not play in my country, not allowed. However, Mbarek's picture can be zoomed in and the small picture is still visible there. I can only add links to pictures, videos and the like but do not manage to paste in one. Does anybody know? Is Mbarek still around? Here is a link to my wallwisher, so you know what I'm talking about.
          http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/ourteachingenglish  (Svetlana, 18apr11)

           

          A: You just have to paste the URL of the image in the corresponding line: Add image, audio, or video link

          make sure you have the correct URL. In the case of your beautiful cat, I pasted this URL  and I can see the cat in my wallwisher.
          http://fc01.deviantart.com/fs7/i/2005/256/d/3/Red_Cat_by_Kotjara.jpg

          The same for the video; I found a couscous video (I think it's the same Mbarek posted) and the URL is :
          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFHohTetC0Y

          After pasting, click OK (Fernanda, 18apr11)

           

           


          Capzles

          Here is another tool that I found interesting. It's called Capzles
          www.capzles.com
          It's an interactive timeline maker where one can add note, picture, music and design your own background. I like the presentation of capzle because it looks cool! Capzle can be embedded in blogger by copying the code and paste it in 'Edit HTML'.
          This is the capzle for my history lesson:
          http://www.capzles.com/41ce5155-433c-4bff-9c16-ea47041f50bc/  (Yoon, 11feb11)

           

          Q: I heard about Capzles before but never had time to do it before. I just saw your history lesson.

          Can you embed video, add links, etc? I.e. is it a better presentation tool than PPT or it has only limited functions? These are rhetorical questions, this is a have-to after the course. (Anisoara, 11feb11)

           

          A: Video and audio files can be uploaded in Capzles.You can insert links too. Capzle is suitable to present information which follows a series of sequential steps i.e process, timeline etc. Otherwise, it is very much like PPT or even less interactive than PPT.
          Have others tried it? What do you think about it? Would love to hear from you =)   (Yoon, 13feb11)

           

           

          Ideas on how to use it in class

          Thanks for your comment on my capzle. In fact, I overlooked that possibility of getting comments. Great. I already have three. All anonymous, so probably you need to have an account to stand out of anonymity.
          There was a question what I do with capzles. Well, I have only learnt how to make them and will teach my teachers in the course tomorrow how to make them. We will think together about possibilities of using them. I already have some ideas of my own - in my history classes for self-study of my students - the good thing about capzles is they allow not only pictures but also documents, so in that way they are better than PPT - moreover the preparation is easier than PPT and are online automatically - I have to stream my PPT. So am quite happy about this new toy of mine (Svetlana, 22feb11)

           

          Glogster was a project I had last year with my adult students: here is one of their productions:
           http://themachinegoeson.blogspot.com/search/label/GLOGSTER

          I would have liked to start it all over again this year for introductions  (about themselves, families, hobbies) and would have liked to embed a Voki for example, as they have already used it, but no chance, no possibility of embedding. What they can do is to insert a photo of themselves or of their avatar and record their own voice.

          Glogster is a very versatile platform. You can check Daniela Tomatis' teaching/learning resources using Glogster:

          http://bajud.glogster.com/bj-s-glog/ I called her the Queen of Glogster (22feb11)

           

          I created this very simple one 2 years ago, to serve as an example for my students. I wanted them to create a poster about their favourite film.
          http://ferro007.glogster.com/my-favourite-film/ (Fernanda, 22feb11)

           

           


          Webquests

          Q: I am intrested in using webquest. I browsed net and got information. But still need some clarification on the following points. Could anyone help me?

          1. Where to create Webquest?
           
          Are there any providers of webquest as we have for wiki (pbwiki, wikispaces) and blogs(blogspot)?
           
          2. I came across 2 pages (1) Student Page -explains how to go about the task (2) Teacher Page -guides the teachers
           
          Now, I wanted to know where the students will respond/answer?
          Will they post their answers in a virtual platform, if so , what is it?
          Will they do it in real classroom?
          Is there any specific page /platform for webquest?
          3. Where can I see the sample response for the task?  (Jaichelluin, 12feb11)

           

          A: Regarding to your first question you have:

          CREATING WEBQUESTS AT GOOGLE SITES
          http://www.uni.edu/coe/ci/240-020/documents/labpdfs/WebQuest1.pdf

          http://webquest.org/index-create.php

          Regarding to the answers it will depend on you. For example you could ask your students to write their conclusions in a powerpoint presentention and then upload it to slideshare ( http://www.slideshare.net/) and then share their task in the school blog.  (Juan Domingo, 12feb11)

          A: A webquest is a web page, so you can create it in google pages or create html files and upload them to a server. You can also use a wiki for that. There are also online webquest creators:
          http://questgarden.com/
          I think it is paid now

          and
          http://phpwebquest.org/
          it has to be installed

          another one:
          http://www.teach-nology.com/web_tools/web_quest/

          You have the original webquest page, where you can find lots of
          resources on how they are built, as webquests have a rigig structure:
          http://webquest.org/index.php

          here's the template page:
          http://webquest.sdsu.edu/templates/lesson-template1.htm

          As for the students' answers, it's up to you, it depends on what task
          you want them to achieve.

          There are many examples of webquests online and you can have a look to
          get inspiration, or even adapt one for your own needs.

          Below is a list of webquests I created for my students some time ago:

          World War II
          http://essg.prof2000.pt/escola/worldwar/index.html

          The American Dream - Immigration to America
          http://essg.prof2000.pt/escola/immigration/index.html

          Protest Songs in the USA: Civil Rights and the Anti-War Movement
          http://essg.prof2000.pt/escola/webquest/index.html

          In Town without my Car
          http://users.prof2000.pt/essg/environment/

          Mais Educação, Menos Exclusão!
          http://essg.prof2000.pt/escola/webquest_trabalho_infantil/
          (Fernanda, 12feb11)

           

           


          Movie database & download

           

          Looking for movies and downloading movies so that you can create your movie clips.

           

          To look for movies, you can go to IMDB (The Internet Movie Database). http://www.imdb.com/

           

          My older son, Pedro, a Computer Engineer, created this "How to download movies from Pirate Bay" tutorial. It's a Word file that I just uploaded to our YG Files section. http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/baw2011/files/

          [Fernanda converted this Word file into .pdf and uploaded it to the "Files" area in our YG]

           

          He will also do a tutorial explaining how to create video clips after you download the movie. (Teresa, 13feb11)

           

           


          Glogster

          Q: Like you I am exploring Glogster (virtual poster) possibilities and am a little disappointed because it does not have the embed feature :-( (Anisoara, 21feb11)

           

          I'm a bit mystified about the glogster problem - because I have  already embedded them on a wiki. This year I  noticed in one of the wikispaces messages that they had started a partnership with glogster allowing easy embedding ......
          Umm this means I shall have to go and check!  Could this be another reason to prefer wikispaces!? (21feb11)

           

          A: Glogster does have an embed feature; if you go to Dashboard,

          under Your Glogs, you have:

          Embed & Link to this page

          and there you have 2 possibilities, or the code to link or the code to embed (Fernanda, 21feb11)

           

          A: so we have common queries. I also like Glogster - yes, you're right it cannot be embedded into wikispaces, only in Pbworks and in Blogger, although I did not like the size.

           

          A: However, my big Question was to embed other apps into Glogster - I contacted them and they said how funny, they are just working on it - and maybe in summer will have this option as well. Then it will really beat PP! (Anisoara, 21feb11)

           

          A: I know that you can embed glogster into wikispaces (using html widget and changing size in the html code) but I read earlier this year that they had set up a partnership  with glogster and had a nice easy button now!
          Read more here :
          http://blog.wikispaces.com/2010/09/new-glogster-widget.html  (Helen, 21feb11)

           

          A: Sorry, I understood it was the other way round. I tried to embed a glogster in wikispaces and it is possible, but it is indeed too large and if you try to make it smaller, you cant' see everything. If you want to embed a glogster you have to adjust it to the size yoy have available in wikispaces.

          As for Glogster, it is possible for example, to embed a youtube video. What else would you like to embed? (Fernanda, 21feb11)

           

           


          LinkedIn

          Q: I have recently got the invitation to join in the so-called "LinkedIn" and still I know nothing about it.

          I found some of your names there and would like to ask you for some explanation.

          What the beast is it and what is it for ??? (Victor, 23jun11)

           

          A: LinkedIn is a social networking website. The difference between linkedIn and the other social networking sites  is that LinkedIn is more professional and serious. It is basically a social network for your professional contacts. I generally do not accept anyone I do not know as my contact there. People usually just add contacts and do not use it to send messages and stuff like that (Jose Antonio, 24jun11)

           

          Q: Hopefully, it will do nothing bad if I accept the invitation and join in there (Victor, 25jun11)

           

          A: LinkedIn is the most professional online network I know. I will send you an invitation to join my network so that you can browse and see how I set it up (It will be great to have you in my network:) happy). Others, like facebook, can be very inconvenient sometimes when it keeps sending you updates of things you really do not care for. With LinkedIn this does not happen (Jose Antonio, 25jun11)

           


           

           

           

          and
           
           
          I've also used Podbean and like it. I'd just like to say a couple of things:
          --uploads don't work well with IE. Michael's presentation recording upload kept crashing, but it worked fine with Firefox at first attempt, so I didn't even try Chrome
          -- you get an embed code, so it's simple to embed it in your wiki and blog (I did in Michael's session page).
           
          Here's my Podbean page.

          Comments (7)

          veronica criado said

          at 7:21 am on Jan 13, 2011

          Thanks, Teresa. Very clear and handy, btw. :)

          Svetlana Obenausova said

          at 4:13 pm on Jan 13, 2011

          Thanks, it is nice to have all problems in one spot.

          Elouahabi said

          at 3:54 pm on Jan 15, 2011

          thanks

          Teresa Almeida d'Eca said

          at 4:10 pm on Jan 15, 2011

          you're very welcome. :-)
          teresa

          sue annan said

          at 6:46 pm on Jan 28, 2011

          Thanks ,Teresa, for getting this into the correct place.

          Teresa Almeida d'Eca said

          at 6:51 pm on Jan 28, 2011

          hi, sue!
          actually, it was mbarek! thank you, mbarek. :-)
          i'll be back to the page later on.
          thank you, sue, for your fabulous help!
          hugs, teresa

          sue annan said

          at 8:33 pm on Jan 28, 2011

          Mbarek, you are a star. Thank you

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