CLIPP Board

Learning Technologies Weblinks

Tutorials about podcasting and Audacity audio recording software.

A presentationabout the World’s Worst PowerPoint presentations.

5 Sources of Online Stock Video

25 Little-Known Google Tools for Scholars and Academics.

Best Practice CLIPPs

We’ve released several videos featuring staff from across the University sharing best practice in teaching and learning, talking about contemporary issues, how they worked to solve these problems and improve the student experience. Here’s a playlist on Youtube or you can look at individual clips below.

• Helping students with revision by using Podcasts as a revision aid tool – Pavel Albores
• Encouraging International students to take up placements through presentations – Dashi Alpion
• Enhancing students reflective practice and personal development using Pebble Pad, a pilot study. – Nicola Bullivant
• Understanding student expectations using SERVQUAL, a series of online surveys – Nicola Bullivant
• Providing informative feedback for students by using the Grade Centre within Blackboard VLE – Professor Helen Higson
• Raising Intercultural awareness for international and home students through creative workshops – Professor Helen Higson
• Improving communication to students using SMS within the Business School Placement office – Carolyn Keenan
• Working with large groups and setting students minimally supervised group work tasks – Pete Reddy
• Professional and social networking tools to improve student networking skills – Carolina Salinas
• Working with a very large group of students and how to provide feedback and support – Dr Patrick Tissington

In addition, Aston staff can find the videos and contact details in the CLIPP module on the VLE under ‘Video CLIPPs’.

httpvp://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=37B97B85632243B6

What is RSS?

See that PostIt note above? It also has 2 RSS icons on it.

RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rss

Blogs, like podcasts, rely on RSS feeds to alert interested internet users of changes and new information without having to visit each site just in case, or filling your email inbox with extra alerts.

You can ‘subscribe’ to either or both of the 2 feeds by clicking or dragging the RSS icon to any software that acts as a feed reader. Some web browers support it natively, and Google offers a web based ‘Reader’, even Outlook 2007 supports it.

I use software on several different computers that synchronizes what I have read so I don’t have to read it again later, for example when I’m at home, work, or having a coffee somewhere else.

I see the feeds on my work PC(Windows FeedDemon), home Apple Mac and wireless Apple iPodTouch – both the later use NetNewsWire software and synced with FeedDemon via Newsgator.com.

I subscribe to hundreds of different RSS feeds related to both work and pleasure, and I can choose which ones to see and read on which computer. I categorise them in folders accordingly, for example Leisure, IT, Learning & Teaching, Software and News.

It means I can keep my email inbox to between 20 and 30 active or pending emails!

I can also use my emails, calendar and contacts on the same computers and synchronized in the the same way! That is a forthcoming post…

UPDATE 31/7/09:

Newsgator have just announced that they are moving to Google Reader as their web and management engine for individual users, and updating FeedDemon and Netnewswire to reflect the changes. I’ll post again when I’ve got all my syncs working, hopefully before the 31st August deadline.

UPDATE 25/9/09:

Well, I finally bit the bullet and upgraded, first was FeedDemon3.0 which led me through conversion to GoogleReader sync, including my folders and clippings, very painlessly. Then I updated Netnewswire3.2 on my home Mac(OSX 10.5) which ‘just worked’, and finally NetNewsWire2.0 iPhone app.

The only drawback, a small ‘Ad’ window, bottom left in the Free versions of each of the Applications. I must also say that FeedDemon is still very ‘clunky’ compared to the NetNewsWire versions.

More UPDATES in Comments…