What's available and how to use it

In conversations I have had this past week about our e-learning initiatives, certain issues keep coming up. I will try to makes things clearer by summarizing what we have available and how to use it.

1) Drexel CoAS E-Learning blog. This post resides in this blog. You can access this using a normal browser like Internet Explorer and see what is new for e-learning in the College of Arts and Sciences at Drexel. You can also add your comments to any post in that blog.

2) Drexel CoAS E-Learning RSS feed. If you try to view this link with a normal browser you will just get XML code. This is meant to be read by a content aggregator like Bloglines. Just copy the text in the address bar of the XML page into your aggregator to subscribe to the feed. The advantage of this is that you will updated on any new posts to all of your RSS feeds in one place.

3) Drexel CoAS talks This is a blog with links to audio and/or video presentations, seminars and interviews within the College of Arts and Sciences. For files that can be downloaded, just click on the relevant links.

4) Drexel CoAS E-Learning mp3 Podcast. This is also an RSS feed that can be read by a content aggregator. However this feed also has audio files attached that will not be downloaded a text aggregator like Bloglines. In order for the files to be downloaded automatically, you will need a podcast aggregator such as ipodder. The advantage of this is that the files from all the podcasts you subscribe to will be ready for listening at any time, regardless of the frequency of the podcast. You may listen to the audio files either from an audio playing device like an ipod or directly from your computer.

5) Class blogs and podcasts. For an example of how to use blogs and podcasting for a class see the Organic Chemistry II blog.