Week 1 - Discovery
Thing 1: Discovery has never been so much fun
Welcome to the Morris County's Learning 2.0 program and site. Chances are if you've found your way here, you're either:
- a county, municipal, or school official who's participating in the Learning 2.0 challenge, or
- interested in learning about and playing around with some new Web 2.0 tools that will help you expand your information literacy toolbox.
Either way, we're glad you're here!
Learning 2.0 is an online learning program that encourages citizens and county, municipal or school officials to learn more about emerging technologies on the Web that are changing the way people access information and communicate with each other.
Over the course of the next nine weeks, this blog will highlight "33 things" and discovery exercises to help you become familiar with blogging, RSS feeds, tagging, wikis, podcasting, online applications, social networking, and video and image hosting sites.
To familiarize yourself with this project, be sure to read the Introduction page. The FAQs should answer most of your questions about this program.
So fasten your seat belts, grab your mouse and get ready for a discovery adventure. And remember, it's OK to play in the office and have fun!
Thing 2: Discover a few pointers from the experts
The web is a constantly evolving medium. From new coding techniques to social media applications, the way we use the internet to interact with others is always changing.
How can we keep up? Luckily, there are many wonderful websites out there where the experts provide their perspective, give us pointers, and keep us aware of new trends. The following sites cover the whole spectrum, from news to tutorials.
(Note: all resources are free unless noted.)
- A List Apart
The most esteemed design site on the web, A List Apart features articles from experts across the spectrum. Articles range in topics from coding to design patterns.
- Ars Technica
An esteemed technology blog with reviews, trends and articles.
- Before & After (paid)
An online and print magazine with information and tutorials on creating beautiful designs.
- ColourLovers
Not limited to web design, ColourLovers is also about how color is used on the web, in print, and in every day life. Read the blog or browse through the thousands of color palettes and patterns created by the site's users.
- Lynda.com (paid)
Features a plethora of detailed video tutorials from the experts. The site covers everything from coding to design practices, with everything in-between.
- Mashable
This site blogs about the latest social media news. If you want to keep up with the ever changing world of social networking, this is the place to go.
- ReadWriteWeb
A detailed blog about all aspects of web design, including trends and new developments in the field.
- Safari Books Online (paid)
An online library of thousands of books relating to web design. For a fee, you get unlimited access to the best in expert advice and tutorials.
- Smashing Magazine
The ultimate resource for design tutorials, articles and freebees. Smashing also pulls in content from other design sites, giving us a one-stop shop for information.
- TechCrunch
A blog covering the latest technology news.
- W3Schools
If you want to learn how to design your own site, this is the place to go. This site features tutorials from the very basics of design to the most advanced topics.
Thing 3: Check out GovLoop.com
GovLoop is a social network connecting the government community, including government employees from all levels of government, public policy students and professors, government organizations, and government contractors with "good intentions". It's a great resource for government employees.
Discovery exercise:
Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, involves three easy steps.
Step No. 1:Join GovLoop and visit "Getting Started on GovLoop." Then:
- Visit GovLoop's groups and read a few posts from several of them. Join a group you find interesting.
- Search GovLoop's membership and if you find some people you know, invite them to be your friend.
- Visit the Multimedia section and look around at what's available.
Step No. 2: Post a comment on at least one of the entries you've read.
"How do I post a comment?" you ask. It's easy. Just scroll to the bottom of the blog entry and look for the box that reads, "Add a Comment." Next, click in the box and start typing your comment. When you're done, click the "Add Comment" button.
That's it! Your comment now appears as part of that blog entry, and you've officially joined the online conversation. Pretty cool, eh? If you'd like, you can then go back to the blog entry and click on your browser's refresh button. You should be able to read your comment at the bottom of the blog entry.
Step No. 3:If you want, you can click "Follow". Then, when people reply to your comment, you'll be notified. That way, you won't have to keep checking back to see if anyone commented.