ITO-Announce May / June 2006

The following resources were added to ItrainOnline in May and June 2006

1. Resources for Internet Trainers
2. Collaborative Workspace Tools
3. Internet Telephony
4. Wireless Networking

1. RESOURCES FOR INTERNET TRAINERS

Connecting Communities Training Programme
Connecting Communities was a training initiative of Learning and Teaching Scotland designed to enhance the use of ICT for community development in Scotland. While the initiative ended in 2003, they have published online their full collection of training materials including classroom exercises, covering aspects of ICT in the community. Topics include “Benefits of ICT”, “Development Planning”, “ICT Tools” and “Partnerships”. The modules are free for educational use.
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/connectingcommunities/index.asp

Wikibooks: Computer software bookshelf
Wikibooks have made available a number of free, open content textbooks and guides for teaching computer software subjects. Many of the books are still works-in-progress, but others are nearly complete. These are: Gmail, LaTeX, phpMyVisites, Learning the vi editor, Knoppix, Linux For Newbies, Basic Computing Using Windows, and Computers for Beginners. Because there are almost no copyright restrictions and each chapter can be downloaded separately, these materials are useful for trainers who intend to customise them for a specific group of students (for example by adding screen captures and exercises geared to the students' specific work setting).
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Wikibooks:Computer_software_bookshelf

2. COLLABORATIVE WORKSPACE TOOLS

Thirteen Tips for Effective Tagging: How to mark sites so you and others can find them
"How many times have you dug fruitlessly through the links you've saved in your browser's Favorites folder, struggling to remember how you categorized that site you wanted to remember? Or how often have you been unable to locate information you needed - simply because you didn't know what search word to use?" This TechSoup article offers tips for effective "tagging".
http://www.techsoup.org/howto/articles/webbuilding/printpage4519.cfm

Kolabora
Excellent source of news and resources on online collaboration tools.
http://www.kolabora.com/

Wiki part I: Progressive communications, wiki style
Collaborative work can normally be documented with the help of a drawing board or some tape recorder in the corner of a room. At the Association for Progressive Communications, people’s collective space is not a room. Instead they work from home, some in small offices, others in affiliated organisations, all over the world. But what is a wiki anyway? How does it differ from other online tools APC uses? How can it support the way we work at APC? This first out of two pieces looks at these questions by rooting the answers in APC’s global working dynamics.
http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=5038198

Innovative Use Of Internet-Based Collaboration Tools and Methods In An Institutional Context
This article lays out how to encourage members of an institution to work collaboratively using a wiki. It first argues why wikis are suitable for collaboration, citing them as a process-oriented rather than product oriented tool. The paper is enriched by the collaborative effort of two organisations, the Commonwealth of Learning and the IPGRI, working across continents, the document outlines installation, configuration, and use of the wiki, as well as how to achieve steady contribution and the institutional changes necessary to fully adopt wikis as a collaborative tool.
http://www.col.org/pcf3/Papers/PDFs/Lachkovics_etal_Alluri.pdf

Using content to create connections among people
Shawn Callahan at Anecdote offers this white paper on using blogs as an inexpensive,relatively easy solution for strengthening communication in communities of practice. While geared to a sales environment, the illustrative example can be easily expanded to other scenarios with technician community members, such as local ISPs or groups of community telecentres. Callahan proposes blogging as a way to improve and increase knowledge sharing, going beyond basic databases and private advice in email exchanges.
http://www.anecdote.com.au/papers/ConnectingPeoplewithContent.pdf

3. INTERNET TELEPHONY

Overview of Internet Telephony
This tutorial, offered by the International Engineering Consortium, offers cleary written information on the history, standards, infrastructure, barriers and future of internet telephony. It also includes detailed graphics, a glossary and a quiz. You have to go through an extensive registration process to receive this free tutorial.
http://www.iec.org/online/tutorials/acrobat/int_tele.pdf

Skype
Skype is a free internet telephony tool, featuring instant messenger services as well as voice over internet communication between computers. While there are many different voice over internet protocol tools available, Skype is one of the few that offers encrypted communication and installation packages for Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems.
http://www.skype.com/

4. WIRELESS NETWORKING

The wireless training materials at http://www.itrainonline.org/itrainonline/mmtk/ have recently been revised and updated. Three new units have also been added: outdoor radio simulation, communication towers, and how to shop for equipment.