YuperStar

Blog: Short for weblog. A weblog is a kind of online journal (or newsletter) that is frequently updated and intended for general public consumption. Blogs generally represent the personality of the author or the Web site. “Blog” can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog. Blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject such as food, politics, or local news; some function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. In the educational setting, blogs provide an easy way to set up interactive online activities and communication. At UCLS, WordPress multi-user allows teachers to create multiple blogs for multiple uses and decide whether or not they will be accessible to the public.
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Blogosphere: A collective term encompassing all blogs and their interconnections. It is the perception that blogs exist together as a connected community (or as a collection of connected communities) or as a social network.
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Comic Life: Shareware designed to create comic strips or arrange photos into a scrapbook. With a Webcam or built in iSight, Comic Life allows the user to snap a picture and add this to a comic very easily. These images as well as those from iPhoto and anywhere on the hard drive can be ‘filtered’ to look comic like. Comic panels, lettering, captions and balloons are also major features of the program. Comic Life is designed to work with Apple’s iPhoto program and iLife software suite.
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DiLL: The Digital Language Learning Lab. DiLL is an audio network technology created by Zachary Schneirov and Matthew Taylor at the Multimedia Learning Center at Northwestern University. This all-digital system is a computer-based answer to the traditional language lab. Because of its digital nature, DiLL removes the constraints of the traditional lab and allows for easier communication between members of a class. DiLL provides a centralized control panel from which an instructor can listen to and correct students as they speak. From one screen, an instructor using DiLL can see and/or hear what each student is working on, communicate either with the entire class or selectively with individual students, can reassign lessons, and pair or group students in conversation. Meanwhile, each recording that a student makes while working or testing is saved to a server automatically. The instructor can then access these saved lessons on the web at any time to review and grade work.
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Dreamweaver: A web development tool originally created by Macromedia (now Adobe Systems). Initial versions of the application served as simple WYSIWYG HTML editors but more recent versions have incorporated support for other web technologies such as CSS, JavaScript, and various server-side scripting frameworks.
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eZine: An online magazine is a magazine that is delivered in an electronic form. An online magazine that caters to a niche or special interest subject matter is referred to as an ezine (pronounced “ee-zeen”).
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FileMaker Pro: A cross-platform database application from FileMaker Inc. (a subsidiary of Apple Inc.), known for its combination of power and ease of use. It is also noted for the integration of the database engine with its GUI-based interface, which allows users to modify the database by dragging new elements into the layouts/screens/forms that provide the user interface. This results in a “quasi-object” development environment of a kind that is still largely unique in the “industrial strength” database world. FileMaker has compatible versions for both the Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows operating systems, and can be networked simultaneously to a mixed Windows and Mac OS X user base. FileMaker is also scalable, being offered in desktop, server, web-delivery and mobile configurations.
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Final Cut Pro: A professional non-linear video editing system developed by Apple, Inc. that has found popularity amongst independent filmmakers and Hollywood film editors alike. The program has the ability to edit many digital formats including, SD, HDV, HD, Panasonic P2, Sony XDCAM, 2K, 4K, and IMAX film formats. The system is currently only available for Mac OS X version 10.4.9 or later. From the early 2000s, Final Cut has developed a large and ever expanding user base. One of its greatest strengths is its ease of use. Final Cut Pro is also very popular with independent and semi-professional film-makers. As such, it can be used to edit material ranging from FireWire-attached MiniDV video from a consumer digital video camera or professional DV camera to High-Definition (HD) material in the various HD specifications and flavors including HDV. The software logs and captures video onto the computer’s hard drive, where it can be edited and processed. The current version of Final Cut Pro runs on the Power Mac G5s in the World Language Lab.
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Garage Band: A digital audio workstation (DAW) that allows users to create music or podcasts. The software can record and play back multiple tracks of audio. Sources of audio include 1. live recorded sound, 2. pre-recorded loops, and 3. virtual software instruments.
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Google Earth: A virtual globe program that maps the earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite imagery, aerial photography, and GIS 3D globe. It is available under three different licenses: Google Earth, a free version with limited functionality; Google Earth Plus ($20), which includes a few more features; and Google Earth Pro ($400 p.a.), intended for commercial use.
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HTML: Short for Hypertext Markup Language, is the predominant markup language for the creation of web pages. It provides a means to describe the structure of text-based information in a document — by denoting certain text as headings, paragraphs, lists, and so on — and to supplement that text with embedded media files.
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iGoogle: iGoogle (formerly Google Personalized Homepage) is a customizable homepage originally launched in May 2005. Updates include the capability to add web feeds and Google Gadgets. iGoogle supports the use of specially developed “gadgets” to display content on a users page. It was renamed and expanded on April 30, 2007 and is currently available in several localized versions of Google, including China (Chinese)., Germany, Switzerland (German); France, Switzerland (French), and Spain, Mexico (Spanish).
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iFlash: A virtual flash-card program built for Mac OS X. iFlash includes many great features to help improve study. You can record audio directly into any flash-card as well as attach images. Other features include an unlimited amount of card sides per deck, advanced importing and exporting, printing, quick-searching, and a beautiful, intuitive interface. iFlash “Decks” export can be sent directly to an iPod and customized for other applications, such as Quia or Moodle.
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iMovie: iMovie is a video editing software application which allows users to edit their own home movies. iMovie imports video footage to the Mac using the FireWire interface on most MiniDV format digital video cameras. From there, the user can edit the video clips, add titles, and add music. Effects include basic color correction and video enhancement tools, and transitions such as fade-in, fade-out, and slides. iMovie ‘08 was released in August 2007 as a part of the iLife ‘08 suite. iMovie ‘08 is a complete rewrite of iMovie. New features include a completely redesigned interface with an iPhoto style library, a new feature called skimming for quickly previewing video in the library at a user controlled speed, a feature that allows one to highlight parts of video clips just like highlighting text, and more exportation formats with support for iPhone size video and many other sizes.
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Instant Messaging: Instant messaging (IM) is a form of real-time communication between two or more people based on typed text. The text is conveyed via computers connected over a network such as the Internet. Instant messaging requires an instant messaging client (i.e. iChat, GoogleTalk) that connects to an instant messaging service. Instant messaging differs from e-mail in that conversations happen in real-time. Instant messaging services owe many ideas to an older and still popular online chat medium named Internet Relay Chat (IRC). In early instant messaging programs, each letter appeared when it was typed, and when letters were deleted to correct typos this was also seen in real time. This made it more like a telephone conversation than exchanging letters. In modern instant messaging programs, the other party in the conversation generally only sees each line of text right after a new line is started. Most instant messaging applications also include the ability to set a status message, roughly analogous to the message on a telephone answering machine.
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iPhoto: iPhoto is designed to allow easy importing from digital cameras, scanners, picture CDs and the Internet. Almost all digital cameras work without additional software, as do many scanners. iPhoto supports most common image file formats. Once photos are imported, they can be titled, labeled, sorted and organized into groups (known as “albums”). Individual photos can be edited with basic image manipulation tools, such as a red-eye filter, contrast and brightness adjustments, crop and resize and other basic functions. iPhoto does not, however, provide the comprehensive editing functionality of programs such as Apple’s Aperture or Adobe’s Photoshop.
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iPod: iPod is a brand of portable media players designed and marketed by Apple and launched in October 2001. The full-sized model stores media on an internal hard drive, while the iPod nano and iPod shuffle use flash memory due to their smaller size. Like many digital music players, iPods can also serve as external data storage devices. Teachers working in the World Language Lab can create videos, flashcards, and podcasts that are iPod-compatible.
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iTunes: iTunes is a digital media player application, introduced by Apple in 2001 for playing and organizing digital music and video files on your computer. The program is also an interface to manage the contents on Apple’s iPod as well as the recently introduced iPhone. Additionally, iTunes can connect to the iTunes Store (provided an internet connection is present) in order to download purchased digital music, music videos, television shows, iPod games, audiobooks, various podcasts, and feature length films. iTunes is what the World Language Lab uses to organize its Media Library of film and audio clips.
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Moodle: Moodle is a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). It has a significant worldwide user base with close to 30,000 registered sites and over 12 million users (as of Aug 2007). Moodle is designed to help educators create online courses with opportunities for rich interaction. Its open source license and modular design means that many people can develop additional functionality, and development is undertaken by a globally diffuse network of commercial and non-commercial users, spearheaded by the Moodle company based in Perth, Western Australia.
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MyTunes RSS: MyTunesRSS allows you to access the music and videos from your iTunes library over a local network or the internet. You can access your music from all over the world using a simple web browser. The World Language Lab uses MyTunes RSS to grant students and teachers access to media content for various classroom applications. The user interface allows teachers to search for titles or browse the WLL Media Library by album, artist or genre.
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Podcast: The term “podcast” is a portmanteau of the name iPod and broadcast; a “pod” refers to the iPod, and “cast” to the idea of broadcasting. Specifically, Podcast means, Portable OnDemand broadCAST. In other words, a podcast is a collection of files (usually audio but may include video) residing at a unique web feed address. People can “subscribe” to this feed by submitting the feed address to an aggregator (like iTunes - software that runs on the consumer’s computer). When new “episodes” become available in the podcast they will be automatically downloaded to that user’s computer. Unlike radio or streaming content on the web, podcasts are not real-time. The material is pre-recorded and users can check out the material at their leisure, offline. World Language teachers can create podcasts of language-related tasks and activities, which students can then subscribe to on their computers and sync to their iPods, if they wish.
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PowerSchool: PowerSchool is a Student Information System employed by the UC Lab Schools for managing attendance, scheduling, grades, and reporting. Teachers may receive technical assistance at the World Language Lab during grading periods.
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Quia: An online quizing appliccation that allows teachers to upload content and design a multitude of games and learning activities. Question types include multiple choice, true-false, pop-up, multiple correct, fill-in, initial answer, short answer, essay, matching, and correct ordering. Teachers can create class pages for communicating with students and track quiz results, maintain an online schedule and calendar, upload images and audio clips, copy and modify any of Quia’s two million activities to suit your own needs, and share your activities with colleagues around the world. When you create an activity on Quia, you get your own personal URL that you can share with anyone. Language quizing content that is designed in iFlash can be easily exported to Quia. Quia is great way for students to study vocabulary on their own.
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Rosetta Stone: The Rosetta Stone software utilizes a combination of images, text, and sound, with difficulty levels increasing as the student progresses, in order to teach various vocabulary terms and grammatical functions intuitively, without drills or translation. A full online demo is available to users who have the Adobe Shockwave installed on their computer.
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RSS: RSS (which, in its latest format, stands for “Really Simple Syndication”) is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated content such as blog entries, news headlines or podcasts. An RSS document, which is called a “feed”, “web feed”, or “channel”, contains either a summary of content from an associated web site or the full text. RSS makes it possible for people to keep up with their favorite web sites in an automated manner that’s easier than checking them manually. Popular RSS readers include NetNewsWire, Google Reader, and the RSS readers built in to Safari and Mozilla Firefox web browsers.
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Skype: The main difference between Skype and VoIP clients is that Skype operates on a peer-to-peer model, rather than the more traditional server-client model. The Skype user directory is entirely decentralized and distributed among the nodes in the network, which means the network can scale very easily to large sizes (currently about 220 million users) without a complex and costly centralized infrastructure. Because Skype is so easily available to computer users in other countries, language learners can easily communicate with people around the world in their target language. Skype calls can also be recorded using applications like eCamm’s Call Recorder.
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SLoodle: Sloodle is an Open Source project to develop learning tools and structures for educators exploring 3D Multi-User Virtual Environments. Their first objective is to connect the virtual environment of Second Life (related keywords: 3D construction, interactive scripts, immersive settings, etc.) with Moodle (related keywords: structured lessons, threaded discussions, assignment drop-box, self-scoring quizes, online grades, etc.).
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SnapZ Pro: Snapz Pro X allows you to effortlessly record anything on your screen, saving it as a QuickTime movie or screenshot that can be emailed, put up on the web, or passed around however you want. This is the tool used in the World Language Lab to create training materials for the Wolrd Language faculty.
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Text Messaging: Text messaging, or texting is the common term for the sending of “short” (160 characters or fewer) text messages, using the Short Message Service (SMS), from mobile phones. It is available on most digital mobile phones and some personal digital assistants with onboard wireless telecommunications. The individual messages which are sent are called text messages, and more colloquially SMSes, texts, or even txts (in “text speak”). The most common application of the service is person-to-person messaging, but text messages are also often used to interact with automated systems, such as ordering products and services for mobile phones, or participating in contests like Eurovision. Students with cell phones may have the capacity to use text messaging to communicate in their target language with other students in and out of the classroom.
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UCLS Webmail: UCLS Webmail is a service available to students and faculty at University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. Since many students do not frequently access their school email until pressed upon to do so, language learning activities that require the use of this technology will serve a dual purpose: to strengthen their language skills and their connection to official school communication. The username and password used for UCLS email are required to sign on to the computers and the DiLL software in the World Language Lab (WLL). Third, fourth, and fifth graders who have not yet received an email account are given an alternate way to sign on to WLL computers.
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UCLS WebCal: The UCLS WebCal is a resource calendaring system designed to facilitate the check-in and check-out of WLL equipment and the scheduling of the lab for use by teachers, language classes, and individual students. WLD faculty can only reserve the lab by visiting this online calendar. An iCal feed is available, which will allow iCal users to view the lab’s ever-changing schedule on their own computers.
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Visual Thesaurus: The Visual Thesaurus is an interactive dictionary and thesaurus with an innovative user interface that helps students to understand language in an exciting new ways. Students can type a word in English, French, German, or Spanish and see related word families visually represented on a mindmap, much akin in someways to software like Inspiration. The two applications might be combined in some interesting ways.
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Vodcast: Video podcast (sometimes shortened to vidcast or vodcast) is a term used for the online delivery of video on demand video clip content via Atom or RSS enclosures. The term refers to the distribution of video where the RSS feed is used as a non-linear TV channel to which consumers can subscribe using a PC, TV, set-top box, media center or mobile multimedia device. One popular aggregator of vodcasts and other online video content is miro.
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WebExpress: A Web authoring program or content management system. It provides a visual development environment for creating Web pages on the UC Lab Schools website. Administrators, coaches, and teachers sometimes use this tool to update their web pages.
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Wiki: A collaborative website which can be directly edited by anyone with access to it. Ward Cunningham, developer of the first wiki WikiWikiWeb, originally described it as “the simplest online database that could possibly work”. Wikipedia is one of the best-known wikis and is the source for many of the definitions in this glossary. A defining characteristic of wiki technology is the ease with which pages can be created and updated. Generally, there is no review before modifications are accepted. Many wikis are open to the general public without the need to register any user account. Sometimes session log-in is requested to acquire a “wiki-signature” cookie for autosigning edits. Many edits, however, can be made in real-time, and appear almost instantaneously online. This can lead to abuse of the system, but it can also lead to up-to-the minute information contributed by those who take ownership over a particular piece of knowledge. Wikis can be powerful tools for collaborating on projects and sharing information.
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YouTube: A popular video sharing website where users can upload, view and share video clips. YouTube was created in mid February 2005 by three former PayPal employees and was acquired in November 2006 by Google, Inc. Other similar services include TeacherTube, Google Video, and Yahoo! Video.
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