Site participation FAQs

What is RSS?

RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. As the name implies, RSS provides an easy way to combine feeds from different sites into a single location, such as an RSS reader. The RSS link gives you one-click access to add the Teacher Experience Exchange site RSS feed to the RSS reader of your choice. For more about RSS and RSS readers, please visit the Wikipedia article about RSS.

How do I add an RSS feed?

To add an RSS feed of the page you're on, click Subscribe to this page link, and then click the Teacher Experience Exhange - RSS feed link. Follow your reader's instructions for how to add a feed.

What if I don't have an RSS reader?

There are many types and styles of RSS readers available. Some are Web-based, and require an Internet connection to visit them. There are also desktop clients available for download. Teacher Experience Exchange suggests RSS clients like My Yahoo, My MSN, Google Reader or Newsgator. Click the links to sign up with one of these services.

What are the stars under the content title?

These stars give you an interactive way to rate content on Teacher Experience Exchange. If you enjoyed a particular piece of content, click the stars to rate the content. The stars will indicate the average rating among all users who have rated the content. If you'd like to see what you rated a particular piece of content, simply hover your mouse cursor over the stars. You can change your rating at any time by clicking the stars again.

What types of community features will I find on Teacher Experience Exchange?

Here are the interactive community features you'll find on Teacher Experience Exchange:

• Ratings: Registered Teacher Experience Exchange community members can rate any piece of content--courses, articles, tutorials and videos--as well as moderators. If you enjoyed a particular piece of content, click the stars to rate the content. The stars indicate the average rating among all users who have rated the content.
• Reviews: Registered Teacher Experience Exchange community members can write a review of any piece of content: courses, articles, quick lessons, how-to content and videos. If you're a community member, you can also tag other users' reviews as innovative, valuable or tech savvy.
• Forums: The Teacher Experience Exchange site as a whole has an ongoing forum for interacting with other members. Members can reach the discussion forum by clicking Discussions in the right navigation. If you're a community member, you can also tag other users' forum posts as innovative, valuable or tech savvy.
• Enhanced profiles: In addition to the basic user profile, which lists the current and past courses a user has enrolled in, a profile can include ratings (list of each rating a user has submitted), reviews (list of how a user reviewed content and whether other users found that review innovative, valuable or tech savvy) and posts (list of forum posts, and whether other users found their post innovative, valuable or tech savvy). Users can also upload an avatar, which will be visible within their profile and also next to their reviews and forum posts. Users can choose to hide all or part of their profiles from other users.
• Social tagging: The Share/tag this page link gives you quick access to some of the most popular social news and bookmarking sites. Click the link and then choose the appropriate service with which you already have an account. You will be taken to a page where you can easily share Teacher Experience Exchange with others via your favorite social service. If you're not currently logged into the destination site, you may be asked to log in.
• RSS: RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. As the name implies, RSS provides an easy way to combine feeds from different sites into a single location, such as an RSS reader. The Subscribe to this page link gives you one-click access to add the Teacher Experience Exchange site RSS feed to the RSS reader of your choice. You can also sign up for RSS feeds of discussion forums.
• Site search: To search across all types of content on Teacher Experience Exchange, enter a term in the search window and click the arrows.
• Discussions search: To search across all the discussions, from the Discussions area enter a term in the search field and click Search.

What does "Share/tag this page" mean?

The Share/tag this page link gives you quick access to some of the most popular social news and bookmarking sites. Click the link and then choose the appropriate service with which you already have an account. You will be taken to a page where you can easily share Teacher Experience Exchange with others via your favorite social service. If you're not currently logged into the destination site, you may be asked to log in.

What if I don't already have an account on any of those social sites?

If you want to share Teacher Experience Exchange with others but you don't have an account with any of the services listed, don't worry! Sign up with one or all of these sites by following these links:

• del.icio.us
• Digg
• Technorati
• ma.gnolia

Don't want to sign up with any new social sites? You can still share the site with friends and family by clicking the Invite a colleague link in the right navigation.

What is an avatar and how do I add one to my profile?

In addition to a basic user profile, which lists the current and past courses a user has enrolled in, a profile can include an avatar (graphic identity), which will be visible within a profile and also next to their reviews and forum posts. To add an avatar:

1. Click My profile in the right navigation pane.
2. Click Edit avatar under the picture at the top of your profile page.
3. On the Avatar page, click the Browse button.
4. In the Choose file dialog box (dialog box may be called something different depending on your browser), browse to the location on your computer that stores the avatar you would like to use, select the file then click Open.
5. Click Upload on the avatar page.

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