Sunday, November 11, 2007
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Zoho works now!
Thanks Yo! It works now. I'm thinking that the Zoho writer site was down the last few days because it works just like it was supposed to in a flash today. This is my document below that I created in Zoho Writer and posted to this blog. This is a really cool tool that is FREE!
I am trying out Zoho writer. This is an online word processing tool that I can use anywhere that there are Internet connections.
It does look a lot like Word.
I am going to save this doc and then try to post to my blog.
Just trying to insert a URL for Lake Mills High School
I am trying out Zoho writer. This is an online word processing tool that I can use anywhere that there are Internet connections.
It does look a lot like Word.
I am going to save this doc and then try to post to my blog.
Just trying to insert a URL for Lake Mills High School
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Week #8 Thing 19 LibraryThing
LibraryThing is awesome! I love it! I have started adding a list of books that our book group has read over the last 14 years. (One member has entered all our books on a spread sheet in Excel but I like this data base better!!!)
Here is a link to my LibraryThing library. Maybe you'll need a password. Email me if you need it.
LibraryThing is basically a way to catalog your books. But it has a social interactive part to it too. You can see what other people are reading, get suggestions and connect with people who are reading the same thing.
LibraryThing searches the Library of Congress, all five national Amazon sites, and more than 80 world libraries. You can tag, sort, search and edit.
I still need to browse and learn more about this but I really will use this.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Trying a poll generator
Quizopolis is a poll, survey or trivia generator.
Click here to take my one question quiz...especially if you are a Harry Potter fan.
Click here to take my one question quiz...especially if you are a Harry Potter fan.
Week #8 Thing18 Zoho Writer
I explored Zoho writer. It's a productivity tool that is free and you don't have to download anything on to your computer. I signed up for an account and now I'm trying to export the text into my blog.
To post to a blog, you click on Publish at the top of the menu in Zoho. Then a pop-up window appears where you fill in blog service provider, in my case Blogger and then your username and password. I'm about to give it a try.
It's 30 mins later and I still haven't figured this feature out. I put in my username and password and it won't recognize my blog. I'll have to come back to this as I am frustrated right now.
To post to a blog, you click on Publish at the top of the menu in Zoho. Then a pop-up window appears where you fill in blog service provider, in my case Blogger and then your username and password. I'm about to give it a try.
It's 30 mins later and I still haven't figured this feature out. I put in my username and password and it won't recognize my blog. I'll have to come back to this as I am frustrated right now.
Week #7 Thing 17
Calcurriculum Sandbox
I have to be honest, I went to this site and was confused. I thought the sandbox was kind of like a place to share ideas and almost chat or blog. But I only saw one post about a person who made a Google Custom Search for an Ancient Greece unit. (By the way, I looked at the Google Custom Search and I think I'll add it to our HS website, so that was beneficial!)
I saw at the bottom Yo's Rollyo re: Intellectual Freedom. Are those the latest things added to the sandbox? If so, I guess that the sandbox is not used very often.
Then I looked at the links on the right. One section shows recent posts. When I click there there are pages about other people's ideas regarding Learning 2.0 ideas and how to use them in school.
Any help Yo?
I have to be honest, I went to this site and was confused. I thought the sandbox was kind of like a place to share ideas and almost chat or blog. But I only saw one post about a person who made a Google Custom Search for an Ancient Greece unit. (By the way, I looked at the Google Custom Search and I think I'll add it to our HS website, so that was beneficial!)
I saw at the bottom Yo's Rollyo re: Intellectual Freedom. Are those the latest things added to the sandbox? If so, I guess that the sandbox is not used very often.
Then I looked at the links on the right. One section shows recent posts. When I click there there are pages about other people's ideas regarding Learning 2.0 ideas and how to use them in school.
Any help Yo?
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
A Librarian's 2.0 Manifesto
Ok,
Yes you do have to sign up for an account with YouTube. I just picked a random video to add.
YouTube Experiment
I'm trying to embed a YouTube video into this blog.
I just made a link to the video I chose. This is not what Yo was talking about.
Click Here
I just made a link to the video I chose. This is not what Yo was talking about.
Click Here
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Week #7 Thing 16
At first I was confused by the difference between wikis and blogs. Blogs are more of a spot online that one can chronicle thoughts and opinions. There is an interactive element in blogs if it is set up to let people make comments or new posts. (I have a blog set up for my high school students to talk about what books they are reading this summer.)
Wikis are a bit more interactive. Wikis allow users to add, edit or remove content, if unrestricted.
I looked at:
I viewed all the short wiki videos in the Sample Literary Circle Wiki put together by wikispaces.com. They were very short and very good. (You can find the link to the videos by scrolling down on the home page of the wiki. Click on the link that says, " If you need help with some of the features of wikispaces, click here, to view some brief informative videos.")
Wikispaces seems easy to use. I like that sample templates are included etc.
While exploring one of the above wikis, I came across a list of opensource software. I am interested in exploring an opensource option for webpage development. I found Nvu. I downloaded it and played with it a bit. I'll need to show my technology coordinator this free alternative. They advertise this as equal to FrontPage and DreamWeaver!
Wikis are a bit more interactive. Wikis allow users to add, edit or remove content, if unrestricted.
I looked at:
- http://teacherlibrarianwiki.pbwiki.com/
- Sample school wiki
- Sample Literary Circle Wiki (10th Grade English)
I viewed all the short wiki videos in the Sample Literary Circle Wiki put together by wikispaces.com. They were very short and very good. (You can find the link to the videos by scrolling down on the home page of the wiki. Click on the link that says, " If you need help with some of the features of wikispaces, click here, to view some brief informative videos.")
Wikispaces seems easy to use. I like that sample templates are included etc.
While exploring one of the above wikis, I came across a list of opensource software. I am interested in exploring an opensource option for webpage development. I found Nvu. I downloaded it and played with it a bit. I'll need to show my technology coordinator this free alternative. They advertise this as equal to FrontPage and DreamWeaver!
Monday, July 16, 2007
Week #6 Thing 15
The following are just quotes or phrases from several articles regarding Library 2.0 that I want to think about some more.
"The Web moves from simply being sites and search engines to a shared network space that drives work, research, education, entertainment and social activities—essentially everything people do." Source: Where will the next generation Web take libraries? by Tom Storey
I've seen this word, zeitgeist several times...maybe in Technorati??
"The Web moves from simply being sites and search engines to a shared network space that drives work, research, education, entertainment and social activities—essentially everything people do." Source: Where will the next generation Web take libraries? by Tom Storey
I've seen this word, zeitgeist several times...maybe in Technorati??
Zeitgeist is originally a German expression that means "the spirit of the age", literally translated as "time (Zeit) spirit (Geist)". It describes the intellectual and cultural climate of an era.
Source: wikipedia
"the taste and outlook characteristic of a period or generation"
Source: www.dictionary.com
"Library 2.0 is a loosely defined model for a modernized form of library service that reflects a transition within the library world in the way that services are delivered to users. The concept of Library 2.0 borrows from that of Business 2.0 and Web 2.0 and follows some of the same underlying philosophies. This includes online services such as the use of OPAC systems and an increased flow of information from the user back to the library.
With Library 2.0 library services are constantly updated and reevaluated to best serve library users. Library 2.0 also attempts to harness the library user in the design and implementation of library services by encouraging feedback and participation. Proponents of this concept expect that ultimately the Library 2.0 model for service will replace traditional, one-directional service offerings that have characterized libraries for centuries."
I love this idea from Christopher Harris's article, Say goodbye to your mothers school library found in SLJ 5/1/2006:
Put “Library Powered” stickers on everything we do. I could make a small logo-type icon and use it on the bottom of brochures, blogs etc. that I create to highlight the digitally-reshaped library.
Library 2.0: to provide services wherever and whenever they are needed and to use Web 2.0 to help fullfill the mission of the library.
Week #6 Thing 14
I explored Technorati again tonight. I searched "School Library Learning 2.0" in the Blog posts and found 142 hits. Using the tags search I got 140 hits using " " and 1,202 hits without the quotation marks. When using the blog directory, I got 7 hits using the quotation marks and 7 without.
I also found out about Authority..."Technorati Authority is the number of blogs linking to a website in the last six months. The higher the number, the more Technorati Authority the blog has."
Blog reactions are similar, "Blog Reactions are the posts or blogs that have linked to yours. The number of blog reactions are essentially the link count for your blog and contribute to your authority and rank as well."
Seems rather the same?!
For me, this doesn't really matter since my school blog is mainly to track what I've read and to try to get students to do the same. Therefore, I put a counter on my blog so I can see if students may have looked at my blog but not necessarily contributed to it.
The advantage of tagging is to be able to easily tag and search for subjects that are of interest to me. The disadvantage is that what I think of as a subject term may not be what others use.
I am going to try to tag this post using Technorati html. I'm really not sure what this does, it's supposed to let my blog entry?? become part of Technorati tag searches. (After I published this, I tried the SJLibrary2.0 link on the bottom and didn't see my post. Perhaps it takes a few minutes.??)
SJLibrary2.0
I also found out about Authority..."Technorati Authority is the number of blogs linking to a website in the last six months. The higher the number, the more Technorati Authority the blog has."
Blog reactions are similar, "Blog Reactions are the posts or blogs that have linked to yours. The number of blog reactions are essentially the link count for your blog and contribute to your authority and rank as well."
Seems rather the same?!
For me, this doesn't really matter since my school blog is mainly to track what I've read and to try to get students to do the same. Therefore, I put a counter on my blog so I can see if students may have looked at my blog but not necessarily contributed to it.
The advantage of tagging is to be able to easily tag and search for subjects that are of interest to me. The disadvantage is that what I think of as a subject term may not be what others use.
I am going to try to tag this post using Technorati html. I'm really not sure what this does, it's supposed to let my blog entry?? become part of Technorati tag searches. (After I published this, I tried the SJLibrary2.0 link on the bottom and didn't see my post. Perhaps it takes a few minutes.??)
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Week #6 Thing 13
I tried to view the tutorial on del.icio.us but the site is down right now. I'll try again tomorrow.
I created my own del.icio.us account. So far I've just added tags from my own browser's bookmarks. You can see my tags here:
http://del.icio.us/lizbade
I wish I would have used del.icio.us instead of my browser's bookmark feature long ago because just last week I lost all of my bookmarks on my computer. A pop-up window asked me if I wanted to use Firefox as my default browser...well I clicked yes because that is what I was using. Somehow after I clicked yes, it started a new Firefox for me and I couldn't recover my many, many bookmarks!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dang!!!
But with del.icio.us I can use any computer anywhere in the world and see my tags.
We have a teacher at our high school that used del.icio.us with her students for a human rights violation project. The teacher searched the internet and tagged the sites that she thought would be useful. I think it was a helpful plan but for first time users, I think that the del.icio.us format is a bit confusing. (I know some kids were confused as to how to navigate through it.) We should have probably presented a mini-lesson on how to use del.icio.us. Or at least have a cheat sheet for them to refer to.
The other drawback that I thought of while using this tool with the students was that they were not actually using their own searching skills and strategies. (I presented a lesson on evaluating websites earlier.) If a teacher tags good sites for kids, they are not actually practicing their internet evaluation skills. On the other hand, the students didn't exclusively use the teacher's tags so I guess all was not lost!!!
All in all, a very useful tool.
I created my own del.icio.us account. So far I've just added tags from my own browser's bookmarks. You can see my tags here:
http://del.icio.us/lizbade
I wish I would have used del.icio.us instead of my browser's bookmark feature long ago because just last week I lost all of my bookmarks on my computer. A pop-up window asked me if I wanted to use Firefox as my default browser...well I clicked yes because that is what I was using. Somehow after I clicked yes, it started a new Firefox for me and I couldn't recover my many, many bookmarks!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dang!!!
But with del.icio.us I can use any computer anywhere in the world and see my tags.
We have a teacher at our high school that used del.icio.us with her students for a human rights violation project. The teacher searched the internet and tagged the sites that she thought would be useful. I think it was a helpful plan but for first time users, I think that the del.icio.us format is a bit confusing. (I know some kids were confused as to how to navigate through it.) We should have probably presented a mini-lesson on how to use del.icio.us. Or at least have a cheat sheet for them to refer to.
The other drawback that I thought of while using this tool with the students was that they were not actually using their own searching skills and strategies. (I presented a lesson on evaluating websites earlier.) If a teacher tags good sites for kids, they are not actually practicing their internet evaluation skills. On the other hand, the students didn't exclusively use the teacher's tags so I guess all was not lost!!!
All in all, a very useful tool.
Week #5 Thing 12
Rollyos...
I'm having a real hard time trying to figure out how to title my Rollyo!
Any help would be appreciated!
I can see how Rollyos would be really useful in a school setting...for younger kids...say 5th grade, one could "control" the sites that the kids search. Teachers could pre-select good sites that they know students will find useful info in and streamline the process. (Often times students will get lost on the internet and get frustrated. Rollyo can help here.)
For older students, say 9th grade, a teacher could set up a Rollyo for a major project. I'm thinking that a Rollyo could be used instead or in addition to a social bookmarking tool like del.icio.us
I'm having a real hard time trying to figure out how to title my Rollyo!
Any help would be appreciated!
I can see how Rollyos would be really useful in a school setting...for younger kids...say 5th grade, one could "control" the sites that the kids search. Teachers could pre-select good sites that they know students will find useful info in and streamline the process. (Often times students will get lost on the internet and get frustrated. Rollyo can help here.)
For older students, say 9th grade, a teacher could set up a Rollyo for a major project. I'm thinking that a Rollyo could be used instead or in addition to a social bookmarking tool like del.icio.us
Friday, July 6, 2007
Week #5 Thing 11
I played around with Technoradi, Boing Boing and Ning. I have to say I really don't get these sites yet. Too overwhelming. Technoradi looks like a clearinghouse for tons of blogs. Currently tracking 90.3 million blogs and over 250 million pieces of tagged social media.
Ning is an online service to help you create your own social network for free. I'm not that social...so no thanks!
Boing Boing, a Directory of Wonderful Things...Ok, I looked at this site for about 10 minutes and I REALLY don't get it!
Of the three, Technoradi is probably the most useful. I could plug a search term into the search bar to find blogs about a topic that interests me.
Ning is an online service to help you create your own social network for free. I'm not that social...so no thanks!
Boing Boing, a Directory of Wonderful Things...Ok, I looked at this site for about 10 minutes and I REALLY don't get it!
Of the three, Technoradi is probably the most useful. I could plug a search term into the search bar to find blogs about a topic that interests me.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Scratch Ticket
Click HERE to view my Scratch Ticket! (From Scratch Ticket Generator)
Gads, that took FOREVER to figure out how to post this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gads, that took FOREVER to figure out how to post this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Week #5 Thing 10
I played with several image generators. The hardest part for me is to figure out how to post the finished product to my blog. I ended up copying the image on the clipboard of the computer and opening it with AdobePhotoshop then saving it as a jpg. I know there must be an easier way, like copying and pasting the html but I can't figure out where.
I'll have to ask Yo.
This one is from Dummiez Book Cover Maker 2007
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Week #3 Thing 6
Here's Captioner...really easy and cool!
Trying out a link...
Lake Mills School District
Ok, that was way too easy!
Week #3 Thing 6
That was fun...I just Warholized my photo! It was MUCH easier than what I did for Max's Grad invite. That one was done using Adobephotoshop and a tutorial.
Week #3 Thing 5
Took me a while to figure out how to add a pic from Flickr too...I needed to right click on the photo I wanted to add then go to properties then copy and paste the url from there!Ok, so I created a Flickr account, uploaded pics and added the tags, dogs and "school library learning 2.0" even though my pics are not in a library setting.
I have a bit of experience with PictureTrail and Shutterfly but just by poking around in Flickr, it looks like this one is a bit more powerful...more social interaction opportunities...at least from my cursory exploration.
I'm going to try to create a link on this post to my Shutterfly album from my European vacation.
I can't figure this out yet...I'll work on it today.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Week #2 Thing 3
I've already created a blog, Cafe Library but I never have created an Avatar although I've seen them. They are pretty cool!!
Week #1 Thing 2
Lifelong Learning Habits...
I'm definately a lifelong learner. The hardest habit for me is #6, Use Technology to Your Advantage...I do use technology but usually only what I know how to use. I need to stretch further and use the best tool for the job. Thus, I need to learn new techniques instead of always tweaking the tools I know how to use so that they kind of fit the job.
The easiest habit is #7.5, play!!!!!!
I'm definately a lifelong learner. The hardest habit for me is #6, Use Technology to Your Advantage...I do use technology but usually only what I know how to use. I need to stretch further and use the best tool for the job. Thus, I need to learn new techniques instead of always tweaking the tools I know how to use so that they kind of fit the job.
The easiest habit is #7.5, play!!!!!!
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