Week 6: Thing #14

In doing a Technorati's search, I located 900+ items when searching "School Library Learning 2.0" for blog posts. Many of the findings were not relevant. My findings were relevant when I searched the tags, but only located 9 items. I then searched the blog directory and found 18 related blogs, including the MSLA blog which then told me it didn't exist (technical error in there on someone's part...) I have mixed feelings about tagging. I like the idea that it aids one in finding other items like the one you are looking at, but on the other hand, if someone is using a different vocabulary, that item will not necessarily be identified.

Week 6: Thing #13

I can see how del.icio.us could be a very useful tool. I tried searching for other topics which lead me to aficionados of those topics, and from their links I found related items of interest. It works just like librarything, on the premise of tagging to guide you to what you want. However, there are many companies advertising and lots of other junk out there. It is rather overwhelming to sift through all the junk to get to the heart of what you want. The idea is interesting and if you can find someone out there that has already done the work for you, you could locate some fantastic sites about what you want. However, so many people seem to be out to get you to buy something. It's a little cluttered for my liking, but I think the idea is interesting.

Week 5: Thing #12

I created my own search engine on Rollyo for the Presidential Election. I selected several sites that I regularly visit for information. As with the RSS feed, I like this tool because information comes to me, as opposed to me going to it. I like anything that saves me a few minutes. This really narrows the results down of what could potentially be a very large search.

Week 5: Thing #11

I explored www.librarything.com. I already belong to goodreads.com and was wondering how the two differed. www.librarything.com is more "librarian friendly" because as you add books to your shelf, it is cataloging them and acquiring this information from libraries and other trusted sources. By tagging your books, you can then connect with others and get suggestions from others with similar tastes in books.

Week 5: Thing #10

automotivator picture
Originally uploaded by wendy.garland

I am just blown away by the number of generators that exist. It is so easy to take a photo and add flourishes to create many different end products. I played with a Picasso generator and checked out several comic generators. There is something for everyone out there. The possibilities are endless for the classroom. Even someone with limited creativity like myself can create an impressive end product. In fact, perhaps this makes it easier for me - there are so many tools and ideas that already exist, so I just have to pick one that strikes my fancy.