Technorati

So I'm "claiming my blog" on Technorati, Technorati Profile
apparently it'll be worth my while! Fact is i'm signing up just because that's what I do, and because I was 'encouraged' to do so on cocomment.com (yes, I just registered there too)

Why did I register on cocomment? Because I am finding it hard to keep tabs on the discussions taking place on Classroom20.com

What is Classroom20? A rapidly growing "social networking site for people interested in the practical application of computer technology (especially Web 2.0) in the classroom and in their own professional development." Actually it's a diverse bunch of people from all over the globe with an interest in technology and education as a common denominator, and a truly interesting place to spend time.

Create Cartoons on ToonDoo

New Blogger Tag Cloud / Label Cloud

My Blogger label widget was taking up too much space, found a nice script to make a compact cloud instead.
New Blogger Tag Cloud / Label Cloud

Welcome to My Playground

I confess, I'm a bit of a web junky. This isn't helped by the fact that I teach technology at school and admin 2 school websites.

I find that the better part of my day and night is spent on the web looking for that "perfect" tool. The one that does everything and does it in Hebrew correctly aligned to the right!

On my travels through the web I register for any new tool/app? that seems to have promise from an educators point of view. Often these tools offer embed, RSS feeds or "publish to blog" at the click of a button. Well obviously, I can't be publishing to my "real" blog every bit of waffle that I manage to produce for these test sessions, on the other hand, if I don't test the feature, how will I know if and how it works?

So, welcome to my playground. Watch out widgets ahead!!

Build a Custom Search Engine

Google customized, collaborative search engines.
Google Co-op - Custom Search Engine
Fill in a form, add URLs and collaborators, embed some code in your blog or website.
It really is that easy. Take a look at my Hebrew Reference for k12 in the widget bar at the side.

Literary HotSpots

Add your favorite children's writer to the map.(Map can be displayed on Google Earth.)

Esnips Toolbar

With all my ranting about the Google toolbar, I forgot to mention the one toolbar which I do find useful - the esnips toolbar pictured above.

As you can see the esnips toolbar has different functions to other run of the mill toolbars. From it I can snip and save webpages, take screen captures, record audio, video and upload everything to my esnips account. These uploads can be private or public and embedded into web pages and blogs. Screen captures can be whole or part of page and can be uploaded or saved to disc at the click of a button.
You'll find an esnips audio recording in the sidebar, unfortunately couldn't embed the widget directly into the post here in blogger. But here is the link

Google Toolbar - Finally added it

Let me start by saying I hate adding toolbars to my browser! They fill up my screen and do things I don't want them to do, particularly the dreaded, hated popup blocker.

However since starting this blog I've been looking for a way to post from web pages directly. Blogger used to have a nice little bookmarklet which did just that.
It seems that the new blogger doesn't have a stand alone bookmarklet and so I had to make the choice either continue saving snippets for later or get the bookmarklet which is now packaged along with the Google toolbar.

I decided to go for the latter and so have added the toolbar.

The previous post pointing to an Introduction to Rss on Infinite Thinking Machine was posted this way.

RSS - Really Simple Syndication

A thorough and clear explanation of RSS.
Infinite Thinking Machine

Still have to find my favorite reader/aggregator for RSS feeds.

Voice Mail Direct from the Blog

It's a shame - so many nice things that could be put in the sidebar, but who wants to scroll in order to find them? Not even me.
Trying to embed a Chingo Voice Message Box into a regular post.
The free account allows for recording 2 minute messages which can be moderated or not. I decided to moderate.

Go Google!

So google have added charts to their spreadsheets, and a gadget generator for 'igoogle' the new spruced up google personal homepage.

Never understood the logic of charts so my example, based on a fictional attendance rota, looks more like wallpaper than anything else - but then this is my sandbox so what the heck!

The gadget generator lets you create one of 7 different gadgets which you can then add to your Google personal homepage. You can also choose to add your gadget to the gadget directory for others to share. It takes 10 days for your gadget to appear in the directory, in these times of instant content creation that seems like an eternity! I wonder if these gadgets can also be added to other web pages. For now here is a screen print of my Countdown to the Summer Vacation - for all teachers and students who are feeling end of year fidgety.

Gadgets you can create: Countdown, Framed Photo - a rotating photo collection (rotation is either daily or on browser refresh), GoogleGram, a different message every day with a cute little picture that updates every day that passes, YouTube Channel, Personal List, Free form (text and picture), Daily Me - current status, what I'm reading, thinking etc. Nearly forgot...you can mail your gadgets to your friends!