Celebrate Leap Day

[Technical note: the district firewall is blocking 2 pictures of a leaping frog...category--forum/blog. I got the 1st one from my file...when it showed blocked I went to MS Clipart and captured the same frog...blocked again!! Why did I do that ....because I ALWAYS doubt myself...thought maybe I had forgotten where I got the first one!

Nevertheless..it is a picture of a leaping frog for crying out loud...nothing more...more a "trusted" site. I had noticed over the past few days more & more of my pictues/book covers are showing up as dreaded red Xs.

I - do - not - get - it

To the people who look at this outside the district, no, I'm not crazy (and neither are you), yes there are 2 pictures of the same frog and now you know why.

Saturday update: took one off...seems they now load in district (including other pix that were not loading...not sure how or why...don't really care...just as long as they do.

Ok...back to our regularly scheduled proram...]

Is this just too perfect!

February 29th is Leap Day...the initial day of the Year of the Frog as designated by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

See more over at A Library By Any Other Name including some great book resources (again)put together by one of my favorite book review bloggers.

Doing a little happy leap about it all! :-)

Wanna See or Hear More about 2.0?

Check out this free magazine about blogging and podcasting...I have been reading it for interest's sake for about a year. It will give you some perspective of these two tools outside the realm of education. Pretty amazing to get a glimpse at just how much is out there!

You can register for a free online podcast version or online version with the coolest reader technology--love watching the pages turn (yes I am easily entertained!)

I know what you are thinking...Yup, another email/password but you can use one you already have! :-)

Blogger & Podcaster For Aspiring New Media Titans...perfect title for all us 23 Things media titans, don't you think?

Enjoy! ...or not, the choice is yours.

Yahoo News Globe: Another Mash-up Tool for Your Virtual Tool-box

Here's some information about the Yahoo News Globe...an interesting way to combine the news with world geography. One the major components is an RSS feed.

It will be interesting to see how this is used.

Thing #14 Technorati is Worth a Claim

I have used Technorati for many months. My main purpose was that that comes from claiming a blog. I claimed my first blog so that I could see all the different blogs known as authorities that "found" it because of the tags or things I mentioned and for whatever reason either mentioned it in their blogs or put it on ther blogrolls.

Because Technorati keeps a list of these blogs for me, I am able to go in and study these blogs individually and learn from them, see what we have in common, and follow them if they fit a need. Several times a curriculum-related blog has latched onto something I posted and I get to see how the information does work out in a classroom.

In the beginning, I also took a look at the Top 100 blogs...amazing how many are educationally technology or library related...lots of good "stuff" to learn about. Take a look at Engadget, Mashable, ReadWrite Web, 43 Folders.

I have done searches through it as well, but not too many because I have so many other ways to locate resources. I think it comes down to whatever works for you and whatever you get used to first. Choice...that's the key!

Technorati...another way to share the wealth of information.

Goodnight,

Froggy Wart

Note to Self

A tag can replace a folder...JUST like an OPAC replaced all those catalog drawers...long ago & far away. So get over it...and move on.

Now this problem with alphabetizing by first name...sorry, some things are just sacred.

Thing #13 A Del.icio.us Taste

Tags and tagging I have down...in another part of my world we have spent many hours discussing the difference between subject headings and keywords...tagging is a kissin' cousin to the keyword idea...

Subject headings - controlled vocabulary
Keywords & Tags - not so much...or are they somewhat created from a "controlled" set of terms.
Del.icio.us is set up to assist you with tagging in that it gives you "hints" at the tags others have used for your links. But you do have the freedom to use any and all words that will help you organize your links.

I have used several things throughout the years to keep up all the great things on the Web. Links worked until you realized that they are computer specific...so when you set up a links bar for your students...you have to go add it to every one of the computers your kids might use!
And then IE7 hid it from you...and it took awhile to figure out where it went...whew, I found it.

Then the matriarch of blogging in my circle taught me about Ikeepbookmarks.com. Set up your bookmarks and they go with you from computer to computer. I put lots of personal things on there and can always have them. I am not good at remembering addresses or sometimes even the title of the site so this little tool solved that problem.

Then when I started on the blogging path...a whole other set of sites to keep up with! Blogrolls helped, but they get longer and longer! Google Reader helps keep up with the reading by showing only those that have updated and then the public reader allows me to share.

Through 23 Things, I have even found more ways that information I use and need can be organized...Google notebook, iGoogle page, Rollyo...and now del.icio.us with Technorati just around the corner.

I have seen del.icio.us lists before thru at least one of the blogs I follow. I noticed Cool Cat is also posting her del.icio.us links as well. The lists overwhelm me. But at least I had some background before tackling it myself.

As has been mentioned before by several of the 23 Things participants, I had to create yet another account...apparantly I must have done so because my user name was taken (and no one else would being using it, I guarantee), but I couldn't come up with a passwrod and they couldn't find my email...but my username was not useable. Ok...so I use another one that I use sometimes for such incidents and go to add my password...not "strong" enough so I have to fiddle with the password. Ok...I surrender... I now have a secret page on one of the many services I use so I can go look up my virtual ids and passwords. O brother!

Finally...to the assignment. I decided to build a list of cataloging sites and information so I can keep up with all the discussions about all the cataloging changes that are coming...RDA, FRBR, tagging!, the debate over to have call #s or not, yada, yada, yada.

BUT...it is already a long list...and I have not yet discovered the "folder" system...if there is one. My email allows for folders, my reader allows for folders...even my computer desk top has folders. I think I am suppose to work with the tags in del.icio.us to achieve some semblance of "order." Am gonna have to get my head around this one...may take me awhile.

More later,
The Frog

Thing #12 What's this Rollyo All About, Tootsie?

hummm... I was an "M" student on this one.

Although I love the name and the cute little red symbol...brand!...I wasn't getting the point. I looked, I read, stopped thinking so hard, and finally, just did what it asked.

I think I finally understand...it is JUST a cleverly named, little red-enhanced S-E-A-R-C-H E-N-G-I-N-E...not rocket science, but certainly Greek to me .

I selected a subject that SHOULD be near and dear to my heart...cataloging issues, and particularly, the future of cataloging...plenty of things I need to be learning about and learning how to do. I dutifully added several sources I want to use in getting this information. Includes Catalogblog, The FRBR Blog, OCLC Bib Formats, The Dewey Blog, LOC MARC Holdings, etc.

But when I went to search something, it included the Web and that muddied the results I had to wade through. That was one of the things that was mentioned in the intro as a reason for using..."clean" searches! Hummm....not doing something right maybe?

So I put the cute little search widget on my sidebar, added some search locations including this blog itself...now if that works, then this whole experiment will be worth it and I will add it to my other blog...where I have trouble sometimes finding things (because my tags are too general.)

BTW, help yourself if you want to and see what you can see from what I selected.

And I'm gonna muster up some patience and use it awhile to see if I get used it...which usually happens to me and most of this 2.0 stuff...in the meantime, can I go back and do another image generator?

Gotta go wash the mud off,
Froggy

Thing #11 That Library Thing...Organized Info...Eventually

Added a few more books to my pile over at Library Thing. I have had an account for awhile but have been very slow at adding for 2 reasons...don't take (or have) time and SO many of my books are not in the database or the other sources. I collect a lot of specialized, small press books and no one else has added them and amazon.com or THE Library have never "heard of them." So I will have to actually sit down and input them...almost like "real" cataloging. Not my favorite "busman's holiday."

TH over at Connected But Hassled had a great idea about including the literary element or other purpose/use for the book in its description...BECAUSE as we all know, those mean, ol' grumpy cataloger people won't let us muddy up those MARC records with made-up subject headings. And those stodgy, serious, and weird (cookery--what real normal person USES that word?) subject headings just don't always fill the bill.

I put one of those cute little cover widgets over on my sidebar so you can see some of the random books that I have in my LibraryThing..at least the ones whose covers show up. I wish I could select what shows...I have others that are more "favorite." But anyway, I wanted to have something to show you!

And I do want to find some groups that share my interests...but that is going to be a challenge from what I can tell so far!

I would love for my girls to put all their books in so that they know what they have...especially for teaching needs. But also because it would mean that stack of storage boxes would be at their houses, not mine!

O, I almost forgot...here is another place called Shelfari where you display your own collection of your books in your blog; it puts them in a little "wooden" bookshelf...cute!I have seen it inaction on some blogs I follow, but I aven't had a chance to pay with it myself yet.

Gotta go, it's dog-walking time,
Froggy Wart


P.S. Yes, those MARC records with their controlled vocabulary subject headings DO serve a very important function so take the pins outta that poor cataloger's voodoo doll. Remember-- tag 500a General Note can be used for all kinds of valuable information like literary elements, etc.
Be happy to have this discussion anytime!

It's a Disease...and I Have Caught It

This morphing, mashing, image generating thing...

I have let myself go and I can't keep myself straight anymore!

Kid-friendly avatar, image generator Build Your Wild Self from the NY Zoos & Aquarium, I think! T-O-O - MUCH - FUN!!!!

You HAVE to go play with this one!

(Yes, I could have morphed into frogs' legs, but the tennis shoes are part of my "retirement" look of the future...and besides someone might wanna snack if I had 'em. You never hear of anyone eating frog arms!)

P.S. it allows for printing, emailing...but no "code" so I just took a screen shot, dropped it into PPT, cut away all the "junk" and saved it as a png (jpg would work too!)..and yes, I know some of you have some sort of fancy-shmancy program that will do that too! Whatever works for you!

Thing #10 Playing Around with Image Generators

I have been playing around so much with these things that I have neglected the necessary post! In looking thru all the other blogs that have gotten this far, I see so many clever ideas that can be incorporated for various things in a library or classroom. And i have palyed and played and sprinkled a few throughout the blog.


The idea that I will zero in on is signage...this previous post in my other blog will give you a better idea WHY signage is a hot button issue for me.


In so many libraries (including the ones I used to manage!), lots and lots of signs are needed to assist patrons in finding their way around and in finding just the right book or resource. All of these image generators can make solving that problem F-U-N. You can select a theme or style or color scheme to tie everything together...whatever meshes with your personality. (huuummm..is THAT a mashup of sorts?)


The sign above is from Image Chef in the Sign-Banner section. The one over on the sidebar is Image Chef's License Plate generator. Image Chef animated below, too!

I have and will use others throughout the blog...and will try to remember to tell you where they came from.

Later,

FG