Portaportal

Thanks to Karen, I have spent quite a bit of time shifting my bookmarks from delicious to Portaportal. Portaportal is a Web 2.0 site that allows the user to save links to favorite websites that can be accessed from any computer with an internet connection. Essentially, both of these sites do the same thing. They even let you create categories to keep them organized. What I prefer about Portaportal is the visual layout. The layout lists the bookmarks in columns which are categories the users creates. At this point, the only issue I have, is that I would like them to be in alphabetical order. I am still looking for this function.

Web 2.0 Wordle

Wordle.net is a site that allows users to be creative with vocabulary. The more frequently a particular word is typed the more prominently it is displayed the the word cloud. Color templetes are provided and users can customize. The site is very intuitive and fun to use. The issue I am now playing with is editting the size once it is embedded in my blog to the right. If you know how to enlarge this, let me know. BTW - the embed code does not include height & width to easily adjust the widget.

My Latest Web 2.0 Favorite

Help! I'm getting addicted to widgets! Over the weekend I googled free widgets and came across widgetbox, a free site that provides the html code needed to embed widgets on your blog. As with most Web 2.0 sites, you need to register with an email address, create a username and password, and confirm the email address prior to using the site. The Home page lets users browse by Tag/categories ranging from clocks, weather sites, news feeds, education, music, photos and more. Some may be blocked by school filters, and I will only know this once I log in at school. For now, scroll down to see a Wellness Tip of the Day. I will be monitoring this to see if the tips remain "School Friendly & Appropriate"!

The Springboard!

One of the new gems that I have been following is a blog called Classroom 2.0 , an award winning social network recognized by the American Association of School Librarians, eschool news, and two 2009 edublogs awards...more to follow. The focus of the blog is Web 2.0, social media and technology use in the classroom. The site can be somewhat overwhelming due to the wealth of information and topics relevant to our field. I suggest you just dive in. Topics are categorized into groups and there are also chats and forums you can join.

More fun with Web 2.0

I've come to the conclusion the more you search, the more time you need to keep exploring. The options are amazing, fun, useful and productive. Trying to stay focused and productive is the key.

Summer Thoughts

As usual, I am at Millersville learning new and exciting websites and creating my blog.