Web 2.0

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So, Would You Buy This MCTE T-Shirt?

Friday, July 30th, 2010

After sounding off about Ning a couple of posts ago, I have had a few days of more sober reflection. And instead of searching for a new home for the MCTE network, I have decided to absorb the cost of a plus plan. There are a few benefits for doing so: Ning allows for domain [...]

Ning Blows

Saturday, July 24th, 2010

I like free stuff. Blame it on my Dutch heritage if you like (just don’t say anything about the World Cup) or my philosophy about the way the web should work. When I can’t get the stuff I want for free, I get a little cranky. That’s why I have titled this post “Ning Blows,” [...]

Facebook Fatigue Setting In

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

Let’s face it: when it comes to social networking, Facebook is the only game in town. MySpace and other early networks are a speck in its rear view mirror. Everyone is on Facebook: your friends, your ex-girlfriend, your mom and dad, the people you went to high school with and never want to see again, [...]

Odeo Back From the Dead?

Sunday, June 27th, 2010

Will wonders never cease: it appears that Odeo, the media-hosting site that has been d.o.a. for months, is up and running again. Odeo hosts YA! Cast, which is published via iTunes. When Odeo died a few months ago, there was nothing I could do to change my RSS feed into iTunes. So, I used free [...]

Is Google Facebook Making Us Stupid?

Saturday, May 22nd, 2010

We all know that Facebook is everywhere. And most of us know that the company has been challenged on its privacy policies and it use of personal information. But sometimes I have a slightly broader concern with the popularity of the social networking giant: I think it may be dumbing down the web–and the web [...]

Networking Saved Educational Nings

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

This may be premature, but it seems like the folks at Ning are listening to us. They just announced that Ning would continue to allow educators to use their ad-free service for no charge. What’s cool about this, besides the obvious fact that a bunch of my sites won’t need a new host, is the [...]

Say it Ain’t So, Ning! No More Free Plans!

Sunday, April 18th, 2010

Ning just announced that it is phasing out its free service in May. This cut is apparently part of an effort to retool the company. Ning is also laying off a whopping 41 percent of its employees. Ning posted the announcement in its forum: So, we are going to change our strategy to devote 100% [...]

Designer Tool: Wordle

Sunday, March 14th, 2010

Design matters. Even for English teachers. And we have nearly endless opportunities: we create handouts, develop slide presentations, build blogs, set up wikis, and much, much more. All of this will little formal training in design. Most of us scraped by in high school with an art class or two, hardly enough training for the [...]

Some of my Favorite Sites and Tools, 2009

Sunday, December 20th, 2009

It’s the end of the year, and, depending on how you count, the end of a decade. That means it’s time for a little reflection on things gone by. Cue Auld Lang Syne, and take a look at some of my favorite sites and services. Not all were created in 2009, but all were new [...]

Library as Social Network, Version 2.0

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

Yesterday, I went to the first meeting of the library planning committee. The meeting was informative and inspiring: the new library, or more accurately the Mary Idema Pew Library and Information Commons, is going to be amazing. If you have not seen the video introducing the library, it’s worth taking a look: The SHW Group [...]

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