Review: ClipMarks: Web/Blog Save Tool

If one is good...then others will follow. I recently wrote about my unbounded joy with the i-lighter product: I-Lighter http://www.i-lighter.com/ which allows you to keep only the parts of the Web site that you want to keep. As a researcher, this is a wonderous tool.

In technology, where one appears, so do others. The newest tool similar to I-Lighter is called Clipmarks. Like the I-Lighter product, it is a free site which offers an easier way to access information. Sure, you can use RSS feeds to guide you to the sites you crave, but Clipmarks will let you grab pieces of news or blogs and catalog them. You will need to download the Clipmark program (which puts a nifty little clip into your tool bar and lets you access the tool quickly).

Well then, you say smugly, why not simply hot link the URL? Of course, if you want to share the entire Web site, that is always possible. But others might not want to read all of the site, and you might want to share only the salient portion.

To use, highlight the parts of the Web site you choose, and save them to the Clipmark site: http://clipmarks.com/. Or post them directly to your Blog.

This works for videos (such as You Tube sites) and photos and...well, see it. I bet you will use it, or that your friends and colleagues would wish that you did.

also see: Tech Tools: I-Lighter http://www.i-lighter.com/
http://del.icio.us.com
http://technorati.com

Commentary: Curriki.org, A New Way to Learn: Update

I have to admit that I have a nasty habit of saving Web sites to my cell browser to review later. I also admit that it has come in handy when I am waiting on line at the grocery, or waiting for the freight train to pass. So, the other day I went down the list while watching a train go forward and backwards across the only route I could use to get where I was going. I accessed Curriki.org, which I had marked with a star indicating it was worth a more in depth review.
Curriki was developed by Scott McNealy, the chairman of Sun Microsystems (talk about using resources efficiently). He wanted to develop a Website where you can get anything you want to learn, K - 12, browser-based and free. He used Wikipedia as a model to create a collection of online courses that can be updated, improved, vetted and added to by innovative instructors throughout the world. Curriki.org started in January 2006 and now has more than 450 courses percolating, and more than 3000 members. Anybody can study and learn any of the courses available. It isn't meant to replace schools but to supplement them, and the courses it offers may not be available locally. What a boon this is for small towns and school districts with limited resources. Teachers can access classroom-tested content materials and assessments that are current and multimedia-based. See it at: http://www.curriki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Main/WebHome

Update: 6/8/07:
Dear Curriki member Judith Sotir,
Thank you for being part of the Curriki community!
Curriki continues to work in support of a global education community - one that makes available the best content and curricula for teaching and learning.
We've been adding content and updating our tools to help you and the other 30,000 Curriki members-to-date develop, publish, and access open source curricula. Check out the new Curriki.org, including:
Currikulum Builder:
Available as of June 1, this first-of-its-kind editing tool enables members to develop curriculum materials through a collaborative, wiki-based platform. View the Stoichiometry lesson that one educator created using the Currikulum Builder here: http://www.curriki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Coll_rmlucas/Stoichiometry

To create resources or develop a collection of resources using the Currikulum Builder, or just to add one of your favorite resources to the Curriki repository, log in to Curriki and use the orange box buttons on the member home page. Use your personal member section, My Curriki, to access all your contributions and collections.
Content Partnerships:
Curriki strives constantly to build our repository of learning resources through partnerships. We are currently working with organizations in South Africa, Canada, the U.K., India, and the U.S. to bring more curricular content to the international community. Access the contributions of current "Featured Partners" here: http://www.curriki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Main/FeaturedPartners

Are you part of an organization or institution that can share high-quality content and curricula with the global community? Please send any information or inquiries to Curriki at info@curriki.org

Curriki is YOUR community, so let us know what you think of the site’s new features and tools, and send suggestions to info@curriki.org about what you’d like to see in the future. If you would like to volunteer to test new Curriki tools as they are built, review content, or lead a Curriki project, visit
http://www.curriki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Main/Volunteer.

PLEASE NOTE: As part of our recent re-launch, all resources that members uploaded to the Curriki repository prior to 6/1/07 have shifted from the Creative Commons 2.5 to the Creative Commons 3.0 license type, since the latter is the Curriki default license. If you do NOT wish to share resources under the Creative Commons 3.0 license, you must remove your resource(s) from the repository or change the license type. For information about license types, visit http://creativecommons.org/about/licenses/meet-the-licenses.

Thanks for being part of this unique open source education community!
--The Curriki Team

Review: Tablet PC's

I am an unabashed fan of tablet PC's, and really don't understand why they don't cover a larger market share. Perhaps it's the weight issue, or the newness of writing on a tablet versus typing on a keyboard. Whatever the reason, they haven't caught fire in the marketplace. Perhaps the new Dell Latitude Tablet PC due out later this year will make a difference in the pen and touch category. It's a very lightweight convertible, and just might shake things up. See it in action at: http://direct2dell.com/one2one/archive/2007/05/18/15193.aspx