Friday, December 7, 2007
Episode 16: Google Maps Vidcast
Episode 16: Google Maps Podcast
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Episode 15: Google Custom Search Engine screencast
Episode 15: Google Custom Search Engine podcast
A transcript of the podcast is available here: Transcript
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Cool Tools Vidcast Episode 14 - Voki
In this screencast I demonstrate some of the uses of Voki, including how to create a Voki, embed it into a blog or post it to a social network profile. I also briefly introduce the Play area. Enjoy!
Monday, December 3, 2007
Cool Tools Podcast Episode 14 - Voki
Click to Play
Welcome to the Cool Tools vidcast and podcast series; an exciting look at Web 2.0 social technologies. The Cool Tools blog is located at cooltoolslibrary2.blogspot.com. My name is Brandy and in this episode I will be talking about Voki. Voki is a website where you can create personalized avatars using your own voice. The Voki website is located at www.voki.com, that’s w w w dot v o k i dot com. Voki was created by Oddcast, the creators of SitePal avatars, and was released to the public earlier this year. Voki is free to use for individual and non-commercial use.
Vokis are a great way to socialize and communicate with friends and other online users. After creating your personalized Voki you can post it to your social network profile, including MySpace, Friendster and Facebook, embed it into your blog, and also contribute to the Play area of Voki. The play area is a space where users can post and share content via their avatars. For example, in the B93.7 Karaoke playground users can create a Voki and have their animated avatars participate in “The Singing B!”
Audio files can be recorded using a microphone, the telephone or text to speech. Other areas of the playground include a rap battle, sharing your best pick up lines, and your best impressions of dubya. Oddcast is also working on integrating Voki in a number of instant messaging platforms as well as the ability to download Vokis to video supported cell phones.
Voki also offers a Partner Program where online communities and social networks can embed Vokis on any web page, network or application. The Voki Partner Program is a way for organizations to use social technologies to increase the “community experience” and online interaction between groups of users. As you can see Voki is a fun way to socialize by creating an online persona, a visual and vocal representation of you.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Episode 13: IGoogle Screencast
Click here to play screencast
Click here to view screencast transcript
Episode 13: IGoogle Podcast
IGoogle provides a way to quickly and easily personalize your own homepage. IGoogle provides over 1000 gadgets that perform a variety of functions, such as RSS feeds, games, book and movie search, and photo display.
IGoogle also allows you to share any of your pages or gadgets with your friends. IGoogle is an easy and effective way to gather and organize information.
If you have a Gmail or GoogleTalk account, then you already have access to IGoogle.com. Use your login info to get started on IGoogle today!
Click here to play podcast
Click here to view podcast transcript
Episode 12: Digg Vidcast
For a summary of this vidcast, see the transcript for the podcast below.
Episode 12: Digg Podcast
Digg Podcast Transcript as follows:
Welcome to the Cool Tools Library Podcast Series, part of a series exploring innovative web 2.0 tools. The Cool Tools Podcasts and Vidcasts can be found at http://cooltoolslibrary2.blogspot.com.
My name is Trevor and I’ll be talking about Digg.com which can be found at:
D I G G DOT COM. Digg is a web site that, using members' feedback, aggregates and displays information. Any member can submit a blogpost, a website, a news article or video—anything on the web—to Digg. Members can then check out the submissions, and by clicking a small button to the left of each linked story, members effectively vote for that site—or “Digg” it. People can see how many members have "Dugg" a particular story by the number to the left of the link. So if 532 people have dug a page and think others should read it, a small box with the number 532 will be displayed. Digg is a very democratic system. Eventually, when enough people have "Dug" a page, the submitted site makes its way to Digg's front page where it can be more readily seen by members and non-members alike.
For stories that have few votes, users can click on the "Upcoming" link to see stories that have been submitted but which have very few votes—usually because the site has been very recently submitted.
Members can also choose what type of stories they would like to see displayed. By clicking the "customize" button, members can choose what sorts of topics interest them, and only those topics will be displayed when they log in.
On the front page of Digg, members can even more specifically limit what is displayed. The front page includes a menu of topics in which they have indicated an interest, and by clicking one of these topics, only stories relating to that will be shown. So if a member only want to see stories, from, say, “Technology” he or she can just click on the “technology” tab and only those sort of stories will be included.
Also on the front page is a “top ten” list of all categories—a very useful list to see what’s going on of interest on the web.
Members can also search for specific topics. After entering a search term in the upper right hand corner of every page, a list of sites will appear that relate to the search term. Digg searches through the metadata of a page and allows users to search in the following fields: title, description, or url – or some permutation of all of these. And in good Web2.0 fashion, Digg includes RSS so that every time a new story is submitted relating to a specific search term, users’ RSS readers will be updated.
Digg is an exceptional site to see what is hot on the web, and what others are talking, reading, and writing about. Stories of little or narrow interest can be submitted but rarely garnish the number of votes necessary to make it to the front page. As well, each story displays who submitted it, and allows anyone to click on that person’s handle to see all the stories he or she has submitted.
Digg is not only an excellent resource for news hunters, culture jammers, and web-izens, for is social connectivity and on-the-minute updates, it can also be a terrific resource for more casual web-surfers as well. Any news item that has surfaced on the web, and that has been submitted to Digg can be found using the search tool. And while Digg certainly is not as vigorous a news search engine as some of the paid-subscription services, it can act as a beneficial tool for those who don’t mind browsing a bit. And let’s not forget: it’s free!
That should get you started with Digg. Thanks for tuning in.
Click to listen to the podcast
or
follow this url:
http://amazon.sjsu.edu/html-df246a1/diggpodcast.mp3
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Vidcast Episode 11 - Zotero
For the script of this screencast, click here.
Podcast Episode 11 - Zotero
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Vidcast Episode 10 – Google Docs
View the original screencast (3:09, 640x480) [see the script]
Or you can watch it right here!
Podcast Episode 10 – Google Docs
Google Docs is a free Web-based application for documents, spreadsheets and presentations. It’s analogous to having Microsoft Office’s Word, Excel, and PowerPoint available online so that you can not only create and store those files online, but you can also share the files with others and easily collaborate on them.
This Podcast gives more information on this fascinating tool.
Listen to the Podcast (4:04) [see the script].
Livemocha screencast
Once again, clicking the link should get the screencast.
Livemocha
I tried Livemocha, which is a new social way to learn languages. The CEO, Shirish Nadkarni, explains in the launch video how the best electronic language tools are still on CDROM, early 1990s technology. Livemocha is in beta, so it is still free. You can sign up for a course, have your work evaluated by native speakers, chat with native speakers or with a group of people all learning the same language, you can speak and hear if you have a microphone and headset, and you can even communicate via video if you have a webcam. When they started there were 6 core languages, but this has already expanded to 27. As our communities become more linguistically diverse and as the world becomes more integrated, I think that Livemocha will be a great tool for library staff to learn other languages and also as something to recommend to the public. Clicking on the logo at the top of this post or the link at the end of this sentence should get the podcast.
Here is the text. Victor for Cool Tools, signing off.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Episode 7 - Voice Thread
Episode 7 - Voice Thread
I got permission to use the music from the musician, my fiancee.
Click to listen to episode #7
Click for transcript of podcast.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Cooltools Vidcast Episode 6 - Gliffy.com
Click
Cooltools Podcast Episode 6 - Gliffy.com
Click here to read the full-text of the podcast.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Cool Tools Vidcast Episode 5 -TalkShoe
This vidcast takes users step-by-step through the process of creating, scheduling, and hosting your own TalkCast. These TalkCasts can be interactive talk shows, podcasts, conversations between family and friends, or a conference call between coworkers.
Hosts can manage and schedule recurring TalkCasts and subcribe to other hosts podcasts through RSS feeds. Best of all, all TalkCasts can be recorded and downloaded or played at any time. TalkShoe widgets allow you to integrate your TalkCasts into different types of web pages.
There are many features available through the TalkShoe service, but this vidcast only demonstrates hosting your own vidcast. Users can also simply listen and/or participate in other hosts' TalkCasts, but that is not covered in this vidcast.
Watch the Episode 5 vidcast
Cool Tools Podcast Episode 5 - TalkShoe
TalkShoe allows anyone to easily create, join, or listen to live "TalkCasts," which can be interactive discussions, talkshows, conversations, podcasts or audioblogs.
This podcast outlines the numerous features available through TalkShoe.com and the TalkShoe Live! software. You can also view the PDF transcript with live links.
Listen to Episode 5 podcast
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Cool Tools Vidcast Episode 4- Jaiku
So instead of showing you how to use Jaiku, I have made a vidcast touring the Jaiku website and showing where to find things on the site. Hopefully my account will be activated soon and I can make a vidcast showing how to use Jaiku. As soon as that happens, I will post it here.
Cool Tools Podcast Episode 4- Jaiku
Jaiku lets users compose posts to their profile, search and add friends and comment on other user's messages. That can all be done using a computer. But it seems that the future of Jaiku is the mobile phone. Currently a Jaiku software package can only be downloaded to a Nokia S60 phone, but hopefully soon it will be compatible with more models and types of phones. In addition, Jaiku posts can be sent as read as text message, emails and instant messages. Please click below to hear a podcast describing the history of Jaiku, why it is/can be relevant and to learn about its uses. For a transcript of the podcast, click here.
Click To Play
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Cool Tools Vidcast Episode 3 - Google Books
Cool Tools Podcast Episode 3 - Google Books
Google Books offers users the opportunity to view and search the full content of books. For titles which have gone out of copyright or for which rights holders have given permission, users can also view either full content or limited previews of content. Users can search on a variety of standard library metadata, and they'll also find a host of supplemental information, including access information and lists of citing and related books. My Library is a relatively new feature of the Google Books project. It allows users to create their own collections of books to which they may also assign labels and reviews. Collections can be shared by RSS. As the audience for a universal, digital library continues to grow, the Google Books project presents users with an easy to use, familiar interface and a rich database, which, even if controversial, provides a wealth of information.
Without further ado, I present Cool Tools Podcast Episode 3 - Google Books:
You can also download the podcast transcript as an RTF file.
Google Books links:
Google Books Search
About
Blog
My Library
Thanks to Royalty Free Music for the intro/exit music.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Cool Tools Screencast Episode 2 - Google Calendar
Cool Tools Podcast Episode 2 - Google Calendar
Here is the script used for the podcast:
Welcome to the cool tools podcast series; a collection of podcasts describing some of today’s latest tools. Visit the blog at http://cooltoolslibrary2.blogspot.com/.
My name is Thomas and on this podcast I am going to talk about Google Calendar. You can visit the Google Calendar webpage at calendar.google.com. As the webpage says “Simplify. Organize. (And relax.) Organizing your schedule shouldn't be a burden.” This is not just another calendar tool that attempts to solve the problem of organizing times and dates. This calendar has so many more features that are constantly being updated.
As you could probably guess, this tool is in the suite of products offered by Google. Google takes its approach to the calendar dilemma by using the platform of the web. There is no software to download or license to buy; just sign up for a free Google account and you are on your way. By having it on the web, Google can offer Calendar to anyone that has a supported web browser and access to the internet.
By now you probably want to hear some of the great features employed by Google.
Starting off, the tool is easy to use. The first visit to your Calendar will give you an immediate response on what to do. Go ahead and click on any date to add an event. It is that easy. After clicking on a date, there are two ways to add an event. One is to fill out the “What:” field and then clicking on “Create Event.” This is the “Quick Add” feature. The other is to click on the “edit event details.” This will take you to a more detailed screen where you can fill out as many details as you want. This is also where you can do the next feature, inviting other people to the event.
Inviting people is easy. After clicking “edit event details,” go ahead and click on “Add Guests.” You can enter in people’s email addresses and Google Calendar will do the rest for you. It is okay if the invitee does not use Google Calendar, they will be able to receive the invitation and post responses.
Do you have some people that you want to share your calendar with? Google Calendar deals magnificently with viewing other people’s calendars as well as telling them about yours. It is so easy to use. Just click on the “add” button where the calendars are located (on the left of the screen) and follow the on screen instructions. From there you can turn off other people’s calendars (if it is filling up your calendar view) or turn them on (to see what they are doing).
There are also public event calendars for viewing. These calendars are events that are going on in your area that have publicized on Google Calendar. You can get to these calendars by searching for them. That leads into the next feature; search.
What would a Google tool be without a search feature? At the top of the screen, Google added a search box so that you can search your events and your friends’ events with ease. Public event calendars are also incorporated into the search.
Now for all you mobile users out there, Google has added some features to help you out in using your cell phone for remembering those hard to remember occasions. One feature is the mobile calendar website. Point your mobile device to mobile.google.com and click on the calendar link. It’ll take you to a wonderfully designed mobile site with all your calendar info. Another mobile tool that Google and implemented is the SMS feature. For any event that you add, you can have Google send a text message to your cell phone reminding you of the event.
Finally, I am going to mention the Gmail integration. If you have a Gmail account (that’s Google’s solution for email), then you have a powerful tool combination. Let’s say that someone emails you with their birthday party information. It is a pain to add that into your calendar manually. So why not let Google do it for you. Google recognizes calendar event information and prompts you on the right of an email if you would like to add it to your calendar.
So go ahead and give Google Calendar a go. It is definitely worth trying out.
For more cool tools, feel free to visit the cool tool blog at http://cooltoolslibrary2.blogspot.com/. Thanks for listening and have fun organizing your life with Google!
Listen to the podcast here:
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Cool Tools Vidcast Episode 1 - Technorati
There are many features on the site that I didn’t have time to cover in a three minute vidcast, but hopefully the information presented is enough to get you started!
To watch the vidcast, click this link: Technorati vidcast (Note: Give it a while to load - it's a big file!)
The script for the vidcast is also linked here. And you may want to listen to the podcast also on this site.
The vidcast is also posted on blip.tv:
Cool Tools Podcast Episode 1 - Technorati
In the podcast I talk about some of the value-added by Technorati, such as the authority rating for blogs, based on number of links to a blog. I cover favorite lists and "watchlists" and why you might want to add your own blog to both of these.
The Technorati search engine is tailored to search the blogosphere, and I go over some of the advanced search features, and how to get the most from the search results.
If you are a blogger, you will want to make sure that Technorati knows about your blog and keeps up with your content. In the podcast, "pinging" Technorati about new content is covered.
Technorati developers and the community at large create helpful widgets that expand on Technorati services. For example, you can create a tag cloud for your blog, or add a news ticker. In the podcast I mention some of the widgets available on the Technorati site.
To listen to the podcast, click this link: Technorati Podcast
The script for the podcast is also linked here. And you may want to watch the Technorati vidcast also on this site!
The podcast is also posted on blip.tv (click the thumbnail image below, then click again where it says "click to start" to listen to the podcast):
Note: Soundtrack music clips used at the beginning and end of these Cool Tool podcasts are from the Royalty Free Music website. The vidcast music is from Melody Loops.