2nd+assignment

Elizabeth Takis LIS629 Assignment 2

Netvibes is an “aggregator” that allows you to create a personalized desktop that giving you direct access to all your important information all in one place. Through the use of “widgets” you can post blogs, rss feeds, favorite websites, email, search tools, social networks and more. Netvibes is not a software driven tool, it is available free on web. []
 * 1. Netvibes as a web 2.0 tool:**

Some of its special features are: · Netvibe offers a wide variety of page themes to choose from or you can create your own. · There are 180, 000. Widgets to choose from, with a wide variety of popular interests. · Netvibe widgets are categorized and accessible with a search engine. · The search engines available offer more than one choice within the widget. It is like options on top of options! · It is simple to share information. · Netvibes rss can keep you easily updated to your favorite feeds and information.

Netvibes strengths: · If there is not a widget for you, you can create your own! I created a library science widget with 5 library professional feeds. There is a feed reader view, which allows you to browse easily through your rss. You have a choice to publish into the “ecosystem” if you choose. · The use of pages allows you to easily organize your widgets. It seems like the possibilities are as far as your creativity can take you. · There were no pop-up advertisements! Netvibes weakness: · It is not clearly apparent what you are supposed to do to get started. The information you need to use the netvibes, is listed in columns at the bottom of the page. There doesn’t appear to be a lot of popular “educational” widgets, mostly news and entertainment. · I find that it sometimes takes a bit longer for the widget to open up, than just clicking on my current tabs for things like facebook and searching. · When I search for a widget I have to use a scroll down box to choose my region every time.

A similar web 2.0 “desk top “ tool is i-google. I- google and Netvibes have quite a bit in common. They are offer a personalized aggregator using similar technology. Both offer the ability to choose from a wide variety of applications, in I-google they are called “gadgets”. Both i-google and netvibes offer the ability to share and create information to be shared. There are some differences within these tools. The most obvious was the advertisements popping up within the “gadgets” of the i-google page. In addition the i-google page drop and drag technology did not work as well as the Netvibes, when moving the applications around. With i-google my pages were not as easily accessible, whereas Netvibes has great file tabs! []
 * 2. Similar web 2.0 tools:**

Pageflakes is yet another tool for creating a personalized desktop. Among some of its similar features is the ability to customize the look of the page, the use of “flakes” ( otherwise known as widgets or gadgets ), a place to collect RSS feeds, simple use of page tabs and the ability to create and add your own flake or podcast and add it to a community network. Pageflakes has a few special features that are worth mentioning. Unlike the other tools I explored, the search option allows you narrow down your search by the use of filters, as well as tabs! They also offer a “people” community where users can leave a personal profile. A nice big menu button puts many options and favorites at your fingertips. []

Netvibes is a wonderful “desktop” tool that can be used in a variety of ways in the school library media center. · Netvibes can be a great tool for the librarian to keep information organized! As Librarians we want to be able to locate reliable information from a variety of different resources and this technology can make that possible! · A library “desktop “ can be created for the students. Files can be created according to the subjects the students are studying, each file can include web links, book suggestions, rss feeds, and more all in one place. · Students can access the library “desktop” page from home and can get the assignments. The work can be done using the resources available through the page. · The students can become involved in creating a “desktop” or creating a “widget/gadget” as a technology literacy project. · It’s easy use of sharing information allows for communication and collaboration among school administration and other school staff.
 * 3. Connection to teaching and learning:**

One example of how netvibes is being used in a school environment is at Thailand’s Premiere International school in Bangkok. Author Jeff Utecht explains, “ Netvibes is their aggregator of choice, the 5th grade teachers are setting up every student with a blog for reflective learning, allowing teachers and students an easy way to find and read each other’s stuff. ”[]
 * 4. Examples of student ( or LMS ) work:**

Another example of student use of Netvibes is my own “desktop” I have created. I have tabs for general, news, entertainment, library science, and health and fitness. I will continue to add information to the files as I sort out my favorites that I have been collecting in my yahoo homepage and add them to my netvibe account. I will be adding a favorite links “widget”, adding rss feeds… maybe creating more “widgets” or even create my own “universe”. []

I have captured images of my netvibes page and inserted text and arrows in hopes to create a screencast, but I was not able to figure out jing/screencasting.com. I did however take these images and create a timeline movie with windows movie maker. I was able to narrate it, but the sound seems low.
 * 5. Instructions:**

media type="file" key="PhotoStorynetvibes.wmv" width="300" height="300"

I found all of these tools to have very similar applications. The fact that you can keep so much information in one place is a great thing. I do feel that any of these tools can be used in a library setting, as a student page and to create a place for the LMS information. I think a classroom teacher could also benefit from this kind of organizing tool. Google seemd to be the most" commercialized" system, with its pop up adds and more "youthful' look, it may be better used at home as opposed to an academic setting. Netvibes and pageflakes has a more professional style. Pageflakes with its "people" social networking accessibility does not seem to be a great option to have in an academic setting either. My personal choice of web 2.o tool for an academic setting is Netvibes.
 * 6. Final comment:**

Kieft-Wondergem, Dorine."How to use web 2.0 technology in your library instructions." //Central medical library of the University Groningen//. 2008.
===[]===

===Utecht, Jeff."Netvibes.com in the classroom". [|//www.thethinkingstick.com//]//.// August 19, 2009. []===

===Pence, Laura. "Accessing and managing scientific literature using rss in the classroom." //Journal of chemical Education.//Vol. 85. no.10 October 2008 []===

===Erdland,Rene. Erb, Rachel."Building an i-library with i-goggle: building blocks for libraries." //Brick and click- An academic librarian symposium.//Northwest Missouri State University. November 6, 2009. []===

===Kotkaluoto et. al. "Review of service based composition interfaces." //Dept. of computer sciences, University of Tampera.// Series of publication D- net publications. October 2009.===