Thing #23!!

Wow! I made it through all 23 Things--I wasn't sure I was going to have the time.

My absolute favorite discoveries were Del.ici.ous and Rollyo. I contacted our Tech department and found out that we will have Diigo at our school. She said that she had not heard any mention of Rollyo, but would check on it. She also gave me the information to set up an educator account with Diigo.

I would love to set up some sort of wiki for book lists. It would be great if we could share this list among librarians in our district--each adding to the lists.

I think my biggest surprise is that I got used to this blogging. I have not completely ruled out setting up a blog for students to read in which I review books I'm reading and talk about library activities. I will really have to think about that one because the kids are so young.

I am glad that I participated in this program because it helps me to keep up-to-date on technology which seems to be changing every day. Even if I don't use certain products, I think it is important to keep informed.

If I were to take this class over again I would try to get started earlier and complete the activities at a more leisurely pace. I would definitely consider participating again.

If I were to describe this course in just a few words I would say "informative" and "comprehensive." Thanks for the opportunity!

Thing #22

I just explored several nings. I can see the advantage of creating a ning for a special user group. It allows people to have an opportunity to communicate freely when they have a need. I am on the TLC listserv and receive many e-mails each day. I read them if I have time and if the e-mail has some relevance to me. I delete/disregard the rest. I don't reply or respond because I don't want to overwhelm the inboxes of Texas librarians! A ning seems like a much more relaxed way to communicate and share ideas. I especially like that you can create a ning which requires all memberships to be approved--that could help with spam. However, I honestly do not know how people keep up with all of this and still manage to get all of their work done. I think you would have to choose carefully and keep only what adds to your experience.

I think there are so many uses for PhotoStory. Here I converted a PPT to a Photostory and added voice so that a sub could give this lesson in my absence. The only problem is that it still takes a while to create. However, I plan to continue to use this in the future. Those Creative Commons guys and the Rollyo video have got me thinking!

Thing # 20

I love YouTube--unfortunately it is blocked by our district. Fortunately, Teacher Tube is not blocked. However, TeacherTube does not have nearly as many videos. I was looking for SMARTboard tutorials that I could use in an upcoming inservice. I didn't find any on TeacherTube. I found lots on YouTube, but none that I plan to use. I did a "library" search and found this fabulous Sesame Street video. Poor Cookie Monster!

Thing #19

It was interesting to see the list of Web 2.0 awards. I was familiar with some sites, but have never heard of many. I enjoyed exploring several. I really liked Lulu and the ability to publish a book. This could be used for classrooms or schoolwide projects. It would be fun to do a schoolwide writing project and give students the opportunity to join in and become published. There are also many fundraising opportunities, as well. I thought the calendars could be a particularly fun fundraising opportunity. I'm thinking about reading Kehret's Shelter Dogs with my 3rd-5th grade students, then doing some sort of fundraising project for a local shelter. Maybe we can make a calendar featuring the "Pets of [our school]" and sell them to raise money. That could be a lot of fun!

Google Docs is great because it allows several people to work on the same document together from any computer. That would be useful for anything requiring a team contribution--whether by students or teachers.

I enjoyed taking a look a biblio.com. That could be a useful source to locate used or out-of-print books. I have a couple of titles to try when I return to school!

Finally, Vu Find was such a great search engine for library books. I loved the ability to search with faceted results (narrow the search by clicking on various facets of the result), the ability to find "more like this" and the ability to "text this" with search results. I'm sure teens would enjoy that feature!

Thing #18

I can see why using a free online tool such as Open Office would have its advantages. First, it is free to distribute this tool. Teachers can burn copies of the program to disks for students and allow students an opportunity to use them free of charge. There would be no copyright violations or concerns. Secondly, the free program would be available on any computer. If you are not at home or work with your Microsoft Suite, you could still get work done. It was nice to read that it runs on all major computing platforms and appears very easy to use.

A couple of days ago I was on the computer (I think doing an activity for this class) and came across an article discussing the advantages/disadvantages of moving your whole world to Google (including Google Docs). Although this may be convenient, you're pretty much opening up everything to the same company. The article raised issues of privacy concerns. Also, will Google use this information (or sell it) to advertisers (or others) at some point in the future?

Although I can see the benfits, I think there are also some risks. Our district has purchased the Microsoft products for all of the campuses, so I don't expect them to go anywhere soon. It will be interesting to follow this concept over time and see how it works out. It may be good to try for some limited applications, but I think I'll maintain Microsoft Office for the big ones.

Thing #17

I loved Rollyo--it is easy to see how this could help with organizing research projects. The video was very helpful and easy to understand.

I think today's youth view Google as an end-all. Many students go to Google first for answers. As pointed out in the video, Google can be overwhelming. Many searches result in thousands of hits. Using Rollyo, we can give students the search engine experience in a controlled environment. Not only can we limit the hits to safe and reliable sites, but we can reduce the number of hits to research simpler and more effective. I created this Rollyo search engine for "Sea Animals":

http://rollyo.com/ridgy-didgy/sea_animals/

I look forward to using this more when I return to school!

Thing #16

I loved the wikis so much I couldn't wait to find out if they are blocked by our district. I contacted our ITF and she said that she was in a meeting discussing using Diigo and PB works at that very moment! Apparently our training is coming soon.

I loved the wikis and can immediately think of several uses. The first possibility is creating book lists. I spend a lot of time recommending books for teachers to use in instruction--particularly in writing. Right now I have paper files, electronic files, and books/websites that I use. I would love to organize all of this (with links) to a common wiki. District librarians can add to the list--or even teachers.

We do a "Colonial Trading Card" research project where students create a digital trading card of a historical figure. In the past, we've printed out these cards and allowed the students to trade them. It would be fun to post them to a wiki to be shared there.

Also, it would be interesting to try a wiki book club. The students could read a book and comment on a wiki space--lots of fun!

It will be nice to have this technology at school, as well as home. I'm looking forward to the possibilities!

Thing #15

I think that the "Vision of Students Today" video was very thought provoking. Our society is changing so rapidly--the experience of today's students is so very different than mine...and it hasn't been THAT long since I was in college (well, maybe a touch long!). As our society changes it is natural that our institutions will change. I do not think this is something new--I think it is something that we have been adapting to for a very long time (even before the advent of the chalkboard!).

How does this affect libraries--particularly school libraries? I think libraries are profoundly affected by these changes because information comes in so many different formats. It is the responsibility of our librarians to keep up with all of this (as best as we can) so that we can continue to be relevant. I think we need to know how our children are getting their information so that we can guide them. We need to teach them how to locate reliable information, and (perhaps more importantly) identify incorrect information. I liked how one article referred to librarians as "tour guides"--in so many ways we are. We spend so much of our time steering students (and teachers and parents) towards the materials that they need and want--in the format that they desire. Sometimes they aren't sure what they want (or think they want), and we address that, as well.

However, with all of this technology I think it is crucial that we don't forget what sets us apart from these powerful search engines and sophisticated databases--that we are human. People can provide compassion, understanding, and sensitivity that all of the technology in the world can't. I enjoyed Dr. Wendy Schultz's description of the library of the future, "a WiFREE space, a retreat from technohustle, with comfortable chairs, quiet, good light, coffee and single malt. You know, the library." That part of the job is equally important.

Thing #14

I had no idea of the popularity of the blogging world--a world which has only come to my attention fairly recently. I can definitely see why tagging would help others locate your blog (if you are the writer) or to find a blog of interest (if you are the reader). I think that tagging blogs--or photos or websites (like cataloging books in a library) makes information accessible. I especially appreciate tagging my Del.ici.ous site and photos! I now know how to search Technorati for blogs of interest. However, I haven't yet created tags for my own blog. Perhaps someday...

Thing #13

I think that this social bookmarking activity may be the best discovery of this summer! I have heard about del.ici.ous before, but have not had the time to explore it. I feel like this site will make my life a whole lot easier--particularly if it is not blocked by our district! I use the "favorites" buttons lots of times, but my "favorites" list is becoming a bit clogged. Also, my "favorites" list is limited to the computer I am using (and when school computers are reimaged over the summer, all is lost if it has not been saved separately). Now I can bookmark my sites and find them from any computer--the possibilities! I have already started bookmarking my favorites from memory. Now I can go through some old e-mails that I have been afraid to delete because they have precious links! I think that my favorite part about the system is the ability to "catalog" my sites. The librarian in me loves that!

I also love the idea that I can share my del.ici.ous sites with others. Now I can make lists of useful websites for research for both students and teachers--providing (of course) that my district has not blocked this site, as well. I'm not even going to allow my mind to go there. I'm too busy imagining all of the possibilities!

Thing #12

I think commenting on blogs is tough for me--I'm a natural lurker. Cool Cat mentions that it is important to comment, as long as it the comments are worthwhile. Often my thoughts on blog topics are simple responses or opinions--not necessarily "worthwhile" contributions. I think if everyone contributed responses, blogs would look more like Facebook accounts. For that reason, I keep comments to a minimum.

ProBlogger mentions that responding to comments and asking questions will help increase traffic to your blog. I think it is interesting to respond to comments because it creates conversation. I can see that keeping up with all of these threads would be time-consuming. There was some good advice on managing threads listed in these articles.

I posted comments to some Library2Play participants and checked out blogs from some authors. I enjoy reading author blogs, particularly when we have a scheduled author visit or if we are doing a book club.

Thing #11

One of my volunteers first told me about Library Thing earlier this year. She owns over 40,000 books--more than our school library! She is working on cataloging her collection through Library Thing.

It comes as no surprise that many Library Thing users are librarians. What an easy way to catalog books! I cataloged a few in my personal children's collection--and wished it were so easy at school! I don't know if I will catalog more because my home collection is rather fluid--books coming and going all of the time. I simply don't have the storage to continue purchasing books (which I love to do) and keep the old ones, as well. The librarian in me doesn't mind sharing books with others!

Although I may not use it for my personal collection, I know I'll return to the website. I wonder how the search engine will work when traditional methods fail? Perhaps non-librarian users might enter an "unauthorized" search term that will help me find a "mystery" title!

I thought the "chat groups" were interesting, too. It might be a good place to find out about new books and upcoming local events.

Thing #10

The online image generator seems like something that can be a lot of fun. Unfortunately, my home computer blocked some of the sites (McAfee Security Center) because it said that they had tracking devices. If my home computer is blocking it, I know our school computer will do the same.

However, it would be fun to find some image generators that are not blocked and use them as story starters. Students can use a digital camera to take pictures and modify these photos--or they can create images without a photo using the available graphics. They can write about their own image, or trade images with a friend. The students can all write about the same image and compare stories. They can also use the image generator to illustrate a graphic novel.

I created my husband's college football jersey--just for fun!

Thing #9

I enjoyed Cool Cat Teacher's introduction to the importance of blogging. I especially enjoyed the part when she said, "If you were able to read the writings of Abraham Lincoln, or CS Lewis, or Gandhi, or Dale Carnegie on a daily basis, would you have done it? They are among you now. Find them and become transformed." It is a very positive perspective on this new (to me) trend.

It is nice to know that there are tools to assist in weeding through the myriad of blogs. I think that Google BlogSearch was easiest to use because I am so familiar with the Google format. I also liked School Library Blogs on Supr Glu. It helped me to focus on sites that would be most useful.

I can see how blogging in general can be a bit overwhelming to the beginner. There is so much out there. I recently joined Facebook (at the request of family members) to keep up with relatives. In some ways, it is very simple. However, sometimes I ask myself if I really need to know trivia quiz results from each person. I wonder if blogging can be a bit overwhelming, as well. I guess it is important to find and follow the blogs of writers who can keep the distractions to a minimum. I think the Edublog Award nominees may be a good place to start!

Thing #8

It was very interesting to read about RSS and Readers. I had no idea that these existed. I always wondered how people keep up with all this information--now I know!

I do not spend a lot of time reading blogs and news feeds. Most of this is blocked at work, and I'm usually too tired when I get home! However, I can see how Readers can minimize this task. I set my Google Reader up with library sites and news sites. Maybe I'll actually get to keep up with them!

I will have to see how blogs and Readers are blocked at my school so that I can assess how useful it will be for me there. We have such tight filters that I find that many sites are restricted. If they are accessible, I can keep up with professional blogs. Many of our visiting authors have blogs. It would be interesting set up a Reader to keep up with those blogs with our students.

I think the Readers will be especially helpful for faculty--we have so much going on in our lives--anything to simplify is always appreciated! They are very easy to use.

Thing #7

Wow! I thought I loved Google already--now I love it even more. I was aware of some of the applications already. However, I learned a lot more exploring these tools.

One Google tool that our family has already explored is Picasa. My husband has had the opportunity to travel with his job quite a bit. He has a Picasa site so that we can see pictures while he is traveling. Our family has enjoyed that. We've also used Google Earth at school. I know that there are some books linked to Google Earth--you can "travel" to the places mentioned in the books. I haven't tried this yet with students, though I hope to get to it this year.

Although I have used the advanced function before, I never noticed that you can search by file format. That is very nice! I would love to see SMARTboard formats added to the list. I searched "Dewey Decimal" and "ppt" file format--I may never need to make another PowerPoint again! At least I won't have to start from scratch!

I LOVE Google Scholar--I had no idea you could search that way! I often need to see research on various topics--how convenient! I typed in "Accelerated Reader"--lots of hits as you can imagine. That will definitely be useful.

I explored iGoogle--practiced setting up a custom homepage. I wish I could set that up at school! I know we can't do that. Fortunately, I can still access Google, though!

This was one of my favorite activities so far!

Thing #6

We just got back from Alaska and I decided to use some photos from our trip to create this mosaic in Mosaic Maker. Downloading the photos to Flickr was easy, but took a bit of time. I think the Mosaic Maker site was having issues because it kept closing while I was uploading the pictures. This process took far longer than I ever would have imagined--however, it worked in the end! For that I am thankful!

Thing #5

I explored Flickr--what a neat site. I have been meaning to take a look as my daughter's Girl Scout troop set up a Flickr site to share troop photos. I LOVE the Creative Commons portion. I am an elementary school librarian at an Australian-themed school in the U.S. It is not always easy to find great photos of the land down under for our research projects. I found lots of stuff I can use--including this photo of a sea turtle, Great Barrier Reef, Cairns, Australia by In Veritas Lux. Unfortunately, it is probably blocked by our school district. I'll have to check on it when school resumes.

Thing #4

Blog registered--I think! Whew!

Thing #3

Just finished creating an Avatar of myself. That was fun! I like that I can change all of the varous aspects--particulary couture! It was easier than I expected.

Thing #2

I just finished viewing "7-1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Learners" posted by the Charlotte and Mecklenburg County Public Libraries. I really liked step #1, begin with the end in mind. As a library media speicalist, we teach kids to do this any time they are trying to learn something new. It makes sense that we should continue to do this outside of the formal research process. We need to set goals for ourselves (then remember to monitor progress toward these goals). I think the most difficult step is step #3--view problems as challenges. Sometimes I get so caught up with the crisis that I have to remind myself that it is a learning opportunity. Funny thing is that once I remind myself of the opportunity to grow, the stress of the crisis diffuses. Now if only I could eliminate the initial panic...