What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey? My favorite discoveries were Rollyo and RSS feeds. I started the summer wanting to add RSS feeds and to learn more about them, so I think that is an important reason that it was a favorite. The Rollyo app is such a useful addition to my research instruction that I can't wait to use it at school. I also like the mash-ups. We are going to use trading cards in research this year.
How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals? I really needed to begin to use more of Web 2.0 applications. I now understand and see many opportunities to use them in the library.
Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you? I was pleasantly surprised by the ease of completing the tasks. I was a little concerned that there might be sections were I felt like I was in over my head. I felt like the process was very well organized and explained so no one would feel overwhelmed. The video clips, screen shots, Youtube videos and explanations were just fabulous! It is apparent that much time and effort went into this online course. It was much appreciated.
What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept? I thought it was a great overview of Web 2.0, and it gave us a great place to begin our journey of in-depth study.
If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you choose to participate? Yes, but I would like to explore fewer areas in more depth.
How would you describe your learning experience in ONE WORD or in ONE SENTENCE, so we could use your words to promote 23 Things learning activities? Enlightening!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
Thing #22 Nings
I really was not aware of Nings. As I read the 7 things about Nings, I kept wondering if I could set up a Ning for my high school class. I haven't seen many of them in years, and I wondered if I could connect to any of them.
I think it is great that nings can remain private. I noticed on all the Nings that I looked at that you had to be a member to comment. They all mentioned spammers and that all members would have to be approved first. I really liked the Teacher Librarian Ning and the Texas School Librarian Ning. I recognized many of the names and people on the Texas Library Ning. It wasn't as all inclusive as the Teacher Librarian Ning. I tried to view several of the videos, but they weren't properly embedded, so they did not work. (Boy do I know how hard that can be.) I thought it was a great place to look for a job opportunity especially if you had to move. I read several of the blog posts and found some ideas that I can use in my library. I also found opportunities for courses for librarians to take online. Thanks for opening my eyes to Nings.
I think it is great that nings can remain private. I noticed on all the Nings that I looked at that you had to be a member to comment. They all mentioned spammers and that all members would have to be approved first. I really liked the Teacher Librarian Ning and the Texas School Librarian Ning. I recognized many of the names and people on the Texas Library Ning. It wasn't as all inclusive as the Teacher Librarian Ning. I tried to view several of the videos, but they weren't properly embedded, so they did not work. (Boy do I know how hard that can be.) I thought it was a great place to look for a job opportunity especially if you had to move. I read several of the blog posts and found some ideas that I can use in my library. I also found opportunities for courses for librarians to take online. Thanks for opening my eyes to Nings.
Thing #21
This project was really easy. We have received training in our district for creating Photostories, and I have several that I am working on for next year. This "thing" is great because I now have one of my projects for next year completed. The photostory that I created is a booktalk of 4 books that involve puzzles and mysteries. I plan to use it with my fifth graders. I had a little trouble saving it to the blog but it was better than #20.
Thing #20 continuing
Ok, just in case there is someone who is having a lot of trouble with your video, here is what I did. After working for one day, just trying to download the video into the edit Html code directly on the blog, I decided that was useless. If I logged on using Mozilla, it worked, but not if I used Internet Explorer. At the dinner table, we discussed this and the conclusion was that I was working with Google apps and Mozilla interfaced better than Internet Explorer because it is a Microsoft application.
The second day, I downloaded the URL not the embed code into Zamzar (be sure you use the download tab) and they converted it to .wmv. (That means windows media viewer-- just in case you are clueless like I am.) I tried to copy the link and paste it in my blog using the html code. Didn't work at all... Well, I was beginning to panic because the converted file is only available for 24 hours, so I downloaded it into my documents. Then I begged my son for help. In about 60 seconds, he took the information that I gave him and added the video to the blog. He said the edit html was not the way to add the video. On the toolbar, he chose the video tab and browsed to my documents and added the video. Done, that was it; I was esctatic, but skeptical. It took a while -- (15 minutes for the video to load), and wah lah -- it works. It is a video for Animoto. I want to create one, so I am glad I have a copy of the video in my documents.
The bottom line is: Use Zamzar -- download tab --using the URL from the video -- convert to .wmv. Once it is in your email, save it in your documents. Go to your blog, choose the video tab, browse and add your video. I hope this helps. This is day three for the video for me.
The second day, I downloaded the URL not the embed code into Zamzar (be sure you use the download tab) and they converted it to .wmv. (That means windows media viewer-- just in case you are clueless like I am.) I tried to copy the link and paste it in my blog using the html code. Didn't work at all... Well, I was beginning to panic because the converted file is only available for 24 hours, so I downloaded it into my documents. Then I begged my son for help. In about 60 seconds, he took the information that I gave him and added the video to the blog. He said the edit html was not the way to add the video. On the toolbar, he chose the video tab and browsed to my documents and added the video. Done, that was it; I was esctatic, but skeptical. It took a while -- (15 minutes for the video to load), and wah lah -- it works. It is a video for Animoto. I want to create one, so I am glad I have a copy of the video in my documents.
The bottom line is: Use Zamzar -- download tab --using the URL from the video -- convert to .wmv. Once it is in your email, save it in your documents. Go to your blog, choose the video tab, browse and add your video. I hope this helps. This is day three for the video for me.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Thing #20
I never realized just how many YouTube videos there are. I laughed a lot during this exploration. I would love to create a teacher tube video and that is something I will work on this school year. I especially loved learning about Zamzar that allow one to change the video and download it in another format so the videos may be used at school. I found videos that teach about simple machines, Animoto, plants, Texas history and so many more. The one I embedded is on Animoto. I used Blinkx to search TeacherTube and YouTube, but I thought both of the sites had great search options. This video shows up in Mozilla, but not in Internet explorer. Weird. I'm waiting on the conversion from Zamzar. I'll embed it as soon as it is ready.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Thing #19 Web 2.0 Awards
Since I am a librarian, I headed straight for the Web 2.0 Awards for books. First I searched Lulu, but it is not free. It is a cool place to create mini-books with your class. Photos can be imported from Flickr, but there would always have to be permission forms signed from parents before photos can be used. Lulu can also be used to create a photo calendar and cookbooks can be created for fundraisers. Since library budgets are growing smaller everyday, that might be an option. I also appreciated the option to publish a book or a book of poetry. There are always students who would like to pursue publication of their works.
Next, I searched Biblio. Woo Hoo! It is a great source for out-of-print books. I searched several books that teachers have requested and I found them. I can't wait to let our business department know about this site. After searching a bit more, I found that they will accept P/Os and their shipping options and prices are easy to understand. This site is great for locating those books that the mainstream vendors no longer carry, but teachers need for special lessons. These books would not be the type to be placed on the shelves for children, but the bindings would be acceptable to be housed in a professional section for special teacher uses.
I took a look at VuFind, but the demo didn't really work. I clicked on the FAQs, but it didn't popup anything. I don't really understand the site. I have use WorldCat several times before. It is a great site to search for MARC records. It is always easier to edit a MARC record rather than to create one from scratch. I have also used it to proof my own original cataloguing to make sure that I am not missing something.
Next, I searched Biblio. Woo Hoo! It is a great source for out-of-print books. I searched several books that teachers have requested and I found them. I can't wait to let our business department know about this site. After searching a bit more, I found that they will accept P/Os and their shipping options and prices are easy to understand. This site is great for locating those books that the mainstream vendors no longer carry, but teachers need for special lessons. These books would not be the type to be placed on the shelves for children, but the bindings would be acceptable to be housed in a professional section for special teacher uses.
I took a look at VuFind, but the demo didn't really work. I clicked on the FAQs, but it didn't popup anything. I don't really understand the site. I have use WorldCat several times before. It is a great site to search for MARC records. It is always easier to edit a MARC record rather than to create one from scratch. I have also used it to proof my own original cataloguing to make sure that I am not missing something.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Thing #18
I have used Googledocs before, but I really took time to explore this application. I found an application that I would love to use with students to edit documents online with a student via an email account. When I don't have time to really discuss writing with students, we could revise compositions at home through email. If I am scoring papers anyway, why not have the student on the line so I can discuss revisions with them. I love the "rollback to the previous version option." My husband saves all of his documents online. Now I see why. Googledocs automatically allows one to save documents online, and they are accessible by any computer anytime. The templates are unbelievable -- 447. Wow! I found a Christmas card template that had a Youtube video inserted. We are going to try it for this year. I love it!
I downloaded OpenOffice. It took 30 minutes. No downloading for Googledocs. After I registered and began exploring, I decided that I wasn't sure that I was ready to open a new project. I need more information. I think it would be great for exploring a concept with full collaboration from all participants. It might be a great way for teachers to complete a book study with participation from all learners. I would love to view a video or something to learn more about it.
I downloaded OpenOffice. It took 30 minutes. No downloading for Googledocs. After I registered and began exploring, I decided that I wasn't sure that I was ready to open a new project. I need more information. I think it would be great for exploring a concept with full collaboration from all participants. It might be a great way for teachers to complete a book study with participation from all learners. I would love to view a video or something to learn more about it.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Thing #17 Rollyo
First of all, I want to recognize Bruce Goodner for his fabulous video. The Common Craft Guys have nothing better than what he created for Rollyo. I had absolutely no idea about Rollyo, yet I was able to search websites and create a specific Rollyo in about 25 minutes. This is one of my favorite discoveries so far. The site that I created will be used next year for 5th grade research.
http://rollyo.com/m0101189/americanrevolution5/
Because teachers are able to customize the list of search sites, almost like a filtered search engine, student searches will be more effective, more efficient, and fewer irrelevant results will be returned. No longer will students and teachers be overwhelmed by an abundance of returns; student searches will yield positive results immediately. Rollyo creates customized lists that are pertinent and narrow. I am so glad that Bruce explained the blue results. As I reviewed the results of a couple of searches, I was surprised at first to see the blue results because the sites weren't in my customized list.
In order to make searching, more efficient, I have previously created pages with URLS for students to use. We housed it on the Sdrive. I love Rollyo because it takes searching up a notch and asks students to search and make choices.
Thank you again, Bruce. You made this thing super simple.
http://rollyo.com/m0101189/americanrevolution5/
Because teachers are able to customize the list of search sites, almost like a filtered search engine, student searches will be more effective, more efficient, and fewer irrelevant results will be returned. No longer will students and teachers be overwhelmed by an abundance of returns; student searches will yield positive results immediately. Rollyo creates customized lists that are pertinent and narrow. I am so glad that Bruce explained the blue results. As I reviewed the results of a couple of searches, I was surprised at first to see the blue results because the sites weren't in my customized list.
In order to make searching, more efficient, I have previously created pages with URLS for students to use. We housed it on the Sdrive. I love Rollyo because it takes searching up a notch and asks students to search and make choices.
Thank you again, Bruce. You made this thing super simple.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Thing #16 Wikis
It is exciting to learn more about Wikis. What I still don't understand after spending most of the day exploring is -- are wikis free? When I explore the PBWorks site, it says to contact an agent for sales information. Can a wiki be hosted somewhere for free? It looks fairly easy to host, but it looks like it can become very involved quite quickly. What a great way to extend a concept using the web!
I love the way a teacher can add a video clip, links, and begin collaboration in a safe environment. I think elementary students could use this activity at school to begin to try out some of the Web 2.0 tools that we have been learning in the 23 Things. I would love to add Flickr to the wiki and have students check out mashups. I believe the first step is just introduction and the natives will continue to collaborate and extend their learning in ways that we might not even imagine at first.
I found this YouTube video that share teachers' thoughts on using wikis. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=av2yofWSdU0 Check it out.
Wikis are not one-dimensional; a teacher can take a research project and essentially create a group project where all students learn to be collaborators and work together. Basic etiquette will need to be taught, and students must be willing to be respectful when sharing information.
I love the way a teacher can add a video clip, links, and begin collaboration in a safe environment. I think elementary students could use this activity at school to begin to try out some of the Web 2.0 tools that we have been learning in the 23 Things. I would love to add Flickr to the wiki and have students check out mashups. I believe the first step is just introduction and the natives will continue to collaborate and extend their learning in ways that we might not even imagine at first.
I found this YouTube video that share teachers' thoughts on using wikis. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=av2yofWSdU0 Check it out.
Wikis are not one-dimensional; a teacher can take a research project and essentially create a group project where all students learn to be collaborators and work together. Basic etiquette will need to be taught, and students must be willing to be respectful when sharing information.
Thing #15 Library 2.0
I especially enjoyed David Warlick's post and I added him to my RSS feeds. He had a particularly interesting blog on Twitter, and it's importance in Web 2.0. I think all of us as librarians are trying to find ways to implement technology into library services. At the elementary level, we have begun providing interactive books online, but our major push is sharing technology with teachers to integrate into their classrooms. Our district has a powerful filter and many sites are not available in the district -- no blogs, no wikis.
When I have asked my students if they can access the Web at home, only about one-third of the class has internet access. In that case, it is up to us at school to provide as much access to computers and technology that we can. How will these students be able to compete in today's society without technology training? What I am reading in these articles seems more relevant for high school and public libraries. We start simple in elementary school. We teach them to use the online card catalog and to read information online instead of trying to print everything to take with them. We introduce them to very simple online tools, how to use those tools to explore and share information, and ways to evaluate the information on the web to be a wise consumers. We are constantly looking for ways to add value and relevancy to our services. I do agree that federated searches must be able to reach into our collections and databases to be of real value.
When I have asked my students if they can access the Web at home, only about one-third of the class has internet access. In that case, it is up to us at school to provide as much access to computers and technology that we can. How will these students be able to compete in today's society without technology training? What I am reading in these articles seems more relevant for high school and public libraries. We start simple in elementary school. We teach them to use the online card catalog and to read information online instead of trying to print everything to take with them. We introduce them to very simple online tools, how to use those tools to explore and share information, and ways to evaluate the information on the web to be a wise consumers. We are constantly looking for ways to add value and relevancy to our services. I do agree that federated searches must be able to reach into our collections and databases to be of real value.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Thing #14 Technorati & Tags
I don't think anything has been as eye-opening as searching Technorati with keywords, whole blogs, and tags. When I searched by tags, the returns were much more applicable to my original search idea. Wow! Tags really are important. I do agree with the Technorati video that the originator probably should not be tagging his post, rather the readers should tag the post. If the originator tags the post, a popular tag is often used that would allow the blogger more hits, but it might not truly be the tag that really embodies the post.
I thought the first video was extremely simple to understand while explaining all the new features of Technorati. I was so excited to do a search of the most popular searches in Technorati. In the top ten, I noted Paris Hilton, Jennifer Garner, Jennifer Anniston and news. The first three were definitely out, so I chose to explore "news." Imagine my excitement when I looked at the first three blogs -- Bad writing contest, Man tries to rob hotel with butter knife, Wimbeldon info. Well, it was on to the top three blogs -- which led to information about harvesting rainwater in Colorado, Do I need a mentor, and the everpopular -- getting more hits on your blog.
I do see the importance of tagging and searching for tags. Hopefully it will direct me to pertinent information.
I thought the first video was extremely simple to understand while explaining all the new features of Technorati. I was so excited to do a search of the most popular searches in Technorati. In the top ten, I noted Paris Hilton, Jennifer Garner, Jennifer Anniston and news. The first three were definitely out, so I chose to explore "news." Imagine my excitement when I looked at the first three blogs -- Bad writing contest, Man tries to rob hotel with butter knife, Wimbeldon info. Well, it was on to the top three blogs -- which led to information about harvesting rainwater in Colorado, Do I need a mentor, and the everpopular -- getting more hits on your blog.
I do see the importance of tagging and searching for tags. Hopefully it will direct me to pertinent information.
Thing #13 Social bookmarking
I have used delicious before, but I stopped using it. Since I have re-examined it, I can see ways it is much better than just adding websites to Favorites. I am going transfer several of my favorites over to delicious and tag them. I understand tag clouds.
When I clicked on the hyperlink for Furl and watched the demo, it took me directly to Diigo, and I was so surprised. I have seen Diigo on several of friend's emails, but I was unsure exactly what it was. It doesn't look as easy to use as Delicious or Digg. When I checked out the top 30 social bookmarking sites, there was Digg. It looks extremely user-friendly.
Magnolia is completely down. I made a few comments so the originators would be aware. The podcast and video are no longer up. I searched Delicious on YouTube and found a super video on Delicious. I also checked out the site for FAQ for delicious.
As for how I will use it in the library, I am not sure it is appopriate in the elementary setting. It seems much more appropriate for the high school level. I like to use our databases for research and most of the online encyclopedias are reading level friendly. We can bookmark those pages and place them in the work location and the students can look at the entries that we starred. I know I can trust the information on those sites.
I think it will help organize my web information, and that is a huge plus.
When I clicked on the hyperlink for Furl and watched the demo, it took me directly to Diigo, and I was so surprised. I have seen Diigo on several of friend's emails, but I was unsure exactly what it was. It doesn't look as easy to use as Delicious or Digg. When I checked out the top 30 social bookmarking sites, there was Digg. It looks extremely user-friendly.
Magnolia is completely down. I made a few comments so the originators would be aware. The podcast and video are no longer up. I searched Delicious on YouTube and found a super video on Delicious. I also checked out the site for FAQ for delicious.
As for how I will use it in the library, I am not sure it is appopriate in the elementary setting. It seems much more appropriate for the high school level. I like to use our databases for research and most of the online encyclopedias are reading level friendly. We can bookmark those pages and place them in the work location and the students can look at the entries that we starred. I know I can trust the information on those sites.
I think it will help organize my web information, and that is a huge plus.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Thing #12 Creating Community through Commenting
As I read through the strategies for commenting, I really began to think about the need to just comment. I am in the process of really cleaning my home -- I call it "deep cleaning." So the thought of clutter just popped into my thoughts. How many of our comments are really just clutter. I lurk around a lot, but if I have something meaningful to contribute, I will add a comment. Sometimes, I think people are really only adding clutter. I believe that is why more people do not add comments. I think people often do not contribute because the issue under discussion has been blogged to death, and there are no new comments to make.
Another thought that I have is community... Is blogging really a community? I worry about my own children and this generation of teens. They stay in their rooms or in the office and stay connected to their friends electronically. They blog, twitter, and use facebook continually. Are they going to be able to function in a workplace with society? Will they actually talk to people or will they just email to the next cube? Honestly, I would rather communicate face-to-face than on a computer.
Blue Skunk comments back to every blogger. Wow! Commenting to every blogger is a huge undertaking. I am not sure where to find the time.
I added two new blogs to my RSS feeds. One is about home decorating -- I am moving the office downstairs and reclaiming a bedroom upstairs. The other one is about sewing. I need to make a new shower curtain and I want to add grommets. I think I will be able to search this blog for the information that I need.
I have commented on a few blogs. I am so impressed with some of the backgrounds of the blogs. Way to go you guys! I'll post more comments in the future.
Another thought that I have is community... Is blogging really a community? I worry about my own children and this generation of teens. They stay in their rooms or in the office and stay connected to their friends electronically. They blog, twitter, and use facebook continually. Are they going to be able to function in a workplace with society? Will they actually talk to people or will they just email to the next cube? Honestly, I would rather communicate face-to-face than on a computer.
Blue Skunk comments back to every blogger. Wow! Commenting to every blogger is a huge undertaking. I am not sure where to find the time.
I added two new blogs to my RSS feeds. One is about home decorating -- I am moving the office downstairs and reclaiming a bedroom upstairs. The other one is about sewing. I need to make a new shower curtain and I want to add grommets. I think I will be able to search this blog for the information that I need.
I have commented on a few blogs. I am so impressed with some of the backgrounds of the blogs. Way to go you guys! I'll post more comments in the future.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Thing #11 LibraryThing
Wow! I never knew this existed. As I have perused several of the blogs for 23 Things, I have noticed that a few have the LibraryThing on their blogs. Using this site is super simple and it is even easier to add books.
I really like that I can look at older books and see the reviews of several members. I am in an elementary school library that has had several librarians and I don't have time to read every single older book. LibraryThing allows me to at least have an idea about many of the books.
I found a group called Children's Literature that review children's books. It is perfect for me. The Name that Book group is great for finding the name of a book that I can't remember at the moment. There are lots of people out there to help.
I can hardly wait for the "Wish List" option. I can see reviews for books that I am thinking about purchasing for my library before I buy them. In the current economy and shrinking budgets, my collections needs to be only the best.
I really like that I can look at older books and see the reviews of several members. I am in an elementary school library that has had several librarians and I don't have time to read every single older book. LibraryThing allows me to at least have an idea about many of the books.
I found a group called Children's Literature that review children's books. It is perfect for me. The Name that Book group is great for finding the name of a book that I can't remember at the moment. There are lots of people out there to help.
I can hardly wait for the "Wish List" option. I can see reviews for books that I am thinking about purchasing for my library before I buy them. In the current economy and shrinking budgets, my collections needs to be only the best.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Thing #10 Image Generators
The first thing that I wanted to do was to create a Jigsaw puzzle. There are several sites that will create this effect. Big Huge Labs and Dumpr both were easy to use.
I have used Wordle many times before. It is a great opportunity for students to share what they have learned with a word collage. You can check it out at http://www.wordle.net/. I was unsuccessful when I tried to copy/paste my wordle art, but it is so much fun.
I really enjoyed using Big Huge Labs to turn a photograph into a sketch. It was incredibly fast, and I was so excited until I showed my son his image. He looked at me, shrugged and said, "Mom, I can do that on my phone." Obviously I am an immigrant, and he is a native. Dumpr also has the capability to turn a photo into a sketch.
I think the easiest of the applications to use is the Happy Face Generator. This example was so quick to create.
It took me forever to create a comic strip. I couldn't find a picture that was exactly what I wanted. I love the one on Library2Play. Here is mine. We've had 3 straight days of over 100 degrees.
This "thing" was a lot of fun and a very creative avenue. I spent two days just exploring the sites. The Kid Friendly Image Generator would be a lot of fun for kids to explore, but I don't think I would ever take them there because the Barbie image is not acceptable. What were they thinking? I think Glogster would be a great opportunity for older elementary through high school for a visual sharing of any kind of reading.
I noticed that many of the image generators offerred several of the same opportunities. Some sites were easier to use than others, but it was all fun.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Thing #9 More RSS
I am enjoying this section of the Web 2.0 experience. I found Edublog to be the most effective site for library blogs. I found Blue Skunk which led me to even more blogs. The Google blog search is really easy, but it didn't seem to narrow the search enough.
The most confusing of the blog searches involved School Library on Suprglu. It seemed to be only one blog -- more like a diary than sharing information. All of the posts were from one librarian. Maybe I just didn't search the site correctly.
Technorati looke like a good source, but part of the site was down due to a fix that is in progress. I plan to go back at a later date and check it out. The tutorial was very straightforward.
My favorite way to search for blogs is to look at the blogs that are listed on a trusted blog site and check those out. It's like the search is already done. From Chicken Spaghetti, I located Kathy Schrock's blog and Literate Lives. I added both of those quickly to my RSS feed.
The most confusing of the blog searches involved School Library on Suprglu. It seemed to be only one blog -- more like a diary than sharing information. All of the posts were from one librarian. Maybe I just didn't search the site correctly.
Technorati looke like a good source, but part of the site was down due to a fix that is in progress. I plan to go back at a later date and check it out. The tutorial was very straightforward.
My favorite way to search for blogs is to look at the blogs that are listed on a trusted blog site and check those out. It's like the search is already done. From Chicken Spaghetti, I located Kathy Schrock's blog and Literate Lives. I added both of those quickly to my RSS feed.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Thing #8
Learning more about RSS feeds was a goal of mine for the summer. Now I have a Google reader and have added several of my favorite sites that I used to spend so much time navigating to and reading and navigating to the next site and reading. This leads me to the most important advantage of Google reader and RSS -- time management. I am able to scan all the new posts, read the parts I am interested in -- all from my iGoogle page. Yeah!!
Any information that I gain from additional reading of blogs will benefit my school because librarians are used as support staff. Since our site-based technologists have been elimated, the technology support will land heavily on librarians. Librarian in Black and librarian philosopher commit most of their blogs to the newest technology and applications for libraries.
In my search for additional blogs, I found a book for primary reading teachers that I believe will be a great resource for our teachers. Administrators, teachers, and the library benefit when instruction is supported. Anything that saves time for anyone in education is beneficial.
Any information that I gain from additional reading of blogs will benefit my school because librarians are used as support staff. Since our site-based technologists have been elimated, the technology support will land heavily on librarians. Librarian in Black and librarian philosopher commit most of their blogs to the newest technology and applications for libraries.
In my search for additional blogs, I found a book for primary reading teachers that I believe will be a great resource for our teachers. Administrators, teachers, and the library benefit when instruction is supported. Anything that saves time for anyone in education is beneficial.
I added a rain cloud because I have almost forgotten what they look like. Houston is looking brown.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Thing #7
I have used several Google Applications. My husband and I are searching for land in the hill country, and we used Google Earth to zoom in and check out neighboring tracts of land. We found chicken farms, landfills, and pig farms adjacent to several tracts of land for sale. This application has saved us lots of time.
Atomic learning has been a great spot to search for PowerPoints on different library topics. There are several good presentations on the Dewey Decimal System. This application really narrows the search. I have not been a librarian very long, and I can view several Powerpoints on many topics and make sure that I am teaching everything that I should.
I thought Google Advance Search was a great way to direct students to scholarly articles, but my Baylor daughter has informed me that it is not an acceptable site for college students.
I set up an iGoggle home page. Wow! I love it. It was so easy and there are hundreds of gadgets. I had a great time adding/deleting, adding more and playing. I love how it integrates with the Goggle calendar. The homepage was the most fun of all the applications.
Atomic learning has been a great spot to search for PowerPoints on different library topics. There are several good presentations on the Dewey Decimal System. This application really narrows the search. I have not been a librarian very long, and I can view several Powerpoints on many topics and make sure that I am teaching everything that I should.
I thought Google Advance Search was a great way to direct students to scholarly articles, but my Baylor daughter has informed me that it is not an acceptable site for college students.
I set up an iGoggle home page. Wow! I love it. It was so easy and there are hundreds of gadgets. I had a great time adding/deleting, adding more and playing. I love how it integrates with the Goggle calendar. The homepage was the most fun of all the applications.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Thing #6
I loved the Mosaic Maker and I think it would be a wonderful tool to share important parts while booktalking. Adding visuals with pictures from Flickr and discussing visualization while reading is an important skill that all students should develop. Students could also use this tool as an alternative to book reports. It would be similar to using a story on a string, so the storyteller keeps the events in order and remembers all the important points, but now we integrate technology.
Mappr is a great application for books like, The Middle of Somewhere. As the story unfolds and the family travels from place to place, each spot could be noted on a map with a postcard/photo and a snippet of information about the event could also be included.
I had a little trouble with the trading card. I decided to crop the trading card so it wouldn't be so large on the post. Maybe I should have just resized the image. I think this might be a great idea for our Revolutionary War Hero research project that we complete in fifth grade.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Avatar
After I posted Thing #5, I noticed that my Avatar was missing. I have no idea what happened. I went back to Yahoo, found my Avatar and added it again. Still it would not show up and I had two Avatars areas. My son suggested hosting the jpeg and importing it again. It worked!
Thing #5
I have visited Flickr before, but I have never taken the time to really explore the site. The library photos were especially interesting. I have bookmarked the site with the Plano library photos. I am interested in creating something similar with our signage.
I also tutor writing and there are so many wonderful images for students to address in their writing. I found many images that I would like to share, but I am not certain that Flickr is accessible in Katy. Our firewall is very strong, and I will have to check it out on the school computers.
I chose a ladybug to brighten up my blog.
Thing #4
Yeah!!! I have a blog. I have been reading several of the other blogs, and I will plunge into Flickr today.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Thing #3
Creating an Avatar was really fun! I had no idea that there were sooo many choices for the character. It was like paper dolls without scissors and paper. The screen shots were fabulous and a valuable resource. Setting up the blog was super easy. The only part that I am concerned about is remembering all the emails and accounts that I now have. Is it common to use the same password on several accounts?
I am not sure that I know how to access the other blogs to make comments. How does that work?
I am not sure that I know how to access the other blogs to make comments. How does that work?
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Thing #2
Putting first things first is the easiest and the hardest part of the 7 1/2 Habits of Effective People because the most important "things" constantly change. One must constantly reevaluate goals in reference family commitments, personal goals, professional goals, and spiritual commitment. My life is so committed that I often forget to play. There just doesn't seem to be any time for fun.
I believe that we too often look at highly effective people in terms of their success at work, but all the while we are teaching students that they must be "well-rounded." To be truly effective, one must have balance in all areas of her life, and for women that is difficult at best.
I believe that we too often look at highly effective people in terms of their success at work, but all the while we are teaching students that they must be "well-rounded." To be truly effective, one must have balance in all areas of her life, and for women that is difficult at best.
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