thing #21

I'm working on this particular post now. I understand how to do this, and I've done it before for my graduate classes. My problem is that I can't do this on a public computer because I'm not free to download the program it requires. I'll finish this if I can get a connection on my own computer. That's the bad thing about this workshop.

thing #23

I'll have to come back to thing #21.

I think this has been a great learning experience. I have enjoyed playing with the newer technologies available. This program has definitely taken me out of my comfort zone. I think, as a teacher, I get stuck in a rut due to time constraints. Even this summer, it's been very hard to make the time to sit down and participate in this workshop. I've enjoyed learning about the available videos and other resources I can use with students both in the library and in the classroom setting.

thing #20

I found an interesting video on Youtube. I liked the one with cookie monster. I thought it was very cute and would be cute to show in an elementary setting. However, I found the one for Building Academic libraries to be informative.

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I am really impressed with all the videos that are available for libraries and for teaching content areas. This is certainly a way to engage all students.

thing #22

I think the Nings are wonderful. It's a way to keep fresh and up with new ideas. I chose to look at educator ning & Texas School Library Ning. I like both, but I think I'll end up using the Texas school one most because it applies strictly to Texas schools and libraries. There's so much that Texas offers I think it's the best ning link that was offered. Both nings I used seem to be very user friendly, which I like. I didn't see that many different features, but the educator ning contains a group of college professors. I thought that was interesting. I like the forums that both nings provided. It's a great way to share ideas.

thing #19 Web 2.0 list

I love lists. I loved this site. I really like the way it was set up. It was easy to follow and to use. I think the useful parts on this site include the fact that it is easy to use. The subjects are set up and the hyperlinks are set up next to each, including an honorable mention place. The sites are linked in order of how they placed. So the user is free to choose the best. Someone has already done the work for us. I think this list can be useful in a library setting because of all the subjects that are convered. It has collaborative writing, fun stuff, travel, etc. which all can be used by students. The travel can be used to help students plan a "trip" for a class project similar to what the 7th grade history classes do at my campus.

thing #18 open office

I think the advantages are great. Both are user friendly, and seem to have all the same features that MS office has. Personally, I preferred the google docs. To me it seemed a little more friendly to use and I was more familiar with the layout. It seems to work like MS office. One disadvantage is that many people and institutions want work done and submitted in MS office, not one of these free office sites. I liked the graphics on open office better.

thing #17

Rollyo

I can totally use this if I teach again this year. It will work perfectly with the mini research unit I use with my GT class when we study volcanoes. That's why I chose to link mine to volcanoes. It's never too early to plan ahead. I think this could be used on a broader scale in the library to help students research any number of topics. A Rollyo search engine could be set up for a particular teacher's needs and accessed by the students in that class. This will be useful on a campus serving 4 grades. Each one can be designed to meet a specific level. Way cool!!!

http://rollyo.com/firefox.html

thing #16

Wikis
Wikis, I think, can be scary because anyone can edit, delete, or add content. There's really no way to make sure anyone doing this is an expert, or has a basic knowledge of the subject. Because of this, I think a wiki could be used in a school library setting for things such as book reviews, events happening around campus and possibly the community. I would be cautious to allow students access to a wiki that contains science date, etc.

thing #15

Web 2.0

I've learned over the years that when something has a number & decimal following it, such as library 2.0 or web 2.0 that a bigger & better, more updated version is on its way. (eventually) What does library 2.0 mean to me? I'm not sure. One of the articles mentions that we're always online, connected to this world. I don't agree. This summer, I was out of touch with any electronics for a week. I didn't miss it one bit. I think it's kind of sad to be "always online". Talk about information overload. What I think Web 2.0 may do is relieve some of that. What does web 2.0 mean for school libraries? I think it means that students will be able to work from home if they choose, but they can still get a librarian's help if needed. This is a way to make access more easily available, but students still need a librarian's help sometimes in finding information and determining good quality resources. I think it opens possiblities, but doesn't mean we need to get rid of libraries or physical collections.

thing #14

I think tagging is a great way to save and retrieve information on a personal level. One of the articles mentions that tagging is a way for the user to locate and retrieve information, and that Amazon.com has used tagging in this way. Tagging uses keywords to find subjects, and can be limited to search specific languages. I think the language feature is great, especially when one works with a bilingual audience.

#13

Tags. I think tags are great for research and allow for access from almost anywhere. Tags make it easier for those who are not very skilled to locate and retrieve information on a broader basis. I think this is great for students who are just beginning to learn to research. In the classroom or library setting, I think it allows for students to see connections between the topic they've been searching as well as leading to other related topics they may want to scope out or incorporate into their studies.

#12

The articles provided several good points about blogging. One tip is to ask open ended questions, much like we do in the classroom setting. Another point was to be humble and gracious. I think this is important because it's easy to lose touch with people and the social graces while sitting behind a computer. I also thought inviting comments was a good point. Comments and constructive critiscism help us grow.

#11

I love Library Thing. It is very user friendly and very useful. I think it's a great way to search for age appropriate books for the library. The groups I checked out seemed to offerinformation on how to choose books, which books are popular, and other little tidbits. The format was clean and crisp, making one want to explore the site. I wish I'd known about this sooner.

#10

I didn't really care for the online image generators. I think the uses are great and increase possiblities for sharing information. I think this could be a useful tool in the discovery process for kids, and others learning research skills. I wish the sights were a bit more user friendly. Most seem to want my pictures, which I'm not able to access at this time.

thing #9

The google RSS feed was the easiest for me to access. There is a ton of information out there pertaining to libraries. Most of what I found though involves public libraries. I'll have to look more for school libraries when I get more time. I thought the yahoo RSS feed was confusing. I didn't really find anything unusual, since I'm pretty new to this. Even the feeds can be information overloading though.

thing #8

RSS feeds.

I first heard of this today. I was told it stood for something different than what it does. I didn't know that's what the little orange box meant. I like that RSS feeds integrate the information into a simpler form, such as pictures. I think it makes it a little easier for children learning technology. The Google one has an expanded reader version, which I think will be of great interest to students who don't like to read.

This could be used at school for reluctant readers & those who really are involved with the technology of the day. I wish I'd had this for some of my students to peak their interest. Teachers could use this feature for reading components in their classes as well as incorporating technology, which I always struggle with.

thing #7

I love Google. I've used their various functions in the past. I've used the calendar function; but it doesn't work when I forget to check it. The same for the alerts, and the other bells & whistles. I'm still tied to my paper lists.

At my house, & family, we just can't live without google earth. It's way cool. I'm going to try using it this year with my volcano unit if I teach a LA section.

thing #6

Mashups:

I think mashups look like collages. I think this would be a great way to involve the students on the campus to take their pictures, import them, & create our own library art for a personalized touch.

Trading card maker I think would be great to use for "reading" cards. Making them like baseball cards that the kids trade, but only for the readers who make their point goals, or whatever goals you set.

thing #5

Flikr

On this site, I found some great pictures that I could use with my blog for the school library. I found pictures that I could use for writing prompts in Language class. (though I hope to be in the library full time next year.)

Tags are used to help organize and find pictures. This should make it easier if the pictures are labeled sensibly. Groups is basically another way to share pictures with a certain set of people. Almost like friends on the other web sites.

avatar

I can't find my avatar. I've made one, exported it; saw the note about them not working, but now I can't find it to save as a picture. Ohhh, I hate this. It's so frustrating. Plus, I don't even like the avatars. Don't they come from that cartoon the Avatar about the firebender?

7 learing things

I think the most important thing we can do is to help our students see that learning is an adventure and is adventageous in their lives. No matter who they are, learning is important to everyone. We just have to make it relevant to them.

First blog for School

It's been a busy summer. I'm just now getting to work on this. Funny, parents care for us when we're young, but then we switch roles as they age.

My nephews were down in June. My daughter attended band camp this summer. We both attended church girls camp. I had to come back & start this to rest.