Week 9, #23 Summarize your thoughts

1. What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey? I loved the blogging (didn't think I would), online image generator, del.icio.us, wikis, zoho, Library Thing and Youtube.
2. How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals? It is one of my on-going goals to keep up with technology like this, so this program fit in perfectly. It was so nice to have it all in one place, instead of learning about these things in a hit and miss manner.
3. Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you? I am using several of them in my library.
   
4. What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept? It was hard to remember to go comment on other people's stuff and it was hard to come up with curriculum connections. The easiest part was doing the discovery exercise, then blogging about it.
   
5. If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you choose to participate? Absolutely!
   
6. How would you describe your learning experience in ONE WORD or in ONE SENTENCE, so we could use your words to promote CSLA learning activities? Learn about different technologies in a simple, straightforward, user-friendly web class that you can do on your own time, at your own pace.
   

Week 9, #22 Ebooks and Audio eBooks

This is such an interesting new frontier. Of course the minute we had the Gutenberg Project, a natural next step was getting these books on audio. I would prefer to read a pdf file than an html file online, although I would really prefer to read a real live book in my lap! I put some of the LibriVox feeds on my podcast subscriptions. I love listening to books on podcast so this will be a nifty way to catch up on some old classics that I have never read. Maybe I will find it easier to read some of them by listening rather than by old fashioned reading. It will be fun to find out. Brothers Karamazov here I come!

Week 9, #21 Podcasting

I guess because I am used to itunes, I did not find the other podcast places as user-friendly. I bookmarked (or should I say delicioused?) several podcast making sites to try out this summer. I would like to have booktalks on a podcast but don't have time to tinker with it right now. I subscribe to several podcasts and it has provided great entertainment on my weekly walks. I found a teacher in our district who is an expert podcaster and had him offer a class at my library a couple of weeks ago. Only teachers showed up even though students were invited. The topic was how to make a podcast. So, either I didn't get the word out correctly, or students already know how to do this!

Week 9, #20 videos

Youtube is the easiest to access and watch. I liked the book video so I put this on this blog.

Week 8, #19 Library Thing

Library Thing is so easy to use. I had run across it earlier than this assignment. I had actually already added it to my blog. But I was not able to add it to my real library blog because edublogs doesn't accept html yet. Or at least I couldn't get it to work. But I also created a group for our district high school librarians and I hope they'll start using Library Thing too.

Week 8, #18, reflections on zoho

I love Zoho. I wonder what the name means? Anyway, their product seems much more robust than Google Docs and Spreadsheets. For example, Zoho has lots of other online applications, including presentation (kind of like powerpoint) and project planners, to name only two. I can really see students using this to work together or by themselves, but to have access to their "stuff" online.

I plan to share this with the folks at my next high school technology people meeting- the one at my school and the one district-wide. This product (zoho) would be especially useful for our students- with their digital native abilities!

Week 7 #17 Wiki play and ideas

I enjoyed the sandbox and the wiki work. I would like to use the wiki pb videos with students- they are so clear and so short. I think the students would like them. Now I have to dovetail my wiki scheme with a teacher's idea....

Week 7, #16 Learn about wikis

I already knew something about wikis, and they are easy to understand. I created one about a year and a half ago to have the Battle of the Books Team collaborate on creating questions for the books they were reading. It worked pretty well. Some students really got into it, others did not. I put Library Technology Training Wiki, Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki, Blogging Libraries Wiki on my del.icio.us account.

#15 Week 6 Library 2.0

Library 2.0 is very interesting to read about at the same time a discussion is going on on LM_NET regarding the demise of our profession!

We will become obsolete if we don't change with the times. Read Joyce Valenza's fantastic blogpost on how we need to get with the program.

http://joycevalenza.edublogs.org/2007/03/09/meme-new-rules-for-20-guerilla-practice/

Also, I have cut and pasted some of Mike Eisenberg's comments from LM_NET, April 2007, about how we can make ourselves more useful. Thanks to Joyce and Mike for their creative ideas.

Mike Eisenberg:
Here are some possibilities - RIGHT NOW.

(1) get ready for next year right now.
(2) What is the #1 library & information priority in your school? Is it
information literacy? Reading? Information technology? THEN FOCUS ON
THAT. Minimize time and effort in the other areas.
(3) If you spend too much time on shelving and sign-out, then don't!
Find another way to get it done, or just don't do it. Make books due
once a month - or not at all! Have students reshelve their own
books...whatever, just stop focusing on this.
(4) If you spend too much time selecting materials, then don't! Form a
district committee to do 90% of selection for all elementary schools.
Or a statewide committee. Or just use the standard lists. I know, I
know - this is terrible! But, figure out another way to do it.
(5) If kids are using the "library" more and more remotely and less
physically, then get in there and spend more "time" in virtual space!
Or in the classrooms.
(6) Analyze scores on standardized tests. How could YOU make a
difference - right away!
(7) Collaboration is a means, not an end. Focus on students and
learning - not necessarily on classroom teachers.
(8) Flexible scheduling is a means, not an end. If the best way for you
to work with kids is through scheduling, then do it!
(9) If the kids use Google for everything, stop trying to tell them to
use something else. HELP them to use Google (or the Wikipedia) more
effectively. Teach them to select best resources from Google and how to
cite.

#14 (WEEK 6) Explore Technorati and learn how tags work

Technorati is similar to Bloglines to my mind. I do wonder how anyone has time to keep up with all this reading and technology, but these two places do make it somewhat more convenient. All these blogs remind me of wikipedia. I am not sure how much "real" information a student would garner from being hooked into lots of blogs?
I really like tagging because it groups and organizes things nicely.

#13 (WEEK 6) Learn about tagging and discover Del.icio.us

I had known about del.icio.us before doing this exercise. But I had not subscribed to others' accounts. I did this and will see how I like the results. Del.icio.us is fairly user-friendly and could really be used by students for longer term research. I am also going to put the del.icio.us bookmarklets on the toolbars of my library computers and instruct students in their use.

Rollyo: Roll your own Search Tool Week 5 #12

This could be useful for teachers who only wanted their students to go to certain sites. Very tailor-made!

Week 5 #11 Web 2.0 awards

This is a good place to know about. (Web 2.0 awards)
Even though they have a lot, it is still a lot less than we would have to wade through by ourselves, and is quality stuff. After looking at some book sites, I went to Craigslist, which I had heard of forever but never used. I am going to recommend it to my son who has an interesting rooming dilemma in San Luis Obispo next year. He will be in Australia on a semester abroad in the fall, and only needs housing for January to June. So I will see if craigslist will help him.

Image Generators Week 5 #10

FD Toys, Comic Strip Generator, Image Chef.
These were so much fun! Could require students to include one of these on their reports or something- other than that, no big use in school occurs to me.

Sch Lib Blogs/ Newsfeeds Week 4 #9

Which method of finding feeds did you find easiest to use? Which Search tool was the easiest for you? I like Bloglines Search Tool, Feedster, Technorati, and Topix.
Which was more confusing? Syndic8 was a little less user-friendly.

On Topix, it's very interesting to see the "Wire" on different cities.

Again, how to use this in a school setting...?? Great for students doing research on a blogged-about topic- they could sign up for the feeds for several weeks or days and really learn something!

Learn ab. RSS feeds & set up yr own Bloglines Week 4 #8

This was very cool. I guess you still have to go to Bloglines to get all the feeds you set up but at least you have them all in one place. I found the Tags on Flickr to be a little difficult to find, as my version of Flickr is a bit different from the Better Days version but finally figured it out. Was not able to see the CNET video- probably my computer is too anemic. But the other sites listed were great and very clear!
Students could subscribe to various feeds for a length of time and understand certain issues. I think library media teachers could offer a class on how to set up bloglines as an extra after school event?
I think this is what we're supposed to do regarding our Bloglines?? Give the link to our feeds?
http://www.bloglines.com/public/librarylearner

Create a blog post about anything technology-related Week 3 #7

1. Jackie and Connie- Thanks for spearheading this whole shebang.
2. I have been playing around with Library Thing which I read about on CALIBK12. I opened an account (free) and put a widget on my blog (on the right side you will see it- it worked), as well as on my Bullard High School Library Blog (didn't work yet...) and my BHS Library webpage (worked- at bottom of page). This is a lot of fun- now I just need to add more books.

Flickr Fun Week 3 #6

This is not as user-friendly as I would have wished. It took me a while, and I am Still Learning, to figure out how to do Flickr. I did make a Library Trading Card of myself. Then I made a Library Trading Card of a book I just read called "The Bonesetter's Daughter" by Amy Tan. The mash ups and little Flickr apps were fun but I need more time on them to really figure out how to use them and what to use them for. This is one (Flickr) where I feel like I need a personal lesson rather than just trying to figure it out on my own.
It is good to read others' blogs on this topic.

Faith Without Borders Week 3 #5

In the March/ April 2007 issue of Today's Christian Woman magazine, in an article entitled "Faith Without Borders", the authors recommend getting to know our world! Good idea. I am looking into world newspapers and magazines at http://www.world-newspapers.com, the International Herald Tribune at http://www.iht.com, and Asahi Shimbun's Asia Network at http://www.asahi.com/english/asianet. I'll also listen to some world music at http://harmoniamundi.com/usa/catalogue and http://www.worldvillagemusic.com/anglais/artistelist.
Lastly, I'll be taking a look at some movies: Hotel Rwanda, Shall We Dance?, and Il Postino, and reading books Crow Lake by Mary Lawson, The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukyama, and Polite Lies by Kyoko Mori.
Explore Flickr and decide which pictures you can use that you don't have to ask others' permission for- particularly pictures of students!!