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.