Thing #23: Reflecting

My favorite exercises on this learning journey were creating podcasts using Photo story software and discovering Flickr. After realizing how many great photographs/images are out there, I rarely (if ever) resort to clipart anymore. This program, in its entirety, has not only exposed me to more online tools, but actually required me to get my feet wet in using said tools. By actually using the Web 2.0 tools I can now approach these tools from a student’s perspective. I, myself, have experienced some of the “road bumps” that my students (or staff) may come across when dealing with similar software. Having experience and know how in regards to overcoming such obstacles will help be better assist my community in the library.

One thing I did note while going through the 23 things was that The 23 Things would run more smoothly (from Players’ perspective) if all links would automatically open in a new window. I know that there were many times when I would get so involved in my current activity that I would forget to Crtl+click, and end up navigating so far away from the 23 Things Blog that the Back button became futile. Just a thought so that players can keep better track of where they’ve been and what to tag/bookmark, etc. etc.

If another discovery program like this were offered in the future (for free), I would definitely choose to participate. If asked to describe my learning experience in one word or one sentence…This was an eye-opening, self-paced, learning experienced that made me get my feet wet – whether one chooses to dive in head first or tiptoe into the technology waters that are Web 2.0, there is always a “lifeguard” on duty.

Thing #22: Nings

Nings are neat. I've come across other teacher librarian's nings during my journey through the 23 Things. Basically, I'd try to set up a ning and start off using it with a group of fellow librarians. After I get the hang of things, I'd like to try using a ning with our faculty/staff. It's somewhere we could all share our ideas, opinions, views etc. Eventually, I'd like to share it with the students and have it centered around books/current reads. The possibilities really are endless.

Thing #21: Photo story

I found this Thing to be the most fun, yet! This was my first time using Photo story, and I absolutely loved it. The whole experience was very user friendly, and other than waiting for the upload to finish uploading (cross your fingers it uploads successfully...) I did not experience any upsets. In fact, if I did not have a list of things (too long to count) awaiting my attention, I would have continued sprucing up my photostory. None-the-less, I am happy with my final product. Enjoy!

Okay, I just spent over half an hour waiting for the video to upload, and I received an error message telling me to contact Support and submit my error id. I will contact support, and in the meanwhile - move on to Things #22 & #23. I'll come back to this later.

Thing #20: Youtube, Teachertube, and Zamzar

Here's a video I found on Youtube. It appears to have been made by 7th/8th grade students at Carleton Middle School. I think this would be a great library advocacy project to get students involved in library media. You could even play their videos as "library commericials" during student led news broadcasts.



Access to so many video resources means that (in some cases) you will not have to reinvent the wheel (when teaching your students). In fact, some students may learn better from watching a third party explain something that you have been attempting to explain with little success. This may especially be true if the third party conducting the explanation is another group of students, i.e. their peers.

Thing #19: Web 2.0 Tools

The Web 2.0 1st place Books’ award went to Lulu, which offers, “tools and services to make publishing simple and the most options to sell your books” (Lulu homepage). I remember looking into publishing about four or five years ago, and I was not aware of this tool back then. Lulu even offers tools to help one publish books, photo books, calendars, CDs, DVDs, eBooks, Cookbooks, and Poetry Books. In regards to Libraries and schools, I noticed there’s a program (bottom left corner of homepage) called, “Aspiring Authors – register your class and each child that completes a book will receive their first printed copy for free.” How’s that for writing motivation?!? I would have loved to have this as an option when I was in school. Actually, I would still take advantage of such an opportunity, were it offered, as an adult. Further investigation notes that Aspiring Authors is intended for students in grades K-8. An informational flyer can be downloaded and printed from Aspiring Authors link. An additional perk regarding the distribution process is that your school can set the amount of revenue collected from each book sold, turning this into a fundraising tool for your campus.

Thing #18: Online Productivity Tools

Ooh! I am a huge fan of Google Docs. The tools and options of Google Docs are similar enough to those found in Microsoft Office that I can jump right in and get to work without having to resort to the Help Menu. Combine Google Docs’ user-friendly format with the ability of multiple users to collaborate asynchronously or synchronously on a single project and Voila - You have an efficient tool! Isn’t technology, available free online or otherwise, great when it streamlines something that would otherwise require a little more footwork, or in this case “mouse clicks”?

If you already have a Google account, then Google Docs is only a click away. Otherwise, you do have to register to use it, but it is an easy and painless process.

Thing #17: Rollyo

The idea is great. The implementation of this idea could use some work. For whatever reasons, Rollyo was super slow…it’s Tuesday afternoon, about 3:15, and I am leaning towards Google right now because it’s faster – even if I have to search through a list of sites, at least I’ll have a list of sites to search through versus a blank screen with a status bar moving at a rate reminiscent to that of a dial up connection.

I am going to move on to another Thing, and come back to this one later…hopefully by then, my customized search will have saved successfully.

Okay, it is 3:40, and I have received an error message indicating that there are too many connections at this point in time. I'll try again later. On to Thing #18!

Thing #16: Wikis

We’ve used Wiki’s for assignments in other courses. Personal experience has taught me that it’s an exceptional tool for working asynchronously in a group setting. For example, rather than email a document back and forth among group members, a Wiki board can help accomplish a similar task with less fuss. When it comes to the classroom setting, you can use a Wiki much like you would use a discussion board. Everyone can post and respond accordingly if they have access (sign in/password).

Overall, it is a fine tool. I've used Wikis in the past, and I'll probably use them again in the future.

Thing #15: Library 2.0

Rick Anderson’s perspective piece, Away from the “icebergs,” brought up two very interesting points that go hand in hand with eachother: The importance of enhancing user-centric services and Rethinking the ‘come to us’ model of library service. One of the reasons I chose to pursue my degree in library sciences was because I love teaching people how to teach themselves – becoming self-sufficient is a life skill that will help our students both in and out of the classroom. Enhancing user-centric services is a step in the right direction for helping people become self-sufficient in their quest to learn. Providing such services via the web is yet another step in the right direction because it allows people to learn from the comfort of their own homes. I, myself, am a frequent patron of the public library. However, I’d say that over half of my library activity is conducted from my laptop at home. The HCPL (Harris County Public Library) Digital Media Catalog makes checking out eBooks, eAudio, Movies, and Music a breeze.

Sidenote: I recently noticed that HCPL has iHCPL (which is their adapted version of completing the 23 Library Things) accessible to both library staff and patrons. They also have iHCPL for Teens: Teens know Web 2.0. Feel free to check out both of these blogs by clicking on above links!

Thing #14: Technorati

When I did a keyword search for “School Library Learning 2.0” in Blog posts, I got the most results. The search I conducted in the Blog Directory produced a message suggesting that I refine my search to get more results. When I clicked on the Tags link, I skimmed the list of most popular Tags, the Tag Index, and was surprised that none of these words, “School,” “library,” or “learning” were in the Tag Index. (Sidenote: The word “homeschool” did appear in the Tag Index.)

When I attempted to search Technorati’s What’s Popular section (on 11/10/09) I received a message indicating that this section was currently unavailable, but it should return in the near future. I’ll check back at a later date, and update this post accordingly with my findings.

I can envision how Technorati could help me keep up to date with the latest ‘valid’ blogs. It’s almost like Technorati takes on the jobs of selection and weeding in regards to this type of media. If it saves me time, then I’m all for it – just like Tags (See previous post for more on my thoughts about Tags and Social Bookmarking).

Thing #13: Tagging and Social Bookmarking

This tool is a great idea. Up until now, I’ve been bookmarking the old fashioned way (sometimes twice – once on my desktop at work, once on my laptop). Despite my efforts to keep everything organized, the results are not pretty. Searching for something (especially if it was something added months or years ago) is a task in itself. It is for this reason that I am definitely a fan of tags…especially for teacher related information. So many sites contain subject matter that overlaps more than one category. Organizing such data with tags is so much easier than trying to create (and remember) a specific folder within a folder.

Social bookmarking is also a plus, especially in the education field. Why recreate the wheel when there is so much out there just waiting to be shared? In the past, I’ve emailed my colleagues web addresses – plural. Now I can direct them to just one site, and voila – sharing complete.

I registered on Delicious, and because it can be linked to my Yahoo account, registration was quick and painless. I was ready to begin adding bookmarks within seconds. Furl, AKA – Diigo, seems like it would be a great second option for me. The ability to highlight and add notes does not particularly appeal to me (too many flashbacks of USED textbooks from the college bookstore, with every other paragraph highlighted in that omniscient shade of yellow), but I can see how others may enjoy this feature. Ma.gnolia, relaunched Gnolia, is by “invitation only” now. I submitted my email address, but am currently awaiting an invitation from someone named Larry. So I have nothing more to report on that.

Thing #12: Commenting

I have been checking out other blogs, and I will be honest…I do not leave comments if I am required to login, create account, and/or register. Darren Rowse’s Technique #10: “Make it Easy to Comment” was written for and about people like me. If I am required to fill out more than four lines of information, just to share a comment, chances are pretty high that I will not share. Part of me is lazy, and the other part is paranoid that my information is going to be abused (accidently or intentionally). If you are interested in increasing the amount of comments on your blog, then follow Rowse’s advice, “Keep your comments section as simple and easy to use as possible.”

Another good point made by Rowse was Technique #6: “‘Reward’ Comments.” As I have been perusing the required readings from Things #1 - #12 I have noticed that many reputable bloggers (i.e. Cool Cat Lady) duly ‘reward’ fellow bloggers by acknowledging the comments of said bloggers in subsequent posts. I would be moved if someone I looked to for advice took the time to acknowledge and comment on my ideas. Such an experience would probably motivate me to share more ideas.

Thing #11: Library Thing

Library Thing was easy to use! I registered for an account, signed in, and immediately began adding titles. I can see this being of some use to a librarian when it comes to making selections. Assuming you have established a group of “the wise” within Library Thing, you could read some of their reviews, review related suggestions, etc. This is yet another source of information to supplement one’s professional resources (on a somewhat personal level).

I did check out some of the groups, and indeed found people with related interests. However, in doing so it was very easy for me to get side tracked by images of books I have yet to read. While I like Library Thing, it left me wanting to read a lot of books (for personal enjoyment) that I do not have the time to read at this moment. I will definitely come back for book suggestions after I have completed all 23 Things.

Thing #10: Online Image Generators

In regards to my discovery process, I encountered a few problems while trying to complete this Thing from my desktop computer at work (home campus). Our district tends to err on the side of caution and as a result blocks a lot of sights/images, even those that seem innocent enough for school. For example, I wanted to edit an Abe Lincoln image, and for whatever reason, I was not allowed access. That being said, if this was an activity I was trying to complete with my students - I can already see them expressing frustration if the image they choose to edit is blocked from further exploration/editing abilities.

The comic strip generator would be an excellent tool when conducting "Characters' Point of View" studies. Students could play with images to express what they believe a specific character would think/say. I will have to look into getting items unblocked before I use this tool with my students (or at the very least, have a "Plan B" in place).

The image above was generated on October 27, 2009 using Big Huge Labs Captioner, available at http://bighugelabs.com/captioner.php

Thing #9: Library Blogs and News Feeds

The Search tool that was easiest for me was Edublogs' award winners. I went down the list of suggestions, and found Google a tad overwhelming...I do not feel like taking the time to skim/search through all the results for quality blogs. I was relieved when I clicked on Edublogs'. It's a great launching point. I think I'll follow the Cool Cat Teacher's advise on reading what they read to build my very own "Circle of the Wise."

Thing #8: RSS Feeds

I like that RSS and readers allow you to customize your reader to meet your needs. I can catch up on some of my favorite topics without having to scan and search through extra stuff. In other words, this tool saves me time...and what teacher/librarian couldn't benefit from that?

I added a few library news sources to my reader and within moments I felt like I was more in the loop. This is definitely something I'll use in both my professional and personal spaces.

Thing #7: Google Tools

The two Google tools I chose to try were Google Docs and Google alerts.

After browsing the Google forms section, I realized that I've participated in online surveys for other online courses in the past. At the time, I remember thinking, "Hey, this is neat. I wonder how long it took my instructor to make this." Now I know, first hand, that creating such forms does not require sweat, blood, and tears.

Here's the link to a quick sample survey/form I created:http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dDVLT1oyS19OTG9kenBhdHVyVWl0ckE6MA..

I can foresee myself sending out such a survey to teachers and/or students and/or parents to get feedback/opinions regarding our library program. I love that Google can then compile your results data.

The second tool I used was Google alerts. At first, I envisioned my email box being bombarded with a plethora of notifications. But after reading the help FAQs, I learned that you control how much and how often you receive such alerts. I can see myself signing up for alerts regarding important ALA issues/policies. It is important that we stay informed about events occuring outside of our home campus - this tool can help alert me to worthy newspostings that I may otherwise overlook or disregard until sometime in the future.

I can also use it to be notified of the latest award winners and nominees in regards to chidren's literature.

Thing #6: Mashups

There are so many mashups out there...I felt a bit overwhelmed before I even started playing. However, after a few clicks I found that most applications are quite user friendly. I can see myself using Mappr with students during an investigation/exploration of folklore/folktales' origins. The mashup that allows you to locate and combine images of the same color could also be used by students as an engaging interpretation activity...i.e. How do you think that character felt when... I see many possibilities ahead. I feel like this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Thing #5: Flickr

I found that it is very easy to navigate away from your original intentions (get distracted) as you conduct your image search on Flickr. I really loved all the historical images provided by the Library of Congress. I can see myself coming back to this site to download more images to share with my students.

Thing #3: Set up & Avatar

Setting up the Blog was pretty easy. Keeping up with it...another story all together =)

Creating an Avatar was fun. The posting of the Avatar could have been easier, if the code would only work properly. However, with just a few extra steps, (save, open paint, save as jpg file) it all seems to have come together quite nicely.

Thing #2

As I went through the 7 1/2 Habits' tutorial, I identified most with "Habit 1: Begin with the End in Mind." I am a firm believer in setting goals. Once I've set my mind on something, the next step is figuring out how to get there.

"Habit 7 1/2: Play" is probably the hardest for me. However, I foresee many more opportunities to play in the near future given my recently acquired Mommy status. My daughters have taught me to slow down and appreciate many of life's little offerings.