Thing #23 Summarize Your Thoughts about This Program

Well, I made it! Here are my thoughts:

1. Favorites - Delicious, flickr, blogging in general, & how to comment on a blog.

2. Assisted in learning goals - I no longer "browse" the web. I now "work" the web and there is a difference!

3. Take aways - I really understand the paths for these activities. No longer does my mind wonder when others talk about internet activities. Rather, I now listen and come away with new ideas.

4. Improvement suggestion - More screen pages showing step by step similar to the one found at the end of Thing 21.

5. Participate again? - Yes, after I am out of graduate school.

6. One word - Inspiring!

The program is so well done. Great job. Thank you!

Thing #22: Nings

Both Teacher Librarian Ning and Texas School Librarian Ning are keepers. The Hot Dog Book Reviews are cute as can be. I need to try that one before school starts. The groups were especially interesting. Under the Collaboration group, there was a discussion on Flexible scheduling that I plan to go back and read more closely. The Elementary School Librarian group offered a section for new librarians where any and all questions were answered by experienced librarians. What a great resource for new ideas and just general questions!

The funny thing is I just went to Teacher Librarian Ning on Wednesday of this week and wondered what it was. Now, I know!

Thing #21: Podcasts and Videocasts

Creating a podcast was simple. Figuring out how to make it work on my blog was a whole different story. NOTE: Podcast does not play on "compose" screen but does on blog page. Can not tell you how many hours and how many attempts I made before figuring this one out! I had it right all along...just didn't realize it.

On a positive note, this would be a fun way for kids to tell about their favorite book. Simple to actually do. Photostory really walks you through it.

Thing #20: YouTube, TeacherTube and Zamzar

As I was doing research for the final, I stumbled across this video on YouTube called "What does a librarian do?" If this is what students really think a librarian does, we need to do a better job educating!

Now that I know how, embedding this video is super simple. Teacher Tube has a wide array of videos that are very helpful in the classroom. However, keep track of the URL on Delicious of your favorite ones. It can be very difficult finding that just right one at a later date. I know that one from experience!

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Thing #19: Web 2.0 Awards List

As I looked through the Web 2.0 awards, I noticed Picnik that worked with photos. Most educators are always on the lookout for new and different ways to display what is going on in the classroom and library. Picnik is a great site to quickly create collages which showcase many pictures at once. It was very user friendly. I can easily see using this site to share Open House night or First Day of School photos. I made a quick one to share pictures of my son and e-mailed them to my family. This site is a keeper!

Thing #18: Online Productivity Tools

To say it as some of the teenagers I know do, Google Docs rocks! It is perfect for group projects. For our final, three of us are putting together a PowerPoint. Without Google Docs, we would make changes and email the PowerPoint back and forth to each other. We would have to rename the latest one to avoid confusion which really adds to the confusion. With Goggle Docs, the PowerPoint is in one place. Each of us has access and we can adjust one! How awesome is that! No more multiple copies and mass confusion. We can even add our changes as comments which will put them in different colors from the text. That will highlight changes instead of guessing what was there before. I wish I had known about this at the beginning of the semester.

Thing #17: Rollyo

Rollyo is a very interesting tool that I wished had known about sooner. In just a few minutes, I created a search engine that would allow students to research information about Texas on good websites. In the past, coming up with good information for students on Texas history has been difficult. My experience has been that the online subscription resources do not include specific state information. The video made it especially easy. Here is my Rollyo http://rollyo.com/bennett_p/texas_info_for_students/ which might be especially helpful if you teach 4th grade Texas history. What a great thing to know and use!

Thing #16: Wikis

I could really see using wikis in collaborative lesson planning. We could add and delete without physically tracking everyone down. Best of all, we could include a reflection on the lesson and keeping what worked and changing what didn't. This would be a great way to build from year to year. Also, as we found things throughout the year, we could put it in and not worry about keeping up with post-it notes. I can't wait to use a wiki this year.

Also, the Commoncraft videos are fantastic in their explanations.

Thing #15: Web 2.0, Library 2.0 and the Future of Libraries

From Tom Storey's article on Web 2.0 on Next SpaceWeb, he describes the 2.0 principles as "simplicity, rich interactivity, user participation, collective intelligence, self-service, novel and remixed content—Flickr, MySpace, FaceBook, del.icio.us, YouTube, LibraryThing—to name a few." After watching the UTube video, I could not have said it better. Web 2.0 will be people driven which I find very interesting after years of being guided by the media and marketers. I find this a nice change to finally have other voices to hear.

Although it was at the college level, I really like what Rick Anderson had to say in Away from the "iceberg." He challenges librarians to let go of some of the age old principals in order to eliminate the "barriers that exist between patrons and the information they need." As a teacher, I believe that students are best served when they can think for themselves and I am not the only "director" of the show. I believe the same is true in a library. The word "collection" no longer just means physical holdings within the walls of a library. It now includes the vast amount of information that can be accessed through the internet.

Finally, I would really like to visit Dr. Wendy Schultz's 4.0 Library. This type of library might be coming faster than we can even imagine.

Anderson, R. (2006). Away from the "icebergs." The OCLC Newsletter, 2. Retrieved from

http://www.oclc.org/nextspace/002/2.htm

Storey, T. (2006). Web 2.0: Where will the next generation web take libraries? The OCLC

Newsletter, 2. Retrieved from http://www.oclc.org/nextspace/002/1.htm

Thing #14: Technorati and How Tags Work

I took a look at Technorati and even joined. I was able to search blogs and posts but not tags. It was interesting browsing through the top 100 tags. Clicking on one of the top 100 provided a lot of different kinds of information on that particular tag. If there is a way to search for tags, this site does not make it user friendly. I came up with zero posts and blogs for School Library Learning 2.0. I changed my search to "4th of July" and came up with 23 blogs and 97 posts. On Delicious, Flickr, and LibraryThing, tags are very easy to use. What I like most about tags is they are a "people powered search" per the Chicago Tribune. I sincerely hope it stays that way.

Thing #13: Tagging and Discover Delicious

During a workshop this evening, the person sitting next to me kept pulling up her Delicious account and adding websites to it as the speaker was sharing. When I asked her about it, she said this was her favorite thing in all of "23 Things." No matter where she is, she can access websites that she knows will be helpful. Her tags of copyright was a page long. Of course, I had to go home and find out for myself. I can really see using this. Many a time I had someone share a great website with me and I would loose the slip of paper I had written it down on. With delicious, I can input it and access it from any internet connected computer.

I know that one day I will not have that daily or even weekly access with my friends in the library program. Sharing what we each find helpful in our jobs will be one way we can stay connected and continue to help each other.

I can see a lot of Delicious in my future!

Thing #12: Creating Community Through Commenting

As we dive deeper and deeper into blogging, I have found two favorite blogs: Cool Cat Teacher and Blue Skunk. Not surprising, their blogs were a part of this lesson. My two postings tips come from Cool Cat Teacher. First, make your comments meaningful. While affirmations of "I agree" or "great job" are nice, commenting should be a conversation. She even suggested that really good comments have nuggets of truth that inspire. Second, don't be afraid...to comment. Sometimes I have conversations in my head about not being afraid about a lot of things. I am fearful of commenting on these two blogs for fear of sounding stupid. I could see a comment back along the lines of "Newbie, I can tell." I am just hoping that they apply some of the grace Cool Cat Teacher talks about in her blog.

I did post on Cool Cat Teacher and Blue Skunk. I'll share the results if acknowledged.

Now off to post to my fellow newbie friends in the blog world.

Thing #11: LibraryThing

Last fall, Dr. Gibson showed our class her LibraryThing list of books. At the time, I thought that was just a nice idea. Now that I have joined the site and added some of my books, I do not know why I didn't join sooner. It is extremely easy to join. (Seems as if I say that about each of these assignments or things.) The groups are mind boggling. Frankly, I do not know how the members read and still post. The one that I looked at the most was the Challenge groups where members set reading goals for the year. If you want to look me up, I am PamalaK.

Thing #10: Online Image Generator

I tried out the Image Chef (http://www.imagechef.com/) and Happy Face Generator (http://www.happyfacegenerator.com/). They are both so easy and quick. These two sites would be great in the library. They could be eye catchers for a newsletter, emails, lesson introductions, and staff development presentations. They are just plain fun.

Thing #9: Useful Library-Related Blogs and News Feeds

As requested in Thing 9, I went through most of the suggested search tools. The categories in Edublogs were extremely helpful. Topix offered news information for my area. I definitely added that one to my reader. I found Google Blog Search to be the most difficult. I had trouble narrowing down my search field. Atomic Learning, Library's on Superglu, and Blogline's Search tool were inaccessible. Honestly, I was so taken with The Cool Cat Teacher blog, that I chose several from her Blogroll to add to mine. Why re-invent the wheel?

Thing 8 RSS Feeds and Readers

When I first read about RSS Feeds and Readers, I wasn't sure how it would help me. Looked like just ONE more thing to keep up with. Then, I started adding my subscriptions. This could definitely improve me world. I want to know what is happening in my community but forget to check the Galveston Daily News website. Now, it is automatically there! My neighbor is always quoting the BBC about something. Now, I will know what he is talking about. The blogs that I am following are all at my fingertips. I could see this as a definite help in education by keeping tabs on what is new without having to remember to go to the site. There is the TLA, TEA, ALA, and many more. Readers could be a true time/effort saver. Okay...it is not just ONE more thing.

Thing 7 Google cool tools

After looking at all the cool tools on Google, I think that I could use the Google Advanced Search and Google Alerts in the library. Advanced search is one of the many ways to narrow down the search process in Google. It would allow searches for exact words only, unwanted words, and "or" options. This could be a helpful search in addition to district data bases. Google Alerts would notify me of topics in the news. I just signed up for alerts on censorship in the news. I am curious to see what pops up. My next investigation will be the use of Google Earth in education.

Thing 6 Mashups & 3rd Party Sites

Just discovered Big Huge Labs at http://bighugelabs.com/deck.php. What a great resource. Tons of ideas. It took me a few minutes to figure it out but not terribly difficult. I can definitely see using trading cards in the library. Making them with pictures of different staff members with their pictures and info on them. Can't want to use it next year. Pictures graciously shared by by Mrs.KLF .

Thing 5 Explore Flickr

In honor of the Texas Bluebonnet list of books, I thought this picture was perfect. I found it on Flickr by typing in bluebonnets. The person who took this picture is Adam Baker. From the looks of his pictures, he also took a fantastic vacation to the Grand Canyon! On Flickr, I found some really great pictures and some very ordinary photos. http://www.flickr.com/photos/atbaker/archives/date-posted/2010/04/08/

Thing 4 Register your blog

Just registered my blog and am now regretting my blog address. It seemed like a good idea when the blog page suggested it. Silly me.n.branom@springbranchisd.com

Thing 3 Set up a Blog and Make an Avatar

Okay, now I think I understand. So far, discovered Library2Play. Set up and registered a blog. I created an avatar. According to Dictionary.com, an avatar is "an embodiment or personification of my attitude or view on life." If that is true, I need to change mine.

Setting up my blog was not difficult. However, the choices on the avatar were overwhelming to me. I made quick decisions that I now want to change. It will just have to do for now.

Thing #2...Hardest Habit

The hardest habit for me is, without a doubt, "View problems as challenges." Sometimes, I can be the adult, look past a problem, and grow from it. However, most of the time, I am like the drowning swimmer grasping at anything, complaining to all who will listen, and getting nowhere. It was good to have a reminder through this PowerPoint. Problems seldom last forever.

Thing #2...Easiest Habit

After watching 7 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners, I think one of the easiest habits for me is to "Accept responsibility for your own learning." I do not know if you would call it a hobby but I really like to learn and try new things. Even as a kid, I would NEVER order chocolate or vanilla ice cream. It usually was one of the most peculiar flavors offered. I am still that way today. I have trouble making the same recipe twice with the exception of chocolate chip cookies.

Summer in school

While many of you are busy catching up on your "to do" lists, pleasure reading, and friends, I am spending many hours at UHCL frantically working on three classes. Yes, I am learning a lot. Yes, I will appreciate it down the road. Yes, I am the one who asked for this. However, I hear the call of summer as I dash to and from my car heading home or to class. I yearn to read just one more good book. Watch one more mindless movie. Take one more nap. Summer...please wait. I'll get there as quick as I can.