My husband and I visited my son in Senegal during the third week in March. He is there on a semester abroad program. What an experience for him and for us.
I am a little late in finishing this course. The trip slowed me down a little. Wouldn't have missed it for the world.....
I am posting this picture from Flickr. One of the many things I learned in this class. What fun!
Friday, April 4, 2008
Thing#23 (Week 9)
Copyright Comments and Summary of Course:
The issue of copyright has become a big issue in my school district. As teachers become more savvy with technology, they are finding it easier and easier to put materials on the Web for students to access. We have found teacher Web sites containing entire chapters from books. The teachers scanned the pages and uploaded them to the Web. We have called the issue to their attention and offered to put the materials on reserve in the library. So far we have made little progress.
I hate the perception that library teachers are the "copyright police," when what we are doing is notifying staff of the law. One of my colleagues has written a grant proposal to our districts Educational Foundation for a copyright Web page. If we receive the funds, we will develop a Website with FAQs and dos/don'ts for teachers, staff and students.
I was interested in the Creative Commons material. I have found Wikipedia can be a good source for "open source" images. If you click on an image in Wikipedia, the image will open in a new window with information about the image. Many of them are available for sharing under Wikimedia Commons. I showed this to students in a World History class who were researching major pieces of art from the Renaissance.
The is a slippery slope however. It is hard to tell students to use Wikipedia for the images but to be wary of the content.
Final questions:
What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
There were many things I enjoyed. It is hard to choose my favorites. After reviewing the 23 Things, the applications that came to mind are:
- Creating an avatar. I have always wondered how this was done. I noticed a student creating a avatar on a school library computer a few days ago and knew exactly what she was doing. Made me feel, in a small way, that I was keeping up with the kids.
- Flickr. This photo sharing app is easy to learn. I taught my son who is in Africa for a semester how to post his pictures to Flickr. Nice way for the family to share.
- Zoho. This is a powerful wordprocessing/spreadsheet/presentation application. I would use it more at work for sharing files and information. Problem is our connection is often too slow. We encourage students to save work on Google docs as well as flash drives. Great way for them to backup their work.
- LibraryThing. I am still thinking about the best way to use this amazing tool.
How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
It is a challenge to keep up with technology. I take a least one course a year to keep my skill up-to-date as much as possible. This course was a convenient way to keep that momentum going.
Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
I was surprised by how many of the applications I already knew. I knew wikis, blogs, podcasts, YouTube, RSS feeds (to a limited extent), Google docs, and Library Thing, among others. I was also suprised by how much is out there. Web 2.0 is growing by leaps and bounds. The area we didn't cover was social networking ala FaceBook or My Space.
What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
It felt "lonely out there." Keeping a blog that few people viewed felt odd. All the other online courses I have taken, create a sense of community among the participants. I recommend creating pairs or teams in the future. Each member of the team would be required to read and comment on the blogs of the others in the group. Just suggesting that participants post to other blogs doesn't do it...
I also recommend that the affiliation with CSLA be carefully worked out in advance. Too many of us wasted time clarifying whether we would receive graduate credit for this course. That is not something for which students s/b responsible.
If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you choose to participate?
Yes.
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?
At times I felt overwhelmed and frustrated by the amount of time and energy this course took - in the end I was proud that I was able to make my way through each of the lessons.
Now I have to attend to completing the requirements for getting graduate credit.....
The issue of copyright has become a big issue in my school district. As teachers become more savvy with technology, they are finding it easier and easier to put materials on the Web for students to access. We have found teacher Web sites containing entire chapters from books. The teachers scanned the pages and uploaded them to the Web. We have called the issue to their attention and offered to put the materials on reserve in the library. So far we have made little progress.
I hate the perception that library teachers are the "copyright police," when what we are doing is notifying staff of the law. One of my colleagues has written a grant proposal to our districts Educational Foundation for a copyright Web page. If we receive the funds, we will develop a Website with FAQs and dos/don'ts for teachers, staff and students.
I was interested in the Creative Commons material. I have found Wikipedia can be a good source for "open source" images. If you click on an image in Wikipedia, the image will open in a new window with information about the image. Many of them are available for sharing under Wikimedia Commons. I showed this to students in a World History class who were researching major pieces of art from the Renaissance.
The is a slippery slope however. It is hard to tell students to use Wikipedia for the images but to be wary of the content.
Final questions:
What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
There were many things I enjoyed. It is hard to choose my favorites. After reviewing the 23 Things, the applications that came to mind are:
- Creating an avatar. I have always wondered how this was done. I noticed a student creating a avatar on a school library computer a few days ago and knew exactly what she was doing. Made me feel, in a small way, that I was keeping up with the kids.
- Flickr. This photo sharing app is easy to learn. I taught my son who is in Africa for a semester how to post his pictures to Flickr. Nice way for the family to share.
- Zoho. This is a powerful wordprocessing/spreadsheet/presentation application. I would use it more at work for sharing files and information. Problem is our connection is often too slow. We encourage students to save work on Google docs as well as flash drives. Great way for them to backup their work.
- LibraryThing. I am still thinking about the best way to use this amazing tool.
How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
It is a challenge to keep up with technology. I take a least one course a year to keep my skill up-to-date as much as possible. This course was a convenient way to keep that momentum going.
Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
I was surprised by how many of the applications I already knew. I knew wikis, blogs, podcasts, YouTube, RSS feeds (to a limited extent), Google docs, and Library Thing, among others. I was also suprised by how much is out there. Web 2.0 is growing by leaps and bounds. The area we didn't cover was social networking ala FaceBook or My Space.
What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
It felt "lonely out there." Keeping a blog that few people viewed felt odd. All the other online courses I have taken, create a sense of community among the participants. I recommend creating pairs or teams in the future. Each member of the team would be required to read and comment on the blogs of the others in the group. Just suggesting that participants post to other blogs doesn't do it...
I also recommend that the affiliation with CSLA be carefully worked out in advance. Too many of us wasted time clarifying whether we would receive graduate credit for this course. That is not something for which students s/b responsible.
If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you choose to participate?
Yes.
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?
At times I felt overwhelmed and frustrated by the amount of time and energy this course took - in the end I was proud that I was able to make my way through each of the lessons.
Now I have to attend to completing the requirements for getting graduate credit.....
Sunday, March 30, 2008
"Fixing" Thing #6 (Week 3)
In preparing to write my final thoughts on this course, I scrolled back through my postings. I noticed the trading card I had made for Thing #6 was missing.
When I created the trading card, I used a picture of one of my good friends. To create the card and post it to my Blog from Flickr, I had to mark the picture as public. When reviewing my Flickr a/c recently, I deleted the picture, not realizing it would also be removed from my Blog!
I redid the trading card on Flickr Toys and uploaded it to Flickr. From there I posted it directly to the Blog. Still remembered how to do all this!
When I created the trading card, I used a picture of one of my good friends. To create the card and post it to my Blog from Flickr, I had to mark the picture as public. When reviewing my Flickr a/c recently, I deleted the picture, not realizing it would also be removed from my Blog!
I redid the trading card on Flickr Toys and uploaded it to Flickr. From there I posted it directly to the Blog. Still remembered how to do all this!
Thing #22 (Week 9)
I am finally closing in on the end of this course......
eBooks and Audio eBooks
I have been intending to look into eBooks for some time. This lesson provided me with the impetus to do so!
First I checked out The Gutenberg Project. I browsed the many titles that are available. I decided to download an HTML version of The Raven to figure out how the downloads worked. The version I chose came complete with illustrations. I started to read it out loud and my husband made me stop...he hates the rhythm of that poem!
I moved on to my local public library's web site intending to download an audio eBook for the first time. I browsed the titles and decided to download Bitter Medicine by Sara Paretsky, one of my favorite mystery writers. I thought it would be a good book to listen to as I drive to work.
To educate myself, I listened to a podcast (!) for newbies to eAudio books. Imagine my disappointment when I learned that the free software I needed to install in order to download a book is available for Windows only. Nothing for my Mac..... Somewhere in the recesses of my memory I think I had heard about this. What a disappointment.
When I have more time, I will sit down to my husband's Dell computer to accomplish this task.
eBooks and Audio eBooks
I have been intending to look into eBooks for some time. This lesson provided me with the impetus to do so!
First I checked out The Gutenberg Project. I browsed the many titles that are available. I decided to download an HTML version of The Raven to figure out how the downloads worked. The version I chose came complete with illustrations. I started to read it out loud and my husband made me stop...he hates the rhythm of that poem!
I moved on to my local public library's web site intending to download an audio eBook for the first time. I browsed the titles and decided to download Bitter Medicine by Sara Paretsky, one of my favorite mystery writers. I thought it would be a good book to listen to as I drive to work.
To educate myself, I listened to a podcast (!) for newbies to eAudio books. Imagine my disappointment when I learned that the free software I needed to install in order to download a book is available for Windows only. Nothing for my Mac..... Somewhere in the recesses of my memory I think I had heard about this. What a disappointment.
When I have more time, I will sit down to my husband's Dell computer to accomplish this task.
Thing #21 (Week9)
Podcasts
As I am a Mac user, I decided to explore the iTunes Podcast Directory. I listened to a few podcasts from "Grammer Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing." (I am always trying to improve my writing skills.)Then I explored some of the podcasts from Public Radio. There are a multitude of them listed! I subscribed to two free podcasts: Garrison Keillor's Writers Almanac and This American Life. Both will be updated on a regular basis to my Podcast directory in iTunes. Am I dating myself with these choices?
I decided to explore one of Podcast directories listed in the lesson plan. I tried Podcast.net first and found it wouldn't open on my computer. I was successful in opening Podcastalley.com (what a name!) and browsed through the numerous categories of Podcasts. I found myself gravitating to Public Radio again. (When overwhelmed, I am drawn toward the familiar.) This time I used an RSS feed to put NPR Hourly Newscasts into Google Reader.
While in Google Reader, I noticed I could mark podcasts as "shared items" and add to them to a Blog. I marked the NPR Hourly Newscast as "shared" and posted it to to this Blog. I couldn't quite figure out how it would look. I had to save this posting as a Draft and view the Blog to locate the Podcast - found it on the lower right hand side of the Blog.
Cool!
As I am a Mac user, I decided to explore the iTunes Podcast Directory. I listened to a few podcasts from "Grammer Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing." (I am always trying to improve my writing skills.)Then I explored some of the podcasts from Public Radio. There are a multitude of them listed! I subscribed to two free podcasts: Garrison Keillor's Writers Almanac and This American Life. Both will be updated on a regular basis to my Podcast directory in iTunes. Am I dating myself with these choices?
I decided to explore one of Podcast directories listed in the lesson plan. I tried Podcast.net first and found it wouldn't open on my computer. I was successful in opening Podcastalley.com (what a name!) and browsed through the numerous categories of Podcasts. I found myself gravitating to Public Radio again. (When overwhelmed, I am drawn toward the familiar.) This time I used an RSS feed to put NPR Hourly Newscasts into Google Reader.
While in Google Reader, I noticed I could mark podcasts as "shared items" and add to them to a Blog. I marked the NPR Hourly Newscast as "shared" and posted it to to this Blog. I couldn't quite figure out how it would look. I had to save this posting as a Draft and view the Blog to locate the Podcast - found it on the lower right hand side of the Blog.
Cool!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Thing #20 (Week 9)
The video I chose to view features Cirkestra, a circus band. Cirkestra plays music that is a blend of gypsy, jazz, klezmer and circus music.
I looked at this video because Cirkestra is coming to my town to perform for one of our community read programs. The book we are reading is Water for Elephants. The book has a circus theme which made Cirkestra a fun programming choice.
I enjoyed listening to the music and watching the performers as it gave me an idea of what to expect. The music quality was a little poor and the lighting was dark. Didn't really bother me, however.
I love YouTube. I am usually able to find what I am looking for using the search function. My son who is a tv/media student at Ithaca College posted a movie he made at school - a great way to share it with us. I have used YouTube for everything from instructional videos to watching funny clips on a variety of topics.
YouTube poses some problems in my h.s. library. Hard to tell when the kids are using it for instructional purposes or to watch their favorite rock band or WWE wrestler.
Once I helped a student embed YouTube into a PPT presesentation - I had to figure out how to convert the file so the Mac could read it. Used a conversion program called ZamZar. Worked like a charm! While I was at it, I made sure the student gave credit where credit was due!
I looked at this video because Cirkestra is coming to my town to perform for one of our community read programs. The book we are reading is Water for Elephants. The book has a circus theme which made Cirkestra a fun programming choice.
I enjoyed listening to the music and watching the performers as it gave me an idea of what to expect. The music quality was a little poor and the lighting was dark. Didn't really bother me, however.
I love YouTube. I am usually able to find what I am looking for using the search function. My son who is a tv/media student at Ithaca College posted a movie he made at school - a great way to share it with us. I have used YouTube for everything from instructional videos to watching funny clips on a variety of topics.
YouTube poses some problems in my h.s. library. Hard to tell when the kids are using it for instructional purposes or to watch their favorite rock band or WWE wrestler.
Once I helped a student embed YouTube into a PPT presesentation - I had to figure out how to convert the file so the Mac could read it. Used a conversion program called ZamZar. Worked like a charm! While I was at it, I made sure the student gave credit where credit was due!
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Thing # 19 (Week 8)
LibraryThing
I learned about LibraryThing at the AASL conference in Reno. Didn't get a chance to try it out until now. What a great Web site.
I am at that age where I read books and forget what they were about! From now on, I plan to add my books into Library Thing. From there I can quickly refer to reader reviews or the Amazon descriptions to get a refresher.
I have been looking for a good way to "advertise" new books in my high school library. I am considering using LibraryThing as a way to do that. When investigating the widgets available on LibraryThing, I found the html code to use to create a portal from our school Web site.
Cool!
All of the books I added to LibraryThing are very popular, except one. There was scant information on Town Boy, a graphic book, by Lat. Several of the pages I linked to said "Back in a Minute. We'll be back in 0-5 minutes." I walked away from the computer, came back and found nothing had changed. Oh well.
I learned about LibraryThing at the AASL conference in Reno. Didn't get a chance to try it out until now. What a great Web site.
I am at that age where I read books and forget what they were about! From now on, I plan to add my books into Library Thing. From there I can quickly refer to reader reviews or the Amazon descriptions to get a refresher.
I have been looking for a good way to "advertise" new books in my high school library. I am considering using LibraryThing as a way to do that. When investigating the widgets available on LibraryThing, I found the html code to use to create a portal from our school Web site.
Cool!
All of the books I added to LibraryThing are very popular, except one. There was scant information on Town Boy, a graphic book, by Lat. Several of the pages I linked to said "Back in a Minute. We'll be back in 0-5 minutes." I walked away from the computer, came back and found nothing had changed. Oh well.
Monday, March 3, 2008
More on Thing #18 (Week 8)
More on Zoho
After I created the blog posting on Zoho, I explored more of its features. I figured out how to view the document in page mode, send an e-mail to myself, save a document as a PDF and so on.
So easy! Anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of word processing could use Zoho.
After I created the blog posting on Zoho, I explored more of its features. I figured out how to view the document in page mode, send an e-mail to myself, save a document as a PDF and so on.
So easy! Anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of word processing could use Zoho.
Thing 18 (Week 8)
This posting was created in Zoho and posted to my blog from there!
I am already a convert to applications like Zoho and Google docs. I set up an account in Zoho as part of an earlier assignment for this class.
My husband and I are travelling to see our son in Senegal soon. I created a zoho doc for us to keep track of things we need to take with us. We can add to it from home and work, whenever the spirit moves us and we are near a computer.
I work in a high school library where students often work on papers and print out material they bring from home on flash drives and via e-mail. We are a Mac school and have encountered problems opening documents saved on VISTA. Students get very nervous when they can't print out papers that are due in 5 minutes! I encourage them to use Google docs for their work because it avoids problems like this. Now that I am familiar with Zoho, I will suggest it as well. So easy to use....
Our library staff uses Google docs in the spread sheet format for collection development. As we find materials we want to order, we add them to the list. Helps to prevent duplicate orders.
Now the challenge is to figure out how to post this to my blog for the Library 2.0 class....
I am already a convert to applications like Zoho and Google docs. I set up an account in Zoho as part of an earlier assignment for this class.
My husband and I are travelling to see our son in Senegal soon. I created a zoho doc for us to keep track of things we need to take with us. We can add to it from home and work, whenever the spirit moves us and we are near a computer.
I work in a high school library where students often work on papers and print out material they bring from home on flash drives and via e-mail. We are a Mac school and have encountered problems opening documents saved on VISTA. Students get very nervous when they can't print out papers that are due in 5 minutes! I encourage them to use Google docs for their work because it avoids problems like this. Now that I am familiar with Zoho, I will suggest it as well. So easy to use....
Our library staff uses Google docs in the spread sheet format for collection development. As we find materials we want to order, we add them to the list. Helps to prevent duplicate orders.
Now the challenge is to figure out how to post this to my blog for the Library 2.0 class....
Thing # 17 (Week 7)
The best thing about this activity is Kathy D. said we don't have to do it because of problems in accessing the Sandbox wiki.
As mentioned in my posting for Thing #16, I am familiar with PBwiki already and have created on at:
http://onebook.pbwiki.com/
As they say, easy as making a peanut butter (PB) sandwich!!
Thanks Kathy D. I will move on to Week 8.
As mentioned in my posting for Thing #16, I am familiar with PBwiki already and have created on at:
http://onebook.pbwiki.com/
As they say, easy as making a peanut butter (PB) sandwich!!
Thanks Kathy D. I will move on to Week 8.
Thing # 16 (Week 6)
For this activity I looked at the following wikis.
SJCPL Subject Guides
Book Lovers Wiki
Library Success: A best practices wiki
Library Bloggers Wiki
Sample AP World History Wiki
This group of wikis demonstrates the different ways they can be used. I am impressed by the design and organization of each. My favorite was the Book Lovers Wiki. I got distracted as I read the book reviews. The AP World History is impressive - the students did an excellent job of synthesizing their learning.
I am already familiar with wikis and created one for a Community Read Program for my town last year. We shared our opinions about books, review sources, etc. The challenge for me was to get the technophobes on the Community Read committee to overcome their fear of using the wiki. I gave it up in the end because the committee members didn't log on enough! With that particular group of people, it was easier to use a group e-mail for communication purposes.
My wiki can be found at:
http://onebook.pbwiki.com/
SJCPL Subject Guides
Book Lovers Wiki
Library Success: A best practices wiki
Library Bloggers Wiki
Sample AP World History Wiki
This group of wikis demonstrates the different ways they can be used. I am impressed by the design and organization of each. My favorite was the Book Lovers Wiki. I got distracted as I read the book reviews. The AP World History is impressive - the students did an excellent job of synthesizing their learning.
I am already familiar with wikis and created one for a Community Read Program for my town last year. We shared our opinions about books, review sources, etc. The challenge for me was to get the technophobes on the Community Read committee to overcome their fear of using the wiki. I gave it up in the end because the committee members didn't log on enough! With that particular group of people, it was easier to use a group e-mail for communication purposes.
My wiki can be found at:
http://onebook.pbwiki.com/
Monday, February 18, 2008
Thing #15 (Week 6)
Perspectives on Web 2.0 and the Future of Libraries:
In the OCLC Newsletter, Tom Storey posed the question about "Web 2.0 and Where Will it Take Libraries?" I read the following responses:
Away from Icebergs by Rick Anderson of U. of Nevada, Reno Libraries
Into a New World of Librarianship by Michael Stephens, Librarian, Blogger
To more powerful ways to cooperate by Chip Nilges, VP OCLC
My response:
I am overwhelmed by the change that school libraries are facing. In order to succeed, do we as librarieans need to move our services into the world of the users instead of asking the users to come to us? As we consider this type of change, librarians will need to explore the world of the Read/Write Web to see what it offers us. Putting it another way, we will need to examine whether the model(s) we use to teach information literacy is (are) still relevant. We need to ask if we can, or should be, using Web 2.0 to teach students how to find, use and synthesize information. (Or, is Web 2.0 so intuitive, they can teach themselves?) For many of us, learning Web 2.0 represents a steep learning curve and an investment of time and energy. Are we up to the challenge?
More questions than answers, I guess.
In the OCLC Newsletter, Tom Storey posed the question about "Web 2.0 and Where Will it Take Libraries?" I read the following responses:
Away from Icebergs by Rick Anderson of U. of Nevada, Reno Libraries
Into a New World of Librarianship by Michael Stephens, Librarian, Blogger
To more powerful ways to cooperate by Chip Nilges, VP OCLC
My response:
I am overwhelmed by the change that school libraries are facing. In order to succeed, do we as librarieans need to move our services into the world of the users instead of asking the users to come to us? As we consider this type of change, librarians will need to explore the world of the Read/Write Web to see what it offers us. Putting it another way, we will need to examine whether the model(s) we use to teach information literacy is (are) still relevant. We need to ask if we can, or should be, using Web 2.0 to teach students how to find, use and synthesize information. (Or, is Web 2.0 so intuitive, they can teach themselves?) For many of us, learning Web 2.0 represents a steep learning curve and an investment of time and energy. Are we up to the challenge?
More questions than answers, I guess.
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Thing #14 (Week 6)
Technorati
I am starting to tire from the vastness of Web 2.0.
I explored Technorati and, as directed in the discovery exercises, conducted different types of searches using the key words:
"School Library Learning 2.0"
Blog Post Search:
On the advanced search page I noticed this statement:
"If you only want to search blog posts, try search.technorati.com."
I followed the instructions and got 2,056 hits. I looked at the first two pages of hits. I noticed some big names in the library world and a fair amount of repetition.
Tags Search:
This search netted just 27 hits - many of them from people who have taken this class.
Blog Directory Search
18 hits. Nearly all the hits were from people blogging their course assignments for School Library Learning 2.0.
I also visited Popular page on Technorati and explored popular blogs, searches and tags. All I can say is, who has time for all of this? I find reading people's blogs a bit tedious and would rather read a good book instead!
I am still learning about tagging. I am starting to use tags on del.cio.us and flickr. Mostly for my own use however. I still don't like to make my work "public." I guess the jury is still our on whether I am going to use tags to share my searches, photos, blogs etc. with the world at large. Sign of my age I guess.
I am starting to tire from the vastness of Web 2.0.
I explored Technorati and, as directed in the discovery exercises, conducted different types of searches using the key words:
"School Library Learning 2.0"
Blog Post Search:
On the advanced search page I noticed this statement:
"If you only want to search blog posts, try search.technorati.com."
I followed the instructions and got 2,056 hits. I looked at the first two pages of hits. I noticed some big names in the library world and a fair amount of repetition.
Tags Search:
This search netted just 27 hits - many of them from people who have taken this class.
Blog Directory Search
18 hits. Nearly all the hits were from people blogging their course assignments for School Library Learning 2.0.
I also visited Popular page on Technorati and explored popular blogs, searches and tags. All I can say is, who has time for all of this? I find reading people's blogs a bit tedious and would rather read a good book instead!
I am still learning about tagging. I am starting to use tags on del.cio.us and flickr. Mostly for my own use however. I still don't like to make my work "public." I guess the jury is still our on whether I am going to use tags to share my searches, photos, blogs etc. with the world at large. Sign of my age I guess.
Thing #13 (Week 6)
del.icio.us
I have an a/c with del.icio.us already so I did not spend too much time on this assignment. I did listen to the Santa Cruz Public Library tutorial to see if I could learn something new. I found I was familiar with everything covered in the first tutorial. I also browsed SJLibraryLearning2 del.icio.us site. Lots of interesting library links there.
Interesting that the SCPL posted the tutorial to YouTube. Unfortunately, I found the video blurry and hard to read.
I use Del.icio.us as a place to bookmark web sites. I find it very convenient b/c I can access it from any computer with Internet access. I haven't figured out a school library use for it yet. In my h.s. library, we create pathfinders with print and online resources that are posted to the library Web site. Students can access the pathfinders from school or home. It might be useful to catalog the sites we use on del.icio.us for easy access in the future. Not sure yet.
B4 signing off, I decided to browse another of the recommended Del.icio.us sites. I clicked on "Several Habits of wildly successful Del.icio.us users," only to find the URL is now used by "Slacker Manager."
On to the next lesson.
I have an a/c with del.icio.us already so I did not spend too much time on this assignment. I did listen to the Santa Cruz Public Library tutorial to see if I could learn something new. I found I was familiar with everything covered in the first tutorial. I also browsed SJLibraryLearning2 del.icio.us site. Lots of interesting library links there.
Interesting that the SCPL posted the tutorial to YouTube. Unfortunately, I found the video blurry and hard to read.
I use Del.icio.us as a place to bookmark web sites. I find it very convenient b/c I can access it from any computer with Internet access. I haven't figured out a school library use for it yet. In my h.s. library, we create pathfinders with print and online resources that are posted to the library Web site. Students can access the pathfinders from school or home. It might be useful to catalog the sites we use on del.icio.us for easy access in the future. Not sure yet.
B4 signing off, I decided to browse another of the recommended Del.icio.us sites. I clicked on "Several Habits of wildly successful Del.icio.us users," only to find the URL is now used by "Slacker Manager."
On to the next lesson.
Thing #12 (Week 5)
Rollyo
My husband and I are planning a trip to Senegal in March. We will visit our son who is on a semester-abroad program there.
I set up an a/c with Rollyo and created a Searchroll on Senegal. The sites I added to the Searchroll include information on tourism, geography (maps and stuff), politics, etc.
Here is the URL:
http://rollyo.com/bmarnie/senegal/
I found the whole idea of Rollyo confusing. Seems to me it is easier to use del.icio.us. Perhaps I am missing the point?
Here is the search box for my Searchroll:
Barb, thanks for the recommendation on Zoho (comment posted to Thing #11). I love it. My husband and I share a Zoho doc where we are creating a list of things to take to Senegal. Problem is we are having major problems with the Internet at work. Slow, slow, slow. Until a solution is found, I cannot recommend Web 2.0 applications to staff. Too frustrating for them.
My husband and I are planning a trip to Senegal in March. We will visit our son who is on a semester-abroad program there.
I set up an a/c with Rollyo and created a Searchroll on Senegal. The sites I added to the Searchroll include information on tourism, geography (maps and stuff), politics, etc.
Here is the URL:
http://rollyo.com/bmarnie/senegal/
I found the whole idea of Rollyo confusing. Seems to me it is easier to use del.icio.us. Perhaps I am missing the point?
Here is the search box for my Searchroll:
Barb, thanks for the recommendation on Zoho (comment posted to Thing #11). I love it. My husband and I share a Zoho doc where we are creating a list of things to take to Senegal. Problem is we are having major problems with the Internet at work. Slow, slow, slow. Until a solution is found, I cannot recommend Web 2.0 applications to staff. Too frustrating for them.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Thing #11 (Week 5)
Web 2.0 Award Winners
From the Web 2.0 Award Winner site:
http://www.seomoz.org/web2.0#cat_43
I decided to look at winners in the organizer category. The top three are
Google, ZoHo and BackPack.
I felt a little smug as I am already familar with Google and Backpack. At work we share our book selections on Google docs using an Excel-type format. I have an account with BackPack and particularly like their calendar app.
Today I discovered Zoho
http://zoho.com/
According to the description, ZoHo :
"Includes Writer, Spreadsheet, Show, Wiki, Virtual Office, Project management, planner and chat feature. A complete office experience in one, users can take advantage of all or some of Zoho’s features."
I poked around the applications and looked at the calendar, presentation (similar to PPT) and online documents. Looks to be extremely easy to use. The overall look of Zoho is similar to Google. Simple in appearance but complex in what it can do. Very impressive.
I also looked at Goowy Webtop, an online desktop application:
http://www.goowy.com/webtop/
Includes e-mail, chat, and other applications. Similar in many ways to the Google, Zoho and Backpack organizers. I did not spend too much time on Goowy as I am happy with what I have.
Gotta love the names...
With all this free online stuff, who needs MicroSoft Office anymore?
I am now overwhelmed and need to stop. Ning will have to wait.
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From the Web 2.0 Award Winner site:
http://www.seomoz.org/web2.0#cat_43
I decided to look at winners in the organizer category. The top three are
Google, ZoHo and BackPack.
I felt a little smug as I am already familar with Google and Backpack. At work we share our book selections on Google docs using an Excel-type format. I have an account with BackPack and particularly like their calendar app.
Today I discovered Zoho
http://zoho.com/
According to the description, ZoHo :
"Includes Writer, Spreadsheet, Show, Wiki, Virtual Office, Project management, planner and chat feature. A complete office experience in one, users can take advantage of all or some of Zoho’s features."
I poked around the applications and looked at the calendar, presentation (similar to PPT) and online documents. Looks to be extremely easy to use. The overall look of Zoho is similar to Google. Simple in appearance but complex in what it can do. Very impressive.
I also looked at Goowy Webtop, an online desktop application:
http://www.goowy.com/webtop/
Includes e-mail, chat, and other applications. Similar in many ways to the Google, Zoho and Backpack organizers. I did not spend too much time on Goowy as I am happy with what I have.
Gotta love the names...
With all this free online stuff, who needs MicroSoft Office anymore?
I am now overwhelmed and need to stop. Ning will have to wait.
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Thing # 10 (Week 5)
This assignment was fun. I tried 3 image generators I found on The Generator Blog.
http://generatorblog.blogspot.com/
I created a clip of a friend dancing in lederhosen and sent it to her daughter who is studying in Vienna. The generator site, sponsored by McDonald's, allows the user to put a photo on an animated body dressed in lederhosen. (Did any of you get holiday greetings from friends with dancing elves - sponsored by Office Max. Same kind of thing.) The instructions are in German. Fortunately I found instructions in English on the The Generator Blog. They were not comprehensive however and my high school German was of little use. After a few blips, I figured out what to do.
http://www.huettengaudi.de/flash.php
In celebration of Valentine's Day, I created a chocolate bar and a loving smiley face.
http://www.glassgiant.com/chocolate_bar/
http://www.ezsmiley.com/create.php
Now I am hungry!
http://generatorblog.blogspot.com/
I created a clip of a friend dancing in lederhosen and sent it to her daughter who is studying in Vienna. The generator site, sponsored by McDonald's, allows the user to put a photo on an animated body dressed in lederhosen. (Did any of you get holiday greetings from friends with dancing elves - sponsored by Office Max. Same kind of thing.) The instructions are in German. Fortunately I found instructions in English on the The Generator Blog. They were not comprehensive however and my high school German was of little use. After a few blips, I figured out what to do.
http://www.huettengaudi.de/flash.php
In celebration of Valentine's Day, I created a chocolate bar and a loving smiley face.http://www.glassgiant.com/chocolate_bar/
http://www.ezsmiley.com/create.php
Now I am hungry!
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Thing # 9 (Week 4)
The hours slip away as I explore various blog sites. I explored the Edublog award-winning site at http://edublogawards.com/and-the-winners-are/
and found two blogs I particularly liked:
Last week I signed up for the Reader's Club Latest Blog on Google Reader. When I was checking the site yesterday, I found a book review that I forwarded to one of my friends. I don't believe I would have come across that review otherwise.
I plan to unsubscribe to the NPR Topics Blog today. I am overwhelmed with the number of postings to that site. I keep marking them the updates "as read" because there are too many to read.
Go Pats!
The hours slip away as I explore various blog sites. I explored the Edublog award-winning site at http://edublogawards.com/and-the-winners-are/
and found two blogs I particularly liked:
- Suffern Middle School blog. The teacher blogger provides a running commentary on projects done at the school using Second Life. I found the blog confusing to read b/c it is in reverse chronological order. There were so many posts I limited myself to a few and chose not to go back to the beginning. Pretty amazing stuff the staff at the school is creating. Take a look: http://rampoislands.blogspot.com/
- A Library By Any Other Name - an award winning library blog at: http://alibraryisalibrary.blogspot.com/. The librarian blogger appears to be a techie. She has a great avatar that clearly was NOT created on Yahoo. I would love to know how she did it. One of her posts was about mapping web sites. I mapped my school library website and found it very cool. See Web Sites as Graphs at: http://www.aharef.info/static/htmlgraph/
Last week I signed up for the Reader's Club Latest Blog on Google Reader. When I was checking the site yesterday, I found a book review that I forwarded to one of my friends. I don't believe I would have come across that review otherwise.
I plan to unsubscribe to the NPR Topics Blog today. I am overwhelmed with the number of postings to that site. I keep marking them the updates "as read" because there are too many to read.
Go Pats!
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Thing #8 (Week 4)
I played around a little with RSS feeds last week and set up a Bloglines a/c. I subscribed to weather sites in Ithaca, NY and Dakar, Senegal where my sons live. I also subscribed to a vegetarian food site (my son who is a first-year at Ithaca just turned vegetarian) and to the New York Times. For some reason I found Bloglines complicated - I probably need more experience. Today I set up a Google Reader a/c and like it much better.
On Google Reader, I subscribed to Readers Club and Unshelved (the library cartoon site). I also added my son's blog from Senegal - what a great way to find out when he has posted w/o having to visit the blog site all the time. I will be visiting my mom in FL soon and will show her how to monitor the blog also.
About six months ago, I played around with my iGoogle homepage and subscribed to a few newspapers, Weather Underground, NYT movie reviews and National Public Radio. I didn't realize I was setting up an RSS aggregator! Now that I know about Google Reader I plan to consolidate the RSS feeds there.
On Google Reader, I subscribed to Readers Club and Unshelved (the library cartoon site). I also added my son's blog from Senegal - what a great way to find out when he has posted w/o having to visit the blog site all the time. I will be visiting my mom in FL soon and will show her how to monitor the blog also.
About six months ago, I played around with my iGoogle homepage and subscribed to a few newspapers, Weather Underground, NYT movie reviews and National Public Radio. I didn't realize I was setting up an RSS aggregator! Now that I know about Google Reader I plan to consolidate the RSS feeds there.
Thing # 7 (Week 3)
Technology Posting
Please refer to my posting made on January 27 on Blogs, Wikis, and Podcasts which fulfills the requirements for Thing #7 (Week3)... I created that posting before reading the assignment; thus I did not put Thing #7 in the title. In the spirit of blogging, I decided not to change the title and added this posting instead.
Writing is a process for me. When I create documents of any kind, I edit, edit and edit some more. I am never satisfied with the finished product. Blogging, which is supposed to be spontaneous, is hard for me. I find myself saving my postings as drafts and editing the drafts several times before I post. I am trying to move away from that and become a true blogger. Not easy...
On another note, a friend gave me an old lens she no longer uses that fits my camera. I used it yesterday and took some photos of birds visiting my bird feeder. I managed to get 2 of a downy woodpecker that I like - esp. after cropping . Gave me a new appreciation for nature photographers.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Blogs, Wikis and Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for the Classroom.
I was sidetracked from this course for about a week because I had to make a small presentation to the secondary library staff in my district. I gave a 'book report' on Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for the Classrooms by Will Richardson. I created a new blog as a means to convey the information to the group.
When I set up the blog, I created a new avatar on Yahoo - Let's just say there are still some bugs in Yahoo's site...After many false starts I figured out how to save the new avatar and upload it to my newly created blog. In the process, I found I can only have one avatar. The one I created for this blog was replaced by the new one. Lots of time spent on a frivolous activity!
The book I read was all about Web 2.0 and thus related directly to what we are learning in this class. I highly recommend it. Take a look at my blog for information on many of the Web Tools presented in the book.
http://newtonlibrarians.blogspot.com/
Thing #6 (Week 3) Flickr Fun
Thing 6 (week 3)
Please note: On March 30, I noticed the "photo is currently unavailable" notice. I figured out the problem and made a new posting on that day.
I have been surfing around for quite some time tonight. I read about "mash-ups" on Wikipedia (I rarely use this source....) and looked at Mappr , Color Pikr, Flickr Notifier (a user created a tool that allows users to download an RSS feed notifying them when friends post pix to Flickr), Montagr and PhotoWall. I am a bit overwhelmed by the variety of applications/tools that people have created to use with Flickr.
I couldn't figure out Mappr, as the link to Mappr.com provides an overview only. I found a similar tool under "Explore" on the Flickr toolbar. My son is studying in Dakar, Senegal - I viewed many pix from there by searching on the 'tag' of Dakar.
I created a trading card using a picture of one of my friends. I uploaded the picture to Flickr and am writing this posting from there. (My ID on Flickr is Sharonite.)
I need to spend more time at this to understand what applications are of use and/or interest to me!
Please note: On March 30, I noticed the "photo is currently unavailable" notice. I figured out the problem and made a new posting on that day.
I have been surfing around for quite some time tonight. I read about "mash-ups" on Wikipedia (I rarely use this source....) and looked at Mappr , Color Pikr, Flickr Notifier (a user created a tool that allows users to download an RSS feed notifying them when friends post pix to Flickr), Montagr and PhotoWall. I am a bit overwhelmed by the variety of applications/tools that people have created to use with Flickr.
I couldn't figure out Mappr, as the link to Mappr.com provides an overview only. I found a similar tool under "Explore" on the Flickr toolbar. My son is studying in Dakar, Senegal - I viewed many pix from there by searching on the 'tag' of Dakar.
I created a trading card using a picture of one of my friends. I uploaded the picture to Flickr and am writing this posting from there. (My ID on Flickr is Sharonite.)
I need to spend more time at this to understand what applications are of use and/or interest to me!
Monday, January 14, 2008
Thing #5 (Week3) Nor'Easter
Thing #5 (Week3)
January 14, 2008 Nor'easter
A Nor'easter hit New England today. My town was blanketed with 6+ inches of heavy, wet snow. Power was, and still is, out in many areas. My school was canceled for the day - provided me with the opportunity to take a few outdoor pictures. Since I couldn't take any pictures of my library today, I am including one of my outdoor photos.
I posted this Blog from Flickr. In order to do this, I set up an account, imported pictures from my Mac, created titles, descriptions and tags. I find Flickr easier to use than another photosharing site with which I have an a/c.
Most of this technology is not new to me. It is fun, however, to learn how to apply it in new ways.
January 14, 2008 Nor'easter
A Nor'easter hit New England today. My town was blanketed with 6+ inches of heavy, wet snow. Power was, and still is, out in many areas. My school was canceled for the day - provided me with the opportunity to take a few outdoor pictures. Since I couldn't take any pictures of my library today, I am including one of my outdoor photos.
I posted this Blog from Flickr. In order to do this, I set up an account, imported pictures from my Mac, created titles, descriptions and tags. I find Flickr easier to use than another photosharing site with which I have an a/c.
Most of this technology is not new to me. It is fun, however, to learn how to apply it in new ways.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
More on Thing #2 (Week 1)
Thing #2 (Week 1)
I appear to be doing this backwards but I couldn't figure out how to do it otherwise. I had to set up this blog and create a test posting (Thing #3, Week 2) before I could comment on the Lifelong Learning Habits I learned in Thing #2.
I returned to school and work after raising three boys. I got my Masters Degree in Library Media when I was past the age of 50. Since then, I have completed numerous courses ('live' and online) and learned more about technology than I ever thought possible. Lifelong learning is a familiar concept to me.
Of the 7 1/2 concepts described in the tutorial on Lifelong Learning Habits, the most difficult for me is Habit #1: Begin with the end in mind. I am an impulsive person who often jumps into projects without a clear idea of where I am headed. It would help me if I stopped at the beginning and thought carefully about my goals and desired outcome(s).
The easiest habit for me is #4: Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner. When I started graduate school as a adult student, I was terrified. Through lots of hard work, I overcame my fears and now feel I can learn anything on which I set my sights. I love it when my adult and teen-aged sons ask for technology advice!
I look forward to learning more about Web 2.0 and how I can apply it in the high school library where I work.
I appear to be doing this backwards but I couldn't figure out how to do it otherwise. I had to set up this blog and create a test posting (Thing #3, Week 2) before I could comment on the Lifelong Learning Habits I learned in Thing #2.
I returned to school and work after raising three boys. I got my Masters Degree in Library Media when I was past the age of 50. Since then, I have completed numerous courses ('live' and online) and learned more about technology than I ever thought possible. Lifelong learning is a familiar concept to me.
Of the 7 1/2 concepts described in the tutorial on Lifelong Learning Habits, the most difficult for me is Habit #1: Begin with the end in mind. I am an impulsive person who often jumps into projects without a clear idea of where I am headed. It would help me if I stopped at the beginning and thought carefully about my goals and desired outcome(s).
The easiest habit for me is #4: Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner. When I started graduate school as a adult student, I was terrified. Through lots of hard work, I overcame my fears and now feel I can learn anything on which I set my sights. I love it when my adult and teen-aged sons ask for technology advice!
I look forward to learning more about Web 2.0 and how I can apply it in the high school library where I work.
Things #1-4 (Weeks 1 and 2)
Things #1 & 2: (Week 1)
To get started on this class, I:
I set up my blog and avatar. This is the second time I have created a blog and the first time I have created an avatar. I named the blog newtonlibrary2 (I work at Newton South High School) Took me a while to create the avatar with the numerous choices available on Yahoo. I must admit I did not like providing the information required to set up a Yahoo account. I fudged the data a little.....
I added the blog to my iGoogle homepage for easy access.
My first blog was for a community read program in my town. The URL is:
http://onebookonetownsharon.blogspot.com/2007/03/peace-like-river.html
Not a great success. Only two people posted comments! In hindsight, I think I should have posted thoughts and ideas and asked for responses from readers. Would have given them ideas for comments.
To get started on this class, I:
- read "about" the program. As noted by our Massachusetts instructor, this section is a little confusing because it was created for CSLA members and much of the information does not pertain to the Massachusetts group.
- watched the 7 1/2 Habits online tutorial.
I set up my blog and avatar. This is the second time I have created a blog and the first time I have created an avatar. I named the blog newtonlibrary2 (I work at Newton South High School) Took me a while to create the avatar with the numerous choices available on Yahoo. I must admit I did not like providing the information required to set up a Yahoo account. I fudged the data a little.....
I added the blog to my iGoogle homepage for easy access.
My first blog was for a community read program in my town. The URL is:
http://onebookonetownsharon.blogspot.com/2007/03/peace-like-river.html
Not a great success. Only two people posted comments! In hindsight, I think I should have posted thoughts and ideas and asked for responses from readers. Would have given them ideas for comments.
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