Thing 23

1. My favorite exercise or discovery in the 23 things was absolutely the photostory program. It may be because it is so fresh in my mind but I can see that this is a program that I will certainly use again. I also feel like it is something that my elementary students could use. Some of these programs would be too challenging for my students but this would work perfectly with their capabilities.
2. I have heard over and over for the past 2 years how web2.0 skills are a necessity for librarians. Honestly, the people that spoke those words to me might as well have been speaking a foreign language. I had NO idea what they were talking about. I am walking away from this project with a better understanding of web2.0 and a desire to learn more. I loved incorporating computer activities into my lessons before but I feel like the door has been opened to so many more possibilities. I also feel like I have lost some of the intimidation that I felt when working with some of these programs.
3. One of the unexpected outcomes of the 23 programs for me was the realization that I am very capable of figuring out how to use many of these tools. That may sound odd that I am surprised by this but there are days that I see myself as quite an “old girl” and so much of it seems (well for lack of a better word) difficult. If I just trust myself, get in there and try it, it is amazing what I can accomplish. Maybe that is a lesson that we need to teach some of our students.
4. I have no complaints about the format or concept. I only wish that I would have taken this during a time that I was a little less busy so that I could spend more time “playing.” I am thankful that I can always go back to visit some of the lessons.
5. I would love to participate in another program if it was offered a year from now. At this point in my life I feel like my main focus is graduating and becoming a wife, parent, daughter etc. again.
6. Bountiful!

Thing 21 part 2

I really loved the photostory program. I could get so addicted to this! This tool would be so useful in the library for booktalks and other things. I would also like to use this with some of my personal photos. I chose to make a photostory that I can use for my Young adult Lit. class. I apologize for the depressing subject matter. My son laughed at my voice. LOL! I must tell you that even though this book has a very depressing topic it really made such an impact on me. It made me think about how every word and every action that we make can affect a person. Think about the choices that you make.

Thing 21

Thing 22

I liked the Teacher Librarian Ning. I think that it could be useful for librarians to share resources and other ideas. I tried to access the Texas librarian ning but it was not working. I don't get the impression that this is the most valuable tool because many of the posts were outdated. It appears that the site may not be maintained very well.

Thing 20

I have found some wonderful things on youtube that I would love to use in my library. Needless to say, I couldn't access youtube from my school. I was thrilled when someone introduced me to teachertube last year. I found many videos that are well done and great resources for the library. One of my problems is that I could literally spend hours looking through all of the videos and getting distracted by all there is to see. LOL

Thing 19

My number one tool from the Web 2.0 Awards list is Del.icio.us, the social bookmarking site. This application is used for tagging and sharing bookmarks with friends as well as other users. Google Docs makes a close second, providing me with word processing over the internet. This can be used with other users to create projects in real time.

I use PB wiki in one of my classes. I like that it is user friendly.

Thing 18

I found Openoffice to be very similar (but a bit more complex) to Google docs. Google docs, however, is based online and can provide more connections between users. This can be especially useful in writing collaborative assignments. This gives Google docs the advantage over Openoffice.

I have used Google docs in several of my classes at UHCL. This has been an incredible tool for working with classmates. I only wish that I would have known about it earlier.

Thing 17

Rollyo did not properly function for my education based search roll. I included several different URLs and tags but unfortunately the site redirected.

I can see this being used for tracking relevancy between sites.

I believe that other tools would provide better functionality for the user.

Thing 16

Wikis can be used to collaborate with other librarians, teachers, as well as students. One of the problems that I may see is that our district has such secure webservers that it may block usage. However they can use it at home for projects such as vocabulary words.

Currently I am taking a YA lit class and we use a wiki for posts on books that we have read. I have enjoyed reading what other users have contributed. I also love the simplicity of the site.

Thing 15

Library 2.0 is a concept involving more technically savvy libraries. This can include alternate ways to provide information for the 21st century learner as well as those that educate the student. These informed librarians are not quick to jump the gun in terms of upgrading current systems or software. It is important that a Library media specialist is aware of current changes and whether these updates are required or will be beneficial to his or her student population. It is not imperative that ALL new media be acquired as it is released. A LMS must be able to evaluate the pros and cons of different technologies as it advances. This allows the LMS to be fiscally responsible as well as a good stewart of his or her budget.

Thing 14

Technorati is a site that I had visited during a previous assignment. I really struggled learning the use of the site. For this reason I can't see using this in a classroom environment. I think that it would be difficult for my students to grasp the concept and I don't believe that my teachers would have the patience to learn. I found Delicious to be MUCH more user friendly because of its simplicity.

Tagging with Delicious has provided me with experience in bookmarking. I can see its use for categorizing information and topics.

Thing13

Delicious is an awesome tool for social bookmarking offering features like tagging. I loved this feature because it was great for organization and finding similar sites. This can be used in research to easily decide different resources. I can see using this site when working with groups because the user is able to connect with other members that have tagged and bookmarked similar sites.

Normally when I bookmark a site it is attached to the computer that I would currently be using. With delicious I no longer have to worry about this issue. I can access my favorite sites from any computer.

Thing 12

Among the many important points that the different blogs brought up, I found the best to be "using an alias vs. a real identity online" and "Are you contributing to the discussion?". In using an alias, commenters aren't afraid of others being angry with them for posting vulgar remarks on their blogs. Using a real identity, however, can have consequences.

When asking oneself whether or not they're contributing to the conversation, it can create a much better code of conduct for all commenters to follow.

Thing 11

Library Thing is a great social book recommendation site. It can be used not only for cataloging but reviewing literature as well. Users can see what other site members' current book interests are, and can make connections with others in groups. These groups are for specific genres or titles that have a large fan base. There were many groups for books aimed to children.

This tool can be used to catalog student's interest in different types of books, for later reflection to find books that will reach the students. Discussion on the site was what I found to be the most interesting, causing debate between different readers.

Thing 10

This Superman photo was generated using Comic Strip Generator. The Rustic Oak Elementary smiley face was generated using Happy Face Generator. The Rubik's cube was generated using Dumpr.

I can see students using all of these tools to bring creativity to different characters in children's literature.

Thing 9

For thing 9 I explored many different blog searching sites. My favorite one was Google's blog search which was the most simple to use. I found several book reviewers that posted their insight into children's literature. However, I found that Technorati was the most confusing and difficult search engine to use.

The most unusual blog that I found was the 2010 election updates and debates. This had an interesting discussion attached to it.

Thing 8

RSS is a great technical tool for subscribing to internet based blogs, and can be used by classroom teachers to exchange the latest and most informative techniques. The thing that I like most about this tool is the possibilities it offers. I was able to easily figure out how to connect with other blogs and users.
In my personal life I can see this being used for local and national news updates allowing me to focus on items that I would find interesting and useful.
Many authors have blogs that they update frequently which can promote interest in the classsroom.

Thing 7

Google offers many useful tools and resources, today I explored Google Alerts, Google Calendar, Google Earth, Google Docs and Blogger.
I found Google Alerts to be a new and informative email function. I am using this to inform me of upcoming events and important learning resources. Google Alerts emails the user updates on specific topics.
Google Calendar is a technically advanced scheduling tool, which can be used for planning. These events can include upcoming things in the library such as book fairs, book character dress up day, bluebonnet voting and many other things.
Google Docs has been a competitor with Microsoft Office. I am finding Google Docs to be a simple and hassle free tool in the courses that I have taken at UHCL.

Thing 6

Mashups can be used for many awesome lessons including an introduction to the Bluebonnet titles and their different locations and settings. Genres can be explored by students using the photos and making inferences from them.

Thing 5

For thing 5 I needed to visit Flickr to find a picture to place on my blog. Wow there are so many pictures to choose from. I chose a picture from Blarney Castle. I kissed the Blarney stone when I was 14. I thought that it would be really funny to share with you that this is why I am so eloquent! HAHA!

Thing 4

I registered my blog with my professor.
Now I am OFICIALLY A MEMBER OF THE 23 THINGS TEAM!

Thing 3

I was able to create an avatar with the help of my friend Karen Kirk. We were able to collaborate on this project. :)
How do you like the terminology?
I followed the directions on blogger and yahoo to create the avatar. :)

Thing 2

Thing 2:

The habit that I found to be the easiest was habit #7 1/2 "know the value of play." I have almost always been able to figure out a way to have a good time. I think that it is important that the children at our school know that education can be a blast. I want to create an enviroment where our students choose to be lifelong learners.

The habit that I found to be the hardest was habit #4 " have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner." Typically, I can figure out how to do things but it takes me a long time because I don't trust myself to do it right the first time and I expect myself to do it right.