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.