Readerbug

#23 (Week 9) It is soooo NOT Week 9!

2008-08-12T17:14:00.000-07:00

Well, I must admit there were times when I wondered if I would ever reach #23, but the trip has been such a wonderful experience, and here I finally am, just in time for tomorrow's class.

I hope I understand the directions for the final activity, and I want to complete this activity with something I mentioned way back in Week #6 when I found "A Letter to Teachers about Learning." In his blog Chris said he had modified the 23 Things for his school's particular situation. I provided the URL below, and the first thing I noticed upon re-visiting this site is the disclaimer stating that "Betchablog is licensed under a Creative Commons License."

http://betch.edublogs.org/2008/05/21/a-letter-to-teachers-about-learning/

Creative Commons will be one of the most valuable things I've discovered in this class, as I continue to "preach" about copyright every chance I get.

I learned so much from each of the 23 Things, and I definitely will find (or make) time to participate in 2.1 in the future. Until this course I knew nothing about new technologies such as photosharing sites, blogs, and wikis. I am very serious about creating a Bluebonnet blog, and I can see the benefit of wikis when a group of people need to collaborate on a project, but are unable to meet face-to-face. Regarding unexpected discoveries, almost everything I delved into provided new things for me to ponder and consider. I fell in love with LibraryThing, and I am fascinated by the blogs from other librarians. I could not make one suggestion on improving this course, but I would encourage someone planning to take this course to allot plenty of time because I genuinely believe the adage about getting out of something what you put into it, and I probably spent loads more time than necessary exploring, but that is how I work and that is how I got my brain wrapped around all the new stuff.

In summing up this experience, I am having trouble deciding between FANTASTIC and BENEFICIAL as one word descriptors. To use a sentence to describe this course, let me just say, "School Library Learning 2.0 has taught me about new technology before I even knew what questions I should be asking!" The information was priceless, and it is beyond amazing that this course cost me nothing besides my time.

Let me conclude by again thanking Shirley and Jen for your supervision and assistance!

Week 9 (#21) I'm getting into podcasts!

2008-07-31T18:30:00.000-07:00

Tonight I was determined to complete the exercises on podcasting, so I set about to explore the directories linked under 23 Things only to discover that I could not access Podcast.net or Yahoo Podcasts. So, I thoroughly explored both Podcastalley.com and Educational Podcast Directory, and I must say that I preferred the educational podcasts. I listened to bits of a large number of podcasts tonight, so I could honestly say that I really, really like Radio Popcorn, which comes from Kowloon Junior School in Hong Kong. Once I stumbled upon how to access their website, I became even more excited by everything they have to offer!

Check out KJS at: http://clc.esf.edu.hk/GroupHomepage.asp?GroupID=410

Thanks to the course I took introducing me to podcasting, coupled with all I learned from the exercises on #21, I have a much better understanding of podcasting now, and I think that's what Web 2.0 is all about (I can't believe I ended that sentence with a preposition!).

Week 9 (#22) I'm not sure how I feel about e-books!?!

2008-07-30T19:18:00.000-07:00

You may be asking yourself, "What happened to number 21???" During the time I have been working on Web 2.0 activities, I took a three-hour class on basic podcasting. I know we used software called Audacity, and I want to look over the class handouts before I write about podcasting. So, for tonight, I am putting #21 "on hold."

This evening, in addition to exploring the World EBook Fair site and Project Gutenberg, I also "Googled" e-books to see what else I could learn. After a bit of digging, I decided to search each site offering free e-books and downloads for "The Emperor's New Clothes." While I was able to find this selection in various formats and appearances on several sites, I am still wrestling with how I feel about the act of online reading.

Every single night before I go to sleep, I read in bed, and I don't think I would enjoy this nearly as much if I had to balance my laptop to do so. There is something very warm and inviting about holding a book in my hands while nestling in my bed.

Similarly, I find a great deal of satisfaction in holding a book in my hands while bringing it to life, so to speak, by reading the story aloud. I cannot envision a read aloud storytime involving my computer or laptop.

I don't mean to sound negative; I think my reaction to e-books would better be described as "lukewarm" at this time, but I'm working hard to keep an open mind.

The good news is that I don't feel as threatened by e-books as I did before I completed this activity. I don't think they will be replacing real live librarians in the near future.

Week 9 (#20) It Had To Be This Video!

2008-07-30T17:11:00.000-07:00

I feel like I looked at 1,000 different book and library related videos before settling on this one. I could be IN this video, and it is such a nice juxtaposition from my avatar of a meek little me in a pink nightgown.

I felt a huge sense of relief when I finally made it to #20 of the 23 items, and I actually already knew a bit about YouTube. I could get lost looking through the videos that are here!

Week 8 (#19) One of My FAVORITE DISCOVERIES!!!

2008-07-28T17:17:00.000-07:00

I think LibraryThing is amazing and wonderful, and I am especially impressed with all the libraries I can search, even though I usually stick with the Library of Congress. I actually got hooked on LibraryThing way back in Week 5, so I was eager to check it out further at this point in Web 2.0.

Besides being interesting and a great deal of fun for me, I can see where librarians/libraries strapped for funds and short on personnel could use the cataloging aspect as a real time and money saver.

I am fascinated by the social aspects found in Zeitgeist, as well as the suggested tags for each title.

I was astounded at how easy it was to join, and I couldn't stop at adding only five titles to my library. I actually started by adding the titles from the current Texas Bluebonnet list that I have read thus far this summer, but then I also tried grabbing the webpage for the Masterlist off the TLA site, and this produced some interesting choices for me, as well as some unexpected results. For example, where I should have ended up with 20 titles in all, I now have 23, so I will set about to figure out why I have three more than should be there. To access my library catalog, please click on the link: http://www.librarything.com/catalog/smccoy

When I was searching for titles individually, I did notice that the book entitled Atherton: The House of Power produced no results, so I searched by the author's name, only to discover the book came up only as House of Power, even though the word Atherton is clearly on the cover that appears. I found this rather strange.

So, I'm off to delve deeper into LibraryThing, which is one of the most exciting things to which I've been introduced in Web 2.0. I am so glad I've kept at this online excursion called Web 2.0. Even though Web 2.0 has taken me awhile, I will always be glad I have been introduced to all the topics about which I knew absolutely nothing before this course.

By the way, thanks to how easy it is to delete from my catalog, I now have twenty Bluebonnet titles (which is what I should have), rather than 23 (where some duplicates had occurred when I grabbed the entire list on top of the individual titles I'd already added)! The learning never stops.

I also want to take a moment to thank Shirley and Jen for their willingness to add this course to what I know are their already overly busy schedules!!!

www.sodahead.com

Weeks 7 & 8 (#17 & 18) I'm on a roll!

2008-07-16T09:37:00.000-07:00

Well, I have added an idea I have to our curriculum sandbox, but I want to mention it on my blog as well.

I want to host a Bluebonnet blog for Angleton students in grades three through six. I visualize this as a place where students could promote the titles they really liked, as well as comment when they come upon a title they feel might be more appropriate for the Lone Star List. I would like to see this blog take on a life of its own.

I am seeking other librarians, language arts teachers, parents, students, etc., who would be interested/willing to participate or have their students participate.

Ann Booth comes to mind -- hint, hint!

I am pretty pumped that I was able to add the Bluebonnet logo, and I did so easily!

I included Week 8, #18, on this blog because I just fell in love with Zoho Writer. I never knew any sort of web-based word processing application existed, and I found this one particularly user friendly. I will concentrate on using Zoho Writer when I am writing poetry.

Now, I'm off the explore Google docs, something else about which I want to learn!

Week 7 (#17) Missed me?

2008-07-15T18:49:00.000-07:00

It has been quite awhile since I've had time to devote to finishing my Web 2.0 activities, but I'm back. I went to the section on Blogging, and I got some great ideas from others.

I am very interested in creating a Bluebonnet blog, where students could review the current titles. At first I thought it would be best to keep comments of a positive nature, but the more I think about it, the less I want to "shape" the kids' comments. The Bluebonnet titles are supposed to be good books, and if they fall short of this expectation, then let the truth be known.

I am also pondering some kind of library research project that could be shared around, with a blog to track the happenings. After reading all the good ideas tonight, my brain is storming. I'll have to see where I land!

Wiki this and wiki that -- Week 7 (#16)

2008-05-28T19:50:00.000-07:00

As I looked through the various educational and library-related wikis, I was both glad and sad to see controls on editing content. I am glad because unfortunately control is needed, and I am sad because we live in a world (wide web) where people cannot be trusted.

I recently had a phone call from one of my co-workers. She was asking what I knew about Wikipedia because she and a student had encountered something highly inappropriate there. I explained to her the nature of wikis, which definitely burst her bubble. She had been taking everything she read on Wikipedia as gospel. Of course, the problem with the offensive materials was reported and quickly remedied, but it definitely left a bad taste in this teacher's mouth.

My favorite of the wikis I explored for this exercise was "Library Success: A best practices wiki."

Finally, I can see so many uses of wikis in the educational setting, all of them centered around collaboration.

Reflecting on Week 6

2008-05-28T19:16:00.000-07:00

The exercises in Week 6 definitely stretched my comfort zone, and I cannot put this week behind me without sharing a wonderful blog I found. This was posted by Chris, and it is "A Letter to Teachers about Learning." Chris adapted the 23 Things program to fit his own school, and he wrote such an encouraging letter to the staff members brave enough to enroll in the course. He expounded on the information glut we are experiencing, and he recognized that there will always be "stuff" we don't or can't know. We need more teachers like Chris, and I applaud him!

Libraries of the future!? Week 6 (#15)

2008-05-28T18:05:00.001-07:00

First of all, I couldn't stop with only two of the articles on libraries, but after reading them all, I must admit that two in particular "jumped out at me." I related to most everything Michael Stephens said in his piece entitled "Into a new world of librarianship." I love the notion of a library as human, because this image conveys that a library is constantly changing, growing, developing, stretching, yawning, sleeping, reaching out, etc. I also acknowledge the importance of user-centered libraries that provide access wherever the patron or client or user may be at the time he/she needs information. Finally, I was encouraged by Stephens comments on technolust and techno-worship. We don't need technology for the sake of technology, but rather technology that meets the needs of our users.

The other article of real interest to me is entitled "A ripple effect." To read about what a small, rural school library has accomplished since the early 1990's was so heartening! It was also challenging -- it they can do this, can't we all? And they recognized that the key to their success could be found in providing quality customer service. Too many librarians have the "keeper of the books" mentality, instead of the "provider for the patrons" approach.

These articles gave me hope for our libraries, as long as librarians accept that libraries are ever-changing, ever-growing entities. We must look to the future of our libraries with excitement about the unlimited possibilities, rather than with fear for the changes taking place.

Mind-boggling! Week 6 (#14)

2008-05-28T16:59:00.000-07:00

I honestly believe I could have looked around forever in Technorati, and yes, I know that forever is a long time. While the first Discovery Exercise was time-consuming, I learned so much about how to navigate around in Technorati. In searching for "School Library Learning 2.0" in Blog posts, tags and the Blog Directory, I discovered that the number of posts or results varied substantially, even though I saw a number of the same Blog posts in all three searches. As a fan of People magazine, I must say I enjoyed looking through the popular blogs. I read lots of interesting tidbits, but I cannot say that anything in particular surprised me.

As a librarian, I'm both comfortable with, and fascinated by, tagging. I consider tags to be the "way" we will all search for information in the future. Adding tags to your blog makes the blogger more aware of the content and the coverage within a post. It is challenging to create relevant tags for a piece. I will be interested to read about what fellow bloggers perceive to be the disadvantages of tags, as I'm still seeing advantages.

Doubly Del.icio.us! Week 6 (#13)

2008-05-21T16:05:00.000-07:00

Now I know what del.icio.us is, and I have created my account. I immediately see two benefits of using del.icio.us:

1) now I have a way to access my bookmarks regardless of whether I'm at my school, at my night job, on a computer at Admin., or on my laptop at home; and

2) I really enjoy checking out the popular and recent lists!

In clicking on an item in the Hotlist, I found a great site which offers educational games in an arcade format. I could have spent the rest of this evening playing games ranging from choosing antonyms to selecting the state when given its capital. I'm an adult, and I loved playing, so I know the students will, too! The site is http://www.arcademicskillbuilders.com/ and I can't wait to share it with my teachers.

In a library or research setting, I can see students searching for topics of interest, and then getting additional ideas from the comments made by the other folks who've bookmarked a site of mutual interest.

Also, before I finish commenting on Week 6, I want to say that I have found the tutorials from commoncraft to be so helpful, clear, and simple. I'm a visual learner, and the style of these tutorials works for me.

Week 5 (#12) Rollyo

2008-05-20T15:56:00.000-07:00

I am now the proud roller of a search tool called ResourcESL.

I taught English as a Second Language for four years, and I spent lots of time looking online for any and every resource I could find. I have shared the list of sites with other teachers, and now, thanks to Rollyo, I can share with even more folks.

I was fascinated by all the search tools that are out there, as well as by the various URL's which compile the Rollyo roster -- catchy little bit of alliteration there.

Week 5 (#11)

2008-05-14T19:19:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess I'm easily impressed, but I really enjoyed looking through the various Web 2.0 winners. Of course, I was pleased to see LibraryThing won second place, but since I was so blown away by this website, I had to look at www.lulu.com, which won first place. And for sharing original creation/content, this is the site for you. I have a test book for which I search when I'm on a bibiliographic site, and I was able to find a copy of this long out of print title, which I have always read to second graders until it magically disappeared from the library awhile back.

Week 5 (#10)

2008-05-14T18:21:00.000-07:00

Image Generators are so much fun! I poked around in Webfetti, and then in CustomSignGenerator.com, I found a support ribbon generator at http://161.58.20.24/signs/ribbons/support.asp

I created my own personal ribbon. I am a cancer survivor, and while most people know that pink is the color associated with breast cancer, I was pleased to discover that purple represents "cancer survivors." I attempted to add my newly created ribbon to this blog, but was unable to do so for some unknown reason. But, for me the good news is that I kept trying, and as you can see for yourself, I was finally successful, which makes me very happy!!!

Week 4 (#9) I'm Returning

2008-05-13T17:16:00.000-07:00

After a very busy few weeks, I'm back!

After looking through Edublog's award winners and then looking around in Google Blog Search, I am in awe (again). There is so much "out there." One of the nominees for Best Educational Wiki 2007 was "Salute to Seuss," and I found so many great resources there. One of the first grade teachers at my school celebrates Dr. Seuss' birthday every year, and I cannot wait to show her this wiki.

Through Google Blog Search, I found the blog for School Library Media Activities Monthly, with a discussion of Exploring Elementary 2.0, a modification of Web 2.0 that has been adapted for elementary school staff members. I can't wait until I have time this summer to explore this exciting self-paced exploration, as she calls it!!!

I found another blog entitled "It's all about passion...Blogs, wikis, and other web 2.0 passion quests," which I found very interesting. Of course I loved the link: Teacher-Librarians are Learning Gems! -- as they say, what's not to love?

BUT, the most exciting new thing I discovered as a result of #9 is LibraryThing at www.librarything.com I just finished the tour of this website, and I want to encourage all you readers and book lovers to do the same. This site offers cataloging information for librarians, but the thing I love most is where it says that "LibraryThing cares about books, not about SELLING books." I can't wait to spend time here, too!

Finally, I want to say that I am having a great time checking every site I go to nowadays to see if I can set up RSS feed. If anything, my biggest problem is finding too many I'd like to add to my bloglines.

I'm signing out to move into Week 5, and more and more I agree: "It's all about passion," and I'm becoming quite passionate about all the information available through all these new technologies. Without Web 2.0, I would be missing soooooo much!

#8 (Week 4) RSS Feeds -- Who'd have thought?

2008-04-03T19:40:00.000-07:00

I am fascinated with RSS feeds, and I had a great time checking websites I visit frequently to see which ones have progressed to having RSS feeds available. I really liked the fact that with our local newspaper, for example, I could choose which sections of the newspaper from which I want to receive updates. There is a cliche about the world getting smaller, and RSS feeds made me feel this is becoming truer and truer.

Week 3 #7

2008-04-03T18:16:00.000-07:00

Okay, the instructions say for me to create a post about anything related to technology that interests me, so I am writing to say that I am very excited to be taking a three hour class this Saturday on the basics of podcasting. I know absolutely nothing about podcasting, so this class should be a great learning opportunity.

Week 3 Explorations continued

2008-04-03T17:48:00.000-07:00

In exploring Flickr mashups and 3rd party sites, I am particularly fascinated with the applications I found in fd's Flickr Toys. I spent several hours engrossed in the photos that appeared when I "clicked to choose a random person" in Favorite Surfer. In addition to favorite surfer, I thought the jigsaw generator and the bead art were amazing.

I am also very intrigued with Flickr Color Pickr and Montagr.

But, I must confess that of everything I explored, I was most impressed by the fun and games of Jim Bumgardner. His URL is http://www.krazydad.com/ Within Fun & Games, you'll find Adjustable Maze -- I had a wonderful time working my way through maze after maze. I'm hooked!

Banned Books Week Banner

2008-03-30T14:27:00.001-07:00

Banned Books Week Banner
Originally uploaded by DML East Branch

We all need to be familiar with the books being challenged, since I'm guessing you'll be surprised to discover some of the titles that have been the target of censorship attempts. This poster is amazing!

NOTE ADDED 4/3/08: I found this banner while I was becoming familiar with Flickr, and I felt compelled to add it to my blog. Be sure and notice the comment I received from the Dayton Library!

Playing With Flickr FINALLY! (Week 3 was awhile back)

2008-03-30T13:58:00.001-07:00

Ladybug Still Life
Originally uploaded by Miami Cyn

I have always heard that ladybugs bring good luck. Can't we use all the good luck we can get? So, I'm using a ladybug to depict me as "readerbug."

I'm happily learning more about Flickr as I attempt to "catch up" on my Web 2.0 lessons.

I enjoyed making a Buddy Icon in Flickr, and I think students of any age would enjoy this activity as well.

I contacted two different people who had posted pictures that really "spoke" to me, and I'm awaiting their replies. I'm glad I'm learning about Flickr!

The most challening part of my work today was learning how to post a photo to my blog, so I'm particularly proud of Ladybug Still Life.

My Avatar

2008-02-29T11:46:00.000-08:00

My daughter, future son-in-law, and I had so much fun getting my Avatar to resemble me. And YES, I do have that pink nightgown, even though I am not sure why I'm carrying a candle.

The Avatar was something totally new to me, and I did have fun with this!

7 1/2 Habits

2008-02-29T11:36:00.000-08:00

I just finished viewing this tutorial, and I found it very thought-provoking! Of the 7 1/2 Habits discussed, I definitely have the most difficulty beginning with the end in mind. I don't have a problem setting a goal; I have a problem picturing or visualizing where I'll be mentally or physically (or spiritually) when I achieve that goal. Conversely, I have no problem accepting responsibility for my own learning, and I still try to learn something new every single day! I would like to comment on the third habit because I consider myself quite adept as viewing obstacles as learning opportunities. I hope by now I've come to view myself as a competent learner, as well as a learner who can create the necessary toolbox for the task. And while I came into technology "kicking and screaming," I do believe I am quite comfortable in using technology to help with my learning, just as I thoroughly enjoy teaching and mentoring others, which is why I love being a part of our CATS team!

Now, I will carve out the time to play, play, play, as I discover more about these emerging technologies through Web 2.0

It's Official!

2008-02-13T09:26:00.000-08:00

I have now registered my newly created blog with our local team of experts! Now, I'm off to learn more about this avatar!?! I'm excited.

Relief is just a blog away!

2008-02-13T09:22:00.000-08:00

I have now created one blog, deleted it, and created a second blog. I think I will be happier with this URL. So, little by little, I'm chipping away at the 23 magical things I'll be doing in this class!