Thing #23

1. What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
How can I even begin to narrow down my list? I loved discovering LibraryThing (Thing #11), learning about social bookmarking websites (Thing #13), exploring wikis (Thing #16), looking at Nings (Thing #22) and creating a videocast (Thing #21).

2. How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
I was completely inspired by Thing #15 in which we studied some of the takes on Web 2.0, Library 2.0, and libraries in the future. I realized that libraries are in a huge transition time and I want to be part of the change. This means that I must stay ahead of the curve and anticipate how libraries can meaningfully meet the needs of learners everywhere. In order to do this I must embrace being a lifeline learner. This program has also expanded my view of what a life long learner looks like. Life long learning can occur in formal settings such as universities, but learning can also take place on a professional blog, joining a Ning, watching an online tutorial posted on TeacherTube and "playing" with technology.

3. Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
I did not expect to feel so passionate about the concept of Library 2.0. I really hadn't thought about it much until I watched the video A Vision of Students Today. I suddenly found myself asking "What can I do as a librarian to make learning meaningful for the students of today?" and "How can I help teachers bridge the gap between the teaching strategies of yesterday and the Web 2.0 tools available for use today?" I feel a much heavier sense of purpose and refined focus than I did when I began this program.

4. What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
I'm not sure. I loved the concept of using a blog to document the learning experience. It has given me both a personal record of my accomplishments and a platform for interactions with others.

5. If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you choose to participate?
I absolutely would. I have learned more in the past four weeks than I did during two semesters of technology classes for my undergraduate studies.

6. How would you describe your learning experience in ONE WORD or in ONE SENTENCE, so we could use your words to promote 23 Things learning activities?
RELEVANT

Thing #21

I really enjoyed learning how to use Photostory for videocast purposes. I have used Photostory in the past to create photo slide shows, but I had never played around with adding narration to the presentation. It was a little challenging to figure out, but most new skills are. The most complicated task was setting up the microphone to work with the software. I feel confident that I know enough about this program to be able to teach others how to use it. The thing I love about Photostory is that it is SIMPLE to use, but produces results that look PROFESSIONAL. Photostory would be a great way to produce videos for staff development or for teaching a new skill to students. What fun would it be to create a videocast that promotes the Bluebonnet and Lone Star reading lists? Students could create book reviews or "tutorials" about something they have studied. Videocasts are a technology that I look forward to implementing in the future.

Thing #22

Who knew that there was a tool out there that would let you create your own social networking website? I certainly didn't. What a great idea. Definitely one of those ideas, yet again, that I wish I had thought of first! For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, Ning is a website that allows members to build there own social networking websites.

Once again I am blown away by yet another tool designed to connect people. I think that these Web 2.0 tools are really valuable for educators since most spend their day in four walls (with no windows) with a group of twenty two (or so) students. One of the greatest features of professional development is the opportunity to interact with other educators. Social Networking websites provide a way to interact and stay connected with the outside world from inside the four walls of your classroom.

Besides providing great professional interactions, Ning could also be used with students. The teacher could create a Ning for the class to use throughout the year. Students can then bring the social networking tools that they are so comfortable with in their personal life to a website with academic aims. Nings could be created for each classroom and also the school library, allowing students and teachers to connect in a dynamic forum.

Most of all, Ning is a great example of meeting students where they are at and integrating technology tools that they love into the learning experience.

Thing #20

YouTube: Thank You Note

TeacherTube: Web 2.0

When I started teaching a few years ago the latest and greatest visual aide was UnitedStreaming video. It was revolutionary and it changed the way that teachers were presenting lessons. No longer did you have to reserve a video cart, spend hours searching for an appropriate video, and clear a chunk of time in the schedule to show it to the class. Suddenly teachers had the videos at their fingertips. With increased technology in the classroom they were able to show a 3 minute clip here and a 2 minute clip there. The best part was all of the videos were cleared for their educational value!

Step aside UnitedStreaming...YouTube and TeacherTube are here! Now, I'm not suggesting that we do away with UnitedStreaming. I happen to be a huge fan of UnitedStreaming. I can see the value though in an open source website where everyone can post videos and access them. UnitedStreaming requires a subscription, which is something that not every district can afford. YouTube and TeacherTube are available to everyone free of cost, plus they allow students and teachers to create their own videos and post them for others to view. Of course this means that not all of the videos on YouTube are pre-screened for their educational value. In fact there's quite a bit of stuff floating around that website that you wouldn't want to bring into a classroom at all, but that does not mean that everything on their is inappropriate. The great thing about YouTube is that you as the teacher or librarian can preview the material and even embed the video into a class website, wiki, or blog. This provides the students access without the worry that they'll stumble upon something they shouldn't. TeacherTube, on the other hand, boasts many of the same features as YouTube, but offers the advantage of pre-screening posted videos to make sure that they meet educational criteria first. I find both of the sites to be full of relevant, meaningful educational material. Additionally I find them both inspiring as well.

I found a video on YouTube titled "Thank You Note". It would be a great short video to show to faculty or fellow librarians. The video is a tribute to the library presented by a woman who found confidence and inspiration in library books as a child. The TeacherTube video "Web 2.0" provides a quick, creative explanation of what Web 2.0 is. I think that this video would be a great video to show to the faculty as a fun way to introduce the literacy components of Web 2.0.

Thing #19

Today I explored the self-publishing site Lulu.com Lulu won first place in the "books" category of the Web 2.o awards on SEOmoz.org. I had heard of the website a few times but I had never checked it out.

This unique site allows individuals to upload text, audio files, or photos, publish them in the format of their choosing, promote the material, and sell the material. The best part is that the basic features are free.

Teachers and librarians could use this book to promote writing with their students. Teachers/librarians can create a group which allows students to work privately on publishing their works and sharing them within the group. The tools offered by the website are applicable across the grade levels and subjects. Art classes can create books of their artwork. Writing classes can create novels, poetry books, and children's books. A music class could record their music and create a CD. A home economics class could create a recipe book. In math students could research the process, profits, and costs associated with publishing a piece of their work.

Lulu also offers a special program for schools called "Aspiring Authors". Teachers can enroll their students in the program which combines the publishing tools of the website with fundraising potential for the school. Each student receives a free copy of their published work. Limited details are available on the website, but you can sign up to receive more information.

I will definitely explore this website for use in the future. I think that it's a powerful way to help students connect what they are learning about in the classroom to application in real world scenarios.

Thing #18

I was first introduced to the concept of Open Source Software (OSS) during my technology course with Dr. Bishop. At that time we were exploring OSS Catalogs for library use. In this course I learned about OpenOffice.org

For those that don't know what OSS is, it is software developed for free public use. In this case, OpenOffice. org is a free office software suite that includes programs for word processing, spreadsheets, graphics and presentations. One could liken it to the well known expensive Microsoft Office. It's free to download, free to update, and free to share.

The education implications for the use of this software are huge. First of all, it's free. That means that districts who can't afford to purchase Microsoft Office, or can't afford to upgrade to the latest version of the software, can now ensure that their office software suite is available to all and up to date at all times. For students, this means that they can have an office software suite on their home computers for personal use. OSS is an equalizer, providing software in different languages and eliminating the issues of students not having the same version to work on at home.

One of the things that I really loved about this software was the quality. It's compatible with most operating systems and can work with most of the files that you already have. It provides you with most of the features that the current Microsoft Office software does, as well as a few new features.

Of course, as with all software, there can always be bugs. I know that when I have used Google Docs in the past there have been formatting issues with some of my PowerPoint presentations. Of course with OSS people are always tweaking and improving the software at no cost to the users. One of the big dangers that I see with using something like OpenOffice.org is the lack of guaranteed support. Since this is community developed software, support for issues is also provided by the community. This means that you may encounter a problem for which there is current support for.

There are two main differences between Google Docs and OpenOffice that should be noted. First, OpenOffice is software that you download onto your personal computer whereas Google Docs is done online in the computing cloud. Second, OpenOffice is OSS whereas Google is not. Currently this means that OpenOffice boasts more features and is developing at a more rapid pace.

Thing #17

Courtney's Librarian Resources Search Engine
http://rollyo.com/courtney.clm/librarian_resources/

What a fabulous way to create safe searchers for students without sacrificing the search engine experience. I also think it's a great tool for personal use because I can create searchrolls for subjects that I search for frequently. This means I don't have to go through my bookmarks and search each trusted site individually or do a general Google search that makes me sift to find my trusted resources. I can simply go to my Rollyo searchroll and have all of my trusted resources at my fingertips.

I wonder what would happen if Delicious and Rollyo put their heads together? Hmmm...

Thing #16

Last semester (Spring 2009) I had my first experience using a wiki. Dr. Matthew set up a wiki for those of us in LLLS 5532 to work on throughout the semester. We used it for the purposes of discussing the YA Literature that we were reading in the course. At first I was a bit nervous. After all, there really aren't any "rules" on wikis. After a while though the class settled into a comfortable pattern of posting. The blank space provided freedom to express whatever we wanted to and include links to additionally resources that we had discovered. I found that while it was initially uncomfortable to not have any rules, in the end it was the lack of rules that made the experience meaningful.

Wikis scream collaboration. Additionally we know that students learn from one another, so the benefits of a shared learning space, such as a wiki, are unlimited. How great would it be for an entire grade level to share a wiki for each unit of study? This would allow sharing and collaboration to occur between classes. I think that students would also be intrigued to read what other classes are saying and think that teachers would be inspired by comments across the grade level. What if the grade level invited the principal to be a member of the wiki? What an easy way for the principal to be involved in the learning process.

My favorite resource on this Thing was the tutorial video designed by CommonCraft. I wish that I had seen this before working on a wiki for the first time. Every time I watch one of their videos I think "I wish I had thought of that".

Thing #15

http://www.britannica.com/blogs/2008/10/a-vision-of-students-today-what-teachers-must-do/

Let me start off this post by encouraging to watch the above video. I was completely astounded by it. It made me question who I am as an educator. It made me question what society is doing to education. It made me question what meaningful education should look like. The link below the video will take you the a blog with comments from the professor who oversaw this project.

Free access for all has been at the heart of libraries since day one. I guess my question then is why are so many librarians hesitant to embrace the Library 2.0 concept which by its very nature increases access? I think that some librarians need to reexamine their attachment to books, and expand it to be a love of information. After all, what is there to really LOVE about BOOKS? I myself love books. But honestly, if I really think about it, it's the content, tucked inside of the smell-good covers and pretty bindings that I really love. Without that content, or information, a book is just a cardboard cover with letters on the spine. It's the love of the content that I want to share with the world, and while my life has been filled with beautiful content printed on paper, and wrapped in covers, there are people out there who are falling in love with content written on a computer screen and I have to make sure they have access to that.

I love what Michael Stephens had to say about the Librarian 2.0 http://www.oclc.org/nextspace/002/3.htm:

The Librarian 2.0:

- Plans for their users

- Embraces Web 2.0 tools

- Controls Technolust

- Makes good, fast decisions

- Is a trendspotter

- Gets content

Rick Anderson makes some very though provoking statements in his blog post: http://www.oclc.org/nextspace/002/2.htm

He questions the need for a "just in case" collection of print materials. Since the beginning of libraries, information has been scarce. Libraries prided themselves on having print information that their patrons could not gain access to on their own. Today, information is not scarce, so patrons come to the library with the expectation that they can access the information. I guess the question then is what will we offer them at the library that they won't be able to find on Google? He also boldly states that "...if our services can’t be used without training, then it’s the services that need to be fixed—not our patrons". Think about that for a second. Are we so worried about being disposable that we are holding on to services that require patrons to "need" us?

I don't know about you, but my mind is churning. We need to be asking ourselves what the library should look like today instead of thinking about how it should look in the future. The future is here!

Thing #14

Well, I do believe that I am now a Technorati convert. I have explored this blog content search engine a couple of times, but I finally "got it" after watching this video http://technorati.com/weblog/2006/07/110.html Although I have been tied to my Google reader for over a year now, I do think that it's time to part. Here are a few of the reasons why:

1. Tags - Technorati utilizes tags which means that readers can "tag" or add labels to blogs that they read. Those blogs are then categorized by those people-driven tags. That means that everyday people like you and me have a say in the defining and popularity of information.

2. Reciprocity - Sure Google reader allows me to track and read posts on my favorite blogs, but I can't track who else follows the blog or who that blog follows. Additionally, I can't see who is following me! All of that changes with Technorati.

3. Social Science Media - As someone who enjoys studying people and social patterns, Technorati offers up to the minute information on what people are talking about. Technorati provides you with information on the most popular searches, blogs, tags, photos, movies and more. Talk about a great way to keep your finger on the pulse of society.

I'm on my way to set up my account right now! Look me up when you get there!

Thing #13

Tag! You're it! I have finally uploaded all of my "favorites" and "bookmarks" to delicious.com. Now it's your turn. I think that social bookmarking sites such as delicious have so much potential in regards to information sharing. Today I discovered that you can create "Networks" and "Subscriptions" to further your delicious experience. A network is a hand-picked group of people that you create to share bookmarks with. This means that teachers and librarians could potentially create networks that include their students and/or parents for information sharing purposes. Subscriptions provide you with all of the information that has been recently tagged with your tags of choice. You can even create a subscription within a network which means that you will receive notice of specific tags within your specific network of friends. The professional development and networking opportunities that could be created with the use of subscriptions is endless. A teacher or librarian could create a network of all of the teachers in their school and then subscribe to specific areas of interest such as "science", "literature", "communication" and so forth. Additionally teachers and librarians can subscribe to general tags of "school_libraries", "education_technology", "lesson_plans" and more. Delicious is a fabulous way to organize and share information.

Thing #12

Are you a lurker? Do you follow numerous blogs on a regular basis but never contribute any comments? Well, you're missing out! It's like sitting at a dinner party and taking everything in but never uttering a word. I have to admit that there are blogs which I read on a regular basis but never take the time to comment on. After reading through some of the comment guides posted for Thing #12 I have both a better understanding of and appreciation for comments. Here are two ideas that really stood out:


1. Cool Cat Teacher Blog makes the point that we should be teaching commenting. I realized that in school we often ask students to exchange papers and make comments on each other's writing. As a teacher I often had my students exchange their creative writing pieces with two other students for proof-reading purposes. The two reviews were then required to return the paper with two positive comments and one constructive criticism. We need to make sure though that our students are connecting the editing etiquette we teach in the classroom to real world applications. Teaching students how to comment involves teaching how to express a personal opinion, tactfully disagree with someone else, and construct meaningful compliments. As web 2.0 continues to expand into all areas of life, our students need to be equipped to make meaningful contributions to the online conversations going on around them.

2. Darren Rowse makes the point that blog facilitators need to make commenting easy for their readers. At first this seems like a duh statement but with a little more thought I realized that I have my blogs set to allow comments from "registered" users only. Registration can be a hurdle for readers who want an easy way to respond to what you have posted. I think that many bloggers (especially newbies) worry about spam and security when it comes to comments on our blogs. I think though that Darren has a point and that the best route to take is to open your comments up for anyone but set it so that you have to moderate the comments before they appear on your site.

This Thing inspired me to post a comment on two personal interest blogs that I have followed for a while as a lurker. One blog is Beth Moore's Living Proof Ministry blog. She posed an interesting question for her readers (also a great comment increasing tip), so I dove in and posted my thoughts. Another personal interest blog that I have followed for a while is Kelly's Korner blog. Last week she asked for suggestions in one post so I responded with my idea. On both occasions it felt good to be a part of the "conversation" on the blogs as opposed to an observer. My goal now is to become more involved in blogs that interest me professionally.

Thing #11

LibraryThing was one of those things I have always wanted to check out but never took the time to do so. Luckily Thing #11 gave me the opportunity to take a look at this popular thing called LibraryThing! ;-)

I really think a librarian could get lost on this site. What a great tool. I signed up for an account and immediately began adding books. I suddenly felt the urge to add all of the books in my home, but I had to resist the urge for the sake of time. I love how it organizes all of the information, provides cover photos, allows you to customize how your books are listed, and provides opportunities for social interactions based on books. When I checked out the groups available through the site I realized that there is literally a group for everyone.

This would be a great website for teachers to use. They could catalog all of the books in their classroom collection and have students create accounts to track what they read throughout the year. The teacher could even create reading groups for the students since there is an option to create private groups. I will definitely share this web find with others.

Thing #10

An astronaut, baby, president, princess, and television star all in one day! Those image generators are so much fun. I used http://www.bodyswitcher.com/ to create my images. At first I couldn't figure out how to get my face to be the right size and in the right place. I eventually found a video tutorial on the website that explained how to get to the flash editor to tweak the picture. The flash editor wasn't perfect. If you rotated the image too much it wouldn't show up correctly in the final image. All that aside though, the activity was really fun. My thoughts immediately went to elementary school students and the images that they could create to use as story starters. In the library students could choose a character from a book that they just finished and use an image generator to create that character with their face. What a great advertisement for the book! Of course, the issue with using these image creators is the questionable content that shows up via advertisements and image options. I'm not sure how you would go about making the experience kid-friendly.

Thing #9

At the end of exploring the various blog search tools I counted up the number of library related blogs or RSS feeds that I had added to my reader and the total came to 9! I personally enjoyed using Google's Blog Search, but I think that may be due to the fact that I'm familiar with the Google format. I can see how Technorati would be really useful, but for this Thing I found it to be a bit overwhelming. I'm also a sucker for the "Best of" lists, so the Edublog's Award Winners list was a great find. I love it when a reliable source has done all of the dirty work sifting and sorting through the the mass of blogs out there to find the best of the best. In addition to locating personal blogs, I also found quite a few professional blogs to subscribe to. Here are a few to check out:

1. AASL: http://www.aasl.ala.org/aaslblog/

2. ALSC: http://www.alsc.ala.org/blog/

3. School Library Journal: http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1340000334.html?nid=3714

K-12 Database WebQuest

WebQuest 2

Quest Quick Guide

Thing #8

I love RSS feeds! I have been using Google Reader for well over a year now to keep up with all of the blogs that I follow, and it is far easier than taking the time to check each blog individually. Although you can't see the blog's design features, all of the posted text and pictures show up on the reader. If you want to visit the actual blog all you have to do is click on the blog or post title. Google Reader will even recommend blogs to you based on the current blogs that you subscribe to. Some of my favorite blogs have come from Google Reader's recommendations.

I think there are multiple uses for RSS feeds in the school. A teacher could create a Reader account for his/her classroom and subscribe to blogs or websites that connect to what the students are studying. Depending on the age of the students, the teacher could preview content and then allow students to explore it or the teacher could use it as a way to stay personally informed during the unit of study. A librarian could create a Reader account for the teachers and feature PD blogs or education sites for them to read. The possibilities are endless as RSS feeds provide an easy way for current information to be assimilated for fantastic learning experiences.

Thing #7

The first Google Tool that I explored was Google docs. I uploaded my LLLS 6231 midterm presentation and published it so that it would be public. I embedded the presentation above. I think that Google docs has great potential for the education community. It has collaboration written all over it. You can tell though that they are still developing the platform. I noticed that when I uploaded my presentation there were some formatting differences in the final Google product even though my file was in .ppt format like they requested. Overall though it's a highly productive tool to utilize for creating and sharing projects.

The second thing I explored in Google was Google calendar. My husband has been encouraging me to explore this tool, so I thought this was as good a time a ever. I created up a personal calendar, imported all of my calendar information from outlook, "shared" it with my husband so that he can see my schedule, and set it to sync with my iphone so that I now have one seamless calendar! I am so excited. I decided to not make my calendar public, so you won't find a link here, but I would definitely suggest you explore how to create your own calendar at Google calendar if you haven't already. Teachers could use Google calendar in their classroom to set up a class schedule for both parents and students to access from home. Homework, projects, reminders, and current studies could all be listed in this central place. A librarian could create a calendar for the school to use for scheduling time in the library. The centralized/shared calendar would allow teachers to independently see when the library is available and schedule what time they would like to come. Collaborative units could also be placed on the calendar so that everyone in the school can all the great ways in which the librarian is collaborating with teachers!

Thing #6

So I finally got to learn how to create a trading card! For a couple of semesters now I have heard people talk about the trading cards they created in "23 Things". I can now join the club of people who have created a trading card in "23 Things".

I decided to create a penguin trading card, since penguins are a unit of study in second grade. I found an image from the Flickr Creative Commons website that had an Attribution-Non Commercial License. I then used the Trading Card Maker to work some magic and presto...the Penguin Trading Card was born!

I had never heard of mashups, or two web applications mashed together to form a new web application, before this assignment. The result of a mashup is a terribly creative tool. I had a lot of fun exploring them and I'm sure that students would feel the same way. The different mashups create great opportunities for students to display information creative ways that require higher-level thinking than pen and paper.

Thing #5

Photo by Flickmor at http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmoorr/

The Flickr Creative Commons website is a hidden treasure! I am so glad to have had the opportunity to explore it. It provides millions of images, clearly marked for second-party usage. It is a fabulous place to introduce to students and other teachers since each image is marked with a Creative Commons license. Since there are a number of CC licenses available, students can explore all of the copyright variances and learn how to properly use each. Students can also create their own albums and designate their own preferred level of copyright protection to their images. This would allow them to learn about Creative Commons from the creator's point of view.

Thing #3

I had a blast putting together my blog and avatar. This was the third blog that I have created so I really had the freedom to enjoy it. Designing the layout, colors, and background are my favorite part. I feel like the appearance of a blog communicates something to the reader and invites them to have an experience while they are there. I have never created an avatar before. I can see why people love to create them. It's a way to express who you are or want to be without consequence. I can't wait to see what other members of the class come up with.

Thing #2

As I watched the 7 1/2 Habits tutorial I cringed when Habit 3 popped up "view problems as challenges". I wish that I could say that was one of my strengths, but it's not. I really try to make myself believe that problems are just challenges in disguise, but all evidence usually suggests otherwise at the moment. I can be really effective working through a problem once I convince myself that it is a challenge. Convincing myself is usually the difficult part.

On the other hand Habit 1 struck a chord with me "begin with the end in mind". I am really good at pinpointing what I want to achieve and planning out all of the necessary steps to get there. This is usually a really helpful habit as it can ensure you don't waste your time on things that won't ultimately lead to the end goal, but sometimes I can become too preoccupied with figuring all of the details out before jumping in on a project!

I loved that Habit 7 1/2 was "play". What a great thing to remember. As educators we constantly encourage students to play and explore to build new knowledge, but sometimes we forget to engage in play as well.