Week 9, Thing # 23

Wow! I can't believe we're at the end of the line! This has been a fantastic learning journey. Before taking this course, I had only briefly heard of these new technologies, so having this kind of opportunity to learn about and experiment with them has been tremendously helpful.

1. What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
I enjoyed all of them, especially Flickr, online image generators, RSS feeds, and online documents.

2. How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
It has re-energized me and provided me with a working knowledge of these new technologies.

3. Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
There were so many, it's difficult to choose. The online image generator will address my immediate need to find icons for my online catalog, and I plan on introducing the online presentation tools to my students in response to their current, somewhat cumbersome, practice of emailing documents back and forth to themselves.

4. What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
I would like more time to explore each topic. Maybe a few more directed activities would be helpful.

5. If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you choose to participate?
Yes!

6. 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?
This experience will refresh my teaching practice.

Week 9, Thing # 22

Audiobooks and eBooks have much to offer, especially for those students who struggle with language or a learning disability. I was surprised to see how many books are available at no charge through Project Gutenberg. For a nominal charge ($8.95/yr), World eBook Fair offers many more titles. The site is easy to navigate and the books are also easy to download in many different formats. Books in many languages are listed.

Week 9, Thing # 21

Podcasting 101. I explored several podcast directories along with possibilites for their use in an educational setting. I especially likes the Educational Podcast Network for its content and tutorials on podcasting. The URL is: http://www.epnweb.org/index.php?view_mode=about

I added Hopkinton (NH)'s Library Podcasts' RSS feed to my blogroll. These podcasts are a wonderful example of how that librarian uses the medium to promote books through interesting booktalks as well as providing students with great tidbits on how to nurture their love of reading. I found this to be very inspirational.

Week 9, Thing # 20

I investigated YouTube and other social video sites. I immersed myself with surfing and watching these videos. While they could be a great excuse to waste a bit of time, I see many benefits to using this medium in the library. I have a flexible schedule, and reaching certain groups of students can be challenging. The students who don't frequent the library would benefit from tutorials posted on my site. Possible topics include using the automated catalog to accessing online databases. I will next attempt to embed a cute video about a dog and his family swimming off the coast of Hawaii.

a href="http://www.beachwalks.tv" alt="Beach Walks with Rox" title="Beach Walks with Rox" Beach Walk 598 - Come Join with Melt;/a>

Week 8, Thing # 19

Library Thing is totally cool! I created an account and added 5 books that I've either read or would like to read. The site is extremely easy to use. There are options to search any of hundreds of sources for a book, and it's great to see the views of the book covers displayed alongside the data. Data is organized in two basic categories: social and book. Social data include member reviews as well as anti-recommendations. It's wonderful to have this access, and I agreed with the books listed under each category. Tags present a very visual representation of the subjects associated with each book. Under book data, all of the basic descriptors necessary for cataloguing are found. Most helpful are the LC and Dewey classifications and citation information. I will be using this site when manually cataloguing books that have hard to find Marc records. Other applications include the ability to share book recommendations with a select group, such as reading clubs.

Here is a link to my Library Thing: http://www.librarything.com/catalog/hmsbookbagger

Week 8, Thing # 18 (continued)

This is my test page. I'm using Zoho Writer. Zoho has so many options -- quite impressive!

Here are the productivity tools offered:

• word processing
  
• spreadsheet
  
• online note taking
  
• presentation tools
  
• online organizer
  
• wikis
  
• instant messaging
  
• database applications
  
• web conferencing
  

The word processing template is very easy to use and the many buttons are nicely formatted and visually appealing.

Week 8, Thing # 18

I explored Zoho by creating a document utilizing some of its various word processing features. Very impressive! I will attempt to publish this document.

Week 7, Thing # 17

I visited the sandbox in the wiki area of the CSLA blog. I used the password for invitees and created an account simply by typing in my name and email address. I chose to start a new page and once there, types in my message using different colors for the background and font. Pure fun! Here is the link: http://calcurriculum.pbwiki.com/MSLA+exercise

And, I found an area that would convert your wiki into a PDF file. Here is a link to the PDF version of my wiki. http://calcurriculum.pbwiki.com/MSLA+exercise?raw=pdf

Week 7, Thing # 16

Wikis can be used in various ways. Interesting examples were ones that functioned as a website or portal. Advantages include easier posting that allow more frequent updates. These integrated library activities, blogs, stories of local interest with catalog information. The community activity forum can be collaboratively updated by members of the town. For school use, wikis are great for collaborative projects, both for teachers and students. They could also be used for interactive book reviews, ongoing discussions that extend from those begun in the classroom, and as an area that professionals can post best practices. One disadvantage is the collaborative nature of the wiki, that primary authors may lose control. One way around this is to limit the authority of those who post through various login requirements.

Week 6, Thing # 15

Reading these articles clarified my thoughts on the 2.0 concept. One aspect is that library services will be even more consumer driven. There will be less emphasis on collection and more on streamlining information seeking processes. Librarians will become the ultimate search engine, and they will be even more indispensable than they already are. I felt relieved that we will not become extinct.

Week 6, Thing # 14

Technorati has so much to explore. I felt as though this exercise just scratched the surface. I learned that it is a real-time search engine for blogs. Doing a blog search using certain key words returned thousands more sites than doing a similar search of tags. The tag search was so much more specific, returning only 13 blogs, versus 1,599 from the blog search. Searching tags can return more specific results, but the limits of tags include the fact that they are not standardized, and are therefore more fluid.

I also tried adding technorati tags to my blog.

SJLibrary2.0

Week 6, Thing # 13

I explored the concept of social bookmarking through del.icio.us. The SJLibrary's del.icio.us page is a great example of what it encompasses. On a very basic level, one can use bookmarking to categorize favorite web pages. However, there is so much more potential for this feature. It's a way for a group to share great sites. Conversely, this can also help someone focus a search. It appears to combine Internet searching with blogging, as posters can comment on particular sites. It also expands search results, because one may also explore others' related tagged sites. I like that viewers can also see how many users have bookmarked the sites. I did create a de.licio.us account and will be exploring this site in the future.

Week 5, Thing # 12

I created a searchroll in Rollyo. I chose Recipes as the subject because my students often do research on foods and the diet of people in other countries. Incorporating my four favorite recipe websites into a single search really simplifies the process. Rollyo is very easy to navigate and use. Another application would be to create a searchroll with one's bookmarks, which would then be available from any computer. Rollyo includes a nice import feature to enable the creation of such a searchroll.

Visit my searchroll at: http://rollyo.com/hmslibrary

Week 5, Thing # 11

This is a test document. If this works, I hope to never have to email myself documents again!

I see many ways to use this application in a school setting. Students (or teachers) working collaboratively in groups would have more flexibility, and they would enjoy instant editing. I think this would become the 'conference call' of document editing.

Additionally, students would not have to rely on personal email accounts for attaching their documents that they need to finish at home. This has been a problem at my school -- they forget their parents' passwords, etc. One big advantage is that this feature is completely free, and can't be lost like a flash drive.

I have created this word document using Google Docs, and It was very easy to navigate and understand. I like the format and the ease of use. I would recommend this tool to anyone, even someone with a marginal knowledge of word processing. Now I will attempt to publish it as a post on my blog!

Week 5, Thing # 10

I created an image using Image Chef (www.imagechef.com). It was very easy to import it to my blog. I see many applications for this technology, especially for creating icons and buttons. I chose one with motion to give it an added interest.

school Library 2.0

Week 4, Thing # 8

My experience with RSS feeds went smoothly. I created an RSS feed aggregator through Bloglines, and I subscribed to a collection of newsfeeds. I thought the process of posting my Blogline was extremely simple. The newsfeeds automatically posted to a sidebar on my blog. I envision many applications for this technology in my library. Setting up a collection of pertinent newsfeeds for each discipline would allow teachers and students to easily access the most current information within their subject areas.

Week 3, Thing # 7

I explored Flickr and several of its mash-up applications. I am very excited about many of the applications, especially the ability to create trading cards and magazine covers. Students could create magazine covers of the famous people they read about in their biographies. Trading cards could enable my sixth graders to learn elements in science, and my geography students could create nation cards. My head is spinning with all this fun!

My creation

My creation cat friend
Originally uploaded by ddreny

I found that creating this trading card was easy using fd's Flickr Toys application.

Week 3, Thing # 6 (My Library)

My Library
Originally uploaded by ddreny

My library is divided into many different areas, and this is a reading area. I have since added a magazine rack behind the table. Students enjoy dropping in to read and socialize whenever they have a few minutes during the day or after school. It's usually a very busy place!

Week 3, Thing # 6 (green ones are hard to find)

green ones are hard to find
Originally uploaded by omnia

This photo struck me because I am an avid rock and mineral collector. It was photographed in Australia. Such color! I will be visiting Australia this spring, and I can't wait to check out the beaches!

Week 3, Thing #5 Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Week 2, Thing # 3

My avatar is up! Although it seemed like a daunting task, I was able to easily follow the directions on creating the avatar and exporting it to a blog that were posted on the MSLA blog. Thank you for the concise and easy-to-follow steps. I feel that I am inching along in this process!

Week 1 Thing #2

I enjoyed watching the video on the lifelong learning habits. The habit that will most likely be difficult for me to incorporate into my plan will be the first one, beginning with the end in mind. It can be a daunting task for me to fully understand where I need to go in order to sequentially create the steps necessary to reach that goal. The habit I find to be the easiest is the third one, viewing problems as challenges, not crises. I have already adopted that attitude in my own life. The last step, to play, was most refreshing. How often do we forget that this is essential to function! I look forward to actively incorporating these habits as I navigate the new technologies in this course!