Sunday, April 11, 2010
Thing # 16: To Wiki or not to Wiki
What a great idea! I am constantly amazed at all the terrific tools and apps out there that I was totally unaware of before 23 Things entered my life. For most classes and all libraries, this would be a perfect way to coordinate ideas for students and possibly for parents. I think that for me, it would be hard to use it now for my students because they are at a different level in regards to technology usage. However, I am considering setting up a Wiki to use with my parents of my students. I liked another posting I read from a student's blog mentioning posting on a Wiki information about supplies. I could use a Wiki to post information to all of my student's parents about parent conferences and trainings, supply lists, school menus, calendar information, etc. Thanks to Lee Lefever from the Common Craft videos for his helpful Wikis in Plain English video I was able to find several Wiki sites to use when I am ready. I will probably use either PB Wiki or Wikispaces for Educators to set up my classroom Wiki. Thanks again 23 Things for providing such great ideas that can be used both in my current situation with my classroom and in my future career as a librarian.
Thing # 15 Library 2.0
In the short time that I have attended my Library Science classes I have already discovered that the library I grew up with will soon be obsolete. The future holds a new opportunity for virtual libraries. Patrons will have a collaborative role in the development of the library and what it contains. They will be able to create, edit, or at the least participate in book talks, wiki pages, web pages, and discussion groups. Information will no longer be print content but electronic. In the article "Service for the Next-Generation Library"
by Michael E. Casey and Laura C. Savastinuk found in the Library Journal from 9/1/2006, the authors write about how the tide is changing in the libraries of the 21st century. As a future librarian I need to be in tune with these changing tides and accepting of the new virtual environment. Rick Anderson also writes about this change in his featured article titled "Away from the Icebergs". He writes about the "icebergs" that can cause problems for our future growth in libraries. We need to be prepared to teach students how to search and organize the information that they access on the web. Gone are the days of a print rich collection, now we need to embrace the access of information through other outlets such as Flickr and Google Reader. Our students will be able to pull up journals, books, web pages and other digital collections on the computer.Will the patrons always seek out the library? According to Rick Anderson the library needs to bring it's services to the patrons not the other way around.
by Michael E. Casey and Laura C. Savastinuk found in the Library Journal from 9/1/2006, the authors write about how the tide is changing in the libraries of the 21st century. As a future librarian I need to be in tune with these changing tides and accepting of the new virtual environment. Rick Anderson also writes about this change in his featured article titled "Away from the Icebergs". He writes about the "icebergs" that can cause problems for our future growth in libraries. We need to be prepared to teach students how to search and organize the information that they access on the web. Gone are the days of a print rich collection, now we need to embrace the access of information through other outlets such as Flickr and Google Reader. Our students will be able to pull up journals, books, web pages and other digital collections on the computer.Will the patrons always seek out the library? According to Rick Anderson the library needs to bring it's services to the patrons not the other way around.
Thing #14: Technorati
I am sorry to say that I was not at all impressed with Technorati. After watching the video clip and listening to the management team and developers of Technorati speak about their vision, I was very interested and willing to dig in and get started. I especially enjoyed listening to Liz Dunn, Product Manager for Technorati, speak on how information is shared between real people instead of paid critics and writers. She shared her real life experience on reading blogs to find a consumer of a particular band's concert venue. She wanted to make sure that the concert would be worth the money of a ticket. Music critics will not necessarily lead you in the right direction, but real life consumers can give you first hand knowledge. So, needless to say after reading and listening to information shared regarding Technorati, I was excited about the possibilities. Then I tried it for myself and was disappointed with what I found.
First of all, I could not complete the activity because the popular blog searches and tags page was unavailable. I then began to search for the keywords "School Library Learning 2.0" using Blog posts, Blog directory, and Tags and found nothing. I also tried the Technorati widgets and it was also unavailable. So, though in theory the idea of being able to search for bloggers all in one site sounds great, I think I will stick with my tried and true Google Reader. I have enjoyed organizing my Google Reader with all my favorite blogs and love the idea of deleting and adding to this group whenever I like.
While learning about de.licio.us and Flickr and Diigo and other similar sites, I have realized the importance of such tools for organizing your interests and putting everything in one place to manage effectively. I do love that information is easily accessible and shared by those that are actually, readers, consumers, and professionals just like me. When I want to find out information I can look to these sources, not the paid advertisement.
First of all, I could not complete the activity because the popular blog searches and tags page was unavailable. I then began to search for the keywords "School Library Learning 2.0" using Blog posts, Blog directory, and Tags and found nothing. I also tried the Technorati widgets and it was also unavailable. So, though in theory the idea of being able to search for bloggers all in one site sounds great, I think I will stick with my tried and true Google Reader. I have enjoyed organizing my Google Reader with all my favorite blogs and love the idea of deleting and adding to this group whenever I like.
While learning about de.licio.us and Flickr and Diigo and other similar sites, I have realized the importance of such tools for organizing your interests and putting everything in one place to manage effectively. I do love that information is easily accessible and shared by those that are actually, readers, consumers, and professionals just like me. When I want to find out information I can look to these sources, not the paid advertisement.
Thing # 13: Tag Your It!
Delicious or Diigo, that became the question of the hour. And the winner is Diigo for me. I did follow the discovery exercise guidelines and played on Delicious for a while. I even set up an account. However, in this exercise we are also asked to check out other social bookmarking sites as well. I have to say that by far, for me, Diigo was much more user friendly. I like the way the site is organized; crisp, clean and again, easy to use. I was able to find several groups and tags that are helpful to me within the first few minutes of searching. At this stage in my life, I need easy and manageable. Balancing home life, teaching, and school work means I need search engines, tools, sites that speak to me. Diigo not only spoke to me, I think it was singing my song. I liked it so much I decided to share and send out invitations to several class members to share this bookmarking site with them.
I can definitely see the potential for bookmarking and in Diigo you can share your ideas with others in your social networking community. I tagged subjects that are dear to my heart, Special Education, Autism, Education, etc. Hopefully in time, others will enjoy what I find and I will search for articles and sites that others have shared with me.
You can also set up a blog page in Diigo, which is another feature I liked. Now that I know how to blog, I find it fun and another great way to share ideas.
One of the best features of Diigo is that it allows you to highlight text and use sticky notes.
I think that both libraries and classrooms could benefit from using bookmarking. If I was looking for specific resources I could look under a tag and find what I need quickly and readily. As so many of the sites and tools we have studied in the 23 Things, bookmarking helps to organize what you use for personal use or professional use.
I can definitely see the potential for bookmarking and in Diigo you can share your ideas with others in your social networking community. I tagged subjects that are dear to my heart, Special Education, Autism, Education, etc. Hopefully in time, others will enjoy what I find and I will search for articles and sites that others have shared with me.
You can also set up a blog page in Diigo, which is another feature I liked. Now that I know how to blog, I find it fun and another great way to share ideas.
One of the best features of Diigo is that it allows you to highlight text and use sticky notes.
I think that both libraries and classrooms could benefit from using bookmarking. If I was looking for specific resources I could look under a tag and find what I need quickly and readily. As so many of the sites and tools we have studied in the 23 Things, bookmarking helps to organize what you use for personal use or professional use.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Thing #12: Creating a Community
Blogging can be a great way to establish a community of people that share ideals, thoughts, or views similar to your own. I know that as I continue to blog and learn more about blogging I will keep in mind the importance of repecting others in the blogging community. Sometimes it is hard to bare your heart and soul and lay it all out for someone to read. I will always try to consider this when responding and commenting to others blogs. I feel that respect is the number one rule in blogging. Also, it is important to remember that everyone has something important to share. Similar to a yard sale, one person's "junk" may be another person's treasure. I need to consider this as I share my tidbits of information. Something I write could actually be helpful and shed insight for someone. Never sell yourself short.
I have enjoyed beginning to read other's blogs and enter this community of blogosphere. I think my favorite two blogs so far are Cool Cat's blog by Vicki Davis and the Blue Skunk blog by Doug Johnson. Already I have used information from both of their blogs to help me learn about many different subjects. Some topics for blog posts that have been shared have actually helped me in my posts on discussion questions. They seem to have a plethora of useful information to share.
I have enjoyed beginning to read other's blogs and enter this community of blogosphere. I think my favorite two blogs so far are Cool Cat's blog by Vicki Davis and the Blue Skunk blog by Doug Johnson. Already I have used information from both of their blogs to help me learn about many different subjects. Some topics for blog posts that have been shared have actually helped me in my posts on discussion questions. They seem to have a plethora of useful information to share.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Thing # 11
Thing #11: LibraryThing
I really could get carried away with all of these useful sites and tools. I could seriously get lost in discussions with the other members in the groups I chose for LibraryThing. I chose three groups to start with in the cataloging site. My choices reflect my favorite genres. I chose the Crime, Thriller, and Mystery group. I always get drawn into the world of serial killer novels and the hero or heroine's quest to solve the murder(s). I also chose The Green Dragon group which is a fantasy, mythology, and sci fi group. I enjoy all of C.S. Lewis's books and Tolkien. My last group is the Read YA Lit group. I am a sucker for Young Adult literature. I think that that time in one's life is such an exciting and ever changing period. Everything seems so important to a young adult. Their stories reflect this excitement and zest for life. I know that LibraryThing will be a useful tool for me now. I will be able to start to learn about what other people find to be worthwhile books. I can eliminate the selection of books that may not be well respected. In the future, I believe that LibraryThing can help me to organize both my personal and school libraries.
I really could get carried away with all of these useful sites and tools. I could seriously get lost in discussions with the other members in the groups I chose for LibraryThing. I chose three groups to start with in the cataloging site. My choices reflect my favorite genres. I chose the Crime, Thriller, and Mystery group. I always get drawn into the world of serial killer novels and the hero or heroine's quest to solve the murder(s). I also chose The Green Dragon group which is a fantasy, mythology, and sci fi group. I enjoy all of C.S. Lewis's books and Tolkien. My last group is the Read YA Lit group. I am a sucker for Young Adult literature. I think that that time in one's life is such an exciting and ever changing period. Everything seems so important to a young adult. Their stories reflect this excitement and zest for life. I know that LibraryThing will be a useful tool for me now. I will be able to start to learn about what other people find to be worthwhile books. I can eliminate the selection of books that may not be well respected. In the future, I believe that LibraryThing can help me to organize both my personal and school libraries.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Thing # 10
Thing #10: On-Line Image Generators:
This exercise was fun. I could play with this for hours, if I only had the time. I know for a fact that many of these generators can be used in the library or classroom. A librarian could set up her own glogster to demonstrate to students. She could have a trading card as we have already discovered. I know glogsters and wordles are fun for students as they are creating presentations to make the information more exciting and pop! I had fun with several, but I am only going to show two examples. There is not enough room for all of the images I would like to download or save. I played with Dumpr and created a picture from a shopping trip with my girlfriends in the Heights. We were just goofing around in a store and took a picture. I also had fun discovering ImageChef and created a picture of one of my favorite things, butterflies.
This exercise was fun. I could play with this for hours, if I only had the time. I know for a fact that many of these generators can be used in the library or classroom. A librarian could set up her own glogster to demonstrate to students. She could have a trading card as we have already discovered. I know glogsters and wordles are fun for students as they are creating presentations to make the information more exciting and pop! I had fun with several, but I am only going to show two examples. There is not enough room for all of the images I would like to download or save. I played with Dumpr and created a picture from a shopping trip with my girlfriends in the Heights. We were just goofing around in a store and took a picture. I also had fun discovering ImageChef and created a picture of one of my favorite things, butterflies.
