Bits & Pieces

11.5 More Things - Evaluation

2009-08-09T13:38:00.000-07:00

Thanks for another great experience!

1. My favorite discoveries or exercises:
Facebook was a fun discovery as many of my teachers were there but I had not joined. I really enjoyed Slideshare nad the 280 slides since I have teachers looking for new ways to utilize technology and this is a great resource that I will share in the fall.

2. Assisted or affected lifelong learning goals:
I appreciate all the articles that the lifeguards shared as we learned new concepts and information that we will inturn share with our fellow educators. With technology changing so quickly and students so quick, it is necessary to be as informed as possible to keep up with our students and assist our teachers. I will really use the "Digital Citizenship" information with my logy students as school begins and share other information as opportunities present themselves during the school year. I know the information I am taking from this staff development will assist as I implement the new technology with my students.

3. Take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes:
Technology did not always work the way I expected it to, but it seemed easier that 23 things. Maybe this was just because we have such a great set of support staff during the school year and so many technology experiences during the year and at TLA that we were already aware of many of the experiences that we covered in 11.5 things. There is always something new and it is great that y'all are there to make us aware of the new technology so we can better share it with others! (Watch for our school blog and we might have a school newspaper.)

4. What could you do differently???
I do not see how our lifeguards could have done any better! You always come up with great ideas and then challenge us to live up to your expectations. I hope we do not disappoint and I look forward to working with my students and teachers and the new technology this fall!

Thanks for the time at the beach...

11.5 More Things - Thing #11

2009-08-04T10:34:00.000-07:00

It is important that we as librarians make our students and teachers aware of the importance of being good "digital citizens" as they use technology in our libraries for web-based research and multimedia presentations. With our new technology, more students will have web access and it is important that we have in place district expectations, rules, and appropriate behaviors for all.

As stated in one of the many great articles: "Digital etiquette or netiquette is a basic set of rules one should follow to make the internet a better place for other people and oneself. When you instant message, chat, or email someone over the internet, that person can't tell if your just joking because they can't see your face. Don't say anything over the internet that can be taken the wrong way or can hurt someones feelings. To practice good etiquette, or netiquette as its sometimes called, is simple:- treat people how you wish to be treated: with courtesy and respect. People know these rules but most of the time don't follow them while on the internet. The internet takes over some peoples lives and people can get brain washed so easily when on the computer. Hacking other computers, using bad language, downloading illegally, and plagiarism are examples of having bad or no etiquette when it comes to the internet."

Students have access to social networking sites like Myspace and Facebook and need to be responsible when they access these from campus. We had a great Facebook class last fall and we all should be able to teach appropriate digital presence on the social network. Again, I see librarians as the network integrators teaching technology in all areas of the curriculum. It is something that we do all the time and we will be implementing our new technology as we receive it this fall.

Thanks to the Lifeguards for all the great articles and sites they made possible. Now back to the beach...

11.5 More Things - Thing #10

2009-07-30T08:36:00.000-07:00

Waiting for Second Life to send activation email.

Libby Wizardly

Still waiting and checking out other SL action online. I will come back to this or try to sign up again if I am not activated as Lizzy.

While I was waiting I did read about virtual field trips and plan to share this information with my students; and learn more from my teachers and fellow librarians that visited the beach this summer and had success in SL. I have played the "Farm Town" game (as well as the ones from McDonalds). I can see setting up something with some of my different departments creating virtual worlds. This was not something that I managed to have success with but I am not willing to give up so I will try again and again in the fall.

Now back to find a virtual beach...

11.5 More Things - Thing #9

2009-07-30T08:21:00.000-07:00

My teachers are going to love this link! Projects are going to be so simple to create and post and share on many of the resources that we have already played with like blogs, facebook, twitter, wikis, and web pages. I do feel that students can review projects and share with other students not just in our district.

Click here to link to 280 Slides

Now back to the beach to check out what is behind the next wave...

11.5 More Things - Thing #8

2009-07-30T07:34:00.000-07:00

Jing was the easiest way to post something. The directions were easy to follow and set up.
I will share this with my teachers and use it with students to set up instructions that they can follow to use the LRC, Meriwether, data bases for research, curriculum wikis, etc. I need to work on resizing so it is readable. This would be for studetns that are not familiar with this page.

Click here to learn more about Jing

The data base that students are working with can have narration or bubbles for narration. I want to try some of the other screencast options after I am back on campus and see if they would also work with my students and teachers. Thanks for sharing all of these great options. I think I will check out some of the other librarians postings and share ideas with them after we are back in August!

11.5 More Things - Thing #7

2009-07-27T14:04:00.000-07:00

The Fair Use documentation will be a great resource for video use with teachers and students. I can see students using videos even more than in the past as we have more new technology available. There were many good sources for videos, including Hula or just finding videos on Google. Movie clips can be downloaded and Twilight series is a favorite on my campus.

Many were found in edited versions in some sources and I included one below. (Some of the Facebook manners ones were not suitable for students, even the edited versions!)

Facebook Manners And You - watch more funny videos

There were some great videos explainng "Twitter" available on Google videos and I included one we have see before but it is very good and I will use it.

11.5 More Things - Thing #6

2009-07-27T12:48:00.000-07:00

There are some very informative articles and links that make the iTouch useful for our students and teachers, but I am going to have to find a way to maximize the 16 I will have available this fall. I think the student aides I have in the library this fall will be able to assist in downloading apps to our new technology when we receive them. I already have a great storage/charging idea from Karen Rodgers that i think will work great.
I think the Apple web page I listed below to be a great resource. I can see students in the library using the iTouch for social interaction internet activities we have tried like nings, wikis, podcasts, ebooks, Facebook, etc. especially if they need to interact, but not print. Most educational apps were free, but some had a minimal cost. I am motivated to check out the iPhone as we continue our digital journey.

Why an iPod Touch in Education?

Find more videos like this on Flat Classroom Project

11.5 More Things - Thing #5

2009-07-26T20:17:00.000-07:00

Both were easy to sign up for. It's interesting to see how many people you can connect with on Facebook and how addictive it can become. I think both have applications in the educational world. It is important to train students so that they are ethically using these resources during school hours. Computer time is so short at school and maybe after our technology becomes available, we will be able to use these resources more. There is so much out there, as seen with the presidential election, and students can become better informed through social networking devices. Likewise, things learned at TLA and through the district can be shared amongst colleagues using Facebook. The more you immerse yourself in the technology, the better you are able to learn it and teach it to students. You are also better able to be aware of what they are doing. Back-channeling can be used with long distance learning and is a way to make lessons available when students are absent from school. It can be used as an open forum where students can ask questions and get responses.

11.5 More Things - Thing #4

2009-07-23T12:08:00.000-07:00

There are many advantages - easy to create an account and upload videos, easy to share with teachers and students. I think if students are taught the correct way to access informational websites such as You Tube and Teacher Tube, there is great learning potential. Student created work can be viewed and critiqued by teachers and fellow students. Students videos can be shared beyond the walls of our school and be made available to students in other schools within district. The boundaries are limitless with our new technology. I plan on working with my computer lit. teacher as our new technology becomes available to implement it in a way that functions well for our school.

Since I was at the beach, I've added this surfer video.

The Little Red Surfer

11.5 More Things - Thing #3

2009-07-21T12:36:00.000-07:00

Skype is very user friendly and I can see using it on the new laptops when we get them in the library. The articles presented were interesting and could be used in many ways in school applications. I can see this as a resource that can be used in many ways and shared with teachers on campus. Specifically, in the library, I can see applications for research, reference related questions, distance learning, and an author forum with authors, particularly Bluebonnet and/or Lonestar authors. I look forward to using Skype with the new technology when we get them in place on our campuses. I want to check out Spring Woods High and Memorial Middle School and see how they are implementing the new technology and using all these wonderful things that we've learned at the beach.

11.5 More Things - Thing #2

2009-07-20T12:09:00.000-07:00

Wordle: A great way to introduce a concept in an eye catching manner. I can see students using it to find main topics/themes in essays or research projects. It would be fun to use an image generator such as this to create a focal point for sections in the library (biographies, story collection, fiction, nonfiction, etc...). It is such a creative medium because of the color, the size of the fonts, the repetition of the words and would be an interesting way for students to see main ideas emerge. I think teachers will find this as interesting as students.

Library2Play 2 Wordle

Glogster: Wow, posters have sure changed a lot since we were kids. I can see this as a great group project around the collaboration booths using our new laptops in our iPad. A very creative way to bring all kinds of information together and I can really see kids getting into it. Students can navigate other students' glogs and learn from their work.

Voki: Vokis are fun to create and I can see students using them to express themselves. I created this one for my blog. It would be fun to create a talking mascot for the school blog.

Get a Voki now!

Bookr: Bookr is a tool to create and share a photo image book. It is very simple to navigate. Pictures are available using Flickr and would provide an updated way of doing book reports.

I plan on sharing all of the above with students and teachers using our new technology!

11.5 More Things - Thing #1

2009-07-20T11:40:00.000-07:00

I think this Teacher Tube video is a good starting point for teaching connectivism to students. The librarian is the guide and will be there to tie together all of the materials available for learning. Students will be using the technology and resources available in the library to create projects and social network. Glad to see everyone at the beach this time around, especially the lifeguards, and certainly appreciate the time to learn more during the summer and extend 23 things.

We are here experimenting and learning things to share!

2008-08-19T11:41:00.000-07:00

We have enjoyed our intense library experimentation today, August 19th. We had fun at our table learning about new things and stressing together about things that did not want to load. It would probably have made more since if we had all done Table one items first so we would have all found images that we would have used in the rest of the manipulations. It takes time to find pictures, but it is fun! A good time was had by all most of the time!
Found images and videos on Discovery Education and images in Flickr Creative Commons; used Audacity to create audio but it would not post. Everytime the computer would have a technical problem and I would need to restart.
Used image manipulation to create a magazine cover and I can see this as useful for teachers.
I will share what I learned with my teachers and continue to experiment with technology!

Thing #23

2008-03-23T18:02:00.000-07:00

1. My favorite discoveries were LibraryThing, TeacherLibrarian Wiki, TeacherTube and Del.icio.us. (Actually all 22 Things were interesting ... some more than others)
2. How have Things affected lifelong learning goals? I began my teaching profession in the classroom and I have always had a love of reading. I migrated from the classroom to teaching many in a library setting. I continue to work and improve to meet the challenges in the library classroom and to allow all of my students to become successful. There is always something new to learn so I keep reading and sharing!
3. Unexpected outcomes: I have not had any online classes and I did not think I would ever be able to complete all 23 Things. It was difficult to wait for downloads and contend with the firewall in the district. I expect problems trying to share Things if I cannot access sites.
4. Improve on format and concept? I liked the format and concept but I am still not online at home so the time allowed was a challenge. I am looking into getting connected from home. I preview many things afterhours from school or crashed at a friends that is online. Since I had already checked out most of the Things I worked online over Spring Break to finish!
5. Would I participate again? Yes. I will try to get connected from home and await my new laptop before trying again. I might have more time during summer months. Would this be something that could be done during staff development days?
6. Thanks for providing this amazing learning opportunity for us. I am in awe that we work with such a great team.
God Bless...

Thing #22

2008-03-22T11:50:00.000-07:00

Ning is another place to social network. I checked out the TeacherLibrarianNing and would use it as a beginnng but not an end as there are so many other great things out there. There was not much for middle school but I will check to see what others thought about Nings.

Now on to the last Thing...

Thing #21

2008-03-22T11:24:00.000-07:00

Photo Story was fun to use, but couldn't get the microphone to work, so I used music. I can see uses in the library, especially for student book reports, etc...

Thing #20

2008-03-21T16:39:00.000-07:00

Searching out the videos on YouTube and TeacherTube is fun. There is a wealth of information out there. It was easy to find relevant material through searching. I chose this video with my grandson - because there are no cookies in the library, only books about cookies.

Thing #19

2008-03-21T14:39:00.000-07:00

There were so many award winners it was hard to know where to begin. I recognized many that I had encountered before and discovered some new ones.

For Books: Library Thing, Lulu , and http://www.biblio.com/
For creative writing projects: http://www.onesentence.com/
For anything multimedia. http://www.podshow.com/
For digital images and photos. Flickr and Picasa

I would like to check out other sites that fellow librarians discovered and utilize those with my teachers.

Thing #18

2008-03-21T14:04:00.000-07:00

I tried Openoffice.org and it took a long time to download, but it was interesting for a free program and documents saved in this format opened in Microsoft Office. If you only have access to a free program it is very workable and useful for students that do not have Microsoft Office or other programs available through school. I like Microsoft Office but I am still learning how to use it and all there is to know about it. I plan on sharing this information with some of my key teachers on campus and get their input as well. Google Docs looked interesting and full of possibilities.

Thing #17

2008-03-21T13:41:00.000-07:00

Playing in the sandbox was fun! Wikis can be used in many ways... sharing information we have learned from Library 2play; collaboration with librarians on curriculum sharing; just the beginning of things to come as we work together in this information age.

Above is one of my grandchildren, Austin, playing in the sand this past summer. He likes to play in the sand too!

Thing #16

2008-03-21T12:46:00.000-07:00

Wikis are wonderful and I really enjoyed this Thing! Everything was fun to read and there are some great links out there with information that is easily understood and shared with others. I can certainly see librarians finding this useful and I plan to share this with my teachers. I can see many of them finding this useful as well. Great sources for middle school book lists and ideas to share! I want to go back and respond to some of the wikis I read...but I must finish the rest of my Things!

Thing #15

2008-03-21T12:05:00.000-07:00

As we move toward Library4.0, the librarian will be the information guide and sometimes traffic cop no matter what format is used; and it is necessary to stay informed to assist students and faculty; but there will always be a place for the librarian to meet the needs of the students!
Policies must change in public schools to allow students to access appropriate web based information but students need to be held responsible as well. All of the articles were interesting!

Thing #14

2008-03-21T11:44:00.000-07:00

Technorati was not my favorite thing but I understand the use of tags and organization of blogs since there is so much online now to search for and through. I tried the keyword and tag searches and found them to give similar results, but I preferred the way the tag results were listed.

Thing #13

2008-03-21T11:03:00.000-07:00

I can certainly see a use for this thing! It was one of the best so far. I will share this with my teachers and I can see them using this with the new laptops and opening Delicious.com to save and share bookmarks.

Thing #12

2008-03-21T10:52:00.000-07:00

This might make it easier to narrow sites, but I don't think it's that useful. It seems to reinvent mega search engines that already exist. But now it's done, so on to the next thing...

Thing #11

2008-03-21T10:36:00.000-07:00

LibraryThing is great! Thanks for making it one of our things. I will certainly use it to check out titles that are not already in the system. I checked out the groups and especially liked Librarians Who LibraryThing. It seemed relevant and something I would use as we have shared interests.

Thing #10

2008-03-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

I looked at the different resources available and used the Comic Strip Generator focusing on Snoopy, my favorite to create the graphics above. You could use an image generator to create bookmarks, trading cards, posters, and rewards for reading celebrations. You could also create strips and have students fill in the word bubbles themselves.

Thing #9

2008-03-19T13:26:00.000-07:00

Which method of finding feeds did you find easiest to use? Google Blog Search where you did a keyword search to find a feed was the easiest to use. Also looking at the blog rolls of trusted colleagues like Vaughn made it easy to find a feed of interest.
Which Search tool was the easiest for you? Google Blog Search since I chose that as my news reader or any other tool that has a keyword search option.
Which was more confusing? A top 100 list that did not offer a detailed description of the blog's content was more time consuming to sort through and was not user friendly.
What kind of useful feeds did you find in your travels? Or what kind of unusual ones did you find? Library2Play or any feeds on Vaughn's page were great. Many sites were confusing because of all the ads that made it hard to find the information. There's just not enough time to really check out all the blogs, so I'll use my resources in our district and check with my fellow librarians to find out what they found useful and not reinvent the wheel.
What other tools or ways did you find to locate newsfeeds? Asking family and friends and discovering through conversations with others what news feeds they find useful. Also my wonderful supervisor who updates us through emails and monthly meetings.

Thing #8

2008-03-19T12:56:00.000-07:00

What do you like about RSS and newsreaders? I like RSS updates as it makes information easily accessible and brings new ideas right to your Google Reader. I can select topics that interest me or that are content areas I need to share with my teachers.
How do you think you might be able to use this technology in your school or personal life? With our new laptops, this new technology will be invaluable in both school and personal life. I plan on sharing this information with my staff after April 22nd (probably before so they'll be ready).
How can libraries use RSS or take advantage of this new technology? Between lesson plan, curriculum, and author websites, new information will become available on computers in the library on topics requested by teachers. Teachers can select these feeds on library computers and access them during the day.

Thing #7

2008-03-19T12:18:00.001-07:00

Here is a link to my Google Notebook I started on quilting. I also used Google Earth to locate an aerial view of my campus (shown on the left). I can see using all the new tools and resources I've learned under Google with science, social studies, and other content areas that I teach in the library. I will enjoy sharing these resources with my teachers as there's so much more to Google than just searching.

Thing #6

2008-03-19T11:53:00.000-07:00

I used Mosaic Maker to create a collage of my grandchildren. I still would like to play with the trading card idea that was discussed at our library meeting. Sounds like a fun way to share authors!

Thing #5

2008-03-19T11:26:00.000-07:00

Flickr is fun and easy to use. Family has used shutterfly in the past but might switch over to flickr. Great place to find images that can be used for lessons in the library.

Thing #3

2008-03-19T11:05:00.000-07:00

Avatar was easy to do and easy to import when reading and following directions. I chose to hold a grandchild as I have four. I chose to stand in a kitchen since I am your cake lady. This part was fun and I'm looking forward to 20 more.

Thing #2

2008-03-19T11:04:00.000-07:00

Remembering to take time to play along the way is easy, but viewing a problem as a challenge and meeting the challenge is harder to do.

Thing #1

2008-03-19T10:37:00.000-07:00

I've got my blogging shoes on and I'm ready to go!