tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61286800812816685972024-03-13T22:44:19.462-07:00christobel's cornerchristobelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386352997037622031noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128680081281668597.post-28918395848447186622008-03-25T19:41:00.000-07:002008-03-25T20:13:08.077-07:00Week 9, Thing #23, Final ThoughtsWell, I've finally gotten here after too many delays and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">side trips</span>. I really appreciate the tutorial nature of this activity that allowed my participation to be flexible. I also liked having discovery exercises to work with the tools we were learning about and the fact that all the resources are on line. It makes the program super simple to use and the experience user friendly. Thanks to those who put School Library Learning 2.0 together. It was great!<br /><br />The tools I liked the best and anticipate using include blogging, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Flickr</span>, image generators, possibly <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Rollyo</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">wikis</span>, Library Thing, e books and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">podcasts</span>. I see how tagging can really help with organizing. I think knowing some of these tools will help me make the move to putting more of my information on line where it will be accessible to me and to others. <br /><br />I can see how many of the social tools could be used to increase student engagement in projects. I also now have a better working knowledge of some of the information sources, like <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">RSS</span> feeds, that are available on line. Students will (and already do) prefer to get information from the web. It is helpful to know what resources are available to them.<br /><br />I appreciated the week that we got to read and assess some <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">librarians</span>' thoughts about the direction libraries are going. I thought that the emphasis on service and the library experience over creating the definitive book collection is good to keep in mind as we develop library programs for the 21st century.<br /><br />Thank you, School Library Learning 2.0 team, for the opportunity to learn these things!christobelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386352997037622031noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128680081281668597.post-32503427759071180882008-03-10T22:20:00.000-07:002008-03-10T22:38:31.359-07:00Week 9, Thing #22, E books & Audio BooksI feel like I already know about e books and audio books. I started a collection of audio books when I came to this library 5 years ago, and I have been adding to that collction ever since. It is used primarily by Special Ed teachers and students, but I have them out on display in the library and they do circulate to the whole school. Kids will occasionally check them out and so do parents, particularly before vacations. They like to have them in the car during road trips. I have one teacher who also is a good customer of these books. She brings her reluctant readers and helps them pick out an ebook and a matching print book. She claims it helps them with reading when they can read and listen to the text simultaneously. I think it is a great format for a variety of kids. I have also just ordered some MP3 books and am anxious to see how those are received. I haven't done as much with e books, but will be keeping an eye on adding some of them to the collection as well.<br /><br />What I learned from this exercise is how much free stuff is out there! I had no idea. There are kinds of places to look for materials. I liked the idea from LibriBox about creating a collection from the public domain using volunteers. I also noticed that Library Thing is among the many sites with free books available. I will have to keep using these sites to build up my collection.christobelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386352997037622031noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128680081281668597.post-26589322838700691202008-03-10T21:59:00.000-07:002008-03-10T22:12:36.270-07:00Week 9, Thing #21, PodcastsPodcasts are also something I am already familiar with. Colleagues have shared podcasts about subjects we are interested in with me. I have found websites for kids to use while researching that contain podcasts. For example, when the 8th grade was doing their career unit, I found podcasts about various careers on one college's career center's page. Last week, I found a collection of podcasts containing the stories of Holocaust survivors. I like finding resources using this technology because I think the kids become more engaged when they are listening to stories than when they merely read them. <br /><br />I had never used a podcast directory before this. It is a good tool, but I don't think I could turn kids loose to use one. There is too much trashy stuff listed in the directories. It would be too easy for students to wander off into places you didn't want them to go if you had them use a directory to search for a podcast. I would have to find the podcast myself, then post that link in order to keep the lesson on track.<br /><br />I like the idea of students creating their own podcasts. I would need to work on the tech part of doing this, but it is something I could develop in the future. I like the idea of linking the podcasts to your RSS feeder. What a good way to keep up with developments in fields you are interested in.christobelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386352997037622031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128680081281668597.post-60684809119554625792008-03-04T23:27:00.000-08:002008-03-04T23:52:21.962-08:00Week 9, Thing #20, You TubeWell, you doesn't know about You Tube? It has become rather ubiquitous, hasn't it? From political messages to videos of police abuse to the ability to share music and humor, it seems nearly everything is on the internet via You Tube these days. And students love it, so finding good ways to incorporate it could be really useful in the library.<br /><br />Most of my past use of You Tube has been to use links that friends have sent me. Mainly, these are humorous videos. This exercise got me to log on and explore what is there. The site is easy to navigate and searches seem to return pretty good results. It is nice that most videos are tagged and have enough of a summary that you don't have to look at the video to know what it is about. Of course, the quality of the videos themselves vary widely. Some are well edited. Others look like they were posted by college kids who had nothing better to do. The picture and sound qualities are also hit and miss. Because videos can range from professional quality to "as good as my aunt's vacation videos", I would certainly preview ANY video before using it in class. <br /><br />I could see linking some videos to the library website if I had any kind of tutorials or instructional videos. I think kids would be more apt to use those than read through a tutorial. You Tube can also be a useful resource for me or other teachers who are looking for ways to convey information in a video form. For example, I found videos of popular young adult authors being interviewed, examples of book talks and library orientations, and a recording of the Nicaragua National anthem. I also found some things that were such bad quality that it inspires you to think about making your own video. Perhaps that could be a project to take on in the future. I have even had teachers find old videos posted that they used to have copies of but have lost, so there is an archival component to You Tube that can also be useful.<br /><br />Although there are many uses for You Tube, I have to admit sharing humor is still one of my favorite ones. I have found some common ground with some kids I have been trying to establish relationships with by sharing our favorite humor links. Tonight's experimentation encourages me to look further into ways that it could be used in my teaching.christobelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386352997037622031noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128680081281668597.post-56241806713568978672008-01-28T22:11:00.000-08:002008-01-28T22:39:59.130-08:00Week 8, Thing #19, Library ThingNote Number One--I notice I mistakenly titled my last post as week 6 instead of week 8, but I can't find a way of going back and editing it. So I guess the lesson is "once published, it stays"?<br /><br />Now, for Library Thing. Of course, I love this program. Maybe it is because this kind of work is familiar, but this site makes cataloging and organizing a collection SO easy. I like that you can display the list in different ways, add tags and that it displays the covers. I found the site easy to use and the explanations of what you could do and how to do it good. I'll definitely be a frequent user of this site.<br /><br />As test cases, I did 2 of my historical fiction books and 3 of my textbooks from a favorite college class. I'd have to say that using the Library of Congress records instead of Amazon worked better for the textbooks. The information is more complete. Of course, my fiction books were more popular and had more reviews. There were a few people who had my textbooks, though. I would assume that those people have a similar interest in this field to mine. Why else would you keep the textbooks? Using the social part of this site could link me with them so I could pursue learning more about the subject. <br /><br />In the library, I can see using this tool to create and feature collections such as new books. I will have to check out how I can use it in conjunction with my library web page. I hope the district controls allow it through! At home, I can see using it to organize my personal library. I especially like the idea of comparing with others who have similar books. That is what I need--ideas for more books to get! You know what I mean!christobelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386352997037622031noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128680081281668597.post-26570235586943357802008-01-26T18:00:00.000-08:002008-12-11T02:40:31.164-08:00Week 8, Thing #18, Zoho Writer<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQeRfCWjqJJcOoEWvAPaDGey9rakE4bythUdVGqx5B4MYirbwgeFV3ShRZNfwFpEIswTkG2Zh9RyxypJup_l6RBeMpn0TCGgLHOjUv5wMa3MMhP8pCxUtciJcECQ7DTKUC2d8hB4bbCmkd/s1600-h/07.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159974695306227026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQeRfCWjqJJcOoEWvAPaDGey9rakE4bythUdVGqx5B4MYirbwgeFV3ShRZNfwFpEIswTkG2Zh9RyxypJup_l6RBeMpn0TCGgLHOjUv5wMa3MMhP8pCxUtciJcECQ7DTKUC2d8hB4bbCmkd/s320/07.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I was excited to experiment with this site which is a site for web based use of common applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations. I've had experiences in the past with the frustration of trying to share documents or working on editing documents with people in other locations. This seemed like the perfect tool for dealing with some of those situations.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I created a document in the Zoho Writer area and experimented to see what I could do with the program. I did like the toolbar and many of the things it was able to do. There were plenty of tools there to use. However, the program was not as intuitive as I would have liked. I had trouble figuring out how to do some things, like returning to the document after viewing it in "preview" and trying to rename the document. I couldn't get the photo import to work at all despite an hour of trying. I never could get the spell check application to work either, which is essential.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I would be interested to try creating a document and sending it to someone for editing to see how well the sharing part works. I can see how using the web to do this would be an advantage. That way, you are not tied to one computer or a particular program. That is a very attractive idea. I also notice that they have a wiki application. Since I am interested in learning more about creating one, I will probably experiment with this to see how well it works.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I also added the picture here that I tried to put in my Zoho document. It helped me dissipate my frustration at not being able to do it before (and also let me know that the photo was not creating the problem). It also reminds me that although it is winter outside, summer--and</div><div>my opportunity to be outdoors--is not far off!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>christobelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386352997037622031noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128680081281668597.post-11881088209851856702007-12-10T23:40:00.000-08:002007-12-10T23:47:37.270-08:00Week 7, Thing #17, SandboxWow! This is really easy to use. Things have really come a long way from the days (not so long ago) when "they" wanted you to learn html just to post a web page. Tools are definitely more <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">user</span> friendly now. <br /><br />There are so many ways to use <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">wikis</span> that I don't know where to start the list. Book reviews, class assignments, library procedures, lesson plans--these are just a few ideas to start with. There were some great curriculum connection ideas in the California <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Curriculum</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Connections</span> wiki. Just reading it inspires you to pick one idea and start there. It is more empowering than the feeling of being overwhelmed that I have experienced some other weeks. For some reason, these seem doable. Maybe it is because the ideas come from others in the trenches. <br /><br />That said, I would still like to learn how to create and manage a wiki. I guess I'll have to figure that one out.christobelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386352997037622031noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128680081281668597.post-88539667534001373432007-12-10T22:50:00.000-08:002007-12-10T23:09:28.772-08:00Week 7, Thing #16, WikisAh, finally we get to wikis. Of course, I've had experience with kids using wikipedia--who hasn't?--but I have been looking forward to exploring the many different ways people use wikis in the school and library worlds.<br /><br />It doesn't take long to start thinking of ways to use wikis. In the library, book reviews seem to be a common use. I can see y students wanting to do this to recommend the books they love. In the classroom, some teachers use it for group projects. They are a good tool to use to build a virtual community of people around any common interest. Some teachers seem use them as guides and resources for their students. In our school, teachers use their web pages for this. Is the advantage of using a wiki that students can interact with it? That didn't seem to be built into some of these pages. <br /><br />I especially liked some of the other uses for wikis that I discovered. I had never thought of putting our procedures manual in a format like this. Yet, doing so would make it both accessible and easy to update. I loved the collection of library best practices. Just think--if you needed to guide a group through developing a selection process or a challenged book policy, here are excellent resources already gathered for you to use. The same thing applies with lesson plans. I know I usually have to search for ideas and lesson plans for teaching library skills and reading genres. There are a million lesson plan sites, but most of them have few or no resources for us. A wiki where we could look for and share ideas would be great! I can also see how doing a wiki for an event like the CSLA convention would be great. It goes beyond merely posting information on a website because you can use it to build an interactive community. <br /><br />The one thing I didn't learn from this exploration is how to start my own wiki. What is the best software to use? How do you keep track of contributions and edit it? I know those features should be built in, but I'd like to see how it works. I know there are also issues with what the district filtering software will allow. I think it is worth pursuing the answers to these questions, though, because this format seems so useful in so many ways. I will be looking into just how to use it.christobelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386352997037622031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128680081281668597.post-26208203420324700272007-12-03T22:55:00.000-08:002007-12-03T23:29:54.303-08:00Week 6, Thing 15, Part 2As I went about my work today, the ideas I had read about for this assignment were still rattling around in my head. I realized that I had focused my comments on the changes that libraries will be going through in the next few years. I really had not touched on the issue of how web 2.0 technologies will impact the student and how that will be integrated into the library's mission. And so....a second post to address this side of the issue.<br /><br />When you come down to it, the place where web 2.0 technologies can have their biggest impact on education is in the area of student engagement. What these tools are creating, and the question they are calling, is the means for students to be actively engaged in their own learning. The model of the lecturing teacher and the silent student is going away. Students want to be involved in creating their own meaning in their education. They don't want to sit and listen to someone; they want to be active participants. Web 2.0 technologies give them the opportunity to take what they have learned, process it in an interactive way and demonstrate that learning in a multitude of ways. Not only can libraries be leaders in helping students to find the information they need to participate in this process, they should be equipped to allow students to interact with that information and produce a variety of products to show that learning. The focus in learning shifts from memorizing known facts to learning facts, then thinking about those facts in creative ways in order to construct new meaning. This is the kind of thinking that will be called for in the 21st century workplace. It is important that libraries be part of bringing this kind of learning into today's classrooms.<br /><br />One last thought about accepting learning produced with web 2.0 technologies. I do not think that teachers should accept sloppy work. Kids generally like using these technologies, but that doesn't mean that they should just be able to throw anything together and have it accepted by the teacher. The same kinds of standards and expectations for judging work quality should still be in place for these kind of assignments. It is the job of the teacher to articulate the expectations and acceptable standards, just as they do with other projects. Just letting kids play around on the computer is not a learning outcome. Web 2.0 technologies should not be an excuse for sloppy teaching practice. Rather, they should enhance the regular expectations by expanding the ways that learning can be expressed.<br /><br />Likewise, web 2.0 technologies can expand the way kids interact with reading for pleasure in the library. The library can be a place where kids share ideas, thoughts and feelings about what they have read. Web 2.0 technologies can provide the platform for doing this. Again, student engagement is the key goal. I am looking forward to the next couple of weeks of the tutorial because I think some of the upcoming tools may be useful in this way.christobelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386352997037622031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128680081281668597.post-55669962119286195252007-12-02T23:16:00.000-08:002007-12-03T00:01:19.924-08:00Week 6, Thing #15, Future of LibrariesThese articles are interesting perspectives on the future of libraries. I like to read this kind of stuff because I think it is all too easy to get busy in our own spaces and not put up our heads and notice what is going on in the outside world. With the web, that world is getting really big and the danger of being left behind and considered irrelevant is very large. I may not use all the ideas that I read about, but keeping my own knowledge of what is out there current is a necessity.<br /><br />There were several themes in these articles that are important ideas for any 21st century library. One is that the role of being a gatekeeper of information, the guardian of knowledge and the collector of books is going away. This may not be true in special libraries whose purpose is to collect and preserve certain items, but it certainly is in school libraries. I find I chose to emphasize use of the resources of the library over worrying about keeping things where they belong and limiting use of those resources. I agree with Anderson when he says that it is not about teaching skills as much as it is about working to remove barriers to student access to information. As user interface becomes simpler, patrons really don't need to understand how something works. They just need to be encouraged to use it. <br /><br />Another area that is being revolutionized is service. The old style of library was you come into my space, use my resources the way I allowed you to and followed my rules. Now, patrons want access to information and, increasingly, I am interested in giving it to them in the space and form they want it in. For instance, I love the idea of giving them access to the collections of the nearly public and other school libraries. I like shifting to the idea of having a 24/7 web presence to help with homework and questions after hours. Although school libraries do have the advantage of having a 'captive' patron base (the teacher brings the class, so they have to be there), I have to be sure that the service I give them is so useful that they think to come back on their own the next time. Service is the top item I offer to the teaching staff as well. I try to have enough knowledge about different sources of information that when they need something, they ask me and I not only get what they ask for, but show them some other way of getting or using that information. Like us, teachers are busy in their classrooms and are not always aware of new ways of finding or using information. I try to teach new things to the adults as well as the students.<br /><br />Finally, I liked the article by Schultz discussing the evolution of libraries from collections to service centers and finally to experiences. I believe she has captured where we are going. It is not that we will totally leave all of our old functions behind. I <em>still </em>want to be the place where kids come to ask me for book recommendations and discuss what they are reading with each other (although I agree with Anderson that the goal of having the definitive print collection is passe). But the library has evolved into a service based place and we are definitely experimenting with becoming an experience. The web 2.0 tools will give us ways to extend this into cyberspace. I want to do both--give kids a place to find and use ideas virtually and in real time, face to face. Community gathered is still an essential part of the human experience and I hope the library will find a way to facilitate that need for our school.christobelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386352997037622031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128680081281668597.post-757034340905077242007-11-27T22:05:00.000-08:002007-11-27T22:31:34.025-08:00Week 6, Thing #14, TechnoratiI spent some time taking a look at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Technorati</span> tonight. This site helps you organize, tag and keep track of blogs that are talking about things that interest you. There are really two different uses for this kind of site. One would be to help you keep up with your own interests, such as new developments in the library world. The other would be to see what is drawing the attention of other people. This is yet another example of how people are now using the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">internet</span> to keep up with popular culture rather than older media forms like the newspaper and the television.<br /><br />It is striking to me how <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">ubiquitous</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">youTube</span> is becoming, even on sites like this one. Almost any search I did came up with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">youTube</span> results in them. I also thought it was interesting that at one point while on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Technorati's</span> home page, a family member came into the room and I put the laptop aside for a moment. I noticed, though, that the screen kept changing as new blog entries were posted. There are so many! No wonder you need a tool like this to organize them.<br /><br />Tagging is just an extension of what librarians have been doing forever--organizing. The advantage: tags make it easy to put same subjects together. The disadvantage: without a standard format, some things that should be together may not be due to variation in tags. It is not hard to be consistent with your own labeling system. It can be challenging to be consistent with other people's unless you study the norms of others and conform to them. Overall, I'd say tagging is worth the effort. It makes finding your information easier.christobelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386352997037622031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128680081281668597.post-12359009350659716902007-11-25T22:06:00.000-08:002007-11-25T22:21:00.054-08:00Week 6, Thing #13, Del.icio.usI've had a bit of a detour here due to family illness and the holiday but now I am determined to finish this tutorial by Christmas. This week, I'll be looking at Del.icio.us. It seems like a lot of people are sold on it, so I am looking forward to it.<br /><br />I had some trouble find the tutorial because the link didn't work for me, but finally listened to it. I used the Library 2.0 account to explore the site and follow some of the links. I see how the tagging works and think that knowing how many people have linked to a particular site would be helpful. I find that if I use my own tags that make sense to me, it isn't to hard to keep track of what gets categorized. It probably makes a difference how often you intend to use the site. If your use is frequent, the use would become nearly <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">intuitive</span>. If not, you would have to keep track of how you kept track of things in the past. <br /><br />I decided not to create my own account at this point for two reasons. One is that I don't feel the need to access my bookmarks on multiple computers at this time. I have my work system set up for work and my home system set up for home use and interests. I don't tend to overlap them all that much. The second is the same old problem of deciding how much time to put into a new tool. There are so many possibilities! I feel like I will end up picking the one or two most useful ones at the end of this course and investing time in them. At this point, I don't see my teachers using a resource page I create with this tool. I'm still trying to get them to use the resources on my web page for classes! So....good tool for future use, but not yet.christobelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386352997037622031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128680081281668597.post-12376040362485743552007-11-06T22:30:00.000-08:002007-11-06T22:40:29.067-08:00Week 5, thing #12, RollyoI used Rollyo to create a list of websites called Saturday Adventures. I included the sites I usually use to come up with outdoor activities to do on weekends. At first, I was confused because I expected the tool to just make a list of my websites, much like I do on my library website. But his tool is actually about creating a search engine to look through those sites for specific information. What I learned is that you want to be very speicific about the sites you include on your list. Sites like "National Park Service" will yield way too many results if you are only interested in things to do in the Bay Area. <br /><br />I can see this tool being useful for teachers who want kids to only use specific sites to search for information. Again, you would have to test it out once you have created a list to make sure the results are not too narrow or too broad.<br /><br />The link to my search engine "My Saturday Adventures" is <a href="http://rollyo.com/christobel04/my_saturday_adventures/">http://rollyo.com/christobel04/my_saturday_adventures/</a>christobelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386352997037622031noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128680081281668597.post-46686131245164327632007-11-06T21:21:00.000-08:002007-11-06T21:33:27.922-08:00Week 5, Thing #11, Award Winners & NingsI decided to explore Library Thing since it is a site that I have heard about but haven't used yet. I like the idea of being able to catalog my home book collection. We have been talking about it because we do have quite a few books (occupational hazard, right?)! I guess the information from Amazon is accurate enough. I would have to play with it more to be sure.<br /><br />As far as work applications go, I can see using this site to help generate displays in the library. I see some people have figured out how to get images of book covers onto their blogs. Do they use the pictures from this site? The site seems easy to navigate and contains lots of useful information.<br /><br />I am less convinced about the social networking part of the site. I can see the appeal for some people, but I am not much of one for sharing my thoughts on books. I know that sounds funny, coming from someone who is always talking books and trying to convince kids to read. I can see how this site facilitates those kinds of activities. Speaking on a purely personal level, though, I have to admit that I don't really even like book clubs. I guess I just like processing what I've read privately. There are people, including kids, who draw meaning from these kinds of exchanges. This site allows both personal exchanges and the chance to network with others who have common interests, so I can see using something like this in the library to reach those users.<br /><br />I looked at Nings, but didn't join one. I guess I feel like I am already on information overload and don't need another forum to deal with right now. It is good to know it is there for later, though.christobelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386352997037622031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128680081281668597.post-24244548698426332382007-11-06T20:49:00.000-08:002008-12-11T02:40:31.410-08:00Week 5, Thing #10, Image Generators<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-gjkyWxr2N0VY-y900h_bWci8jrt4ST_GajkYNA5dliiWoHbwfA5UizZLm7zfk8ZNolHDFeOrwb2Roe0vCDirGcO38RHkcxvGibCWauFpVZkYlildK7lL8jLaH9Xmo0s6rE5DFcwpWcHw/s1600-h/computer-nerd-simpsons_www-txt2pic-com.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129958118359140562" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-gjkyWxr2N0VY-y900h_bWci8jrt4ST_GajkYNA5dliiWoHbwfA5UizZLm7zfk8ZNolHDFeOrwb2Roe0vCDirGcO38RHkcxvGibCWauFpVZkYlildK7lL8jLaH9Xmo0s6rE5DFcwpWcHw/s320/computer-nerd-simpsons_www-txt2pic-com.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div>The application that came to mind for this one was to create a friendlier reminder sign for my students. During the school day, we restrict our library computer use to schoolwork only. By using a cartoon reminder, I thought that the sign would get noticed more without it seeming to be too heavy handed. See what you think.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div></div>christobelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386352997037622031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128680081281668597.post-15990634999629859872007-10-18T21:36:00.000-07:002007-10-18T22:29:15.793-07:00Week 4, Thing #8 and Thing #9, RSS Feeds and NewsreadersThis week's experience was about RSS news feeds and readers. I didn't know what an RSS was, but once I learned about them, I started to notice the logo everywhere. I set up an account with Bloglines. At first I was confused because I thought that if I subscribed to several feeds, somehow that would show up on my email account or something. Finally, I realized I would still have to visit the Bloglines site, but all my subscriptions would be gathered in that one spot. I see from looking at Google reader that if you use Google a lot, it is easy to get to their reader from their main site.<br /><br />I found there is quite a variety of information available in this format. Again, as with other parts of technology, the biggest challenge is figuring out how much is useful and at what point things just become overwhelming. You could decide to limit your subscriptions to just things pertaining to work, or personal interests, or a particular subject. I do find that reading blogs is not very interesting to me. I guess I would rather just have a conversation with someone. I miss the back and forth exchange of ideas when I am reading it in isolation and responding in a vacuum. So while you can get some ideas from library blobs, I don't think I would genereally subscribe to them (at least I haven't found one I would add yet). Still, it is good to keep looking at things and to know the tools to use when you find something you want to keep track of.<br /><br />I don't think I was too surprised at the variety of subjects available. Like all of technology, at first you discover the service, then it doesn't take too long to be surprised when someone doesn't use the service. I thought organizations like sports teams might do some of this but I think they must still primarily use email to communicate with their fans. One other thing to consider when choosing subscriptions, too, is to consider the reliability of the source. For example, I subscribed to one of the catagories in the Reader's Club, but then realized that I need to check out who is writing the reviews before using their advice to buy library books. I didn't find any standout unusual sites to write about this time.christobelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386352997037622031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128680081281668597.post-67482220505690241692007-10-16T21:48:00.000-07:002007-10-16T22:15:41.740-07:00Week 3, Thing #7Reading through some of the other blogs, one of the writers raised a question about the amount of time technology takes. It really is a mixed bag, isn't it? On the one hand, technology enables us to do so many things that weren't even possible a short time ago. Is anyone else old enough to remember Dick Tracy and his 2 way wrist TV? Or Maxwell Smart and the phone he had in his shoe? Now, I see kids in real life talking on their cell phones every day. My children, who live halfway around the world, are almost as accessible by phone and email as if they lived down the street. I can communicate and get information in a fraction of the time it used to take. It really is a whole new world. <br /><br />On the other hand, there are so many possibilities that it can be overwhelming. Even just the few things we have already learned for this class simulate all kinds of ideas of ways I could use them in my library. Start a blog! Put photos on my website! Make posters and bookmarks! The problem is: what things am I doing now that I am willing to give up in order to add these new projects? I know we often think of technology as being a time saver, but in reality, the new things we do tend to soak up plenty of time. It becomes a priority and time management question. There are lots of good things to do. What are the best? <br /><br />This is the question each of us must answer. Seeing technology as a supplier of tools to accomplish our goals rather than having our activities driven by the possibilities raised by technology is the key to choosing where to best spend our time. It is a question each of us must answer, and re-answer, as we examine our practice and priorities. It is good to be aware of the possibilities that technology provides us. It is even better to chose wisely which will serve your goals for your library and your students.christobelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386352997037622031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128680081281668597.post-59017094066624098992007-10-15T22:11:00.000-07:002008-12-11T02:40:31.547-08:00Week 3, Thing #6, Creating a Magazine Cover<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4eG54Fo0hB4dIp7Cq2exY58LI6zSSdW1OpEs-6OoA6iE-pqEIhzKAtWHRciObfRKQZKRoApKIgBClPyh0jZE4OSvgtmkyZ4zH-xvoaoGglZju9TyHHyswuICg0rDC5qb3p_gaclxGly-/s1600-h/magazine8631715.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5121800315439697042" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4eG54Fo0hB4dIp7Cq2exY58LI6zSSdW1OpEs-6OoA6iE-pqEIhzKAtWHRciObfRKQZKRoApKIgBClPyh0jZE4OSvgtmkyZ4zH-xvoaoGglZju9TyHHyswuICg0rDC5qb3p_gaclxGly-/s320/magazine8631715.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Tomorrow is my daughter's birthday, so I took a picture from her summer travels and made a magazine cover with it. I can see a lot of uses for the mash-ups and tools in this section. A few ideas are posters advertising books, trading cards with different fiction genres on them, and recognition items to encourage reading. It was easy to do and fun.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>christobelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386352997037622031noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128680081281668597.post-9405884811946984182007-10-10T21:28:00.000-07:002008-12-11T02:40:32.155-08:00Week 3, Thing #5, Images<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioNMTw431doTEzMlYBOsn9y1CLtONv7D2f_SVm-ahHXScklcUDrvh9N4v2KwtA-RLXYAlpRnAZWNZrPPDWF5Uw7IlbAr-Mprm0BRc5QSEWFhaXLsTW50stLKX29SbBqWvqIaW5DAr2CnzU/s1600-h/DSCN2785.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119932221753567890" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioNMTw431doTEzMlYBOsn9y1CLtONv7D2f_SVm-ahHXScklcUDrvh9N4v2KwtA-RLXYAlpRnAZWNZrPPDWF5Uw7IlbAr-Mprm0BRc5QSEWFhaXLsTW50stLKX29SbBqWvqIaW5DAr2CnzU/s320/DSCN2785.JPG" border="0" /></a> I explored Flickr and took some pictures of my library so I could learn how to upload them. I liked using Flickr. It seems like an easy tool to use to manage and organize photos. I can see how useful it would be to be able to use photos in blogs. Now, I'd like to figure out how to put them in my website as well. That may take working with the tech team since they manage the school's web presence. The picture at the right is a view of the library from the circulation desk. Now, I am going to try to insert a second photo of the reading area in the back of the library and a third of the teaching area.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5IFEpYIvdwSQ0GbHgA-ATVFG9wcO8At_oZkpAsUSCScqChFrWpsiB-z_TukQmRC5IbuHaYPKKt5qDZoE8fF02d1kehIG7PoHQu5-mbno3bJK2CTaQAyUFFDcqzzFNfcXXO9HhRHzxcyu8/s1600-h/DSCN2791.JPG"></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5IFEpYIvdwSQ0GbHgA-ATVFG9wcO8At_oZkpAsUSCScqChFrWpsiB-z_TukQmRC5IbuHaYPKKt5qDZoE8fF02d1kehIG7PoHQu5-mbno3bJK2CTaQAyUFFDcqzzFNfcXXO9HhRHzxcyu8/s1600-h/DSCN2791.JPG"></a></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ9gc4wyiR_SuEJN_97lLglFfp7JwMvHs1H-CVSvmOy6OVcKBRBtGBYm5bhJjNV8ugWm0Lxl33djZxHIHnLt5RzfuqU8XcebXVr1swEIyUlOyUZzruJ2kEyUi3yVsAxDSGIe1gS5AkIqKN/s1600-h/DSCN2790.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119939944104766146" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ9gc4wyiR_SuEJN_97lLglFfp7JwMvHs1H-CVSvmOy6OVcKBRBtGBYm5bhJjNV8ugWm0Lxl33djZxHIHnLt5RzfuqU8XcebXVr1swEIyUlOyUZzruJ2kEyUi3yVsAxDSGIe1gS5AkIqKN/s320/DSCN2790.JPG" border="0" /></a> <div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5IFEpYIvdwSQ0GbHgA-ATVFG9wcO8At_oZkpAsUSCScqChFrWpsiB-z_TukQmRC5IbuHaYPKKt5qDZoE8fF02d1kehIG7PoHQu5-mbno3bJK2CTaQAyUFFDcqzzFNfcXXO9HhRHzxcyu8/s1600-h/DSCN2791.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119937182440794802" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5IFEpYIvdwSQ0GbHgA-ATVFG9wcO8At_oZkpAsUSCScqChFrWpsiB-z_TukQmRC5IbuHaYPKKt5qDZoE8fF02d1kehIG7PoHQu5-mbno3bJK2CTaQAyUFFDcqzzFNfcXXO9HhRHzxcyu8/s320/DSCN2791.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div></div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5IFEpYIvdwSQ0GbHgA-ATVFG9wcO8At_oZkpAsUSCScqChFrWpsiB-z_TukQmRC5IbuHaYPKKt5qDZoE8fF02d1kehIG7PoHQu5-mbno3bJK2CTaQAyUFFDcqzzFNfcXXO9HhRHzxcyu8/s1600-h/DSCN2791.JPG"></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5IFEpYIvdwSQ0GbHgA-ATVFG9wcO8At_oZkpAsUSCScqChFrWpsiB-z_TukQmRC5IbuHaYPKKt5qDZoE8fF02d1kehIG7PoHQu5-mbno3bJK2CTaQAyUFFDcqzzFNfcXXO9HhRHzxcyu8/s1600-h/DSCN2791.JPG"></a></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5IFEpYIvdwSQ0GbHgA-ATVFG9wcO8At_oZkpAsUSCScqChFrWpsiB-z_TukQmRC5IbuHaYPKKt5qDZoE8fF02d1kehIG7PoHQu5-mbno3bJK2CTaQAyUFFDcqzzFNfcXXO9HhRHzxcyu8/s1600-h/DSCN2791.JPG"></a></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5IFEpYIvdwSQ0GbHgA-ATVFG9wcO8At_oZkpAsUSCScqChFrWpsiB-z_TukQmRC5IbuHaYPKKt5qDZoE8fF02d1kehIG7PoHQu5-mbno3bJK2CTaQAyUFFDcqzzFNfcXXO9HhRHzxcyu8/s1600-h/DSCN2791.JPG"></a></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5IFEpYIvdwSQ0GbHgA-ATVFG9wcO8At_oZkpAsUSCScqChFrWpsiB-z_TukQmRC5IbuHaYPKKt5qDZoE8fF02d1kehIG7PoHQu5-mbno3bJK2CTaQAyUFFDcqzzFNfcXXO9HhRHzxcyu8/s1600-h/DSCN2791.JPG"></a></div><br /><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5IFEpYIvdwSQ0GbHgA-ATVFG9wcO8At_oZkpAsUSCScqChFrWpsiB-z_TukQmRC5IbuHaYPKKt5qDZoE8fF02d1kehIG7PoHQu5-mbno3bJK2CTaQAyUFFDcqzzFNfcXXO9HhRHzxcyu8/s1600-h/DSCN2791.JPG"></a></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div></div>christobelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386352997037622031noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128680081281668597.post-1927113315884960232007-10-02T23:17:00.000-07:002007-10-02T23:22:31.976-07:00Week 2, Thing #3, AvatarThis process is interesting because you can't really get an exact representation of yourself, but this is an example of the kind of thing kids will spend a lot of time doing. They are used to investing time in customizing their ipods, computers, etc. I have more of the mindset of taking something out of the box and just using it, no customizing necessary. This was good practice in learning how to do something that I normally would chose not to spend time on.christobelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386352997037622031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6128680081281668597.post-57622400423149464382007-10-02T22:36:00.000-07:002007-10-02T22:44:32.147-07:00Week 2, Thing #3, Setting Up A BlogThis wasn't too hard, although it is a challenge remembering all the user names and passwords I have, and which ones go together. The days of having one bank account, one credit card and one email address are long gone. I'm looking forward to learning the Web 2.0 stuff and seeing how I like recording my progress this way.christobelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386352997037622031noreply@blogger.com0