Thing #23

I have always wanted to become more Web savvy and this has definitely helped. I particularly liked learning about Wiki’s and Podcasts. I’m not so much into the social networking stuff with the exception of a Ning for professionals. I was kind of surprised that one would use Twitter. I think that one would have better things to do but Reality shows abound on TV and some people are into that kind of thing. I liked how everything was hot linked. It made researching easier. I already heard that there is 11 ½ more things out there. I will definitely visit that on my own soon. It’s really cool that someone with recent knowledge of the Web can keep the rest of us abreast of current things. I would describe this exercise as rewarding and fun.

Thing #22

I can see how a Ning can be of use to a librarian/teacher. The ones I visited have many members and lots of information and ideas shared. It can be a very powerful tool for communication between likeminded people. Librarians can become part of a network that can bounce ideas off of each other. The librarian can use this to glean new ideas for the library. This might be more user friendly to the librarian who isn’t into RSS feeds or Listservs or doesn’t have as much time for them as needed. I can see possibilities for a class to use one but it would have to be carefully monitored

Thing #21

I used Audacity to create a recording of my voice over a piece of music. This is pretty cool. The program can get complicated and I will have to delve into it more later. I had trouble uploading it to this Blog. I'm already familiar with Photostory though and created a simple one of my nephew's 4th birthday. Students can get very creative in using this to make a presentation on any subject.

Thing #20

I have heard of YouTube and always thought it was just a plaything for teenagers. I did not realize that it encompassed so much more than just funny videos. This is an awesome platform for video interface. One can learn so much about all kinds of subjects. Being able to learn visually is very powerful. Of course, one can still see all the cool videos that are out there for fun as well. TeacherTube is, of course, more of a learning tool as it is used primarily to help people in the education sector become more knowledgeable. I teach special needs children and some of them are medically fragile. I found videos on how to use special equipment such as standers, etc. Very informative.

Thing #19

I took a look at Google Maps at maps.google.com. This is a really useful tool. Not only does it show a street map of a place but it also shows a satellite image. One can use it simply to see someplace or even get written directions to and from there but a really neat thing it does is identify places of business or other importance. If I wanted to find the nearest McDonald’s. I just put input McDonald’s and it plops down icons that identify locations within that map. I could see them on a complete city map or just by zip code. I can drag the map around instead of clicking the edge of the map for faster panning. If I need to see familiar landmarks, I can switch to satellite mode. A Social Studies class can use it to find famous places an landmarks such as the Washington Monument by inputting the name and it just moves over to that location. A student then could zoom in and take a picture of the monument from the air.

Thing #18

Google Docs is a novel concept. I can create office documents as I would on my own computer and have them open for sharing and editing with those that need to have access to them. It can just be an information sharing forum or a document building forum. Nobody needs to have access to my computer and needless tedious communication can be minimized. I can also keep folders on my computer to a minimum. I still would like to have a home office suite to do personal documents however. Our group in class that I am a part of is already using this to facilitate our final project. Whoopie!

Thing #17

Using the sandbox was cool. I can see how it might be useful on a Wiki. A Wiki could be created for book reviews for a reading program and the sandbox can be there for fun (hopefully clean)comments from the students.

Thing #16

I just happened to use a Wiki in my Web 2.0 collaborative lesson plan for my
Media & Technology class. Our group showed how we could have a 2nd grade class use a Wiki to facilitate and organize learning for Science. I found that it was a novel and fascinating way to do this. With technology becoming central to the schema our students come to us with, using technology such as this can only enhance learning and make it more authentic and fun.

Thing #15

Library 2.0 is an interesting concept. With technology moving at an incredible rate, access to information will come in many forms. Successful libraries in the future will have to adapt to this and morph into a place that incorporates all the new technology with the old. Library collections and information will become more interactive. The patron will be more involved in the library’s collective design. I liked how the OCLC Next Space Newsletter predicted a Library 3D and 4.0. It won’t be too long before the library will feel like the Holodeck on the Starship Enterprise.

Thing #14

Technorati is a very good place in which to search blogs. Currently, I do not read blogs much but I can see myself in the future using Technorati to search other people’s comments on specific subjects. I searched School Library Learning 2.0 under Blogs and the top one is a Word Press blog from a British librarian and the rest are 23 thing blogs. A search under Posts gives a more varied choice but they all come from educators around the world. I love having the computer and the Internet. I am truly amazed at how much immediate information is now at our fingertips. The Internet really enhances my quality of life as an intellectual. That being said, I am not nearly the information junkie that others seem to be and I would much rather not spend the amount of time on the computer to be one. I do have some sort of “life.” It’s nice to know about all of these different interactive web sites and web tools but they can be a bit overwhelming for me.

Thing #13

I can see how del.icio.us can be useful. I am always wanting to save ideas and other things to my computer but always end up with folders all over the place. Using del.icio.us can help organize an eclectic mix of saved things in one easy place. Tagging definitely helps finding those favorite things again. It will take some gettung used to though. I've never been that organized or been that fixated with it.

Thing #12

I found using Rollyo easy to use. I typically don't search the internet for information other than the top stories in the news, sports and weather. I do find myself wondering who someone is when I'm watching a film or like to look up fiction authors so I created a short search engine for looking up people who are in film or write fiction books. Sometimes I like to find out about real people of note. My lookitup1 search engine has a couple of databases that give me this information.

Thing#11

I found Library Thing quite interesting. I can see how it can be a great place to spend some time. I may not be in the 50 largest library category but I do have several hundred books at home that I've read. I never have had the urge to sell them to Half Priced Books although that's where I do a lot of my shopping. I can't seem to part with my books. I guess I just like to look back at them as trophies or maybe have a more physical representation of how many I have read. Library Thing can also be a neat supplement to this idea. I was a bit overwhelmed by the idea of cataloging all of my books. I do not have that much free time, except maybe in the summer. I did see the CueCat tool for scanning books. I would very likely get this as it would make this job much easier and it costs surprisingly little. I can see this as a tool in the school library. One could start a book club or a peer book review in the library. Library Thing could facilitate this idea. I have not found any groups that interest me yet but I am still looking.

Thing #10

Be careful. This is my personal bodyguard. she's very protective! I created this with Comic Strip Generator . There are so many possibilities with image generators. I did not know that there were such sites and for free too! I wonder what the copyright issues are though. I'm assuming that the site has permission to use the characters or am I wrong in that assumption? One can add likenesses of actual trademarked characters such as the Simpsons or Bugs Bunny. I can see a teacher making a class project more fun by allowing the students to create such images. They don't have to be silly though. A student might put himself next to the Eiffel tower for geography class. The possibilities are endless.

Thing #9

While Syndic8.com has a home page that is hard on the eyes, I found that the result page was quite useable. I think Feedster is out of business. Google Blog Search and Technorati are probably the two most used. Technorati is better for categories but Google Blog Search is probably faster. They are all kind of confusing at first but that’s just because the concept is new to me. I think that less is “more” for some of the sites. I liked Edublogs' award winners. This is a good place to find some interesting blogs. I found The tempered radical under the “Best teacher” blog category cool. It can provide insight for fellow teachers, students and especially administrators.

Thing #8

I do like how it RSS feeds and newsreaders can bring news to you quickly and efficiently. One can scroll through a bunch of news and information interests without the more time consuming internet search and open window/multi-tasking. I personally am not a news “junkie,” so I don’t see myself getting much use out of it. But it’s still nice to have just a click away. I can, however, see it being used in the library as source of information. One can use it for research of current events or ideas/opinions on subjects. I definately see how a librarian can use it to monitor other librarians blogs for new and innovative ideas for the library.

Thing #7

I did not realize that Google was so comprehensive and user friendly. No wonder they are doing so well. I can see people using Google as their basic platform from which to access and manipulate information from home or work. I created a personal iGoogle. It was very easy to do and I can have a bunch of personalized information available to me immediately. I do have a MyYahoo page but it doesn’t have as much of a user friendly interface. Google calendar is even easier to use than Outlook. I like to “next four days" feature for quick reference. A friend of mine uses Google calendar to send reminders or cancellations of our pick-up Ultimate Frisbee games on Saturday mornings. Pretty Cool!

Thing #6

I tried retrievr and found it very interesting. I just put in a squiggly black line to the left of a squiggly pink line and "whalla!" I got, among other things, a picture of two girls. One dark haired girl was positioned to the left of a pink haired girl. I can only imagine the possibilities with an art class. Different types of classes can come into a lab setting and create products that 'mashes" their curriculum with fun applications. Geography classes could use Mappr. Language Art classes could use Trading Card Maker.

Thing #5

I found Flickr very interesting. I have a digital camera and have taken many pictures on mission trips I do for my church. I always make new friends abroad. This tool makes it easy to share our pics with each other as well as with others in my church on and off the mission field. I can see how this website might be usefull in a classroom as well. The use of tags makes it easier to sort pictures into categories and cross reference while grouping allows for a more immediate sharing among people with common interests.

Thing #4

I found registering my blog fairly easy. It's just an email. I was pleasantly surprised though at how fast the response was from The Kickball Captains.

Thing #3

I found setting up the blog fairly easy. I didn't at first realize I had to open a gmail account first. I also missed the directions to post something about the "things" starting at Thing #1 and titling it by the thing #. As a result, I got one out of order. I was hoping to be able to go back and fix it but could not find a way to do so. I already have and avatar on Yahoo with my Yahoo email account. All I had to do was export it!

Thing #1

I believe I will find "23 Things" a fun learning experience. In addition to learning about things a librarian should know, I find learning about using information technology exciting. I love computer technology and it's novelty.

Thing #2

For me, the habit that I find the easiest is habit#1. Beginning with the end in mind is really just setting a goal for yourself. I'm always thinking about something I would like to learn. I think about what this will do for me. I wonder how I can use this tool and how it will make me a better person/product. Learning is fun for me, so imagining knowing something new allows me to see myself in the future. However, getting started can sometimes be a bit hard. I have to be willing to put it into my schedule. I may have to sacrifice something else I like to do for the time being. Sometimes I sart on something and don't follow through because I find it increasingly less fun or it eventually takes away from me other pursuits. So, I guess habit #3 is the hardest. That being said, I can use habit #3 to get past habit #3 itself. This can be just another challenge. I just need to be willing to choose wisely and find something that I know I can finish. Mybe I can start with small goals first.