Beginning or End?

WOW! I can't believe everything that I learned through the 23 Things. When this all started I thought I thought I'd go through the exercises and probably not use any of the things. I was surprised that I really liked several of these things and will definitely continue to use them. The exercises that were related to photos were my favorite: online photo sharing, mashups, online image generators, animoto, etc. However, I was shocked to discover that I really like the RSS feeds. I still don't check it every day, but I always find something interesting when I do read the feeds.

This experience has opened my eyes to the way people are utilizing the web today. It has created many conversations with teachers in my building about the way we are currently teaching and the change in the way students receive information and that we are not on the same wave length. Often times I hear teachers talk about how low students are, but when I was conducting the computer survey with 3-6 grade, I realized that if students can do all the things online that they were discussing, then there is more going on in children's brains then we realize. We just have to tap into it. As the librarian, I believe that I need to help tap into this by utilizing some of the information learned in the 23 Things. I just have to figure out the best way to do this.

I also discovered that most of what we did is unknown to most people. I have talked to several different people at school and most of them didn't have a clue about what I was talking about.

I would definitely go through another exercise like this and if you were to change anything, it would be to have several get-togethers throughout the time period. Granted we are to be learning online, but there is something to be said about working among fellow bloggers. Overall, I highly enjoyed 23 Things and I take away many new tools to be used in the library.

Thing #23 - Creative Commons

I like the idea of Creative Commons. It makes sense for those people that aren't overly concerned about money and just want their stuff out there to be used. In this digital age, it becomes more and more important to know about copyright in all forms. I searched for CC items and found many images and other info. However, I wasn't able to find anything that had been changed or modified in any way - or I didn't know what I was looking for. I must admit that copyright related to the internet baffles me, but CC makes it a little easier to get through it.

Thing #22 - Animoto Signing Choir video

I had a difficult time last night at home trying to post to the blog, but today it was easy as pie. I showed it to some kids this morning and they wanted to know if I was showing it on announcements this morning. They thought it was neat. I think it would be fun to use it for graduation slide shows and other special events. It might be worth investigating the $3.00 version for a longer movie. I wish we could use music that was downloaded since they have a limited selection. Other than that, it was fun!

Thing #22 - Animoto

I liked Animoto. However, I found it very slow when mixing the video. I tried to download some music from the web to use in the video and couldn't make it work. I then had issues uploading the video to the web. I will have to continue to work on it.

Thing #21 - Podcasting

I learned in an earlier staff development that podcasts aren't podcasts unless they recurring posts. I signed up for a few that day and didn't keep up with it. I looked at the different directories for this exercise and determined that once again, I won't keep up with it. I like the idea, it just isn't for me. I would most likely search for audio files for particular subjects at various times throughout the year. I did investigate the different resources and determined that Yahoo podcasts have limited feeds for the searches I conducted related to the library/books. The Educational Podcast Directory had hundreds of feeds, but it wasn't the most user friendly site. I thought that Podcast.net was the most user friendly, but I had difficulty subscribing to a feed. It was nice to learn that there are numerous ways of discovering podcasts should I ever want to subscribe to one.

Thing #20 - YouTube

I enjoy YouTube as an adult, but I realize there are issues with children - as with many things on the internet. It is very easy to find inappropriate video so I don't think it would be appropriate to turn students loose on YouTube, but it would be perfectly acceptable to use clips from YouTube in the classroom. However, you have to keep in mind that amateurs upload the video and so quality is not always good. It is evident in this video of Henry Winkler. I chose this because I was able to hear him in person today and really enjoyed his speech.

I turned my 10 year old nephew on to YouTube over Christmas. He'd heard of it, but never really watched any video. My dad had received an email with a Rube Goldberg type of video in it and my nephew really enjoyed it so I showed him how to search YouTube for other Rube Goldberg video and he spent the next hour or so on YouTube. He is now a frequent watcher of YouTube, according to my sister. We have a student at school that has uploaded cartoon video to YouTube that he created. I cannot remember his user name so I will see about finding it out and posting a video. All of this to say: students are using YouTube.

Thing #19 - Going With The Flow

This is my bubbl.us map. The first time I tried working with bubbl.us it wouldn't work - don't know if it was their site or my computer. The next day it worked fine and was very easy to use. Mind maps are good for producing thoughts and organizing them. The flow chart would be used to organize thoughts. I don't use flow charts in daily life and it isn't something that I would use. Bubbl.us was quite easy but I don't see anyone I know really using it, especially with students. It is difficult to get teachers to use Inspiration and our school is utilizing Thinking Maps so I don't see the need for these sites at this time.

Thing #18 - Web 2.0 Winners

I explored the site Zillow. I'm always looking to see what is out there for sale and this is an easy way to do it. It's also an easy way, if you are nosy, to find out what someone's house might be worth. I looked at my house, my parents house, interesting houses and houses in my neighborhood. If I was seriously interested in buying and/or selling a house, this would be a tool to use. It was founded by a guy who started Expedia. I think he knows what he is doing and may be on to something. I found a guitar house for sale in Tennessee. Here it is.

I'm not really sure of the appropriateness of this site to libraries - unless it is with some kind of lesson on what houses are like or worth in different areas of the country.

Thing #17 - Online Apps - Mockingbird Guidelines

Online apps are really interesting. I see the benefits that have been mentioned numerous times: don't need jump drive, don't worry about platforms (PC or Mac) or software versions, etc. My hurdle would be to remember to use it. I'm such a creature of habit - change of routine is hard for me. But, isn't that the purpose of all of this? Go outside the box and comfort zone! I'm still working on it. I do wonder if this is something that will really influence Microsoft and how they create their new software from here on out.

This is what I created in Zoho Writer. It was easy to do.

Mockingbird Guidelines:  

*  Grades PreK-2nd or 3rd grade

*  January through April

*  Must have read at least 5 of the books to vote

*  Voting will be due late April

*  Enjoy

Thing #16 - Sandbox Wiki

It was very easy to add a post to this wiki. I'm still not sure about the uses with students at this time. I see wikis being used with teachers/librarians for collaboration purposes. Of course, I can hear it now with the teachers: "I don't have time for that!" If they would give it a chance I think they might like it. However, we have teachers that don't even check email every day so how in the world can I expect them to check a wiki? I'm still thinking on the Mockingbird WIki.

Thing #15 - Wikis

I must admit that prior to my discovery learning I was a bit concerned about the authenticity of wikis. I could only imagine what people might add to someone's wiki. After further review I think that it would be best to have a private wiki where a password is needed to edit content. I think it is an interesting way to get content across. I think that at the elementary level the greatest obstacle we will face is the classroom teacher - resistance to new technology, lack of time, etc. At this point I see the wiki used more among library colleagues, then with students. I'm tossing around the idea of the best way to create a wiki for MISD Elementary librarians based on sharing/using Mockingbird books. Something to pursue after 23 Things.

Thing #14 - Web 2.0

As I read various articles related to libraries and Web 2.0, I'm not sure that my mind can comprehend all that is involved with Web 2.0. I understand that it is the read/write aspect to the web. I'm having a hard time grasping all that it encompasses: Google docs, MySpace, blogs, del.icio.us, and the multitude of other things that I have yet to explore. What I do know is that it means that the things we do with the students in the library will change. I just don't know how fast it will actually happen. We will need to come up with new ways to meet the student's needs. I think to myself that I won't have to worry about it so much in the elementary setting, but I know that deep down it isn't true. I like the Library 2.0 Manifesto and what that librarian has listed, especially regarding the change and resistant colleagues. Our biggest problem at this point is the resistance I believe that the classroom teachers will put forth. Only time will tell!

Thing #13 - Social Bookmarking

I set up my own del.icio.us account. I thought it was neat to see if others had bookmarked the same things as myself. One thing I noticed is that even though you can access your bookmarks from any computer - by knowing your web address for del.icio.us - you will have to add the post to del.icio.us button to each computer you use to be able to add to your account from any other computer. I noticed that with Furl and Magnolia as well. I may be missing something though. I thought that Furl had an interesting ability and that is to archive the web pages that you tagged. It is really frustrating when you bookmark a site and it is gone. Furl would have an archived copy of the page. That could be really beneficial in the library for research purposes. This is one thing that will take more time to use and explore for me to decide how much I like it. Right now it appears to be beneficial.

Thing #12 - Social Networking Sites

This one seems to be the one that is causing the most hoopla. I have to admit that I was a little apprehensive at first. I've heard horror stories about myspace and also how so many young kids are using myspace to communicate with one another. I wasn't going to create a page, and then after reading so many posts on the subject I decided to create a page on myspace so that I could see what it was all about. I first had to have an introduction to the real thing from MW. After that I created a page and had a very difficult time trying to change the background and invite friends. I can't seem to get it to work (probably user error, not computer error). Having created a page and looking at things, I can say it really doesn't interest me.

What does interest me, is discovering where our students are with the social networking. I created a survey similar to Bookmaid's and will be using that with the students soon. I took an informal poll at lunch the other day to see which teachers had their own social network page. I was amazed by the responses. Several had myspace pages, one had a Xanga page and one had a facebook page. Several teachers were clueless. The teachers are all different ages. The one with a facebook page was talking about how much better facebook is because there aren't as many ads. This topic created an interesting lunch conversation. One teacher was commenting on how poorly students write nowadays because they write like they text.

I'm glad I created a page to see what it is all about, but I don't really see the need for it in schools - though it might be a way to get the reluctant, unmotivated student to perform! BTW - here is the link to my page: Anna's myspace page

Thing #11 - Library Thing

I liked Library Thing, but it isn't for me. I love to read and I am a firm believer in utilizing the library; therefore, I very rarely buy books for myself. As a result, I have very few books to catalog. I think it would be very beneficial for a person who wants to catalog his or her personal library. There are some very interesting posts out there and a person could easily spend all his or her free time tied to the computer checking everything out. I did catalog some of the books that I do have and you can check out my bookshelf.