Books are Treasures

Thing #11.5 - Evaluation

2009-08-03T19:38:00.000-07:00

I LOVE Second Life. I really like SKYPE. I had wanted to use Skype but had not tried it. So now I have!!!!!!!!

Skype is a HUGE take away for me.

I appreciate doing this. Many of these things I had some familiarity with before doing this but it really pulls things together and gives me time to think about it and how I want to use it next year. However, a HUGE plus, when teachers are asking me how to do things that are one of the 21 or ll.5 things, the directions are there and they are easy to follow. I might walk them through something but I can point them to this and they have a place for more help and review when I am not around. That is a major plus.

Finally, I think the face - to - face days was a great bonus. Sometimes you just hit a wall with something and do not know why it is NOT working. The suggestion that I would make - have a blog or wiki where people can go and post a question. Then everyone can help each other out if they get stuck. This would be especially helpful if there was some notification of the group when a question was posted. Then someone who might be online could help.

Thing # 11 - Digital Citizenship

2009-08-03T19:13:00.000-07:00

Digital Citizenship encompasses several different areas of information that many adults are not aware of not using appropriately. Point one: Digital literacy and safey - I can not tell you how many times I get emails from other adults - may of them teachers - frantic about something that got sent to them in their email. Because they got an email, it must be true. I have sent so many back with links to the urban legend sites that my fingers are tired. I even got one from the principal. Point two: There are so many times that adults do not understand the etiquette needed when posting or emailing. Language is certainly one of them - but simple things like not using ALL CAPS is also one. And finally - point three: How to use the internet available material for learning and the strategies for processing. First - this can not be done at once. It is an ongoing process. I start with my Kinder and 1st grade students telling them that everything they read, hear or see is not necessarily true. (Heck, I am doing this lesson with my 5th graders and my TEACHERS) and that is really what I am going to talk about here. You have to get this point through before you can move on.

I pull my books on Pluto. I show my kids the books. I ask them if the information in it is true and right. Oh, yes, she took them off the shelf, they are in the library, it is good stuff. Then I open one and read about Pluto being the 9th planet. I then open another one that says Pluto is not a planet. PROBLEM. Different info in different books. What is right and what is true. How do we solve this problem. So, I pull up my computer. Again, I find articles that say yes and others that say no. How to solve. I then talk to the students about where the information is coming from. We begin to look at the issue of Authority. Is this a competent scientific site, how old is it, etc. That is my first lesson. Each time we start to research something I remind them about the need to check the authority of the posting or website. We post the list of things to check by Kathy Schrock on a poster board for the students to use as a guide.

One of the other things that I do, I talk about what I am thinking outloud with my kids. I will mention that something sounds goofy. I then will take them to websites like the Pacific Tree Octopus. I will go through the list of things to check. I will act all excited like this is something new I just found. When I catch the kids - I stop. I say wait a minute. Does this really sound like it is even possible. Hmmmmmm. Then I go and try to search for other websites and find the hoax pages. This really makes an impact. I can not tell you how many kids start looking around for hoaxes. When they realize how many they are - it makes a impact. I finally show them some of the Urban Legend sites to use for checking things.

This is my intro to Digital Citizenship. It must be an ongoing, continuous propsition.

Thing #10 - Virtual Worlds

2009-08-03T19:00:00.000-07:00

I love Second Life. This has wonderful applications for education. I am now part leader of a group called K - 12 in SL Now! We are working together to attempt to find a way to bring students into 2nd life as avatars. We realize that this needs to be done carefully and we are trying to talk to lots of people so that we can present our ideas to the Lindens. I now am a landowner in 2nd life thanks to some wonderful people at the Nebraska Technology office. I have a castle for my classes with my kids. I am very excited about this year.

Finally today, I got to share SL with my principal. She was very excited about it and immediately saw the educational aspects of it. However, she also realized that if I put that on her computer she would never get things ready for school because she would be PLAYING!!!!

SL really allows you to play and learn. It is extremely addictive. One morning at 8:00 am I got up and decided just to go and look in at SL for a moment. At 7:00pm I realized that I had only moved from the chair one time to go to the bathroom. I had not eaten, or had anything to drink that day. However, I had done 3 interviews, held 2 meetings about sharing at conferences by linking in through SL, and I had worked at building in my castle. I had had a very full day, and never moved from the chair. Hey, that is doing something. The only problem - exercise. How will I get it? Oh, I know, make a stand for my computer of my exercise bike. Now I can exercise and do SL at the same time. Now, if you want me to spin like a hampster in a cage, just make my computer run from the electricity that my exercise bike generates. That wheel will be spinning.

Thing #9 - Slideshare

2009-08-03T18:28:00.000-07:00

I thought Slideshare was very intersting. It is wonderful that people are beginning to share their PPTs. I can see that it truly is a new way to collaborate between teachers, librarians, and people in general. But, for students I see this as a bonaza. Here is another wonderful resource that they can go to for information and ideas. One note: I think that it is extremely important that librarians begin to teach students and teachers to put a credit page in their ppts espeically if they are going to be sharing them on a site like Slideshare.

Also, not only can you learn information by looking at slideshare but, it can also give you new ideas for creating ppts.

Thing #8 - Screen Capture - Jing

2009-08-03T17:26:00.001-07:00

I used Jing. It was very easy to use. It is very intuitive to use the actual screen capture. I can see making several Jings and posting them on the library computers to remind students how to search. What would also be nice, to have a teacher do them in Spanish for my Bilingual students.

http://www.screencast.com/t/IIjAA75Q2QA

Thing #7 - Video Resources

2009-07-29T12:51:00.000-07:00

I have used the videos from the National Geographic site several times with students in my school as well as videos from the History Channel site as well. The National Geographic site is wonderful for discussions on habitat, flora and fauna and different people around the world. I have used these with 5th grader studying different habitats, students doing research on different animals, and with my first grade classes as they were studying different people groups and cultures around the world.

Likewise, as I have helped to build flipcharts for Ancient History the History channel site was invaluable. I also worked with my 5th graders on projects about American History and used video clips from the History channel. Students are able to manipulate these easily and quickly.

Both of these have search features that are fairly easy to understand and use. I have used them even with kindergarten students. It is imparative that you watch the entire clip as sometimes there are things included that you might not want to use or the clip strays from your subject and might not be the best choice.

The new seach engine that I found is Kool Touch. First please read about it in this article. You will need to scroll down - it is the featured New Search Engine of the month. I am adding a few screen shots.

This is what your search yeilds.

Next you click on the numbers.

When you let go, the video section will open and you can click on a variety of videos on that site that go with your subject search.

This is only one of the many new search engines that are being created.

Thing #6 - I touch Apps

2009-07-29T10:53:00.000-07:00

I was very lucky that I was able to work with the I touches and apps this past summer. We downloaded a number of apps and worked with the students using different applications.

How to Install Application on an I Pod Touch

One application that immediately popped into my head was Facebook. I can see the students all using their Facebook application and working on a Facebook page. You could have a class Facebook page. Each student could be assigned a different point of view or persona. They could post comments back and forth in a discussion type format on the Facebook page. Then there would be a written copy of everyones work.

Likewise, because the internet is avaiable on I-touch - I could easily see students working together, researching and collaborating in a wiki on a project. They could be using the internet, a wiki, and an I touch app such as Google Earth to follow a person in history through the steps of their life, to watch butterflies migrate, to look at different types of land forms, and many other ideas.

Additionally, students could use the Weather channel app and the writing app on the I-touch to make a chart of different weather conditions in different areas of the United States. They could also follow the changes in temperature in different towns through out the day. They could then plot their information and see the diferences based on where that area is in the United States or world.

An immediate option is the Skype app. Students could talk and collaborate with a "Skype pal" in another classroom in another state or country.

There are also many brainteaser, puzzle type apps that help create a deeper mathematical understanding through "play." The Dictionary and Thesaurs app uses are evident. But, I think it would be fun when teaching the uses of a dictionary or thesaurs to use the app and I-touch rather than just the book form of each. Students would be drawn to the I-touch and might actually begin to use a dictionary or thesaurus more often.

Of course newspapers can be read on an I-touch app as well. This can make for interesting work on current events in a history class. These are just a few apps and activities that could be done in a library or in a classroom.

Thing #5 - Microblogging

2009-07-29T10:35:00.000-07:00

I have been a member of Facebook for some time. Durin the interim - I have reconnected with friends that I knew in Europe through a group that I joined, have been contacted by old classmates and classmates of my brothers and sisters as well as other people from my past that I had lost contact with. Further, I have been able to connect with friends in Africa and Israel throgh Facebook. I am sure the telephone companies HATE these new technology applications. It has probably cut phone uses in a major way.

I think there are many uses for students. It is a wonderful way to stay connected with a large group of far flung friends and family. However, it is also a media that meeds a great deal of monitoring and teaching of students before and while the use it. There are many damaging outcomes if studets are not extremely careful in what they post. This media opens new products that students can create.

As I write this, I sit watching CNN. The story they are currntly reporting is about a woman that angrily twitted about her landlord. She is now being sued by him for defamation and $50,000. This is my concern. Students must be taught how to use this appropriately. Sadly, we hve more and more media opening so quickly that it is almost impossible to teach students appropriate use for all of them - because tomorrow there will be another new one.

While this allows students to make all types of new products - a Facebook page for a book or historical character, it also carries with it a great deal of possible misuse and danger. Students can use this the cheat in class and other activities being completed in class, as well as giving out personal information that can cause great ham in the present and in the future. Sadly because of the picture element everyone uses, privacy issues are also a large concern. The ability to add names to a photo can also cause great problems.

Although Twitter is a different medium, it has much shorter postings and less variety of applications, there are also serious privacy issues that must be resolved. It also leaves issues about use in education. However, an interesting use that I thought might be fun, an interview with a character (historical or book) could be done in either Twitter or Facebook by sending questions and responses. The variety of possibilities goes on and on.

Final note: As a teacher, I can see a variety of practical uses. If my car is at the car repair shop and I have a twitter account, I can add my car repair maan to my twitter stream and he can twit me with cost analysis and problems found rather than having to call me and interrupt my class.

Thing #4 - Teacher Tube, You Tube and School Tube

2009-07-29T10:24:00.000-07:00

Within recent years there has been an explosion of possibilities for individuals to post and share information - be that through one of the "tubes", wikis, or a blog. Before movies, etc. were only created by "professionals" and personal movies were shown only to family and friends.

For teachers, although they could use different types of media, sometimes what was available did not truly meet their needs. Now, with the opening of these newish sites, teachers can create what they need for their classes. They can film: clips as they travel, an experiment that they wnat the students to do, or even a class that they teach and then it can be uploaded. This allows students to review the material as needed or the teacher to utilize the material during a class. This expands the types of lessons that teachers are able to share in class. They are also able to share the lessons they create with other teachers.

Likewise, by publishig the work on a site that others can access, studentscan review the work at their leisure. If a studet is absent and the teacher has uploaded a video of the lesson, the student can catch up with their work easily. Also, student travel more often with parents, sometimes missing classwork, this allows the student to make that work up easily no matter where they may be.

The flip side of this is that teachers can also, with permission, publish student work. This work can then be used by other teachers, students, and the general public to learn and enjoy them rather than having a limited audience. This gives purpose to the work that students create.

We are moving slowly and inexorably to the ability to share almost anything we create with the general public as well as a more specific group. This is creating an atmosphere of more connectedness sharply juxtaposed against more individuality at the same time. Students and teachers are finding a wider audience and more media that meets more specific needs is widely available.

A final thought. This is allowing us to truly become lifelong learners with ease. Anyone wit a computer and internet access can constantly be finding new information in many creative and interesting presentations. This far surpasses just books or magazines. Many different formats are available. It is a wonderful development.

Thing #3 - Skype

2009-07-26T00:15:00.000-07:00

I believe there are many different uses for Skype in the classroom. One that immediately popped to mind, even before I read any posts or articles, is collaboration. I can see students talking with students in other countries using Skype. There is a butterfly migration project on the internet - how wonderful it would be for teachers and students that are participating in the project to Skype each other, share their information and projects with each other, and track the migration of the butterflies by talking to each other.

Personally, I have used Skype as an educator to participate in conferences with other educators. If we as teachers, benefit from face to face interaction, how much more will our students benefit. The other benefit of Skype, there is no cost. This allows teachers to connect their students to experts in their studies. Where a school might not have the money for a teacher to take students on a field trip, an expert could Skype into the classroom and answer questions students might have as well as impart inforamation that could be immensly helpful. Further, experts who can afford to take thirty mins to an hour to talk with a class might not have two or more hours that it would take to drive to the school, do the talk, and then drive back to work. Businesses are much more likely to encourage such interaction if the time away from work can be cut down - Skype does that. A further benefit of this, our students will be using Skype - or something similar - in their own work environment. This only helps to pave the way. This also encourages collaboration and group projects that will also be a large part of our students working lives.

Thing #2d - Bookr

2009-07-25T22:54:00.000-07:00

Here is a copy of my bookr book on Plants.
I think this is a wonderful tool for students to use. They can easily do this instead of a report.
This allows them to pair their words with a picture and make a much fuller representation than just a report would do.

However, and this is a big BUT, because of the way this tool is set up, using pictures from Flickr and limited picture choice at that, you are very limited in what can be done. I first tried to make a project on our Solar System. However, because of the limited picture choice, I was not able to complete that project successfully. This could be very frustrating to students.

Animoto.com

2009-07-10T21:40:00.001-07:00

11.5 Thing 2c

2009-07-10T21:24:00.000-07:00

I really like animoto. I think animoto is a great choice for students. Kids enjoy making the animotos, they enjoy chosing the different types of music etc. I like the fact that you can make something completely different using the same pictures and music each time. This is an animoto that I created and used as an intro to a study of space. The students really liked this one because of the music. Their attention was really captured.

11.5 Thing 2b

2009-07-10T21:18:00.000-07:00

Word Shift is an interesting take on this Word Bubble type of program.

Not only do you get the word cloud but you also get internet websites and pictures that are connected to the word - or put another way the main words become search terms for the internet. Those pop up underneath the word cloud.

Students can use this as a ending project by writing a paragraph about their subject, then entering it into the Word Shift page. I do not like this as much as some of the other programs because the items that come up may actually have nothing to do with the actual subject. However, if this is being used at the beginning of a project, after finding one piece of information this might be used to quickly find other information.

11.5 Thing 2a

2009-07-08T21:58:00.000-07:00

The first thing I tried out was the Wordle. I had already worked with it before starting the 11.5. I think it is a great way to create a picture with words.

It is also an interesting way to show important points that have to do with a subject that is going to be studied.

For instance, I think it would be a great overview for the different things you will study in the year. For example:

Math: Fractions, angles, perimeter & area, shapes, greater common denominator, least common multiple. Or, for a student to make a Wordle on a subject they have been studying.

I made this one as an example using the subject of Electicity. A student could make this as a final project showing what they learned during their study.

11.5 Thing 1.

2009-07-08T17:25:00.000-07:00

As I love Lee Lafever's stuff - I thought this was great. It was fun to see a student use his format.

Anytime you are teaching someone something that has to do with technology, that format really seems to work well. It is straight to the point, step by step, and very easy to follow.

I am so ready to get this thing off the ground and started.

Thing #23 - Summary

2008-07-07T14:31:00.000-07:00

I did this with Carol Lee and had fun getting to know her and working with her. I think that really helped. I had already done some if it on my own previously and spent time just nosing around trying things - like animoto which did not appear in this version for some reason. There were several things that I tried out that I will use again and again.
1) Favorite discoveries - the comics and the trading cards.
2) a life long learn is a life long learn, they will find stuff to learn and I have been going to TCEA and getting alot of this already.
3) I had already done quite a few of these things previously - I liked the Live Map thing I found today, trading cards, and a few others.
4) suggested improvements - I would like this to be a bit more open ended. A list of fun things to explore and try with the links and such - this spring and summer were NOT good times for me to do this what with buying, renovating, moving, unpacking, sorting house and writing curriculum - just over stressed me. But working with Carol kept me at it to finish.
5) Yes, if I could do it on my own time frame.
6) BORED with the same o' same o' in class? Take this and spice up your teaching.
7) DONE

Thing #22 - Ning

2008-07-07T14:28:00.000-07:00

I can see how this would be helpful. You could use this to keep in touch with a group of friends that are spread far and wide. But, for educational purposes. I think this would be a great way for a teacher who is working with several groups of kids on a project to bring them all together in one place. It would also be a nice way for the elementary science teachers in the district to all be able to talk to each other, ask questions about the curriculum, etc. I think this will be more useful for older students - jr. high or sr. high rather than at an elementary level.

This has been a fun excursion.

Thing #21 - Podcasting (Photo Story)

2008-07-07T13:15:00.000-07:00

I started by doing a podcast (Photo Story) with my GT group which we used on the morning news about safety. I have now done about 5 different Photo Stories and one of my teachers had each student in her room do one. They wrote a story, found pictures to illustrate their story and then read their story over the illustrations. They were so proud of themselves. Here is the one on safety done my by GT kids. Sorry about all the monkeys that invade about mid way through this.

Thing #20 - You Tube, Teacher Tube and Google Videos

2008-07-07T12:44:00.000-07:00

I really like You Tube and Teacher Tube. You may be surprised why. You Tube has some wonderful travel videos that are great for letting kids see differentl places around the world. If we are truly trying to help them understand others culturally we must give the the chance to see and interact with that culture. Some of these are great ways to introduce student as young as first of Kinder to people and places in South America, Africa, Australia, Asia, etc. They are so curious at that age.

I also recently did a lesson on weather - there was an awesome 5:00 video about hail. So many of our kids have not ever seen hail and to be able to pull that and show that to them is great.

Teacher Tube also has some awesome videos as well as Google video.

I am not going to post a link but I am going to try to post a video clip.

www.google.com/s2/sharing/stuff?user=102092949433832299197

I found this one through google. This would be great to share with students. I can do this with You tube vids at home and then save them and show them at school.
This is a great resouce. I was also able to make a copy of the video as well.

One of the things that is important to remember - you may want to make a copy of the video and embed your copy because lots of people are not careful with their language when they are video tapping. We found several great vids on hail but could use NONE of them because of the foul language.

Thing 19 - Web Award List

2008-07-07T10:29:00.000-07:00

There were several things on the list that I found incredible. One of the ones that caught my attentiona and that I played with was Yahoo! Pipes. This is really a type of smash up. I loved the example that smashed the news of the day with a map. I thought this would be a great feature to add to the morning news. Not only would the kids be show a snippet of the new but they would be learning a bit of geography at the same time and in a fun, practical way.

I, of course, had to look at the items in the Books category. I was already familiar with Lulu as I have ordered books from there before. I think this is a wonderful site for self publishing items for say a class or even for the library. If you have authors week - take some of the best stories, add illustrations and make a new book for the library from your very own students. It could be bound just like a "real" book. I also liked Biblio as I found several old out of print books that I had been looking for and could not find on Amazon. But World Cat takes the cake for librarians. It offers cataloguing from over 10,000 libraries - that should really help us out.

I also looked at the maps section as that could be helpful in teaching Geography. Google Maps I already knew. But Live maps was awesome. I loved the picture collections of different places. I need to just spend some time - playing. Of course I already love Google Earth but Live maps might be just as great if not better - and that would really be something wonderful. The piece of Live Maps that I think will be so fun is the 3D item. I am downloading it and can't wait to get in and play.

This is one site that I am just going to have to take some time and puruse. Let my little fingers walk slowly through to find out what is possible.

Okay, the first thing I want you to see is the Capitol of Texas.

Okay, now you go to the corner of the Capital and turn to the SW and there is the Govenor's Mansion.

But, the one that I like best is you can "walk" up to the Caprock Escarpment and "see" it and the plateau above.

Nothing could get better than that.

Thing 18 - Open Source

2008-07-07T08:27:00.000-07:00

Google Doc is a wonderful tool. I am using it with my Google web page that I am developing. It allows one to create a document in a familiar zone similar to Word Docs without all the tools and hoohaas. Then you can, with just a click, send it forth as a web page. It is even easier than Front Page - which I loved. Google Docs does not have as many different types of print to choose from, size of print, etc. However, most of the basics are available like headers and footers, colors, spell check, tables, etc. There is no mail merge, no label maker, no track changes, no variety of lines or lettering, no columns. But again, the basics are there. It is easy to use and recognize. In actuality - if I were teaching someone to use Word, I would start with Google Docs, let them get their feet dirty there and then move them up to Word. Google Docs is a great basic platform.

I looked at Open Office. It is very close to the same as Microsoft Word. It has all the basic features that Word or Power Point have with only some of them missing. However, if you have used the Microsoft program set, there will be things that you will miss - although the free aspect might make up for that. As these are programs that I use constantly - I would miss certain things but if you were just learning this would be a great tool to learn with. It has more bells and whistles than Google Docs but not quite as many as Microsoft Word.

Thing 17 - Rollyo

2008-07-04T15:29:00.000-07:00

Oh boy, well I feel like my head is about to explode!!!! This is a cool way to make list of websites for kids to search. If a teacher has a subject that she wants the kids to look information up for - I could make a rollyo and give them the link. This way, I know that the sites are valid and have good information. And, on top of that, I would be able to make sure they are safe. I think that this would also be a neat way for teachers that are interested in staying up with the latest information in a certain area to have a quick review of some of the most relevant sites.

I also wanted to add - I think this would be great for students in high school as they were beginning to apply to colleges. They could put the college sites on a rollyo and then they could go in and do a search for something like - financial aid - info from all the sites would pop up. This would make getting the info much faster than going to each site and searching. Or if you were getting ready to buy a car and were doing the research first this would be a helpful thing to have. I do not see elementary students using this much - but by jr. high or high school I can see the students begin to make rollyos for themselves. In elementary it would be the teacher or librarian that is making the rollyo for the students to use.

We were asked to make a rollyo and then post the link here. However, because I did not publish mine - I could not really leave a link. However, I can give a picture.

So, like yeah, what did you think I would do it about - Pride and Prejudice fan fiction, OF COURSE. This is summer - time to relish my favorite things.

Okay, I am going to rest my brain for the rest of today.

Thing 16 - wikis

2008-07-04T12:31:00.000-07:00

I really liked making a wiki. We had used them a bit before but I made a personal one to help me plan a trip with my friend. I can also see how they would be useful for a team of people working together to plan something as well.

I really see this as being a great addendum to collaboration with teachers and students (for student projects). I want to try this out in the fall and see where it leads. Also, I know one way that I will use it!!!!! I will make a chart with the schedule on it and I will put it up and let everyone use the wiki to make the schedule!!!!!!! Then I will not have to go and hunt everyone down. That will be so much easier than if I had to do that again. Also, when ever I am trying to make a schedule for teachers - I think that a wiki would be an AWESOME way to go about it.

I see lots of posibilities. I want to try some of them out and see how they develop.

Thing 15 - Library 2.0

2008-07-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

Disruptive thinker, David Warlick, I think not. I really felt that he had some extremely good points, was well thought out, and easy to understand. I was particularly interested in the website he mentioned and will spend some time "playing" there a bit later this summer.

I also read the Wikipedia entry and although it gave some info - it was more of an overview of the discussion rather than anything pertinate.

Last, I happend upon Michael Stephens "Into the new world of librarianship". I liked his thinking but that is more on the overview of a library rather than in the world where I live with my kids. In someways, although my end user is my students, it is also really my teachers. I am here to help them get the info they need to get to the students. Then it is also my job to help the kids understand the info and how to get it again and again. I am so looking forward to this next year when I hope that I will be able to pull my kids in and do more and more projects with them that allows me to open new arenas of info and technology to them. I really believe that a librarian is becoming more and more a facilitator to and of information than almost anything else - but then - when dealing with "digital natives" that is also what one might hope that teachers are as well. I guess that in a real overall way - that is what I see my role as being - a conduit or facilitator. Getting the person to the info they need. If that means helping them find it or if that means helping them use it, what ever, that is what my job is.

Thing 14 - technorati

2008-07-04T11:38:00.000-07:00

I frankly find it interesting that there is a company that is out there trying to keep up with all the blogging that is going on. But, I guess that I shouldn't be as this is just like the function of a librarian, getting info cataloged and into a shape that will allow others to find information quickly and easily. Tagging is actually another one of those librarian functions that now everyone is doing. We didn't call it tagging - we called it cataloguing. So, now it is just a tad bit easier and with out all the rules that we had to learn to catalogue - but then with tagging - the cataloguing is only as good as the tags that people use. As librarians, we all had a standardized procedure to help make it orgainzied. So, I wonder how long it will be until there becomes some sort of standardized tagging system. Naaaah I don't think that will probably ever happen. They will just expand the search to capture all the different possibilities.

While searching in different ways for "school library learning 2.0" I did notice that alot of the most popular blogs at the moment are gossip, politics, geeky stuff, and humor. I found that quite interesting. Also, I found that I did get different info sometimes but also there was some overlap.
I felt that there was a wealth of info on Technorati - but again, it would take alot of "playing" with it to get easy enough with it to make it comfortable. I tried to "claim my blog" by the site was not working properly. Oh, well, another time.

Thing 13 - social bookmarking

2008-07-04T10:41:00.000-07:00

Okay, I was already familiar with del.icio.us. I had not really used the site alot but I had been in a class at TCEA about it so felt comfortable with all the ins and outs of it. I like the ability to share lots of bookmarks VERY easily. However, I also looked at Furl and Ma.gnolia and there are things that I like about them more. The thing the del.icio.us has is the wealth of bookmarks already avaliable and the easy of searching. Both Furl and Ma.gnolia allow for public or private bookmarks which I really liked. On top of that Ma.gnolia also allows you to create groups to send bookmarks that you create to - such as teachers or students that a librarian would send them bookmarks to a specific group. Additionally, Ma.gnolia has another feature that I really liked. It saves a copy of the site for you. Then you never loose the site even if it goes down. That is awesome. It allows you to "grade" a website using the stars method. This is also helpful especially if you are sending them to a group. Unfortunately Ma.gnolia looses the easy of creating the bookmark that both del.icio.us and Furl have. Both of these sites allow you to copy portions of the site and put it in the comments section.

Finally, I guess I would say that I like del.icio.us for the wealth of sites already bookmarked and avaliable to search, Furl for the privacy issue, and Ma.gnolia for privacy, saving the site, and the groups option.

Interestingly - some of these things are called social and they actually keep you from being face to face with people because you spend so much time behind your computer bookmarking, blogging, etc. I admit - it does let you connect with people far away that you might not have connected with otherwise.

Thing 12 part 2

2008-07-02T13:03:00.000-07:00

I found two blogs about Pride and Prejudice that I commented on. Okay, what were you thinking I would look up blogs on - football???????

I will add one of my comments here and if I can back track to the other I will add it as well.
The first was at a site called In the Shadow of Mt. TBR
mminYour comment is awaiting moderation.
This happens to be one of my favorite books. I did my senior thesis on Jane Austen and her books. I think P&P stands far above the others with S&S and Emma close behind. I to enjoyed all the verbal by play and the glimpses under the “veneerd” of gentelism that flowed through the book. I think that one of the reasons I was so drawn to Lizzy is because she seemed so very real - even Jane is a touch perfect for me. Lizzy has foibles but also a great heart. That comes through like a shining light and I truly enjoyed that aspect of the book.
However, the thing that I find fascinating through out all of the books is the look into the parlours of that day. The mores of the society are clearly deliniated although some are being bent if not down right broken. It is like taking a step back in time - like visiting Williamsburg or Plymoth here in the States.
I do value the psychological bits of the stories - but the pictures that it draws of that descrete period of English history is a wonder to behold.

And my 2nd post was at musings on pride and prejudice

mmin // July 2, 2008 at 2:40 pm
I do agree with you to some degree. I think that he was bored - but I think that it really camafloged the man that was underneath. I think that he was a better man but was hiding because of all that he was enduring with the “matchmaking mammas” of the ton. What I believe is that he did not realize how much he was hiding who he really was and how jaded and cynical he had become. I think that Lizzy opened his eyes to that. I think that happens to all of us to some degree. We know what we think and feel inside but we are not always aware of what we are showing on the outside. Lizzy bumped his vener and made him stand outside of himself and look again. That was not a pretty sight. I also think that it was to some degree his reaction to her rejection that also surprised him. When he realized how negative that was - it made him take a closer look at himself and ask why. When he did that, he was able to open himself up again and let more of his true inner self come out to the surface.

I have already stated that I was aware of the fan fiction - but although I was aware of some of the blogging about P&P I had not read many of those sites. This was a chance to look at a few.

Thing 12

2008-07-02T11:24:00.000-07:00

I think that I have a bit of a head start here as I have been reading and writing fan fiction for some time. Interestingly I really think that you could call fan fiction a type of blogging. The author is writing a story but that could be their blog post. They readers all comment. They ask questions, they discuss points in the story, they talk about things they like or dislike and why, they remark on historical issues (I am reading Pride and Prejudice fan fiction - so we do have historical issues), etc. I have read comments that were very encouraging and engaging and I have read comments that were down right hateful. I have see the outcome of both. I have also seen people encouraged with their writing to the point that they are now published writers.

One thing I also see is that as you read you (the writer) get better at your own craft of writing and expressing your thoughts. I am working on this with a friend and she continually remarks on how fast I write my posts. Part of that is because I have been posting for so long on fan fiction sites that I guess I have found my "voice". Ideas come to me as I read something. So I would also say, as you do it, you get better and better at it.

I am very excited about this arena opening up. I think that it will impact students as they will become better readers and writers through this process. It is a way to interact - but the skills to get a work out and you do learn and get better through practice. I can imagine a teacher setting up a class blog and then she and the kids blogging about what they are studying in class. It would make an awesome way to review all that they are doing and get into the heads of the kids and find out their thinking as well. It seems to me that this is a tool that is only just beginning to be discussed in educational terms. As kids have more and more access to the computers - and there are more computers avaliable so that there is not so much wait time to get to a computer - I think that blogging will become a type of discussion that will occur in classes. I think we might find that some of our students that are a bit reticent might find an ability to "write" their thoughts down and share. Some kids need time to think before they speak. Blogging allows for that. I hope that we truly look for ways to utilize this more and more in the school arena. I know - some people we say - when do we have time. But, I think that a blog can be written at the end of the day as a wrap up and then the kids can post back on it. I can imagine a time when it is part of the homework assignment to post to your teachers blog. Then kids can say - I had a hard time with this lesson today - or I really am excited about learning more about xxxx. This will be an awesome home to school connection for parents as well. If the teacher blogs a quick summary the parents will know exactly what went on in school that day. It is also a way for a teacher to remind parents of information that is vital - picture day, field trip, etc.

Thing 11 - Library Thing

2008-07-02T10:56:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I filllllllllled mine with all the Pride and Prejudice things that I have been messing about with and I know there are more that I will add but for right now it is just a start. I love P&P and the fan fiction that has grown up around it. I think that it has spawned a bunch of authors just out of enjoyment of writing and reading fan fiction.

Now, of course my mind begins to turn towards school and how to use this for school purposes. I would create a special account for school issues - and I think it would be neat if the teachers created an account for their classes. Then the kids could go in and post books they like, reviews, etc. Also, this would be a way for them to find out about other books that they might like. HOWEVER, if kids use this, it needs to be closely monitored because you do not know who they might be talking to. I think it is a way to find new books and things to read - but I have a real need to be aware of what they are doing on this site and not just let them go at it.

I think there are lots of uses for this information and it is a great "open" type of site - by that I mean that you can put it to use in many different ways. Just care needs to be taken.

Thing 10 extra

2008-07-02T09:53:00.000-07:00

Hey a Bluebonnet book idea. Make trading cards for the bluebonnet books then make them into bookmarks to pass out to the 3 - 5th graders. This will help to create a buzz about the books. Be like McDonalds and have a "new" bookmark each week. The kids can collect them and decide the ones they want to read.

Thing 10

2008-07-02T08:23:00.000-07:00

Hello today I start on thing 10. I made a happy b'day for a friend that is celebrating her b'day today. My sister really likes Peanuts so as her b'day is coming soon I sent that one out. Of course the longer this goofiness went on the more my mind started to go crazy. So I started thinking. That is when I got into trouble.

Here is the thing. Almost any librarian will tell you there are a few things that we hear so much that we almost want to scream. I started thinking about that and my funny bone clicked in. Well, you have to understand Peanuts to get the joke a bit but here is what I made. I hope that you all like it. I used the comic strip generator to make both of these. Now, I have all sorts of ideas that are educational - and I know someone is going to say - so show me. So I guess I will go back in and make another one that has educational value. Ha! Get ready. This is a two box strip for science.

And I am coming back in here to add something new. It is a bit of political fun as well as science.

Okay, the thing that I REALLY love here is the trading cards. Also, this is the place that I think has the most potential for educational use. Pick a subject. For me - I picked Texas Geography because I am working on lessons for this subject. So, then you think of about 9 - 15 things that you want the students to know that you can also have pictures for - such as science equipment or safety rules, planets, math facts, etc. So I chose landforms. Then make a set of cards, save them, and make a poster with a full set. Make copies of the cards, lots of copies - enough for everyone in the room to have one. Give out a mixture of cards to the students but no one gets a full set and they have lots of duplicates. The students go around and ask each other for cards that they do not have. The students then ask each other questions - you could put questions to ask on the back (this would be info you want the kids to know). If the student can answer the question the other student hands it over. They work with each other until everyone has a full set. They can keep them in their science, math, or social studies journal in a baggie. Here are two examples of the landform ones.

So I have had some fun. I expect that I will finish these and give them as a gift to my fourth grade teachers. If you are on a team each team member could make a set and then you would all be the better off. Just remember, you will need a poster in each classroom so the students know what they are looking for in terms of cards. What happens - you get the kids practicing amoung themselves. They will be talking about the subject on the playground and at lunch. Let them have a few minutes at the beginning of the day. They will be teaching themselves. Waahooo!

Thing 9 - Google Blog Search

2008-06-05T12:08:00.000-07:00

I guess that I should get over my Google fasination - but this is the search tool that I like best. It follows the form that Google searching has - so it would be familiar to students. I like that it has a time element showing - this gives the searcher some idea how current the item is. Also, it makes it easy to connect to your RSS reader.

I just think that there is something to be said for familiarity especially when you are dealing with little kiddos. They need that support - so for me, I think I would use the Google blog search. Now, another thought occurs. I think this opens another kettle of worms to deal with as far as the kiddos are concerned.

It is already difficult for them to understand that everything that they read is not necessarily gospel truth - blogs are going to often be oppinions. Now, for dealing with fact and opinion that is great - but when searching for FACTS, we really do need to be careful.

I sometimes think we need to create a cheatsheet checklist for the kids of what they can "trust" for factual info and what not. The list is getting extremely long - so I guess that begs the question that is behind all of this - we are moving from just learning how to "find" info into a time where we need to really begin to teach students, at a very young age, to evaluate what they find. That can be a very difficult concept for adults much less young pumpkins.

Thing # 9- Blog searching

2008-06-05T11:45:00.000-07:00

I really liked Topix. It was fairly easy to search by topic which is the main way that I would use it for students in the library. Another that was equally easy and gave lots of choices was the Blogline's search tool. I was not so impressed with the Syndic8.c0m. It seemed to limit your choices and did not have as large of a return for the searched items. I also did not like the layout of this one. However, for news, it would be a good choice.

Technorati was fairly easy and gave a good return. But, I think I still like Blogline's the best of all.

I am still not sure how much I would use this in school at this point. Of course, the fact that I work in an elementary school has alot of bearing on that. With older students I can see a real use for this. However, elementary school has a problem that often web pieces are at to high of a reading level for this to be extremely helpful. What I would like to find is a blog search that will find blogs by elementary students for elementary students. So, that will take some searching.

Thing 8 - RSS

2008-06-05T10:16:00.000-07:00

I think that I could come to love RSS. Currently there are still a limited amount of sites with the RSS feed link but I believe there will be more and more. This is another of those awesome timesaving devices.

I can se an immediate application to the morning news. If they had their own RSS site they could have it pull in the weather, person of the day, special quote, fun fact, and other bits of info to help round out the morning news. This would allow students to go to one place to get all of that info.

I can see librarians using it in several ways. One of course is the news. That is a given. But, we have the olympics coming this summer. What about a rss that was just about olympic news. I could make one for teachers in summer school who are using Olympics as a theme. How helpful it would be to have all that info coming to one spot.

I can see doing a search for other subjects and doing the same.

I suspect that as we begin to use it we will find more and more applications.

Another thing about 7

2008-06-05T10:14:00.001-07:00

Google Earth is a very cool - MASHUP - see I am showing off because this is one of the things I learned yesterday - that term - Mashup. What fun!

Thing 7 - Google Stuff

2008-06-05T09:20:00.000-07:00

Okay, I already loved Google but I found new reasons to love it. I knew about Google Earth but there is a new updated version that I am about to load - new and fresh. It is so very cool with all the new stuff. Google Earth has lots of classroom applications. For 1st grade when they are starting all the different countries, there are wonderful pictures on Google Earth as well as the 3d buildings which let you go and "see" the Eiffel Tower, London Bridge, Mt. St. Helens, etc. Then you get to 3rd and 5th grade landforms - that is a easy app to see. You just go somewhere on the map and let them find penisulas, islands, bays, etc. It is a great way to really see if the kids know the different landforms.

I also investigated Google Docs. I think they are extremely easy to work with. I think it would be easy to make that my library webpage rather than the one that I have currently or the one they are proposing. I want to spend more time exploring this one.

Lastly, I really liked the IGoogle page set up. It is extremely easy to use and lots of fun.

I can see so many ways to use this in the library. Of course, I always see ways to use things in the library. And I don't even have my library glasses on. Hmmmmmmm!

More on Thing 6

2008-06-04T09:55:00.000-07:00

I said I could go on and on so here I go.

What about some trading cards for favorite books. Kids could make them for their favorite books, write a bit about the book and then give them out to other kids. They could even put the call numbers on their trading cards. What a wonderful way to teach about summarizing as there would only be a small amount of room to write something about the book. This could really be a fun activity that would draw the students in. Then they could print out say, 10 copies, and give them out to friends. The friends could then read the book and they could use the trading cards to write comments on the back and you could post them on a wall in the library, the trading card with the comments on the back, for other students to read. Now we have moved to advertising!

Thing 6 - mashups

2008-06-04T09:43:00.000-07:00

Wowzer! I liked the Flikr mosaic mashup. That was quite fun. I made one with clouds, mountains, all from the Favorites using tags. I think this would be a great thing to do with kids who are working on different landforms. Plug in - valley or island and let it go and find lots of pictures and then have a mosaic. I think they would be fun to print out and put outside the room for others to look at especially if you could print the mosaics in color. Of course you could always go out and find pics too. One of the things that my teachers told me about landforms is that they need lots of visuals for this.

I also liked the trading cards. I can see how these would be a great tool. Go in and take digital pics of all the science equipment the students are supposed to know for TAKS and the saftey rules, make a set of trading cards. Then give out groups of them to different kids and have a complete set posted. Also the teacher could give them out as reward slips. Students would need to go around to other kids and say - I need a goggles card. The student with the card would ask 2 or more questions (teacher choice) that the 1st student would need to answer. If the child answered correctly, he gets the card for his "set." The students would work with each other to help each other learn the tools and safety rules. Then they could put their completed sets in their science notebooks. This could be done with landforms, math, alphabets, adinfinitum. I see this as a great way to have some huge fun. It takes a bit of time to make the original set - but then kids can start making sets as well. They could make sets about different periods of time in history, okay, if I start down this path - I will never stop. I could go on and on.

The choices are endless. So, let the mind run free - oppps, that could be dangerous.

Flikr -YEAH

2008-06-03T11:54:00.000-07:00

I love flikr. It saved my fanny all of last summer. I went on a trip where I took over 2,000 photos. Well, I uploaded to Flikr like a wild woman and burned CD's as well. I still have some to upload to Flikr and hope to get that done soon.

I really like this site because it allows me to decide who I want to share my pictures with. I have pictures from my trip, my friend's kids, and even my new townhome - before I started to work on it. I will be taking more pics when I am finished decorating and getting it ready.

What fun. Flikr is easy to use and a great tool. Lots of fun to look at the pics other people have taken.

It is finally summer

2008-06-03T09:14:00.000-07:00

I know that it has been a long time since I posted my first post. It is finally summer and I am beginning to take some time to stop and smell the roses so to speak. This summer will be a busy one for me. I will be learning some new things in Web 2.0 as well as teaching alot of new things with Promethean and writing curriculum. So, I expect that I will begin to write more here over the next few weeks.

The spring was full of school and renovating my new townhome. I have not finished that yet and am still working on it but as I get rooms completed I will take some pictures and post them here. Alright - how does this apply to books being treasures? I have had to read quite alot to be able to do the plumbing and tiling as well as painting work that I have done. Yes, I know, all those years of watching This Old House have helped immensly but so does reading the This Old House magazine for hints as well. You will often find me with my head stuck in that particular magazine. I am also looking at lots of decorating books as well right now. Still more to do, but hopefully most of that will be done this summer. Right now I am trying to learn about gardening and taking care of a lawn. I have never really done that before and so this is a learning experience - such as water after the sun starts to set - it hurts the plants if you water in the hot part of the day. Plants are NOT like humans - they do NOT need a drink when they are hot.

The other thing that I will be doing this summer, which I already alluded to, is working on learning more about Web 2.0. I have started a fun thing called 23 Things - these are supposedly 23 new things to explore on the web - one of which is blogging. Ha! So I have explored the idea of life long learning, made some goals for myself, and learned a bit about the history of blogging. Now I am about to launch out into this new learning experience for the summer. I have dabbled in it with my students in the library a bit during the spring of the year - already played with animoto and making trading cards - but I hope to get a bit more in depth as the summer goes on. So, expect to hear a bit about some of the things I am doing and how I see them relating to education - especially in the library or classroom as I go forward. I will get back to talking about books every once in awhile as well.

So here I go diving in - I guess that is appropriate for an Olympic summer!

Lifelong learning - Thing #2

2008-02-01T07:21:00.000-08:00

There are several different ways to look at lifelong learning. One is basised on 7 tools of effective people - 7 1/2 steps to life long learning. The easiest one for me is the last 1/2 one - play. For me play can be physical but I find that I am enjoying playing - online. It takes many different forms - interactive websites, writing fan fiction, and several others. What I have found is that my own writing skills have improved greatly over the last two years. Of course, it helps that I am writing about one of my very favorite books - Pride and Prejudice. Once in awhile it is another book from Jane Austen.

I have also begun to work on several different interactive websites - and it is fun to learn new things that you didn't know - just by "playing around."

I did want to comment about how important this aspect of play is in learning. I think that often we forget how much that aspect impacts the retention of knowledge. When you learn while playing - you really may not realize that you are learning and what you learn seems to stay with you as it becomes a part of you while you are playing. I love that part.

So, how do we delve more into making learning "play."

What is a treasure?

2007-09-07T07:58:00.001-07:00

Hello,

Being the librarian and teacher that I am, I looked the word up.

treasure (trezh er) n. 1. a store of valuables, such as money or jewels; accumulated riches. 2. a person or thing that is greatly valued or considered precious: His grandchildren are his greatest treasure.

I even looked it up in the encyclopedia - but they did not have a listing. Oh, well.

Books truly are valuable. They help you see things in your "mind's eye" that you might not have thought about before. They help you imagine. They can take you on trips to other countries. They can give you all kinds of information. One of the things that I like best - they can truly make you laugh. Sometimes I laugh so hard I am crying. When I was in high school, that could be down right embarassing - especially if I were reading in class when I had finished all my work. Okay, it did happen.

One of the fun things about treasure - often it does not look that way on the outside. Also, you often have to dig for it. I find that is very true of books as well. Some of my favorite books did not look really cool on the outside. They were older books that were worn and sometimes the pages were ripped. One book that I remember was called Secret Water by Authur Ransome. My Dad read that book to us when I was small. There was one problem - the very last page was missing. I was a grown up before I was able to find a copy and read the last page. I had remembered and remembered that - I just really wanted to know what was on that last page. A treasure that I had to dig for.

In my library there are some books that are not the prettiest to look at. Some of them have older covers. But, the words inside are just as new and fresh to someone who reads them as they were all that time ago when they were written. Flashy and pretty is not always the best. Sometimes the best treasure comes to us a little scruffy and banged up. Think about a pirate treasure. If you were digging on a beach and you found a treasure box - would you say: "Oooh, that is an old, beat up, ugly box. I am going to leave it here. I don't want to mess with something that old and beat up." If so, you might miss out on all the gold and jewels that is in the pirate treasure. But, I know you, Ohhhh nooo! There is no way that you would say that. You would be getting help to get the lock off as fast as you could. You would work hard to get into that scruffy, beat up, moldy, icky box. You would want to find out what was inside. So, maybe you should rethink your ideas about some books. There are some awesome things to find inside.

Some of my coolest books in the library, (at least to me), are fairy tales, myths, and folk tales. Some of them are old and worn. But the stories inside are just as wonderful as ever. I have students that come to me and want scary stories. Guess what, if you have never read Beauwolf - you have never really been grossed out or scared. That is some truly wicked story telling. But it is old. There are some stories in The Odyessy that are also really gross. Now, can you imagine a man who has a curse on him that everything he touches will turn to gold. So, a question, how is this man to eat? When any food touches his lips, it will turn to gold. How will he drink? When he lies down on his soft bed, it will turn to gold - not the softest thing to sleep on. But, the real problem comes when his little girl hugs him - she turns to gold. Now what do you do with that? King Midus had a real problem on his hands!!!!! Be careful what you wish for. Of course, there is always the story of Medusa - a woman who is a monster and her hair is snakes. Anyone who looks at her, turns to stone. Was any of that gross enough for you? Are you curious about any of those treasures?

There are so many in a library. Books that I remember from when I was a child to books that I read over and over today. There are children's books that I love to read. Just because they are called children's books does not mean that they are not treasures for everyone. I think that is why they call that section of the library the E - everyone section.

So, I would love to find out what some of your favorite books are - what are some of the treasures you have found that you really like. Post back and tell me the name of the book and why you like it so very much. I will add them here for others to read as well.

I look forward to you introducing me to some of your treasures that you have found. And, if you want to know more about some of the ones I mentioned, ask you librarian, she will be glad to help you. From time to time, I might mention other books that are particular favorite treasures of mine as well.

Lastly, I hope that you are reading and finding new treasures - whether in a new, shiney and bright cover or in a worn, beat up, faded cover. If you love the story inside, it is still a treasure.