Elaine's Excellent Reading Life

Thing 23

2009-11-30T20:01:00.000-08:00

What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
I loved Photostory and the online image creators that were offered. I think those were the most fun.

How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
This program has made me aware that there are so many things out there on the web that I had no idea about and it amazes me how many of those are free and make life so much easier. I realize that I need to keep more up to date with technology.

Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
There were a lot of take-a-ways from this program. I am going to have students start using Google Docs for shared projects. Until now they have been saving their projects on random computers and jump drives, but no one else could come along and work on it.
I did not expect for some of the technology to be as easy as it was.

What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
I think it is an excellent program. All the information that is needed to complete the assignment is there with the "Thing". The Common Craft videos are a great way to simply explain complicated concepts, so I do not feel that anything needs to be changed except for updating when new web technologies that come along.

If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you choose to participate?
I would love to participate in another program like this. It has really made me aware of some great web tools to use in my professional and personal life. It's a great "one stop" place to be introduced to new things.

How would you describe your learning experience in ONE WORD or in ONE SENTENCE, so we could use your words to promote 23 Things learning activities?
Techno-rific!

Thing 22

2009-11-30T19:41:00.000-08:00

As an avid user of Facebook I have become familiar with these types of sites but never knew they were called a Ning. I see great potential in using this type of social networking sites for not only personal use but professional as well. Using a Ning is a great way to find people with common interests and express you ideas and thoughts about what you are doing and are passionate about. It is also a great tool for co-ordinating discussions, gatherings and events because it a notice can be sent out one time to many people. It is a great way of finding new ideas, collaborating and getting answers by posting questions.

Thing 21

2009-11-30T19:09:00.000-08:00

I really liked using Photostory. In the past I have used Animoto and it works well but the Animoto logo is seen on all created videos. I like the fact that Photostory is a Microsoft product and it is very easy to use and upload photos. However, Animoto provides various options for music if you do not have your own to use, whereas in Photostory you provide your own, which could also give you more options. Photostory also gives you the option to narrate your video which is an easy way of adding memories to photos or to add a child's voice to make it even more personal.

Students would find this easy to use and could create their own videos with ease. In combination with digital cameras, students could create their own personal projects in any subject. In the library this would be a great tool to use for book trailers or promotion of reading programs.

Thing 20

2009-11-30T18:18:00.000-08:00

2009-2010 Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominees

I found a lot of great videos in YouTube and in TeacherTube. Unfortunately in the district that I work in YouTube is blocked from student and employee access so I concentrated most of my searching to TeacherTube. TecaherTube also caters to education so in looking for videos to use in a school setting this would be my first choice anyway. The majority of the videos are created with a specific lesson in mind and by using the proper search criteria it is easy to find videos that relate to the topic that you are teaching.
I found various library videos on how to use the library, the Dewey decimal system and many videos highlighting specific books. I chose this video because it does a great job of showing the covers to all of the Texas Bluebonnet books that were nominated for 2009-2010. It is a great video to introduce the books to the students and it also prompts the requirements of reading five books in the beginning of the video.
Students now days are very visual and this appeals to them. It is a great way to catch their attention while introducing a topic in a short, concise way. By registering for an account you can keep a list of videos to use over time. It is a great tool to use if you com across a video that you want to save for a later time or use again in the future.

Thing 19

2009-11-30T17:49:00.000-08:00

Looking at the Web 2.0 Awards I chose Writeboard to explore. Writeboard is very similar to Google Docs in that users can collaborate on a project at the same time. Previous versions of the document are available to look at and members can subscribe to a RSS feed that tells them when changes are made to the document. Students can collaboate on group projects without having one person create all of the computer portion and teachers could also use this tool in the same way. A single document can be worked on by many people at the same time. Librarians can alos collaborate from school to school on similar documents and presentations for students.
The fact that it is free is the best part of it all.

Thing 18

2009-11-30T17:32:00.000-08:00

I choose Google Docs to look at and explore. I like the fact that along with a gmail account, your calendar and Google Docs is all right there once you log in. I like all of the different templates that it offers users. You can find anything from calendars to resume templates. The presentation feature is similar to Powerpoint and offers many styles to use. Presentations, spreadsheets, documents and forms are all in one place in Google Docs. Forms offer a template to build a survey which then can be emailed and responses are sent back. Documents can also be shared among users as long as you add their email address. A group of several people can work on a document or presentation at one time instead of having to email one document back and forth and then different versions can be the confused.
Google Docs provides a simple way to create documents and presentations while being able to share them with other users via the internet.

Thing 17

2009-11-30T17:04:00.000-08:00

I had a difficult time with Rollyo. I like the idea and the concept behind the site but the issue is getting it to work properly. I received messages such as"did not connect - too many connections" when trying to create my list. I was able to register and add links to my Rollyo account but I was not able to copy a link to my own list. Maybe I am stuck in my ways but personally I like my favorites list for the sites that I visit regularly.
Rollyo would be an excellent source to use in creating a list of web sites for students. A list could be made for research purposes and then students would be allowed to use any of the pre-approved web sites that librarians or teachers set up. The lists could be edited and kept from year to year.

Thing 16

2009-11-29T19:45:00.000-08:00

I have to confess that I had never posted to a wiki before and I was not really sure what their purpose was. The Common Craft video did a great job of explaining what they are and how they work. By using a wiki, information can be posted and seen by many. It's almost like a mini web site where people can go and see updates but it is usually information targeted at a specific audience. I can see wikis being used for class projects to share information and for teachers to post comments on student work and their findings from research. Libraries can use wikis for book discussions and library events. An author study wiki could be used to invite students to post reviews of books that they have read by that particular author and the author's background.
Students now days are very technology savvy and wikis is a great way to get them involved in discussions about many topics.

Thing 15

2009-11-29T17:05:00.000-08:00

Rick Anderson's Away from the Icebergs made some great points about the library and the future of the library. If libraries don't change to match the needs of it's patrons then it will no longer be useful. He explains that the "icebergs" are those things that will cause the library to no longer be effective. In the age of computers and internet, patrons use this resource rather than the library. Before the internet the library was a main source of information. If libraries do not keep up with technology we will be permanently stuck in the past.
Anderson also talks about a "just in case" print collection. No longer do libraries need very specific books for those "just in case" someone needs it times. Information can be found easier on the internet. Just because information can be found on the internet it does not mean it is correct. That is where it becomes the librarian's job to educate it's patrons. Anderson also comments on the fact if patrons are not willing to be trained on resources or do not have the time then electronic resouorces need to become more self explanitory. This is a job for the librarian to choose the best and easiest to use program for the patrons that the library serves.
As technology changes so does the library to keep it from becoming extinct or useless.

Thing 14

2009-11-29T16:45:00.000-08:00

Between Delicious and Technorati I like the features of Delicious. I tried looking for popular searches on Technorati and the link was unavailable to search by. I tried to search for School Library Learning 2.0 and there no results in Technorati either. I find that Delicious would be more beneficial to my needs and my library's needs.
Tagging is a wonderful tool that aids in organizing sites and information. Tags could be used for specific projects that classes are working on by creating special tags for them. It also helps you categorize sites that you need to come back to later for specific reasons. It takes a generic web search and makes it personal.

Thing 13

2009-11-29T16:21:00.000-08:00

I see the potential of this tool for research assistance in the library. One way is that all the sites that students are to use can be bookmarked in one place. The sites can be screened for use of information, appropriateness and accuracy before letting students use them. This keeps them for searching the internet on their own and stumbling across sites that should not be used. I can also see the great potential in sharing sites with teachers to aid in the classroom, and they are all located in one place. Teachers have very limited time and by placing sites in one place it saves valuable time for planning lessons.
Libraries and classroom teachers should take advantage of social bookmarking sites. It is a great way for information to be shared and sites to be added as they are found among a group of people.

Thing 12

2009-11-29T14:30:00.000-08:00

I found some great tips in ProBlogger's article 10 Techniques to Get More Comments on Your Blog. One of the tips is that for readers to leave comments you must make it as easy as possible to do so. He makes the comment that if you have to register to leave a comment, most people will not stop and take the time to do so. Sites need to be very user friendly so that it is easy to interact with others. Another rule of thumb is that to have a great post it must gracious and humble. Who wants to come back and read a blog if you have been ridiculed or put down for the comment that you made? No one. Disagreements can be handled tactfully so that readers know that you will not always agree with what is being said but it can done so in a manner in which it will not cause someone not to return to your blog.
One blog that I found useful to my personal interest was a blog called Dyslexia Mom. I have a second grade daughter who was diagnosed with dyslexia last year and I looked at this blog to see if there were any other mothers having the same issues as I was with the learning disorder. I was also looking for some hints and ideas on how to help my daughter in school.
Another blog that I found was Fine Cooking. I love to cook and this was a great place to find new recipes, people who have the same interest and a place for discussion on the recipes. It helps when making a new recipe to know tricks and adjustments to make when cooking. It also lets you know whether a certain recipe is worth the time to make it at all.

Thing 11

2009-11-29T14:18:00.000-08:00

Library Thing is such a simple website to use and very helpful if you are like me and sometimes forget the books that you have read coupled with the fact that you personally own so many books that at times I have purchased the same book twice. This site is very similar to one I already subscribe to called Good Reads. In both sites you are able to list the books you have, have read and are going to read.
I like the fact that Library Thing pulls up the cover of the books on your homepage and lists them all there. Ratings can be given to books and I also like the fact that there is information on each book so you can look at the specifics of the book. I did look at a Read YA group and they read a book a month and discuss it on the site. This is a great way to connect with people with similar interests. As a busy, mom, librarian and student this is a great way to participate in a book club without ever having to leave your home.
Another thing I found in the site is that it matches you with other users based on your book list. This way you can find people with similar interest in books. I listed five books and another member and I share four out of my five books.

Thing 10

2009-11-29T13:22:00.000-08:00

The first image generator that I used was Wordle. There is so much you can do with this site int terms of the classroom and getting students to use their creativity. I copied and pasted two different famous speeches by two very different men. The first speech was Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and the other was excerpts from Martin Luther King Jr.'s I have a Dream speech. Students can easily see by the size of the word the most used word in the text. This usually is the most important word and is easily detected by it's size. This is great for those students who are very visual learners and it also is a great way to teach main idea. Have students copy and paste text from a passage and the largest words are going to be the main idea of that passage. As in the two speeches, teachers can compare and contrast the two and talk about how each man at different times in history were fighting for similar issues but in different circumstances.

http://www.wordle.net/

http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/1391410/Gettysburg_Address

http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/1391417/MLK_I_Have_a_Dream_Speech

The next image generator I found was compic strip generator.com. This is a really fun site and would greatly appeal to students. Familiar faces are used and text is written into converstaion bubbles for a custom cartoon. It is very easy to use and students of all ages could use this tool. Main ideas could be paired with images for a concise review of classroom teaching and the students can combine humor and their creativity when making them.

http://www.comicstripgenerator.com/

Thing 9

2009-11-29T12:57:00.000-08:00

Which Search tool was the easiest for you? I found that the easiest tool to use was Topix.net. I like how it was organized by subject. Most of the time when someone is looking at blogs or feeds they are looking for information on a particular subject and Topix.net has all the information from different sources in one place.
Which was more confusing? All of the sites were relatively easy to find information on but I found Syndic8.com the one that was the most overwhelming. The other sites seemed more user friendly in their front page and had the most popular blogs very easy to locate.
What kind of useful feeds did you find in your travels? Or what kind of unusual ones did you find? One of the unusual feeds that I found was Recipezaar.com, it delivers new recipes posted to it's site. I love this one becuase personally I like to cook, and you get different kinds of food recipes sent to you that you might never look at or try. In my personal opinion it looks like many of the feeds that are out there are news based ones.

Thing 8

2009-11-28T21:15:00.000-08:00

What do you like about RSS and readers? I love the fact that with RSS and readers you can customize your interest and have all the information sent to you in one place. It saves time having to go from site to site to see if there is any new information posted since you visited the site. Sites can be added and deleted as information becomes invaluable or new interests are found in other sites.
How do you think you might be able to use this technology in your school or personal life? I see it as a great asset in my personal life to have pertinent information sent directly to me. Information that I can use in my personal and professional life. It helps you to keep updated on current issues and saves time from having to search the internet for new and updated information.
How can libraries/teachers/administrators use readers or take advantage of this new technology? I see it useful in the school for teachers to have information sent to them to aid in the teaching of a particular subject. Social studies teachers could use a "This Day in History" site for a daily topic of discussion. English teachers can subscribe to a "Word of the Day" RSS feed and have that as a quick start for the day. Administrators can subscribe to professional teaching feeds to keep up with current trends and new ideas.

Thing 7

2009-11-28T12:36:00.000-08:00

Google has so many great features to choose from. The two features that I looked at were Google Calendar and Google Scholar. Google calendar is such a great tool to use to keep up with scheduling a busy library. Meetings and classes can be added to the calendar and when an event changes it is very easy to edit. I like the fact that other people's calendars can be merged to yours so that overlapping dates and times can be seen. By giving teacher access to the library calendar they can see when there are available times that their classes can visit the library. It is a very effective way to communicate this. The other feature that I looked at, Google Scholar was a great way to find specific information about a topic that is professional and scholarly without have to wade through websites that are trying to sell something or information that is not correct and/or researched based. What is great about these tools is that they are very easy to use.

Thing 6

2009-11-28T12:14:00.001-08:00

Mashups are such a creative way to take two applications and combine them into one. Alone applications nowdays are very popular and the new phone and iPod technology have made them even more popular. This is one of those things where you say "I wish I had though of that". I love the maps where you can add your images and the Trading Card Maker is a great application to use in the library or the classroom. With the copyright issue taken care of in Flicker, students can use these images without haveing to worry about copyright or inappropriate images found elsewhere on the internet. Trading cards are an excellent way for students to combine their technical skills with summary skills which is very difficult to teach.

Thing 5

2009-10-06T19:24:00.001-07:00

I love this picture that I found on Flickr. I entered the search criteria of "books" and the first pictutre that I really liked was one of an American flag made up of banned books for Banned Book week. I realized as I went to save the image that it was copyrighted one. This one was my second choice and I actually used it in a powerpoint for my 5th and 6th graders. I used it to illustrate how students can feel coming into the library and not knowing how to choose a book. I also love the fact that other people have tagged pices of the picture and have made comments about the books on the shelves and the precious little girl in the corner.

Flickr is a great place to find wonderful pictures and be inspired to be creative with your own photography and a place to find wonderful pictures to incorporate into presentations without the worry of copyright issues found in most Google or Yahoo images.

Blog

2009-09-30T20:11:00.000-07:00

I am so glad that I had the experience in setting up this blog. I had never created a blog nor had I read very many before making this one. I like the ease in setting it up and I had great fun in creating my avatar - hopefully it works!

7 1/2 Habits

2009-09-30T16:48:00.000-07:00

There are 7.5 habits that will help a lifelong learner succeed in life. Since we will all be learning, hopefully for the rest of our lives, we need to take a good look at these habits and see which ones we do well and which ones we need to work on.
Here are the seven habits:
1. Begin with the end in mind
2. Accept responsiblity for your own learning
3. View problems as challenges
4. Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner
5. Create your own learning toolbox
6. Use technology to your advantage
7. Teach/mentor others
Out of all of these habits I find that accepting responsibility for your own learning the easiest to do. There have been many times in my life that I have wanted to learn how to do something and when I get the drive to accomplish something I will seek out information, experts and materials to help me learn the thing that I wanted to. There have been many times that I have gathered all of the necessary items, guidance and instruction to find out that what I wanted to learn did not suit me and that was okay. In the process I learned something about myself in what I like and don't like.
The habit that I find most difficult is to view problems as challenges. Many times I see challenges as stumbling blocks and this is not good while you are in the process of learning. I strive to be better at seeing problems as challenges and it takes a lot of effort on my part and a lot of self talk about how to work out a problem rather than see the problem as defeat.
I strive to be a life long learner and it is never late to learn something new. My mother graduated with her bachelors degree at the age of 50 and began her teaching career that same year. I see that as a wonderful accomplishment and age should not get in the way of achieving something like that. Learning keeps our minds healthy and our spirits young. I respect the retired person learning a new career or the high school student who wants to take apart the family computer to see how it works. Learning at all ages should be greatly encouraged and should not stop when we graduate or when we retire. Something new can be learned everyday and should continue throughout our lives.