Thing #22 Nings

I really like the Texas Librarian Ning. I prefer it over the others because I guess I feel a sense of connection with everyone in the group being from Texas as opposed to anywhere. There are so many great uses for being a part of this kind of Ning. I think mostly just for discussion, collaboration and ideas. We tend to get into ruts and it's refreshing to be inspired by seeing another librarian's video or photos, or hearing about a good lesson or book display idea. And you might even make some new friends, or find your next TLA conference roomie!

Thing #21 - Podcasts and Audio Books

This stuff is not only fun, but yet another affective teaching tool. I could spend a lot of time on these creations. I had fun making the PhotoStory below displaying the summer reading books for my school. Enjoy!

Thing #20 - YouTube, TeacherTube, and Zamzar

I feel like a broken record, but I am such a visual learner and I think it's great to have access to all these videos at our fingertips! Of course a video isn't a new teaching tool by any means, but the wonderful thing about YouTube and TeacherTube is that the videos are not only easily accessible, but also free. I think the key to many of these videos is the way they are produced. For example, I think the relatively short fast-paced videos with fast music and pictures or quotes that rapidly flash on the screen are much more appealing than the long, slow-paced videos with slow playing music and/or boring narrators (Bueller, Bueller...), especially considering the generation of students we teach today (think video games). That's what I love so much about the CommonCraft videos -- they are fast-paced and to the point! I also noticed a lot of student projects found on TeacherTube. There seems to be a little out there for almost everything and everyone. Below is a moving video about the Holocaust created by a student.

Thing #19 - Web 2.0 Awards List

Now we're having some fun! I explored I'm Cooked, the first place winner in the food catagory. This is a site for foodies and those aspiring to be the next Food Network star! First, I am a visual learner and I would much rather watch a video than to read instructions (which is one of the things I like about all these 2.0 things). I'm Cooked is basically a site containing thousands of videos that show regular people like you and me cooking a dish just like Rachel Ray (well, kind of)! You can also film and download videos of yourself cooking a dish! Now I am by no means a chef. I quit cooking several years ago whenever I started my master's program, and that's when my husband took over the kitchen -- and he has been the chef in our family ever since. However, I still love to eat food (and would consider myself a foodie), and I love watching some of the shows on the Food Network. I also don't mind cooking (in fact I used to bake all the time), but a lot of it is just being out of the habit, among other things. Even if you don't cook like me, the videos are entertaining and inspiring. You can also join groups and invite friends (like some of the other 2.0 sites). If you do nothing else, you must watch the coffee art video, which takes coffee making to a whole new level. Enjoy!

Thing #18 - Online Productivity Tools

Okay, Google officially rocks my world! I checked out Google Docs and I cannot wait to utilize all the templates it offers (documents, spreadsheets, presentations, etc.). I spend so much time creating my own templates for things and this could save me some serious time. Here are just a few of the templates I found that could make life easier for people: fax covers, business cards, resumes, lost pet flyers(!), fantasy basketball standings predictor, home blood pressure monitor, baby feeding diary, emergency information for babysitters, recipe cards, and on and on and on. I got I played around with making a photo album of my family. I think I'm done with scrapbooking! There are so many benefits to using Google Docs verses Microsoft Office: (1) you don't have to purchase a program (it's free), (2) you can use any computer with Internet access to pull up your documents (and you don't have to worry about whether or not that computer has MS Office), (3) you can be a PC or MAC user, (4) other people can view your documents and collaborate, (5) you don't have to save your work to a flash drive, (6) it provides help videos (for the visual learner, like me), (7) the myriad of templates available (including research paper templates), and I'm sure I'll discover more. I guess the downside of using Google Docs as opposed to MS Office is... um... maybe... not sure. Well, there might be some font limitations (not too serious) and perhaps some other limitations I will discover in time, but overall, I think Microsoft is probably losing a little money!

Thing #17 - Rollyo

This is really cool! I remember several years ago teachers doing this very thing on their own (kind of). Instead of allowing students to search the Internet, they would find websites on specific topics and create a web page with links to those sites for students to search. This is the same idea but better. And Rollyo has a lot of other features that can be explored. I can see this being extremely useful for teachers. As I was thinking about creating my own Searchroll I couldn't think of anything off the bat for my specific library (although I could easily come up with ideas for various disciplines), so I created a personal Searchroll for my daughter. She is five years old and likes to play games and do activities on various TV program websites (Playhouse Disney, Noggin, and PBS Kids). So I created a Searchroll with only those three websites. So now if my daughter only wants to find games/activities for Dora the Explorer, she can do that without going to the individual websites. Very cool. I even added it to my toolbar. I'm sure I will be able to think of other great Searchroll ideas in the future. I look forward to sharing this one with my teachers as I think some will find it really useful!

Thing #16 - Wikis

This has been a good experience. Last year was my first year as a librarian in SBISD, and while I had been a school librarian for several years before, I'm embarrassed to say that (other than Wikipedia) I was not familiar with wikis. I can absolutely see the value in using them for so many different things. In the school setting I can see these being used between administrators, teachers that are on the same team or in the same department, librarians, and of course for student discussions and collaboration. I may even start up a wiki for students to discuss library books or other library issues. In Thing #15 I read about how future libraries need student input -- there you go! I REALLY like the CommonCraft videos and plan to use them this coming year to teach my students about wikis (and some other "things").

Thing #15 - Web 2.0, Library 2.0 and the Future of Libraries

Away from the "icebergs..." Yes! Librarians look different these days and so should our collections, if that's even what we want to call them. I feel that a "just in case collection" (for finding information) is a waste of money for libraries. Don't get me wrong -- I don't believe that books are going away, which is apparent whenever you walk into any book store these days. We love books and always will (I personally would never choose read a novel if my only means for doing it was a computer). However, as far as education and acquiring information goes, information is hands down more quickly accessible via technology. Not only is it often a "one stop shopping experience," but by the time a book is published the information may already be out dated. I agree that with the lack of staff in libraries we certainly need to provide resources that require little training -- because librarians simply don't have the time! Plus, this generation of students is so technologically wired that they probably wouldn't respond as well to traditional forms of research, and yes, we have to meet them where they are -- both literally and philosophically. Librarians have to be willing to make learning these ever changing new technologies a priority (which is a big commitment)! If not, our libraries may be equivalent to the ones in the past that never had new books. I for one am ecstatic that the stereotype of the librarian is changing along with future libraries. We certainly can no longer be described as "bookish!" :)

Thing #14 - Technorati and How Tags Work

I did a keyword search in Blog Posts (using exact phrase and all words) and in Tags -- both in the advanced search screen for "School Library Learning 2.0" and while the results weren't identical, they were similar. They both pulled up posts about web 2.0 things and they both pulled up videos about it. But of course the Tag search only pulled up posts that were specifically tagged "School Library Learning 2.0." (I can see where tags can be extremely useful, but I guess not everyone tags their posts). There may have been some overlapping sites (I saw the same video). I did a URL search and it pulled up the exact same things as a Tag search. I went to the Blog Directory and I did not see a keyword search, but clicked on "Web 2.0" under Technology. It pulled up blogs about Web 2.0 (not individual posts). Again, there may have been some overlapping as far as the blogs that came up, but I am not sure. Whenever I looked at Popular Blog, Searches & Tags, I noticed there were several blogs about technology (some of the same ones that came up in the Blog Directory under Web 2.0) under favorite blogs by fans and by authority. This shows what people are interested in and how they are spending their time. Technorati can assist me by helping me find blogs of interest as well as blogs having to do with my field. It is also a useful place for headlines and other information. I claimed my blog.

Thing #13 - Tagging and Discover Del.icio.us

Now I understand tagging better. I think these social tagging sites are great - particularly because you can access them on any computer. I also like the fact that you can see how many people tagged certain sites (because you know there is something special or important about that site). For example, I clicked on a classical music tag and I saw a site that had an enormous amount of saves, so I clicked on it. It made perfect sense because it was a site for downloading free sheet music. I think del.icio.us is great for research because it kind of narrows the playing field and gets you to relevant sites faster. It would be a great tool for teachers to use as they can create groups and share resources. In Furl you can e-mail articles to people, etc. I really liked the look of Ma.gnolia even before I read the tutorial about the fact that they boast about the visual stimulation of their site. It is so true!

Thing #12 - Creating a Community Through Commenting

I would say two important points about commenting are (1) making your comments meaningful, and (2) comment regularly on blogs you read often. Making comments that say "I agree," or "Right on!" seem to be in the same class as replying to an e-mail with "thanks!" or "OK." Unless those replies are solicited, it just breaks the rules of e-mail etiquette as it's a waste of time for the receiver. I never really thought about commenting regularly as a way to develop an online community, but it makes sense. And I learned that it also has other benefits, such as encouraging the blogger to keep blogging, as well as gaining traffic on your own blog. I found and commented on two blogs outside the Library2Play community. One was a young adult book review blog, the other was the blog of a young adult novelist (which I would love to be myself one day). Although I am not much of a blogger, those were two blogs I could see myself revisiting. And I can see where you would begin to start feeling as if you are getting to know that person through their postings.

Thing #11 - Library Thing

Wow! This is pretty cool! It reminds me a little of Myspace or Facebook as far as the networking goes. I think my favorite thing about Library Thing is how you can add your favorite local bookstores or libraries, and it lists the upcoming events going on there. Just yesterday (before I started this "thing") my sister called me and asked where I was planning on purchasing Breaking Dawn (the 4th book in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series, which comes out August 2nd), and which bookstore event sounded better. When Eclipse came out we went to the Eclipse Prom at Barnes & Noble, but regretted not going to the one at the Blue Willow Book Shop (which we caught the tail end of). Now all this information is at my fingertips. As far as the groups go, I probably won't join one because I would rather join a book club in which I can socialize with other people face to face. I spend enough time in front of the computer as it is (although I think it's a great option for other people). However, if I were to join a group, it would probably be Read LA Lit (considering the first couple of books listed as shared the most are the books I just cataloged in my Library Thing. I also found the Girlybooks group interesting. I also think it would be challenging and fun to join a group that would get you to read something you may not typically pick up. I look forward to sharing Library Thing with my sister!

Thing #10 - Online Image Generator

I played around with various image generators and made some signs and other creations. I had also already made a trading card, a mosaic, and a Warholzer (using Big Huge Labs) for Thing #6. I could spend hours messing with this stuff. I was thinking I could make various traffic signs and put them around my library about the benefits of reading (Ex: "Caution: Reading will improve your vocabulary," or "Yield: Reading will improve your writing," etc.). I think I mentioned this in Thing #6, but you could also make a mosaic with pictures of recommended books. The fake magazine cover and movie poster would be useful for class projects. The sky is the limit.


The above image was created at www.imagechef.com


The above image was created at www.SignGenerator.org

Thing #9 - Useful Library-Related Blogs and Newsfeeds

I am a Google girl because I love the simplicity of the search engine in general (no distractions all over the page), so it's probably no surprise that I prefer Google Blog Search for finding blogs, and find it the easiest for me to use. Topix.net was nice for locating local information by simply typing in a zip code. Edublogs' Award Winners is a nice place to go because there are just a handful of blogs to scroll through on various topics, and you know they are probably good and have a great following because they are award winners. School Library Blogs on Superglu was okay. Both of those sites are useful for reading blogs about my field. Syndic8.com was frustrating as it took forever to load. I was a little confused but had no desire to keep messing with it since it was so slow. Bloglines was okay -- I like how you can change your search to find feeds, posts, websites, or citations, etc. Technorati was confusing at first because of the busyness of it, but after getting to know it better in Thing #14 I found it a good place to find blogs (the tag search is good). Atomic Learning is a great resource for learning about feeds. As far as useful or unusual feeds go, I like the fact that you can locate videos in Technorati, I am also an entertainment junkie, so there are lots of things out there to get my celebrity scoop. :) As far as other news feeds go, I just find it easier to go through CNN.com for national news and Houston Chronicle.com for local - unless I am just really confused at this point -- which wouldn't be a big surprise! :)

Thing #8 - RSS Feeds and Readers

I am not a big web surfer. That may sound ignorant, but it bores me - particularly because most of the time I cannot think of anything to "surf" for - and I generally only hit the web if I have a specific purpose (research, online shopping, etc.). My husband is a huge web surfer so I immediately thought the RSS feeds might prove to be more beneficial to him than myself. However, after doing this "thing" I found blogs that pertain to things I am interested in (which I had never done before) and added them to my Google Reader. For example, we are thinking about getting an English Bulldog, so I added a Bulldog blog. I also added a photography blog, some library blogs, CNN, etc. And I must be an over achiever because I even added more than five! I really like how it's all there in one place. Now I can sit down and peruse this instead of trying to figure out what to browse for! It's really going to guide me to information I would not normally seek out. For school use, teachers can add blogs pertaining to their discipline or even to Texas educators in general. Libraries can do the same (TLA, ALA, library blogs, etc.). I subscribe to a library listserv so now I am curious as to whether or not those posts can be added to my Google Reader. I showed my husband my Google Reader account thinking that he might be interested in creating one for himself, but he was not interested at all. He said he was all about being efficient, but he doesn't see what is so different about that than just keeping all your favorite blogs and news sites on your "Favorites" list on the tool bar. He is familiar with how all his websites are formatted and is comfortable perusing them in their various formats. That makes sense too. On the other hand, I'm sure Google Reader has a lot more options to take advantage of that I have not explored. Google Reader seems particularly useful if you are trying to access the feeds on a cell phone, etc. To each their own...

Thing #7 - Cool Google Tools

I feel like I keep saying this, but COOL STUFF! Seriously though, what will they think of next? After viewing the various Google tools, I set up an iGoogle page and checked out all the gadgets, and I downloaded and explored Google Earth. WOW! The iGoogle page is so very cool. I particularly love how YouTube is right there, as well as access to the movie theater we go to. Then there's everything a Houston local needs to know (news, airport info, professional sports teams ,gas prices -- and the list goes on). I like a lot of the gadgets. My favorite is the desktop clock. I am always wishing the date was sitting at the bottom of my computer screen next to the time (why isn't it?), and I am always digging in my purse for my check register so that I can see a 12-month calendar. That is very useful to me. The calorie counter... not so much! :) I am also very "computer game illiterate" and spent a few minutes trying to figure out how to play one of the color games. I finally gave up after reading the directions four times! Oh well, I have better things to do anyway (and Solitaire - which I do know how to play - is always waiting in the wings). As far as educational purposes go, I would say that for a librarian it makes a good ready reference resource, and some of the gadgets can help one become a little more efficient. On a different note, Google Earth is pretty darn amazing! I located my current house, the house I grew up in, New York City, Santa Fe, and Dallas. I didn't know how many of my neighbors had pools in their backyards! The educational uses here are countless -- what with the sight seeing tours of the world, pictures of landmarks, restaurants, 3-D buildings, roads, etc., etc., etc. My students would have a ball with this one!

Thing #6 - Mashups and 3rd Party Sites

I could spend hours playing with this stuff -- especially with pictures of my family. I made a mosaic, a trading card, a Warholizer, and a jigsaw puzzle using images of my husband and daughter (some of these done the first time I started Library2Play). You could use all sorts of these things for your library program. You could make trading cards for specific authors, make mosaics using the covers of books in various reading lists (Lone Star Books, etc. ), enlarge some of these images for cool bulletin boards (especially the author trading cards since there aren't posters of current authors like Stephenie Meyer), or add the created images to your library website or a Power Point. I'm inspired to really put some of these ideas into play!

Thing #5 - Flickr

This inspires me to invest in a great camera and become a photographer! Lot's of cool stuff! I like to change my library website a lot and I am always looking for cute pictures to put on it for various holidays or library events. I can start going to Flickr for this. I did a search on "books" and found a ton of interesting Photos. I really liked the ones titled House of Books, The Fortress of Books and Book Shelf, which is the photo I downloaded of plain white books on plain white books shelves. I am not sure how I would use that one for my website, but the modern simplicity of photo just appeals to me. I do not know that I would ever join a group, or even share any my own photos on Flickr at this point, but it would be a great thing to share with my art teachers. The last time I explored this website I discovered links to other websites (like Zazzle) that allow you to do really neat things with your pictures. For example, you can order T-shirts, custom stamps or greeting cards with your pictures. I actually had a greeting card made with a picture of my daughter on her Grandpa's motorcycle (also posted). Great idea for Christmas cards and gifts!

Thing #4 - Register Your Blog

I'm flying now...

Thing #3 - Setting Up Blog and Avatar

This was SOOOO easy this time around because I did it before. However, I remember how long it took the first time! And I am a pro at the Avatar thing now since my 5-year-old daughter saw me doing it and wanted to play too. She now has her own Yahoo Avatars account!

Thing #2 - 7 1/2 Habits

Of the 7 1/2 habits of highly successful lifelong learners, I would say the easiest one for me is #6 - using technology to my advantage. I love technology and I feel as if I'm missing out if I don't learn about all those new things out there. However,it can be a bit overwhelming and time consuming since it seems like every time you turn around there's something new out there. But the advantages are so great. What did we ever do without iPods? And how did we ever manage to wait a couple weeks to have our film developed? The hardest habit for me would be #3 - viewing problems as challenges. Let's face it, nobody feels like dealing with another problem. But it's also very true -- we probably learn more from the challenges we're forced to face than almost anything else. Viewing challenges as a learning opportunity does seem to make it better. I'll try and remember that the next time I lock my keys in the car! This may take some time! ;)

Thing #1 - Here We Go

This is my second round of Library 2 Play (well, sort of). I started it last spring but didn't manage my time very well. The deadline caught up with me after Thing #5 so I withdrew myself from the game. Unfortunately, I missed out on one of those pretty little iPod Nanos for my library! But summertime is here and my days are a little bit more flexible. So... here we go (again)!