keeperofbooks

All these wonderful tools!  We were supposed to investigate just one of the sites, but they are like Lays potato chips–you can’t [investigate] just one.  I had to try them all.  All twelve could be used to promote or support learning.  All could be used with others collaborating in one fashion or another.  The least useful was the Tada list.  Perhaps that’s because I already have a system worked out for a list and reminders.  But all the other eleven tools were super!  I can think of ways teacher/students could use all of them in collabrative ways.  Due to the “at home” availability to all our students, these programs could actually take less time than some projects currently being used only in class.

My personal favorites for myself are Picnik and Mixbook.  That could be because I have files and folders of pictures.  In fact I have an external hard drive mainly for my pictures.  I always have a “Picture Project” going: Photostory of 40 years of family Christmas celebration, PowerPoint for a family reunion, Photobooks for each vacation, etc.  So the very simple and quick Picnik editing and digital scrapbooking really appeals to me.  Then the Mixbook has several advantages over the program I have been using.  It is cheaper, quicker, has more choices, and lets you use more text.  So my next photobook will be a “Mixbook”.

Picnik and Mixbook could also be used to produce a scrapbook of our yearly Book Week and Author Visits.  Students really like to see themselves and their friends in such scrapbooks when they visit the library.  Of course, such a scrapbook would support reading and writing programs.

I love going to a conference in my recliner!!  Awesome!  I “attended” the “Electric Slide” presentation from the 2007 New Tools section.  It was very worthwhile.  Two alternatives to PowerPoint were introduced, Spresent (Part 1 of presentation) and Splashcast (Part 2 of presentation).  Both parts were presented well.  However, my computer would not show the second part, and I had to just listen to audio only.  But even then, I could go into the site being discussed and see what the presenter was demonstrating. 

Having the conference on the web 24/7 is great.  I begin listening to the session this morning at 4:45 A.M.  Never, would I attend a regular conference at that hour!  But in my own den, I can work until my little heart is content.  Not only is it convenient, but there is another positive point with web conferencing-we can attend all the conferences we are interested in.  There is no conflict with two desired presentations going on at the same time!

 I would love to be able to earn PLUs with such a conference!  And why not?  You can earn entire degrees on the web, why not PLUs?  That would be so lovely. 

The two part presentation I “attended” was on alternatives for student PowerPoints, Spresents and Splashcast.  Both programs are very intutiative and similar to PowerPoint.  Other advantages include:  all students would be using the same version, it is available at home and at school, students can embed videos and publish on a blog or wiki, the students can use the discussion tab to comment on each studet’s work.  So presentations do not have to be given orally in class, but can be accessed on the web whenever desired.   There they can be read by students and teachers.  Due to these advantages, I do think having the students use these programs would be very beneficial.

What fun!  What a great tool!  A presentation/slide show that can be used for so many things.  For this course, I used six slides to discuss loving reading.  But I want to use this tool on my library page of the school’s site.  I can demonstrate how to use the online catalog, how to view the AR list, and how to access the new electronic databases.

Even a whole day investigating Flickr is not enough.  I still feel that there is much I need to learn about it.  But being able to search by limited copyright is certainly an advantage.  The variety and quality of the pictures are super.  Below is a picture featuring children’s books that comes from Flickr.  Such pictures could be used in communication from the library to teachers and students.

At this point in time, I have not investigated the Flickr Toys very much.  I did see one “toy” that allows you to make posters from pictures.  For several years, I have wanted to hang poster size pictures of reading school personalities and have the word “READ” on each one.  I do want to try to make these and hang them in the library.

Recently I had noticed the CC on certain websites. I wasn’t too curious.  I just thought it was some logo or part of the logo of that site. I had no idea that the Creative Commons existed. I know in the past, I always felt so lucky when I found sites that allowed you to use educational material freely. But to have such a large collection of such varied content free for use (within the liberal guidelines) is mind boggling! I look forward to using CC and to recommending it to others. Students are always wanting to use images in various projects, usually several from one site. Instead of going though my “same old copyright lecture” I can refer them to Creative Commons.

When using video and audio clips with lessons, I have always been very careful. Many times, I have created my own, just to be safe. Creating my units this way, I am free to share them with others. Creative Commons will make producing quality lessons much easier and quicker.

To date, I have not found anything about Creative Commons’ policy regarding unacceptable materials being posted. I do hope that there are some safeguards. As it appears now, it is a great collection of materials with remarkable potential for benefiting many.

I was very impressed at how simple Vicki Davis’ assignment/project was for her first Wiki. It was simple but promoted learning about the new technology.

I definitely think a Wiki would help me to collaborate with the teachers on their curriculum units. The problem now in trying to collaborate is that there is just not enough time. A Wiki would provide the method to share resources in bits and snatches of time.

A Wikki would be a good means to introduce/review the locations of the different sections in the library. Students would enter the information in the Wikki. Then, using a Flic camera, students could photograph their section of the library as they lead a talking tour through that section. The video would then be embedded in the Wikki.

Another Wikki task would be assigning each student a particular task involved in using the electronic databases and the OPAC. Again, this would be entered on the Wikki, and students would use the Flic camera to make a video explaining how to use the electronic databases. Then, as before, the video would be embedded in the Wikki pages.

A third possible Wikki could be on Research Skills.

As I read the many Wikkis recommended for the course, I saw how each student contributed their specific page/part. The history page helped determine the amount of contribution of each team member. This can be easily seen in the Oregan Trail Wikki in the Room 15 book reviews. I was also impressed by the professional Wikki of Jennifer Dorman. The number of resources, tutorials, presentations, and podcasts are almost unbelievable. What a contribution she has made to education!

Twitter, Widgets, Tags—my brain feels compacted! It’s not the new terms, the multitude of blogs, or even the new technology. It is the extreme shift that the Media Specialist’s job has taken in the nine years I have been an elementary school Media Specialist. I have worked or “played” all day today with the RSS, Google Reader, and scores of blogs, and not once did I even read the words “collection”, or “circulation”, “cataloging”or “Dewey Decimal System”. No, not once were they mentioned, and these were the essence of the majority of my studies when getting my masters ten years ago.

It’s a good thing I like new and challenging things. But who is to continue the work of the collection if we are busy with the new technology? Oh, I know that for the most part my dealings with the new technology will involve collaboration with the teachers and methodology with information skill lessons.But I still see my hand hovering over the panic button.

But blogs like Joyce Valenza’s and postings and video tutorials like those on 30Boxes‘ blog help us navigate the shift. Both sites offer tutorials and concrete advice as well as the philosophy behind the need to use the newer technology. Sites such as these offer the why and the how.

And a student wrote this! Such insight! Being free, dirt roads, and Winnie the Pooh too! If I were Julia Roberts, I would burst into song: “These are a few of my favorite things…”

I have always hated the keeping of a schedule or calendar of where I needed to be when. Of course, with more than one person in a household, it’s a necessity. But as the month fills up with obligations, I feel more and more weighed down. I want to keep the days open so I/the family can be spontaneous. I love to do what I feel like doing at the moment! But I am a practical person and know that we must be bound by our duties and responsibilities.

“Bound” by schedules or “Free” to be spontaneous–the choice isn’t hard. Whether you call it “stopping to smell the roses” or being spontaneous, these are the moments that make memories. These moments of doing nothing usually produce the precious pictures in our minds that we want to keep from fading.

Just as the extremes of one season causes us to appreciate the extremes of another season, so the rush and bother of our responsible self makes us appreciate the nothing..or everything.

Don’t miss the original article by Aarthus Erea @ Student 2.0.

In the process of teaching of writing, the Publishing phase receives the least of the teacher’s attention. After the Editing phase, the teacher tries to find time to grade and comment on 20-30 papers. The next phase in the writing process is the Publishing phase. Teachers do not usually want to spend the time having students read their papers aloud or have reports presented to the class using Powerpoint. So most of the time the papers are pinned to the bulletin board and/or sent home. Pinning a paper to the bulletin board does not provide a great incentive to write more or to write better. But the possibility of having your writing read by thousands….now that is incentive to write often and to write well. The case for using Blogs in education is presented extremely well by Anne Davis on her blog.

Taking responsibility for your own learning is the most important thing if one is to be a life long learner. To me, this is the starting point. If you take responsibility for your learning, you are constantly looking for opportunities to learn. And if the opportunities do not present themselves, you create them. I love to learn all kinds of things. To me, there is no such thing as wasted knowledge. So I am constantly learning and constantly enjoying the process.