What I Learned Today

Today I learned more about Facebook. I received a notification of a new friend through my email account. It will be fun to see how this new mode of communication works for me.
I also checked out Doug Johnson's Blue Skunk Blog. The latest topic was copyright and music. The question posed focused on the use of music in a graduating class' end of the year video. Food for thought. Doug gave some great suggestions on how to deal with the issue. I liked his idea of media specialists being copyright counselors rather than copyright cops...much easier to work with other staff if you are giving advice.

Thing 23

The last task.... As I mentioned in my entry for Thing 22, this was a great experience for me. I needed to be brought up to speed on what was happening with libraries and technology. It was difficult to find the time to complete the program, but it was definitely worth the effort. I did most of the tasks at home. The benefit of doing it at night and weekends are that I could share the skills with my family, too. They really enjoyed the custom image generators. I enjoyed learning about something new and then sharing it the next day with my colleagues. I look forward to going back and spending more time on the new things that I learned. Thanks for an enjoyable and rewarding experience.

Thing 22

My resolution to keep up with Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 tools
The 23 Things on a Stick process has been very rewarding. Not only did I do a lot of research and learning new tools, but I found a whole new network of people willing to share their experiences. How will I keep up with the new things that I have learned? I plan to continue blogging and reading other blogs on the CMLE network. I also am going to add the websites listed under the 2.0 tools to my RSS feeds. I think the Librarian in Black site had information that we would use in a school setting. The Blue Skunk Blog is one that I check frequently. As I stated earlier in a blog - I have never been to a MEMO conference. I am hoping to attend Fall of 2008. I'm glad that 23 Things On A Stick will continue to be a live link. I will go back and use the references to develop my skills further. Thanks for all of the great resources!

Thing 21

Social Networks continued... I found this task enjoyable because the searches were more tailored to networks that I could relate to and use. I didn't need to worry about trying to find friends to communicate with or trying to refine searches as much as I needed to with MySpace and FaceBook. I like the fact that these sites were based on common interests that related to my profession. Here are some of my favorites...It was interesting to read the comments about To Kill A Mockingbird on the Minnesota Readers site. My son is reading the book in English class and we were discussing it on the way home this evening. The Minnesota Life article, People Like Me Should Never Play Golf by Greg Schiller, was hilarious! I liked both the 23 Things on a Stick Ning and the Teacher Librarian Ning because it felt like the network was focused, not vast like the Facebook or MySpace networks.

• Are you a member of any online communities? I have been a member of LM_Net for a couple of years. I enjoy reading the current topics and I also use the archive for a reference. This year they added an LM_Net Wiki. Something to check out.
  
• Are any of these social networks appealing to you? I will go back and use the 23 Things On a Stick Ning and Teacher Librarian Ning.
  
• What did you find that was interesting and that you might use later? WebJunction looked like it was a great reference. I was impressed by the number of reference links and how many things were partially funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Will definitely revisit the site.
  

Thing 20

Facebook and MySpace...social networking. I chose to create a profile on Facebook. I need to work on friendships since I don't know many people who use Facebook, but it was fun trying it out. I thought I could add my teenage son, but he informed me that it just wouldn't be cool for him to have his mom as a friend on his page. Did quite a few searches and was able to find people from my hometown, nieces and nephews that have Facebook accounts. Facebook is easy to use and could be an effective way to communicate with friends and colleagues. Thanks for the links to the online video tutorial. It helped me a lot. I went through the privacy and security setups. Was pleased with the number of options that could be hidden. I now know that Facebook has evolved from being the college MySpace to having uncool moms sign up for accounts...who knows maybe there is even a group for "uncool moms" to join.

MySpace

I did not set up an account, but I did go through and look at the suggested links that were listed in this task.

• How are libraries using MySpace? The sites I went to had great resources for listing current information on book awards, library celebrations, and available resources. I can see how the layout and resources would be appealing to the teen+ patron. Great way to hook new users into the programs.
• Did you find anything on a library's MySpace page that would be useful for your library? We aren't able to connect to MySpace at school. I would use some of the resources and reviews that the libraries had listed to prep for the classes I am teaching and to share with colleagues and students. I need to examine the Teen Tech Week celebrations more. There were some interesting links to explore.
  

Thing 19

This task was a great resource for me! I am in the process of creating a presentation on podcasting for my staff. I spent a lot of time this week getting ready for the presentation and working with the resources listed in the task and challenge. I was also able to find tutorials online. Thanks for the great links!

1. Which podcast(s) did you listen to? For this task I spent time listening to the SCSU Memoirs for School Library Media. I found the podcasts from the MEMO conferences interesting because I haven't had the chance to attend one of the conferences. The topics ranged from book talks to interactive boards. I also spent time searching the directories for podcasts that related to elementary schools. I was looking specifically for student examples and formats for presentations. One of my favorites is Radio WillowWeb

2. Which of the directories did you find easiest to use? EPN - The Education Podcast Network was the easiest network for me to use. I appreciated how the directory was organized by grade levels. The Minnesota directory was good, but the links I was hoping to use were down due to a change in software.

3. Has this Thing inspired you to do any podcasting yourself or to subscribe to a podcast to listen to it regularly? Podcasting is something that I am looking forward to sharing with my students and staff. I think it is a another great presentation format that will get students excited about sharing their research. I think that the idea of the "audio essay" is great because there are so many different skills involved. I will be teaching my students and staff how to create the audio file using GarageBand and iTunes. In GarageBand we are able to add multiple image effects to the audio. The images will also display in iTunes. At this point we will be sharing audio files over our internal network, but sharing over the internet may be in our future. We'll see how things work on a small scale first...

Thing 18

YouTube

• What did you like or dislike about the sites you explored? In a word, variety... YouTube is filled with choices. I thought the links under this task were interesting. The 70's TV commercials brought back memories. The Reading on a Dream video was classic...especially the various reactions of the students after the performance. What I dislike about YouTube is the amount of video that is not kid-friendly. It's hard to filter out the bad from the good.
  
• Why did you choose the video that you did? I chose No Cookies in the Library. My choice was made partly because I remember actually viewing the skit as a kid, but also because Cookie Monster is timeless and still gets a laugh out of kids.
  
• Can you see any ways to use video--YouTube or other sites--on your library Web site? I liked the way that the Winona University Library tour was set up. It looks like it would be easy to do with iMovie and GarageBand. Our students could do an introduction to the school for new students and their families in a similar way. We aren't able to access YouTube in our school, but we could create a video to share over our school network.
  

Thing 17

My thoughts on ELM...

• How can these tools be applied to your everyday work? I have used the InfoTrac Jr. Edition for student research in the past. I will also begin using the Kid InfoBit site for my younger students. I read through some of articles on people. They had a blend of historical and popular subjects.
  
• How can these tools facilitate collaboration with your colleagues? I like the idea that web pages could be made in EBSCO program. It was difficult for me at first because I wasn't able to access any of the QuickTime videos. I like the idea that links could be created through the database and also with outside sources. I would use the ProQuest database for research. The ability to email articles to colleagues will save time when doing group projects or just wanting to share news updates. Being able to add notes to the NetLibrary site was a great feature. I haven't done much with eBooks, but this part of the task fascinated me. I will definitely explore the resources more.
  
• How can these tools benefit your patrons/students? I have suggested the use of the database with teachers who are working on college courses. The ease of accessing refereed articles is important in research. Access to ELM will be time saving. I will continue to access InfoTrac Jr, but will also begin working with the databases for K-5. It's wonderful to have a resource that is kid friendly, has multiple reading levels and does not contain advertising.
  

Thing 16

I was very impressed with the U of M Libraries assignment calculator and The Research Project Calculator. It was interesting to see how the number of tasks per day changed with a shortened time frame. Great tool to show students to avoid procrastination. Both had well developed links to explain and execute the process of research. They also had tasks to identify the credibility of the online source, which is important. For example, Google Scholar was identified as a possible resource on the U of M site, but the page also highlighted how to check for credibility.

The real strength behind the U of M assignment calculator is the depth of the resources under each task. Students can literally click on a task and be taken to a reputable resource for definition and guidance. Collaboration between the U of M, Princeton University, University of North Carolina, Purdue and other respected universities is impressive. The Quick Study, links to writing centers and the ability to access the database at the U of M directly from the website will make the process more accessible for students.

The Research Project Calculator is organized and does a great job of defining the research process. Not only are there links to help identify keywords and other steps in the process, but there are direct resource links. The handouts for organization and the links for bibliographies, how to use applications, and create final projects are also valuable. I will definitely be sharing this site with my colleagues.

Thing 15

Libraries and Gaming - I began the task by going through the introduction for both the Pirate and Second Life websites. I decided to concentrate on the Second Life website since I found that site more relevant to my job. The task wasn't easy for me. After I set up an account with Second Life, I wasn't able to login as a resident. Frustrating. After several failed attempts, I went back to researching Second Life rather than actually interacting with it. The articles about gaming on PBS, Ohio University, and Second Life tutorials were helpful in understanding online gaming. I also watched the YouTube video on Ohio University. There were related links on that page that I thought were interesting, especially the video, Education in Second Life: Explore the Possibilities. It was amazing to see how distance learning and exhibits look online.

I found the YALSA podcast intriguing. The three students who were being interviewed were very knowledgeable. One of the things that was impressive was that not only did they interact in Second Life, but two of them were also scriptors. From the podcast I realized that Second Life can be time consuming. One of the boys spent 12 hours a day (on average) on Second Life. If he's still in high school, when does he sleep?

Info Island sounds like an adventure. I'll give it another try tomorrow.

Thing 14

LibraryThing is an interesting resource! It was easy to set up an account and then begin adding items to the collection. I like that you could type in a simple search by author and retrieve information. Most of the books I chose were by Andrew Clements, since he is one of my FAVORITE authors to share with children. There were comments and reviews on each of the Clement books. Frindle was by far the favorite with 588 members and 19 comments. No Talking had 117 members with 7 comments. School Story had 238 members with one conversation. Travel Team by Mike Lupica had 121 members and 1 conversation. Swindle didn't have any reviews, but it is a 2008 copyright. I am sure that there will be some in the future. Adding the collection items to the blog was easy... make a few choices in format and copy and paste html. I checked out the MN groups on the site. I was hoping to find an elementary group, but I didn't see one. I found the middle school web site interesting. It will be a site that I will check on frequently to see what other MN middle schoolers are reading and reviewing. Another great task that was a great learning experience for me!

Thing 13

Productivity Tools:

• Which start page did you choose? I went to all three, but I made the most changes to iGoogle and Yahoo. I decided to work with the Yahoo account since that is one that I use a lot. There was a variety of background choices. The layout was limited in columns, but the items to add were numerous. It was easy to drop and drag things into the main page from the Best of Yahoo choices. iGoogle was easy to use also. There were a ton of things listed under the stuff to add. The only thing that I question about the iGoogle page is that the gadgets were made by third parties. How much spam and potential for viruses are then linked to our computers? I read the privacy statement, but it makes me wonder...
  
• Did you find a tool that has some uses for you at the library or at home? Which tool(s) would you recommend to others? I would recommend adding links for the calendar and RSS feeds to local news.
• How can the online calendars be useful to you? It's an easy way to share upcoming events and deadlines at the center.
  
• What about the to-do lists—helpful, too much work…? I think the to-do list is too much work. I know that I would have a hard time keeping up. It probably would be great for those people who access their computers continually through the day. Great idea, just not my choice for productivity.
  
• Did you try out Backpack? What did you think? I explored Backpack. Another great idea to share information with others. I don't think I will be using this source. I am already using other productivity tools.
  
• Did you try any of the other tools in the list? I think the PDF converters and the Zamzar converting website will be useful. There are times when I receive PDF files that need to be filled out and it would be great to be able to type right in the document. You can choose to take a PDF file and convert or take a file and convert to PDF. Very handy. Although Zamzar had quite a few options, one thing I did notice is that it will not convert to a basic DV format which is one that iMovie will recognize. Size is limited since it works through email.
  

Thing 12

• How do you think you can use these tools in your library or at home? In theory I think that this is an interesting way to keep up with news events. I like the idea that we can have access to all of the Associated Press articles without being denied by the editor's choices. It was interesting to see that articles showed up on multiples lists throughout Mixx, Digg, Newsvine and Reddit.
  
• Do these tools seem to be a productivity enhancer or a productivity detractor? I don't think that I will be using these tools as much as I use the news updates from the RSS feeds. These tools will be more of a productivity detractor. There is so much information on the sites and I don't really think that sharing the articles is something that I have time for each day. I went to The New York Times and shared an article with digg. The article had been shared earlier and my submission was then a vote. Interesting process.
  
• Have you ever read a story/item as a result of seeing it on one of these sites? I found out about the Adobe Photo release for editing photos online. It will be interesting to see how many elements will be available online.
  

Thing 11

The idea of social bookmarking is going to make life easier to plan and prepare for classes. So often I would find a great site to use and then send an email to myself with the website. Let's hear it for online bookmarks! My first introduction with Del.icio.us came at a TIES social web class. I set up an account and then began using them at home. Time saver! This task helped me with the concept. The Del.icio.us tutorial podcast gave me a better understanding of the whole process. Creating the reading list and syllabus to share with others online, made sense for the use of this application. I can see myself organizing the websites by tags that refer to the grade level I am using the site with and sharing with students and colleagues. Creating tags works well, however I have had issues with trying to rename a tag or deleting unwanted tags.

PageKeeper is anther great find. I am definitely going to share it with my colleagues. In the tutorial on Del.icio.us, the author mentioned how she would follow tags to see what other people are tagging. I did the same thing on PageKeeper. It is user-friendly in that you can sort by content area and grade level. I can't wait to dig into this site deeper. When I looked up the McMaster University Library, there was information on free images that I found valuable. Posted the link to my Del.icio.us account. Great resources!