Thing #20

I have embedded videos into powerpoint presentations many times. But YouTube makes it easier. I am embedding a library orientation that I found on Youtube. I thought that I would find a great idea to make my library orientation more fun. This is more fun than my orientation, but a lot less informative. Nonetheless, it gives me something to go on!

I also took a look at a library orientation on TeacherTube called It Happens at the Library. I liked this one because of the way it showcased library activities.

Videos are a great tool to use in the library or in the classroom. They provide a great way to capture attention and get information to students in small chunks.

Thing #19

I enjoyed playing around with the web 2.0 award list. Just for fun, I took a look at the cooking tab. I love to cook and I thought that is was very interesting.

I also looked at Lulu, which came in first under the book category. Lulu is basically a site that allow individuals to become self publishers. I can see how teachers might want to use this site to publish books as class projects. I am thinking along the lines of student work, such as class books or poetry compilations.

Biblio is a site that allows users to purchase college textbooks and rare or out of print books. There are times when out of print books are requested by teachers. It would be nice to have a resource like Biblio to purchase an out of print book, if there is nothing else on the market to fill that particular need.

docstoc. is a site that provides worksheets, tests, forms and checklists for educational purposes. While using worksheets is usually frowned upon, there are instances where this site could be very useful. I particularly liked some of the checklists for writing. Checklists always come in handy, in my opinion because through students know exactly what is expected.

Thing #18

I didn't want to explore Open Office because I don't like to download stuff that I have no intention of using. (Sorry!) However, in looking at Google docs, I think that it is very comparable to Microsoft Office and the suite that I use on my Mac. Basically, if you can function with one type, you can function with any of the suites. A definite advantage to using an online productivity tool like Google docs, is being able to collaborate much more easily than through email.

Thing #17

I chose to create my custom search on U. S. Presidents. This is very similar to all of the hot lists that I have created, trying to guide student research. I like Rollyo because it would be very useful to be able to add or delete to searches that have already been created. That would be a great time saver compared to starting from scratch.

Thing #16

Wikis suddenly make more sense to me! The guy at Common Craft is very gifted at being able to explain technology. I agree that email isn't the best method for coordinating. NEISD librarians use wikis to share ideas. In fact, several middle school librarians have been working on a project all summer long that could have been improved through the use of a wiki! Oh well, live and learn. I have learned that wikis would be great for group projects. Students can truly collaborate.

Thing #15

Library 2.0 means learning to change and adapt to all the changes that technology brings. I understand that our students have access to a multitude of information that was never available to me as a kid. Maybe that is why I kind of fear for my job. One of the articles that I read said that there was no point in collection development because we will never be able to satisfy the customers needs. I struggle constantly with getting kids to take advantage of databases that provide them with authentic, relevant and factual information. I have tried to steer kids away from Wikipedia because the postings aren't necessarily factual. I guess maybe I need to make some changes in my attitudes, too.

Thing#14

I thought that the video about Technorati was very informative. I liked that the stakeholders were so passionate about their product and all that tagging can do. I like the idea of being able to see who's linking to you and growing conversations. As librarians, we are a bit of an "island" on our individual campuses. Even though we get together with other librarians from our district and professional organizations, I like the idea of being able to "reach" out to others who have similar goals and issues. Tagging makes that easier. Tagging also makes it easier to research topics of interest!

Thing #13

I was easily able to export my bookmarks to Delicious. I thought that I was able to share my list by adding a list gadget, but I didn't see it when I previewed my blog.

Most of the tags that were used on Delicious were intuitive.

While Delicious is a great way to be able to access bookmarks from either school or home, I really like the idea of teachers and students being able to share information for research purposes. I'm not quite sure how I would utilize a site like Delicious, but I look forward to hearing your ideas.

I thought that diigo was a super social bookmarking site, particularly for research purposes.

Thing #12

There were a couple of points that really spoke to me. One was from Blue Skunk who said that writers like to know that they have been read. Most of us need to feel validated when we are communicating. Having someone read and comment provides that validation. Another point that was made was that we should be gracious, when someone points out an error. It never really easy to have someone point out our mistakes, but I know that I am embarrassed when an error gets past me. I would rather someone point it out so I can correct it, rather than appear dumb.

There are many great ideas that are circulating on the Library2Play blogs, so the challenge became making good, hopefully, pertinent comments.

Michael Jackson's death was the impetus for my personal interest. I watched so much of the coverage of his memorial and when I got back on track, I was interested in seeing what people had to say about the coverage. I wanted to chime in with other fans.