I already had an account with LibraryThing, and I love it. It's very useful and the fact that I can connect to it from anywhere is great. One disappointment is that they don't sync up with facebook and I have a "bookshelf" on my account there, so I'm kinda doubleing my efforts, but I'm okay with it.
I added an additonal five books to my account and it is very easy. I also added the LibrarThing Widget to my blog and that is way cool!! I the most popular books on there within the YA genra, so I had a bunch of reviews and there are lots of discussions and groups surrounding them.
I like LibraryThing and I actually heard the designer of the site speak at a conference. He was telling us how his wife and mother in law were librarians and the idea of creating LibraryThing came from them! How neat is that?
Friday, December 19, 2008
Week #8, Thing #18-Zoho/Google docs
I'm very familiar with zoho. I use zoho notebook a lot for my class and I show it in class. Some of my students who don't have power point at their home computers use Zoho notebook. I love how its set up and it's so easy to use.
As for google docs...I've used this a lot with my community college students. Many of them don't have microsoft word and they can easily use google docs for their assignments. We've also used it to colloaborate with other faculty memebers. Instead of sending emails back and forth...using google docs is so much easier.
I also posted my xmas with list on my blog...that was a first and it was very easy!!
As for google docs...I've used this a lot with my community college students. Many of them don't have microsoft word and they can easily use google docs for their assignments. We've also used it to colloaborate with other faculty memebers. Instead of sending emails back and forth...using google docs is so much easier.
I also posted my xmas with list on my blog...that was a first and it was very easy!!
Xmas list
Things I want for x-mas...
- Photography class
- Greek videos
- cheese grater
- candels
- picture frame(s)
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Week #7, Thing #17-Sandbox
I really like the CA curriculum page. It has a lot of great idea and I furled the page too. I would love to expose the students to more web 2.0 stuff, but it all takes time and I have learned to be patient.
As for how I would use a Wiki? Our part time English teacher/ Alumni persons and I are going to take our print "guide to good reading" and move it to a wiki. We have planes to add new/ favorite titles to the MS page and the US page based on the Marketing ideas that the library has. For example, during teen read week I asked the MS students for a list of books that they liked. We then found the book jackets for those books and created a display showcasing the books and/ or the book jacket. The students seemed to like this. Last year, at the end of the year I asked the senior class to send me a list of their all time favorite books that they read through school. I got a great response from them and again put up a display just for them. So are going to add this info into the wiki and have other students add to it over the summer and add reviews and so on. We have just started on this grand idea, but I think it will be a great way to get my students into cyberworld, so they are not so scared.
As for how I would use a Wiki? Our part time English teacher/ Alumni persons and I are going to take our print "guide to good reading" and move it to a wiki. We have planes to add new/ favorite titles to the MS page and the US page based on the Marketing ideas that the library has. For example, during teen read week I asked the MS students for a list of books that they liked. We then found the book jackets for those books and created a display showcasing the books and/ or the book jacket. The students seemed to like this. Last year, at the end of the year I asked the senior class to send me a list of their all time favorite books that they read through school. I got a great response from them and again put up a display just for them. So are going to add this info into the wiki and have other students add to it over the summer and add reviews and so on. We have just started on this grand idea, but I think it will be a great way to get my students into cyberworld, so they are not so scared.
Week #7, Thing #16-Wikis
Okay, so I love the idea of wikis. Collaboration, everyone can see others ideas, notes, ext, but my issue with them is that my students don't know what they are, nor how to use them. So, in comes the teachable moment. But the problem that I have with students is the critical thinking on their part. They want me to tell them what to write down, many of them are looking for the "I tell", "You regergitate" form of teaching. Having them shift gears is difficult, and at times I think they more frustrated and stop learning.
So that brings me to one of the wikis that we had to look at. The "Sample School Wiki" was amazing! I was blown away with the information that the kids had up there and their use of technology with the projects. I was blown away...did i say I was blown away? One of my many fears is that because we are in a smaller community, where you are likely to run into a person or two that you know at the store, my students lack that global thinking. Things are so familiar to them and a lot of them "think" they use technology, but only going to Youtube, and check their email, that I find It very difficult to get them outside that box and think on a larger scale. When I tried to use a Wiki in class, the response was, "why can't we just email you everything and you put it together?" The thing is, the kids are not lazy, they are scared of new things.
I went to a local public school in the area and I found those students to be very tech savy! So, what is the issue with my students? I haven't a clue!
Another wiki I likes was the teacherlibrian wiki. It seemed to have a lot of useful info, but some of the pages couldn't be found. Yet those pages that I did get to were very good and they had a lot of useful info. I fuled a few of them! :)
So that brings me to one of the wikis that we had to look at. The "Sample School Wiki" was amazing! I was blown away with the information that the kids had up there and their use of technology with the projects. I was blown away...did i say I was blown away? One of my many fears is that because we are in a smaller community, where you are likely to run into a person or two that you know at the store, my students lack that global thinking. Things are so familiar to them and a lot of them "think" they use technology, but only going to Youtube, and check their email, that I find It very difficult to get them outside that box and think on a larger scale. When I tried to use a Wiki in class, the response was, "why can't we just email you everything and you put it together?" The thing is, the kids are not lazy, they are scared of new things.
I went to a local public school in the area and I found those students to be very tech savy! So, what is the issue with my students? I haven't a clue!
Another wiki I likes was the teacherlibrian wiki. It seemed to have a lot of useful info, but some of the pages couldn't be found. Yet those pages that I did get to were very good and they had a lot of useful info. I fuled a few of them! :)
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Week #6, Thing 15- 2.0 perspectives
I read "Into a new world of librarianship" and I liked the format of the article. I also liked the quote, "...the library a social and emotionally engaging center for learning and experience.". That quote hit something inside. I love the library and it is an emotionally charged place. I like the idea that library 2.0 is the "strategy guide" for helping users. Web 2.0 allows us to bring content to our users in an easy way. We really can help them navigate and organize all the information that you can find in the library in one easy way.
Another thing that struck me about this article is the word, "Technolust". I think that a lot of people just purchase "cool toys" for themselves or the institution that are at just because it is cool and hot right now. That is not good! I have been in places that this happens and once you get the technology you can left with the feeling of, "now what should I do with it?" Sometimes lack of training and understanding the true usefullness of the product doesn't happen till later and I think that's a waste!
Another thing that struck me about this article is the word, "Technolust". I think that a lot of people just purchase "cool toys" for themselves or the institution that are at just because it is cool and hot right now. That is not good! I have been in places that this happens and once you get the technology you can left with the feeling of, "now what should I do with it?" Sometimes lack of training and understanding the true usefullness of the product doesn't happen till later and I think that's a waste!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Week #6, Thing #14-Technorati
I went to Technorati yesterday and it was there that I began following the story of Hillary Clinton accepting the job as secretary of state...it is now a day later and I have yet to hear anything about this story through the US News...so what does that tell me? Blogs are cool and dangerous. Apparently one newspaper and only one, in England reported this story...so is it true? I still don't know. However, Technoroti is set up so that it is very user friendly. I was impressed with the headlines of "rising posts and stories" and I like the "Today in Photo" feature.
So I went back today...after adding it to my Del account and Furl accounts and did my search for "School Library Learning 2.0". What I learned was that when I did a keyword search, I only received 5 results and they ranged from 204-106 days old...very old in the world of blogs. When I did a search in Blog posts, I got 57. I found no post in the tag search and in the Blog directory I had to click on Technology and "go down" to web 2.0...and found 7 pages.
I really liked the feature they have on finding popular blogs and how it was organized by te number of fans for each...that was useful info. I was a little "frightened" by the popular searches, out of the top ten, 4 were for femal actresses...that makes me wonder... As for searching by tags...no one used the school library learning 2.0 as a tag. For one, I think its way too long. I think of tags as being short and sweet.
I like tagging. As I get older and realize just how old I am, (working with teens does that) I find that the language I used is not "hip" anymore. I think each generation has their own "language" and tags allow us all to use that uncommon lang. I also like tags because it is NOT as complicated as LCSH. I students come in the library and search the catalog for "Spanish food"...not cooking or even spanish cooking, but spanish food...this is the lang they use and we need to find a way to mesh the various types of word usage and language together. But the downfall is that we simply don't use the same language. So someone needs to be able to work between the two and and that's where we, the librarians come in. We are the middle people, we work with all types of people, groups and so on. We are needed and I think tagging is a great example of that need...
So I went back today...after adding it to my Del account and Furl accounts and did my search for "School Library Learning 2.0". What I learned was that when I did a keyword search, I only received 5 results and they ranged from 204-106 days old...very old in the world of blogs. When I did a search in Blog posts, I got 57. I found no post in the tag search and in the Blog directory I had to click on Technology and "go down" to web 2.0...and found 7 pages.
I really liked the feature they have on finding popular blogs and how it was organized by te number of fans for each...that was useful info. I was a little "frightened" by the popular searches, out of the top ten, 4 were for femal actresses...that makes me wonder... As for searching by tags...no one used the school library learning 2.0 as a tag. For one, I think its way too long. I think of tags as being short and sweet.
I like tagging. As I get older and realize just how old I am, (working with teens does that) I find that the language I used is not "hip" anymore. I think each generation has their own "language" and tags allow us all to use that uncommon lang. I also like tags because it is NOT as complicated as LCSH. I students come in the library and search the catalog for "Spanish food"...not cooking or even spanish cooking, but spanish food...this is the lang they use and we need to find a way to mesh the various types of word usage and language together. But the downfall is that we simply don't use the same language. So someone needs to be able to work between the two and and that's where we, the librarians come in. We are the middle people, we work with all types of people, groups and so on. We are needed and I think tagging is a great example of that need...
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Week #6, Thing #13-Del.icio.us
WOW...that was tons of fun!! I had such a good time today with all the tools that we were told to look at today!! So, Del.Icio.us is cool. I have a Ful account, but as time goes on I'm learning that I might need to move to Del. My only issue/ problem with that I've spent 2 years with my furl. But essentially, they both work the same.
So I can see the power behind seeing someone's "cabinet" and discovering other web sites that might be of interest. I teach mock trial and when I typed in Mock Trial into Del. I found a great web site that I'm going to use with the kids to help us prepare. I was very impressed. Then I subscribed to the RSS for SJLibraryLearning2 to my google reader (that I set up because of this class) and it is very cool!! I also looked at the comments and tags on the side and clicked on Library2.0 and then went "further down" and clicked on Academia and from there I found these intersting library clips from University of Penn library and they made me laugh and gave me an idea for my library club.
I've been waiting to show off my Furl to the kids, but I might wait a little longer and show them Del. Since they love using the internet over the books (well MS does...but only because they don't know better) Del. would give them another place to look for info that is authoritative.
So I can see the power behind seeing someone's "cabinet" and discovering other web sites that might be of interest. I teach mock trial and when I typed in Mock Trial into Del. I found a great web site that I'm going to use with the kids to help us prepare. I was very impressed. Then I subscribed to the RSS for SJLibraryLearning2 to my google reader (that I set up because of this class) and it is very cool!! I also looked at the comments and tags on the side and clicked on Library2.0 and then went "further down" and clicked on Academia and from there I found these intersting library clips from University of Penn library and they made me laugh and gave me an idea for my library club.
I've been waiting to show off my Furl to the kids, but I might wait a little longer and show them Del. Since they love using the internet over the books (well MS does...but only because they don't know better) Del. would give them another place to look for info that is authoritative.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Week #5, Thing #12- Rollyo
Okay...so I don't really like Rollyo. I have a Furl account and I LOVE my furl. In my furl I'm able to create my own categories. I used what they recommended, but i also added Dewey classification. This way, my students can look and find things either by tags, or by the catagoies that furl set up or the one's I set up. In all, I just like it better. A link to my furl is: http://www.furl.net/member/librarylcds_cougar
Now, to the task at hand. I did create a Rollyo account, but it took me some time. I don't know why I'm having problems navigating the last two sites, but I am. The site wasn't set up all that well and I didn't see a link to customize. It's as if I have to use their template and I like red and white...but I wanted it to be a little different from the others. The link is: http://rollyo.com/painter_cougar/book_buying/
However...it is not working. When you click on it, it brings you to a page that says, "
(Please note that your private Searchrolls won't show up unless you make them public)
BUT IT IS PUBLIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am very frustrated with Rollyo and I know that Furl or Delicious is much better and easier to use.
I do see the value in these types of "personal search engines" and I am hoping that by next year I'll eneough sites in my Furl to share with the community that I am in. By then I hope to have more than eneough authoritative web link that they will be able to find good info without going to google...although I do love google too!!! And if you know how to search, It is a great search engine!
Now, to the task at hand. I did create a Rollyo account, but it took me some time. I don't know why I'm having problems navigating the last two sites, but I am. The site wasn't set up all that well and I didn't see a link to customize. It's as if I have to use their template and I like red and white...but I wanted it to be a little different from the others. The link is: http://rollyo.com/painter_cougar/book_buying/
However...it is not working. When you click on it, it brings you to a page that says, "
It appears that you're trying to find a search engine created by LCDS Librarian. Please select one from the below list:
(Please note that your private Searchrolls won't show up unless you make them public)
BUT IT IS PUBLIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am very frustrated with Rollyo and I know that Furl or Delicious is much better and easier to use.
I do see the value in these types of "personal search engines" and I am hoping that by next year I'll eneough sites in my Furl to share with the community that I am in. By then I hope to have more than eneough authoritative web link that they will be able to find good info without going to google...although I do love google too!!! And if you know how to search, It is a great search engine!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Week#5, Thing #11- Exploring award winning apps
I have a ning, so I didn't set up another one. But I did go back and look at mine. You could visit it at http://library20.ning.com/profile/SueLCDS but be aware that I don't update it often. It seems that the ning was big last year, but I haven't heard much about it in the last few months and for some strange reason I can't figure out how to upload photos...but I'm sure it's just me and that I need to click around and I'll find it.
Anyway, I went to the enormous list of award-winning web 2.0 winners and I selected the food catagory. (One of my hobbies is cooking.) The site that I explored was IMCooked, and it was great!. It has video recipies of all different types of food/ dishes. I clicked on the Caramel apple pie recipie, but the cook only showed us how to assemble the pie and then you had to go to her web site and get the recipie...what a pain. Yet that isn't the fault of IMCooked, so I clicked around.
The site has a video on "how to" create and upload a video and they have all these different tabs. The "Channel" tab is set up like a cookbook, very easy to navigate and I liked that. However they didn't seem to have a lot of members. I clicked on the group tab and I didn't see many people in "groups". However I really liked the "feel" of the site. Its set up like YouTube, and overall very easy to navigate.
Again, since I have a ning and I'm part of 3 Ning networks, I didn't join any others. But overall, I've had a good experience with the award-winning Web 2.0 sites.
Anyway, I went to the enormous list of award-winning web 2.0 winners and I selected the food catagory. (One of my hobbies is cooking.) The site that I explored was IMCooked, and it was great!. It has video recipies of all different types of food/ dishes. I clicked on the Caramel apple pie recipie, but the cook only showed us how to assemble the pie and then you had to go to her web site and get the recipie...what a pain. Yet that isn't the fault of IMCooked, so I clicked around.
The site has a video on "how to" create and upload a video and they have all these different tabs. The "Channel" tab is set up like a cookbook, very easy to navigate and I liked that. However they didn't seem to have a lot of members. I clicked on the group tab and I didn't see many people in "groups". However I really liked the "feel" of the site. Its set up like YouTube, and overall very easy to navigate.
Again, since I have a ning and I'm part of 3 Ning networks, I didn't join any others. But overall, I've had a good experience with the award-winning Web 2.0 sites.
Week #5, Thing #10-Image generators
So I used Image Chef and once I picked an image and learned that my bloger username was my email, not my blog name, then I didn't have any problems. Well...kind of... Before my realization, I had problems with the size of the image. First it was too big and didn't show up. Then It was on the left hand side of my blog because I added it under the gadget features of HTML. Then I tried adding it as a picture, but it was still on my left hand side. Then I had some lunch and realized that my blogerusername was my email and once I did that, I didn't have any other issues.
It was very frustrating and once I figured it out, I was like "DUHHH". But when your in the moment and trying to complete the task...you feel helpless. You can go to http://www.imagechef.com/ and create your own image.
As a side note, I also added the pictures that I created on my Facebook account. This way my friends can see what I've been doing in this class and just how much of a nerd I am! :)
It was very frustrating and once I figured it out, I was like "DUHHH". But when your in the moment and trying to complete the task...you feel helpless. You can go to http://www.imagechef.com/ and create your own image.
As a side note, I also added the pictures that I created on my Facebook account. This way my friends can see what I've been doing in this class and just how much of a nerd I am! :)
Friday, November 7, 2008
Week #4, Thing #9-Blogs and Feeds
I enjoy adding feeds to my google reader, but in the process of it, I set up my Igoogle and that is the way to go! It's very similar to my Yahoo page and I'm able to feed my reads from my google reader into my Igoogle...WHO how much of a geek can I be?
So in all, once I had some time to play with the feeds and the readers I'm enjoying the ease of it all. I added additional reads about library related things and technology to my google reader and I'm leaving my Yahoo page on personal interest info.
So in all, once I had some time to play with the feeds and the readers I'm enjoying the ease of it all. I added additional reads about library related things and technology to my google reader and I'm leaving my Yahoo page on personal interest info.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Week #4, Thing #8- RSS
I set up a google reader and it's okay. I have a "My Yahoo" account and I like the look of my RSS feeds there. Google's look is okay, but I'm use to Yahoo and it's hard for me to change my expectations of what a reader should look like.
As for RSS itself...I love it!! I get all of my info that way. My reader is set up in sections. On the left I have weather and I get a feed from Travelocity about discounted airline and trip tickets (one can hope...right). In the middle (where the majority of my feeds are located), I have them organized by interests and then news. I like haveing it set up this way because my eye is trained to look at sections, depending on what I'm looking for.
I use RSS to keep on top of new technologies and all library related news info. I wish I could use it with my library cataolog and have the students and faculty subscribe to it so they know when I add new books to the collection. I'm sure one can do this...but I don't know if it would require the help of the IT dept.
As for RSS itself...I love it!! I get all of my info that way. My reader is set up in sections. On the left I have weather and I get a feed from Travelocity about discounted airline and trip tickets (one can hope...right). In the middle (where the majority of my feeds are located), I have them organized by interests and then news. I like haveing it set up this way because my eye is trained to look at sections, depending on what I'm looking for.
I use RSS to keep on top of new technologies and all library related news info. I wish I could use it with my library cataolog and have the students and faculty subscribe to it so they know when I add new books to the collection. I'm sure one can do this...but I don't know if it would require the help of the IT dept.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Week #3, Thing #7-Technology related
Blog about anything technology related...well I guess I could write about the amazing developments with the phone if that's all the direction I'm going to get. :) My point is that technology is all around us. We could not live in our world if not for technology. We use it when we smack down the snooze button on our alarm clocks, or using the coffee maker, turning on our computers, and turning the lights on. Technology and technology related gadgets are all around us.
But I'm sure the assignment is looking more for web 2.0 technologies or "new technologies". With that in mind, I love Itunes. I love my IPod, I love how they work together and how no matter where I am, I can get to "that perfect song". I love my snapfish account. I didn't have to print out all my pictures from my vacation and hold them so the person I was showing them to didn't get dirty finger print marks on my face!! I just sent a link and they could put their own fingerprints on their screen! I love facebook! I can keep in contact with my friends so much easier. We all have email, but somehow Facebook makes me feel like I am part of their every day life again, no matter how far they are! I have a ning site and although I don't check it everyday, I like that the video I made for national library week last year is on there, and that I had the ability of uploading it, instead of only having it live on my computer.
Technology had made my life easier in so many different ways! I was never so aware of it then I was yesterday when the electricity at my place of work went out. We couldn't do a thing. No e-mail, no photocopier, no computers, no lights...nothing. So you know what I did? I started reading my book, cuz that was the only thing I could do! It's hard for us to realize how dependent we are on technology in our day to day lives...but one day without it, and I was "back on the prairie"...reading from a print book!! :) How "old school" is that?
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Week #3, Thing #6-Mashups
I created this card using Trading cards and I think it is awesome!! I was NOT all that impressed with Mappr, Flicker Color Pickr, or Montage. I really didn't see the point of them. However, the trading cards were funny!! I could see myself creating cards or posters or anything with the help of this application.
I had fun although it took me some time to create and navigate around the mashup sites. I think things would go much faster if I had an instructior, but I also feel that I wouldn't have the initative to go and click around the site if I had someone telling me what to do.
Oh the pros and cons of self learning!! :)
Hawaii_Sue 265
This is a photo I took on our vacation this summer. I thought I would try to upload my own photo and share it. It worked, but if I made it private and only I could see it, would I still have the option of adding it to my blog? I'll try another one to find out!
Banned Books Week Banner
This is a very cool picture. I have a Middle School Library club and they did the display for banned book week. It was one of the best we had! It would be great if we could enlarge this photo and print it out in banner format. Does anyone know how to do that? BTW, I am loving this class!! :)
Week #3, Thing #5-Flicker
Adding pictures to my blog is not that hard. Once I was able to find a picture that I liked that was public, clicking on "blog this" was simple! I never knew that you could do that. Add pictures to the blog. I guess I knew it, because I follow certain blogs, but I never put the two together. I have a personal account with snapfish...I wonder if you can do the same thing...
Monday, October 27, 2008
Librarian
I love nuts!! They are good for you and a healthy form of "good fats". I loved this picture...because we are all a little "nuts" about work!
Friday, October 24, 2008
Week 2, Thing #3- Avatar!!
As you can see, I finally got my avatar up...what a battle! I had issues with flash and then issues with finding some time...but I did it!! I got it up and I am very happy!! :)
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Avatar
I'm having some issues with creating my Avatar. It says I need the latest version of Flash, but my IT guy said I have it. Now he wonders if maybe you all mean an older version...cuz the latest one is not doing the trick. He's looking into it for me.
On another note, I am very excited to create my avatar! I've never done it and I can't wait!!
On another note, I am very excited to create my avatar! I've never done it and I can't wait!!
Week 2, Blog
I've created blogs before, but they never seem to catch on with the outside world. I think some of the problem is that one of the hardest habits out of the 7and 1/2 is confidence. I'm not sure what other would be interested in.
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