Thing 11.5

Wow! I was determined to make it through all 23 plus 11.5 Things this summer! Being a brand new librarian, I have enough mountains to climb. I figured I could at least get the knowledge base for technology before I step into the position of a media specialist. I have learned so much this summer.

1. My favorite discoveries on 11.5 have been Bookr, and using Animoto. It is so fun to put together movies...I can see my students getting excited about it also. Bookr has been a blast to use with my grandchildren. They have made information books this summer about Dinosaurs, Trucks, Butterflies, and Babies. The thrill I saw in their faces as they used the technology to create their own books ...becoming authors... was well worth the time spent learning these "things." I also love Skype. I practiced this with another librarian. I would love to use this with students to collaborate with foreign school libraries.

2. My learning goals have not really changed. I have always striven to learn more in whatever profession I have chosen. What has changed is the vast array of tools that I have found to make that learning so enriched. Besides opening a door to those tools, I have also come out with a much more open mind. I really shunned a lot of things on the internet as fluff in the past, reserved mainly for entertainment. Now, I see how these tools can actually become mind tools for the learner. In grad school we learned of Johansen and his idea of mind tools. He talked about technology should not be a babysitter, but a mind tool in the hand of a creative learner to expand his own thinking. All of the "things" I have experimented with fit this profile. I was very impressed.

3. My biggest surprise was how many tools are out there. I had no idea there were so many image generators or blogging tools. My biggest takeaway is that I can do this. I was really fearful, that I would not be able to figure these items out and actually manipulate it to utilize them for production. When I actually used the itouch the other day, I could actually figure out how to download to it. When I used the Macbooks, I could use the flip cameras and create movies. I can use Flickr, Animoto, and others with ease now. So it was just the sheer awakening that these tools are for everyone and anyone can be taught to use them...me...and anyone else...especially students.

4. I would love to see a wiki added for comments and discussion when a tool is utilized. The wiki would show a running conversation, unlike a blog highlighting one person's thoughts at that time...even though I have gotten fond of blogging.

Thank you for making this training available. I have truly been enlightened this summer.

Retro to Thing #6

I went to a Technology Petting Zoo today at the Media Center. It was great being able to look at the technology, navigate, and actually use the tools myself. I say myself...but we actually worked in groups to look at the different items, including MacBooks, flip camera phones, and the itouch. Working in groups made the tasks so much more stimulating. We were able to bounce off of each other in our discoveries. When using the Itouch, Shirley, the librarian, and I kept saying, "ooooh, look what I found!" With our co-exploring we found so much more than doing this alone. This made me think of my students. Sure they could sit down and enjoy the educational benefits of this technology and grow all on their own. But working with others causes us to grow in our zone of proximal development. By listening to her, I widened my base of knowledge to include so many other downloads, than what I could have done by myself. Problem solving also goes to a new level with a peer. As we used the itouch, there were several blunders made by she and I. We would help each other out of them, and keep going with the technology. As far as downloads, my favorites were the information and quizzes on the presidents, and the Barnes and Noble reader. I can't wait to watch my students experiment with all of these cool and exciting tools for technology.

Tree Octopus Video for Your Enjoyment

Digital Literacy-Thing #11

Digital Citizenship is so important. Just as citizens of one of the best democratic societies in the world requires responsibilities, so does the life of a citizen on the World Wide Web. Dr. Bell showed us in library classes, how there are so many bogus sites out there on the internet. I used these last year with my fifth graders. I told them since they were getting ready for their science TAKS test, I was going to help them with their studies. I displayed the "Tree Octopus" and began to read the facts on the website. http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/sightings.html
No one said a word, and they were entranced with the image on the screen of an octopus climbing the side trees. They were shocked when I told them this was bogus and there really were no tree octopi I used this as a hook to teach responsible web surfing. After teaching the areas of credibility and reliability points of research tools, I sent them out in groups to look at websites and tell the credence of sites I gave them. It was very interesting to watch these web detectives search and discover seemingly reliable sites had so many disparities. I think if I now could extend this lesson further, by teaching them to use sources discreetly when researching. I would point out that some very good sources still need to back up their claims for factual information. Students need to be taught the identifiable difference in a virtual game and the internet as a whole. Playing for real is a whole different scenario in life than keeping Mario from falling between the bricks.

Second Life

My avatar is Grace Swordthaine, in case any of you are looking for someone in Second Life to discuss library things!

Thing #10

Second Life...very interesting! My experience is varied. I am going back to all that my education has taught me. Study to show thyself approved! My first mistake was to get an account, pick my avatar and just start moving. I bumped into so many walls, it should have put me in a coma. I was very frustrated and logged out. The next time I tried it, I went back and looked at all of the videos for movement, changing appearance, chatting, and joining groups. So, this time, I successfully searched for some interesting worlds, chose a home, changed my appearance, joined all of the groups Barry mentioned, and explored. I met two avatars. One was running away. The other was changing clothes (a little embarrassing, even for an avatar). I was a little frustrated at not finding someone to chat with. But I am learning this new environment slowly, but surely. I have to agree with others, it is fun and stimulating. To use with students, I think it would be a good way for students to explore, chat about subject material. I would love to see some book clubs for kids in this virtual world. I am always looking for book clubs. They called me the book club queen at my last school. I wonder if there is a crown for this in Second Life? Oh the possibilities of royalty? Probably not... I most likely will start with servanthood...something I am going to learn a lot of this school year.

Thing #9

This was a very exciting find today. I have gotten so tired over the years with the same old, same old powerpoint slides. I have also wondered what about all of those presentations made all over the world that no one has access to. Voila! Slideshare to the rescue! I found some great idea presentations that are free to anyone to use. Now I will spend some time searching for orientation, book talks, and author presentations. I could definitely use these. As far as students, this is an awesome tool for students to be creative with their presentations, share them, and receive feedback from others on their creations. Those students who do not have ppt at home can use the 280 to build them. It should all be about access and giving the world the tools for success.

Thing #8 Screencasting

Wow, this was so much fun! I can see so many
uses for this tool in the library. Just as I watched
one librarian give a screencast on logging into
Meriwhether, I can give virtual lessons on any
needed area of instruction. The student can access
anytime and anywhere, as needed. I cannot wait
to create some of these for next year.

Thing #7

I had no idea there was so much video available on the web. I am very impressed at the archiving of videos that many have taken the time to do. We have such a special gift, at this time of the history of humanity, in having the ability to archive our lives on film for others to see. With this tool, we can see so much of what we have and have not done with our small increment of the grand spectrum of time. My favorite is the National Archives. This is where our history in the U.S. is preserved, and this is where we can send our students to see the actual evidence and footprints of our heritage. I love this video on Democracy. The film is an actual commercial for the National Archives. But it shows the importance of the institute as the archiving relates directly to our freedom as a people. I will use this to show students how important it is that they are able to research the documents of their nation in searching for primary sources. Another video I might use in the library, to point them to the non-fiction how-to books, is the how to video for making puppets. This could also be an extension of their own how-to writing in the http://www.blinkx.com/video/how2crafts-make-puppets-with-margaret-and-melissa/RnzzOkVHG_AtZUfI_qDYbA

Thing #7 Video

Thing #5

I have been using Facebook for a while now. It has been a valuable platform for discussion. I love to stay connected with friends and family. I keep up with my little sister on there. We don't see each other much and we can still communicate through this forum. My daughter, who is living in Michigan, has fun with the different game tools on there with me. I have found many professional friends on there. Many since changing schools, and now districts, are such awesome connections to keep.
Twitter is a little different story. I joined Twitter a few months back but just didn't keep up with it. Some of the conversations seemed just trivial in some aspects. But after reading this tutorial, I can see many uses this might be helpful with. I am thinking of the teachers and their busy schedules. This might be a forum where a school conversation can go on. Also, I can see the uses in informing parents and the school community of library happenings. So I have done an about face with my perceptions of this tool and would like to use it in the future.
As far as backchanneling, my mind went immediately to college. I can think of my physics and algebra classes. It would have been so nice to have someone helping to clarify the professors attempts to get some of these more complex subjects to me as I was listening, confused and trying to clarify while taking notes. So I can see how this might help some in the higher education echalons. I also can see ESL students benefitting from this. Many of our classes with needed content could be taught in English, with a person helping to clarify immediately in their own language.

Thing #4 YouTube Video

Thing #4 You Tube Post

Using this venue opens the door for teachers to share their wonderful creations. Many teachers have some incredible creative teaching ideas. They can share these with others to use in their classrooms.
Students would find this venue highly motivating. They could use this to showcase their work for the world to see.

Thing #3

Amazing! Skype seems to be the ultimate professional connection tool. With blogs, wikis, and other online tools the discussion can take place and allow for much growth. But with this tool, you get the voice which would include inflection, feelings, dialect and more. I had pen pals with two classes in France a couple of years ago. I wish we had Skype. One of the classes in France was an ESL class. They were learning English. Having skype would have been an excellent way for the students to help them with our language. As librarians, and also teachers, visiting with others around the world creates a universe of wisdom in whatever field we are in. The only detriment is the naysayers who are afraid or unwilling to use technology. I know of some that will just say, I can't or don't have time. We have to come out of the dark ages as educators and realize our students are ions ahead of us with their use and friendliness with it.

Animoto

Thing #2

I used Wordle in 23 Things. So I tried Wordsift this time. What really impressed me about this tool was the visual thesaurus. I put an article about being a new librarian in the box and the visual thesaurus brought up some amazing connections and extensions on some very important and profound concepts of librarianship. So a student who is looking at speeches for instance, could see some interesting connections and added depth in the implied and unimplied expressions shared. This is an awesome way to get the students to add more depth and complexity into their thinking about a subject.
I love VoiceThread. This has been one of my absolute favorite 2.0 tools. I wanted to use this last year, after discovering it last summer, but was blocked by my district. Students can do some really high level thinking with this site. You displaay a concept, image, or text. Then you allow the participants to chime in with their own thoughts, which is their actual voice. You can see a running conversation on a subject. The students can read others opinions and bounce off of their ideas. I just went to thread on Readicide and the thoughts of educators across American on how schools are killing reading for students in so many ways. The ideas of each person's contribution really made me think about this sad dilemma and what to do about it.
Yeah! I made my first Animoto! It was fun and surprising. I can't believe how easy it was to create such a fun visual experience. It was a bit tricky in having too many pictures, and being cut off at the end. But with practice I feel this is a great tool to use with students. They could use this for Social Studies (primary sources, time travel photos), Science (photos showing scientific concepts), Language Arts (poetry, Book Review) and the list goes on.
Bookr looks like a fun site. The students could use this to create a picture book online, for publishing their writing. This also would be a great alternative to powerpont to showcase their projects.

Thing #1 for Things 11 More Things

I love the simplicity and direct visuals the students offer. I also love the irony of this student in using technology to show cut paper visuals. I think there may be a hidden more subtle message to all of that our archaic methods of teaching can easily and most simply be used with technology. As a new librarian learning this world of web 2.0 as a teaching venue, I am getting that message loud and clear. I am becoming more and more brave to step out of my comfort zone and connect where kids really are, the web. What a grand adventure!

Thing #23

This has been a great experience this summer. Since I am a new librarian, there are so many frightening aspects of the job I worry about. However, going through this program has given me courage to explore and utilize web 2.0 tools this next year. Below are the answers to the questions we are expected to answer in finishing the program. Thank you!

1. What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey? Some of my favorite were the igoogle and flickr. I really enjoyed the amazing resources these sites offered. Library Thing was also one of my faves. Having connections with other readers and their shelves is a great experience for any reader, especially librarians.
   
2. How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals? I am always seeking to grow on this journey as an educator. Finding tools to connect professionally is such an important step in my career. I feel with these tools I can connect regionally with others in my field as well as internally, which widens my global community of knowledge.
   
3. Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you? I was surprised at how many of these seemingly obscure (at least to me) tools were so user friendly. An example is the embedding of videos in a blog or a wiki. I didn't realize how simple it was . Just finding the steps and utilizing the knowledge was such an eye opener for me. I used it with my book club and many were very impressed. I thought, how easy was that. Anyone could do it. It just takes a little time and attention to learn it.
   
4. What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept? I don't know of any improvements. Anytime I had a problem, I had an immediate response from the Ozs' that were administering the program. I liked the blog format. I wonder if having a wiki also might offer a discussion format where many comments are made and shown.
   
5. If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you choose to participate? Most definitely. In fact, I am signing up for 11 More Things tomorrow.
   
6. How would you describe your learning experience in ONE WORD or in ONE SENTENCE, so we could use your words to promote 23 Things learning activities? 23 Things, an extraordinary program, has opened the door to my chosen professional community for me.
   
7. How would you describe your learning experience in ONE WORD or in ONE SENTENCE, so we could use your words to promote 23 Things learning activities?

Thing #22

I like the idea of having the professional connects the Ning offers. I also like the way it networks with comments with other groups. I joined a couple of the ones you listed. I read some of the new librarians post and advice others had offered for them. I found a comment that said to always pay attention to the warm body in front of you. If someone asks if you are busy, always say not too busy for you! She advised to put email and phone on hold when it came to the needs of teachers. I heard this same advice from a friend librarian. She said to always remember to put the customer first, regardless. So I will be looking at NIng a little more. I did notice some of the posts were a little old on the Texas librarian's site. This is a worthy venue for networking with others in my chosen field of librarianship.

Thing #21

I love Photostory! I used it last year, when I taught 5th. It was the first time I had used this technology in my classroom. The kids loved it. They could easily navigate the program. It was a great venue for them to express their thoughts about subjects and allow them to use some higher level thinking skills with analyzing whatever subject or book we were covering. I will definitely use this to create some book trailers. That is, if I can fix my audio problem with my laptop. I tried to create a photostory about a Bluebonnet book, so that I could post a new podcast. However, my internal microphone would not work. When I ran the test it made this high pitched screeching noise. I was very frustrated. But like I told my students last year, never ever give up on technology. You may get mad and want to throw the computer our the window...but it is our future... and therefore, well worth our patience. I will call the geek squad tomorrow to iron out the kinks on the audio. But in order to go on with Things, I will post a photostory my student, Nia, made last year for 39 Clues.

Thing #20

Blinkx for searching for videos. Visuals are so important to the lesson. You can say so much more with pictures or visuals.

Thing #19

I have spent the last few hours looking at the web awards. There are a lot of treasures I wasn't expecting. Then there were several useful tools for some, but I could not find a reason for using it.

http://www.onesentence.org/This tool allows you to be precise with writing and yet use brevity to express a succinct thought, or using one sentence to tell the story. This would be great site to share with teachers to experiment with themselves before using the strategy in their own writing workshop. I also would like to practice my writing skills.
http://www.dabbledb.com/ This tool allows you to create reports and many other online databases straight from the website. I could set up my budget and its accounting on this accessible database.
http://wufoo.com/This website helps you create contact forms, online surveys, and invitations so you can collect the data, registrations and online payments you need without writing a single line of code. I could use this for events in the library, surveys for teachers and students, and special forms I want to send out. The forms look very professional.

There were several other award winners I enjoyed navigating and using from the list.

Thing #18

As far as google.docs, I have used it in the past. I wanted to secure a lot of my school documents I had made last year. I was in the habit of just emailing myself at school whatever document I wanted to use. Anytime I wanted to use it, I had to search my email. I decided to upload my documents to google and have them stored safely 2 yers ago. I now have a safe secure place that is not subject to any damage or loss from my home. The only downside I have found from it is the inability the platform has for supporting my presentations from ppt. It does not accept them. I looked at open source and it seems to be a worthy online processing tool. I can remember through the years of students not being able to do their typing at home because they did not have Microsoft Word. Personally, I prefer Microsoft Word, because there are so many more useful tools to their package, such as font, templates, and many others. The presentation tool lacked backgrounds that I am very used to using. But I can see it as a backup if I am without Word.

Thing #17

It was a tedious, but interesting exercise to set up a Rollyo. I created one for primary sources. I found in teaching U.S. History last year, there were so many sites to search from when you are looking for a document or archive on a certain point in history. Also, when I was wanting my students to search and analyze primary sources on a certain part of history, it would take a while to find the sites that actually contained the sources. Using rollyo, I can search several of the sites at once. One hangup I found is when I actually put in something to search from history, one of the websites has so many hits, it doesn't list the others for pages away. But the Memory Collection from the Library of Congress is so important, it is worth going through all of the hits. Here is a link to my rollyo http://rollyo.com/branon5/primary_sources/

Thing #16

At the last school I attended there was a wiki set up for the staff. Each department within had their own page. I was the GT liaison for the building, so I had a page for my teachers. There were many pages I could click on and find information going on within that department, with links, discussions, and lists of important items. I think wiki is a very useful tool to organize information for an organization, giving members instant access to information and a platform for input. I have used it in my classroom for lit. circles and history discussion. I have also used it for my GT students to collaborate on projects. I will continue to use it in the library and hope to add the links to images and videos. I can see how using it to show the Bluebonnet books and offer input from students on books could be fun. I enjoyed reading the posts from others for 23 Things. I can see the transformation many of us have made with becoming aware of tech tools that aid us in our quest to offer educational opportunities to the next generation.

Thing #15

It was interesting to note the differing perspectives of the future of libraries and library 2.0. I wholeheartedly agree we as librarians cannot be on the caboose yelling to the engine constantly, "But don't forget the books!" This is a mantra going unnoticed in our tech-changing world. I have thought it should be a marriage between the two, the idea of sitting and reading a book with pages and binding, and the world of technospace. I loved the ideas of having book talks sent via voice mail on cell phones and uplinked to a user friendly interface. Or having a "library thing" set up for the school and its students to connect and converse about books read in common. I especially enjoyed the blog from the futurist, Dr, Wendy Schulz, on libraries and her web1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and then to 4.0 the libraries of tomorrow. Her quote, "... the old image of a country house library, and renovates it: from a retreat, a sanctuary, a pampered experience with information—subtle thoughts, fine words, exquisite brandy, smooth coffee, aromatic cigar, smell of leather, rustle of pages—to the dream economy’s library, the LIBRARY: a WiFREE space, a retreat from technohustle, with comfortable chairs, quiet, good light, coffee and single malt. You know, the library." I will add to that and call the library a haven for information and literacy, a stopping point for all of your research needs and aesthetic reading desires.

Thing #14

I was just complaining about the inability to navigate all of the blogs in the blogosphere. Today I found technorati. I put in my search for school librarian web 2.0 and have spent the last couple of hours going through all of the sites. Now I have an account with about 8 blogs to follow. The tags do help with the organization and quick find for subjects I am interested in. Once again, tagging is a great way to organize a search or keep like topics together. Students who also find themselves drowning in the blogosphere can use the tags to better organize their search and collaborative efforts over topics of interest.

Thing #13

I was not able to look at the video, but did access the other materials giving the instructions on Delicious. Setting up an account was fairly easy with the website. Creating the bookmarks in the site and seeing the connections to others opened a whole new door for me with researching. An example is putting in new librarian and I got several other bookmarks linking me to many other sites with tips and advice for librarians. I could see my students using this to research and finding connections from others quickly, streamlining the process. Last year, my students researched a President. This site would have made some of our fruitless efforts nil, as we could have immediate efficient sites at our fingertips with Delicious. Another site I found within this Thing was Diigolet.com. With this tool, I can highlight, create post-its(floating) with comments, and much more. I absolutely loved this. Last year in my Reading Workshop, I taught my students to not just ingest information, but to comment or make a comment(highest level of thinking is making a judgment) about that information. I could so use this for media literacy and non-fiction reading strategies with my students.

Thing #12

Reading this post has helped me to refine or shape my blogging experience. It feels like part of the growing experience. I can walk with blogging, but must avoid the slips and trips of walking. The first point I found interesting is from Cool Cat's blog. She says " I think that as an edublogger, I think commenting is one of the most meaningful tools that we have to show experts where they need to focus." I never thought about my comments actually helping to shape the areas of needed focus for those "talking brains" in our industry of education. Maybe this opens a whole forum for connecting those on the frontlines with teaching with those generals using strategy back in the main bunkhouse. How powerful is that! Doug Johnson said "But I have been thinking about Levin's statement in relationship to a unique characteristic of blogging - that it can be more dialog than sermon. Lately, I've been trying to hold up my end of the conversation by being more diligent about taking the time to comment and react to the ideas of other bloggers." I remember when I was taking my library science courses, I read Doug Johnson's Blue Skunk blog and made a comment about the connection between high stake testing and the library. He responded to me, even on the low hierarchial level that I felt I was on, and his comments back have cemented a very firm view I have of the correlation between student's success and the library. Commenting back to others could be the answer to affirming our views and growing from others.
I found a personal interest blog with Grandma's House. She had a blog on "The Seven Laws of Grandparenting." So many people think being a grandparent has to be the end of life when your life is on the downswing. I have to tell the secret, being a grandparent is the BEST SEASON IN LIFE. So I was able to blog with her concerning the joy of being a grandparent and the oh so fun life of playing with our grandchildren. They are the joy of my existence.
The second one of personal interest I found was http://authoramok.blogspot.com/ . I love to write and read poetry. This blog has some fun children't poetry as well as some great lines for adults. I will be following this blog more often just for the aesthetic part of life. I love reading original lines that are current and now.

Thing #11

My experience with The Library Thing:

1. Went to the website (Wow, another gift from Spring Branch library division!)
2. Started an account, added my books (with ease, I might say)
3. Startled, began clicking voraciously to find others reading some of my favorites
4. Found groups- a little confused on some groups that were stagnate, and some very unusual groups, such as Book Moochers
5. Found a group reading where librarians and others discuss Children's Literature ( A Collection Developer's Etouffe) and joined, of course
6. Began looking for a recommended next read
7. Thinking of how I could use this at school, library discussion or group discussion of books, perhaps book club forum
8. Tried to link widget, but became frustrated when it said there were illegal characters in the web address, finally gave up (will try problem solving later)
9. Logged off before midnight, knowing this could be a huge addiction! :)

Thing #10

Today I had fun with several image generators. Fun and addictive! I could spend hours doing this! I created a wordle for my role as a librarian. Being a newbie, I had to think of all of the roles and verbs to describe what it is I will do as a librarian. I could see the value of students really thinking about words, as powerful as they may be, to describe themselves or other item they are contemplating. I love Wordle! I also went to image chef. I know at the end of last year, my librarian created a Photostory to show photos taken throughout the year. She used image chef and I was very impressed with her signs. I created one for my daughter and sent it by email. I am surprised once again at what we can do with the technology tools that are FREE and available! This journey has really made the internet an eye opener. Here is the link to my Wordle

http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/955920/LIBRARIAN

Thing #9

I found the Superglu site easiest to use because I was looking specifically for blogs from school librarians or someone attached to the profession. The Topix site was much harder to navigate. I was looking for school librarian and got very wide topics, mostly updated news stories. It took a little more advance searching to come up with some specific blogs. I found the feed from Doug Johnson's Blue Skunk blog. I was very excited to find he has an RSS. I added it to my feed for the igoogle. An unusual blog was the http://www.boingboing.net/ site. Today was fashion day at "Boing Boing gadgets." Blogs for the day included a social networking shoe; a review of the bluetooth headset that Heidi Klum wears, and a touch-sensitive hoodie that lights up and plays tunes. The picture left if of the touch sensitive hoodie from Leah Buechley. She designed this hoodie at the MIT Media Lab using a LilyPad Arduino, power supply, LEDs, tiny speaker and iron conductive fabric. The creative energy of our future generations is very encouraging as an educator.

Thing # 8

I like to have the idea of having the information current and relevant. It is nice to be able to pick my reader cafeteria style per se. I have already linked it to my igoogle. Having the thoughts of professionals in my chosen field instantly keeps new knowledge fresh and up to date. It's like an instant learning community that is constantly evolving from the creative thoughts of others in the educational field. Connections are valuable sources in the world of networking librarians.

Blogger from Google!

I just realized I can use my blog from igoogle. How exciting! I feel I have just opened a webtool Christmas present in June!

Thing #7

Google offers so much! I had no idea it offered so many different avenues and experiences. I now have an igoogle page, complete with gmail, gdocs, daily news, youtube, random facts, calendar, calculator, interesting quotes, totally free stuff, and a monkey to play with. Who could ask for more on a homepage. I also added google alerts. I set it for the subject of "school libraries" and have received several really interesting news alerts concerning some interesting news about libraries. This is an ongoing investigation. I now want to spend some time finding more treasures. Students love gadgets. How fun to put it on your own homepage. Watching the world in real time with webcams gives students a view of the world many may never have. Sharing documents on googledoc, offers opportunities to collaborate and share learning with others. This is definitely a tool I will share with students.

Thing #6

I have been exploring the cool tools of mash ups and Flickr third party tools. It seems mind boggling that there are so many different sites with tools to format and publish photos. Is there that big of a demand out there? I found the bubblr site a very fun one to create comic strips with photos. This would be a great tool for students in the library to create comic strips from books they have read or from their own stories. After seeing the other librarian cards, I also created one from the site for Trading Card Maker. This would be a great tool to allow children to celebrate their individualization and their own interests. Another idea that might be fun is to create these for characters or authors.

Thing #5

Wow! What a resource Flickr is. Following the instructions, I began to explore this incredible tool for photo sharing. I do not take a lot of photos myself. My family, such as my daughter and husband, are usually the ones with the cameras in tow. However, now that I have had the chance to navigate this website and see the many uses that collaborative photo sharing can have in the education field, I plan on toting my camera little more. I was surprised to find the issue of copyright so deleanated on the site to ensure compliance. I joined several groups for school libraries while I was on the sight. There were some great resources for book display ideas and signage.
(Above photo link http://www.flickr.com/photos/curiousexpeditions/1304077492/)

Thing #4

I have registered my blog and am excited to share the new training with other fellow players.

Thing #3

It was quite fun navigating the Avatar choices. Choosing an outfit that just fit was exciting, espectially with the added adventure of trying on so many different styles. One difficulty I found and "problem solved" my way through was to navigate the different windows. I kept going back to the instructions page to make sure I was doing it correctly. But to my surprise, my Avatar now appears on my blog page. Awesome!

Thing #2 Blog

In reading the website information on Lifelong Learning, several things stood out for me. One of the easiest items on the 7 1/2 list is "beginning with the end in mind." I have always been a global thinker. It is much easier for me to look at the big picture and have the vision for the end in sight for whatever pursuit I have embarked on. It is much more difficult for me to look at the details and "problem solve" my way through it. I do tend to see challenges as crisis. I have to conciously look at the challenge and find my way through it by problem solving. But my determination to get it done usually wins out.