Thing 23

This has been a great adventure and an eye-opening experience for me. My favorite discoveries were Photostories, learning how to embed videos, social bookmarking, and mash-ups. I just feel more learned knowing all of this lingo, let alone knowing how to do these things! This program has taught me what Web 2.0 really is, and how I can use it in both the classroom as a teacher and a librarian. I will take with me the ease of using these tools - no longer will things like Wikis intimidate me to the point of not using them. I will continue my connections to other libraries and librarians that I have found though this program and the other blogs. In addition, now I have an arsenal of tools and knowledge to bring with me when I get my library job. I wouldn't change too much on this very useful tool, maybe just tweek what is already there, fix a few gliches, and make sure to keep all links updated. If another program similar to this was offered to me and I had some time to invest in it, then yes, definitely, I would participate! The word I would use to sum up this journey is the following - WORTHY. I think that says it all.

Schwab

Thing 22

Ning-A-Ling!
I went to the Texas School Librarian Ning to have a look around, and two of my fellow CSLT II members had already joined! Dendy and Mitch, way to go!! I can definitely see a niche for Ning. Very much like other social networking sites, but more specialized into groups. I could see me joining a group like the Texas School Librarian Ning for a virtual support system and to keep up with issues and trends through fellow librarians. I also like how Ning has all of the different tabbed categories where you can find pictures, videos, blogs, forums, etc., related to your grouping. You can even make subgroups, for example, the Texas Librarians on this Ning made subgroups of different grade levels of librarians. A very useful tool that will allow you a relevant community (or several!) at your fingertips!

Schwab

Thing 21

I LOVED using Photostory!! The saving of the product was a tad confusing, and making sure it worked on this post took a while to figure out, but what a fun and creative tool! This is a web tool I would definitely like to have more time with and incorporate into my lessons. This would also be great for students to work on and incorporate into research projects or putting together a presentation. A librarian could co-teach this element with the classroom teacher, and I believe this would engage the students and they would enjoy it. I sure did!

Schwab

Thing 20

Okay - the making of this post took forever because once I embedded this video from You Tube, I couldn't find out how to make it work when posted! I figured there was some little click I missed and looked for a very long time. Then I got smart and looked at others' blogs to see if they had any problems. Pam Bennett wrote about it - and informed me that the video does play when it's posted, but not in the editing mode! Thanks, Pam!

Alright - now that I've gotten that out....

I can see now how people inbed all kinds of videos into powerpoints, presentations, student information, etc. While I won't say it's the easiest thing I've done, it is certainly not the most difficult either.

I love using You Tube to enhance my lessons. I just used it today to show some powerful visuals for the intro. of the book we are reading in my Junior AP English class. You Tube is very user-friendly and for me, an invaluable resource. It's amazing how much is on there! I have tried Teacher Tube a few times, and I find it a little more confusing and specialized. Today I found what looked like a good video for teachers to watch about classroom walk-throughs, but it took quite a while to download.

Today's learner can really respond to and learn from visual images. Knowledge is becoming more based on visual learning, and it's a tool we need to use for the 21st century learner. These resources for online videos are only going to become more valuable as time marches on.

Schwab

Thing 19

I chose to investigate Twitter, as I noticed it placed first in two different categories: mobile technology and social networking mainstays (it even beat Facebook). This tool has the special ability to give and receive instantaneous information like no other. Not only is the information quick, it can be sent to large groups all at once. Twitter would be useful in the classroom as a tool of collaboration, connectivity, creativity, and discussion topics. For example, creative group writings could be assigned using Twitter. It is easy for students to use and very accessible from a computer or smart phone. As a librarian, Twitter could be used to share information about the library, advertise events, share pictures, and update its patrons ("followers") about anything.

I use this tool to keep up with breaking news in general, news about my hobbies and favorite subjects, and I follow people I want to know about. I even found some great work-related people/groups to follow, like Grammar Girl, Creative Commans, and School Library Journal. For my own pesonal use, I also follow Rotten Tomatoes and E News.

Kids love it, and it's a fun and easy multi-purpose tool that could easily be incorporated into an academic setting.

Schwab

Thing 18

Wow - Google Docs is a very useful and handy way to create and process online. What a great free way to have the tools that a Microsoft-type program would make you pay for! In addition, you have the option of sharing files and such with others without having to go through the hassle of emailing back and forth. They can even edit the files! What a great feature if you are wanting someone to read over something, or you are working on a project together. I read Dendy's blog where she has her National Honor Society kids signing in on a form she created since she can't always be there when they need to sign up for time slots. Between this and the Google Reader, I am quite blown away with all of the powerful uses for Google!

Schwab

Thing 17

http://www.rollyo.com/index.html

Rollyo was very fun and easy to use! I could definitely see myself using this for both teaching and library purposes. I had never heard of rollyo before, but it could really cut search time for its users. What an incredible resource - one of my favorites so far.

Schwab

Thing 16

I loved learning about the Wiki and posting my thoughts on 23 Things onto the Spring Branch Wiki sandbox! To me, Wikis are more like interactive blogs, as the Wiki is focused more on the interaction of users. The more I learn about Wikis. the more user-friendly and learning-friendly they become. I can really see how Wikis would be a great learning tool for the 21st century classroom. Discussions and sharing can really get your students involved. I would love to help other teachers learn how to use Wikis in the classroom. What a great, virtually untapped resource for learning!

Schwab

Thing 15

To me, Library 2.0 means that if librarians want to continue to be relevant, we need to be on the cutting edge of technology and what it can do for the library and its patrons. It is not our job to acquire every new technology that comes along, but to decide what new technologies are helpful to our patrons. The way that students learn and function in their learning is different, and we need to be progressive in this area. Not only does this keep librarians relevant, but libraries as well. Not only to we have to be a filter of this new technology, we have to stay up to date and proficient with these technologies as part of our jobs. In "Into a new world of librarianship," some of these points were made, and I firmly believe this is accurate.

Schwab

Thing 14

Technorati is like a blog search engine. After playing around with it and looking up some blogs, I can see how this is and will and continue to be a valuable web tool. Tagging seems to be a common theme on many of the webtools we have been looking at. While it is all still fairly new to me, tagging seems advantageous when you are trying to look up various items or topics and they can be placed under different categories. It's like it gives you a hand in finding these topics easier, or gives you a better chance of finding your topics since they can be tagged under various headings.

Schwab

Thing 13

Exploring the social bookmarking websites was very interesting. I have never heard of these before, and I can definitely appreciate their usefulness. I have always hated how my bookmarks could never travel with me to new or different computers, and now I don't have to worry about it! When I talked to my librarians about this, they both use Magnolia and said it was very easy. I also like that you can see other people's bookmarks and this could be very useful in the library profession. Social bookmarking would be very helpful for both teachers and students alike as they research. Being able to instantly access the research they have already found from any computer not only saves times but also potentially saves other resources as well. What a great idea for bookmarking!

Schwab

Thing 12

In reading about posting to a blog, two of the thoughts I found interesting were deciding whether or not to use an alias when blogging, and the importance of responding to blogs and being less of a lurker. I never really thought about these issues before. And I believe I am guilty of lurking as I never think I have anything relevant to say.

I made comments on the following Library2Play blogs:

Becoming Mary Poppins (Thing 11)

Flower Power (Thing 12)

Nalepa's Notes (Thing 9)

Now what am I supposed to be doing? (Thing 19)

Bloggin' with Ogden (Thing 7)

As a soon-to-be-owner of a rescued Great Pyrenees dog, I searched for blogs connected to this breed. I left comments on The National Pyr Blog and Great Pyrenees 360. I was surprised to find only a handful of blogs about this breed, but these two blogs seem very informative and useful. I was also surprised that one of the blogs required a name and email before it would let me post a comment. Very interesting is the world of blogs!

Schwab

Thing 11

Library Thing would be a very useful tool in keeping up with books and selecting books for the library. I could "visit" other's libraries and get reviews on books, even be a reviewer myself and tell others what I think! Also, making a list of books and creating an account was very easy to do. The book list would be very helpful for the library and keeping track of various books since you can create different categories for them. I will definitely use this tool once I am a librarian!

I did check out some of the groups, and I would definitely join a few, like Read YA Lit, Early Reviewers, Book Talk, Non-Fiction Readers, and Crime, Thriller & Mystery, to name a few! I added the Library Thing blog to my reader!

Schwab

Thing 10

Very cool! I went on Comic Sign Generator (http://www.customsigngenerator.com/) and made this custom sign! I saw this sign in a store the other day, and it made me laugh and I thought I could use it for my desk at school! Wouldn't that be funny? I also tried some other ones, like the Trading Card Maker, which was fun. I love how it takes a photo and animates it! I am already a big fan of Wordle (http://www.wordle.net/), and I have used that for students handouts and in my work as an SLC team leader at school. It is too bad that Wordle does not have a search capability so you can find other ones that have been made about the subject you are looking for. This was a fun exercise that I really enjoyed!

Schwab

Thing 9

I tried several of the blog search tools, and added a few blogs to my reader. My favorite one was Edublog. I found it the easiest to use and it was relevant to my career as a teacher and librarian. I added "Creating life-long Learners," and "Hey Jude." I spent the most time here and would like to go back and spend some more. The most difficult tools to use were Suprglu and Syndic8, as I couldn't get either one of them to work. Syndic8 has a bug that the webmaster is aware of and is trying to work out. Topix was a bit too newsy for my needs. I didn't get on Atomic Learning because of the necessary passwords I didn't have. I also liked Technorati, and added another blog from here to my reader, called "Langwitches." This is a totally new world for me, one which I need to explore more in detail in the future. Pretty interesting!

Schwab

Thing 8

I found some pretty cool library/book blogs to follow. What a handy tool to put your fav blogs on and look at them all in one spot! That will save a huge chunk of time! I can use this both at school and in my personal life. At school, I can organize blogs by titles, such as books, library help, etc., and just look for what I need in a given situation. At home, I can keep up with blogs and opinions that interest me, and also, any local news information I choose to know. This would be a great tool for any teacher and administrator to find blogs that pertain to their interest or subject matter, and teachers could have their students keep up with certain blogs, and maybe incorporate that into class discussions and/or lessons. What a great tool for all!


I also made a public page for my starred items!


Schwab

Thing 7

I already use iGoogle for my home page for Pinky, my personal laptop computer. It is very handy because it is personalized for me and the area in which I live. Local news, TV listings, and you even get to pick what type of info. you want to be told about. The link is
http://www.google.com/ig?brand=SNNT&bmod=SNNT


I have also used Google Earth many times before. It is so cool to see exact places, houses, businesses, etc. You really get a bird's eye view. It is great if you are looking for something, or trying to show a location to students. I have looked up old places where I have lived and places I am looking for like shops and businesses. What a great tool!


Schwab

Thing 6

COOL! I made a mash-up about "Whale Wars"! Man, there is a whole world of technology out there that I had no idea existed! I hope I remember how to use some of this cool stuff!!

Schwab

Thing 5

WOW! I am learning some new things! I put in this picture to symbolize Cleo, my black and white kitty, and the new arrival coming soon. Now that I know how to upload pictures, lookout!!

Schwab

Thing 4

I registered my blog, even before I wrote all of these posts! I was out of order, but now I think I am back on track. I hope the rest of the 23 Things goes more smoothly! I remember that you said that in class, so I am hoping for smooth sailing!

By the way, my blog looks much better now that I got some help on using the templates! Yeah!

Schwab

Thing 3

OK - this was totally confusing! Setting up the blog was hard enough, but figuring out the avatar dressing and uploading was tricky, even after reading the directions! Everyone's blog is so slick looking, but I have never done this before, so mine looks like a pile of dooky!!

Schwab

Thing 2

I read the Seven Habits info., and watched the blogging powerpoint. Very interesting and confusing. This is all new to me - wish me luck!

The easiest habit for me to practice is being proactive, because I am in control of myself and I can change how I react to external forces.

The most difficult one would be to sharpen the saw, because I am not good with maintaining a balance with the dimensions mentioned. I tend to be one-tracked, and neglect other aspects of myself, so habit # seven would be the most difficult.

Schwab

Thing 1

I read this section, learned about the 23 Things, and now I am on my way!!

Schwab

Hello!

Welcome to my blog! Schwab's blog! This summer, I'll be adding to this as I go through and learn about The 23 Things! I hope you enjoy my blog!!