What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
I loved using Photostory. I think it is very easy to create vidcasts using this program. I also enjoyed working with Flickr. Google Docs is one of the most useful discoveries that I will use to save documents online from this point forward.
How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
This program has shown me how many resources are available on the Web 2.0 and that there is always something new to learn. I want to strive to continue to learn the newest technology to be up to date in the library field.
Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
I was surprised to learn a lot more about social networking. I thought I knew everything there was to know about Facebook, but I'm happy to know about Twitter and Nings as well.
What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
I think it would be much less daunting to divide this 23 things exercise into smaller pieces. Just do five things here and five things there. That way, it doesn't seem so insurmountable.
If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you choose to participate?
I would like to participate in something similar because I do feel that I learned a lot of valuable tools and information. However, I would like it to be served in smaller, more bite-sized pieces :)
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 teaches valuable tools and resources for professionals in today's Library 2.0 world.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Thing 22: Nings
I viewed several Nings including the Teacher Librarian ning at http://teacherlibrarian.ning.com/ and the Texas School Librarian ning at http://txschoollibrarians.ning.com/
Nings are beneficial social networking tools similar to Twitter, My Space, and Facebook. The main educational benefit of a ning is that teachers can set these up for their students to use rather than invading their privacy by trying to carry on academic discussions on Facebook, which is considered a more private forum.
I can see how it would be very helpful to set up a ning for all librarians in my district. They could collaborate on lesson ideas, ask questions, and offer advice. Similarly, it would be helpful to set up school nings for all staff, or nings for each grade level. These tools have made collaboration so much easier without the need to sit through long meetings face to face.
Nings are beneficial social networking tools similar to Twitter, My Space, and Facebook. The main educational benefit of a ning is that teachers can set these up for their students to use rather than invading their privacy by trying to carry on academic discussions on Facebook, which is considered a more private forum.
I can see how it would be very helpful to set up a ning for all librarians in my district. They could collaborate on lesson ideas, ask questions, and offer advice. Similarly, it would be helpful to set up school nings for all staff, or nings for each grade level. These tools have made collaboration so much easier without the need to sit through long meetings face to face.
Thing 21: Photostory
I created this vidcast about my recent trip to Athen using Photostory. It was very easy and the program walked me through every step. It was much simpler to use than Movie Maker.
Photostory has many applications in the library, including making book review videos, book talks, reports, and other fun and creative ideas.
Thing 20: Teacher Tube Perimeter Rap
I uploaded this video, "Perimeter Rap" off of Teacher Tube, a teacher's answer to You Tube, which is usually not blocked by most school districts.
This is a creative video made by Mrs. Burke, a teacher in North Carolina. Kudos to her for making perimeter and area fun! Teachers do so many great things to motivate their students to learn... I am constantly awed by their innovative and unique approaches to teaching! :)
It's a great resource to have access to so many educational videos that students can watch, either as a whole group, or individually online. These videos appeal to visual and auditory learners, provide a different avenue for teaching, and allow students to learn from the expertise of other educators.
Thing 19: Twitter
I chose to research Twitter, ranked #1 under social networking tools on the Web 2.0 awards.
http://www.seomoz.org/web2.0/short
Twitter works by connecting people with their friends, family, and co-workers. You receive updates on what they are doing. These updates (known as status updates on facebook) can be sent to your phone, email, or web page. They help you to feel connected to people you care about by knowing what they are doing.
A great feature of this application is that it allows the user to control when, where, and how to receive updates. It also allows you to "block out" times when you don't want to receive updates- dinner, bed time, etc.
http://twitter.com/
http://www.seomoz.org/web2.0/short
Twitter works by connecting people with their friends, family, and co-workers. You receive updates on what they are doing. These updates (known as status updates on facebook) can be sent to your phone, email, or web page. They help you to feel connected to people you care about by knowing what they are doing.
A great feature of this application is that it allows the user to control when, where, and how to receive updates. It also allows you to "block out" times when you don't want to receive updates- dinner, bed time, etc.
http://twitter.com/
Thing 18: Google Docs
Google Docs rocks! :)
Who new such a cool resource existed? Gone are the days of emailing attachments to myself or toting around a flash drive. Now I can store all of my documents and photos online and have access to them whenever and wherever! I love Web 2.0 :)
Advantages of Google Docs: I don't have to save files on a computer under My Documents or on the district network. I can have total flexibility of where to work on a document- I can start it at school, then work on it at home, and finish it at grad school- all the while easily saving my changes on Google Docs. I can also invite others to collaborate on the document with me. This makes it almost like a wiki in that each collaborator can edit the document and save any changes they made.
Who new such a cool resource existed? Gone are the days of emailing attachments to myself or toting around a flash drive. Now I can store all of my documents and photos online and have access to them whenever and wherever! I love Web 2.0 :)
Advantages of Google Docs: I don't have to save files on a computer under My Documents or on the district network. I can have total flexibility of where to work on a document- I can start it at school, then work on it at home, and finish it at grad school- all the while easily saving my changes on Google Docs. I can also invite others to collaborate on the document with me. This makes it almost like a wiki in that each collaborator can edit the document and save any changes they made.
Thing 17: Rollyo
Well, at first, Rollyo confused me. I didn't quite understand what it was supposed to do. But then, I watched the video done by one of the 23 things participants (a SBISD employee) and it helped immensely.
Bruce's Rollyo video:
http://bruce23things.blogspot.com/2008/07/rollyo-video.html
Then, I went to Rollyo (www.rollyo.com) and created my own search roll. I created a roll for the Lewis and Clark expedition. This is a research project for third graders at our school. Often, students get bogged down by all of the information when conducting online research. I chose four high quality, age appropriate websites for students to conduct their search.
Here's my Rollyo search roll for Lewis and Clark:
http://rollyo.com/brookevierling/lewis_and_clark/
This is a great resource for teachers, librarians, and parents alike... really anyone who's conducting research. It cuts down a bit on the "information overload" and pares down the results to make it more user friendly.
Bruce's Rollyo video:
http://bruce23things.blogspot.com/2008/07/rollyo-video.html
Then, I went to Rollyo (www.rollyo.com) and created my own search roll. I created a roll for the Lewis and Clark expedition. This is a research project for third graders at our school. Often, students get bogged down by all of the information when conducting online research. I chose four high quality, age appropriate websites for students to conduct their search.
Here's my Rollyo search roll for Lewis and Clark:
http://rollyo.com/brookevierling/lewis_and_clark/
This is a great resource for teachers, librarians, and parents alike... really anyone who's conducting research. It cuts down a bit on the "information overload" and pares down the results to make it more user friendly.
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