Monday, August 9, 2010

Thing # 11.5

Yeah-made it in the nick of time (barely)

1. What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
Two that stand out are hulu and skype. I know that hulu is not going to be available in the district this year, however I am ready to try skype. I also liked the screencast.

2. How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
I am always looking for new tools and with technology I will never know them all. I think that is why this kind of learning is so fun.

3. Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
None-you picked excellent ones again.

4. What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
I would like to have some sort of idea sharing of how you are using each tool. Maybe a wiki of ideas or suggestions on how you use bookr(example) in the library. Otherwise, great job again and thanks for all your hard work.

Thing # 11

The internet is a powerful teaching tool when used correctly. As educators, we want our students to be prepared for the future. We provide students access to the web, but we must also provide them with the tools to use it responsibility. Digital Citizenship is a huge responsibility to teach. However, I believe as the librarian, I have the opportunity to model and discuss the appropriate behaviors in regard to technology.
The articles were helful in reminding me to make a mental note of things to touch on this year.
There are a couple of things I will focus on when teaching Digital Citizenship. One of those is digital etiquette. Our job is to teach students and teachers to become responsible citizens when accessing the web. I want to discuss both appropriate and inappropriate behaviors when using the computers. We as educators need to set a good example of this. Another subject that middle school students encounter is cyberbullying. Addressing how students feel and staying safe is the key. I think we do a good job of talking to students in the early years about strangers and staying safe, but now we have to discuss self protection on the web. It is sad but true.

Thing # 10

Second Life is a 3D virtual world where users can interact with one another and explore places all over the world. I have an account and have tried to explore this technology, but I'm not interested. I don't want "virtual friends". I see many educational opportunities, however, with the age restriction being 18, I feel that it is just a teacher doing all the work and the students would only have the chance to watch. Maybe an introduction down in middle school and then the students would be able to use the TeenSecondLife in high school. I don't know.

Thing # 9

What a great place to see presentations. Slideshare and Slideboom were new to me. I found numerous educational projects already made and easily available to use. I spent my time searching topics that our teachers taught last year. Many of the powerpoints were very impressive. I liked that you could see how many people have viewed the presentation and their comments. The tags made it easier to navigate and find the topics I was looking for. I will share this one with the teachers as another resource to use. I also think that students could have a safe place to store their presentations. I love that it's free.

Thing #8

Screencasts are really fun to do. I have done these in the past during my library science classes. For some reason I can't get mine to work today. I used GOView.com. I like how simplistic it was for me to navigate. I didn't practice and when I get it loaded, you will see just that. However, I plan to use it this year in the library for teaching students how to navigate around our blog or delicious account. My screencast was done one the school delicious page so that teachers and students could remember what to do next. Hope to get this one posted soon. It's crunch time and I have to move on to the next thing now.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Thing # 7

I found this video on Blinkx.com




There are many different video sources. I have used hulu.com for over a year to catch up on TV shows that I missed during the week. As for educational videos, as long as you have the time they're out there. I was even considering using my library aides to search for different subjects. I just need to be aware that there are some inappropriate ones also.

This video was on PBS Video. I could not get it to embed into my blog. It is called Hunt for the Supertwister. It also contains videos of several other natural disasters.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Thing #6

YEAH-something I am familiar with. The I-touch is awesome. Kids love them and the apps are simple to download. There are so many apps from educational to recreational. I could literally spend days checking them out. Always something new.
In the library last year and we used them mainly as recreation. Ocassionally we used the internet. Some students actually preferred them to using the macbooks.
I think students would be able to do their podcasts, wikis and research easily together. I just have trouble with the size. My fingers are too fat and my eyes aren't what they used to be.

Thing # 5

Alright, when I started thinking of Microblogging, of course Twitter came to mind. I am not one to text everything I am doing, but I see some uses for the library. If students wanted to know about book fair, new resources, Family Library night, or even just school updates, this would be a fast, easy tool to consider.

However, my middle school students are all about their My Space accounts. I really am interested in making book clubs in the library during advisory this year. Who knows, maybe I will even get a group to join a book club group on their My Space account. Then we can discuss the book in between meetings.
The microblogging that intrigued me the most was the back channeling. I see tons of uses for this in schools. I went to TodaysMeet. I signed in and saw how easy this could be to set up. I think students would love this type of tool. It would keep the students engaged and accountable. I like that you can print the transcript at the end of the presentation.

Thing #4 Youtube and Teachertube

I enjoy looking at videos and I often get off task when I get on these sites. However, there are many worthwhile videos out there. When researching the Holocaust with 8th graders this year, I found several quick videos that were well done and appropriate to use.
Right now my 7th graders are using flip cameras to make book trailers. Both these sites were helpful in "consuming" quality trailers. We even got to "critique" the trailers and discuss some do and don'ts. Now that they are "producing" their book trailers, I believe their projects are much better then if we didn't have examples to use.

Below is an animoto that I downloaded onto youtube. I did it just to see if I could. It was easy. I however like the option of the delte key.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Thing # 3

Skype is the new hype. I have not actually had the opportunity to have a video conference yet, but I like the fact that it is both video and audio conferencing live. I will definately try setting this up on my Macbook since there is a camera component available. While reading and watching a couple of videos, I started thinking of the endless possibilities of using Skype in the class as well as the library: meetings, authors, learning another language, students having online book chats.
One concern I had in using technology: students in the library use the internet to talk or IM someone right across the library. At least this would make them use verbal skills along with personal ones. I want them to have meaningful conversations and this would be a great tool to do that.

Part 4

Bookr is a quick way to make a photostory on line. What I liked about it was that everything was right there and convenient for you. The fact that they already had pictures and they had the creative commons was a time saver. I hadn't realized that you could add page. This would be great for younger and older students.

Part 2

Wordle has become one of my favorites. I love the fact that students can brainstorm and edit all in one spot. It is an alternative to the boring pencil and paper. Students are eager to write words and edit while they go. Once they are familiar with this tool, I see endless possibilities.

Part 3

Animoto is a sure way to hook students and teachers. The fact that you can make a video and use either pictures/pictures and video clips is very enticing for all. I like the fact that they have updated animoto since they first began, that shows that they are staying up with the technology advances. Whether you use it to introduce a lesson, enhance the existing material or as a closing to a unit, it makes learning fun. My daughter is 6 and she and I made a quick video for my husband for Father's Day.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Thing 2 Part 1

Thing # 2 Part 1 Glogster is a new one for me. I enjoyed playing with this tool. I can see where students would be able to create a project and actually enjoy doing it without knowing that they are learning. I liked that you can add graphics and sound while also embedding the video. Teachers/students like choices when it comes to projects. So now we have a new one in our repertoire.

Thing # 1
Ok after a lot of procrastination I am getting started. I watched the video and it was simplistic but powerful. I think 21st century students have the opportunity to network with others across the world. It is not just limited to the walls of their schools anymore. By being able to see and participate in lectures from professors and others, students have the chance to expand their networks and use technology in exciting new ways. I see the teacher and librarian as coaches. We will need to model and guide the students in the right direction. The librarian can also assist the student in organizing the information in a way that the student will be successful. The students are the ones who have embraced all the new technology. Now as their mentors, we need to guide them into using it for academic purposes.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

11 1/2 things

Finally getting started. Looking forward to learning new things this summer.