How might you use this tool in your personal and/or professional life? What issues come to mind about using this tool with students (ie, they need email addresses to log-in)?
Okay has the spreadsheet disappeared? I couldn't find it but, I have sent out help messages to a couple of the other participants. I will go back in and do the spreadsheet later. I visited "20 ways to use Google Docs in the classroom" from the posting on another blog. After reading that I have lots of ideas, I just need to check into the ways to do this with an entire grade level and not just a class. I will do some more networking to see what a couple of others are doing at school. I also looked at photos, calendar etc. and understand all the uses. Wow the templates are endless. The next time I want to create anything I am going to check here first.
I have done the spreadsheet as it appeared after Carma shared it with me. Thank you Carma. Not sure why it didn't show up the first time.
About Me
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Thing 15 Revisit RSS
Is RSS becoming easier to understand? Do you recognize new benefits of using this tool? Do you remember to check your feeds regularly? Has it become a habit (or obsession!) yet?
Not only is it getting easier to understand, I also see many more benefits for using RSS. I really like the idea of subscribing to tags from delicious. Now I understand how you can keep up with so much and learn about so much. I just didn't see how anyone could spend all that time surfing and adding to their delicious accounts. With every "Thing" that I do I am learning additional tricks from connecting with others and reading what the others in the online class are doing and experiencing. I am going to have to pace myself to finish this class on time as I get sidetracked so easy. RSS has not become a habit but, I have been there several times to get updates. On to Thing 16!
Not only is it getting easier to understand, I also see many more benefits for using RSS. I really like the idea of subscribing to tags from delicious. Now I understand how you can keep up with so much and learn about so much. I just didn't see how anyone could spend all that time surfing and adding to their delicious accounts. With every "Thing" that I do I am learning additional tricks from connecting with others and reading what the others in the online class are doing and experiencing. I am going to have to pace myself to finish this class on time as I get sidetracked so easy. RSS has not become a habit but, I have been there several times to get updates. On to Thing 16!
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Thing 14 Social Bookmarking
Include your Delicious username in this blog post so that others can view the bookmarks that you have chosen to share. Then reflect on how you think social bookmarking can be used in your teaching. Does Delicious seem to be a tool that can enhance your productivity?
My user name for Delicious is librarydragonkb. I was introduced to Delicious several years ago and I just didn't take the time to get an account set up. What a mistake. I would have saved myself a lot of time if I had done this earlier. Did we get some instruction on organizing these in folders? I know my list will get very long. I do need to spend some more time on this but, it will be easy as I will go to a couple of media specialist lists first to see what they have done. They have been using Delicious for a while now. I learn so much from others.
Share your thoughts about tagging. Is tagging a useful way to organize your digital resources and why? What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages? What is important to think about before assigning tags to bookmarks or other Internet content?
I found the suggestions for tagging confusing but after watching the videos and saving some sites it was seemed easy. As I look at my tags I begin to see how the organization is taking place and I will probably go back and edit some of my tags. I am going to look at some of the other Delicious accounts before I add any more sites. I know that I need to think about who might want to use the tags before I assign the tags.
My user name for Delicious is librarydragonkb. I was introduced to Delicious several years ago and I just didn't take the time to get an account set up. What a mistake. I would have saved myself a lot of time if I had done this earlier. Did we get some instruction on organizing these in folders? I know my list will get very long. I do need to spend some more time on this but, it will be easy as I will go to a couple of media specialist lists first to see what they have done. They have been using Delicious for a while now. I learn so much from others.
Share your thoughts about tagging. Is tagging a useful way to organize your digital resources and why? What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages? What is important to think about before assigning tags to bookmarks or other Internet content?
I found the suggestions for tagging confusing but after watching the videos and saving some sites it was seemed easy. As I look at my tags I begin to see how the organization is taking place and I will probably go back and edit some of my tags. I am going to look at some of the other Delicious accounts before I add any more sites. I know that I need to think about who might want to use the tags before I assign the tags.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Thing 13 Online Social Interaction
What applications appeal to you? Now that you know more about Twitter and Facebook, pay attention to where you hear references to them in the every day world. How do you think you might use these tools?
I never thought I would create an account on Facebook. I really thought it was for the young kids and not something I wanted to do. After reading all the reasons to do it, I am now very excited that I have created an account. My account has only been out there for less than 24 hours and I have connected with friends I haven't communicated with in a very long time. In fact I had received an e-mail that a group wanted me to join Facebook because that was the way they were going to start communicating. (A friend even before I became connected!) Does this appeal to me, Yes! I am so glad I read the suggestion to not get carried away with this. I will have to set my limits or will get nothing done. I am trying Twitter but, this is a little more difficult to find other tweeters. I will give this a little more time and see what happens.
I will be using Facebook for family and friends at this time. I'm not sure what I will use Twitter for as I don't know if it can be used at school.
Why do you think MySpace and other social networking sites are so popular with kids today? What safety tips would you share with your students who are talking about using social networks?
Students love to stay connected with each other and the social networks are the ticket. I had my fourth and fifth graders signing up for the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge and they went wild. It allowed the students to create a profile which included creating an avatar. They could message by selecting a response and there were tons of other games and activities to do. I could not believe the excitement. The site also included safety tips that I discussed with the students.
I really liked the suggestion, only put on your facebook what you would have on your desk for your boss to see. It gave me the idea that all students should be required to have a facebook account and they should be assigned to a teacher who would "walk" by their desk. Wouldn't that be a real world experience. If we are going to instruct students for real world experiences, let's give them one.
Twitter can be accessed by phone so, I can see this as a great learning tool if we allow cell phones in school. I know our high school has been discussing allowing cells phones at school. Someone suggested that students could respond to what books they are reading on Twitter and this sounded like a good idea. My question is, how do you limit the users on your twitter account? As I said before, I need to explore and network the ins and outs of Twitter.
This Thing has been fun and I look forward to doing more.
I never thought I would create an account on Facebook. I really thought it was for the young kids and not something I wanted to do. After reading all the reasons to do it, I am now very excited that I have created an account. My account has only been out there for less than 24 hours and I have connected with friends I haven't communicated with in a very long time. In fact I had received an e-mail that a group wanted me to join Facebook because that was the way they were going to start communicating. (A friend even before I became connected!) Does this appeal to me, Yes! I am so glad I read the suggestion to not get carried away with this. I will have to set my limits or will get nothing done. I am trying Twitter but, this is a little more difficult to find other tweeters. I will give this a little more time and see what happens.
I will be using Facebook for family and friends at this time. I'm not sure what I will use Twitter for as I don't know if it can be used at school.
Why do you think MySpace and other social networking sites are so popular with kids today? What safety tips would you share with your students who are talking about using social networks?
Students love to stay connected with each other and the social networks are the ticket. I had my fourth and fifth graders signing up for the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge and they went wild. It allowed the students to create a profile which included creating an avatar. They could message by selecting a response and there were tons of other games and activities to do. I could not believe the excitement. The site also included safety tips that I discussed with the students.
I really liked the suggestion, only put on your facebook what you would have on your desk for your boss to see. It gave me the idea that all students should be required to have a facebook account and they should be assigned to a teacher who would "walk" by their desk. Wouldn't that be a real world experience. If we are going to instruct students for real world experiences, let's give them one.
Twitter can be accessed by phone so, I can see this as a great learning tool if we allow cell phones in school. I know our high school has been discussing allowing cells phones at school. Someone suggested that students could respond to what books they are reading on Twitter and this sounded like a good idea. My question is, how do you limit the users on your twitter account? As I said before, I need to explore and network the ins and outs of Twitter.
This Thing has been fun and I look forward to doing more.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Thing 12 Widgets
Review the widget you selected. Are you getting comfortable with embedding code? Do you belong to other online communities? Are relationships formed online as meaningful as face-to-face relationships?
I really liked looking at all the widgets! I took notes and know there will be teachers who will find them useful for their school website pages. I really want to explore Voki's more as I believe this is a technique I have seen used for book reviews. I tried to look for something that was library or dragon related and didn't find anything. I decided on this silly little one just for fun. (Whoops it is not so little on my blog.)When I'm a little tired and need to get pumped up I am going to beat on it to fire me up and gain energy. Sure hope it works!
Embedding this was not easy. I did it so many times but the widget would not show up on my posting. I returned to the site and used the instructions on the site and this is what I got, a big set of drums. I may try something else just to see what happens. (I played with this some more and decided to move the widget to the bottom of my posts. Look for it there.)
I really liked looking at all the widgets! I took notes and know there will be teachers who will find them useful for their school website pages. I really want to explore Voki's more as I believe this is a technique I have seen used for book reviews. I tried to look for something that was library or dragon related and didn't find anything. I decided on this silly little one just for fun. (Whoops it is not so little on my blog.)When I'm a little tired and need to get pumped up I am going to beat on it to fire me up and gain energy. Sure hope it works!
Embedding this was not easy. I did it so many times but the widget would not show up on my posting. I returned to the site and used the instructions on the site and this is what I got, a big set of drums. I may try something else just to see what happens. (I played with this some more and decided to move the widget to the bottom of my posts. Look for it there.)
Thing 11 Blog Posts
What do you like / dislike about leaving comments? How did you feel when you received your first comment? Why do you think commenting is so important in online communities? What might this mean for students who share their writing online?
I have tried to be very careful leaving comments as I don't want to discourage anyone in any way or say something irrelevant. Even after reading the guidelines I am still very hesitant to leave a comment. I also don't want to say something that will be taken wrong so, I go back and reread my comment a couple of times. Some people can easily and quickly rattle off a comment but, that is not me.
I love getting comments as it encourages me to continue to work and do the best I can. It is great to know that someone is out there reading my stuff. An online class would not be very successful if you could not send comments. I am glad we are able to read what others are doing and receive comments from all. It allows us to learn more. I feel I have learned just as much from the participants as I have from the Things.
If a student is writing for a large audience and receiving encouragement from multiple people, they are destined to succeed and do better.
I have tried to be very careful leaving comments as I don't want to discourage anyone in any way or say something irrelevant. Even after reading the guidelines I am still very hesitant to leave a comment. I also don't want to say something that will be taken wrong so, I go back and reread my comment a couple of times. Some people can easily and quickly rattle off a comment but, that is not me.
I love getting comments as it encourages me to continue to work and do the best I can. It is great to know that someone is out there reading my stuff. An online class would not be very successful if you could not send comments. I am glad we are able to read what others are doing and receive comments from all. It allows us to learn more. I feel I have learned just as much from the participants as I have from the Things.
If a student is writing for a large audience and receiving encouragement from multiple people, they are destined to succeed and do better.
Thing 10 Embed and download video
This video created by "Dr. Loopy" is fun and I do want to use it this year. This media specialist has done some great stuff. It speaks to an issue we all face with our students everyday, choosing information resources. I think students will get the point in a very fun way. I hope you find it entertaining.
Dr. Loopy is a media specialist from Texas and he has done many entertaining videos on Science Experiments and library related subjects. He has had his students create some great book reviews. I even created an account on Glogster, I think that is what it was called, to post a question to him. I will be visiting his works often.
I did download a video, but it wasn't the one I wanted from School Tube. To save on time and move on I did one from You Tube. I will later explore downloading the ones I want from School Tube.
Dr. Loopy is a media specialist from Texas and he has done many entertaining videos on Science Experiments and library related subjects. He has had his students create some great book reviews. I even created an account on Glogster, I think that is what it was called, to post a question to him. I will be visiting his works often.
I did download a video, but it wasn't the one I wanted from School Tube. To save on time and move on I did one from You Tube. I will later explore downloading the ones I want from School Tube.
Thing 9 Online Video Sharing
What do you like or dislike about YouTube? Did you find videos that would be useful for teaching and learning? Is YouTube restricted in your building?
This is my first experience using the "Tubes" on my own. For the fun of it I went to School Tube first and found it very easy to use. I found several library related videos that gave me some good ideas and a couple I want to use. I created an account and made a comment. You Tube was next and my searches turned up many, many, many videos that were boring and had no point to them. When I returned to 23 Things and searched from the links it was lots of fun and I spent way too much time playing. I also created an account here and I know I will go back here in the future even though it is blocked in my school. I can't imagine any school that would not block it. My last stop was Teacher Tube and I can see it has more features than School Tube. After creating my account I can see it will be a great place to organize everything I am interested in. I need to spend more time here but, at this time it looks like there is more monitoring on School Tube. It may be possible for a school to safely allow students to log into School Tube? When I created my account on School Tube as a teacher I was asked info to prove my position as I will be considered a monitor and can flag videos to have them removed if they are from my school. This is definitely an area I want to do some social networking on to gain as much knowledge as I can in the shortest amount of time.
This is my first experience using the "Tubes" on my own. For the fun of it I went to School Tube first and found it very easy to use. I found several library related videos that gave me some good ideas and a couple I want to use. I created an account and made a comment. You Tube was next and my searches turned up many, many, many videos that were boring and had no point to them. When I returned to 23 Things and searched from the links it was lots of fun and I spent way too much time playing. I also created an account here and I know I will go back here in the future even though it is blocked in my school. I can't imagine any school that would not block it. My last stop was Teacher Tube and I can see it has more features than School Tube. After creating my account I can see it will be a great place to organize everything I am interested in. I need to spend more time here but, at this time it looks like there is more monitoring on School Tube. It may be possible for a school to safely allow students to log into School Tube? When I created my account on School Tube as a teacher I was asked info to prove my position as I will be considered a monitor and can flag videos to have them removed if they are from my school. This is definitely an area I want to do some social networking on to gain as much knowledge as I can in the shortest amount of time.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Thing 8 Mash-ups and online image generators
In the same post in which you placed your creation, briefly describe your experience completing Thing 8. Which of these tools intrigues you and why? Was it easy, frustrating, time-consuming, fun? Share some of your ideas for using the images you can create.
I had lots of fun playing with all the tools in Big Huge Labs. I probably spent too much time as I don't see myself using this in the library very much. I may use it for personal use if I can find the time. This is a picture of my grandson from our vacation in Texas. Even though it was 100 degrees everyday he still wanted to play outside. I know there are many ways of doing cool things with your photos. My daughter does it on the Walgreens website and she has done some pretty cool things with the pictures she has taken.
I have read some of the suggestions for using Flickr and I do see how it could be used in the classroom.
Is there something wrong with the Spell with Flickr link? I am confused how to do that feature. This was a fun Thing and I am ready to go onto the next.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Thing 7 Share photos
Think of ways you may be able to use Flickr in the classroom or in your work and share your ideas. What issues might you face?
Flickr is a lot of fun and because I have not done any online photo sharing I could spend weeks playing with this. At this point I don't know if Flickr is blocked at my school and I will check that out. I also agree with several others who caution the use of personal photos on the web. I'm not sure I will have my students use this for anything they are doing in the library. I do feel it will be great to pass on to my teachers as I can see many uses for the classroom. I loved the example with the labeling on the butterfly picture. I could see myself helping teachers and students learn to use flickr as a tool for class projects.
Flickr is a lot of fun and because I have not done any online photo sharing I could spend weeks playing with this. At this point I don't know if Flickr is blocked at my school and I will check that out. I also agree with several others who caution the use of personal photos on the web. I'm not sure I will have my students use this for anything they are doing in the library. I do feel it will be great to pass on to my teachers as I can see many uses for the classroom. I loved the example with the labeling on the butterfly picture. I could see myself helping teachers and students learn to use flickr as a tool for class projects.
Thing 6 Online photo sharing
The Library Dragon I really wanted did not give me the rights to use the picture so, I had to settle for this one instead. It was fun figuring out how to do this and I want to spend a little more time on this later to alter the picture. Take a look at the post later to see if I have been successful with this. It is funny how simple things can take a long time to learn how to do on your own. I looked at pictures for a very long time and I was amazed by the thousands of pictures that have been posted. I'm ready for the next thing!
Yea! I have flipped the picture and it now looks the way I want it to look. Sorry if you didn't get to see the original. It showed more of the books and the dragon was facing the other way. This also gave me a chance to see that it is easy to edit what I have posted.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Thing 5 Subscribe to blogs
RSS can be a difficult concept for some to grasp right away - what questions do you have? What didn't work or doesn't make sense? How might you use RSS in your personal or professional life? Find anything in your searching that you'd recommend to others?
So much has happened these last three weeks I had to go back and reread many of the instructions. I was so ready to do all of the "Things" and I had way too many obstacles to overcome. The cord on my laptop had a short in it, we went on vacation, sold our condo in Muskegon and had to move all the stuff home, son came home for a visit from school in Phoenix and my sister-in-law was here for a week from Texas. Wow there was no time to work on my "Things".
I think I have grasped the concept of RSS but, I don't think I have even begun to comprehend all that it can do for me. There are so many uses and hidden features it will take some time and networking to make the most of it. It is a definite time saver once you decide what blogs you want to keep up with. It will be fun playing with it. My one recommendation to others is to be sure to find a blog that will make you laugh. We all need to laugh more to releave stress and help us to feel better.
So much has happened these last three weeks I had to go back and reread many of the instructions. I was so ready to do all of the "Things" and I had way too many obstacles to overcome. The cord on my laptop had a short in it, we went on vacation, sold our condo in Muskegon and had to move all the stuff home, son came home for a visit from school in Phoenix and my sister-in-law was here for a week from Texas. Wow there was no time to work on my "Things".
I think I have grasped the concept of RSS but, I don't think I have even begun to comprehend all that it can do for me. There are so many uses and hidden features it will take some time and networking to make the most of it. It is a definite time saver once you decide what blogs you want to keep up with. It will be fun playing with it. My one recommendation to others is to be sure to find a blog that will make you laugh. We all need to laugh more to releave stress and help us to feel better.
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