THING 23!!!

What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?

I am so excited to report that I have a few favorite discoveries for my professional live as well as my personal life thanks to 23 Things! Professionally, I am so excited to implement podcasts using Photostory and Audacity for book reviews. The idea of using Teacher Tube for library orientations is one that I will certainly use in the near future. Rollyo will be a great resource to implement with our curriculum bundles as will RSS feeds which is a completely new concept to me.

Personally, I really am enjoying I'm Cooked as it speaks to me on a personal level with my passion for cooking. Because of the 23 Things, I now have a better understanding of blogging etiquette since the action of my making comments to blogs play a large part of the blogging process. Lastly, iGoogle is one of my favorite applications!

How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?

23 Things has helped renew my sense of personal responsibility to take control of my own learning. I am very proud of the fact that I was familiar with several of the items discussed, yet I also realize that I now have a more thorough understanding of the applications and their intended audience/purpose. With that being said, I now recognize the fact that I need to seek out more learning opportunities on a regular basis.

Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

I appreciate the ability to see how others are implementing technology in the library. Since I am just now finishing the program, I think it will take some time to reflect on what I have learned as far as how I plan to incorporate applications into my library program. The most important thing will be to implement a few things that I can do well rather than a lot of things I can can do not so well.

What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?

I found both the format and concept very well thought out and relative to my needs as an elementary school librarian. It is my hope that the 23 Things blog will be accessible after the deadline so that I can review and revisit the articles and links in the future. I can't tell you how nice it is to have all these great resources on one place!!!

If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you choose to participate?

Absolutely! I heard about the 23 Thing program from a friend of mine who is also an elementary school librarian. Being able to continue this type of professional development in an online format is paramount to those of us who have time constraints. I appreciate the ability to pace my own learning in a structured environment!

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 allowed me the opportunity and platform to take charge of my own professional development!!!

I want to extend a special thank you to the Kickball Captains and Spring Branch ISD for this exciting learning forum. Until next time as I am off to comment on some of the other 23 Things players' blogs...

Oops...somehow I skipped Thing 14!!!

Oops...somehow I skipped Thing 14!

When I first searched the blog posts, I found several entires so I then tried the directory which had fewer items to chooose from. It seems like they are all listed by index with the following words coming up as a keyword search in no particular order: school library learning 2.0. However, when I tried again with the search phrase: school*library*learning*2.0 it was a success!!! While the other blog entries were relevant, I was able to better narrow my search by adding the astericks to specify the exact phrase as it may appear within a blog post or in the directory.

I had difficulty finding where/how to search by tags within Technorati, but must say that tags are very useful for indexing items. This being said, I do like the verticality of Technorati because it is so easy to navigate. The organization by topic is a great tool for implementation in the classroom and/or in the library. However, my concern is helping elementary age students to discern information that is both accurate and authentic. Technorati is an index of blogs. Blogs can be educational, but it will serve me well to consider implementation as far as students who are learning the process of research.

Thing 22

I actually belonged to the Texas School Librarian Ning, but got a little freaked out when I googled myslef and realized that people could access my Ning. I tried to block it, but I got frustrated and decided to change up the information since I did not have much success with the actual social aspect of the site itself. I suppose it just goes to show that you really do get out of something what you put into something.

Because of my previous experience, I decided to check out the Teacher Librarian Ning because I really do feel like I am a teacher and a librarian. This site seems to have useful information since it has 3,000 more members that the Texas School Librarian Ning. The possibilities for networking and the sharing of ideas make Nings ideal!

Thing 21

I love the idea of using Photostory with Audacity to create a book review! I have used Photostory before and found myself frustrated that I was unable to add personalized audio so this exercise has been very worthwhile. My students and teachers are going to really enjoy being able to implement this in the classroom.

I had fun putting together the following Photostory of our trip to Germany this summer!

Thing 20

If only my school district did now block You Tube and Teacher Tube!!! We actually have to submit a request for them to unblock it for us to use during Professional Development sessions. The irony is that if we as educators are using it to learn, then why is it that we don't use the same techonology for our students to learn?

I love the idea of using Teacher Tube for library orientation!!!

Thing 19

I am hooked on I'm Cooked!!! Being a self admitted food junkie, I am so excited to find this wonderful resource. I have always wanted to cook Tofu and think that I have actually found a great video that I can going to try. It is so nice that I can watch the specific preparation method in such a short amount of time.

A great compliment to I'm Cooked is the Cocktail Builder! Alas, these are not tools to use in the library. So, in looking at the Web 2.0 Award list I can see that there are several with which I am already familiar and use on a regular basis: Delicious, World Cat, Craig's List, Monster, Geni, Twitter, Facebook, Google Blog Search, Flickr, and You Tube.

The one page that I would like to try using in the library and/or classroom is Lulu. It would be great to help our students see themselves as authors and what better way than to go through the process of writing, editing, revising a story of their very own! I realize that the cost of such an endeavour is prohibitive in the school setting, but you never know what you could come up with as far as donations or even a grant!

Thing 18

Google Docs is great. My husband and I actually use the Family Budget Planner. It is so great to be able to load expenses on any computer and have it all virtually stored in one place. This is especially helpful for us since my husband does travel with his work schedule. I really like the idea of the Calendar Doc since it would help us organize our weekends, etc. On a professional level, I really do think that it would be a great tool for collaborative planning with teachers as well as students!

It took FOREVER to load Open Office. I had not used it before and honestly do think that it is slower than Google Docs. I can see that it is useful, but honestly do prefer the ease of use and layout of Google Docs.

Thing 17

Rollyo is SO cool!!! This is a great tool for our teachers. I started with a Rollyo about Texas History and then decided to look at Rock and Minerals. Using Rollyo with our curriculum bundles will be so helpful! Now I just need to get our Tech Dept to load the Rollyo Roll Bar onto our campus machines...

Thing 16

I used the sandbox to post a query regarding Google or Bing along with a link...check it out: http://searchengineland.com/microsofts-bing-vs-google-head-to-head-search-results-20006. The sandbox will be a huge success with our 5th graders when they are working on their group research projects!!! I am so ready for school to start so I can show the kids everything I have learned this summer...I also can't believe I just said that I was ready to go back to work!!!

Thing 15

I appreciate the insight that Rick Anderson provided on the "Come to Us" methodology of library services. Being an elementary school librarian, it is imperative for me to encourage our students to try first, ask a friend, then ask an adult. My purpose in doing so is that I want them to help one another with all information literacy skills whether they are working with an online database or a print resource.

I had the pleasure of hearing Michael Stephens at TLA this past year. His forward thinking approach to implementing technology into our libraries is imperative. I learned quite a bit from him at TLA and agree that we are trendspotters. The 23 Things has certainly helped me with current trends in technology and how I can best use them in the library world. However, I am concerned because it can be quite daunting to keep current. I will make a concerted effort regarding technological advances for myself so that I can ultimately better serve my students...all 744 of them!

Thing 13

Delicious is the most amazing tool! In the past, I have emailed students links to resources that I want to share with them for research purposes. Thanks to Delicious, I can just share my favorites with students. I can even sub-aggregate by grade level and subject such that it is a living, growing document rather than just an email for them to discard.

Thing 12

I believe that is it important to be open ended and to also make sure that I am taking the time to comment on other posts. A successul blog is read by others and a truly collaborative effort in that it take the blogger as well as the individuals reading the blog and posting comments to make it worthy. Currently, I already follow my girlfriend who lives in Kansas City and the morning show that I listen to on the radio. I love it that blogs can adress both personal and professional interests!!!

Thing 11

Library Thing is helfpul as far as seeing what books other people are looking at purchasing. The blogs were very helpful, too. I can see myself using Library Thing because of the groups. For example, there are several groups on challenged books which will help me stay on top of potential issues tat may arise. However, the format of Library Thing is kind of frustrating as far as the groups. It seems like a lot of looking around to find things that are applicable to my interests.

Thing 10

I first used Image Chef when the H1N1 scare swept central Texas in April. I created this picture that we posted on our school website along with the procedures for proper hand washing. Go to: http://www.imagechef.com to create your own account so you can get started too!

The possibilities are endless as far as use in the classroom. I really appreciate the opporunity to explore additional image resources!!!

Thing 9

Google Blog Search was very user friendly, but I really like the format of Topix. I did not particularly like Blogline. We use Atomic Learning at school and I have really enjoyed using the feeds available for online learning. Working in an elementary school, I am curious to see which, if any, of the blogs are blocked.