Thing #17
Rollyo is a great concept. I found it very easy to use to create the searchroll. I found several sites on Japan and was able to copy them on to my individual searchroll. When I try to drag the link I could not. It would not go anywhere. So that was very disappointing. I'll continue to try as it is a searchroll that would be very useful in one of our social studies units.
P.S. Firefly's flight continues. I went back and reviewed the Teacher Tube video and voila--here it is:
http://rollyo.com/mrodmoravek/moravek_1/
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Wikiings
Thing #16
Wikis seem so easy!! As easy as the on and off of the firefly's glow. I can see so many uses for Wikis in the classroom--working and collaborating with other teachers to prepare for field trips and other grade level events. Also with the students, literary circles, social studies projects, science projects, etc.
Playing in the sandbox was so easy. Great fun!!! I really liked this thing.
Wikis seem so easy!! As easy as the on and off of the firefly's glow. I can see so many uses for Wikis in the classroom--working and collaborating with other teachers to prepare for field trips and other grade level events. Also with the students, literary circles, social studies projects, science projects, etc.
Playing in the sandbox was so easy. Great fun!!! I really liked this thing.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Thoughts
Thing #15
I found the video A Vision of Students Today very poignant. I experienced those university classrooms at a time when there weren't options of the technologies, Web 2.0, Library 2.0, etc. that are available today. I didn't find it oppressive, but I did have some of the same complaints that these students have. However, knowing what is available to students today, it is apparent that higher education will have to undergo fundamental changes in the way it services its learners just as we in the elementary, middle and, to a lesser extent, high schools have undergone.
In reading Away from Icebergs, I don't think you can totally do away with a "just in case collection." Perhaps you could to some degree in school libraries, but at public libraries the age and techno-savy range is a much broader spectrum. How do you serve an older population that hasn't manage to "keep up" with technological advances and paradigm shifts? How do you service a disadvantage population that does not have access to personal computers? The computers that are available at most libraries are limited and can only serve so many people.
Into a New World of Librarianship makes a lot of good points, but it is always easier to write up a perfect plan that it is to implement it. As a guideline of objectives as to what the "New World of Librarianship" should be, it is good. I think as librarianship moves ahead, it will have to keep in mind all segments of the populations it intends to serve. As an older learner, I know how difficult it can be trying to keep up with technology.
I found the video A Vision of Students Today very poignant. I experienced those university classrooms at a time when there weren't options of the technologies, Web 2.0, Library 2.0, etc. that are available today. I didn't find it oppressive, but I did have some of the same complaints that these students have. However, knowing what is available to students today, it is apparent that higher education will have to undergo fundamental changes in the way it services its learners just as we in the elementary, middle and, to a lesser extent, high schools have undergone.
In reading Away from Icebergs, I don't think you can totally do away with a "just in case collection." Perhaps you could to some degree in school libraries, but at public libraries the age and techno-savy range is a much broader spectrum. How do you serve an older population that hasn't manage to "keep up" with technological advances and paradigm shifts? How do you service a disadvantage population that does not have access to personal computers? The computers that are available at most libraries are limited and can only serve so many people.
Into a New World of Librarianship makes a lot of good points, but it is always easier to write up a perfect plan that it is to implement it. As a guideline of objectives as to what the "New World of Librarianship" should be, it is good. I think as librarianship moves ahead, it will have to keep in mind all segments of the populations it intends to serve. As an older learner, I know how difficult it can be trying to keep up with technology.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Wanderings
Thing #14
Back into the darkness I go--wandering hither and yon, trying to glow brightly. I say trying because I feel like I struck out. When I did a keyword search for "School Library Learning 2.0" I got zero results on blog posts, under tags there was one listed for "learning" but was unrelated and under the blog directory also zero. So, I guess, the results were all the same--zero. I know Technorati could assist me in locating blogs that would have information that I might be looking for in the future. I enjoyed the blog from the Huffington Post. I liked the variety that it offers--political, world events, etc. Gizmodo was ok.
From what I can gather, tagging can be used in two ways--by the creator and by the reader. In Technorati, I would use it to find something written by someone else, in de.li.cious and flickr, I would be creating the tag to classify what I was posting. On second thought, I guess I would also be using tags to find things. Tagging is basically organizing by general topics.
Back into the darkness I go--wandering hither and yon, trying to glow brightly. I say trying because I feel like I struck out. When I did a keyword search for "School Library Learning 2.0" I got zero results on blog posts, under tags there was one listed for "learning" but was unrelated and under the blog directory also zero. So, I guess, the results were all the same--zero. I know Technorati could assist me in locating blogs that would have information that I might be looking for in the future. I enjoyed the blog from the Huffington Post. I liked the variety that it offers--political, world events, etc. Gizmodo was ok.
From what I can gather, tagging can be used in two ways--by the creator and by the reader. In Technorati, I would use it to find something written by someone else, in de.li.cious and flickr, I would be creating the tag to classify what I was posting. On second thought, I guess I would also be using tags to find things. Tagging is basically organizing by general topics.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Expanding
Thing #13
A firefly is a small thing--sort of isolated, but as it flies through the night glowing off and on, it is communicating with other fireflies. That is what comes to mind with social bookmarking. I feel as though I am expanding outward into the ethos of the internet and connecting with others. It feels a bit overwhelming, but not defeating.
I found Diggs visually confusing; Furl was better; and Ma.gnolia put me off by being "Invitation Only." I found Delicious usable.
I can see how this tool would be beneficial in bookmarking/tagging sites that tie-in to specific curriculum units. These then can be shared among the grade level team. Delicious makes bookmarking, tagging, and sharing extremely easy. I can see how this can be used by the librarian and teachers. Instead of or in addition to selecting books on a particular topic, the librarian can share bookmarks with a grade level on a specific topic. If I had more spare personal time or if I was pursuing additional educational credentials or doing research, I know I would be using Delicious to organize topics, subtopics and specific points to be made.
A firefly is a small thing--sort of isolated, but as it flies through the night glowing off and on, it is communicating with other fireflies. That is what comes to mind with social bookmarking. I feel as though I am expanding outward into the ethos of the internet and connecting with others. It feels a bit overwhelming, but not defeating.
I found Diggs visually confusing; Furl was better; and Ma.gnolia put me off by being "Invitation Only." I found Delicious usable.
I can see how this tool would be beneficial in bookmarking/tagging sites that tie-in to specific curriculum units. These then can be shared among the grade level team. Delicious makes bookmarking, tagging, and sharing extremely easy. I can see how this can be used by the librarian and teachers. Instead of or in addition to selecting books on a particular topic, the librarian can share bookmarks with a grade level on a specific topic. If I had more spare personal time or if I was pursuing additional educational credentials or doing research, I know I would be using Delicious to organize topics, subtopics and specific points to be made.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Flying
Thing #12
As my journey continues, I truly am Firefly. I travel in darkness with small points of illumination. I found my flight going here and there, here and there; making it difficult to get the whole picture of Community.
The two points about successful comments that I think are important are not just agreeing or disagreeing with a blogger, but explaining why. Also, having some relevant, meaningful and real world comments add to the discussion and give the discussion credibility.
Making comments is not as easy as it sounds. I didn't know you have to register on each blog. I left comments on Problogger, 10 Techniques to Get More Comments on Your Blog, Blogging Basics 101, Organic Gardening News & Advice and Monarch Watch Forum.
The two blogs I found most interesting to me were Monarch Watch Forum and Organic Gardening News & Advice. Both of these are of personal and professional interest to me. One of my additional non-paid, responsibilities I have voluntarily taken on is developing and maintaining both a butterfly garden and an organic vegetable garden at my shcool. Both of these blogs will provide useful information.
Onward through the darkness!
As my journey continues, I truly am Firefly. I travel in darkness with small points of illumination. I found my flight going here and there, here and there; making it difficult to get the whole picture of Community.
The two points about successful comments that I think are important are not just agreeing or disagreeing with a blogger, but explaining why. Also, having some relevant, meaningful and real world comments add to the discussion and give the discussion credibility.
Making comments is not as easy as it sounds. I didn't know you have to register on each blog. I left comments on Problogger, 10 Techniques to Get More Comments on Your Blog, Blogging Basics 101, Organic Gardening News & Advice and Monarch Watch Forum.
The two blogs I found most interesting to me were Monarch Watch Forum and Organic Gardening News & Advice. Both of these are of personal and professional interest to me. One of my additional non-paid, responsibilities I have voluntarily taken on is developing and maintaining both a butterfly garden and an organic vegetable garden at my shcool. Both of these blogs will provide useful information.
Onward through the darkness!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Glowings
Thing #11
The spark continues as Firefly continues the flight. I ventured into Library Thing and found it very easy to use--adding titles was fairly easy. My only complaint is that even when searching by title, I would get back a slew of books to pick from. Some were different editions of the same book, but other times it was all different kinds of books that had one or two words of the title the same. That made the selection process slower. I did check out a couple of groups like Green Dragon and Historical Fiction. I'm not sure I have the time right now to devote to a group. Even the effort of cataloging all my books at this time seems daunting and I'm not sure the return would justify the investment of time for me--I'm just not sure how beneficial it would be in my situation. I am glad I checked it out and will keep in mind for possible future use.
The spark continues as Firefly continues the flight. I ventured into Library Thing and found it very easy to use--adding titles was fairly easy. My only complaint is that even when searching by title, I would get back a slew of books to pick from. Some were different editions of the same book, but other times it was all different kinds of books that had one or two words of the title the same. That made the selection process slower. I did check out a couple of groups like Green Dragon and Historical Fiction. I'm not sure I have the time right now to devote to a group. Even the effort of cataloging all my books at this time seems daunting and I'm not sure the return would justify the investment of time for me--I'm just not sure how beneficial it would be in my situation. I am glad I checked it out and will keep in mind for possible future use.
THING #10With some help, I was finally able to get one of my trading cards posted here on my blog. It was a lot of fun creating these.
Well, after three trys, I finally got it to my blog. I'm not sure why it cut off the second line of print. I'm still investigating. Maybe I'll have more success with another image generator.
Well, I'm back. I tried Wordle and was able to create and post it to the public gallery. I know I can use this to reinforce vocabulary and poetry with my first graders. I really had fun with this. I had posted my Wordle on this blog, but accidently deleted it. I'll have to see if I can recover it.
I also tried comic strip generator. Here's my character: Wonder Woman. I'm feeling very empowered going through my 23 Things and acquiring all this new knowledge.
Well I was successful it getting my wordle back. Yeah, Hurray!!!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Staying Afloat
Thing #9
As I continue my flight, I am continuing to add RSS feeds to by blog reader. I found one on elementary bilingual education and a blog by Science Teacher. Both were very interesting and useful. I explored Edublogs, Topix and Technorati. All were fairly easy to use, but I found Topix the easiest and most interesting. You just plug in a zip code and you find your self in the middle of what is going on in the community. I liked that. I also tried Atomic Learning; however, I didn't have my SBISD user/password cheat sheet so I didn't get far. I'll try another day. So onward through the ethos!!!!
As I continue my flight, I am continuing to add RSS feeds to by blog reader. I found one on elementary bilingual education and a blog by Science Teacher. Both were very interesting and useful. I explored Edublogs, Topix and Technorati. All were fairly easy to use, but I found Topix the easiest and most interesting. You just plug in a zip code and you find your self in the middle of what is going on in the community. I liked that. I also tried Atomic Learning; however, I didn't have my SBISD user/password cheat sheet so I didn't get far. I'll try another day. So onward through the ethos!!!!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Thing #8
Who knew about RSS and Readers? Not me, but I know some about it now. One of my dislikes about the internet in general was that for me it is so time consuming. It seems like when I get on the internet to check my e-mail or look for something, I fall into this black hole and when I make it out the other side 2-3 hours have passed!!!! What I like about RSS/Readers is that I can narrow the field and consolidate my interests in one area. This will help maximize my time. This will be useful both in my school life and personal life by allowing me to keep updated on my favorite topics and interests some of which I can use in teaching. I think that RSS/Readers allow school personnel to keep abreast of new developments as they relate to teaching.
Who knew about RSS and Readers? Not me, but I know some about it now. One of my dislikes about the internet in general was that for me it is so time consuming. It seems like when I get on the internet to check my e-mail or look for something, I fall into this black hole and when I make it out the other side 2-3 hours have passed!!!! What I like about RSS/Readers is that I can narrow the field and consolidate my interests in one area. This will help maximize my time. This will be useful both in my school life and personal life by allowing me to keep updated on my favorite topics and interests some of which I can use in teaching. I think that RSS/Readers allow school personnel to keep abreast of new developments as they relate to teaching.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Thing#7
A friendly welcome from Firefly Farm. As I continue my flight, I have been exploring the Google tools. This has been cool and a lot of fun. I set up a Google Alert. I'm anxious to see what I get regarding monarch butterflies. Also, I set up a Google Calendar and my own !Google page. What I really liked was my download of Google Earth. It's just fascinating!!!! I love just looking at maps in general so 3-d Google Earth was just enthralling. It's so much fun just find your own little spot on this planet. I plan to use all of these tools in my class this year. Wish me luck!!!! (PS I couldn't locate an image of a firefly--pretend.)
Friday, July 2, 2010
Thing #6
I have just been exploring mashups and 3rd party sites. I was very interested in Bookr and Trading Cards. I found both to be very user friendly. I created both a book "Dogs" and several trading cards. I thought both could be very useful in supporting curriculum especially in science and social studies. The little books would definitely help support reading--both books I create and books the students create. I tried putting a trading card in this post, but wasn't successful. That will give me something additional to work on. For the most part, another successful day!!!
I have just been exploring mashups and 3rd party sites. I was very interested in Bookr and Trading Cards. I found both to be very user friendly. I created both a book "Dogs" and several trading cards. I thought both could be very useful in supporting curriculum especially in science and social studies. The little books would definitely help support reading--both books I create and books the students create. I tried putting a trading card in this post, but wasn't successful. That will give me something additional to work on. For the most part, another successful day!!!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Thing #5
I have just been exploring Flickr and found it very interesting. I can definitely see the utility of it. The vast array of photos available is a bit overwhelming. However, I found that I could use it. I will continue to explore this site this summer.
Here is one of the photos I downloaded. It is a dragonfly and is an example of an insect photo that will tie in with our science curriculum. I was looking for a photo of a firefly, but didn't have any luck finding it in the group of I was exploring. I'll have to check out other groups some other time.
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