THING 16 - wikis

I did not really know what a wiki was before I started reading about them in this lesson.  Wikis are a great teaching tool!  They are the perfect platform for a book club.  It would be so fun to read a book for a club and then have everyone post their comments on a wiki.  You could even have an entire grade level participate and contribute to a wiki.  I also really liked the professional wiki "the book lovers wiki" created by Princeton Public Library.  I thought the book reviews were very honest and helpful.

THING 15 - Library 2.0

I tend to think of myself as a technology-challenged individual.  I got a blackberry and wanted to return it the next day, because it was just too much!  Too many beeps, e-mails, notifications... just too much.  But now I can't leave a room without it.  

Honestly, I need to look at technology that same way... it's gong to infiltrate the libraries whether we "want it" or not.  So I might as well get with the program.  A librarian is the heart of the school and should be up to date on current technology.  For example, I am sitting in a coffee shop, working on a masters degree with guidance from online discussions, websites, and video links.  That would not have happened 15 years ago.  I am grateful for the freedom that technology creates in our lives.  And that freedom of information certainly extends to schools, children, and libraries.

THING - 14 Technorati

I was less than impressed with Technorati widgets and tags.  The Technorati browser was easy enough to apply, but I felt misguided on my searches for information.  The searches resulted in a hodgepodge of information.  I just didn't feel that it was the most beneficial research tool.  However, I would not disqualify it entirely as a tool.  I would probably attempt to use it in the future and see if I was more successful in accessing information.

THING 13 - Tags

Wow!  I was really impressed with Delicious.  I did a search for "teaching music" and got linked to some amazing sites.  Some of the sites even included how to teach math through music and Spanish songs.  I was really impressed with how simple Delicious is to use.  I would definitely use this to get new teaching ideas rather than just do random google searches!

I was a little disappointed with Digg.  When I did the same search for "teaching music", the results were random stories.  One tagged item was about a music teacher that killed his family and another link was about a school that taught figure skating... very interesting articles, but certainly not helpful to the music teaching process.  On the other hand, I have something to talk about in the teachers lounge now! 

;-)

THING 12 - Commenting

I think the two most important aspects of commenting are 1)write a meaningful comment and 2)invite comments.  Meaningful comments are important to a blogger - no one wants to be insulted with comments or waste time reading about frivolous things.  If a blogger invites comments, then an open forum for discussion is created and everyone can learn for other's comments.

I just adopted a puppy so I did a Google Blog Search for "How to potty train a puppy" and I found the blog  http://waggstoriches.blogspot.com/2009/07/how-to-train-puppy-puppy-training-potty.html

This blog was well developed and informative.

I also did a blog search for "Migraine Treatment" and found another informative blog...

http://migrainetreatments.blogspot.com/

This is a helpful site because I occasionally have very painful migraines and I will take all the suggestions that I can find!

These type of sites really help create a sense of community and let blog-readers know that they are not alone with their challenges in life.

Thing 11 - Library Thing

I am so impressed with Library Thing!  It is such a simple program to use.  I searched for my favorite books and they popped up right away.  I really also like the recommendation feature.  I am constantly asking friends and family to recommend books to me, but their favorite books usually don't capture my interest for long.  The recommendation feature gives quality book choices and I will definitely use Library Thing in the future.

THING - 10 Image Generator

These websites would be great for students to use to create their own images rather than just using simple clip art over and over again!  I really had fun with the Comic Strip Generator and the Happy Face Generator!  They are so simple to use and the kids will love them.  I did have trouble saving my creations to my MAC, but the school lab computers would not have any difficulty with these programs.