tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6609968775246046292024-02-20T02:37:30.796-08:00Rora'sRantsLibrary media in the 21st century.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660996877524604629.post-41878575434858762362008-09-12T06:41:00.001-07:002008-09-13T10:29:17.414-07:00Thing 23<ul><li><span style="font-family:arial;">Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you? It's that awareness of the more you learn, the more you realize how much you don't know. Also, there's no real scope and sequence to learning Web2.0 applications, so it's easy to have "gaps" in knowledge.<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">If we offered a <span style="font-style: italic;">23 More Things On a Stick</span> program like this in the future would you participate? Definitely! There's still so much to learn. I would also add a very fun Web2.0 site called, "<a href="http://www.eyejot.com/">Eyejot</a>." It allows you to send a 60 second video via email-and it's free. "<a href="http://voicethread.com/#home">VoiceThread</a>" is another amazing site that enables students to build beautiful digital stories easily and quickly. It can also be used by teachers to build tutorials so students can catch-up on missed instruction.<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">How would you describe your learning experience in <span style="font-weight: bold;">one word or in one sentence</span>, so we could use your words to promote <span style="font-style: italic;">23 Things On a Stick</span> learning activities to others? There's so much out there in the Web2.0 world-this program gave me an opportunity to jump in and experience some of the best applications available.<br /></span></li></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660996877524604629.post-82824947882751441712008-09-12T06:23:00.001-07:002008-09-13T07:04:10.043-07:00Thing 22Keep Learning:<br /><ul style="font-family: arial;"><li> Blog about how you plan to keep up with the Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 tools: Our media staff has joined forces with our staff development group and will offer a full year of technology/Web 2.0 classes. There's nothing like teaching these applications to learn them and embrace them!<br /></li><li>Recommend a way to keep up that you have found useful: I put Blue Skunk Blog on my Google page, it's also in my Vienna aggregator. I'm bookmarking with De.li.cous which is helping me stay organized. I'm totally addicted to Stumble! Most of all, I need to take some time now to organize everything I've learned. I especially want to be in touch with other libraries and see what they're doing with Web 2.0.<br /></li></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660996877524604629.post-26972241869199001472008-09-12T06:09:00.001-07:002008-09-12T06:22:00.883-07:00Thing 21Beyond MySpace:<br /><ul style="font-family: arial;"><li> Are you a member of any online communities? Gather, Ning, Web Junction<br /></li><li> Are any of these social networks appealing to you? 23 Things Ning because I'm associated with this group and it doesn't seem so public, and MN Reader because discussing books is a joy, MN Life sound interesting but I have to investigate it further, Library 2.0 group seems very helpful and was easy to navigate. TeacherLibrarianNing was not initially appealing because the first link I tried wanted me to respond before giving me background.<br /></li><li> What did you find that was interesting and that you might use later? WebJunction because of the technology support and sharing. Actually, all of these online communitites have tremendous potential. I just have to get used to the large audience, it's a little daunting at first.<br /></li></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660996877524604629.post-25772476969522990312008-09-07T11:26:00.000-07:002008-09-07T16:16:33.749-07:00Thing 20So, I made a Facebook account. It's quite amazing. I joined the groups suggested on Thing 20 and looked at about 5 "how to" videos. I also wrote on my "wall" and became a "fan" of Banned Book Week. I'm not sure about how much I'll use Facebook in the future. I'm trying to get past the notion that it's a young person's vehicle for showing off embarrassing party photos. My plan is to visit my professional groups on a regular basis to see Facebook used in an entirely different capacity. Perhaps it will help me find my place in this Web 2.0 phenomenon.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660996877524604629.post-90420972114997855442008-09-04T14:31:00.000-07:002008-09-04T15:32:12.236-07:00Thing 19I can't believe this worked! I used Spring Widgets to download this Podcast. It's called "This American Life" on NPR and I listen to it on Saturdays. It's such compelling storytelling that if I'm in the car I'll be late for wherever I'm headed!<br /><br /><!-- SpringWidgets | RSS Reader (#23) | HTML | Generated on 09/04/2008 --><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allownetworking="all" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" id="springwidgets_23" data="http://downloads.thespringbox.com/web/wrapper.php?file=RSS Reader.sbw" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" align="middle" height="318" width="250"><param name="allowNetworking" value="all"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="movie" value="http://downloads.thespringbox.com/web/wrapper.php?file=RSS Reader.sbw"><param name="flashvars" value="param_param=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.thisamericanlife.org%2Ftalpodcast&param_style_borderColor=0x000000&param_style_brandUrl=&param_compactView=false&param_blurbLength=512"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><param name="bgColor" value="0x000000"><embed bgcolor="0x000000" allownetworking="all" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" src="http://downloads.thespringbox.com/web/wrapper.php?file=RSS%20Reader.sbw" flashvars="param_param=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.thisamericanlife.org%2Ftalpodcast&param_style_borderColor=0x000000&param_style_brandUrl=&param_compactView=false&param_blurbLength=512" quality="high" name="springwidgets_23" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" align="middle" height="318" width="250"></embed></object><div style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: 12px; font-size-adjust: none; width: 250px;"><a href="http://www.springwidgets.com/widgets/view/23/?param_param=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.thisamericanlife.org%2Ftalpodcast&param_style_borderColor=0x000000&param_style_brandUrl=&param_compactView=false&param_blurbLength=512&width=250&height=300" target="_blank">Get this widget!</a></div><div><div style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: 12px; font-size-adjust: none;">Visit the <a href="http://www.springwidgets.com/" target="_blank">Widget</a> <a href="http://www.springwidgets.com/widgets" target="_blank">Gallery</a></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660996877524604629.post-23801149998105845382008-09-04T14:04:00.000-07:002008-09-04T14:29:41.909-07:00Thing 18<span style="font-size:130%;">It was so easy to embed this <span style="font-style: italic;">YouTube</span> video. I think Blogger has all the kinks worked out! I'm not sure what videos I would put on a library web page, but the fact that I could opens many possibilities, like author interviews, tutorials, etc. The media staff at my high school will definitely discuss our options!<br />"Women in Films" is intriguing to watch-enjoy!<br /></span><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vEc4YWICeXk&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vEc4YWICeXk&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660996877524604629.post-11719011941504682362008-09-03T17:30:00.000-07:002008-09-03T17:56:27.706-07:00Thing 17The <a href="http://elm4you.org/">ELM Portal </a>is an exceptional resource. One thing that I tried is creating a search request in ProQuest. I asked it to send me any articles on big screen televisions as this is an imminent purchase in our home. So, periodically, ProQuest sends me an update on my search request. It hasn't found any articles so far, but it is so great to know that the search continues without my time and attention. Pretty amazing, I'd say.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660996877524604629.post-16628901130316804402008-09-01T12:34:00.000-07:002008-09-01T12:42:00.362-07:00Thing 16Both the U of M Assignment Calendar and the Research Project Calculator strike me as pure gold. I put in sample assignments and found helpful step-by-step guides. I will definitely show it to my seniors. As a media specialist, it is imperative to show students the basics of a Boolean search. The glossary of terms in the RPC gave me a wonderful link to <a href="http://kathyschrock.net/rbs3k/boolean">Kathy Schrock's Venn Diagrams</a> that I plan to use when I present to classes in my high school media center. It would be interesting to interview a U of M librarian and ask whether or not students actually use these tools.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660996877524604629.post-11263751069673856892008-09-01T12:07:00.000-07:002008-09-01T12:21:08.780-07:00Thing 15Gaming: I created an account in SecondLife. My avatar walked and flew around. It became apparent that there's a lot of choices and ways to "live" in SL. To become proficient I would have to spend more time and that strikes me as boring. I guess I like reality too much. My niece took me around SecondLife with her avatar. She's much better at navigating and really "living" in SL. I'm glad I've seen what it is and maybe I'll go back and try a few more moves but it's really not my thing, for now.<br />So, where does that leave me with gaming in general? To promote gaming in my high school media center I would have to show my administration that the games are focused on math or reading or higher order thinking skills (like chess). That's the bottom line, otherwise, the argument would hold that we're using school resources for the wrong reasons and students can play games at home.<br />This is a blast from the past, but our tech para said he would like to see Monopoly, Scrabble or chess clubs become part of the media center's draw. He's talking hard copy not electronic. So, how does that fit into the "gaming" theme??Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660996877524604629.post-56475856542023870082008-08-23T07:45:00.002-07:002008-08-24T18:41:58.590-07:00Thing 14I started a library in LibraryThing. You can link to <a href="http://www.librarything.com/catalog/rora">MY LIBRARY</a> and tell me what you think of the choices or make more suggestions. It's just a beginning, but the implications for sharing are amazing.<br /><br />I can see our media center using this as a link on our new library web page. Students can comment on books they're reading AND it would be a great way to feature new acquisitions. It seems that once new books are shelved it's easy for them to be forgotten. I would love to have a LibraryThing page that we call "New Arrivals." Both staff and students would be able to see the actual book covers which would definitely promote circulation.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660996877524604629.post-60673933981319823242008-08-17T17:29:00.001-07:002008-08-20T17:08:14.580-07:00Thing 13<span style="font-size:100%;">What about the to-do lists—helpful, too much work…?</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><ul><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Which start page did you choose? Why did that one appeal to you? Will you make it your permanent home page?</span></li></ul> I chose iGoogle. It seems to be the one most people at my school are using. Our staff development focuses on iGoogle, so it seemed a good choice although Page Flakes was a fun discovery. It seems very user friendly, as well.<br /><ul><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Did you find a tool that has some uses for you at the library or at home? Which tool(s) would you recommend to others?</span></li></ul> I really like Ta Da. It's like a stickie, but web based. I loaded it on my iGoogle page and also tried the email feature. Both work just great!! Up until today, I've used Stickies religiously off my dock and that works great when our internet is down, which, at home, is all too often.<br /><ul><li><span style="font-size:100%;">How can the online calendars be useful to you?</span></li></ul> Our district email program, Entourage, features a calendar. We have all of our mobile carts and computer labs on a sign-out through the calendar function. It works great. We can also send our individual calendars to one another for meeting sign-ups.<br /> What I like about iGoogle is using it with my husband for personal use. If I get an appointment, I can put it on a "family" calendar which he can access and add to, as well.<br /><ul><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Did you try out Backpack?<br /></span></li></ul> I looked at Backpack and it seems ideal for business use. I wondered if departments at the high school would find Backpack a good communication/organization tool. I plan to show it to one department and get their reaction before making a big deal out of it. Our district also uses Moodle which seems to be a good way for teachers to communicate with families and students, but I'm not so sure about with one another.<br /><ul><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Did you try any of the other tools in the list?<br /></span></li></ul> This seems like an invitation to a summary statement. There's a lot to use "out there." A person could drive themselves insane trying to embrace all the options. I have to decide what works best for now and use it for, say, a trimester, then I'll re-access. For fall term, I'll try using iGoogle which has my calendar and Ta Da list on it. This will mean not using Stickies for the short term which could be disastrous if my home internet service continues to be spotty. Stay tuned!<br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660996877524604629.post-41537354797977695632008-08-16T18:23:00.000-07:002008-08-17T17:27:22.536-07:00Thing 12I went to: Newsvine, Digg, Reddit, and StumbleUpon. My favorite is StumbleUpon. I didn't understand it at first, but I registered anyway. When my registration was complete, THEN the full menu of topics was presented and I could click on my favorite ones. Now, when I "stumble" I get web sites that are in one of my chosen topic areas...so cool! My very first "stumble" was <a href="http://librarianchick.pbwiki.com/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Library Chick</span></a> which I've heard of but never had a chance to bookmark and explore further.<br />Every time I click on Stumble! I get something intriguing. So, I guess I'd call it a productivity enhancer because at least I'm surfing in a limited scope. This could get addicting!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660996877524604629.post-38930875835927626652008-08-12T18:49:00.000-07:002008-08-12T19:13:00.105-07:00Thing 11I've been using Del.ic.ious for a few months now. It's great to be able to access my favorite sites from any computer. Also, the tagging is an awesome organizer as it would be impossible, otherwise, to keep track of information.<br />What's new for me is using it for research. I tried searching a few topics and got hits on every inquiry. The implications here could be quite interesting for high school students as an alternative to the almighty Google search. Of course, our media program offers amazing databases as well, but students might appreciate the "2.0-ness" of Del.ic.ious as one more way to access information.<br />In regards to our library, there's no end to the ways we could use Del.ic.ious for organizing pathfinders. This will be an exciting option as we develop our new web page. I have tagged all the libraries mentioned in 23 Things on a Stick. The sites they find useful are gold mines for my quest to develop relevant links for the patrons of my media center.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660996877524604629.post-36129262605000646812008-07-31T04:54:00.000-07:002008-07-31T05:36:10.821-07:00Thing 10<ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">What did you find interesting about the wiki concept? </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">I like the idea of people interacting on a web page and not just reading it (static). It's more social.</span><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"> What types of applications within libraries and schools might work well with a wiki? </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Good question. Perhaps book recommendations by students/staff would be a start. Maybe develop pathfinders for specific research assignments. </span><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> Many teachers/faculty "ban" </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Wikipedia</span> as a source for student research. What do you think of the practice of limiting information by format?</span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">I support it, if for no other reason than to force feed students to use free online databases such as Academic Search Premier and not just automatically going to Wikipedia or doing a general Google search. Also, there's a lot of garbage out there. Students aren't always so discerning about fact vs. fiction. For example, the New York Times did an article last Sunday (</span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Literacy Debate-Online, R, U Really Reading?</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">) and sites an experiment by the University of Connecticut in which 90% of students thought the North Pacific tree octopus was real</span> (</span><a href="http://http//zapatopi.net/treeoctopus" target="_">http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus</a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">/<span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">)! This is alarming to say the least. </span></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span> </li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Which wiki did you edit? </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">I edited the 23Things On a Stick wiki. It was easy.</span><br /></span></li></ul> <span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660996877524604629.post-76145979547980996752008-07-25T11:52:00.001-07:002008-07-29T07:10:17.429-07:00Thing 9GoogleDoc: Our entire district's technology equipment is posted on a GoogleDoc. Each school has a page that lists all of its computers, LCD projectors, document cameras, IWBs, etc. The media department at each school updates the doc regularly as equipment is added or recycled. As technology dollars are spent we can see, as a district, where the equipment is best served and most needed. It has helped all technology stakeholders relax as decision making is now public and updated via the GoogleDoc. It's easy to collaborate on GoogleDoc plus Google's video that explains how to use it is very effective.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660996877524604629.post-69918675307323311662008-07-25T09:31:00.000-07:002008-07-25T11:52:05.409-07:00Thing 8I made a Picturetrail called "Sisters," but Blogger wouldn't accept the Html code when I hit PUBLISH POST. Regardless, I can see how this tool would work on our media center's web page at the high school. We create READ posters throughout the school year with students and staff who are willing to pose with their favorite book(s). The display of READ posters on the media center wall grows and grows. A Picturetrial would be another very effective way to display the READ posters on our media website. Students love to see themselves and their friends, plus a Picturetrail would make us media folks look "cool" and like we know what we're doing. Once on site, we could offer students other helpful tools for research and literacy promotion.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660996877524604629.post-76280883127919286182008-07-17T09:20:00.000-07:002008-07-25T09:31:07.699-07:00Thing 7<ul style="font-family: arial;"><li><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Email</span>: Our library media program relies heavily on email. It is the preferred method of communication with teachers and staff at the present time. Teachers check their email multiple times during the day, so communication is timely.<br /></li><li><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Share your thoughts on online reference using some of the other Web 2.0 communication tools</span>: Just for fun, I sent a reference request through the Hennepin County Library web page. The link, Ask a Librarian, offers help online, by email, phone or in person. I chose email. They promise to reply within 48 hours. This seemed inconvenient until I received their response within an hour or two. What was so great was not only the actual content (links to articles, PDFs, etc) but they include a short tutuorial on the search terms they used and where they found the information. They also offer suggestions for further research steps I could do as a follow up. Very impressive!<br /></li><li><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Are you an active user of text messaging, IM, or other communication tools?</span> Within the media tech staff, we use instant messaging as well as a pager system. Both seem to be effective in terms of communicating and responding in a timely fashion. Just the other day, I asked our building tech to unblock De.li.cious so I could access my bookmarks at school. As I stood by his desk, he sent an IM to the District lead tech and she responded instantly. I waited about 10 seconds for my request to be executed.<br /></li><li><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Which OPAL or MINITEX Web conference (Webinar) did you attend? How was it? What do you think of this communication tool? </span>I am signed up for a Webinar conference later in August. To fulfill Thing 7, I viewed an archived recorded version of the ELM overview. It was very informative and I ended up putting it on De.li.cious so I could refer to it whenever needed. The entire Webinar menu is amazing. I will return to this site often for professional development on my terms. Wonderful!<br /></li></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660996877524604629.post-47371009733806949722008-07-01T10:59:00.001-07:002008-07-01T11:05:54.688-07:00Thing 6<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26375624@N06/2628814246/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3278/2628814246_27ed72b442_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" /></a><br /><span style="margin-top: 0px;font-size:0;" ><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26375624@N06/2628814246/">My creation</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/26375624@N06/">vwilson102</a></span></div>Here's my trading card. I wasn't sure what to write on it. The Carlton librarians are having way more fun but I'll get there. Maybe we'll copy them at my high school. We're getting a new web design for the entire district so we'll have a real opportunity to make the Media Center page engaging and interactive.<br /><br />It's quite amazing how I can blog from Flickr directly to Rora's Rants. I love how I'm guided through each step. They really want this to be user friendly.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660996877524604629.post-71949069789840905552008-06-30T14:19:00.000-07:002008-06-30T14:26:51.917-07:00Thing 5To learn about mashups, I tried <a href="http://metaatem.net/words/">Spell With Flickr.</a><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> It 's pretty ...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family:'Trebuchet MS';font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px;"> </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family:'Trebuchet MS';font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/13727339@N07/2279223965" id="fs_1" title=""f002"" s="" an="" f="" on="" a=""><img alt="f002" title="f002" src="http://static.flickr.com/2179/2279223965_a71169a0ee_s.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/49968232@N00/1456629949" id="fs_2" title=""U""><img alt="U" title="U" src="http://static.flickr.com/1113/1456629949_5d33fccaa1_s.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/95229107@N00/2171657780" id="fs_3" title=""N""><img alt="N" title="N" src="http://static.flickr.com/2167/2171657780_50e424040a_s.jpg" border="0" /></a></span><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "> </p></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660996877524604629.post-13660299853241768782008-06-30T10:55:00.000-07:002008-06-30T11:23:17.471-07:00Thing 4My Flickr account is up and running. Please see my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26375624@N06/">photos</a> and tell me what you think! They were taken last summer in Central Park. These amazing athletes call themselves the "AfroBats." They march around Central Park with a boom box blaring funky music. They drum up their own audience by encouraging everyone to follow them and be <span style="font-style: italic;">wowed</span> by the show they're about to give. Like modern day Pied Pipers, they lead a growing crowd to the Angel of the Fountains area. There, they finally set down the boom box and execute death defying acrobats that get the crowd cheering and, most importantly, tipping! Very fun!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660996877524604629.post-38962431922654465502008-06-24T09:21:00.000-07:002008-06-24T11:33:42.516-07:00Thing 3I've been using Vienna as my RSS aggregator for almost a year. It's a free download, it's easy to add or delete subscriptions and I can make folders to organize newsfeeds as I see fit. The one problem is remembering to watch the clock because I often lose track of time reading articles and following links embedded in those articles. It's like a falling down a rabbit hole as one thing leads to another.<br />At this point, I'm using Vienna to keep me up to date on library media issues (Blue Skunk Blog, Dangerously Irrelevant, The Savvy Technologist, Infinite Thinking Machine), for ordering books for our high school library (New York Times Paper Cuts, Hennepin County Library Book Space), and for my personal edification (MPR's Grammar Grater, CNN, The Crypt, and Recipe of the Day).<br />There's so much to read out there and Vienna keeps it all ready and waiting for me! Here's the link if you're interested:<a href="http://www.vienna-rss.org/vienna2.php"> http://www.vienna-rss.org/vienna2.php</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660996877524604629.post-12951117926432100772008-06-23T18:15:00.000-07:002008-06-23T19:14:18.831-07:00Thing 2In my opinion, Web 2.0 is very exciting. The idea of interacting with a web site as opposed to statically experiencing it opens amazing options for teaching and learning. Currently, I'm showing teachers a program called VoiceThread. The response is overwhelmingly positive. They see the possibilities of students being able to show what they've learned with an application that uses technology in the best possible format. By that, I mean students can be "techie" without getting bogged down by it. The content stays the focus, not the vehicle by which it is presented. Thinks of a PowerPoint presentation with voice, or a digital story with the author's real voice telling the story- that's the genius of VoiceThread. It's easy to create a thread, edit a thread or delete a thread so students aren't frustrated by technology but rather energized by its capabilities. If you haven't already, check it out at: <a href="http://www.voicethread.com/">www.voicethread.com</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660996877524604629.post-7122439042804406472008-03-24T10:04:00.000-07:002008-03-31T09:08:00.662-07:00VoiceThreadThis link shows a short video explaining the basics of VoiceThread. It's one of my favorite examples of Web 2.0. It's highly interactive and features the human voice which adds a compelling aspect to sharing information.<br /><br /><a href="http://voicethread.com/share/409/">http://voicethread.com/share/409/<br /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660996877524604629.post-72411304143420916782008-03-21T06:05:00.000-07:002008-03-25T11:13:40.178-07:00Teacher Tube<div style="padding: 1px 0px 0px; font-weight: bold;font-size:14px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">If you're an educator, TeacherTube is a website worth exploring: </span><a style="font-weight: normal;" href="http://www.teachertube.com/">www.teachertube.com</a><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br />This is what TeacherTube offers educators:<br /></span><ul><li><span style="font-weight: normal;">Upload and share your educational videos worldwide.</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: normal;">Upload Support Files to attach your educational Activities, Assessments, Lesson Plans, Notes, and other file formats to your video.</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: normal;">Browse original educational videos uploaded by community members.</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: normal;">Find, join and create video Groups to connect with teachers, students, and schools who have similar interests.</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: normal;">Customize your experience with playlists.</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: normal;">Integrate TeacherTube with your website using video embeds or links provided on your video page.</span></li></ul><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br />This is a video by Mike King from TeacherTube that explains the Web 2.0 concept:<br /><embed src="http://www.teachertube.com/skin-p/mediaplayer.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" menu="false" flashvars="&file=http://www.teachertube.com/flvideo/20147.flv&image=http://www.teachertube.com/thumb/20147.jpg&location=http://www.teachertube.com/skin-p/mediaplayer.swf&logo=http://www.teachertube.com/images/greylogo.swf&frontcolor=0xffffff&backcolor=0x000000&lightcolor=0xFF0000&screencolor=0xffffff&autostart=false&volume=80&overstretch=fit&link=http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=da950c21b6022e67863e&linkfromdisplay=true&recommendations=http://www.teachertube.com/embedplaylist.php?chid=63" height="350" width="425"></embed><br /><br /></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660996877524604629.post-49312098592394115702008-03-06T12:43:00.000-08:002008-03-31T09:21:40.754-07:00Research Resources<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_14kB5ia5cZY/R_ENuVdDkhI/AAAAAAAAABw/BxxqW7nTHDY/s1600-h/Databases.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_14kB5ia5cZY/R_ENuVdDkhI/AAAAAAAAABw/BxxqW7nTHDY/s200/Databases.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5183939735764308498" border="0" /></a>One of the big challenges for high school media specialists is to convince students that Google isn't necessarily the best research source and Wikipedia isn't even an option. When a class comes into our media center, we show them this resource page using a topic such as: "stem cells." By demonstrating and navigating through each database, students begin to see the clear advantage to using these effective (and yes, expensive) tools. Here's an example of some of the best databases available for students: ProQuest, CQ Researcher, SIRS and Opposing Viewpoints.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0