Bonus Activity

This first semester of school has been a great learning experience for me. When we were first given the challenge to complete the 23 Things, I didn't know how I was going to complete them and, as a new librarian, learn how to manage the library at the same time. Well, I did it, and it was well worth it.

I was reluctant at first to subscribe to the RSS feeds but now I find myself automatically looking for feeds as I search the web. I really like the way that Google Reader organizes the information that I want to see. I have already subscribed to too many feeds and spend too much time reading all the articles that I receive. But, I was able to direct my daughter to information on the web that was applicable to her college studies.

The most important thing that I learned from this course is that web tools are evolving at a rapid pace and with just a little bit of effort, anyone can learn how to use them.

After completing this course, I am more confident in my abilities as an Information Specialist/Librarian.

Thing # 23

To find the answer to how this program was modified from the original program, I followed the link that attributed the work to Helene Blowers. Thing 7 and Thing 22 was changed for the MISD program. The format for the MISD was basically the same as the orginal 23 Things. CC allows for a type of collaboration that is knew and innovative. It allows for modifications to be made quickly. As quickly as web technology is changing, some aspects of a program like this could need to be modified even before the course is completed. CC allows 21st century web tools to be used to their fullest. I think that educators will benefit from this type of copyright labeling greatly. Understanding CC principles helps me help the teachers. I would like to present a brief lesson for our faculty about copyright and CC principles. Copyright has always had a negative conotation. It is so nice to finally view using other's works in a positive light.

Thing # 22

Animoto is fun! The website was very user friendly and the results were amazing. It's rare that you can put so little effort into something and get such great results. The first time I tried to post the video to my blog, Blogger wouldn't accept the html. I got an error message. I remixed the video and tried it again and it worked beautifully. Animoto can be used in presentations or as a class project. Earlier in the year, the 5th graders went on a picture-taking scavenger hunt. Sorting the pictures into categories and making videos would have been a great way to process the information. The students would have been so excited to create one of these videos. One of the assets of Animoto is the speed at which you can produce a short video. I think that teachers would be more likely to use this web 2.0 tool over some of the others just because of its simplicity and great results.

Gray Elementary Library

Thing # 21

I enjoyed listening to the Falcon Podcast Network on the Education Podcast network. It was evident that at Louisa-Muscatine Elementary podacsting was a school wide activity. From recording of winter concerts to kindergarten read-alouds, there is a wide variety of student created material. What a wonderful way to validate the students’ participation in academic activities.



I also looked at the podcasts for learning Spanish. I don't think this is for me. The podcasts that I listened to gave information that could be accessed through a web page.I personnaly prefer reading to listening when possible.

I wanted to subscribe to the Discovery Channel podcasts. I updated my iTunes software and subscribed to the Discovery Channel and Science Channel podcasts. I used the search feature with the Google Reader and locate the SLJ feed for their podcasts. There are several podcasts about scary stories and poems. This should be a hit with the students and a good way to review books.

Thing # 20

I chose this video for two reasons. It brought back memories of when my children were young and you can easily substitute other words or phrases for the word cookie and make it relevant. After the book fair, the younger students kept asking where I put all of that stuff and could they buy something. "No, you cannot buy erasers at the library anymore." I enjoy You Tube because you can always find something to make you laugh.

The instructional videos could be linked to the library web site. I found several good videos on how to make books, creative writing, and reading with your children. You could create wiki as a pathfinder for educational videos that promote parental envolvement.

Thing # 19

I experienced one of the downfalls of web based applications with Thing # 19: a very slow connection. I tried to create a map on MindMeister but it was impossible with a slow connection. It looks like it is a great tool. It reminds me of Inspiration. From watching the tutorial video, I get the impression that creating a mind map on MindMeister is be quicker and a little bit easier than Inspiration if the Internet connection is working properly. I will visit MindMeister again at a later date when I am not pressed for time. I frequently use Inspiration so I am sure that I could benefit from MindMeister. I recently created a 3rd grade lesson on genres. I used Inspiration and collaborated with the teachers whenever we just happened to see each other and had enough time to talk for a few moments. If I had created the the mind map online, the teachers could have contributed their ideas also. It would have been much easier to share ideas this way.

I created an account with Gliffy and explored their flow chart tool. This looks like a good tool for creating presentations as well as a great collaboration tool. Students and teachers could use it for sequencing events in literature, science, social studies and even math.