Thing #23
1. What was a favorite discovery or exercise on the journey?
I LOVED Rollyo.....what a time saver when hurriedly getting kids to do research in a 50 minute period. Our campus tech representative (who I've been intimidated by) apparently isn't aware of Rollyo and I'm looking forward to showing it to her. She and I can really help the teachers on our campus with their research projects. Another thing that I've enjoyed is just the simple, basic task of setting up this blog. That in itself has been eye-opening and it's been cool learning how to add things to your blog.
2. How has "23 things" assisted you in you lifelong learning goals?
This class has been fantastic at exposing me to all kinds of new ideas that I simply was not aware of before. It's been the perfect, organized "tool" to guide me into learning about new technologies. I say perfect because it was the type of thing that I was interested in and knew I needed to work on, but probably wouldn't have gone to the trouble on my own to find such a wide variety of technologies all in one place. This course has been a perfect summer learning experience - and should be required for anyone working in education today!
3. Were there any take aways or unexpected outcomes that surprised you?
Believe it or not - this class has helped my marriage!!!! Why? My husband and I can get into some pretty heated 'discussions' whenever he is trying to help me learn something new on the computer........he has always been the 'expert' and I've been at his mercy when I get into a situation where I need his help on the computer. Now, he has a new appreciation for me as I've gone through this journey with the 23 things and he's definitely learned a thing or two about 2.0 tools ( a term he'd never heard in his industry) and thinks being a librarian is really cutting edge and says he's married to a "techie"! That's a bit of an exaggeration but I am still feeling so much more confident with my computer skills and am excited to share the new things I'm learning with him. He sat beside me as I worked through things he was interested in and we both found we could learn and discover new skills on the computer without things getting "heated".
4. What could be done to improve the course?
I cannot think of one single thing - very organized and easy to follow!
5. Would you do another similar course?
YES! When and where do I sign up?
6. How could you describe your experience in one word or sentence?
23 Things should be required for all employees involved in education today!
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Thing #22
Nings are great for networking with other librarians and keeping up with the latest ideas and trends without having to wait a year until the next conference. I'm going to join the Texas Librarians Ning as well as the Texas School Librarians Ning. This is a great way for professionals to collaborate.
Nings are great for networking with other librarians and keeping up with the latest ideas and trends without having to wait a year until the next conference. I'm going to join the Texas Librarians Ning as well as the Texas School Librarians Ning. This is a great way for professionals to collaborate.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
Topic #20
I found this book trailer on You Tube for the book The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. This is my favorite book from the 2009 Lone Star List. I am collecting book trailers for each of the books on the list to show my 7th/8th grade students when school begins in a few weeks.
This is a You Tube video I found that explains very clearly how to embed a You Tube Video!
I found this book trailer on You Tube for the book The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. This is my favorite book from the 2009 Lone Star List. I am collecting book trailers for each of the books on the list to show my 7th/8th grade students when school begins in a few weeks.
This is a You Tube video I found that explains very clearly how to embed a You Tube Video!
Monday, August 3, 2009
Topic #19
I enjoyed browsing through the list of award winners and got caught up in Yelp - looking at restaurants in Houston mainly! The other tools I enjoyed looking at for personal use were I'm Cooked, HairMixer, and Craigslist to name a few.
Some of the ones that I've used in the past and will continue to use are iGoogle, You Tube for book trailers, Rollyo for narrowing down websites for research projects, Picasa, Flickr, and Wikispaces. I am so glad I've worked through the 23 things because of what all I've been exposed to through this course but also for the first time knowing a few things that my husband doesn't know about computers! I am looking forward to showing teachers at my school some of the new tools that I've checked out. Obviously I need to spend more time learning more details of each of the tools.
I enjoyed browsing through the list of award winners and got caught up in Yelp - looking at restaurants in Houston mainly! The other tools I enjoyed looking at for personal use were I'm Cooked, HairMixer, and Craigslist to name a few.
Some of the ones that I've used in the past and will continue to use are iGoogle, You Tube for book trailers, Rollyo for narrowing down websites for research projects, Picasa, Flickr, and Wikispaces. I am so glad I've worked through the 23 things because of what all I've been exposed to through this course but also for the first time knowing a few things that my husband doesn't know about computers! I am looking forward to showing teachers at my school some of the new tools that I've checked out. Obviously I need to spend more time learning more details of each of the tools.
Thing #18
The Google Docs would be great for group projects - like a classroom divided into groups and working cooperatively on research or an essay. The problem I see is that I have so many students who do not have computers/internet access at home. We do have a computer lab open till 4:30 after school but some kids are not able to make use of this opportunity because they must ride the bus home......family has no car. I feel that teachers would shy away from this one due to a lack of accessibilty for all students.
The Google Docs would be great for group projects - like a classroom divided into groups and working cooperatively on research or an essay. The problem I see is that I have so many students who do not have computers/internet access at home. We do have a computer lab open till 4:30 after school but some kids are not able to make use of this opportunity because they must ride the bus home......family has no car. I feel that teachers would shy away from this one due to a lack of accessibilty for all students.
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