This has definitely been a learning journey for me. Like Book Maid stated, I also feel as if I have completed a Master's Thesis. Instead of twenty-three "fifteen-minute projects," some have been very time-consuming and frustrating. My favorite discoveries were the image generators, the LibraryThing, and Zoho Writer, which I will definitely share with some of the students. I particularly enjoyed the LibraryThing because I can read updates on new books, and I can read reviews and recommendations from other book lovers.
Twenty-three things would surely be a lifelong learning goal for me because my "life" is not spending day and night on a computer. I did learn a lot from this discovery journey and can see a use for many of the applications I have learned.
Surprisingly, I never thought I would be creating a web page much less a blog. I have learned many technology skills, some taking forever to complete, and some I completed quickly. I have even shared several of the "things" with friends, teachers, and students.
To improve the program, the override needs to be eliminated. If these tools are implemented at
school, there needs to be an easier way to get around these blocked sites and the district filter.
I soon discovered arriving early at school or staying late was wasting my time. Too many of the applications could not be successfully completed at work.
I would probably participate in another discovery program like this in the future. Hopefully, then I will receive the PGH. My next forty-five hours will not begin until August 2008, and I have definitely earned the hours through this program. I know that I have spent far more than eighteen hours on these exercises.
As for its influence on me as a school librarian, the journey has opened my eyes to the vast amount of technological tools available. I have already been sharing some of these tools with others and hope to continue. Some I will continue to use and others will probably be forgotten or referred to at a later date. For sure, I have gained a little more confidence in myself with computers and usage of technological applications.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Animoto
Thing Twenty-two
This at first was definitely not my favorite thing. Finally, I figured out the way to move my pictures from Flickr to another location. The pictures then loaded on Animoto and the process went quickly, but only after spending a couple of hours trying to figure out the problem. Animoto would be a great way for students to produce short video clips for class presentations. Teachers could also use it to add visual presentations or attention-grabbing aspects to their lessons.
This at first was definitely not my favorite thing. Finally, I figured out the way to move my pictures from Flickr to another location. The pictures then loaded on Animoto and the process went quickly, but only after spending a couple of hours trying to figure out the problem. Animoto would be a great way for students to produce short video clips for class presentations. Teachers could also use it to add visual presentations or attention-grabbing aspects to their lessons.
Creative Commons
Thing Twenty-three
This thing was definitely something new to me. Creative Commons is a copyright license that grants permission for an author's work to be edited, shared or reused. Within reason or under certain conditions, a song, movie, book or any other publication can be altered. So, with the "cc" license an author or owner has given up "all rights reserved" protection and freely given the rights for someone to collaborate, change, and use his creation. An example of a creative commons article is "The Eiffel Tower." Also, flickr is another tool that implements this copyright license with its pictures.
Students could use creative commons to download pictures for science fair or art projects. Also,
they could alter songs to create a musical background for video or oral presentations. However, as a librarian, I feel copyright laws or respect for one's publication should be taught or stressed.
Yes, I skipped thing 22; I will return to it later. It is creating much stress for me!!
This thing was definitely something new to me. Creative Commons is a copyright license that grants permission for an author's work to be edited, shared or reused. Within reason or under certain conditions, a song, movie, book or any other publication can be altered. So, with the "cc" license an author or owner has given up "all rights reserved" protection and freely given the rights for someone to collaborate, change, and use his creation. An example of a creative commons article is "The Eiffel Tower." Also, flickr is another tool that implements this copyright license with its pictures.
Students could use creative commons to download pictures for science fair or art projects. Also,
they could alter songs to create a musical background for video or oral presentations. However, as a librarian, I feel copyright laws or respect for one's publication should be taught or stressed.
Yes, I skipped thing 22; I will return to it later. It is creating much stress for me!!
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Podcasts
Thing Twenty-One
I browsed all the podcast directories and discovered that podcast.net was the easier one to use.
I found a set of podcasts on teen/librarians that had podcasts on an array of topics that teens and librarians face today. Some were MySpace, anime and manga, blogs, social networking, and wikis. Since MySpace and other social networks are so controversial, I chose "Need a Reason to Allow Social Networking Sites?" According to a survey of teens, "more that 50 percent specifically talk about schoolwork." As of now, I do not know how useful some of the podcasts would be to me, but I found a lot of interesting ones on teens and the new trends in technology.
I also added this article to my shared items.
I browsed all the podcast directories and discovered that podcast.net was the easier one to use.
I found a set of podcasts on teen/librarians that had podcasts on an array of topics that teens and librarians face today. Some were MySpace, anime and manga, blogs, social networking, and wikis. Since MySpace and other social networks are so controversial, I chose "Need a Reason to Allow Social Networking Sites?" According to a survey of teens, "more that 50 percent specifically talk about schoolwork." As of now, I do not know how useful some of the podcasts would be to me, but I found a lot of interesting ones on teens and the new trends in technology.
I also added this article to my shared items.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
YouTube
Thing Twenty
YouTube is a website that allows one to upload, tag or share segments of videos. It has hundreds of video clips on an array of topics. What I like about it is no one can download clips on nudity or pornography. Also, since teachers are not allowed to show a full-length film, teachers could possibly find short video clips to support a topic they are teaching. Many students tend to learn better from visual aides. I did not find a particular dislike or use for my library website. I would just need to spend more time searching the various video clippings. However, I did find the video clip below that might be good for an elementary website.
YouTube is a website that allows one to upload, tag or share segments of videos. It has hundreds of video clips on an array of topics. What I like about it is no one can download clips on nudity or pornography. Also, since teachers are not allowed to show a full-length film, teachers could possibly find short video clips to support a topic they are teaching. Many students tend to learn better from visual aides. I did not find a particular dislike or use for my library website. I would just need to spend more time searching the various video clippings. However, I did find the video clip below that might be good for an elementary website.
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