My wee lass Calli

Thing # 23

Well in has been a really interesting trip down the rabbit hole, and I always felt that the white rabbit was right behind me the whole time muttering :I'm late, I'm late for a very important date!" But as I look back on the journey, I am amazed at what I have learned, and what I have acomplised in such a short time.
I can create Web 2.0 products, not just understand what they are, and I actually have opinions about them. I also found that I was using some of the technology, but didn't recognize their "Tags" . All in all it was a very worthwhile journey.
The highlights are these:
Big Huge Labs. What a wonderful tool and so convenient. With the links on this site, I can make interesting and professional presentations, as can my students. I am a firm believer that if I can do it, they can do it so much better and faster, so I share my new learning as quickly as I can.
Wikipedia. I had only heard negative things about this site in my district, and since it is blocked, have never explored it before. That mistake as been taken care of now.
SEOmoz's Winners. This is a great place to check out the best of 2.0 and make my own choices. I love to shop so this is a natural choice for me.
Commoncraft. com. This site is a great refresher for me and a teaching to when I get back to campus. Staff and students alike will see these great videos.
YouTube. No longer a mystery to use & find some great videos both serious and hilarious!
TeacherTube. Not to be forgotten. I used this early on in my vidio hunting experiences. For some reason I didn't feel as intimidated by it and it had some great kid created products in the contents I needed. So never forget the TTube!
Biblio.com. A place I can find the out of print books ect. I am always looking for some oldies but goodies for the hard to please staffers.
Technorati. If for no other reason than to keep on the cutting edge of what is going on I feel I need to have their RRS feed handy.

Which brings me to the Wikis, podcast, RRS feeds and blogs that I have created, and added as well as enjoyed. My level of self-confidence is quite good now, and I won't hesitate to keep practicing and honing them in my future library home. I mentioned going to the Houston downtown library and I am still inspired by what I saw there. Libraries of the future are going to be amazing, and I want to be an active participant in that process!
I am thrilled to be able to say that I have completed the 23 things!!!

Thing # 22

Nings... an intricate social network example for libraries. I liked questia because of the online references and I found a great book on readers theater : "From the Pages to the Stages" Educators complete guide to readers theater by Shrilee Sloyer I intend to look into that one because I love to do RT's and am always looking for ideas.

I really liked the Teacher Librarian Ning the most. It seems to have more subject specific online help for us newbies, an it looks like everyone is a newbie in the 2.0 environment, so I don't believe I would feel inept when asking my many questions. It is easy to navigate which I didn't find to be the case with the Teacher Ning. There I felt like I was in a more random place were I had to filter through a bit of venting, which also has it's place!

Thing # 21

We were working on a chemistry unit last year and my 2nd graders were spontaneously inspired by a science experiment we were doing. They all decided that they could each write a great Science Fiction story about it. As you might have guessed it involved something green and gooey.
After a bit of brainstorming they decided that the best way to present their stories was in a Podcast and here is an example of their inspiration! Enjoy~

Thing # 20

Here is a flash back for sure. I remember having one of these dolls


And here is a Teamwork clip from TeacherTube
TEAMWORK p.s.a.

Shared via AddThis

I love the videos made by kids for kids. I think that the kids pay so much more attention to them using critical analysis to it's fullest potential.

Pulling primary documents [and I use that term losely with the Barbie commercial] is also very effective becaues it develope place and setting for a time period that one really can't to justice to when trying to describe it in the 3rd person.

Thing # 19

I just found Picasa on the SEOmoz's web awards. Had to try my hand at it.
There are so many applications for this. Morning announcements to feature what is going on in the library, BookTalk collage of say... Bluebonnet selections. You could start a wall of Fame and feature young writers or make great blog uploads. The list is endless.

And Here is a collage from the same site. This is awesome!!

Thing # 18

Google Docs is by far my favorite. It might be because I have already been using the Google platform so long, and it is easy and familiar for me to navigate and interfaces with. I love the online forms application process. When I can get one less thing to do, I am so there. Less sifting and less paperwork, digital or other wise. I have used their eco friendly Blackle search page for years, and so this is just a natural progression for me.
Becasue it is web based, you don't have to worry about what platform everyone is using. Do I have office 97, or 2004, or the lastest version. Will I be able to open it or will it have to be sent again or made into a PDF which is a read only doc.... all of this is a mute point and one less head ache... well actually 2 less for me!

Thing # 17

Rollio seems like a great thing if you have a really good search base, but I found that is no easy feat. When I tried their pre-made search clusters, I did have better luck than when I tried to create my own. I still found that most of the sited that I got were repetitive and off topic, or I should say of my topic. I think that I will have to learn a lot more before I will be confident, or have the vision to understand how this site might help me. A down and dirty Google search was much more fruitful than my attempts on this site.