Thing #22 Take 15 minutes

There are so many tools and so much information. I spend most of my workday 15 minutes researching sites for education and supporting the curriculum. I spend most of my evening 15 minutes looking at the tools shown through 23 things on a stick and other sites. There is so much out there and we need to continue to learn in order to support our patrons.

Thing 21. Beyond MySpace: Other Social Networks

The sites that were given as examples; GeneTree, TravBuddy, open up the world to people and provide information that in the past was harder to get.

I'm still working on how Id apply this to an educational setting. With all the things that are presented we need to take one step at a time.

Thing 23. Final Thoughts

I made it through all the applications. There was some great information and sites I hope to build on and continue using in education. There is an incredible amount of potential in education and hope that Districts will receive the funding from state resources to help increase the bandwith in education.

Thing #20. Social Networking & Libraries

Social networking provides a gathering place. It allows groups to meet remotely and to share information with their peeps. Although it is not allowed in school and I don't have access to it there, there are benefits to allowing students to use it. It creates a sense of community and belonging. It is important to educate them on the dangers of using such tools and providing too much information to people they may not know.

iRead and Movies are good sites and would be ways for students to share information.

Thing #19 Podcasting

I've used Audacity and Garage Band. I think Podcasting has great potential to for providing information on the go. Students can create bookreviews, poetry, new releases, etc. This is also a great way for students that have stage fright to present in front of a group.

Podcasts can update parents on events at the school and can provide instructions for operating through tools.

I love podcasts and can't wait to create more.

Thing 18. YouTube

Unfortunately, I can't YouTube at work. It is blocked. I think it has potential for visual learners and shy students to create alternative presentations. There are also some wonderful examples to present in class. I wish there was a way to unblock certain videos. I've have been unsuccessful in downloading videos.

Thing #17 Elm Productivity Tools

I never did get these tools set up. I'm guessing that they provide updated information on the sites themselves. I plan on working on this more to see if I can provide any types of information to students.

Thing #16 Student Tools

All of the tools so far can be used as student tools and can be connected with the Library. Promoting Live Tutorial help and Ask a librarian are components of good service. As a school we try and promote as many resources as possible for discussion and help.

Thing #15

I signed up for a Second Life account and had a hard time getting around. I have not had a chance to use Doug's tour of places to see and I understand there is a library section where meetings are held. I can't wait for this summer to have more time to explore.

Thing #14 Library Thing

Library Thing adds versatility to the collection. I think it would be good for students to get recommendations and am adding to the list of things to include on the library page for the school.

Thing #13 Online productivity tools

These tools are being introduced to students so that they can practice time/project management. It show different ways to be organized. SO many tools, so little time.

Thing #12 Do you DIGG

This is an interesting concept. I could see this being used in government classes and in history classes. What a better way to see public opinion on the news.

Thing #11 Tagging

I absolutely love De.lici.ous! I have introduced it to my entire staff and we have begun creating links for students. It is wonderful to create a subject and provide the students with the resources you want them to use. I also like the fact that you can tag a site and it will tell you the other tags that might be used so that you can find other sites that relate to the same subject matter. It has opened up another world of resources.

Thing #10 Wikis

I set up a WIKI but have not had time to develop it. I want to create a space that provides information and allows students to give feed back. If I do anything else it feels too much like a webpage. If a WIKI is not interactive is it just a webpage?

Thing #9 Online collaboration tools

I am working on getting Google Docs into our school. I think there is great potential for students to collaborate on their work.

Moodle also is a good collaborative tool.

Thing #8 Share your creations

I didn't have any slides to make a show with at this time, but I think there are many application for ways to present assignments in different formats. The tools that are available to students help differentiate learning. It is great for the visual learner.

Thing #7 Communication

I have used most of the communication tools referenced. I also like Moodle. It is pretty easy to use and you can break groups down into smaller communication groups and let others read their posts. This is good for jigsaws.

I like webinars most because I can do them at home or work while doing other things. It is important to use time wisely and training sessions that are for short durations work well in the webinar forum.

One of the forums I found interesting was OPAL.

Thing #6 Generators

I've used generators to create rubrics and puzzles. I liked the suggestions on the Generator Blog. I think generators are extremely easy to use.

Thing #5 Mashups

I can tell what has been done but I don't see how. This would be beneficial for creating a library map or other types of visual assignments.

Thing #2 Library 2.0

Why are you participating in 23 Things On a Stick? What do you hope to learn?
I participated to get a better understanding of using 2.0 tools. I had a good foundation about what they are but I wanted to get more hands on experience and thought this was a good way to do it.

Thing #4 FLICKR

I can see where Flickr would be very beneficial as a site for big events that happen in a school. There would be the potential for adding captions and seeing what is happening beyond the one off picture posted on the school site.

Flickr was very easy to use but I found it annoying that I had to set up another account. I wish I could have associated it with something that I already had.

Thing #3 RSS Feeds

Took awhile to find the correct address for a RSS feed. It is nice to get updates to sites without have to open them and check periodically.

I found this difficult. It was hard to find the correct address. It was easy to setup and drag what I wanted.

Thing #1 Creating a Blog

Web 2.0 is a wonderful way to communicate and collaborate. Blogging is a wonderful way to react and explore new ideas and let others comment or learn from your experiences.

Setting up a blog was easy. I'm afraid that I'm not very prolific and won't have a lot to say to keep it going.