Well, I am BACK!

I will be taking sometime to relearn this blog. I had lost the info to get in and tonight I took 3 hrs to get in again. I hope you that have read the blog the past years learned from it. The hardest part of blogging is to remember my password and username. Well, I will get back on later and let you know the changes for my blogging. Night All!

New Direction, New Thoughts for Curriculum

How many of you Educators have had knowledge that the future of education has to change. I think Education needs to get out of the golden age of television and into the new age of Web 2.0 or relearning. I also think we need to reevaluate the curriculum and restructure the classroom. I am looking for educators, who would like to help build a better mouse trap.

First of all, l will tell you who I am and where I am coming from. Then I will throw out some ideas that have wandered around in my head for several years.

My background as an Educator is as a follows: Secondary Math, Computer, and Art teacher, as well as, being a Computer Coordinator (infancy stages of computers in the schools), Fine Arts Coordinator (in Middle School). I have also been the Head of the Department in Mathematics (both High school and Middle school) and head of the Fine Arts Department (in Middle School). Along with this I have been a Curriculum Consultant for the core subjects. My teaching Career has spanned 31 years, and I have taught PreK 4-College. At present, I am a Media Specialist/Teaching /Librarian.

That should give you some insight into who I am and where I am coming from.

Secondly, I want to address some things, ideas, and thoughts that could change some of the curriculum. Earlier, I said we are in the golden age of TV in Education. We still rely on educational thoughts of the 50s and 60s. I remember how they allowed us to hear the radio announcement, over the intercom, of President Kennedy's death and later the teacher bringing in a TV for us to see the first spaceship sent into space. Schools are not keeping in step with students. Will we take as long getting the internet into the classroom curriculum, as it did for TV programming to get into education. How can we use the internet, Web 2.0, and the state given databases to change the direction of curriculum. Our students use thes things how can we harness them for education. Can we phase out books and phase in what is free on line. Can we save millions of dollars and use teacher made products from online?

I will be building a Wiki for the next part I will use the Blog to reach out to people

This site was my online course from Region One in Texas. "Region One 2.0: 23 Things is based on the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County's Learning 2.0 Program, created by Helene Blowers, on CSLAs School Library Learning 2.0, Spring Branch ISDs Library2Play and other similar programs from around the world under a Creative Commons license." http://esc1library.blogspot.com/

I am now working on a second Blog to make web 2.0 more user friendly for those wanting to learn. If you like, check it out I am just in the building stage. If you have a comment or something to make the site better for beginning a step into the outer reaches of the net, I would appreciate the input. http://offtheshelflibrarian-onweb2.blogspot.com/

Thing #23 Summarize your thoughts about this program (Week 9 Podcasts, Video & Downloadable Audio)

I really liked the video “A Fair(y) Use Tale”. Pretty cool!

I figure Creative Commons is going to allow us to to much more in education than before with the Fair Use Act under the Copyright laws. We will know upfront what we can and can't do with out getting permission. That will help students and teachers to move forward faster on projects and researches.

List of similar sites:
California (SCLA)take off of 23 Things
California School Library Learning 2.0 ---
The Original 23 Things: http://plcmcl2-things.blogspot.com/ Pertained to 23 Things - Learning 2.0
Hblowers's Life List: http://www.43things.com/person/hblowers A list of people proud of their accomplishment of each thing.
K12 Learning 2.0 -

Feedback on my experience.

Reflection on my Learning Journey

1. Most of the lessons were new for me some like the Wiki and Creative Commons I learned about last year, so I took the time to extend myself in those areas. I enjoyed the workshop except at one point it got overwhelming. I think I spent to many hours in one day on to many new areas for me. But, I still learned a lot and believe it is awesome.

2. I talked with my principal about the information and she gave me the OK to teach it to the teachers, on October 10th. I will be breaking it down in to sections and putting it on either a wiki or a blog. I have started it on a blog but I am wondering if a wiki would not be a better format. I am also going to put my lessons on a wiki. I talked to the Technology dept. and they said they would open the sites I need. Now I have to figure which sites are best and which ones I need open beyond the blogs and wikis. If anyone has an opinion I would appreciate the feedback.

3. Some of the things I did not know about was FD Toys’, Mashups, 3rd party sites, Tagging, and the sites that go with tagging. These sites are awesome. I have already been telling teachers about them. I have also learned more perks of Google that weren't on the program. Like the Google bookmarks and how you can tag them rather than put them in the folder under one name. That is really cool along with the fact you can have them where ever you go. Another ares I tell teachers and my principal about.

4. Break it down further for teachers that are not in to computers. I am starting to work on that.

5. If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you choose to participate? Yes, I would have when I first saw it if it had been written up differently. I thought I did not get the email at first. then I decided to check if I had gotten it. I keep all emails from Region One. So, went back and read the email sent and thought it did not say the same thing to me as the one sent in July.

6. In ONE WORD I would say it was and is an "awesome and rewarding workshop". It prepares us and gets us started on the changes in Education, as well as, helps us to prepare our students for their futures.

I will be maintaining my blog as my educational journal and keeping the Esc1 site close at hand to go back and learn more. I have never added anything to my email signature but I will now.
and I will either re-purpose it as your school library blog or use it in a purposefully way to share it with your colleagues and administrators. At present I got my other blog on the way I call it "Off the Shelf Librarian - on Web 2.0" At present I have it as private. But it will be up and running before October 10th.

Thank you for extending the time for me and know I would have done it anyway. It gave me incentive to learn faster. Again, thank you!

Thing #22 eBooks and Audio eBooks (Week 9 Podcasts, Video & Downloadable Audio)

Kids' eBooks

Children's Books Online - Rosetta Project

Read Children's eBooks Online - Including animated texts and online storytelling videos.

Story Place - English and Spanish

Storyline Online - View videos of noted actors reading popular picture books. Sponsored by the Screen Actors Guild Foundation.

BookHive - "In the Zinger Tales section you can watch online videos of professional storytellers like Jackie Torrence, Doc McConnell, Tony Tallent, and Donna Washington telling traditional folk tales. Provided by the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County. "

Clifford the Big Red Dog - Read and listen to several Clifford stories online. Spanish and English.

International Children’s Digital Library (ICDL) - "Our Mission - The mission of the International Children’s Digital Library Foundation is to excite and inspire the world's children to become members of the global community – children who understand the value of tolerance and respect for diverse cultures, languages and ideas -- by making the best in children's literature available online."

Module 5: Using the International Children’s Digital Library (ICDL) to support teaching and learning:
http://www.icdlbooks.org/books/activities/ICDL%20Teacher%20Training%20Manual.pdf

TumbleBooks - ebooks for ekids -

Lola en la biblioteca -"(Spanish) School Library Journal - July 1, 2006 Lola loves Tuesdays because that is the day she and her mother go to the library. Everything about the trip is an exciting adventure -- from packing her backpack with books and her all-important library card, to storytimes and singing, to choosing new books and the walk home, when they always stop for a special treat. But the best time of all is when Mommy reads her story at bedtime. Simple text and large, bright acrylic illustrations of this engaging African-American child makes this selection just right for sharing. Perfect for instilling a love of libraries and books in the youngest patrons, it's a winner.
Author: Anna McQuinn Illustrator: Rosalind Beardshaw Publisher: Charlesbridge Books TumbleTime: 4 minutes Reading Level Automatic: Grade K-2 Reading Level Manual: Grade 1-2 "
http://www.tumblebooks.com/library/asp/newbook_details.asp?Category=New%20Books&curIndex=2

On-Lion for Kids - eBooks, magazines and more.

Welcome to Kids' ebook page, eBooks and eBook device for kids - FREE eBooks for Children / about Children.

StoryPlus - Free stories one is Little Mo by Karen King.

When I started reading these I realized I used most of these sites and didn't realize I was using ebooks all along. We also read those on Starfall.com. A few of these sites I have not used. Most of them I have. I just don't have them listed in the Catalog on Destiny.

Thing #21 Podcasts You don’t need an iPod! (Week 9 Podcasts, Video & Downloadable Audio )

I found this feed a could help on the blog I am building as well helping me learn about podcasting.
I added it to my Google Reader. It would be nice to find something like this for each area.

http://homepage.mac.com/deyestone/meet/code.xml

http://www.digitales.us/ Stories made up by elementary students

http://feeds.feedburner.com/K12online07video

http://www.loc.gov/rss/cataloging/lists.xml

DreamExtreme - 6th grade pod casts like a News cast on student info... movies, book review, and more.
http://davidcosand.hipcast.com/deluge/07ebc6a4-9061-f7a7-8abb-03ccfd3edc45.mp3

I found a lot of neat things on many many sites. One problem I see. Or maybe I should say Don't see... When I am listening to audio podcasts I find I loose focus of what is being said. When they add pictures or video then I am focused. Same thing I found when I study the Bible online. I stay focused with the words in front of me as they read the scriptures. Other wise, in one ear and out the other. Something to think about with students.

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Just in case someone is interested here are the various sites I listen to the Bible from... Goes with this class. I have been using these sites for years to hear the Bible. Now I am learning how to do them. amazing technology.
http://www.biblegateway.com/
http://bible.cc/ -
http://bible.crosswalk.com/ this one has podcasts and videos

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How can I be productive? Let me count the ways - Tells about many, many Document Sites. Less known than Google Docs and Zoho. May want to check it out.
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Trailfire - Discover or create trails of Web 2.0 sites. Create trails will help in presentations or lessons. Which Web 2.0 tools or sites you want to move to or have your audience move to. Awesome.

You can make trails too!

Use trails to guide people to relevant information on the web: recommend travel destinations; review a product; educate someone about a topic; share your research; express an opinion or just have fun.

Thing #20 YouTube and a few sites (Week 9 Podcasts, Video & Downloadable Audio)

Librarians - Try to Connect with your Patrons

I think this one would be great for an ice breaker when teaching teachers about Web 2.0. Sometimes patrons don't know the value of the Library. Libraries can be a fun place to come. There are riddle books and fun places to visit on the web. The Library is a good place to find it. But then again it doesn't have everything! LOL

Thing #20 YouTube and a few sites (Week 9 Podcasts, Video & Downloadable Audio)

I have been to YouTube many times and use the html format. The blog I am making for the teachers has one for ever post. The ones I posted are from "In plain English". I like how simple it makes the different aspects of Web 2.0 topics: Blog, Wiki, OpenID, and much more.

I have also been to the TeacherTube site and have found that better. I like the crazy guy and the girl with several videos on the Library.

I also found Teacher.tv this last week. It is out of the UK. They accept a bit more than America does, so be watchful of what is there and seen by the students. There work is higher level. They use Web 2.0 things more than we do. I did see some things in America that are awesome. Their work seems to be more professional than in others. They do field trips, build canoes in the 3rd /4th grade on one from Massachusetts. They even take the canoe to ta lake and shove off in it. I thought that was awesome.

I decided to checkout Jumpcut. I found it to be very nice. Small amount of videos. Looks like they are building the site compared to other video sites.

I think they are using the Photo Story 3 program or something similar. Which could be something I could do with book covers. Then add music in the background. I would like this for a display of New books or the Top Ten Books read during a week.

Putting this together with pics from Science fair projects to Multicultural projects could be a nice way of showcasing what the student/students do for their projects. This is a good way for them to use technology. At Elementary level simple is better unless you have a gifted student. Then it depends on the students interest and abilities.

Thing #19 LibraryThing and catalog some of your favorite books (Week 8 Online Applications & Tools)

I tried various ways to make a Photo Mosaic. Couldn't figure it out. Will try tomorrow. This would be a great way to show the top Ten books.

I like the fact the Kiddos can see the books this way. If I understand right this could also be a way of adding cover pictures to my Destiny... But time consuming.

Thing #18 online productivity, word processing, spreadsheet, tools (Week 8 Online Applications & Tools)

I was in Zoho. I like what they have to offer, but I couldn't get the presentation to work and save. So I went to the meeting part I like what the tutorial does. I will have to set up a meeting with a friend and try to experience this. Sounds great, but does it work? I will have to see.

I found it was frustrating because I like the 800x600 setting on my computer and I had to make it smaller and I still could not see everything offered. The program moves a lot as you are trying to work with it. Tthe learning curve is not bad. I was turned off from the experience. I will check out Google and see if it's better. I like how Google has done a lot to help education. They have good tutorials as well.

I found Google is simple enough for Elementary students. I found the presentation easy enough. Zoho has more to offer but too many issues. Zoho has more to offer but I didn't see the educational side developed like Google has.

Thing #17 Region One Sandbox (Week 7 Wikis)

Completed the Sandbox activity.

Looked to see where shoe came in and why... Found lots of history and interesting things but no where does it tell you where the word shoe came in to being.

Something to consider with all these sign-ins...
http://openid.net/ -- "OpenID is a free and easy way to use a single digital identity across the Internet. With one OpenID you can login to all your favorite websites and forget about online paperwork! Now, you get to choose the login that's right for you. "

Thing #16 Learn about wikis and discover some innovative ways (week 7 Wikis)

St. Joseph County Public Library - I found this wiki cool Naturally I found myself wondering through the Education section. But I also hit the top tabs. I found her site interesting in how she set it up and told you what to expect. I liked her handouts in the computer section.


Book Lovers Wiki - I like the way they reviewed the books. It would be great to have one that takes the top 10 books read by our students per week. I don't mean to change them but allow people to know they were enjoys by our students. I also liked that they had the teachers review the books.


Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki - I like the section on "Self-Promotion Tips for New Librarians" this s a section everyone could learn from no matter if they are New or been around a while. Notice, I didn't use the "O" word? This Wiki can teach you lots and lots of things. Is there anything missing there? I find it to be "thumbs up". & (couldn't find a Thumbs up)


CSLA Conference 2007 wiki - This site was cool it listed all the other people who have done this course. There are a lot of people doing this. I looked at several of those listed and saw some interesting things and got side tracked. I noticed when I am sidetracked I learn more. Sometimes I wonder if there is an end to this. I know there isn't.

I also found some things that will help me with the class I will be teaching the teachers. I like reading other peoples blogs so I have added this site. Maybe I can get ideas later that will help me with my classes as well as the teachers I will teach.
http://csla2007wiki.pbwiki.com/FAVORITES+-+library+blogs


The Albany County Public Library Staff wiki – This will be helpful to show our Librarians. We have worked on this and we could check out some of the things they have and we don't.

Blogging Libraries Wiki - I read some of the Internal Blogs to see what they were about. It would be good to use to communicate between each of our librarians and do collaboration with the other elementary librarians and our campus teachers. I think I will start one for collaborating with the list of teachers I have in my email contacts. Some are not at my campus but they want to be updated. This would be great because I could write it once and be done. Cool!

http://www.blogwithoutalibrary.net/links/index.php?title=Internal_blogs
That list of Library Associations is something also. I didn't realize there were so many. It will take a month or two to check them all out.
http://www.blogwithoutalibrary.net/links/index.php?title=Library_associations

Sample school wiki -I Like the hall of Fame information and the fact that they have some individual and some team projects. I would like to start a student Technology club, but my Principal has not OK'ed that one. Which is OK for now I have enough with the "Mentor Readers Club", working on this workshop and the one I have gotten OK'ed by my Principal. I think I am a Technojunkie.

I would like to come back and visit these sites to extend what I see. The information is overwhelming. As I was going through these websites I found another website which answered other questions I had.

What I noticed about PBwiki is several people have commented on spam and some left the site for another wiki. Others have blocked it more with passwords. I guess that is an issue with going public.


"Oregon Library Instruction Wiki, a collaboratively developed resource for librarians involved with or interested in instruction. All librarians and others interested in library instruction are welcome and encouraged to contribute. " Tutorials, Tricks and Tips to help you with Wikis from:
http://instructionwiki.org/Main_Page

Thing #15 Web 2.0, Library 2.0 and the future of libraries (Week 6 Tagging, Folksonomies & Technorati)

I did the above word/tag clouds for another project I am working on.

It has been a few days since I have worked on the class. But not really. I have gotten permission to teach to teachers on my campus about Classroom 2.0. So, I have been going back to learn further about each subject in this workshop. I am making it with the major topics without so much Library. I have started another blog and am going to build it up so it will be a tutorial/workshop. I have not figured it all out yet, but an getting better at it. I have not made the blog public yet. I have to give the names of the blogs and Wikis I want unblocked to our technology person. So I am checking out several of each. I could do just one of each, but I want to give the choice to the teachers. I figure three of each would give them a choice. That would also give them a chance to use one they know and use if they use them. If you have suggestions of what blog or wiki sites would be best, I would appreciate your input.

I would also appreciate your input of which topics or sites to bring up. I will be adding the obvious topics.

• Why we need it.
• Sites and videos for them to check out.
• Lesson plan sites with use of web 2.0 things. I have found several of these but could use more.
• I am breaking it down into sections... Blogs, OpenID, Wikis, Document tools, Podcasting, Technorati, Del.icio.us, Tagging, etc..

I will be teaching this on October 10th, during our inservice. So, I hope to have the blog ready at that time. I will be giving an overview of the Web 2.0, Classroom 2.0, and then introduce the Blog so they will be able to work on their own needed areas. If you have some thoughts on any of this, please, let me know. I figure to have them do similar to what we are doing but expect a slower pace. Some may know more than I, most will know less. I want to extend each of them as best I can.

I appreciate any and all input.... Thanks!

Thing #15 Web 2.0, Library 2.0 and the future of libraries (Week 6 Tagging, Folksonomies & Technorati)

Today, I found the site about L4L which deals with the Standards for the 21st-Century Learner and it being implemented into the Library in Fall 2008. That will change our lesson plans and classes as we know it. I know teachers and Librarians will figure the changes will not happen. Why? Because, they are taught a lot of new things and for a year they put effort in it due to being watched. The next year they will keep it up a little and the 3rd year they will stop using it all together use very little of it.

The difference is they will have to change for this one. When computers came out the same thing happened. Thirty years later, people still don't know how to use computers. The difference is this time it will be backed with the standards, which we didn't have before. We all need to realize this and learn for the betterment of our students. Library 2.0 and Web 2.0 blends in well with the new changes due to the 21st Century learner. It will be daunting at first but with workshops and direction we will take a big step into the 21st Century.

This is all being changed in every discipline. It is all dealing with higher level thinking.

AASL, Intellectual Freedom, 21st-Century Learner:
http://www.aasl.ala.org/aaslblog/2008/07/16/aasl-news-18/http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslproftools/learningstandards/standards.cfmhttp://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslproftools/learningstandards/AASL_LearningStandards.pdfhttp://www.aasl.ala.org/aaslblog/2008/07/24/aasl-charlotte-and-web-20/

What Is Intellectual Freedom? What is the ALA Code of Ethics? How does it affect me?http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslissues/aasl_intellectual_freedom_brochure.pdf

When I went back to work yesterday I noticed all the changes to Destiny. They added a section called Destiny Quest. Destiny Quest is helping us take that step. When I look at things on the Internet now I see all the changes Web 2.0 has made. I noticed the Educational websites haven't started like the rest. Is this going to stay this way? Will the Educational sites get on board. The major sites like National Geographic and others of that caliber.

Inspirations - Blogosphere from Teachers.TV --- This video shows how they use the blog in the classroom in England.
http://www.teachers.tv/video/167

Thing #14 Technorati and learn how tags and Thing #15 Web 2.0, Library 2.0 and the future of libraries (Week 6 Tagging, Folksonomies & Technorati)

Twitters or blogs could be used for talking about or critiquing a book in a class or in reading club. (Writing journals every day.)

I find I am in the middle of Web 2.0 and regular library the part I have not used I did not know.

I claimed my blog last Friday and at work today I was looking something up on Google reader and I saw my blog on it, cool. I also went to Technorati and and it had my blog on the things I had RSS'ed. It was a neat feeling and also makes you think about the thought you could be there for a long time. Kind of made me think about how a writer feels when you write your first book or how I felt after seeing my artwork in someones house I didn't know. It also made me think about my mistakes being around for a long time. Kind of bittersweet.

Today, I found the site about L4L which deals with the Standards for the 21st-Century Learner and it being implemented into the Library in Fall 2008. That will change our lesson plans. This is all being changed in every discipline. It is all dealing with higher level thinking.

AASL, Intellectual Freedom, 21st-Century Learner:
http://www.aasl.ala.org/aaslblog/2008/07/16/aasl-news-18/
http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslproftools/learningstandards/standards.cfm
http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslproftools/learningstandards/AASL_LearningStandards.pdf
http://www.aasl.ala.org/aaslblog/2008/07/24/aasl-charlotte-and-web-20/

What Is Intellectual Freedom? What is the ALA Code of Ethics? How does it affect me?
http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslissues/aasl_intellectual_freedom_brochure.pdf

I know this is a bit off the topic but then again it isn't.

I always detested having the Google Tool bar on my computer so I had it turned off. I was doing these THINGS and I saw something that talked about bookmarks. It said you could use the bookmarks at work and at home. This got me interested in using the Google Tool Bar. So, I opened it up and saved some of the sites there. I didn't read any where on how to use it so I added to Bookmarks like I do on Favorites. Then, last week, I noticed that in the dialog box it said to label it. I labeled it like I would a tag, without the comma in-between the words.

Part of the week went by and I kept adding to the Bookmarks. As I learned more about Tagging, I began to realize labeling and tagging were one and the same. Now, I am on my way to Tagging like a pro. I understand that Tagging can be daunting when you look at the Tag cloud, but just like in writing curriculum, you have to account for the differences in people. For example, some teachers will put 1st while others put first. When trying to search for something I find I have to second guess the tags put on the website. Though I have gotten good at searching on Google, I find this tag cloud much appreciated. So, yes, it is hard to look through the Tag Cloud but then when you stumble on your terminology it is easier. The cloud is a plus also. I also figured out how to use the tagging.

I learned how to tag something as Professional Development, Library, K-3, Lower Elementary, Fairy Tales, Online Stories, etc. and realized how nice it is not go through my file folders trying to figure out which file folder I put the websites in. I am able to work on a project and go to one file folder and know all the sites I need for the project will be there.

So, this means I need to go back and change my tags here.

Thing #13 tagging and discover Del.icio.us (Week 6 Tagging, Folksonomie )

I went to LibraryThing and searched several books in a series. Clifford books had tags which varied. It will be interesting to see how the tagging changes through these or if they are similar.

I found out... "Folksonomy (also known as collaborative tagging, social classification, social indexing, and social tagging) is the practice and method of collaboratively creating and managing tags to annotate and categorize content. " from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folksonomy

Completed Delicious project ... Signed in and let it Tag the websites I have used in this workshop so far... which is 117 so far. It was cool how they did it for you. it does make it more formal. not like the others that tag them randomly. It still leaves it up to the person to add a tag. If I did all my sites like that it would help when I give subjects on my website cataloging. On the other hand I might be able to put this on a blog or wiki or send people to Delicious. It would still need to be tagged with more. At least, there are other possibilities.

I started to publish the word cloud of the list of tags from Delicious but it makes it cumbersome on the blog and causes the time to get on the blog to slow down so I took it off.

Websites which explain a lot of what we are learning in plain English. I like the way this guy explains all this. Someone asked him if he was a teacher. He said no. Though he isn't in our terms a teacher. He is a communicator that teaches well.
http://www.commoncraft.com/rss_plain_english
http://www.commoncraft.com/video-social-networking
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddO9idmax0o
The one below has this guy in other languages and more Web 2.0 topics. He definitely makes it easy.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=in+plain+english+commoncraft&search_type=&aq=f

Well. off to sleep I go it is 12:24 am. Sweet dreams.

Thing #12 Roll your own search tool with Rollyo (Week 5 Play Week)

Well, everything I did yesterday didn't get saved, probably due to the shut down yesterday. Apparently, I didn't save it in time.

So, I will try to remember what I did yesterday. Bummer.

Read Posters Can be made here:
http://www.ala.org/ala/productsandpublications/READ_Mini_Posters.cfm

Library 2.0, Libraries and Library School
http://www.las.org.sg/pa_sfjn.pdf

Over on the Right hand side I have added a Rollya search with a 23 Things file. These are some of the sites I went to during this workshop and some important sites I like.

Thing #11Explore any site from the Web 2.0 awards list, (Week 5 Play Week)

I have decided to look into http://www.seomoz.org/web2.0 on there I have chosen 3 areas. I decided to use the short one for now. Then deal with the best and less to look through for now. Means I will get in to it quicker.

Online Desktop / OS - I want to find out what these are good for. I have a friend in Alamogordo (Alamo), New Mexico who need help in learning about a spread sheet. I want to see if this could help. If it does then it could help in the Library when students are needing help and I could help from the Circulation Desk. I have no help in the Library so I wonder if this could help and if so, how?

Zimdesk - Off the Net for Now

G.ho.st - THE G.ho.st VIRTUAL COMPUTER (VC) ---THE GLOBAL HOSTED OPERATING SYSTEM--- I have downloaded their pdf files to learn about this program.

1. http://www.g.ho.st/images/brochure.pdf

2. http://www.g.ho.st/images/GhostWhitePaper.pdf

Going to close off for now so I can read the PDF files.

Groovy - It says, "Welcome to Groovy - Your personal Webtop..." Then below it says, "We are no longer accepting registrations for Groovy...." Well, I guess that means it is not my personal Webtop. Hum-mm. Oh this one is Meshing with AOL

Glide Digital - TransMedia Demo Photos and Video that explains. Website that has the video for understanding what Glide OS is. http://d6.allthingsd.com/20080529/transmedia/ Scroll down the middle.

One of these said they used Zoho - http://www.zoho.com/ Has applications online much like Google has. I have not checked out Google for some time I had an email there once but don't remember it and I got lost on all that they had to offer back then. Hopefully, I will go there and check it out and compare it to Zoho. The spread sheet looks much like any other Has lots of Options As well the Writer is similar. These Business programs are for online sharing. Free Collaboration with documents. Sign in with Google or Yahoo ID. Makes me wonder if Google uses Zoho. That's helpful!

Side Track - maybe - http://d5.allthingsd.com/20070531/qigo-internet-key/ This is a new product coming out this fall where you buy the Qigo (sounds like u key go). The product will be like a memory stick they are different for Kids to Adults. "For kids, they have different uses (e.g., the so-called walled garden, where underage children cannot access the Internet but can still play computer games). For adults, it makes possible premium Internet experiences (such as a year subscription to The Wall Street Journal). " Video on the page as well. I found it interesting.

I will close for now due to scheduled Outage at 4:00pm PDT. Hum checked the time and it is 2 hours later so, I am OK for now.

This site could take the place of the TV in Distance Learning. Think so...? Check it out.

This is not a website listed any where in this workshop. I went on Google and searched for "youTube + " Web 2.0" +Education" and YouTube lead to this site WizIQ - http://www.wiziq.com/. Region One wouldn't have to do all the work for Distance Learning.

Now here is an interesting website. It looks like they are at a beginning level but there are possibilities. This could be our way of doing live conferences, presentations and more. Sure could be a cheaper means of doing distance learning. You could even teach a class in the next room when there is a substitue. The sub could just over see the class as the students are watching the teacher across the hall. This could really help out schools when they have a lot of teachers sick. The class wouldn't miss a lesson. The site is even looking for teachers. There are no Library presentations at present as I could see.



Screencast-o-matic - http://screencast-o-matic.com/
This is an awesome where it will capture what you do on the screen. It goes beyont all capture programs I have worked. It is a must see. This site has loads of tutorials for websites and how to use them.

Blog Basics, Pt 2
http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cjeflhV6H


By the way a Widget is awesome we have been using lots of them when bringing in Html information in tho this workshop. You can build thing using widgets. Games use widgets. Web 2.0 was built on hundreds of widgets. put lots of widgets together you get bigger widgets and those widgets built a global networking community and loads more.

Thing #10 RSS & Newsreaders (Week 5 Play Week)

I found these three sites

FD Toys,

Comic Strip Generator,

and Image Chef easy to use.

Wordle.net on the other hand is easy until you want the pic, but you can print it. If you have CutePDF Writer you can save it as a pdf file and have it for later. OR Scan the print and save it.

"PDF Creation http://cutepdf.com/

CutePDF Writer (Freeware)
Create professional quality PDF files from almost any printable document. FREE for personal, commercial, gov or edu use! No watermarks! No popup Web ads! Now supports 64-bit Windows. Free Download (1.6MB) "

Thing #9 library related blogs and/or news feeds (Week 4 RSS & Newsreaders) Revisited

Well, like one of the fellow Bloggers said, "you can get information overload here."

Syndic8.com --->

Country Top 100 ---> Top Sites United States
#1 - Google #2 - Yahoo! #3 - Myspace #4 - YouTube #9 - Wikipedia #12 - Blogger.com
#18 - Flickr #22 - WordPress.com #90 - Ask.com An ad-supported reference search service, which displays concise answers drawn from over 100 encyclopedias, dictionaries, glossaries and atlases. #97 - ImageVenue hosting World s most popular free image hosting for bloggers and message board users.

Global Top 500---> I use the first 100 in English a lot of these move up. In Spanish a lot of these lose out. I am sure those of you who speak Spanish could help out there.

#1 - Yahoo and #2 - Google #3 - YouTube #9 - Blogger.com #34 - ImageShack ImageShack® is a free image hosting solution. It can be used to share pictures with friends, as well as post images on message boards and blogs. It can also be used to direct link images from your personal website or online auction. And best of all, it's completely free.
#36 - Wordpress.com #39 - Flikr #59 -ImageVenue hosting World s most popular free image hosting for bloggers and message board users. #82 - Megaupload Megaupload is a "leading website of the world" for transferring files easily, with complete security and free of charge.

Why did I do the above? To see how Web 2.0 tools are effecting the US and the world. I think it speaks for itself. I would like to see what happens in the future.

Thing #9 library related blogs and/or news feeds (Week 4 RSS & Newsreaders) Revisited

When on Bloglines last night I noticed the area with Websites and tried it out for Children's books online. I got some more sites to add to my curriculum. I also went back to other sites I like to see if they had Feeds and added some feeds from those sites. I found some fave sites still don't have them. I also used the Google feed. The odd thing is I used these before because I found my email addresses there. But I didn't keep up with them for lack of understanding. It makes a difference to know what is being done and why.

When searching for "life long learners" on Bloglines I found this blog site Tech Tips & Timely Tidbits Cathy Nelson was commenting on Teacher and Librarians and their not being life long learners. I have mixed feelings on this topic. I have seen it both ways. It is sad to say there are those out there that don't learn something new each day and don't care to learn. They want others to give them their next tidbit. I find the Internet overwhelming with information and get side tracked with the information I am looking for by information that adds to other interests. What I notice by reading several other blogs as well is: There are those teachers that are life long learners and there are those that aren't and those that aren't have not learned what is out there. Sometimes, you just have to open the eyes of those that have lost their desire to learn. This is a new time and a new age of learning. It use to be most went to colleges to learn and they got credit for proof of their learning. Now you can learn even if no one knows you have achieved a Doctorate without the degree.

I have been reading about many people who have the same thoughts as myself... Will the school open up the Web 2.0 tools? Is this going to be like everything else we have gone through... teaching us how to go beyond and blocking our use of the beyond. Many times I have been trained in things and then not given the programs or given them 2 years later and I don't remember the workshops.

I checked out the Kids National Geographics on BlogPulse. Figured out how you could use it. When looking at the graph I extended it to 6 months. Then clicked on the tips of the highs and it showed several sections of the site where kids were Blogging the topic. This could be a great way to check the trends of a site kids read and use that topic in the lessons. Great way to know student's topics and find books in that area or showcase the books in the library. It took some time to figure out how to use it but after persevering I give it a thumbs up!

HAS ANYONE FOUND THIS?

I get a yellowish square on my computer after visiting Edublogs. I can't get it off my computer until I close the Internet. Is there another way? I have to save everything then close. Sometimes, you just don't want to close. It blocks an area of my Internet an I have to read around it.

Things #8 RSS feeds and set up your own Bloglines newsreader account (Week #4 RSS & Newsreaders)

Watched 2 videos from http://blip.tv/file/205570 "RSS in Plain English" and "Wikis in Plain English". I like how simple it was done. The videos give great understanding in short and simple ways.

Listened to the podcast last night. "Listen to this podcast" at: http://plcmclearning.blogspot.com/2006/08/8-make-life-really-simple-with-rss.html

Signed up for Bloglines last night and visited Google Reader and signed up for RSS newsfeeds and read about 10 to 15 articles. Just wondering how different these are to newsletters. Can they be the same sometimes. Is there a way to combine them through RSS?
Some of the articles were really interesting and some were above me. I was not ready for them because they spoke of areas I have little knowledge.

I need to go back to NetTrekker and EBSCO to add some RRSs. I have tried before this class but couldn't get them coming. Now I should be able to bring them in.

Thing #7 RSS feeds and set up your own Bloglines newsreader account (Week 3 Photos & Images) Revisited

One picture at the left is from Publisher but I had to group it and use CTRL C to copy the picture as a whole then I pasted it into the Draw program, shrunk it, saved it and then added it to this page. I make monthly Posters about some topic each year. Sometimes it will be pics of books in the Library with the Call numbers on them. Like for the Science section or I will do a Did you Know poster that will tell students about a monthly calendar event, such as Thanksgiving. It will have activities, puzzles, pictures and more, which I found on the net. Each item has the copyright and where it can be found on the net.

Another thing I do when time permits. I would show it but I do not have permission from my principal to post it. I scanned a picture of a pirate ship out of the Library book, "The Island of the Skog" by Steven Kellogg. It was a 2 page spread. I then took various characters, Clifford, Arthur, George, Berenstain bears and more from the net stories and then added them to the ship. I took off the characters, rats except for one from the book. I took a picture of my principal doctored like a pirate and placed her at the helm. I gave her a copy for a present and made a copy for me. It was hours of work because it was done on Draw and you know it is very simplistic. She liked the picture because it had all her favorite friends there.

These are some of the things I have done with technology besides being the one to teach students and teachers how to use various programs. I have also taught at our school conference how to find things on the net. I can find loads of items on Google for teachers to use in their classroom. I have over 500 websites on the home page of Follett Destiny. My campus name is Hidalgo Park Elementary and the website address is: http://follett.hidalgoisd.org/common/servlet/logout.do?site=105.

Before I started putting the websites in the catalog section, I was putting them on a PBWiki's site unded Websitemania. The problem there I have asked our Technology people to unblock PBWiki and they haven't now for more than a year and a half. So I empied the Wiki. I am now trying to put them on the cataloging section for easier use. This is as daunting as cataloging books. It is also harder due to the topics being so vast within a website so I am trying to figure out how to do it better, I know it will not make cataloging librarians happy, but it is new ground and I have read how they are trying to figure it out for the net as well. If you have ideas let me know. I have already put over 30 sites in the cataloging section under the call number WEB.

I have a long ways to go but I learned how to get around not having an item to check out. Sad part is it will not tell you how many people have used the site. So, if you have sites that should be listed or you want to see if there are sites your teachers can use feel free to check it out and let me know if you have a better mouse trap or if you can help me make mine better.

Thanks, now that I have told you what I have been doing with technology I will get back to moving on to the next thing.

Thing #7 RSS feeds and set up your own Bloglines newsreader account (Week 3 Photos & Images)

I have been reading some of the posts and commented on 2 of the posts: Library Latte, and Northern Lights Fan. I will have to look into some other Blog sites. I have learned some good for blogging. Why do I say that? Well within the last few weeks I could see no value in them. (Oops, did I say that?) Why? Before this class I had no understanding of what they were good for. The people who used them were younger and they told me they wanted a way to speak to their friends. My friends learn from me so I did search for some understanding about Blogs but found no value in the ones I read. I saw no reason to blog. Now... the blinders are off and I am starting to see awesome ways to use blogs. I figure when you ask a child their simple explanations might not give you a grasp of what something could be used for.

Now, I see the value. Now, I see awesome possibilities. I will have to think some on just how I will present it and go forth with it. Last time, I learned what wickis could do. Then when I got to school I learned they blocked wickis, except for Wickipedia. So, I talked to the technology people and a year and a half later it is still blocked. I hope this won't be the same.

Next a thought on the Motivator... http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/ I found an old AR pic taken at my Library and decided to kill two birds with one stone. On the left you will see I have posted a pic of a top reader. He is standing with his favorite book and in front of one of our AR prize displays. After displaying their pics in the Cafeteria for six weeks I give my top AR readers their laminated pictures. The Motivator will change some of that. I will start using the pics as a inspirational pics. I will display it for the year and give it to the student. Then I will add pictures of teachers with their favorite books and hang them, the pictures not the teachers, in the halls. Then I will begin to get the rest of the staff, parent involvement, and the administrators immortalized as an inspiration for our students. This could be an awesome way to advertise books in the Library. There are no limits to my thoughts.

Some sites I have checked out after doing a search on Google.
On Time 4 online conferences: Engaging Learners in an online environment --"The Web Revolutionaries - The Men and Women who Reshaped the Net"
http://centre4.interact.ac.nz/modules/note/note.php?module_key=53525

Interesting way to make an intro to Web 2.0 on YouTube.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDqGQ59jw_Y&feature=related
Education Today and Tomorrow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fnh9q_cQcUE&feature=related
21st century pedagogy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l72UFXqa8ZU&feature=related
3 Steps for 21st Century Learning
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yCB4i7GJuM&feature=related

I went back to entertain my self again this time with Flickr toys and their Magazine Cover
So I took my latest pic of My new pups and information from this program and made a Magazine cover. This could be a great idea for my newsletters. It could help make covers for activities I get off the web. I locate activities for the teachers at the beginning of school and I put them together on a disc and hand them out the first week of school so they will have a back log of activities for different grade levels and/or subjects. To the right you will see my mock up of a magazine. This is the part where I play and extend my knowledge and ideas. Whee, this is fun!

When your having fun your having fun. If you noticed the logo is a picture I got off of Google Earth of my campus. I put it in paint and added my name then went to Blog Header and uploaded the header When uploading the pic to the logo make sure you tell the uploader to size it to fit the space or it could be to big for the logo area.

Well, it is so awesome and entertaining, but I have to get focused.

Thing #6 Flickr mashups & 3rd party sites (Week 3 Photos & Images)

Checkout photo mosaic: I love English Bulldogs and and decided to see what it would do.. Which was amazing, but when I emailed it to myself it didn't work. So I tried it again using water cycle. still amazing but can't send pic any where.

Then I checked out another website I found interesting which came from Flickr Color Fields. http://www.krazydad.com/bestiary/ I have a background in Art, Computers, and Mathematics So I found this site very interesting. One thing about me is I can get side tracked easily. So many things interest me, but time is a'waisting... and it's time to focus. This site is awesome for higher grade levels or interesting for younger students who could get facinated with and intregued by the flash files.

You might want to check it out. http://www.krazydad.com/bestiary/bestiary_objectcell.html

Thing #5 Explore Flickr (Week 3 Photos & Images)

I have worked with Flickr. I posted a picture that I will use to propose changes in the Library. I do not have access to the Library for taking pictures at present. So I took a pic that I made with the Draw program.

Thing #4 Register your blog (Week 2 Blogging)

Completed email and found out I had to have the week on it, so I went back and edited the Titles and got my Avatar in. Ready to explore Flickr.