Week 7 Thing 16, 16A and 17

Wikis are an amazing concept. I am fascinated by the possiblities of their use - book reviews, study groups, pathfinders, science observations from the Outdoor classroom. This is one I am definitely going to explore. What puzzles me is how we are going to be able to use them successfully when they are blocked in so many places. For now I guess they will be for professional development.

The CA sandbox was a source of great ideas. I am ready to add to the PA sandbox but can't find my invite - I will work on that tomorrow. Tonight I am going to continue to explore and think about ways to use wikis.

Week 6 Thing 14 and 15

Technoratie was interesting. Useful for adults and professional development but I am not sure about it being useful in the classroom setting.

The articles about Library 2.0 got me thinking what will the school library of the future look like? I would hate to completely lose the physical space because it is part of the joy and allure of the library. But there is something to be said for not having to leave the house - today my daughter searched the regional public libraries to find and reserve a biography for a project. What is the balance? Something to consider on the nights I can't sleep.

Week 6 Thing#13

I am intrigued by del.icio.us. It is another way to provide information to a variety of people which is something librarians love to do. Tagging and sharing links will help users locate information in a more efficient manner - what is not to love about that. Students could share their finds with classmates and other students from all over. Teachers could share the good stuff not just in their schools but across districts and the country.

Of course the downside is that it is available to everyone and when I just checked the recent activity there were several that would be inappropriate in a school. Is there an educational version of social bookmarking?

Week 5 Thing#12

Rollyo really got me bogged down. It is a great idea for searching but I got so stuck come up with what I wanted to search and what sites I want to include. I am going to hold on to it and when I am inspired Iam going to go back and try it again.

Week 5 Thing#11

Spent time exploring the items on the award list. Tried not to look at things that looked interesting but were in the list of things we were exploring later (LibraryThing). Looked at Craigs List that has little to do with school but Iwanted to explore. I'd read about it in Shoe Addict Anonymous and other places. It was interesting but didn't find anything I could use.

I joined the PSLA ning. It would be great to have a lot of people join and really start using it. Of course it all takes time ....

There are so many things coming about on the web I wonder how people have time to find and use them all. This is why Ilike courses like this that force me to explore.

Week 5 Thing#10

My name in Chinese.

The image generators were fun to play with.

This site would be fun to incorporate with classes studying Chinese New Year or China. Students would see and learn to say their name in Chinese.

I had to Warholize a picture. It is of my library bookshelves. Art classes could use this as they study Andy Warhol and his art (Kind of obvious).

The image generators were addictive. I just wanted to play with them all. I think if I had a project or topic in mind it would be easier to come up with a use. Playing, I did just that, I played and thought "this is fun" but beyond the obvious uses it was just fun. Now I am going to have to stretch my brain and visit this site again when I am looking for something specific.

Week 4: Thing # 8 and 9

Spent lots of time exploring the blogs and have a nice list that I am enjoying reading. There is so much to learn - I find myself following links to all of the amazing things going on and coming up with lots of ideas. I also have some from my favorite magazines that I have added for pure pleasure - they make me smile and think about things other than professional learning.

Technorati was the easiest for me to use - I was able to use it the most effectively. I settled on the google reader and it is working. I also have added some of the blogs to the reader on my home computer homepage which is nice - I don't have to log into anything else and I can check my favorite blogs.

The nice thing about the reader is you can scan and pick and choose what to read to maximize the use of your time.