Carol's 23 things blog

23 Things definitely helped energize me, which has been especially helpful during a difficult and discouraging school year (related to the issues all schools are facing). The flexibility of the online format was instrumental in me deciding to participate. I am very glad I did this and I look forward to applying the information more in the workplace. I am glad the lessons will remain accessible because I know I will need to refer to them for refreshers. Thanks to all the mentors for a job very well done.

1. I am not too old to learn new things 

2. No matter how much technology I learn, there is always more to be explored.

3. I could do a lot for my library/school with these tools, but time is a huge limitation.

4. I would like to do more with the students, but have to work around the school filters.

5. It is helpful and challenging to think how these tools could be incorporated into the classroom.

6. I think my favorite tool is Jing.

7. I am liking Animoto more each time I use it.

8. I have found Google Reader and RSS helpful in managing the volume of material I’d like to keep abreast of.

9. It has been good to be in touch with other librarians around the state – we are an awesome bunch!

10. Kansas also has a great deal of expertise – and individuals willing to step forward and design and lead so the rest of us can learn.

11. 23Things online approach could be designed to use with staff.

12. I could do a lot more with my blog than I am now doing.

13. Webinars are cool, and such a wonderful way to introduce new information, train, etc. I especially like the archived ones so I can listen at work and stop them when interrupted.

14. There is an amazing number of webinar sites with wonderful information.

15. I had never used Flickr before, so it was good to try it out and think about its uses.

16. I finally understand better about RSS and Feed Readers, but I should go through this lesson again as I’m not totally comfortable with it yet.

17. Ditto on Delicious and Bookmarking. I have a basic understanding now, but need to explore and use more. I’d like to get some expertise here and pass the info on to my teachers, and possibly even the students (although they may be totally ahead of us , as usual!)

18. Twitter – I used it; still don’t really like it and probably won’t continue, but glad I gave it a try as daughter Heather had been trying to get me to use it for some time.

19. Speaking of Heather, it is a bit strange, but good strange to have my daughter as my teacher.  LOL   (She probably has assigned me remedial help by now!!)

20. I was intrigued by “Video on the Web.” I’m not sure how much I will use it, but I think I could do it if I see a purpose for it.

21. While I have used GoodReads in the past, I think I may switch to Shelfari. I like the look of the books on a shelf.

22. I think Common Craft is awesome!  Wow! They make everything sound so simple.

23. I am very grateful to have participated in this course. I appreciate all who made it happen. Thank you!  Let’s do it again sometime!! 

I edited a section on Denison, Kansas in Wikipedia. I changed a statement about the doors of the school closing in 1969. Since my daughter attended first grade there in 1989-90 (and that WAS the last year the school was open, I revised the statement to be more accurate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denison,_Kansas#History

For Part 2 of the assignment, I added to the WIKI for 23 Things. I understood the basics of this, but got very frustrated when I couldn’t get it to establish a link to my name. After trying many times, I decided to try it on Firefox. As a Mac based user, I was trying Safari, which is what I usually use. It DID work on Firefox, just fine. So, Safari is ruled (in my mind) as not friendly to WetPaint!!

I have used GoodReads for a few years, but had not been on it recently. It was good to take a look at it again, and see some of the previous books I had posted. I also set up an account for Shelfari and posted a few books on it. I think I will try to use if for awhile, too, until I decide which one I like the best. I did find the Comparison Chart helpful. Thanks for including that.

Library animoto.

I liked working at capturing pictures to depict the story of Holton High School Library. I got a little short on time, so went with this simple version, but at least I got it finished. Again, I hope to go back later and rework some of this – especially to expand it and create a short documentary with video clips also of the library in action.

I have used Jing several times. I learned about it at the School Librarians’ Workshop sponsored by NEKLS last summer. I like using it and have found it helpful, especially for quick tech help for staff and students. I am hoping to push my staff toward Google Docs next year. We have been discussing it all this year, but very few have moved ahead. I am hoping if I do some instructional screencasts, it will make the process less painful. 🙂

Thanks for a good lesson, Sharon. Even though I have used it before, I still learned some things that will help me.

Here is my screencast  http://screencast.com/t/ODRiYzI0ZDQt

I use AIM regularly at school, and for some personal communication, as well. It is nice that a teacher can chat me from a classroom, asking for technical assistance or research help. I often check on the location of a student or send a message to a teacher for a student via chat. It is a quick and easy way to get info, or to send a message. It saves footsteps and it saves phone calls. 🙂

I have used Yahoo Messenger in the past, and I have used Facebook chat a few times. My preference is still AIM since I usually have it up when I am available to chat. Because it was up separately (I guess) I couldn’t access it through Meebo.

I do find instant messaging intrusive sometimes. It can interrupt a train of thought, or catch me in the middle of a task I would like to complete, interruption free. I try to discipline myself (as with email) to not immediately respond to a chat, if it can wait. I also use the status (available, away, etc.) to help alleviate some of the unnecessary messages, especially at work. So, like most things, there are pros and cons to instant messaging

I like the benefits of chatting, but I have a sometimes have a hard time interpreting abbreviations, so I appreciated the link to the IM shorthand.

I set up an account on Meebo, and found it interesting to have someone chat me on FB, even though I wasn’t on FB – and won’t be on it while at school  🙂 While I can see the possible advantage of having several different IMs available at the same time, I don’t think I will probably use it all that much, because I’m not all that anxious to be in a continual chat mode. Sharon’s explanation (analogy) was very helpful, though.

I learned a lot from this lesson – had never really heard of the term “cloud computing,” although I have been using it for quite some time. I have passed on the CNN link of the “hunt” article to my tech director and also the tech teacher. I thought these were good concepts and principles to discuss with the students, who will face these for their entire lives.

I have been working with Google Docs as we rewrite some of the handbooks and policies at the school. I tried to send them on last summer to some of the others involved in making policies. Unfortunately, nobody followed through on looking at my changes and continuing to revise. 😦  There is much instruction to take place on this yet, obviously.

One thing a couple of us are trying to do on a small scale, is to get a file for each student on Google Docs so that each teacher can eventually document things related to the students’ academic endeavors. For instance, if a teacher contacts a parent about a concern related to grades, that could be documented for other teachers to see. If an approach has been taken that worked, others could be aware of that. This is a very powerful possibility in the early stages, but the biggest challenge will be to get everyone on board, set up on Google, and then trained to feel comfortable with the workings of Google Docs. Privacy and security will be issues as well to explore.  If we can get this going, it will be collaboration and better communication toward a student’s success.

Wow!  There is a lot in this week. I spent quite a bit of time going through it all, and then repeating much of it again. I liked the Jing videos, some of which I watched several times.

I probably spent the most time on this lesson because there is so much I can see applying to my library situation, if I can just get comfortable with it all. I would like to incorporate Delicious into resource ideas I send to teachers. I would also like to teach the teachers to use delicious. I’m not at my comfort level yet, and I expect I will refer back to this lesson in the weeks ahead as I try to apply it to my everyday situation, both at work and personally. Thanks for a great lesson!

I have dragged my feet for quite awhile now, while daughter Heather praised the virtues of Twitter. She got me right where she wanted me as I was “required” to investigate Twitter as part of this assignment!  LOL  It has been good, thought to explore Twitter, set up my account and begin to see what all the hoopla was about. In the past I have used Plurk regularly, but then took a break from it due to time pressures. I actually like the layout of Twitter better, but had gotten used to the people on Plurk, and felt a part of the education community, so I am still torn between the two.

I found it very difficult to find people on Twitter – I had no success with the “find people” feature. I came at it the back way, using the people/sites listed on the weekly lesson. I also connected with a couple I saw following Heather, or ones she was following. I have tried to focus mostly on school technology and school library tweeters.  I have connected with a couple of school librarians, Free technology for Teachers, and WIBW (my favorite news station.)

I began really delving into things today, following links and gathering very useful ideas and information from some of the Tweets I saw. It has been a bit overwhelming to realize how much is out there and to wonder how to narrow it all down and spend my time on the most pertinent sites. I have shared quite a few links via email to my colleagues in other curricular areas. They may get tired of hearing from me! So, yes, I have found this helpful. There are many ideas and wonderful educational sites that I have found posted on Twitter.  Of course, I had to get around the filter, and will continue to do so. Others may not be so fortunate, which limits the opportunities to use this to the fullest. That is why a few of us in school settings need to be sure we share  what we find with our fellow teachers.