Retro Update

Well, I spent a little time tonight updating my blog, and I like it.  I also had fun which is a good thing especially since it is summer.  Last time around I didn't put much thought into my blog.  I just picked a template and went with it.  Tonight I "played" with it, and I am proud of the results.  It is a little wild and very fun...it looks sort of like my room from high school in the 70's.  I added my Shelfari bookshelf and my avatar.  I still need to add an actual photo of myself, but I will do that later.  Now on to the next assignment.  Lots to accomplish this summer!

23 Things Continues

I have been integrating Web 2.0 applications in my lessons with students in the library, and they love it. Recently I used Museum in a Box after a biography research project with fourth graders. We used Gale Databases and Internet resources to gather information and photos that they added to their museum boxes. I also video taped them talking about the person they researched, and they added that to their boxes. Museum in a Box is a great way to add another dimension to their project.

Third graders used Wordle to create a word cloud of character traits describing the main character in Calvin Coconut, which is the book we are reading. They didn't even realize they were learning because they were enjoying themselves so much. They were very proud of their finished product.

Thing 23

I have learned about several things I really like including Library Thing, Delicious, IM, and Google Reader. I guess the thing I learned about that helps me the most is Google Reader. I can look at all the various sites I am interested in in one place. It is a time saver for me, and that is something I need. The thing I like the least is Twitter. I really don't get it. It's just not my thing, and I guess that is true about any site when anyone can post whatever they think about a topic.

I have to say that I did enjoy most of this class. It did take a lot of time, and I probably could have spent lots more time perusing which I may do this summer. I do wish that I had not procrastinated and kept up with the class. I think that would have made it a lot easier and more enjoyable.

Thing 22

My web 2.0 thing is Pandora Radio. I hope this counts as web 2.0! On Pandora Radio you can create your own radio stations that play on your computer, cell phone, iPhone, Blackberry, etc. Right now I am listening to my James Taylor station. You create your stations based on an artist or song that you like and Pandora will find similar songs to play on that station. You can give the song selections a thumbs up if you like them or thumbs down if you don't. You can also create stations by genre. Best of all for me, you have the option of seeing the full lyrics of each song if available. For a hearing impaired person, that's fantastic! There is a share feature that enables you to tell your friends, create shared stations, and find other listeners. There is a link to Twitter where you can tweet about a song or station and a Facebook link where you can put a song or station on your Facebook wall

Pandora is free, but there are very short advertisements that play occasionally. You can upgrade for a totally advertisement free experience. Hope you enjoy Pandora Radio. I do!

Thing 21

Because I am hearing impaired, podcasts are difficult for me to understand. I tried several different ones, and I am not sure if I was doing something wrong but many of them said unable to open RSS feed. The ones that did work were difficult to understand. All of them had a background soundtract that made the words inaudible for me. I do sometimes have this problem with YouTube, but not always because oftentimes I am able to see the face of the person speaking. Also, soundtracts are less likely on how to videos. With podcasts, there is no video, only audio which is a big problem for me.

Thing 20

This is the first time I have gone to YouTube and searched for things myself. I have received lots of forwarded videos that range from informative to hilarious. First I searched for the Dewey Decimal Rap that others have mentioned, and it is lots of fun. I then searched for altered books and watched a couple of videos explaining how to make them. You can find how to videos on just about anything. I then decided to search for children's book authors. I watched Kevin Henkes accept an award for his book Old Bear. I went along with Jan Brett as she visited her chickens in her backyard chicken coop and then went into her kitchen to make gingerbread cookies. She talked about her books and becoming an illustrator and author. I watched Tomie DePaola talk about his illustrations. I also watched a video of author Rooster Morris who has contacted me many times about visiting our school. Watching his presentation/performance will help me make a decision about whether to invite him. I think that YouTube has a place in libraries, but unfortunately it is blocked in Grand Prairie.

Thing 19

When I was in library school, many of my classes were online using Blackboard so when the district decided to start using it I was glad I was already familiar with it. I really like using the wiki. I don't have the site bookmarked at home, and I can never access it from there. I need to add the wiki to my Delicious list of favorite sites. I use the list of vendors most often and like having access to the info I need at my fingertips with a mouse click.