Thing #11

I set up my librarything account and added five titles. I learned that I don't read any adult books. Maybe now I can search a topic I like and get some recommendations. As a classroom teacher I would use it as a tool to help my students pick books they like. I joined the children's literature group since that would be one of the groups I would really use right now while still teaching.

Thing #10

I had fun with this one. It was neat to see and explore all the different types of image generators. I could see using these on either your blog or if you have a library web page. I also learned something I could show my husband for his website. The hard part of this was trying to figure out how to link one of the images. If someone knows how please let me know.

Thing #9

I tried a few of the sites recommended. The easiest was Bloglines. The search was easy and I liked the preview tool. Technorati was easy as well but I liked Bloglines better. Syndic8.com seemed very archaic to me. I was not able to get the same information as the other sites. I found a couple a book clubs to add and even a Rachael Ray that was good. Especially for when I need a good recipe.

Thing #8 Rss Feeds

I set up my account with Google Reader. Right now I'm in the just figuring it out phase. I can see where it would be handy to get all your information in one place. I'm not sure if I like it yet. It seems like it is a one stop shop with all the stuff coming to you and your not having to go find it. I could see using it in my classroom for getting new author information or book reviews. I'll have to experience it a few days to see how it goes.

Thing #7 Google tools

When I got started with this whole 23 Things I went ahead and set up my own google account. I love the features of setting up the page as I want to view it. I really like the feature of bookmarks. You can have a hot link to all your favorite bookmarks within a click. It is a lot easier to use than your browser. I also set up my calendar with family events. I'm sharing it with my husband so that we can hopefully stay on top of our own schedules and our two sons busy lives. I could see using the iGoogle as a home page on the libraries computer with links to the calendar with all he events happening at school. The bookmark link could have all the popular links that students would use the most. Below is a link to view my picasa album.

http://picasaweb.google.com/bmahlmann/UntitledAlbum?authkey=1aZlf8uKlX8

Thing #6 Mashups

I had a lot of fun with this thing. I liked the magazine maker because I thought it would be a great resource for LA. You could use it as a book report, oral history project, etc. You could use Mosaic maker for the same things. I could also see using poster maker for showing off genres or authors. This is my favorite thing so far. I learned how to take my wild thing creature and save it to my computer and crop it to fit in my blog. I'm so excited with all the neat things I've learned already.

Thing #5 Flickr

I'm so proud of myself. I learned how to upload and share photos using two sites. First I tried Flickr and then I tried Googles Picasa. I wanted to give both a try to see which one I liked the best. I think I prefer Picasa for now. I have had several family events this year with lots of digitals taken. I love the fact that I can share these pics with my loved ones and they can order their own prints if they want.

Thing #4 Registering

Well now I am registered and ready to play. I have never spent so much time thinking about what to nickname myself.

Thing #3 Blog and Avatar

Wow!! I have learned a lot already! One, you should be careful at how many accounts you have online and what you use them for. This is my 2nd blog because the first one I accidentally deleted while trying to delete an account I thought was not being used. Whew!! Now I am ready to go again. Blogs are really neat tools if you love to journal. Setting up my avatar was fun as well. I felt guilty though when I have sooo many other things I need to be doing.

Thing #2 Life Long Learner

The easiest habit for me is to play. My two sons and my dog make sure of that. They keep me very busy. The hardest habit for me is using technology to my advantage. If technology gets too hard I usually don't bother with it. I'm looking forward to learning and jumping the hard hurdles.

Thing #1

I'm really excited about learning about all the technology available on line. What a neat way to learn through this experience. Thanks!