Thing #23 What a journey!

I have really enjoyed this whole experience. Before I started this graduate course I was searching for things to learn about on the web. This was a great way to learn. I consider myself to be computer savy but now I feel like I know more than before but yet there is still so much more to learn. My favorite was the google discovery and the photo sites. I loved being able to take pictures and create memories with the software. This process has shown me what is on the web and how these tools can be used. I would love to experience the web in a format like this one. I know that there is so much more to learn and experience. I'm looking forward to the next learning journey.

Thing #22 Ning

I explored all three sites and I have to say that I like Ning the best. It seems to have a real use to it. Myspace and facebook are more like a way to keep up with your friends and find people who maybe you lost touch with. I really liked the Texas Teacher Ning. I already found a couple of lessons that I could use this week. It's a great free site to get information from without having to pay for joining.

#21 Podcasts

This is probably one of my favorite things. My team presented a lesson doing a podcast. We had a lot of fun creating it although somehow I got dupped into being the voice on the video. You can visit Jenny's blog and see our podcast on New York. Jenny's Blog My grade level on my campus decided to do an author study and one of the ways to relay the information learned was through a podcast. The students were able to write their scripts and upload the photos and add their voice to the podcast. Below you will see one of the finished products. I see podcasts as another great tool to relay information in a technology form.

#20 You Tube and Teacher Tube

What an awesome tool no matter who the audience is! I love the idea of whatever information you need is probably on these two sites. My sons had recieved a rubics cube for a gift and they had no idea how to solve it. They went to youtube and found a video. This is a really great tool to gather information and present information. I found the following video on YouTube on how our children interact with technology and why are we not using these devices in our school curriculum. Teachers have to start thinking out of the box and deliver the lessons using the tools that the kids are interested in.

Thing #19 Web 2.0 Awards list

Wow! So many to chose from I didn't know where to start. I ended up first going to springwidgets.com and played with some of the widgets. I added the countdown to my blog. I love these little things you can add to your page. I could see using something like this to countdown the days to a bookfair or author study. I also liked picnik.com for photos. This is another great photo site. As the librarian you are also the school photographer. This would be a great way to use an online source for your school photos.

Thing #18 Google Docs

These sites have some advantages and disadvantages. The good thing about them is you can use them for free. So if your computer does not come with this application you can use these online. They also allow others in a group to work on a document and have it saved in one place. The bad thing is that your limited to just the basics with the applications. For instance, the presentation does not offer many themes nor could I figure out how to import a new theme.

#17 Wikis and Sandbox

I really liked being able to interact online with a discussion group. It was also neat to see how people were using the wiki and what suggestions that had on how to use it. I could see using it as a tool for class discussions and for getting feedback from faculty on idea sharing or collaborating projects. The ideas are endless.

#16 Wikis

I found David Loertscher's wiki very interesting. One, he took his conference from just a listening to a total participation session. Two, he gathered information from his participants in a form that can be accessed by many people. I see wikis as becoming the next note taking and idea sharing forum. The uses are endless. My grade level just finished an author study. We could have used a wiki in gathering our biography information, teachers collaborating, gathering books of the same author, etc. I see many ways it could be used in all subjects. For science class you could use a wiki to have a dialog of experiments and what your findings were.

Thing #15 Web 2.0

Web 2.0 is the way to keep up with the technologies that are available. It is about staying current and knowing what the future might bring. As librarians we are the information people to our community. In order to keep our community up to date we have to stay up with what is new. I'm very curious to see how information technology will affect my children in college and their children as well. Some universities are already moving to podcasts as another means of supporting the lectures. Wow!! I would have been engaged.