Thing #23--WHOO HOOO

This Library2Play class was so much fun. I love learning new things when it comes to technology. I would find myself lost for hours searching and learning. My favorite discoveries were Delicious, Wiki, TeacherTube, Mashups, and Web 2.0 awards. I always enjoy learning new things and trying things out. So many times we are stuck in our "old" ways, and doing something a new way is kind of scary. There are so different tools to use, I love learning about them and trying them out.
There are so many things I can take away from this program and incorporate into my classroom, wiki for one example. I can not wait to use my wiki to communicate with the parents in my classroom. I really can not think of anything that you could do differently to improve this program. Everything is so self explanatory with all the helpful links posted for clarification, and different examples and explanations. I would definetely participate in another discovery program like this one, I am hoping there is another one. I love being able to work at my own pace.
Library2Play was such a great learning experience, I have learned so many different things and different tools to use in my classroom to enhance my teaching. ( I also love getting comments on my blog, and really enjoy commenting on others--I can see the importance of it!)

Thing #22

I enjoyed looking at the different Ning's. There are all kinds of them to browse through.I could see how Ning's maybe a great social networking site for educators or others of different professions. I came across a blog on Ning about smart boards. This site could be so beneficial to share ideas and learn new ones from others in your same profession. A great site for sharing information and meeting others who do what you do.

Thing #21

Photostory was so easy to use. I could have played with it for hours editing each page. I can definetley use this in my classroom-photostories of our field trips and special events. My students would love it. Then I could post it on my wiki page...I think, for the parents to see.

Thing #20

OMG, I love Youtube and Teachertube...I for the first time posted an animoto on youtube...How fun...what a great resource for the classroom...to find videos to enhance and reinforce your teaching.

I love using Animoto, here is a YOUtube video on how to create an animoto.




Here is an animoto I created for my mother for Mothers Day...

Thing #19

WOW!!! I love the Web 2.0 awards list--it has all the best sites on it, and many of the ones I keep hoping not to forget to bookmark on my delicious site, ones that I want to remember for when school starts. I have tried many of them- ....Craigslist, Facebook, Twitter, Google Docs, Google Earth, Google Maps, Monster, Careerbuilder, IGoogle, Bebo, just to name a few. I really liked the LULU site, for publishing books. That is definetly something I could use in my kindergarten classroom, my children are always "publishing" their books, and now we could actually put it in hard back- great site. The LULU website would be very useful in our school and our library too. I really like Pageflakes, I like the layout and the easy to read format.

Thing #18

I opened Open Office on my home computer and it seemed to work fine. The biggest advantage I think to these online free tools is that they are free! You didn't have to buy a program and download it to your computer. Personally, either one is great to use, whether you are using a program downloaded to your computer or using the free program. I used Google Docs and it was very easy to use, I downloaded a document I already had on my desktop. I changed it up and it was easy. Another advantage of the free online programs is that you can access it from any computer..that makes it compatible to where ever you are. I do love my microsoft office on my computer, it is also very easy to use and access.

Thing #17

http://rollyo.com/search.html?q=dinosaurs&sid=559803
I created a rollyo for dinosaurs. It was very easy to do and I can definetley see what a great use it would be. The video that BGoodner did was an awesome explanation of how to use rollyo. What a great tool!

Thing #16

I added my thoughts on the sandbox of sbisd library future wiki. I had no problem using it. I really liked the YOUtube video on wikis that was presented in plain english and very easy to understand. I could see where I could use wiki in my classroom to communicate with parents on organizing our different fun activites we do in Kindergarten, ie: our thanksgiving feast, field day, rodeo day, storybook parade. I could use it along the same lines as the example of the camping trip.

Thing #15

Library 2.0??? Well, I have definetly seen a change in the role of the library in the past few years. Because the needs of our students change year after year, our role as teachers change also, and what is expected of us. As teachers we are constantly learning new ways to help children be successful, life long learners. Therefore, it is not a surprise that the role of a librarian, and library are changing also. In this age of computers and information at our fingertips, it is important that our libraries and librarians have knowledge on helping its users access this. I liked the perspective..To a Temporary Place In Time...It mentions that our libraries are just not books and card catalogs like we once knew them, but they are centers, or communities in which we go to learn and find information that we need. I like that the author says that libraries are participatory--they provide global access to books, catalogs, etc. I also like that she said, Library 1.0-the libraries we grew up with, then Library 2.0, then 3.0, then 4.0, they do not each replace the other, but are absorbed into each other. As information becomes more accessible we will need those who are able to guide us to the info we are seeking. Library 2.0 means that our libraries are going to be not only equipped with books but computers that allow us to search the web for research, photos, etc. The librarian will be the one to help the students find different programs and sites to create their research and their projects. She will be the "tour guide" so to speak. She should be aware of the different programs that can be used to learn information and to organize it. I think it is very exciting. I liked the YOUtube video on the vision of our students today. It was so real and so very interesting. As much as adults do not want to admit it, our children do spend many hours on the web, whether it is myspace, facebook, flickr, youtube, etc. WE spend hours on the web searching for things, and finding info. ( I can not tell you the last time I looked up a phone number or address in the phone book.) In the age of cellphones, PDA's, laptops, etc....we have information right there with us all the time, we can make connections, we can organize, we can research, at any time. School libraries are not going to be the place where you go to check out books anymore...they are media centers, equipped with computers that are linked to the internet. They are places where students will go not only to study but also to research information they need and will be able to have a librarian there to "guide" them to the correct places to find their information or the different ways to organize and present their information. To me it seems very exciting!

Thing #14

I really like Technorati and Delicious--sites. I like Technorati and can definetley see using it to find blogs about different information, and not just blogs...videos, pictures, websites, etc. What an awesome site!! I really like Delicious. I am able to load my bookmarks and be able to access them from any computer. It is also fun tagging new sites and love the Delicious toolbar. I claimed my blog site, and also added a technorati widget to my blog-pinging-that was so easy to do. Tagging at first seemed so overwhelming and just too much. I am getting the hang of it with practice and playing around. We always say information is at our fingertips with the internet, with tagging, you just put in a word and find sites with the info you need. That is just amazing to me. I have been playing around adding different tags to my bookmarks. I like the idea that you can add as many tags as you want to describe the site.

khjpcizg3x

Thing # 13

Wow...the possiblities with tagging, Delicious, and all the other social bookmarking websites. It is so overwhelming. There is SOO much to explore I could be on the computer for days, while I should be doing SO many other things. It is lots much fun and there is all kinds of information out there. I do like how I was easily able to import my bookmarks and tag them. I like being apart of the Delicious site. The bookmarks are right there for me to use and I am able to find them easily. I can see where librarians and teachers can easily share their favorite bookmarks with their students. For example if a student is reseraching a topic, they could look for info on this bookmarking site. This would have been great to have had during HS and college.. how easy it is to find information on things we had to research. My children are going to have it so much easier, when looking for information for research papers and projects.