Inservice Table 2 Exercise-Audio Manipulation

I really enjoyed Incompetech. My only complaint was the length of time that it took to load. When I could finally open it, I was amazed at the amount of free music files that could be downloaded. I can think of all sorts of uses for this. I ran out of time and did not get a chance to link to my blog, but I will try that later.

Table 4-Exercise-MovieMaker

I had fun with this one. Here is my effort:

Inservice Exercise 3-Posting a PhotoStory

Note to self: If posting PhotoStories on Blog make them short. After waiting about two hours for my first attempt to load, I got smart. Here is the new, revised PhotoStory.

My Magazine Cover-Table 1

Here is my image generator attempt. A picture of Matthew Brady from Discovery Education created on the MyMagPic web site.

Thing 23---My Thoughts on 23 Things

The end of 23 Things. I have mixed emotions about this, so I will
go straight to the required questions:

1. I enjoyed discovering Picassa, Google Docs (especially the Power
Point like program) and Google Reader. These are all programs
that I never would have found or tried had I not participated in
this program.
2. This program has assisted me in my lifelong learning goals by
challenging me to get out there and see what is new. It has also shown me that I can still learn new tricks.
3. I think the Blogging experience was the most unexpected outcome that surprised me. I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I also did not expect to impress my family as much as I did after they read my Blogs. I think that they now see me in a different light---maybe a little cooler than previously.
4. I can't think of any way to improve this program----unless we got more hours for participating. I found that I spent much more than 18 hours completing all of the requirements.
5. If another program like this were to be offered in the future I would definitely participate.
6. How would I describe this program in one word or one sentence? Hmmmm.....I think the above cartoon says it all.
7. Now that I am finished....whew!!!....I feel that I am now qualified to comment on my fellow player's blogs. Watch out Tech Goddess........

Thing 22-Nings

Nings! Nings! Nings are wonderful things! I certainly enjoyed visiting them and seeing th.e pictures of the other members. I really enjoyed the Cat in the Hat video that was created to celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday. I can see that Nings could be very helpful in sharing ideas and creations (like the Cat in the Hat video). It's kind of like a WIKI with pictures---a PIKI? Anyway, I can see they are not only fun, but useful in the exchange of ideas. I now know why my kids are hooked on Facebook.

Thing 21-Podcasts

Finally! Something I can do! After Thing 20's embedded video fiasco I am actually looking forward to Photostory. I have created a number of Photostories over the past year. I have used them to create memory dvd's of birthday parties and vacations---and to create lessons. I love Photostory. Be warned, though, that once you start using it you won't be able to stop. It is yet one more program on my computer that I can only do when I have lots of time to play with it. It is addictive! Here is my Photostory presentation that I created for Constitution Week. I showed it on the morning announcements. I will probably create something else this year. Okay!!! I give up! I have successfully embedded my Photostory, but now it says that it is currently unavailable. Maybe it will work for you. I will keep my fingers crossed.......

Thing 20-YouTube, TeacherTube and Zamzar

YouTube and TeacherTube were not new to me. I have explored them before---YouTube at home since the district blocks it. I love them both. I can waste a lot of time exploring both of these sites, so I try to only visit when I have a specific topic or lots of time to spare. I found several videos that I could use in my teaching. Okay, embedding the video proved to be alot more work than I had expected. I finally managed with a sample video, but not with the TeacherTube video that I had wanted or with the video that I sent to Zamzar. I will work on that some more. In the meantime, I just linked the TeacherTube video. Enjoy........


http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=c44114c473a74b8bdf36

Thing 19-Web 2.0 Awards List

And the winner is......Microsoft Live Search Maps! I like the way categories can be searched----schools, stores, malls for example and the websites of these different locations can also be accessed. How easy is that? There are different ways to view the areas also. I could see using this with students in map studies. I also checked out the "Collaborative Writing and Word Processing" category and was pleased to see "Google Docs and Spreadsheets" won 1st place among other voters. This was my favorite also when I visited it in an earlier exercise. I also played with Comigs, a site that lets you create and share comics. I'm not quite sure just how I could use this in the school setting---yet. Give me some time and I'm sure that I can think of a way. In the mean time, I sure had fun playing with it.

Thing 18-Online Productivity Tools

Well, I tried them both, but I have to admit that I had more luck with Google Docs. I created a presentation in Google Docs. I was very impressed with the ease of adding videos to the presentation---something that was always challenging with Power Point. I also like the that way that Google Reader and other Google programs can be accessed from the Google Docs page.

Thing 17-Rollyo

Okay. I tried this, but can't say that I see the benefit. I guess if I had thousands of book marks it might be worthwhile, but since I don't......Maybe I need to talk to someone about this, but it seems like it's similar to Google Reader---which I understand. This is one of the "Things" that I will revisit when I have more time and patience.

Thing 16-WIKIS

I like WIKIS! I didn't think that I would when I started this "thing". I like the idea of so much input. I can really see some valuable uses for WIKIS since individual schedules are so hard to coordinate. A meeting could be replaced by a WIKI. That's a win-win. Hummm...a Win-Win WIKI. Another unexpected upside of WIKIS occurred when I informed my techno-saavy teenage son that I was working on WIKIS and he said "what's that". Woo-hoo! Score one for the mom. Thanks 23 Things.

Thing 15-Library 2.0

In my opinion, Library 2.0 is the current direction that libraries should be taking. We just need to realize that today is a time of constant evolution, so we shouldn't get too comfortable. Tomorrow will bring new resources and learning challenges. I think that the most challenging part is the ever changing role of the library and the librarian. Librarians can no longer rest on past learning, we must be constantly educating ourselves in order to educate our patrons. Over the years some have forecast the end of libraries as we know them. I think that belief is both true and false. There will always be a need for libraries to provide good easy and fiction books for readers. Contrary to what some will argue, there will always be a segment of the population that just loves the feel and smell of a book and will refuse to curl up with a good computer. As for the reference section of a library----much of that will need to go. It is impossible to supply in a library the information that is available on the web. Our job as librarians is instruction on accessing this information and learning to differentiate between good solid information and the unfortunate junk that is also available on the web.

Thing 14-Technorati and How Tags Work

Okay, I took a look at Technorati. I watched the video. I explored the popular blogs listed on Technorati. Did I find anything that interested me? NO!!! I understand Tagging. It is not unlike keyword searches---but with the fun of making up your own keywords instead of the letting the Library of Congress do it for you. I like that part. Probably if I had more time to do tagging and reading I would have found some interesting blogs. I found Technorati's list of the most popular blogs, though, to be a total waste of time. Maybe it's a generational thing. I'm not giving up on Technorati---I'll just revisit it when I'm in a better mood.

Thing 13-del.icio.us

I really like del.icio.us! I like the possibility of sharing websites with others. I can see alot of possiblities here....sharing relevant sites with teachers. How easy is that! I can also see that I have some work to do. I need to go through all my "favorites" and save them in del.icio.us. I will say that thanks to my new district issued laptop, the necessity of being able to access my bookmarks from any computer is not as necessary as it once was.

Thing 12-Commenting

Two points of interest in commenting on blogs:
1. Be open ended and ask questions. I hadn't thought about this, but it makes sense. If you don't want your blog to turn into a diary, then invite conversation.
2. Interact with comments left. I can see how easy it is to read the comments and respond only to yourself---not a good way to run an interactive blog. As was mentioned in the assigned blogs, once you interact with your commenters you get to know them and create a community. Hmmm....very interesting.
Now for the blogs on non Learn2Players......
I liked Mike Falik's blog which cites Jay Mathew's article "Hit the Books". This article argues that elementary aged school childred should have no other homework than 30-60 minutes of reading each night. I like that!
I also liked Library TWEeter's "The Good, the bad and the library". A very brief, but oh so true look at the very popular books of the elementary school library----where there are always twenty five inquiries about the only two copies you own.

Thing 11-LibraryThing

I created a LibraryThing account tonight---very easy as promised. I also added five titles to my list. I have posted two of my books here. I could have added hundreds more if I had more time---I will save that for later. I can think of many ways that I could use this. I am always reading, looking for books to read or being asked to recommend books. This is a great site for book recommendations. I also like the local happening feature. I have already checked that out that see what will be going on around Houston in the next few days. Thanks so much for making LibraryThing part of this game.

Thing 10

The assignment was to have fun playing with image generators. Boy, did I have fun! The family did have to remind me that dinner had not yet been fixed. I would probably still be playing if not for familial hunger pains. I enjoyed all the sites! Here are some of my efforts. I used comic strip generator. I could see using these sites in many ways---in particular I could see using these sites in the use of book plates. They would certainly be far more interesting than the ones I make now.

Thing 9-RSS Blog and News Feeds

Now my thoughts on blog and news feeds.
I liked both Bloglines and Technorati. Both seem to bring up articles that interested me with no steep learning curve on how to use them. Since it is 11:00 PM, easy to use is important.
Most confusing---for me it was Syndic8.com. It just looked confusing. Some useful feeds that I discovered included: Librarians Internet Index and both the New York Times and Washington Post Book Reviews. I can't say that I found other tools to locate news feeds (again, it is 11:00 PM. My brain shuts down at 10:00 PM). I will say that I have found more news feeds in the two above mentioned sites than I will ever be able to read and absorb.

Thing 8-RSS

I found this exercise to be very interesting...but frustrating at the same time. I find it frustrating because it points out how much information is out there and how little time I usually have to read it. I could definitely see using this in my personal life, however I am still mulling how I could use this in my library. Perhaps it would be more useful in the middle school or high school setting rather than my elementary school. Still, I'm glad to know that it is available and I have set up my Google Reader account with my favorite feeds. I think that a daily dose of BBC will be very good for me.

Thing 7-Picasa Slide Show

Thing 7

 

Today was Google Day!!! I had no idea that so much was available from Google. I especially enjoyed exploring Google Scholar---especially the book section. I can think of many ways that I could put that to good use. I also enjoyed exploring Picasa. I have created a collage that I am trying to embed in this blog. I can definitely see uses for this. Not only in instruction, but also I could see using this in my library web page. If I succeed, I hope you enjoy.

Thing #6

Tonight was Mashup night. Very interesting and very easy to lose all track of time. I especially liked the motivational poster maker on FD Toys. Using my own photographic handiwork I created my own motivational poster and trading card. Here is my motivational poster effort. Hope it motivates.....something.....

Thing 5 Reflections

This afternoon I visited flickr for the first time. Wow!!! What fun! I downloaded nine examples of my own photographic attempts---all available for public viewing for anyone who might be interested. Sample search tags for the mc2 collection include: Frogs, Wildflowers, Birds (look for the Blue Heron) and Gates. You get the idea---they're all very predictable shots from an aging hippie. Here is one of my favorites from the flickr creative commons site.

Thing 3 in Twenty Three Things

As can be seen, I have successfully created a blog and an avatar! Woohoo!!!
I created both with ease and have consequently gained points on the "coolness scale" with my teenage children.

It's All Relative......

After watching the short video presentation concerning the 71/2 habits of highly effective learners, I have decided that I am a life long learner....with conditions. At my advancing age, I do not want to waste valuable mental storage space with unnecessary or unwanted junk. I am already discovering important information that has been crowded out by trivial stuff, so I am going to be much more selective in what I store in the old metaphorical attic. The easiest habit for me is #1---beginning with the end in mind. Envisioning the end product is not hard for dreamers. The hardest habit is #3---viewing problems as challenges rather than stop signs. I have a tendency to hit a speed bump and stop rather than slow down and continue. All of this leads to habit #4---having confidence in yourself as a competent and effective learner. In my opinion, this is the most important habit of all. Confidence makes all the other habits possible. Now, where can I buy confidence?