Back....

Ahhh- Sumer is here at last. I'm thinking I should revisit the 23 things because I've already forgotten a lot.
I enjoyed the Children's Literature Workshop over the last couple days. It was a good time to get excited about the new books and gather some creative ideas to freshen up presentations.

And then....

I was missing the blog-
Since the last post, we've had a book fair and an author in our media center. I haven't done too much online, but I've thought about it. For instance, I would like to give parents access to the pictures I took of their kids with the author. Which tools would accomplish this without stepping on the privacy of the author or students? Or do I need to worry about this as long as I don't identify them?

Thing 23--Time to Celebrate!

As I looked at the blog prompts for thing 23, I decided I needed to look back at my earlier blog entries. I'd forgotten just how frustrated I was at the beginning of the process. I was anxious to learn some new things, but I was a bit afraid I'd never get to "Thing 23" before April 15. As a result, I introduced myself to several of the tools, but gave up on getting them to work. The countdown for example has never worked. I was encouraged to read other blogs and find out that things didn't always work for others either. And then we discovered that one of our computers does have issues...this is the technology we know and "love".
"23 Things" has defined Library 2.0 for me. I was unaware of some of the tools it contains and I'm very aware that we haven't looked at all of them. The Internet is overwhelming and the challenge is to be aware of what kinds of things to look for and then select things that are appropriate tools and concentrate on them. However as a media person, we need to be familiar with what comes along that would be helpful for our patrons as well.
Favorite things? iGoogle and the RSS reader have been useful, but as I look back through the list of things, I see several other things that I'd like to go back and explore. (Now I won't have to worry about making a deadline.)
I did connect with a couple media people-- but honestly, I made more connections with family at this point. It was a good thing.
This was a wonderful program for me. The links were very informative and sometimes entertaining. I wasn't real sure who to contact or how to contact someone with questions I had. But given the number of people signed on for "23 things" I thought the comments left for me & the emails were good.
I would be very interested in participating in another program like this if it is offered. Trying to learn these things without the links and suggestions would be very frustrating & time consuming.
So--A Big Thank You to those who sponsored and set up "23 Things". It was and is a valuable experience that I look forward to sharing with my fellow staff members.

Thing 22--What Did I Learn?

I am pleased to have been a part of this program. I feel that I have learned a lot. I am not comfortable enough with these tools to teach them to others and I will probably go back through some of the Things to review and explore their other features.
When the link was posted for the "Finishers' Blogs, I found them very interesting. However, I decided that I needed to finish my own before I spent much time looking at those blogs. Now, by way of review, I plan to visit some more of those blogs. It was obvious to me that these people have had more experience on these tools and I will learn much from them.

Now, as to the 5 things that we were supposed to learn--

• Sorry, I think it takes quite a bit of time to figure these things out. It is worth the time, but be honest, it does take time. I'm sure that it will take less time when you've learned more, but it does take time.
• I was able to figure out most of what I think I was supposed to do. The links provided were very helpful and I think the program deserves much of the credit for my success.
• I did enjoy most of these activities and was surprised that I did. I've had a lot of fun with nieces & nephews on Face book. They made me feel welcome in what I felt was their arena.
• We do need to be informed about the tools that are now changing our world. My husband brought a charango back from Bolivia a couple weeks ago. I asked him what it sounded like when played in Bolivia. It only took a couple minutes to find some amazing examples on YouTube. I wouldn't have thought to look there a month ago.
• Supporting each other is especially important in the media field because many of us are in our school district by ourselves. Unlike English or math teachers who can consult someone else down the hall, we usually need to get ideas from others at a distance. Learning to use these tools more efficiently could greatly help in this area.

Having already added several things to my RSS aggregator, I wonder if adding many more will defeat the purpose, giving me more to look at than I could ever hope to read. I think it would be a good plan to spend some time with these sites before adding them.

Thing 21- Beyond MySpace

I read the articles. Gather seems like a time consuming way to learn of new authors. I didn't find it too attractive. Goodreads, that I visited later seemed to have information in an easier to use format.
Again, becoming an interactive library is a worthy goal, but it seems like a daunting task given the other activities that seem to be demanding our time. I'm not sure what you'd give up on to accomplish this goal.
I joined the "23 Things on a Stick Ning" at the beginning of this project and have added comments to the wall for a couple of the people I recognize from MEMO activities. I also added the badge to my blog.
Finally, I joined the WebJunction. The online classes are something I may come back to explore.
Some of the other networks I checked out were interesting. I was most interested in the 43 Things. I didn't join at this point, but I like the concept.
The Wikipedia list of social networks would seem to be a very helpful item to use when exploring the concept of social networking.

Thing 20--Libraries & Social Networks

I registered for Facebook and added some friends. I knew one other person participating in "23 Things". I relied on the good humor of my nieces and nephews to bring my friends list up after that. It was interesting to see how linking the friends list from one of the kids took me the next one... I did feel like I was intruding a bit. I was also uncomfortable writing my own profile, not knowing who would eventually read it and not feeling that there is much of interest to write.
I joined Librarians & Facebook & the Library 2.0 groups. I was pretty sure that I would be interested in the discussions of these groups.
I visited MySpace and thought the content seemed less controlled. I did think the feature for finding friends was more helpful than on Facebook. Being able to search for people with certain criteria would be helpful if you actually wanted to make contact with people of the same age, interests and geographical location.
I visited the 2 library MySpace sites and didn't see the attraction. Some of the information seemed dated (activities from last October). Setting up a website or any other communication is one thing. Keeping the site updated and fresh is a time consuming challenge. I wonder if having a site that isn't maintained is worse than not having one at all.
Although I don't see an immediate use for these in my library, I think it is valuable to explore these social networks and understand a bit of what is going on in technology.

As a postscript, I have enjoyed reading the blogs of those who have finished the task. It is good to see some examples of how various features can dress up the presentation.

Thing 19-- Podcasts

I have used podcasts from NPR before. TeachingBooks.net has linked me to author interviews that I have enjoyed in the past. I also have some NPR favorites that I enjoyed finding and listening to again.
The gem discovery in "Thing 19" was the Educational Podcast Directory and more specifically http://www.mpsomaha.org/willow/radio/shows/Willowcast29.html. This is the site of a very well done project about volcanoes. It is definitely something to show my fellow staff members. What an interesting way for students to showcase their research.
Adding a podcast site to the RSS was a simple process. I have actually set up folders in my RSS account at this point.

Thing 18--- YouTube and other online video

These were quite fun to watch. Conan the librarian, etc. shows the creative side of people for sure.
I was interested to find a 40 minute piece on the chaos in Kenya. I have a friend who is presently living Kenya and just emailed this past week to say that things have been tense (understatement). It was amazing timing to stumble on that particular video.
A fellow staff member emailed us about http://teachertube.com/ and I checked that out as well. That is where I picked up the 'water cycle' video that I chose to add to my blog. That piece caught my eye because I recently helped a staff member find information on that for the unit in her classroom and thought this may be something else to add interest. I also came across a class doing times tables to music. Many of the clips on this site could be easily used in the classroom. Of course, there are clips that make me think I could compete in this ----

Thing 17--Part 4 & summary

I set up the NetLibrary account & explored as directed. I didn't find this part too exciting or helpful.
As I finish Thing 17, I find the ELM products are full of potential. I agree with comments I read in another blog-- We really need to update our skills in the ELM tools on a regular basis because they have changed a great deal. I find that keeping up-to-date is a huge challenge and keeping my fellow staff members informed is a worthy goal, but it seems impossible. Although I remind staff members to use the ELM tools in connection with particular projects they are working on, I obviously miss a lot of staff members who could possibly use these sources more often.

Thing 17-ELM part 3

The ProQuest site seemed very easy to use. I found the articles on social networking, which were interesting. Refining the search was no problem. I marked a couple articles and emailed them to myself. A message showed that the email was sent, but 2 hours later I don't see the articles in my email???? Am I jinxed or what?

Thing 17 ELM Production Tools--Part 2

I set up the account in Academic Search Premier. I found it fairly easy to use the web page composer, add things to my folder and save it to my desktop. I did a search on the Mpls. bridge collapse and collected various images and information.
The web page examples caught my attention. I can see how these would be helpful in the school setting. I don't have a specific project in mind right now, but I could see coming back to this at some point and creating an assignment using these tools.
I also viewed an EBSCO tutorial for setting up the folders and found it pretty easy to follow.

Thing 17--ELM Productivity Tools Part 1

I use ELM tools at school. We use the Infotrac index the most. The students have appreciated the email feature.
I tried adding the "youth smoking" search to the RSS--I took it to the reader and got as far as copying the site address and received an"oops..try again later." message. I tried using a different search and was not even able to get that far. I waited & tried again later-- still no luck. I think it would be a great service, but it isn't working for me.
So I tried the challenge. I was able to find the site taking me to NPR. The screen said I should be listening to NPR, but once again I had no luck. Since I have listened to other NPR broadcasts with the computer, I don't think its the computer. I am not on mute....... Again, it is a great feature if/when it would work.

Thing 16 Student 2.0 Tools

I remember seeing these tools before and sharing the sites with the teachers in the English Department. I think the calculator has been updated since I saw it last. There seems to be more helpful hints and information for each step of the progress. The email reminders for each step of the process is a nice feature.
This could also be helpful for presentations that I've done for groups to promote reading with preschool children, etc.

Thing 15--Online games & libraries

I tried out the Puzzle Pirates. I'm not sure I understand the scoring, bartering, etc. I did try bilging, carpentry and learning to sail. I can see how you could get hooked, but it would take awhile to get all the finer points of the game figured out--which is obviously the goal. However, I don't think I'll spend much more time on this.
I looked at some of the links about second life. I don't understand the attraction or use of this. I guess it must be enjoyable for some when the teenagers on the podcast talked about being on the island for 6 to12 hours/day.
The "Eight Myths about video games" did not convince me that immersion in the violent games does not have an undesired effect.

Thing 14--LibraryThing

This is another interesting tool. I will recommend this to students who need to find that book "kinda like....", and especially to those who have read almost everything and need suggestions from someone new.
LibraryThing would also be a helpful resource for HS book clubs, or book clubs in general.
Setting up the account was very easy--using it took a bit longer. It is interesting to read the reviews and discussions about books I've read. I was surprised that one of my favorites, "Mrs. Mike", was still on the list for others. I assumed it was a forgotten classic.
(I'm still waiting for the 'thing' that only takes 15 minutes)

Thing 13/ Calendars/Lists/etc.

I set up a Google calendar and spent some time exploring the different views and features. As with any calendar system, I think it would take time to get into the habit of using it in a valuable way. It is great to include it in the iGoogle start page. By the way, I do like the iGoogle start page. I haven't yet set it for my home page because I use the school's interface a lot, but the temptation is there.
I set up Remember the Milk and added that to the iGoogle start page as well.
I looked at MSN, KiKo & Backpack tours. The Backpack video was impressive, but I think it is geared more toward the business traveler. Basically, all of these have more bells & whistles than I would use.

Thing 13-- Online production tools

I really enjoyed the iGoogle home page. I'm finding that to be a handy starting point to access things. The local weather, movies, etc. all so easy to find. I set up tabs for news & cooking as examples of what was available. It is another tool to share with staff members.
Now the countdown generater is another story. As you can see, my countdown is pretty dead. I tried another one as was noted in someone else's blog. I didn't get that one to work either :(

Thing 12--Social media sites

Interesting. Once again, I could get lost in all the information. I found the tour or tutorial for Mixx to be the most helpful of the introductions to the sites. Once I was in, I liked Newsvine. The articles that are popular seem to be less news and more entertainment.
I did try to register for Newsvine and tried to post an article from USA Today. I wasn't successful. I'm wondering if there is lag time between registering and being on the system. I'll try it again later.

Thing 11-- Tagging/Del.icio.us

Putting labels in the blog could be very helpful to locate information and it seems so easy. Obviously, it would be better to assign the labels as you go. I labeled a couple of my blog entries and will try to label the next few as I go.
The Del.icio.us tutorial was informative. I can see this as being helpful because I work at several different computers during the course of a day and having the same bookmarks available will be handy.
Although I can see how the tags can help when doing research, I currently see it as information overload. It is good to know about it, and when the need arises, I hope I remember to use it.
http://pagekeeper.teachingmatters.org/home is a site I'd like to come back and explore further.

Thing 10--Wikis

1) The Common Craft videos are nice a way to be introduced to the new areas. I'm not sure I understand the 'links' thing yet, but I am very much aware that this is an introductory program. Unless you have a lot of prior knowledge, you could be exploring just one of these tools until April 15th instead of completing the list.
2) The library uses of a wiki were interesting. It may be a way of using some of the library's patrons to promote books and programs. I wonder how elementary students, say at 5th & 6th grade level, would do with a wiki of favorite books.
I enjoyed browsing through the MN150 site. That is a site the 6th grade should see as they study Minnesota.
3) I had fun messing with the list of "messed up classics". I decided "Oranges of Anger" had a better ring to it. I looked at the sandbox as well. What are the implications of having your IP address recorded in these wikis?

Thing 9-Collaboration Tools

It was probably a good thing that the Declaration wasn't edited by quite so many of us-but it was silly fun.
Last spring, I was unsuccessfully introduced to Google docs. I didn't find the document that was shared with me for editing. Then the fellow staff member moved out of the district and I forgot about it. The document was there to my surprise. Now I think I've got it.
I did download a random word document of my own and sent it to my sister and husband to see if they could access it and edit. It worked with my husband's email account, but my sister was not able to access it. The link that showed up in her email took her to the Google docs, but she wasn't able to access the document in my account.
Zoho is still a mystery. I guess I'd have to say that it wasn't user friendly for this user.

Thing 8

First, I was impressed with the Web 2.0 Tools in Your Classroom by Mark Woolley. A nice overview.
I also enjoyed Slideshare. I found a few presentations that I think would be helpful to staff members in their present curriculum. I'm looking forward to sharing this site with them.
While eFolio and Lazybase are interesting, I start to feel that I could have bits of myself splattered all over the web. I am wondering how many of these sites I want to be registered for and how do you keep track of logins.
Picture Trail was quite fun. It seems user friendly, especially when it came to posting it to the blog. If we had more access to digital cameras at school, I'm sure students would enjoy presenting projects in this mode.

Thing 7--3&4 and things in general

I feel like the kindergarten kid the first time he/she looks around a whole library of books and is overwhelmed by how to make that first choice. Each of these things could occupy a lot of time if you fully explore them.
The possibilities of text messaging explored in the video seems "out there" for the school setting. That is especially true since we discourage the use of cell phones/text messaging in schools due to the distinct possibility that you can text all the answers someone needs in a testing situation. It is an interesting concept.
I have not taken part in a live web cast because it seems awkward to do so during the school day. I realize that if I make it a priority, I can possibly arrange for someone to cover for me...
I have viewed the archived web casts on Reading Rockets and have found them to be very informative. I also watched the Minetex Webinar on the ELM overview and am thinking it would be a great tool for an afterschool staff development activity called "Technology Tidbits".
OPAL also looks interesting and I noticed that more of those opportunities are in the evening--I plan to come back to this one.
Finally, I have found myself going back to the RSS account -- This is the problem with 23 things. You never quite finish with the previous things and as we keep adding, I'm afraid I could spend my whole day with the computer. Somehow, once again, balance is the tricky part of technology.

Thing 7-2

Now I read the LJ article. IM does sound like a great tool, but it seems to apply more to the Public Libraries than to the school setting since we don't have staffing after hours.

Thing 7 -- email/IM

Email is finally a tool that I'm quite comfortable using. I have had the need for using the folders, attachments, groups, etc. We use it in our district a lot and it certainly speeds up the process of communicating with staff quickly without running down the hall or up 3 flights of stairs. How did we live without it.
IM is something I've known about. I've watched people use it, but have never had a particular interest. Strangely, we have a nephew who uses this as his only connection to the world, so we set up an account in Windows Live Messenger just a couple weeks ago. This morning I decided to try it out and had a 'conversation' with my brother-in-law. I was amazed to look at the clock & find out I'd been online for almost an hour. I'm not sure this would be a time effective way to help our patrons, but I can see how it could work and it doesn't seem to be difficult.
I'm guessing that I'll probably add some more to our group and play with this some more. As I become better at using it, I may think of more ways it could work in the library/media setting.

Thing Six

These images were not too difficult to put together.
Students could create trading cards to demonstrate what they have learned about a specific animal, country , etc. or they could use it to promote their favorite book.
I enjoyed seeing what some others have done with the generators on their blogs. I miss the classroom setting where I could find out how they did these things. Discovering these things on my own by trial & error (mostly error) is a bit frustrating for me.

Thing 5

Ok, so "I'm not smarter than a 5th grader". I've spent way too much time on Flickr and have not experienced too much success. Needless to say, I don't think I'll be using this any time soon. I thought I had at least figured out the Spell with Flickr, but uploading it to the blog didn't work for me. I'm probably missing something simple, but I am moving on to 6.

Thing 4 B--Love to Read Month

IMGP0713,
originally uploaded by marie.rauenhorst.

In addition to "Things", I've been sponsoring activities each week for I -Love-To-Read Month. One of the things we're trying is "Reading Bingo". The students were given a Bingo card with author's names on the squares. When they have read a book by an author, they can mark the square. The students have been pretty enthusiastic about the activity. The small hearts on the display indicate students who have a BINGO.

Thing four?

La Paz, Bolivia by NYGUS I am finding this thing a challenge.. There are some very interesting images on Flickr for sure. I selected this one because my husband is headed there tomorrow, but getting the image in the post, adding tags, etc.????? I may try the "B" option to see if I have much more luck. If I spend as much time on other things, I won't finish thing 23.

Thing Three: RSS

Once again, I'm in new territory. The information we were linked to was helpful. The Common Craft video was entertaining.
I didn't have much trouble getting into Google Reader or adding some of the blogs from "23...", but adding the link to the Reading Rocket site was a bit confusing. It looked as though I had it, but I didn't. It is there now, but I'm not sure why.
Should we have this directly linked to our blog? I'm not sure I've completed the task.
I can see that RSS would be helpful in everyday work--especially if you are trying to augment a particular part of your curriculum and had the correct terms entered. As with most reference tools, it will be more useful after I've practiced using it.
I have also found that the school system blocks access to most blogs, etc.

Thing Two: What & Why

I visited the blogs and articles we were sent to. The Stephen Abram video did not play very well for me, but I think I heard the message.
As people in the media profession, we need to know about these technology tools and as we learn about them, we will hopefully use them to better serve our patrons. This is why I'm participating in "23 Things on a Stick". At this time, I have to admit that I don't enjoy this method of communicating. I am at the point of trying to update my webpage for the school website and find that time consuming and challenging. I hope that as I force myself to spend more time at this, I will learn it better, be more comfortable with it and finally enjoy it as some of you obviously do.

Thing One: Making it to the starting line...

Here we are with "Thing 1". I'm posting my first blog and have a lot to learn about the process, but it is exciting to have a new technology experience.
I have enjoyed reading the blogs others have posted, especially those posted by people I have met at MEMO or through work.
Although the examples that were given in the tutorials for using blogs in library/media promotions were intriguing, I think I will need practice before I'm comfortable with the format.