Thing #23

Whew! What a journey! 23 things in 4 weeks - not real easy! Especially with 3 classes worth of work to do in those 4 weeks as well. Some of my favorite discoveries were photostory, flickr, teacher tube, and Web 2.0 Awards list. I feel I have grown in my technology skills. I didn't even know how to do a hyperlink before this experience and now I feel like an expert! Well, an expert on that one tiny little skill anyway!
This program has increased my confidence in using technology and that will in turn affect how I teach. It has helped me build skills I will need to have as a "Librarian 2.0" and what I will need to know to help my school.
I'm actually thinking about creating a blog for my classroom, which surprises me because I never would have considered it before all this practice with this one. Everything withing this 23 Things program was fairly easy to follow and learn - even for someone who is intimidated by technology like I am. The only thing I would have done differently is to have longer to explore, which was not possible with a 4 week course and 3 grad school classes worth of work. But, now I got a taste of the things out there and I know which ones I want to revisit and use in the future.
I guess to sum it all up, it was a great learning experience. It was also really great to practice some basic computer/blogging skills. I definitely feel better about my technology expertise now. Well "expertise" might be stretching it a bit...

Thing #22

I glanced at all the Nings listed, but really spent some time with Teacher Lingo. I am currently a teacher and not in a library yet, so I thought I'd find some things of interest there. Teacher lingo had lesson ideas, teacher blogs, message boards, and you could add your own blog. The message boards are good because you can discuss issues going on in your own grade level with people who are teaching the same. Maybe they have been through a similar experience and can offer advice. You can also click on "find teachers" at the top of the site and narrow down the list of blogs to find the type of blog that you are looking for.
When I become a librarian, I can share this networking site with the teachers on my campus. It could be presented quick in a faculty meeting if your principal gives you a few minutes to share something.

Thing #21

Photostory - LOVE IT!!! I will definitely be spending more time in the future with this tool! I created a video using my nieces and nephews and the rest of our family and our annual Christmas Cookie Decorating Tradition! I want to learn more about it! Although it was pretty easy using it this first time. I can definitely see myself using this tool in the classroom. I can make quick, easy photostories each time we have a class party, for the science fair, and for our annual Camp Write Along. This was so easy to use - I can't say that enough!

Thing #20

Ahhhh...finally...one "thing" I already know about! Youtube is one of my favorites on my computer at home. I often go there to find funny videos for stress relief and a quick laugh! Although, recently, I have actually used it to find educational videos and teacher how-tos. I typed in Hunger Games and got the trailer for the movie coming out about the book. Librarians can use movie trailers to promote books in the library. Of course, you would want to preview it first and it might be blocked in your district.
Teacher Tube is less familiar to me, but I had fun searching through it. I don't think it is blocked by my district and I plan to use it much more in the future. I found a short video on division that would be a great opener for when I begin to teach long division.

Thing #19

Web 2.0 - This has been one of my favorite things to play with during this 23 Things journey. I found many links that took me to some really great sites that I didn't know were out there.

I really liked:

Im Cooked - it gives videos on cooking different recipes, not just the printed recipe.

Live Mocha - a site where you can learn how to speak a foreign language from someone who is native to that language.

Thing #18

I really like Google Docs. I have used it quite a bit recently. One reason it is a good program is that you can share your documents with peers and get their opinion on them. Also, if you are working on something with a group of people, they can all have access to it at the same time, rather than sending it one by one via email. Then, all group members can see what all the other members are adding to the product at the same time. This has been especially helpful in graduate school with group projects.
I can imagine also using Google Docs as I teach editing to my fourth graders. I can inspire my higher level students by teaching them how to use this program and then maybe they will be excited to edit what they write if they get to use a neat program like this one.

Thing #17

Rollyo - I'm not exactly a "high roller", but this was a fairly easy site to use. I created a Rollyo entitled, "Just For Fun" that includes sites I like to go to when I have a minute or two to NOT think about school stuff! I can add others later where I can put educational things, either for other teachers in my network to use or for my students to use.
Here's a link to my Rollyo:
http://rollyo.com/lnalepa/just_for_fun/

Thing #16

I like wikis and the options that the teacher has when creating one. I have used a wiki page in almost every one of my grad school classes and helped to create one for a group project. I have not used them in my classroom. I can't wait to share this idea with my fourth grade team and maybe we can create some sort of grade wide wiki for the kids.

Thing #15

Library 2.0 librarians plan for their users plans. They must make their libraries more accessible and interactive based on their patrons needs. I know from my own experiences that libraries have changed in the last 16 years since the last time I was in college. I used to have to go access the information I needed within the library walls. This time around I can sit in the comfort of my own home and find what I need via the web, which includes the information available to me through the UHCL library website.
This does not just apply to college courses. This needs to happen in elementary and secondary schools as well. I see the effects of Library 2.0 in my own elementary school library. My students have access to databases, websites the school subscribes to, and the collection catalog, all through the library web page. I realize how important it will be in my job as a future librarian to keep up with technology and find out better, more improved ways to meet my patrons needs.

Thing #14

Technorati
I liked the features on Technorati. It seemed easier to me to navigate than some of the other sites I have looked at previously. One thing I liked was the "Top 100 Lists" which lists the top blogs for things like technology, politics, and gadgets. I also typed in "library" while on the site and 878 posts came up. Some involved actual library information and some were about events that happened at libraries.
I also noticed a section called "Hottest Blogging Blog Posts." This is where you could go if you strictly wanted information about blogging and how to improve your blog. You could also click on "list of popular tags" which I found helpful because sometimes what I type in as a tag does not give me the information I am looking for.
I found Technorati to be a very helpful site which I will definitely use in the future!

Thing #13

I checked out Delicious and the other social networking sites. I think these would be great sites to use, particularly in the secondary schools when you want your students to find good information on whatever they are researching. You could already have tags ready and use them each year without having to do all the research again yourself. Then your students could locate what they wanted to from what you have already tagged. Hopefully, then they will explore on their own and find more things related to what they are researching. I can also see how this would be great for networking with other teachers or librarians and sharing information that you have found with your peers.

As a fourth grade teacher, I experimented with the tag "Texas" and found some good links. I could use this in a lesson on the ActivBoard and let my kids click on the tags they wanted to discover. For example, after typing in the tag Texas, I found links to Texas historical markers, Texas weather, and a Texas map. I will need to play around with Delicious a bit more to see where it will fit in with my fourth graders, so I will revisit this site when I am done with pro

Thing #12

Creating Community Through Commenting
After looking through the suggested sites for blogging/commenting, I found the Cool Cat Teacher Blog to be the most helpful to me. For one, it seemed to be written in a more simple way, which I need when it comes to technology. Another reason I like it was because it had tips for how to apply your new skills to teaching.
The first point I really liked was to make sure you are typing meaningful comments. Educational blogs aren't exactly facebook pages and probably need more thought put into commenting. Your comments should show the blog author that you hear them.
Another point on the Cool Cat Teacher blog that I liked was that you should actually teach commenting to your students. They need to know the etiquette and tips on commenting since they are also trying to navigate through this 21st century technology stuff!

Thing #11 - Library Thing

I am no stranger to Library Thing! However, in the past I have only used it to find books and look at the reviews listed for the books. On this visit, I checked out the groups. I found a few interesting ones, like "Librarians Who Library Thing." This one will be good to frequent to keep up with what other librarians are doing or what they think about library issues. I also liked the group YA Lit, as that is something I'm interested in and now that I'm not in YA Lit class, I need to hear about new titles! Another interesting group I found was 1001 Books to Read Before You Die. People in that group have posted lists of books they think you should read - another good resource for finding personal reading suggestions!
I also started a list of my favorite titles, but after adding a few, I realized I could be adding titles all night. So, that will be something I will go back to at a later time, when I have more time!

Thing #10

I played around with Cartoon Generator. What a fun tool! I can see myself really getting lost on this site! And having fun doing it! The kids will really like things created from here.

Thing #9

I looked around at some of the educational blogs. I added Cool Cat Teacher Blog and School Library Journal to my Google Reader. I also added a few of the book reviewers' blogs to my reader. This will make checking those blogs better. I often will not search out blogs to read because in the past it has taken so much time to get to each one. With the Google Reader I can subscribe to my favorites and just click on the ones I want to read. This tool will help me keep up with what's going on in the educational world and allow me easy, quick access to new book reviews.

Thing #8

RSS feeds and readers make it very simple to combine all of your favorite information into one place. Instead of having to search all over the internet to go to your favorite sites for news and blogs, all of that information can be located within one reader. I chose to set up a Google Reader account. It is so much easier to simply go there, rather than scroll down my favorites list to find things. My favorites tab was getting really long! I have been able to clean that up and get some of the news sites and blog sites off of there and put them on my reader for easier access. I have always seen notes at the bottom of blogs, saying "subscribe to this blog," and I did not know what that meant. Using the Google Reader will be very beneficial.

Thing #7 - All Things Google

I wasn't aware of all the things that Google has to offer! I have recently used Google Advanced Search and realize how helpful this tool will be - not only now as a grad school student, but as a teacher. When I need to find something specific and presented in a specific way, I can use Google Advanced Search to narrow down what is out there.
I also love, love, love Google Earth!! I play around with it at home - looking up my own address and places I have been and places I'd like to go! At school, I use this to show my students where in the world things are. They get to take a virtual trip and see where things are in relation to where they live. Great tool!

Thing #6

I have been playing around with the mashups and 3rd party sites for a few days now. This will definitely be something that I will need to practice more! This afternoon, I have been looking at the mosaics website and trying to create something through that one. I will probably go back to school in the fall and ask our fabulous computer lab teacher all about these sites and if he knows any tricks to making it easier for the students to use. The mosaic maker would be a great thing for the kids to create supporting something in the curriculum or just on their own using Flickr photos they like.

Thing #5

I enjoyed looking through Flickr. There are so many things in this site that I can add and use in my blog, lessons, power points, etc. I teach fourth grade and these pictures will be great when researching things about Texas or science topics such as animals and their habitats.

Thing # 4

I have now registered my blog - I think! I am still trying to figure my way through the technology maze! I am looking forward to exploring all the things that are out there and discovering cool new tools to use.

Thing #3

Creating this blog has been both fun and frustrating. Selecting the colors, format, and designing the avatar were all the fun parts! Actually applying the avatar was a bit frustrating, but with a little help from my fellow bloggers, I was able to figure it out. I hope with more practice and exploration this blogging process will become easier.

Thing #2

As a lifelong learner, I find setting goals and making a plan to achieve those goals the easiest habit. I enjoy the planning part the most - I am a list maker! And I love to cross things off of the list as a go along! The hardest habit for me is to view problems as challenges. I would much rather things go smoothly and easily and not have any snags in my plan along the way.