Winter 2.0 Fun

It's been awhile since I've written on my blog... I wanted to make sure I remember how!
I forwarded the "Winter 2.0 Fun" information on to my Library Tech. friends and hope that some of them will join in the great, wonderful, fun, enlightening journey.
I will be right there to cheer you on as you embark on this adventure of "new" learning!

I did it!

Week 9: thing 23

This Jewell in the rough has become a more polished gem thanks to School Library Learning 2.0. I have learned so much and will go back to many tools and continue to learn. Life Long Learning!

The fact that I could learn and play at my own pace was wonderful. All the tools were given to me to peruse. I could take what I liked, learn about the rest and just feel more knowledgeable about online tools. I think I can now intelligently discuss blogs, wikis, RSS feed, etc. Woo hoo!

There are many discoveries that were my favorites. I know that I will use these tools again for fun, information, lessons, notes, thoughts. Included in this group are: Library Thing, ZOHO, del.icio.us, Yahoo! Answers, Image Generators, Wikis and blogs.

What surprised me the most was that almost every "thing" was simple enough to do. The School Library Learning 2.0 team did such a terrific job in writing out the lessons, explaining what each "thing" did and could be used for, and giving examples/web sites that made sense.

I do plan on forwarding my LibraryJewel blog to the library techs. in my district and the staff at my school. Everyone is so busy and doesn't have time to discover new things on their own - this is a perfect way to see and learn. I would definitely take more discovery programs in the future. OK - I know this is two words but I would describe my learning experience as...

Joyfully Enlightening! Thank you so much for the learning, discovery journey!

I Love Books!

Week 9: thing 22

I love printed books! I love the smell, the feel, being able to study the illustrations close up. I love taking a book with me everywhere I go - the dentist, doctor, airplane, bus, on vacation. I love knowing if I can't sleep, I can pick up a book and read. Printed books are awesome!

Along comes eBooks. I can't hold them, smell them, look at the pictures closely. I can't take them to the dentist, doctor or on vacation. I will have to sit at my computer and read. I am not against eBooks, but I prefer the real thing. I can see a use for them at an elementary school if the library doesn't have enough of something to go around and the classroom has a classroom full of computers. Project Gutenberg is a wonderful source for a book in a different language. A library might not have a book in a student's native language, so eBooks could be handy for that purpose.

Audio eBooks could serve, as many people have noted, ESL or SDC students. Some students learn by listening - I would like the student to have a printed book to follow along. I know several people who car travel long distances and have checked out audio books from the public library. They love them. Of course, the reader has a very big part in if the audio book is going to be enjoyable or not. In our library, we do have a few audio books. They are very seldom checked out by students or teachers.

If people read or enjoy a story for pleasure, information or assignments whatever method works for them, is fine with me. The bottom line is to get books to people and read, read, read!

No iPod Needed

Week 9: thing 21

It was interesting looking at the different Podcast sites. I guess I am still a dinosaur because I do not have an iPod or MP3 player or even a cell phone for that matter. Never the less....
I typed in Read Across America on Podcastnet, Podcast Alley and Yahoo Podcasts - nothing came up for the Read Across America celebration. I did find on Podcast Alley, "A good read" which was a nice listen. Then I typed in Children's books. On Yahoo Podcasts, "Booktalks Quick and Simple" showed up. That is a podcast I would listen to and suggest to students to get a quick book review. Nancy Keane does a wonderful job, lots of expression and the talks are just the right amount of time.
I did like the way Podcast Alley has the "see details" button and I like Yahoo Podcasts descriptions. I think for myself, it might be a long time before I use this feature on a regular basis. I do like listening to music. But I do not concentrate on tasks real well if someone is talking - so the listening to a Podcast would have to be during quiet time which I don't seem to have much of.

Week 9: thing 20
Oh my, I went to edit my You Tube page and ended up losing what I had done. So here I go again! I have been a You Tube fan for quite awhile. You can indeed find the good, the bad and the ugly. It is a very inexpensive form of entertainment with so much to look at and the ability to just click it off if you don't like it. The clip that I picked is "Sesame Street at your library." I am also a big Sesame Street fan. I love the line by Oscar the Grouch, "I wonder if they have any books in the library that might be interesting to a grouch." This is a great clip to introduce different genres. A student might become interested in a subject that he/she didn't even think of before. It is good for an elementary school web page or blog. The line, "You'll find good books for everyone at your library" is repeated in a catchy little song.

You Tube after thought...

I can understand why districts would block You Tube from the district server. There are so many clips and not all of them are totally appropriate (language, gestures). A great You Tube clip could be put in a blog or on a web page. But it is another one of those sites where I feel students would have to be constantly policed...

Books I Read This Summer

Week 8: thing 19

Library Thing offers many ways to review books - Groups, Talks, Search, Suggestions. You can create "Your Library" and add books you like, books you read, books you would recommend and then post them! It is a great source to get ideas on what others are reading and recommending. Library Thing has also made it easy to follow the instructions and jump right in and start creating.