week 13: the future ... Web 3.0 key questions

Libraries are becoming "active learning laboratories" because many Web 2.0 tools are information/communication based and these types of teaching tools and resources can be used by a teacher-librarian (Wikipedia, blogs, creating wikis).

Wikipedia's definition of Web 2.0 includes "... web applications that facilitate interactive information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design,[1] and collaboration on the World Wide Web ... web-based communities, hosted services, web applications, social-networking sites, video-sharing sites, wikis, blogs, mashups, and folksonomies. A Web 2.0 site allows its users to interact with other users..." .

1. How do Web 2.0 (and beyond) tools transform the traditional role of the library as a place into one characterized as an active learning laboratory?

Since the library is the information epicenter of a school and many Web 2.o tools are information/resource based, it makes sense that Web 2.0 is becoming a big part of the school library. Wikipedia's definition (above) points to a toolbox filled with tools that involve interaction, sharing, collaboration and networking, all of which involve the state of being "active". A traditional (more passive) library does not involve much interaction ... it is more of a "one-way street"; however, a library using Web 2.0 tools becomes an active learning laboratory where students can explore, interact and communicate. Students that are creating wikis for a novel study, for example, are "active" and engaged in learning while they add bits and pieces to their wiki and are collaborating and sharing when asking classmates to contribute to the same wiki site. How about a student adding relevant information to his/her hometown Wikipedia site? If a student is engaged, he is definitely learning something and often, is recognizing the importance of the lesson.

2.How did you construct new knowledge and further development of your teaching philosophies using Web 2.0 tools?

I believe that, as teachers, we must choose how to "speak" to our students so they understand what we are saying. We must also choose teaching tools that "engage" our students in the learning process. Why not use digital tools to teach "digital natives"... and could these tools involve some sort of interaction? This is where Web 2.0 comes into the picture. It makes sense ... Wikipedia, blogs and YouTube (all interactive) are "comfortable" for students as they are often a part of their everyday lives. Throughout this course, I have slowly become more "comfortable" with many of these tools and see the value of using them within my library. The idea of interaction (engagement) is my favourite as it supports my own philosophy and I am happy to have many more tools in my toolbox. I am looking forward to interacting, sharing and collaborating with my students.

Week 13:the future ... web 3.0 reflection on readings

Will the school library become obsolete? What will happen to teacher-librarians? My thoughts on this are simple. As long as we evolve,learn and develop new skills, TLs will be here to stay... who else will be able to guide all of the traffic within the library (the information epicentre)? Within the world of web 3.0, the teaching profession will be there to help guide (and teach)students the ins and outs of new technologies ... to teach students HOW these tools can be used. Our libraries will be information laboratories, with active learners coming and going. Doiron and Asselin refer to "engaging students in new learning environments"...yes, this is it exactly! Just because Google will be even more amazing, that doesn't mean students will know how to use it effectively...this is where teachers step in and teach the "how" and the "where". As the basics of teacher education change, how and what we teach will also change. Our roles will be altered and, as educators, we will keep current and "go with the flow", "flourish and grow", embracing new technology and utilizing what it has to offer. Ken Robinson's very engaging talk on creativity was interesting. I like a few of his comments ... we must "rethink the fundamental principles regarding how we educate our children" and "intelligence is dynamic". His remarks are in reference to encouraging and appreciating creativity but the same words can be applied to using new (web)tools and integrating them into our educational systems. By the way, does Mr. Robinson realize that interaction on the web involves creativity?

"The future's bright, the future is..." full of opportunities! I found this article's approach very positive. Instead of worrying about new technology, why not take advantage of what it has to offer our profession. We will have to adjust some of our ideas in regards to how and what to teach but this is not a bad thing. Rethinking many fundamentals which have been around for a long time will make teaching more effective and current. Yes, it is hard to imagine what new technology will actually be like but in an ever - changing world, let's embrace "the new" and see what "teachers" can do with it. A new definition of (school) education might become necessary because "... emerging technologies will revolutionize teaching and learning...".

week 12: changing collections ... reflections on readings

The readings this week were very interesting and significant, dealing with something most of us do on a daily basis ... access free information online. I am a fan of open access information and agree that free access is "...promoting use and integration of knowledge into the lives of all citizens."(Kopak). Yes, this is a form of "public education". Willinsky echoes this and states, "increased presence is arguably good for the state of knowledge". My feeling is that in a world where information is available, why not use it ... selectively, of course. Let's educate as many as possible. Unfortunately, there are some issues to be dealt with, as everyone seems to be a writer these days, but I say we keep going as long as we can ... knowledge is a good thing.

At the moment, I am not too concerned about Esposito's "cost" issues. Maybe I should be but, right now, I am loving the idea of free information.

My "vision of the future"

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Vision of the future assignment

I will be posting my "vision of the future" assignment on my blog very soon. I put my thoughts together on a power point presentation and then uploaded my file onto slideshare. There was a bit of a learning curve going on throughout this experience! My power point slides did not exactly come through onto slideshare as I had saved them on powerpoint ... the size and style of font seemed to change, things did not look quite right. After a few adjustments, I think that it is much better. Slideshare was a new tool for me ... it looks like it can do many things so I will look to use it in the future (but I will still need some more practice with it!)

Animoto idea for assignment

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

week 11: exploring moodle

I took a further look at a moodle demo this morning and was very impressed. I found it very "user friendly" and intriguing. The features demo was well organized and looked very simple. I like the modules that were listed ... quizzes, resources, lessons, glossaries, surveys and even wikis, to name a few. There are even options available below each feature, providing some direction for those of us new to this type of thing. I like the idea of on-line learning and can understand why Moodle is so popular. For my first attempt at using Moodle I might try the lesson module and create some sort of book response type of activities.

week 11: doing some exploring ...

I took a look at some examples of OSS and found some that were familiar and others that were very new to me. Pidgin looks like an interesting instant messaging software, I like how it supports a variety of operating systems. Miro video converter ... converting video to MP4...this would definitely be useful at home and possibly in a school setting ... read aloud books, perhaps. I have seen Firefox because both of my children seem to use it but tell me that they do not prefer it as a web browser ... they also admit that they have not explored it much. I am interested in Open Office. This one might be worth looking into further as I am always curious about new word processing software. Moodle, an application tool for creating a learning site, looks quite user - friendly. This is a nice surprise! Everything is well labelled and I could see using this software to create courses, lessons, practice exams. I like the forum that is available on this site; communication with other educators would be helpful. I am amazed at the reach that Moodle has ... with participants from all over the world. I would like to show this to my colleagues and see if, over the summer, we could put some things together. I think I will make a note of this one and do some more exploring.

week 11: my refections on open source software and learner management systems

Teachers often share materials, ideas and information in order to provide the best learning environment for their pupils. Teacher support systems have always existed but have changed throughout the years. In this new information age, educators are fortunate to have access to an almost endless supply of resources which are, quite literally, at our fingertips. I found the Schoolforge site to be a good example of a TSS as it provides a variety of resources , whether one is looking for news, case studies or even a workshop or two. I like this site and I think that educators will use more sites like this in the future.

Speaking of interesting sites ... recently, our principal recommended a site to our staff: bc.exambank.com/. This site offers practice exams for students. I would consider using this type of resource and often find myself looking online for various types of lesson based information.

I really like the approach that Ross and Waymack are taking with the systems that they have developed . They have each created an environment that allows for very effective and productive communication. Ross' comment about the overwhelming response he gets online after asking an algebra question is very significant " ...you may get 100 hits within 15 minutes." This is exactly what a teacher would like ... interest and interaction/participation! This means that the students are engaged so there is a greater chance for learning. It seems that there is a certain level of comfort in this type of learning enviroment. The fact that both Ross and Waymack have gotten very positive feedback/results from their learning management systems makes me think that this will work in our schools. For myself, I find that I am feeling more and more comfortable with the Vista system and would not hesitate to use it again.

As a teacher - librarian in an elementary school , I am "tapped into" each classroom, as I interact with each teacher and student and provide information and support for all. In my mind, both the library and the teacher-librarian are a large part of the tss in a school and, as a result, must explore the learning management systems and open source software that is available.

Interesting article to keep for reference

I found this article interesting and would like to keep it on hand ... http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7016.pdf.

week 10:podcasts ... more library mashup reflections

I was thinking about mashups when I came home from school today, thinking about a "library mashup". I did some looking around and found an interesting slideshare, by Nicole Engard, demonstrating the value of using mashups in the library:http://www.slideshare.net/nengard/library-mashups. Some of these ideas would work in a school library setting ... mapping mashups, for example, would be great as a teacher-librarian would have access to current geographical data from the internet. This makes me think about Breeding's comments. Is using mapping mashups in a library lesson an example of Breeding's point ... that we must use computer applications to stay current? A library is a place where one can go in order to find information and, as a result, we owe it to our patrons to provide information that is up to date. We have the resources to do this now and can use the computer (the internet) as our main source of information . So, yes, Breeding is correct, combining the traditional library world with the new computer world, is necessary.

week 10:Podcasts ... reflection on Horizon article

Mashups? This term is a new one for me but, after reading up on what it refers to, I think I get it. The ability to combine data from a number of sources seems to be a much easier process in today's digital world. Using the great big data source that is the "world wide web", we are now able to "grab online data, organize it and diplay it the way the author wants"(Horizon report, 2008). The possibilities are endless and, in a school environment, would be valuable in a number of different classroom settings. The Horizon report (2008) refers to "collective intelligence" where students can be part of the process and this is what we want ... an active learning environment. If they are involved, they will learn! As educators, we must teach our students how to gather information and become discerning information seekers.

Week 9: videos and sharing ... another Vimeo video

I realize that my first Vimeo video was a bit short so I thought I would try again. My subject was our dog, Kobe, once again. We took advantage of the beautiful day and walked to the school around the corner where Kobe had some time to "explore". In this video, he seems very interested in grazing on some tasty grass. I asked him to "sit", so I could film his great listening skills, but the grass was far too yummy!

Kobe: Part II from ivana jorgensen on Vimeo.

week 9: videos and sharing ... Trier and Campbell articles

I particularly enjoyed reading Trier's column this week. He makes a valid point ... why not use "cool" media as a pedagogical tool as its popularity with the younger generation is evident. If our students are part of the YouTube Generation, using this form of media as a teaching tool makes sense. Trier did this with his "mosh-pit pedagogy" idea and it sounded great! Students were to contribute a "text" that related to the reading of the week ... but this "text" did not have to be the old fashioned "text", it could also be the new "text" (retreived from the internet). The internet offers so many possibilities that the students must have loved it. It seems that going with the flow works much better than going against it.

Campbell's article made me see the value of podcasting. I appreciate the point that was made in regards to "developing effective listening skills". This is an important skill to work on as most of us are visual learners (myself included). I also like the point that was made in regards to the "human quality of a voice"; a human connection is important to maintain in a world that is becoming overloaded with technology. My favourite sentence in this article is a quote from Frank Burgos, the editorial page director of the Philadelphia Daily News , who calls newspapers "a collection of human beings." If we can "listen" to the newspaper, this would be very good!

Week 9: video and sharing ... newspaper article

I was reading the newspaper this morning and low and behold, I found an article relevant to this week's lesson: Social media boosts power of TV:
Boob-tube is benefitting from the digital realm as viewers go online with their thoughts

http://www.canada.com/entertainment/movie-guide/Social+media+boosts+power/2693274/story.html

The article refers to social media as the "new hive" where people gather and contribute their thoughts...in this case, sharing thoughts about what they watch on t.v. The writer suggests that the old "water cooler", has been replaced by Twitter,blogs and Facebook. Yes, I would agree, and think that since the internet has such a large "reach", the participation level within these forums could be huge!

week 9: videos and sharing ... the Vimeo process

My Vimeo project went much more smoothly than expected. I did not have the use of a video camera so I was not sure what to use until a friend mentioned trying to use our digital camera. Yes, this was worth a try so I stepped into the back yard and filmed our dog, Kobe. I had already set up a Vimeo account earlier in the week so I was ready for the rest. Attaching my video file (from my camera) to my Vimeo account was no problem and the Vimeo site took only 30 minutes to prepare the clip for me. Next, I had to embed this video onto my blog site ... yikes! This sounded like it could involve some complicated manoeuvres! I have to say that it did not! So, you see in my previous blog, from earlier today, it was a success!

Week 9: videos and sharing ... my "vimeo" video

Kobe enjoying the sweet spring weather! from ivana jorgensen on Vimeo.

Week 9: videos and sharing ... my topic presentation week

This was my week for the topic presentation portion of this course and I spent many hours searching and researching as I was not exactly sure which direction to take with the topic of videos and sharing. I found many interesting bits of information on media collections available on the internet. I found a site called "SchoolTube" and some cool (and inspiring) videos (one of which I used in my topic presentation). After a few days, I realized that I was very impressed with the collaboration aspect of this topic. In my mind, collaboration means sharing ideas and, in doing so, becoming involved and active. Is there a better way to learn?

Video sharing can be both physically and mentally engaging. A student can watch and learn from a video (i.e. demonstrating how to do a task) or the same student can create a video through any type of social network. An example of creating a video could go something like this ... in a library setting, a book club group creates a video before and after reading its assigned book: the first video (before the book was read) could be a collaboration of predictions about the book and the second video (after the book was read) could present reflections about the book. The possibilities are endless and the video sharing sites offer many ideas.

The natural appeal of media collections is something which teachers need not ignore ... this form of "sharing" enables us all to reap the benefits of "putting our heads together", coming up with many amazing results! Perhaps this is the start of the new "active" learning library.

Henry Ford said ... Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success. How true.

technology in schools: 2 articles/posts

Will Richardson's post regarding reactions to using technology in schools was not surprising to me. The "tech" world is constantly changing ... upgrading, correcting etc. Many schools are having trouble keeping up. Is it because administration cannot keep up as far as budgets are concerned or is there a concern about a backlash from parents who are not ready to enter the new world with both feet and are cautious ( they need more time to "catch up")? Both of these reasons seem valid to me. I say we keep moving, one step at a time ( even though they may be small steps).

The second article regarding web filters was presented tongue in cheek and made its intended point : are we too strict with our filters so that students do not reap the benefits that the internet has to offer? Yes, and no. Filters are necessary because we all know that, if you type in the wrong "search" word , you can open up a very scary world and we do not want that. Filters, in moderation, are necessary but we need to review them to make sure that they are not too "tight" and still allow for some exploration.

week 8: social networking: collaborative tagging

Golder and Huberman's article on collaborative tagging seems to cover both the good and the bad but concludes with a positive comment supporting this concept. Initially, I wondered how organizing information could be a collaborative effort without some sort of plan on how to organize things...wouldn't it be a bit chaotic with so many different people adding their own tags? By the end of the article, a few points remained in the forefront of my mind:
1.) even information tagged for personal use can benefit other users. For example, if many
users find something funny, there is a reasonable likelihood someone else would also find it to be so, and may want to explore it.
2.)Tagging is fundamentally about sensemaking.

I now think of tagging as the new version of "highlighting and making notes on the side". Before the internet, the highlighter (which only came in yellow in the 80's) was the best way to draw attention to key points in a written article. Adding a few points (in pencil) on the same written material came next. Content was being organized and labeled..."sensemaking" was taking place. I remember finding a textbook with someone else's notes in it ... this was usually considered a good thing. Often, I would add my own notes to the ones already there. Is this "collaborative tagging"? I would say it is to a degree. This version of "tagging" still exists in books today as I see it in my youngest son's textbooks.

Week 8: social networking beyond text: YouTube in the classroom

Can teachers show videos from Youtube to a class or embed them in Web sites used for course material access, without infringing copyright or licenses?
Good question, one that I have wondered about often. There is something called "education exemption" which states: There is an exemption for educational institutions (Section 29.4 of the Copyright Act) which covers the use of materials in the classroom and during examinations. It is very restrictive; however, it is possible for a teacher to make a manual reproduction of a work onto a dry-erase board or flip chart for displaying hand-written materials; to make a copy for the purpose of projection using an overhead projector or a similar device; to reproduce, translate or perform in public a work as required for a test or examination. These exceptions must occur in-class only and on the premises of the university campus only. If I interpret part of this exemption correctly ... then it is fine for teachers to use YouTube videos as a teaching tool. To be honest though, I think that since the creation of the internet, copyright infringement has grown exponentially.

week 8:social networking ... issues

Is it true that younger generations embrace social networking sites yet the older generations do not? Check out this TIME magazine article ... http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1879169,00.html. Grossman writes a humourous article but I believe that there is some truth here and that "Old Fogies" are catching on. Let's be fair ... the younger generation has grown up with the internet and the older generations have not. The latter should be given time to "catch up", to learn and adapt to this new technology. Many are becoming quite good at using the internet for on-line communication ... I would guess that most began with email correspondence and, finding it quick and easy, were looking for what was next in this exciting new world. In a very current article written by Amy Porterfield http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/social-media-differences-among-teens-boomers-and-moms-new-study-findings/, we can see that in 2009 there was a jump in the Baby Boomers use of social media ... "Forty-six percent of Boomer respondents said they maintained a social network profile (compared to 30% in 2007, according to a recent Deloitte study). "

The privacy issue of social networking sites is an interesting and controversial issue ... do all facebook users read The Terms of Use? Are people aware of the Beacon? In this article http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/tech/hightech/facebook-beacon.html
we are told that Facebook has a huge database of consumer information and this new system allows advertisers to get at it. Companies that sign up for the plan will be able to target their ads based upon the information Facebook collects. Collecting information? Is that o.k. with everyone? Does that mean collecting all information ... like photos that have been posted? Isn't my photo, my photo? Maybe not. Yikes, that one crosses the line for me. Check out The Terms of Use. Social networking is great ... quick, easy and very handy ... but do we sacrifice privacy in order to socialize on-line? Perhaps, but for some, it is worth it and they can't live without it, for others it is not. It is a personal choice.

Week 8: social networking beyond text: picasa cont'd

Picasa is a cool way to put ideas together and a collage is one way of displaying these ideas. Collages can be created with a bundle of magazines, scissors, glue and some poster paper or, they can be made with (more personal) images using Picasa. Using this site, students can use their imaginations and the choices of images could almost be endless. The TED video on Photosynth is very inspiring. I consider photosharing to be an art that allows expression and Photsynthing adds some "zing" to the final product.

week 8:social networking ... Picasa

I have here a Picasa collage ... created from the photos taken at our Canada vs U.S.A gold medal hockey game party! Great!!!

Group Wiki Project: reflections

I am a believer in learning through play but must admit that, in the past, I have had a difficult time with the educational relevance of videogames. This is mostly due to my own personal experience with a gamer who is very close to me: my eldest son. On-line games have been a touchy subject in our home and we have battled with our child for many years. Teaching moderation is not an easy thing. My son has had stretches of time where I know he is addicted to the on-line game he plays. Those have been very upsetting and scary! After reading Sanford’s article, I could not believe the irony: the whole gaming topic was a tough one for me to even consider but I had to put my best foot forward, remove my emotions from the subject and see what would happen.
As the school library is often considered the “hub of the community”, I feel that the teacher-librarian‘s job must shift in order for “the community” to stay current with the changes in our world. When it comes to teaching, active learning is a concept that I support wholeheartedly. Will putting those two ideas together (staying current + active learning) equal “videogames in the library”? In order for teaching to be effective, it needs to be dynamic and since learning is a complex process, this idea is one to consider. If a student is studying Ancient Rome, playing a game called Ancient Civilizations would teach him/her a thing or two about the subject at hand. The student would inevitably absorb information without realizing it. In this case, yes, I would supplement my teaching with this type of videogame. I would say that moderation is important though, as the addictive qualities of these types of games have been well documented. I do believe that the pros outweigh the cons as far as this topic goes. Game playing involves interacting and if one is interacting with the subject being taught, that is a very good thing. There is value in this type of learning and it can be added to a teacher’s repertoire of teaching tools.
Speaking of teaching tools, I am teaching European Geography in one of my library blocks and found that my current “tools” were not working. The concept of teaching students about our world, in combination with teaching them to use reference materials was a sound one at the start. Unfortunately, I ran into trouble pretty quickly when preparing one of the first few lessons and realized that our large school maps were out of date. Next, I checked the atlases … also out of date and these books were not even that old! My next lesson became one on showing my students how borders are always changing … new countries are formed while old ones no longer exist … this was clearly a lesson that I could not resist. My students found it fascinating! Information on filling out a current map of Europe was to follow and, the next Thursday, we went to the computer lab and found what we needed on the internet … I knew that this tool would not let me down. While filling in our maps, my mind wandered to Sanford’s idea of learning through play and videogames in the library. Even though my students could find their data on a few different school approved websites, these sites were, I must admit, boring. I wondered if there was a more exciting way to complete our maps… a site that would offer some form of active learning. I could think of a few sites that would work for my lesson … but many are deemed educationally unsound, at the moment, and are not available on our school computers. I will look into this further and will definitely try to supplement this lesson with some type of interactive learning idea … perhaps an on-line game. Putting the idea of learning through (video) games into practice is a concept that I do consider and I see myself using this particular teaching tool in future lessons when appropriate.
Sanford’s article addresses the needs of 21st Century learners and the school library must adapt. To begin, we will need to review our “rules” regarding “safe” websites and decide how to govern these new teaching tools. Also, the reality is that many schools are lagging behind and are not keeping up with the technology that is available. One reason for this is funding but another is the resistance (by administration as well as parents) to change the traditional teaching tools. Slowly, but surely, society will embrace the changes in our schools and, as we all “shift” into the new world, hopefully we will all welcome the tools that become available.

Week 8: social networking beyond text: bomomo

You are right Joanne ... Bomomo is a fun site. What a cool way for students to create some funky art!

My attempt at ... The Olympic Rings!

week 7:social networking and tag clouds

As I have mentioned in a previous post, I am a visual person so , as a result, I really like tagging. I think that most of us are visual so these would appeal to many. I believe that Joyce Valenza ( previous lesson) used them on her school library site. Above, you see a screenshot of my tagging experience so far. It is very small on here ( I have to work on adding screenshots to my blog) but with some trial and error, I think I have figured out how tagging works.

Yes, another blog entry ... this one about Twitter

After reading the Twitter article on the iLibrarian site (by the way, I really like this site), I am amazed at the popularity of yet another social networking site. I am not sure why there are so many of these sites but I guess each one has its own unique features. Twitter is going strong and I can't help but feel that its popularity is based on the fact that it is a constant and current feed of (social) information. Like being able to connect with someone at anytime or any place. In an elementary school setting ... this would not really be my first SNS choice. The upper intermediate students could handle the flow of information but I think that the younger students would find Twitter overwhelming. Hmm ... will have to look into this.

delicious ... a social networking tool

What a great name ... and a great idea. Delicious is a very usable school library tool. A bookmarking service (fitting name for something to be used in a library setting) for web based information is a must. An example: I spoke with one of my classes yesterday about looking for more than one source of information on the internet ... we all agreed that all of the information out there can be somewhat overwhelming. As a social networking service, Delicious would be helpful here as a place to organize information and allow those with common goals/interests to put their heads together ... wow, think of how effective this could be.

Todd's article ... collecting info

Todd's article is very interesting. Once again, the role of the librarian is forefront in my mind and I feel that a large part of my job is to teach my students how to find information ... research skills. But how do I adjust my role, as the Web 2.0 world is a new one. Every one of my students is comfortable using a computer and I am pretty sure that he/she has, at some point, "googled" something ... looking for info . So, access to info is no problem ... but ... according to the info in Todd's article, this is where we (teachers) come in. Todd mentions that even though students do not hesitate to look things up on the internet, often this research is done in a somewhat "sloppy" manner ... skimming and power browsing (instead of reading thoroughly) for example, is very common. What about checking more than one source? How many students do this? The teacher-librarian steps in here and teaches proper information literacy. Teaching the "google generation" how to collect information is a must.

social networking

Facebook was introduced to me by some friends who were trying to organize a high school reunion. It did the job and easily organized a great party! Communicating is simple and fun with this tool and I even got my husband interested...but he is not completly sold on the idea yet. Truly speaking, I do not check "my facebook" very often as I prefer to phone my friends to catch up on things. But getting together and planning some get togethers has been great using this form of social networking. I do worry about the creepy side and have heard that once you are in, your info can be made available to anyone...even with security settings in place. My own children use it and also rely on it for their social lives.
In a school environment ... it would work ... but again the creepy side pops up here. Many parents are still uncomfortable with their children "talking" on line. A very strictly structured site might work and put parents at ease. The positives of a site where students can collaborate and post their thoughts could outweigh the negatives. Could these parents see the advantages of a community of learners ... each one contributing ideas? A teacher created forum might be the way to go.

video games and learning

I worry about the effects that video games may have on our children. This article http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/video-game-addiction-no-fun
is also tinking along the same lines.

a short break ...

The past few days have been busy with Olympic distractions and I have not looked at anything to do with this course ... now I am back into figuring some things out. My group project partners are great and we each seem to be exploring things here and there trying to put together our ideas. The wiki space we have set up is ready for our additions ... should be good.

My own wiki continued ...

I find myself often thinking about the wiki that I have begun to create for my library. My "mission" with this space is to motivate students to read and open their eyes to books that have been recommended by myself or their peers. Although I prefer the layout of Joyce Valenza's wiki site, I will continue with my basic version for now. I am not feeling terribly creative at the moment but I have been very busy (teaching, kids, dog, new house, Olympic guests arriving soon) and have not really had much time to "create" let alone breathe. It will come ... possibly at 2:00 a.m. one morning, or perhaps while walking my wonderful puppy :)

TechEssence wiki

I wanted to jot down a few things I really liked on Farkas' TechEssence site ... this seems to be as good a spot as any to record them:

1. " ... a wiki is a perpetual work in progress" - yes, very well put.
2. " ... Wikis are known for being extremely easy to use." - definitely agree and happy that they are so straight forward.
3. "Wikis are an ideal tool for libraries that need to share information better internally" - I would love to set one up for my library. I really like Joyce Valenza's school library website and am seriously thinking of setting up a similar one for my library.

Well, I am getting many ideas for improving and updating things at my school and am thrilled that wikis are so user friendly.

My own wiki

I can't help myself, I just love my books ... lucky for me I have my own library! Many of my students are so happy to find new books and are always looking for something to read. Lately, the book of choice is Riordan's The Lightning Thief. I truly cannot keep a single copy on my shelf. One particular boy had been waiting quite some time for a copy to become available ... he was thrilled when we had a copy returned yesterday. I am reading this amazing story to two of my classes and they are very, very interested and have had lots of comments along the way. I have created a wiki page ... http://booksaregreat.pbworks.com/EB-Library and am hoping my students will contribute to it. I have a bit of "tweaking" to do but am pretty excited about it!

making a wiki page ...

So anyone can make up a wiki page? I never knew. This idea is very cool and I think that my colleagues might be interested ... we could make a wiki page for our school. We have a website but it might be an idea to also have a wiki page where the teachers can add information ... a cooperative approach. We would have to make sure that there were strict rules as far as allowing only staff to contribute for the most part. Shall have to speak with the prinicipal.

Have been looking ... might be a good one

I have been looking for an interesting blog to help get some different and exciting lessons for the french class that I teach. Found his one http://www.thefrenchcorner.net/2008/04/interview-with-retired-french-teacher.html today. Will check it out and try a few things.

Google reader ... cool

I have been talking to the grade 7 class I teach once a week and explaining Google Reader to them. I thought that many of them would be familiar with this but only a few were ... not the social type of application that they are into at this point in their lives. Anyway, we went into the computer lab and I showed them mine ... they were impressed but said they preferred Facebook as far as the updating they wanted in their lives. I think I might have sparked some interest. This is my page ...
http://www.google.com/reader/view/?utm_campaign=en&utm_source=en-ha-ww-ww-bk&utm_medium=ha&utm_term=google+reader#overview-page

I will try a screenshot when I get back form walking my dog ...

Wiki comment is gone!

I see that my Wiki comment is no longer! I checked my inbox and see that my info was deemed irrelevant so it was removed. Okay, so this is how it works.

Needed some quick info and used Wikipedia ...

I have a group of students that I teach french to and a few of them cannot understand why they must learn this language. I decided to make things a bit more interesting and did some research on the language itself ... its origins, a list of french speaking countries, the influence of the French explorers etc. I found great info ... on Wikipedia ... it was easy to read and answered all of my questions. . So I now have an interesting twist for my next lesson ... looking forward to it!

Yet another blog ...

My son's high school library has a blog : http://librarysdss.blogspot.com/ . I checked it out today. It looks o.k....just o.k. So far, it looks like summaries of a few interesting books that are available ... not sure if these summaries are personal or have been taken from the back of each book. Anyway, interesting start ... perhaps I will start one for my library next year. I definitely have many very keen readers!

Wiki edit

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_District_37_Delta Here it is, my first edit on Wiki . My comment was on my recent transfer to Pebble Hill.

blog looks good!

The blog post by Monica Edinger is great! I am a big fan of reading aloud to children and this "wikipedia" lesson is a great follow up activity. It allows the students to collaborate their ideas as well as get a good idea of the ins and outs of Wikipedia ... and the age group that Monica is working with is perfect to begin this "working with Wikipedia" idea.

interesting blog

A colleague of mine recommended this blog http://teacherlingo.com/. Looks cool and worth exploring.

one more try

I do have time to try this once more ...

http://www.google.ca/ig?hl=en

voice thread

Voice thread ... hmmm, not sure how it works but have found some images that will work. I realize that I will not have time to put this together today ... off to soccer practice. Will try again another day. By the way, I am still totally thrilled with Animoto. Taught some South American geography today ... could definitely have used Animoto with this lesson ... might try next time.

Link to iGoogle page...

Hopping out of town 'til tomorrow but I am a bit "blog obsessed", as my husband is calling it, and checked on things ... I see that the link to my iGoogle page does not work. Will have to fix this later ... ta ta for now!

My Animoto experience ...

Wow, I absolutely loved my Animoto experience. After having an absolutely crazy few weeks ( moving et al) I spent a few hours this afternoon "catching up" on things with my new course. After some frustrating times with iGoogle and figuring out how to make my screenshot doc smaller, I was pleasantly surprised by the Animoto website. I will definitely use this in my quest to teach my students about the amazing world we live in :)

Animoto.com

my first screenshot ...

After some hits and many misses, I have added a screenshot of my iGoogle page. Took some time to figure out how to change the size but here it is. Have to show my husband ... he will be impressed!

oops ...

How about this ...http://www.google.ca/ig?hl=en#home

My iGoogle page ... http://http://www.google.ca/ig?hl=en#home

a bit of confusion ...

Well, I have to admit, I am feeling much clearer after a bit of confusion. I realized that I was not looking at the correct "spot" for the readings required for this course. I was looking under "course content " on the Vista page and going through these lesson descriptions ... quietly wondering ... where are the articles other classmates are referring to? After speaking with another classmate, who was also not sure, we discovered more information under the "welcome" icon. Whew, much better.

As for this week's articles, I was very happy to read the Digitally Re-Shifted School Library ... by Stephens. He understands that implementing any new type of social networking in a a school setting has its challenges ... getting all of the staff on board might not be easy ( I see in my school that not everyone is comfortable with new technology) and setting rules and guidelines for student use is also tricky "... we aren't allowed to use our ipods in school". These are hurdles to overcome but in our quickly changing world, we are getting used to making new rules.

He speaks with Christopher Harris who seems to have a realistic approach to things. He does not want to get rid of books but suggests an approach which combines books with digital information. Yes, I definitely like this. I am teaching world geography to one of my classes. We are using an atlas and large maps but I find myself going on - line once in a while to get an up to date answer to ..."Is this still a country?". What would we do without the internet in this case?
I have spoken with my students and they seem to "get it". So I guess this is what Harris is talking about when he says ,"The role of the school librarian in ten years will be to serve as a guide through the chaos of information". Okay, so there is definitely more information to go through today but hasn't a librarian always had the magical ability to help find any information one could need ( even when it was in the form of books only)? So, yes, we will boldly go and "blaze the trails through the chaos to the information zones" ... I am looking froward to it!

Animoto ... next on my list

Well, next on my list of things to explore is Animoto. I have tried to check it out twice already but was interrupted and had to stop before I managed to get very far ... will try again tomorrow ... from what I have seen so far, it looks like a great teaching tool.

Blogging is ... okay

Week four in this course deals with "blogging" and I think I am okay with it. I think that I kinda like it. I have read a few blogs here and there in the past and find them interesting and informative. I am generally a private person and don't feel as comfortable as some publishing my thoughts but I have no problem reading blogs. Most recently, I have read a couple of interior decorating (my hobby) blogs ... in fact I was reading one last night ( forgot to make note of the actual site ;( ... boo). I am not entirely happy with my own blog site but will see what I can do to "freshen" it up.

... glass half full

For the second time now, I have seen the"Smart Board" in use. I really like it and am working on my principal as far as using one in the library. The unit that I am doing on South America would definitely benefit with this new tool. I can think of a use for it in every class. Now this is exciting! Is this considered a Web 2.0 tool ... "web applications that facilitate interactive information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design,[1] and collaboration on the World Wide Web." According to Wikipedia, it does so I am happy to do some more exploring. The Web 2.0 is looking like a ... glass half full at the moment!

I too am rethinking schools ...

I printed the "Rethinking Schools Online" article by Sarah Heller McFarlane (I seem to prefer to print things out and read them this way instead of reading them off of the computer screen ) and agreed with so many things that were Sarah had written. Where do I begin? Yes, we definitely must "... consider the potential promises and perils of using technology in the classroom." This comes first as far as I can see as rules must be made and parameters set at the get -go. I also agree that there is a time factor involved "... educators need time to learn and change." I know this process has started and will continue but how quickly can we "catch - up" because things seem to be moving quickly out there. I think that one of my biggest concerns is the "... one person alone with one machine.." scenerio that this article refers to. Are we encouraging our students to become part of a new culture where face to face interaction becomes rare? I guess not but ... I do wonder.
So those are my "glass-half empty" thoughts ... "glass half full" thoughts to come ...

Web 2.0 ... definitely a learning curve for me

Have been pondering about all of the new terms that I have learned the past week ... and I think that I am getting a better handle on things. I still have yet to feel 100 % comfortable when using the various applications. Figuring out my blog site was crazy! I had no clue what I was doing, became quite frustrated and had to walk away. I left the computer and sat down with a very strong cup of coffee trying to find something to distract my thoughts. This did not work so I hoped out for a quick walk with my dog ... thinking about the blog site while we walked ... ugh, still couldn't find a distraction. Well, the fresh air might have helped ... when we got home from our walk, I marched back upstairs to the computer and was determined not to leave until I got the answers I was looking for. Not sure how, but I had some sort of epiphany and found the problem ... and those answers. I am pretty happy about this and am hoping that I am on my way!

so many blogs ...

Have subscribed to a few blogs ... there seems to be a neverending supply. I guess I will try each one out and see which I like.

I think that I have somehow managed to set up more than one blog email. Not sure how to fix this ... will try but have to go to school now ... I work Monday afternoons.

I am new to this so not sure how this works exactly but here we go ...