Thing No 23

Library2Play has been quite the discovery process. My personal favorites have been the RSS feed and readers along with Library Thing. They are now part of my daily online experience. This program has provided clear and concise instructions, which have made this a very enriching experience. I particularly like the fact that we can refer back to these instructions should the need arise. (I do believe that’s a sure thing, in my case!) I now truly have the desire to continually develop these skills, and I know I can do it!

I expected to be more frustrated with the various ‘Things.’ Instead, I was pretty much on a roll until near the end. My family, friends, and even acquaintances have all heard about my current ‘Thing.’ My only suggestion is that it would be fun if the format allowed us to know who else is working on the same ‘Thing’ for peer support and interaction.

I definitely plan to take the two sequels. But first, I want to practice and become proficient with many of these first Twenty Three.

Library2Play is the way

To be in the know with Web 2.0!

Thing No 22

Like many of the other ‘Things’ before it, I totally lost track of time looking at the Nings. I can see many applications for communication, especially in classes such as performing arts or debate. I think it is a great venue for sharing ideas with other teachers, as well as useful in the classroom for collaborative projects or reflection.

Thing No 21

Thing 21 - I do like Photo Story, and think it would work especially well for end of the year presentations. I did spend far too much time attempting to get the music to last long enough to come to a satisfying close. After I had already begun uploading, it occurred to me that all I needed to do was add an extra picture! I noted the warnings that the uploading could take awhile. I diligently kept checking back for about an hour, and then retrying multiple times over the past two days. I will keep trying, and then will publish an edited post when the upload it successful.

Thing No 12

I thought about my experience in reading blog comments. I do stop and consider those that contribute to the conversation. I also appreciated the admonition to ‘remember the power of words.’ When a tone of civility and respect is communicated, even strikingly different viewpoints can be expressed in a thought provoking way.

I responded to ‘Cheap, Healthy, Good’ and ‘I’m an Organizing Junkie.’ I greatly admire the philosophy of the writers and found much helpful information there. I have made a commitment to respond meaningfully to a frequently read elementary music discussion board.

Thing No. 20

This thing was a little tricky for me. I had browser difficulties accessing UTube and Teacher Tube. I wanted to install the Zamzar button, but that was problematic, as well. Hopefully my video of choice will embed in this post, and my mood will measurably lift!

The video shows a fourth grade student interviewing the accappella group 'Straight, No Chaser.' It shows good interviewing skills as well as leading to many musical connections. Enjoy!

Thing No 19

And the winners are. . . . an amazing list!

I stumbled across this tool when working on a previous ‘thing.’ It is fascinating!
I’ve just returned from a Danube River cruise and can’t wait to go again. So the travel award had immediate appeal. http://www.bing.com/community/blogs/travel/default.aspx
I immediately added Bing to my Google reader.

I think this would be a valuable resource for librarians to use in guiding research on the applicable topics.

Thing No 18: Online Office Tools

Open Office could be the great equalizer when classroom computers have various stages of word processing programs. I’m glad to know about it, but in my particular teaching assignment, I probably will not put it into use.

It could also be useful for those extended family members and others who are just getting started with computers, and who wish to limit their investment.

Thing No 17: Rollyo

I must admit, I was highly resistant to Rollyo. Maybe I just was not ready to accept one new thing. Maybe I knew how long I stayed on the Wikis and just did not want to commit. Anyway, the video 'turned me around.' What a great tool for student research. What a great organizational tool for catagorizing 'the searches of my life.' Best practices in teaching high and low pitches does not need to intermingle with holistic medicine. At least, not for streamlined accesibility.
Thanks to Rollyo, I'm now ready to research a computer monitor purchase. I had my own useful but cumbersome 'cut and paste into a document' method, but now I'm ready to Rollyo. (Sorry, just couldn't resist!)

Thing No 16: Wikis

Thing 16: Wikis

I’m glad that I was in a ‘holding pattern’ for this one. The recent expose on military reports from Afghanistan by WikiLeaks has caused me to extensively consider the potential harm that can come in this type of forum.

The founder, Julian Assange was quoted Monday, speaking to reporters at London's Frontline Club, “It is our experience that courage is contagious.”

My view is that we should not confuse courage with irresponsibility, and in this case, perhaps in global proportions. How will this ‘shake out?” That remains to be seen. I’ve heard it said that these public forums are ‘self cleaning,’ which in my understanding means to bring about an equalizing dialog. However, what damage is done in the interim? I’ll watch this particular development with great interest, and yes, with a degree of trepidation.

Thing No 15

# 15 I found it very interesting to ponder the philosophy verbs shared between Web 2.0 and Library 2.0: harness, embrace, rework. These are powerful, multi faceted actions. Harness implies bringing (maybe kicking and screaming)energetic forces into a channel of activity to work for a common purpose. Embrace is almost the opposite. I imagine an opening of arms to include without resistance. Then rework is a giving up of previously formed ideas and plans, no matter how painstakingly formed or passionately protected.
Honestly, prior to this online class, I did not have a working knowledge of Web 2.0 or Library 2.0. This succinct descriptor was helpful: “Web 2.0 principles of simplicity, rich interactivity, user participation, collective intelligence, self-service, novel and remixed content—Flickr, MySpace, FaceBook, del.icio.us, YouTube, LibraryThing—to name a few.” http://www.oclc.org/nextspace/002/1.htm
In the articles I liked the distinction between ‘technolust after cool gadgets’ and seeking to be useful, facilitating the avoidance of impediments. Just how many non used 'cool gadgets' do I have in my house? In addition, I had not previously considered the concept of studying technology usage in business as a direct application to the library.

Thing No 14

Thing 14: The assigned Technorati searches came up dry, but I did enjoy the videos. I found it interesting that the phrases ‘let the good stuff bubble up from the bottom’ and the similar ‘bubble to the surface’ appeared in two different ones. The voice of the everyday person can truly be heard through the venue of a blog – pretty exciting stuff!

I got totally sidetracked when I plugged in ‘healthy cooking.’ I am now enlightened about making a chicken stew.
I think the tags are what make Technorati versatile and accessible. I can see it for personal use, but can’t quite make it fit my current teaching assignment.

Thing No 13

Thing 13: I’ve just got to say it. I don’t dig ‘Digg.’ More accurately, I don’t yet understand it in the context of bookmarking. Interesting reading, yes – but putting it into practical application anytime soon, no.

The furl site was blocked (security risk) on my school computer. The demo made me want to access it, probably made more enticing because it was blocked.

Ma.gnolia wanted me to send in an application. I did really like their tutorial, however. (I see a pattern here, I must enjoy tutorials!)

Delicious will be my choice. I did have a bit of a log-in snafu and had to retrace my yahoo log in information. I also discovered the need to double check which email account I have used recently. Google remembers the last one used, which is not always the one I have designated for this project.

If I understand correctly, tags are similar to labels which I find incredibly useful in gmail. Delicious will be to websites what Library Thing is to reading. I certainly wish I had known about Delicious during my recent graduate coursework. Project for another day- exporting my current bookmarks into Delicious.

Thing No 11: Library Thing

This is a site I can use immediately for my personal reading. I joined the group"1001 Books to Read Before you Die" and am watching "Historical Fiction" and "Book Talk." I'll have to delve a bit deeper to find professional books directly applicable to my current teaching situation. I will recommend this site to any of my friends who enjoy books.

Thing No 10: Image Generators

I particularly liked these two:

Sign Maker
These can be used for reminders or recognition.

Image Chef
http://www.imagechef.com/ic/make.jsp?tid=Kitten+Gray
This is a ‘just because’ for those who adore cats.
I also liked the photo frames. These can dress up all kinds of classroom and personal displays. I must not forget the word mosaics – there are lots of clever uses for them.

Thing No 9

The edublogs’ award winners was not a winner for me. I had hoped it would be more straightforward and lead me to blogs already recognized for their excellence. Instead, I found it led to a voting page. I’m just not there yet.

However, Gizmodo.com found on Technorati gives some interesting commentary on various technology items.
Ezra Klein, also found on Technorati, has many thought provoking ideas

Syndic8.com had in depth rating systems, however many of the sites were blocked while I was using my school computer.

All that said, my subscription list grows and grows. And just this morning I didn't have a clue about Google Reader!

Thing No 8: RSS Feed

I like the idea of having this information come to me in a concise manner. I think I will be much more informed in a shorter period of time. I do not yet see how to use this directly with my kindergarten and first grade students, but finding blogs from other music educators could be very enriching. Depending on the subject matter, I think this could be very useful for other school personnel in researching particular topics, educational trends, etc.

Thing No 7: Google Tools

I had way too much fun on this one! Igoogle gave me so many interesting possibilities, that my page is definitely on overload. One of today's tasks will be to go back and streamline.
We've been using the google calendar as a school wide communication official calendar, so I was familiar with that one. It would be very helpful to merge my school and home outlook calendars to keep everything in one place. I haven't figured out that one just yet. Another upcoming project is to link the google calendar with my blackberry.
And then there's the advanced search. I particulary like the ability to search by format - very useful for classroom applications.

Thing No 6

Well, Thing # 6 has taken me into uncharted waters. All of this was new to me. Big Huge Labs is an amazing site. I can envision using mosaic maker and Bookr - so many ideas! (Not to mention the completion of quite a few more things!)

Thing No 5: Flickr

Just having returned from a European vacation, I was thrilled to find pictures of places I had just visited! What a reminder of the necessity of a 'hook' to attach to previous learning and enhance interest. Mozart will be one of our 'Composers of the Month' for my kindergarten and first grade music students. While I found some standard 'statuary' pictures, one of the most appealing was of a young boy composing music. This will be a connection to our beginning music composition.

Thing No. 4: Registering the blog

OK - Information has been submitted during a huge thunder storm. Here's hoping it went through and all is well.

Thing No 3 - Creating the Avatar

I did not know what an avatar was, and now I've actually inserted one in a blog. I'm pretty impressed. The instructions are great (and greatly appreciated!)

Thing No 2; 7 1/2 Habits - Most Difficult for Me

Play.
Now, my favorite part of any project is the research. I can follow the links and look up 45 more references just in case that crucial bit of information should be found there. But, I tend to do this for targeted goals and deadlines. I want to have the skills to use many aspects of technology for fun, i.e. a much more light-hearted approach.

Thing no 2; 7 1/2 Habits- Easiest for Me

Take Responsibility for your own learning. Early in my teaching career I was ensconced in 'This is overwhelming!" I was truly frustrated that my undergradate program did not prepare me for the challenges I faced. Then, I discovered that almost any project was possible if I broke it down into small enough parts. What an eye-opener! As a matter of fact, pertinent material was probably presented, I just did not have a frame of reference for it. I learned I could find what I needed if I simply searched hard enough.