Wow, I can't believe it's over. I kind of cheated on this answer as I wasn't too certain what was meant by "Find an example or attribution that shows this program has been modified from it's original." either. I looked at someone else's blog and saw that we were thinking along the same lines so I'm going with that (thanks Greg).
I loved the little disclaimer on the fair(y) tales....Disney does get VERY ridiculous when it comes to protecting their stuff. I have also noticed, through out the various assignments, that if an image is introduced it is made certain that the sites used to create the images are credited.
Then onto food for thoughts.............
I think my favorite part of all this was playing with the various image generators. I've always been a little jealous of people who have been able to do funky things to pictures and now I've got quite a few places to go to to create them myself.
I like to try to stay as current as possible with all the new "stuff" going on out there in the world of modern technology. Sometimes it's just by reading a few articles here and there or talking to people in the know. I may not know everything but having a basic idea about a lot of different things gives me a better foundation for when people are looking for "new" or "exciting" or just revamping. This 2.0 tour has done a great deal to give me a lot of little bits of things I probably would never have looked at on my own.
As far as surprising things...
I was a little surprised by the fact that I am rather reticent about trying new things. There were several things I explored that I had to return to at a later time before I was ready to deal with them. I guess we all have our comfort zones and we get a little on edge when we are forced out of them. There are still a few things that I don't quite "get" but I am planning on revisiting periodically and maybe they will make more sense then or I will figure out applications that are practical to me. At this point I think it is just a good thing that I am aware of them even if I don't see a use for them.
The only thing that I could think of that would improve this adventure would be more interaction between the participants. I know we had to..for example make a comment to someones blog but there is no guarantee that that person will respond or that anyone will read and/or comment on yours. I think it would be better if we were required to have discourse amongst one another...someone post a comment..someone respond..start threads..something.
If I was given the chance to participate in something else like this I would definitely give it strong consideration. I really enjoyed this and find it a great way to both learning and increasing my awareness.
My word for this experience would have to be either "AMAZING" or "FANTASTIC"...hard put to decide which is better....or maybe even "Eye opening" or better yet...."Mind opening"
It was fun.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Week 9 Thing 22
The World eBook Fair and Project Gutenberg sites were very interesting. While just randomly going through I managed to get sucked into several books I had never heard of before ( and to be honest probably wouldn't have necessarily read if I had come across them on a shelf). We don't have any eBooks but having access to free downloads means that teachers can recommend readings to students who could then down load themselves at home or in school, if the site isn't blocked.
I was surprised by the number of authors and titles that I recognized. I also liked the top 100 books and authors lists. If you aren't sure what you're looking for it is often helpful to peruse what others are going with. It could give you ideas that you never even thought of. I can see this being a very useful site especially for historical fiction.
I was surprised by the number of authors and titles that I recognized. I also liked the top 100 books and authors lists. If you aren't sure what you're looking for it is often helpful to peruse what others are going with. It could give you ideas that you never even thought of. I can see this being a very useful site especially for historical fiction.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Week 9 Thing 21
Podcasts seem to be okay. I can see how they could be useful tools, providing you can find one about something that you are looking for. However, going through the podcast directory sites seems to be a waste of time if you don't have a destination. Does not seem to be for idle browsers.
I have yet to manage to find a podcast on my own that seems to be of any use/interest. I have listened to several that were pretty interesting that were recommended by other people so I do know that worthwhile podcasts are definitely out there.
I did find "ask a Ninja" on my own...kinda funny...would probably recommend but obviously would be no good in school. I was surprised at how many of the "new" podcast were kind of old...2005/2006. How is that new? Don't get it. Found some Lone Ranger episodes also...cool... again though, no use for school.
I think that this is one I am going to have to continue to work on.
I have yet to manage to find a podcast on my own that seems to be of any use/interest. I have listened to several that were pretty interesting that were recommended by other people so I do know that worthwhile podcasts are definitely out there.
I did find "ask a Ninja" on my own...kinda funny...would probably recommend but obviously would be no good in school. I was surprised at how many of the "new" podcast were kind of old...2005/2006. How is that new? Don't get it. Found some Lone Ranger episodes also...cool... again though, no use for school.
I think that this is one I am going to have to continue to work on.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Week 9 Thing 20 - the writing part
I LOVE YouTube. Every time I go on (which really isn't as often as I would like...too easy to get lost) I find something new. I was actually looking for this African Safari footage that got a lot of hype last year....a baby buffalo??? nearly became diner for both a big cat and a gator but the herd saved it. Great film but I couldn't find it even with several searches.
What I did find though was The Muppet show...how cool was that!!!!! I loved this show. I actually remember the Mahna Mahna episode ans I loved it so now I'm going to share. Danny Boy was just a throw in. I have so many different versions of it but this is definitely the weirdest one by far.
I find it ironic that my superiors have access to YouTube and use it to make presentations to, among others, the library staff but WE DON'T HAVE ACCESS. Major big stinky. While I do understand the logic, I would like to try to get access to be able to use YouTube. Showing African Safari (or other animal) clips would greatly enhance animal lessons. There are also other, more educational, clips available....as my assistant director has already demonstrated for us (the library staff).
I really want to pout and flail while whining "No fair, how come you get all the good toys."
What I did find though was The Muppet show...how cool was that!!!!! I loved this show. I actually remember the Mahna Mahna episode ans I loved it so now I'm going to share. Danny Boy was just a throw in. I have so many different versions of it but this is definitely the weirdest one by far.
I find it ironic that my superiors have access to YouTube and use it to make presentations to, among others, the library staff but WE DON'T HAVE ACCESS. Major big stinky. While I do understand the logic, I would like to try to get access to be able to use YouTube. Showing African Safari (or other animal) clips would greatly enhance animal lessons. There are also other, more educational, clips available....as my assistant director has already demonstrated for us (the library staff).
I really want to pout and flail while whining "No fair, how come you get all the good toys."
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Week 8 Thing 19
Wow, checkout and create an account with LibraryThing...sounds quick and easy doesn't it? I guess it should have been.
I was originally put off a little bit by LibraryThing. So many of the collections that I had browsed through seemed rather...high brow? intimidating? I kind of wondered who would be reading the same garbage that I do? Well, apparently quite a few people.
I wasn't too surprised by the number of people who had Eclipse and New Moon..I mean isn't everyone reading these? I was surprised by the number of people who had "Wild Swans" and "Plain Truth" though. I don't actually remember where I got "Wild Swans" from but the majority of my recent purchases have come from BJ's, I wonder how many other people are also shopping there?
I am having a bit of trouble putting a like to my LibraryThing collection onto my blog. Eventually I will figure it out..hopefully..maybe.
Okay, couldn't figure out how to get the link with all the pretty pictures to work so use this instead to find my library
I was originally put off a little bit by LibraryThing. So many of the collections that I had browsed through seemed rather...high brow? intimidating? I kind of wondered who would be reading the same garbage that I do? Well, apparently quite a few people.
I wasn't too surprised by the number of people who had Eclipse and New Moon..I mean isn't everyone reading these? I was surprised by the number of people who had "Wild Swans" and "Plain Truth" though. I don't actually remember where I got "Wild Swans" from but the majority of my recent purchases have come from BJ's, I wonder how many other people are also shopping there?
I am having a bit of trouble putting a like to my LibraryThing collection onto my blog. Eventually I will figure it out..hopefully..maybe.
Okay, couldn't figure out how to get the link with all the pretty pictures to work so use this instead to find my library
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Week 8 thing 18
Zoho writer seems to be a very interesting tool. I do wish I could see more examples of pages/works that have been created through this tool. I was talking to a teacher about using online publishing tools but all she could say was "Why?" I couldn't exactly think of an answer at the time. We do have word on our computers and the kids do know how to use it so why would we need something like this?
One thing that occurs to me is that students do not have remote access to their documents created in school. Suppose somebody has a little free time and actually wanted to do some school work (yes, a little far fetched but who knows?
) If their assignment was created using an online word processing tool this mythical student would be able to work on their assignment at any time. No more..."I forgot to save it to my thumb drive" or "How could I work on it from home?". There would also be no more (yeah, right) last minute scrambling to work on an assignment.
Hmmm, the more I type the more interesting online publishing tools are looking.
One thing that occurs to me is that students do not have remote access to their documents created in school. Suppose somebody has a little free time and actually wanted to do some school work (yes, a little far fetched but who knows?
) If their assignment was created using an online word processing tool this mythical student would be able to work on their assignment at any time. No more..."I forgot to save it to my thumb drive" or "How could I work on it from home?". There would also be no more (yeah, right) last minute scrambling to work on an assignment.Hmmm, the more I type the more interesting online publishing tools are looking.
Week 7 Thing 17
The calcurriculum wiki was a very interesting place to be. I often feel as though I suffer from a profound lack of creative imagination but this wiki has given me several really good ideas towards alternate uses of some of the tools we have been looking at.
While I like the idea of wikis, I'm still not certain exactly how I would go about using one. I have come up with some better ideas for the use of my school book blog though. I have a few more adventurous teachers and I am going to broach the idea of using wikis with them for some of their class assignments and see how that goes. If it works well I will then try branching out to some of my less adventurous teachers.
While I like the idea of wikis, I'm still not certain exactly how I would go about using one. I have come up with some better ideas for the use of my school book blog though. I have a few more adventurous teachers and I am going to broach the idea of using wikis with them for some of their class assignments and see how that goes. If it works well I will then try branching out to some of my less adventurous teachers.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Week 7 Thing 16
As silly as it may sound, I was surprised at the different looks that wikis could have. The majority were very "wikipedia-esqu" but a few were a little more personalized. I guess I had assumed that all wikis looked a like. It was nice to see that this was not that case. Especially since the personalized ones were a little more inviting at a little lest...institutional, multifunctional looking.
Color schemes aside, the actual wikis themselves were set up a little differently. I had always assumed (again) that wikis were functional and utilitarian. Lists of key words or guide word to take you to the info that you wanted. Save you having to read the whole thing. It was nice to see that some of the wikis had a bit more of a blogging, stop-in-and-chat feel/look to them.
I guess the thing I found most interesting were the large number of links that the various wikis provided. I actually spent more time checking out the links that the actual wikis. I have found, in general, that since the wikis provide so much time saving info it is usually very easy to quickly peruse the wiki and then move on to bigger and better things, such as the links.
I can definitely see the benefits of a wiki within school libraries and class rooms. What a really cool way to assemble a class project with each page focusing on a different aspect of the main topic. For example, a 5th grade teacher recently had her class break into groups to work on a variety of projects related to hatchet. With a few, relatively minor, modifications the project could have been translated into a wiki.
Or, even better...is a grade works on a project...such as the rainforest, each class could focus on a different aspect and then break the aspects down further amongst the class and the grade all together could create some sort of semi-comprehensive wiki on the rainforest. With that many classes/students working on it, the wiki could potentially contain a great deal of valuable information.
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On another note, I FINALLY joined a ning...yea me! I joined the teacherlibrarian ning, in part because I can actually access it from school and in part because they have group that is focused on elementary librarian and in part because this one made sense to me. I guess I really do need things laid out very plainly to actually get them. Yea also to LM_Net because if I hadn't been going through my old emails from the list serve I never would have remembered this ning.
Color schemes aside, the actual wikis themselves were set up a little differently. I had always assumed (again) that wikis were functional and utilitarian. Lists of key words or guide word to take you to the info that you wanted. Save you having to read the whole thing. It was nice to see that some of the wikis had a bit more of a blogging, stop-in-and-chat feel/look to them.
I guess the thing I found most interesting were the large number of links that the various wikis provided. I actually spent more time checking out the links that the actual wikis. I have found, in general, that since the wikis provide so much time saving info it is usually very easy to quickly peruse the wiki and then move on to bigger and better things, such as the links.
I can definitely see the benefits of a wiki within school libraries and class rooms. What a really cool way to assemble a class project with each page focusing on a different aspect of the main topic. For example, a 5th grade teacher recently had her class break into groups to work on a variety of projects related to hatchet. With a few, relatively minor, modifications the project could have been translated into a wiki.
Or, even better...is a grade works on a project...such as the rainforest, each class could focus on a different aspect and then break the aspects down further amongst the class and the grade all together could create some sort of semi-comprehensive wiki on the rainforest. With that many classes/students working on it, the wiki could potentially contain a great deal of valuable information.
******************************************************************************************
On another note, I FINALLY joined a ning...yea me! I joined the teacherlibrarian ning, in part because I can actually access it from school and in part because they have group that is focused on elementary librarian and in part because this one made sense to me. I guess I really do need things laid out very plainly to actually get them. Yea also to LM_Net because if I hadn't been going through my old emails from the list serve I never would have remembered this ning.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Week 6 thing 15
Wow, Library 2.0 can be kind of a scary thing for all and sundry. I read more than just 2 or 3 of the articles and, while I appreciated all of those read, I kept returning to the "icebergs".
To me, this often seems to be the biggest problem with/for/in the library. I've only been a librarian for 4 years, time spent split between a total of 5 different buildings and 9 different grades, so my perspective may yet be incomplete or inaccurate, who knows?
However, do I EVER resonate with the uggg factor of "just in case" collections. Why do we need science books written in the 80's? Why do we need to keep contemporary literary criticisms for authors who are no longer current/popular/known to our students? Why should we have "classics" that aren't still sitting on our shelves 40 years later (usually at least 20 years after they stopped being even slightly popular)? They just aren't interested in old, outdated and to them useless books. I often have to agree with them.
My district (at least on the elementary level) does tend to be a little bit of an exception since a large number of our students do not have access to computers and/or the internet from home. Even here though, I see them pulling away from print. These kids want to be as cutting edge as they can possibly be. They just need a lot of help doing it.
Which leads to user education. While I do agree that, as much as possible, technology tools need to be easy to use and fairly self explanatory this isn't always good thing. Kids like to just jump on, click here, click there and then think that they are done.
In my reality we need to spend a lot of time teaching the kids how to use the "easy to use" tools in an effective manner. We also need to teach them how to realize when the information they are getting either isn't good or isn't good enough. We can't just be there when they need us..because they usually don't need us until it's too late. We have to be there looking over their shoulders and nudging them in the right direction the whole time.
I do believe that Library 2.0 is the future of the library. I think that one of the other "icebergs" that we face is that we have a lot of other people who need to be brought on board. It's hard enough trying to get teachers to use their email let alone venture out into unknowns like Flickr. Some are very open and use many 2.0 tools themselves but don't see any practical use for bringing them into the schools. Others, in the minority but at least there, are open to trying whatever you throw at them.
Then you run into the next "iceberg" which is the available technology itself. Between wireless that doesn't want to work, computer labs that are overbooked and district filters that block out EVERYTHING, there is a high level of frustration involved in using 2.0 tools in schools. If you are lucky, you have administrators who are willing to listen to your arguments and aid you as much as possible. This doesn't mean you get everything you want, just the way you want it but you usually get something you can work with. If you aren't lucky, it's a pretty dismal future out there for 2.0.
To me, this often seems to be the biggest problem with/for/in the library. I've only been a librarian for 4 years, time spent split between a total of 5 different buildings and 9 different grades, so my perspective may yet be incomplete or inaccurate, who knows?
However, do I EVER resonate with the uggg factor of "just in case" collections. Why do we need science books written in the 80's? Why do we need to keep contemporary literary criticisms for authors who are no longer current/popular/known to our students? Why should we have "classics" that aren't still sitting on our shelves 40 years later (usually at least 20 years after they stopped being even slightly popular)? They just aren't interested in old, outdated and to them useless books. I often have to agree with them.
My district (at least on the elementary level) does tend to be a little bit of an exception since a large number of our students do not have access to computers and/or the internet from home. Even here though, I see them pulling away from print. These kids want to be as cutting edge as they can possibly be. They just need a lot of help doing it.
Which leads to user education. While I do agree that, as much as possible, technology tools need to be easy to use and fairly self explanatory this isn't always good thing. Kids like to just jump on, click here, click there and then think that they are done.
In my reality we need to spend a lot of time teaching the kids how to use the "easy to use" tools in an effective manner. We also need to teach them how to realize when the information they are getting either isn't good or isn't good enough. We can't just be there when they need us..because they usually don't need us until it's too late. We have to be there looking over their shoulders and nudging them in the right direction the whole time.
I do believe that Library 2.0 is the future of the library. I think that one of the other "icebergs" that we face is that we have a lot of other people who need to be brought on board. It's hard enough trying to get teachers to use their email let alone venture out into unknowns like Flickr. Some are very open and use many 2.0 tools themselves but don't see any practical use for bringing them into the schools. Others, in the minority but at least there, are open to trying whatever you throw at them.
Then you run into the next "iceberg" which is the available technology itself. Between wireless that doesn't want to work, computer labs that are overbooked and district filters that block out EVERYTHING, there is a high level of frustration involved in using 2.0 tools in schools. If you are lucky, you have administrators who are willing to listen to your arguments and aid you as much as possible. This doesn't mean you get everything you want, just the way you want it but you usually get something you can work with. If you aren't lucky, it's a pretty dismal future out there for 2.0.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Week 6 Thing 14
Okay, supposedly I was looking at...um, I have to check.... Technorati...that's it.
Well, let's see..I found a really could blog on Technorati called I Can Has Cheezburger. Funny site for cat lovers. I have added it to my feed (not that I ever actually have time to look at it or anything). This does bring me back to my original problem in that I find it way too easy to get off topic while browsing this stuff.
I also went back to Ning through Technorati and I think it might actually make a little more sense to me now. I think.
So, any way...Technorati. I think it is an interesting site, specifically if you are looking to find blogs that interests you. I did do a search for "School Library Learning 2.0" but am not certain I did it correctly as I am still not sure what the blog directory is (I have found things that I think are the blog directory but am not sure if I searched it or not.)
One of the searches I did..which I think was tags...yielded a lot of blogs about library learning in general and how we are moving into the future and using new technologies. I didn't find any blogs that tied to this class (but I didn't look too deeply).
The other search (this one I know was blogs) immediately yielded blogs that ties to this class. I was interested to see how many other partakers of this venture chose to register themselves.
I didn't think anything under the popular headings were all that surprising. They really just kind of exemplified the times and events. A lot like a news page.
I can see tagging as a very useful tool. It gives people a chance to look for "real" thing in real life. It also give one an chance to see how others think about similar ideas as they group themselves together. It shows how different people regard different things. It is also good for organization ( something I need a lot of help with). I do think though that you need time in which to create your tags and organize them. You then also have to monitor them and update as needed.
Well, let's see..I found a really could blog on Technorati called I Can Has Cheezburger. Funny site for cat lovers. I have added it to my feed (not that I ever actually have time to look at it or anything). This does bring me back to my original problem in that I find it way too easy to get off topic while browsing this stuff.
I also went back to Ning through Technorati and I think it might actually make a little more sense to me now. I think.
So, any way...Technorati. I think it is an interesting site, specifically if you are looking to find blogs that interests you. I did do a search for "School Library Learning 2.0" but am not certain I did it correctly as I am still not sure what the blog directory is (I have found things that I think are the blog directory but am not sure if I searched it or not.)
One of the searches I did..which I think was tags...yielded a lot of blogs about library learning in general and how we are moving into the future and using new technologies. I didn't find any blogs that tied to this class (but I didn't look too deeply).
The other search (this one I know was blogs) immediately yielded blogs that ties to this class. I was interested to see how many other partakers of this venture chose to register themselves.
I didn't think anything under the popular headings were all that surprising. They really just kind of exemplified the times and events. A lot like a news page.
I can see tagging as a very useful tool. It gives people a chance to look for "real" thing in real life. It also give one an chance to see how others think about similar ideas as they group themselves together. It shows how different people regard different things. It is also good for organization ( something I need a lot of help with). I do think though that you need time in which to create your tags and organize them. You then also have to monitor them and update as needed.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Week 5 Thing 12 and Week 6 Thing 13
Well, I kind of cheated here. I looked at Rollyo and didn't exactly get it. I did play around with it bit I couldn't get the point (some of the searches I tried didn't work and I'm not sure why). Playing around with this site though did serve to remind me of why I am taking this class. There are quite a few things that we are looking at that I have known about but never really bothered to learn much about (or to look at to be completely honest.) So now I am finally taking the time to at least look.
Rollyo really didn't make much sense to me until I looked at Del.icio.us. This is a site I've heard a lot about but have never really looked at....partly lack of interest and partly those darn filters again. Having now taken a look at it I can definitely see how something like del.icio.us could be a very useful tool although I'm not sure it is the best thing for an elementary school.
By aggregating various pre-screened websites under common use tags, students are given one location where they can still perform the necessary searches for sites that should provide them with the information that they are looking for. The bonus of the tags is that students will be able to use "their" words as opposed to trying to figure out what the "proper" subject heading is. On the other hand, having all those tags listed down the sidebar also helps because then the students could also just cruise the tags until they find one that suits their needs.
I haven't created a Rollyo list yet because I'm really not sure what I want to create a list of. This will take me a little more time and consideration but I will get to it.
Rollyo really didn't make much sense to me until I looked at Del.icio.us. This is a site I've heard a lot about but have never really looked at....partly lack of interest and partly those darn filters again. Having now taken a look at it I can definitely see how something like del.icio.us could be a very useful tool although I'm not sure it is the best thing for an elementary school.
By aggregating various pre-screened websites under common use tags, students are given one location where they can still perform the necessary searches for sites that should provide them with the information that they are looking for. The bonus of the tags is that students will be able to use "their" words as opposed to trying to figure out what the "proper" subject heading is. On the other hand, having all those tags listed down the sidebar also helps because then the students could also just cruise the tags until they find one that suits their needs.
I haven't created a Rollyo list yet because I'm really not sure what I want to create a list of. This will take me a little more time and consideration but I will get to it.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Week 5 Thing 10
2.0 award winners. I checked out a few....some I just didn't get. I took a look at LibraryThing and I guess I was a little intimidated. I'm really not quite as well read as some of them seem to be (I'm secretly addicted to YA). I did notice that quite a lot of what I have read did show up on the most popular and most talked about lists so I guess I'm not too far out of the loop. The site really isn't difficult to understand or navigate. I think I would prefer to use it as an occasional reference tool as opposed to joining.
I went on to explore further and found last.fm. This got me excited as I never seem to be able to find anything that I want/like to listen to. All I have to do is type in an artist and I get a comparative list of other artists. Hmm...sounds like a "If you love...then you'll like...". Oddly enough this site is exactly what I HAVE been looking for. Added bonus that I can listen to the music at the same time.
Um.....unfortunately I got off topic and of course had to settle on a site that really shouldn't be used in school. On the other hand, when I was still a high school librarian I did have a teacher who had students do studies of contemporary music/musicians. This site would be a good way to locate artists, their music and their contemporaries.
I went on to explore further and found last.fm. This got me excited as I never seem to be able to find anything that I want/like to listen to. All I have to do is type in an artist and I get a comparative list of other artists. Hmm...sounds like a "If you love...then you'll like...". Oddly enough this site is exactly what I HAVE been looking for. Added bonus that I can listen to the music at the same time.
Um.....unfortunately I got off topic and of course had to settle on a site that really shouldn't be used in school. On the other hand, when I was still a high school librarian I did have a teacher who had students do studies of contemporary music/musicians. This site would be a good way to locate artists, their music and their contemporaries.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Week 5 Thing 10
Play time...whoo-hoo.
Okay..to be honest I had trouble using the generator to do what I needed them to do. I probably need more time to really sit and play. Even though I did take some time to play I probably didn't give it quite the time I should have.
On the other hand, I am very proud of my flowers. Not exactly an original though but the sentiment is heartfelt. Plus, these ones should be much harder to kill than the ones that are supposed to be growing in my garden.
Comic strip generator was also fun.
I had fun playing but again didn't really have the time to go too far into it.
The image generators are definitely something I will want to get back to at a later date. I am envisaging some very interesting SmartBoard lessons.
Okay..to be honest I had trouble using the generator to do what I needed them to do. I probably need more time to really sit and play. Even though I did take some time to play I probably didn't give it quite the time I should have.
On the other hand, I am very proud of my flowers. Not exactly an original though but the sentiment is heartfelt. Plus, these ones should be much harder to kill than the ones that are supposed to be growing in my garden.
Comic strip generator was also fun.
I had fun playing but again didn't really have the time to go too far into it.
The image generators are definitely something I will want to get back to at a later date. I am envisaging some very interesting SmartBoard lessons.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Week 4 Thing 9
Okay, feed search tools.
Feedster....3 tries, no load..not impressed one bit.
Topix.net....took a moment to realize that it was giving me interesting articles to read and then from there could decide whether of not to subscribe to that news feed. A lot if interesting stories highlighted. Got a little lost in reading various article. Wouldn't necessarily want to subscribe to the feed though. I could see myself spending a lot of time just cruising Topix.net just to see what's going on.
Syndi8.com...takes forever to load. Like the set up for locating feeds that interest you...country, random feeds, most popular feeds etc. Took a little while to realize that I had to click on the URL provided in the..um snapshot?..about the feed in order to actually see the feed. Still takes a long time to load though.
Found BoingBoing and Wired News through Syndic8. They seem to be my kind of thing with a little bit of all sorts included in their feeds . Figure I'll give them a shot and see what happens.
Feedster....3 tries, no load..not impressed one bit.
Topix.net....took a moment to realize that it was giving me interesting articles to read and then from there could decide whether of not to subscribe to that news feed. A lot if interesting stories highlighted. Got a little lost in reading various article. Wouldn't necessarily want to subscribe to the feed though. I could see myself spending a lot of time just cruising Topix.net just to see what's going on.
Syndi8.com...takes forever to load. Like the set up for locating feeds that interest you...country, random feeds, most popular feeds etc. Took a little while to realize that I had to click on the URL provided in the..um snapshot?..about the feed in order to actually see the feed. Still takes a long time to load though.
Found BoingBoing and Wired News through Syndic8. They seem to be my kind of thing with a little bit of all sorts included in their feeds . Figure I'll give them a shot and see what happens.
Week 4 Thing 8
Okay...not too thrilled with RSS. Not because it isn't a great thing but I am not the most news savvy person out there. It was actually a trial to try to figure out what to subscribe to...more than a 1/2 hour for 5 sites and I took 2 of them off the suggestion list. Sheesh. Then there is also the fact that most of these feeds will be blocked by my school's filters and who has time at home?
On the other hand, I can see this being very useful for someone like my husband who is running to the computer 40 times a day to check the news. It could also be very useful for classroom teachers when doing current events. Sign up to a couple of different news feeds and see what comes rolling in. Comparisons between portrayal of information on the same stories and also the types of news featured by different feeds...what are the foci, same? different?
On the other hand, I can see this being very useful for someone like my husband who is running to the computer 40 times a day to check the news. It could also be very useful for classroom teachers when doing current events. Sign up to a couple of different news feeds and see what comes rolling in. Comparisons between portrayal of information on the same stories and also the types of news featured by different feeds...what are the foci, same? different?
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Week 3 Thing 7
We are slowly working on becoming wireless in my home. With the recent acquisition of a new Mac something or another we now have an airport so as to connect everything wirelessly. The down side being that while my poor PC is wireless capable I need some USB "thing" (this part got lost in the technobabble) that should cost about $20. Is this enough to go into Circuit City with and get what I am looking for? Who knows, but I am going to try. If it doesn't work for me I am going to get my brother..the technobabbler..to do it for me. I really do miss being able to right click...I NEED MY PC.....it's the whole right click thing. It's pretty sad that the Mac and the (12-15 year old) stereo can communicate and I CAN'T.
I does amaze me though that so much ( if you have the money) can be done without hardwiring. It really wouldn't surprise me if sooner..rather than later..we will all be living in houses where holographic safari animals are capable of mauling us to death (totally forgot the name of the story/movie but it still occasionally comes up in nightmares)
I does amaze me though that so much ( if you have the money) can be done without hardwiring. It really wouldn't surprise me if sooner..rather than later..we will all be living in houses where holographic safari animals are capable of mauling us to death (totally forgot the name of the story/movie but it still occasionally comes up in nightmares)
Week 3 Thing 6
The flicker mashups are definitely fun and now of course I find myself going "How can I get this unblocked?"
The color picker is great..use it to show how things that have absolutely nothing in common can be grouped together. Could also be used to show the varied use of color.
Montagr is way cool. I love things like that...many pictures used together to create another picture. With this you can choose the "original" image and everything used in the montage has some sort of a relationship to it. I could see very interesting things coming out of art class from something like this.
And, last but not least...create my own trading cards? Magazine covers? and who knows what else...way too much fun. I read the curriculum connections...what a great way to jazz up reports and even just regular instruction.
I couldn't resist the trading cards. My son will be over the moon.
Week 3 Thing 5
Flickr has been a very interesting experience. I usually use Snapfish to upload and order prints but I can see Flickr as being an interesting alternative to reaching my international family. I guess I would be a little concerned about privacy but having the ability to restrict viewer takes a load off that worry.
Flickr does seem top be a little overwhelming but some of the navigation tools that it provides definitely makes things easier. I like being able to click on a topic that interests me and find pictures that corelate to that topic. Unfortunately, I can also see why this is one of the sites that is blocked by my school's filters. The kids would be on all day everyday just cruising whats new and checking out old pics that they missed. In looking for a pic to blab about I kept changing my mind...birds?..cats?...funky?..wierd?
I settled for http://www.flickr.com/photos/melodramababs/2316943577/in/photostream/ (although I don't know if settled is the right word)
I thought this picture was really cool. It is almost as though you can see the Sculpture? flapping in the breeze. Is it a birds wing? A slashed sleeve fluttering in the wind? A tongue of decorative flame? Very interesting.
Flickr does seem top be a little overwhelming but some of the navigation tools that it provides definitely makes things easier. I like being able to click on a topic that interests me and find pictures that corelate to that topic. Unfortunately, I can also see why this is one of the sites that is blocked by my school's filters. The kids would be on all day everyday just cruising whats new and checking out old pics that they missed. In looking for a pic to blab about I kept changing my mind...birds?..cats?...funky?..wierd?
I settled for http://www.flickr.com/photos/melodramababs/2316943577/in/photostream/ (although I don't know if settled is the right word)
I thought this picture was really cool. It is almost as though you can see the Sculpture? flapping in the breeze. Is it a birds wing? A slashed sleeve fluttering in the wind? A tongue of decorative flame? Very interesting.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Week 1 Thing 2
After looking at a few other blogs, I think the backward thing is kind of contagious. Seriously though, it IS more fun to create an avatar than self-reflect (still contemplating purple hair, I miss it).
So, onto the self-reflection (mirror, mirror).
I think one of my biggest issues is in not being able to see problems and obstacles as learning opportunities (the BIGGEST problem being time management). I tend to get overwhelmed and/or frustrated which can lead to mini meltdowns. I get so wrapped up in trying to get things (everything) done that I forget to prioritize. Then there are things out of my control (such as little people who don't want to go to bed) and I don't get to do what I need/want to do. I know I am able to get things done and eventually I do manage but I hit a lot of bumps along the way.
Something I enjoy and am good at is teaching other teachers. I love being able to share what I know and help others become more proficient. Despite the fact that filters block us from using so much stuff that is online, I am in a very technology focused district. I love taking the scare factor out of the technology that we do use. We have to keep looking forward if we want to move forward.
So, onto the self-reflection (mirror, mirror).
I think one of my biggest issues is in not being able to see problems and obstacles as learning opportunities (the BIGGEST problem being time management). I tend to get overwhelmed and/or frustrated which can lead to mini meltdowns. I get so wrapped up in trying to get things (everything) done that I forget to prioritize. Then there are things out of my control (such as little people who don't want to go to bed) and I don't get to do what I need/want to do. I know I am able to get things done and eventually I do manage but I hit a lot of bumps along the way.
Something I enjoy and am good at is teaching other teachers. I love being able to share what I know and help others become more proficient. Despite the fact that filters block us from using so much stuff that is online, I am in a very technology focused district. I love taking the scare factor out of the technology that we do use. We have to keep looking forward if we want to move forward.
Week 2 Thing 3
Well, this is definitely easier to use than 21Classes (the school approved blog). I decided to use Blogspot instead because I can't access ANY blogs (very annoying) from school except 21Classes anyway. So if I'm going to be doing this from home I may as well use what I want.
I do have to say that exporting the avatar was an adventure in and of itself. I finally imported it as a JPEG to iPhoto and then imported to here from the desktop. Who new something so simple could be such a nudge?
Maybe it's the whole MAC vs PC thing. I really hate not being able to right click at home.
C'est la vie.
I do have to say that exporting the avatar was an adventure in and of itself. I finally imported it as a JPEG to iPhoto and then imported to here from the desktop. Who new something so simple could be such a nudge?
Maybe it's the whole MAC vs PC thing. I really hate not being able to right click at home.
C'est la vie.
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