Bone 23: Reflection

Well, here we are at the end. Let see what was learned:

What was your favorite or least favorite Thing? I like anything that is visual and fun, so Flickr, Flickr Mashup, and Youtube are my favorites. I could spend all day looking through Youtube. Least favorite thing is hard to nail down. I did not like Facebook and Twitter because I am a private person and do not really have a need for them. However, since you can control your groups of friends, they kinda grow on you. I will probably dump my Twitter account, but keep Facebook because I have several friends that have started posting on it regularly. I didn't like LibWorm or Digg because I think there are better search sites and you don't really need the "social" aspect.

What was challenging for you? The most challenging aspect is the "social" part of a lot of these sites. As a person who does not always trust the security features of sites, I really do not want to go around setting up accounts that want information I do not want to give. At times, this program was information overload, but that was my problem because I started late and did not give myself time to absorb like I should have done. But challenges are good and I think I can adjust my comfort level.

What did you learn? I learned so much and that I could do so much in Web 2.0. But moreover, I really feel confident about sharing what I learned. I think this learning will keep building upon itself and I will continue to find new ways to apply it. Also, I really appreciate Things like Google Reader, which keeps my more organized and informed.

What new technologies will you use in your library? I have already shared some sites with staff, like Flickr with the Art teacher. Since students can create their own Active Directory accounts, I plan to teach Google Reader for organization. I want to try to create Book Clubs or AR tracker with LibraryThing, and I plan to use Google Docs to create Library/Staff surveys. Also, I would like to create Podcasts (and learn about screencasts) to apply to the Library Webpage. I have high expectations for using and sharing this information, and I am very excited to get started. This is going to be a Web 2.0 year!

Thanks for a super program! LKO

Bone 22: Your Own 23 Things

I am the Librarian for two campuses, and the only staff person who did the 23 Things program. So, I am only scratching the surface of what can be developed for a program at both campuses. Because one of my principals knew about my participation, she has already requested that I create staff development training lessons. I plan to see how many of the original 23 Things can be accessed on the district's computers (without being filtered), and build my program that way. For sure, Twitter and Facebook will not be available, but Digg and Delicious should be available. I liked the way 23 Things was set up and you could work at your own pace, and re-work an item as many times as you wanted to feel comfortable with it. Therefore, I would like to do a face-to-face training, but then have podcasts on my school wiki so teachers could refer back to for help. Teachers (including myself) have been given technology but very little training. This is my chance to correct that on an in-house basis. In addition, students get very little formal training in Web 2.0, so this is always a way to get training to them. So, I have my homework cut out for me.

Bone 21: Podcasting

I have done a podcast before for a storytime Powerpoint and had a lot of fun creating it. However, some of the podcast I have just finished listening to sounds more like Talk Radio--boring. Let's see what I found:

http://www.nancykeane.com/booktalks/
Nancy Keane's Booktalks, Quick and Simple site is loaded with her booktalks on a variety of books. You can download the podcast and listen to it. The audio quality is good and clear, and I enjoyed listening to her voice. This would be a useable site for a Librarian.

MuggleCast #177: The Astronomy Tower of Terror, MuggleNet.com.
This podcast had such a fun, catchy name, so I thought it would be a good listen. However, it ended up being a group of twenty-something friends have a discussion of the latest Harry Potter movie. They use a lot of movie music and cut voice audio. The sound quality is good, but the format rambling and content sparse. Maybe MuggleCast gets better later, but I could only listen to about six minutes before I had to stop.

Free Talk Live: This site advertises itself as "What's on your mind? Unlike those right-wing or left-liberal extremist shows, Free Talk Live is talk radio that ANYONE can take control of. Yes, even you. This is talk radio for politics in a digital age. What is the meaning of freedom? This show is about Liberty with a capital L." Eventhough this site is more my age group, it is endless talking--with opinions that are not supported and questionable.

Overall: How was the audio quality? The audio quality was very clear for all the podcasts I listened to--no problems
Were they interesting enough to make you want to subscribe to them? No; however, I will remember the Nancy Keane site as I can use it in my Library.

What sorts of topics did they cover? Literature, politics, Harry Potter movies, current events.

I will try to make some podcasts this year because they can be very helpful and students like them. I think podcasts work best when they are short and provide something useful. I don't feel they work well as along-winded replacement for Talk Radio.
LKO

Bone 20: Youtube

Ah, Youtube. How I enjoy all the variety on Youtube. Here are some of the videos I viewed:

Texas library: City of Plano, Texas- Library Technical Services (2007) this educational video was professionally done with good pacing, information, and audio. It was not too long and enjoyable. They are educating the public about different departments in the city's Library system and are very successful.

APL Book Cart Drill Team (2007)-Although this video had five stars, it was someone's home job with grainy picture and bad audio. They are trying to perserve the moment, the fun, and share with others. If you enjoy home pictures, you can make it to the end of the video.

public library: Your Public Library (2007)-This video is a general overview of public libraries and is meant to educate the public. They are also looking for people to support their local libraries. It is well made, but a little slow.

school library: School Library Media Specialist- my library. my life. (2008) I thought this video was so clever. Eventhough it was done by students, it has a very professional look and feel to it. It is meant to be entertaining and it succeeds.

academic library: What are our future library leaders thinking? (2009) This video is a collection of librarians talking about issues, problems, solutions they want to share with other librarians and the interested public. The video's pacing is rough, it needs narrations, and the picture quality is shakey. It reminds me of a graduate's project.

library event: Yan Can Cook Event at Monterey Library (2009) This short advertisement video is professionally done for TV. It is an ad for a fundriser for the local library. It is well paced, informative, and the audio is well done.


What were they trying to accomplish? All these videos wanted to share, whether it was information or fun. How effective were they? That depends on how they are judged. Are they all effective because they shared a message-sure. Otherwise, they can be judged by the number of viewers or stars. Some are very successful with their five stars, others have five stars and were flops. Can you think of other uses of videos to help promote libraries or serve the public? Because our society is so visual, I see more and more information being put into this format. it seems to be the quickest way to promote and serve.
LKO

Bone 19: Google Docs

I found this bone very user friendly and handy. My department uses Google Docs for surveys, but I had never explored it until now. I will be adding Google Docs to my options when creating letters, forms, and presentations from now on as it is really great.

Did you notice that you can save in Word format, or as a PDF file? Yes, and I appreciate having choices. I usually use Microsoft word, which has easier access to clipart, photos, etc., but I still liked Google Docs.

Now try doing the same with a presentation: I usually use PowerPoint, which offers more animatation and transition options, but I still liked Google Docs--it just more straight forward. This would be a good option for students who don't need to be offered all the bells & whistles.

spreadsheet: I usually use Excel Spread, which I find easier to use than Google Docs. This is the one Google Docs application I will not use unless in a pinch.

and form: I have created my own multiple choice tests before and wish I could have used this application. Google Docs forms is a wonderful think and can appreciate why my department uses it. It Rocks! And I will use in the future.

How do they differ from the programs you generally use? I like how all these applications are grouped together in one spot and you can control the management/filing of documents created. The programs are a little like the economy version of a car, not the luxury model--but they are very workable and the more I use them, the more I will achieve with them. I really liked this Thing!

Can you believe that you have already done 19 of the 23 things? NO!

Bone 18: Wikis

This bone was great! My school district has a Librarians' wiki, which I never really understood its workings, but appreciated all the easy access information. Now, I have a greater understanding of wikis and their creation, application, etc. I am now working on how to attach/link a wiki to my library's homepage. Just think, there could be page after page of patron information. So many possibilities. I know some Librarians who have created wikis in Glogster and Wix, and now armed with my little success here, I will try branching out into these other sites to see what's there. Most excellent bone!!
LKO

Bone 17: LibWorm

This wormy bone needs to be buried. Here we go:

Try doing a Phrase search using the name of your library. What did you find? I am the Librarian for two elementary campuses and "No results found" for both schools. Also, "No results found" for my school district. Hmmmmm.

Did you find anything interesting? Not really. I tried searching Bilingual resources and found some websites that had interesting articles, but nothing that would impact my Libraries. Then I moved on to favorite subjects, copyright and fair use. With the "any word" search, I got recent court cases on blogs. If you search by feed categories, subjects, or tags, you can find headings for Law, Law Libraries, etc. Then you start chasing a lot of links just to get a little information. I found a survey about how comfortable Librarians felt about copyright/fair use, which was interesting, but not surprising. I tried to limit my search to just Disney copyright and still got to chase links (some dead).

How would you rate the quality of the results LibWorm gives you? If you have time to kill, this search engine is for you. I found LibWorm slow and overloaded. The site links and links and links, and I felt like I was shifting a beach of sand looking for one grain. Perhaps if I worked with LibWorm more and tried different vocabulary, I would have better luck. The LibWorm Tag Cloud was cool; however, it is easier and faster to go to Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.
Moving on.....LKO

Bone 16: Library Thing

What an interesting site, and I really like how you can see the covers of the books. I agree with JJR, who said, "LT is fun, but no replacement for real cataloging...", but I am looking for how this site could be used by elementary students/staff. Although I haven't played with all that LibraryThing has to offer, it would be cool if a teacher could set up an account and track books read by the class. Or that students could have accounts and share in book discussions that the teacher could facilitate. Or I, the Librarian, could send recommendations of available books to students. Just playing with ideas. I was really impressed with the depth of this website's collection of book information. Nor only did the site recognize my Grandmother's 1928 edition of John Brown's Body, but I could access recommendations/discussions for children's literature, bilingual books, and authors. Yes, LibraryThing will not replace formal cataloging, but it is fun for your own private library. I am going to keep working with this site and pass it on. Looking for me: http://www.librarything.com/profile/DenverOwens
LKO

Bone 15: Digg

I don't really dig Digg--mainly because I am becoming more concerned with the concept of freely labeling any website that allows people to post their opinions as "social". But never mind, just my own eye-rolling at the appalling grammar and sentence structure used by people. Digg looks likes the thesis project of some graduate student who is trying to cover all the bases to get a good grade. I feel like way too much information (and advertising) was being thrown at me at one time. Again, as a news site, I began to question what is news-worthy. Some of what is listed for entertainment, lifestyle, and sports has questionable value for enlightening, inspiring, and boardening of the mind. And even more distrubing are some of the comments posted in these three genres, once again causing me to question "social". As a saving grace, Digg does have critical news stories from more global perspective sources, such as the BBC, MSN World, etc., where more thought provoking comments are provided. The "social" aspect of voting and participating in a discussion is really stretching the meaning of social. I did like being able to quickly search a subject (even subjects with a narrow audience) for news, like Wales or castles; and even better, I could quickly search for videos. However, I could have just as easily Googled or gone to Youtube. Perhaps Digg works for other people, but for elementary students it does not have much potential. For me, I will add it to my list of places to research information, but I won't be getting "social".
LKO

Bone 14: Delicious

I had to work a little for this bone as I found myself having to constantly login into the site to add bookmarks. The tagging is fun and I can see students (and adults) relating it to keywords--keywords that you get to choose. For teachers, this could be a powerful tool for sharing resources, which is mostly what I did for my bookmarks. The automatically imported bookmarks from my email I find annoying and would not encourage this step, but adding bookmarks is cool and meaningful. Every year I do a staff presentation (with handouts) which includes popular teacher lesson websites, and then get requests for months for "what was the website for ______ lessons?". Now, I can bookmark all these popular sites and just email my Delicious address over and over and over. Much easier. I believe I will grow to like the site.
LKO

http://delicious.com/Denver23

Bone 13: Tagging

Does tagging belong in the library? Does it replace or complement subject headings? Should we encourage or discourage the practice?

I believe that any system that allows a person to organize is a good thing; therefore, tagging is a good thing. Many of the blogs that I frequent use tagging and it makes navigating their blogs easier when I am searching for information. Since more school districts are going to individual student computer logins where a student can set up their own files, icons, etc., then tagging would be great since it allows for a personalized system of organization. They can label and group information in a way that makes sense to them. So, for infomation that students find in the Library and want to save/use, sure they should be able to tag any way they want. Should the Library catalog that is accessible to the general public? No, I believe it must continue with a formal format they most people are familiar with, i.e. Dewey. Does tagging replace subject headings? No, because personal tagging is too nebulous in meaning, terminology, etc. Can tagging complement subject headings? Sure, because to me, it would be like a mindweb which could lead a person into new ideas, connections, and research. Should Librarians encourage or discourage? As long as the tagging can be done on a personal level that does not influence the main Library catalog or another patron, then it should be encouraged. However, just because I tag something a certain way does not make it right or wrong, it's just the way my brain organizes information and that probably would not make a lot of sense to someone else. In some ways, this is like the tagging seen on the sides of train cars, building, and bathroom stalls. It means something to someone, but not everyone. LKO

Bone 12: Twitter

Oh, no! Not another social network--is this all Web 2.0 really has to offer? Does our society really need this and have that much to say? What happens when the novelty wears off? I am losing track of all my usernames, passwords, codes, etc., so needless to say I am not thrilled about Twitter and having to set up an account (which is set up for my dog). It makes me think about an episode of The Big Bang Theory were Sheldon talks about everyone knows he moves his bowels at 8:20 a.m. and Leonard replies, "What did we ever do before Twitter?". Which is mostly all I have seen on Twitter. A friend of mine has a twenty-something son and I have been following his Tweets on his blog. One entry was: (his name) Sweats. That's it. He sweats. Now, I realize it is meant to be funny and he is a funny guy, but did it need to be said? So much for enlightened thought.

I do not see Twitter having any application at the elementary school level. And I know my school district will never allow Twitter because of "acceptable use" policies. Personally, I know I can live without Twitter-it's cute but not a necessity.


If you would like to Tweet my dog: https://twitter.com/DenverOwens. Do it soon as this account will be gone soon.

LKO

Bone 11: IM on AIM

Instant Messaging, or IM, has been a Web 2.0 thing I have participated in for many years. In fact, my students used it over a decade ago for homework help when I was online. It cracked me up when the little box would appear asking to accept their question, which I always did. Boy, did it spread like wildfire when students found out I would IM--then I started getting IMs from students that were not even in my class, but needed help with assignments. Then came IMs from parents checking up on their student's progress. So, I have always found IM to be fun, especially when students would used their texting abbreviations and I would spend hours trying to figure them out. I can remember the first time a student used LOL--after many hours trying to decipher LOL, I had to ask the student in a later conversation for the meaning--he still laughs about it today. Teachers, couselors, Librarians, and other staff could be IM live accessible at certain times and messages could always be left for them. This could be a cool school idea.
I use AOL's AIM and can be reached at LOKOESL.
GG AFK LKO

Bone Ten: Ning

I find Ning very repetitive--it's like Facebook all over again--maybe with more bells and whistles. Ning offers people a forum to express themselves and I was able to find a lot of blogs, pictures, links, and videos to support this expression. Again, the content ranges from very construstive projects, such as the Kahani Movement, to people with way too much time on their hands, or the one group that said to join or they would break your knees. Although I do not agree with censorship, some of the content I have seen may make me change my mind. Also, the need to borrow so much, example Youtube videos, instead of original work, information, discussion, etc. I begin to question why there is this need to express so much, and I am grateful that if was not assigned to make an account in Ning.
LKO

Bone Nine: Facebook 2

Well, shopping around for Facebook friends and groups is very hard for the private people. I finally decided to join the following groups: ALA, TLA, and German Shepherds. The sites were interesting, easy to read, but I think I could have gotten just as much usable information from their websites. From the German Shepherd site, a popular blog topic was best type of dog food. Dog Food. I guess asking dog park friends, their vet, dog walker, K-9 trainer, or Humane Society never occured to these owners. I am still waiting to see if someone from these groups contacts me, or to see if I can free up more time to read their blogs. I have received messages on my Facebook from people I went to high school with, which is cracking me up as my dog's name is on the account--gee, I wonder if these people remember the bari sax player? It certainly wasn't my dog Denver. It's probably just me, but I just don't see the excitement to all this.
LKO

Bone Eight: Facebook 1

"Blog your thoughts and observations regarding setting up your Facebook account, and ways you think you might use the service in the future. Also, please feel free to blog any feelings regarding the balance of privacy and transparency, the marketing potential of social connections, conspiracy theories about all the personal information Facebook collects, or anything else that may have popped into your head throughout this experience."

So much to talk about for this bone, and what a bone to pick. I agree with Veronica; I am a private person who knows how to email, so why do I want Facebook which invades my privacy (my opinion). Well, I want Facebook so I can learn something new and pass this program, but let's talk about how much information I plan to put out there: not much. In fact, my Facebook is completely made up with my dog's statics (birthday, interests, etc.), which takes care of that transparency issue and raises the issue of how Facebook accounts can cloak all kinds of things-good and bad. Funny that I called (using old technology called a phone) my friends who have Facebook accounts (and rarely use them) to let them know Denver Dog is asking to be their friend and to accept. They all think it's a great joke.

As far as social connections are concerned, it's like the article mentioned: MySpace is the territory of tweens and highschoolers, Facebook belongs to Twenty-somethings, and the rest of us remember what a phone, IM, and email is all about and use it. Personally, I understand that this is a social forum for people younger than me, but just wait until they have a mortgage, car payments, the joys of homeownership, pets, PTA, etc.--all those things that equal a life, not just finding yourself. Does Facebook have a place to keep you connected to family, friends, collegues--sure, but be sure you have a life beyond the computer.

I am sure that Facebook does collect personal data because when I first applied for the Facebook account, I supplied scant information and yet it found my yoga guru as a possible friend. How could it possibly identify her as I said nothing about yoga as an interest? When I added more stats, Facebook connected my dog to possible friends from highschool, TWU, and my guru's friends. That's just too weird and scary. Granted a person can reject your request to be a friend, but the idea that your name and info are just being passed around nilly-willy is not happiness to me.

"You can always go back and edit your profile information later." I doubt I will edit when this program is completed. I will probably delete---but then where does that information go?
LKO

Bone Seven: RSS

I am learning so many new things, and it is great that some of these tools can just be used, not researched to use. It is a good thing that I don't have to know how it works, just that I can have success using it. To me, RSS is just a piece of Google Reader which I will use to keep myself current without having to work too hard. I guess that's a really lazy way of looking at RSS (I know there's more to it) but when school starts I won't have time to go looking for information for Library development. If it's not in front of me, I won't see it. If it's in one place--the reader--there is a chance I will get to update myself in the real world. I have noticed that blogs and sites have icons to appeared to be links, but to what I never bothered to find out. Now, I realize that these icons were to be used for this purpose, linking the site to a reader. I also have noticed more icons for twitter, ning, etc. Oh, so much to learn! In addition, I appreciate all these new websites recommendations. Excellent information!
LKO

Bone Six: Google Reader

Wow! I really like this Web 2.0 tool--anything to keep current and organized is great. For starters, it is really user friendly--even when just searching for a subject (like yoga) for subscription. Teachers who are really computer literate need to be using this tool, as there are so many ed sites to visit. Teachers who are computer shy, would find this less threatening than searching individual websites and creating seperate desktop icons. Anything to cut the number of icons sitting on my desktop is good. I really liked the Youtube instructions clip and plan to pass it on to my campuses so everyone can do use this tool.

I started thinking about lessons and Google reader would be great for current events. Students could create an account, share with a class group/teacher, and follow issues for class presentations and projects. For history classes, this has awesome potential (I think) to excite students and get them involved with materials/research.

Google reader is a tool I plan to keep exploring for more uses--excellent tool!
LKO

Bone Five: Image Generator

I had a lot a problems uploading this image (it's an animation that doesn't want to play), which makes me think this may not be such a great website for a lesson. This website may lend itself well for students who are online journaling for an English class or journalism or an art class; however, I am not seeing great potential for this tool. It's cute, but productive--I am not sure I could build much of a lesson around it--maybe propaganda. Also, this type of website will probably violate the AUP (appropriate usage policy) of the school district. The comicstrip website might offer more opportunities and I was amazed to see Disney, Underdog, and other "older" comic characters available. I did begin to question copyright, especially using Disney characters since Disney has such a lengthy history of suing people, schools, and districts over copyright. These websites are interesting and fun, but would like to see lessons where they are used successfully.
LKO

Extra Treat: Not wanting to be undone by an image that will not post correctly, I have done a poster of my awesome dog. Here's to you, Denver!

Bone Four: Mashup Bone

This was fun and creative! I can see students mashing up photos and having a blast. With these tools, students can create art projects, writing projects, journaling, etc. What a way to get their (and your own) juices following. Will pass on this knowledge to staff and students.

LKO

Flickr Bone

Flickr is cool and very user friendly. It will help organize my photos (if I ever find my camera) and a very fun way to share photos. I will pass on this website to staff at both of my campuses; however, this is not a site I would teach students to access because of some of the content. Try a search for Librarian--can you find the Librarian in the crowd? Can you read the political sign? Do I need my job?

However, if I could control a student's search, would looking up animals (like GSD's) be really cool and give them ideas for presentations, etc. And just because I own a GSD--I had to look to see who else shared my interest. Check out: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rockandracehorses/142474829/

And then for fun:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/librariansafterdark/1142664396/

I will keep playing with this website and sharing it. Excellent fun!
LKO

Second Bone

Well, back from vacation and still knocking sand out of my shoes. But getting serious, Web 2.0 "The Machine" I had enjoyed at an earlier tech conference and still enjoy reflecting over it. At the point where the clip highlights "teaching the machine", I keep thinking of all the teachers that struggle to cover the material and would think they would have to teach one more thing; not realizing "the machine" is the form their students should be using for their text/thoughts.

Then I thought of a point that was raised in the blog about Web 2.0 was for rich libraries. As an inner city public school librarian, I know very well that my library will be the last to receive the current technology. However, I still owe it to my campus to put new ideas forward to them and advance opportunities to students. Web 2.0 is exciting, fun, and motativating--and the gap between the have's and have not's needs to be kept small and easily bridged.

Which brings up the 2007 interview with Stephen Abram. and he talks about making the choice to empower yourself. Who cannot find 15 minutes a day to learn something new about Web 2.0? This would be a great selling point to teachers who think their day is already too filled to add on more thing. Or to teach recluctant teachers a new Web tool that they can use with their students. Therefore, I must commit myself to finding my time of empowerment.

LKO

First Bone Thrown

Greetings! This is so great-a chance to sharpen skills, learn new information, play, and make new friends. Since it's all on-line, I feel like I am back at Texas Womens'. The dog in the photo is my big boy Denver and more photos of him will probably appear as he is my best storytime listener. Well, let the school year countdown continue to summer vacation. Yeah!