Thing 11 Play In the Sandbox

After uploading my blog URL to Pasadena ISD's group wiki in Project Share, I looked around at Project Share. I really like the concept. I have used it through Alvin ISD but that was 3 or 4 years ago when it was first introduced in my district. Once it was introduced, it had never been spoken about it again. Project Share's mission is to aid teachers in collaboration with an engaging, interactive technology application. I plan on looking around at a later date to find academic resources for both elementary librarian and first grade groups.

Thing 10 School Wikis

The three resources provided Wiki’s: A Beginner’s Look, I Use Wikis. What Do You Use?, and A Wiki Walk-Through really helped explain the concept to me. I appreciate how the material was broken down and presented in clear, manageable chunks. Before this course, I knew that anyone could create a Wiki page but I was unsure why or how. Boy the difference a couple of weeks makes. I like how Wiki’s can be created and changed by anyone. This makes taking notes and sharing ideas a breeze. Even though it is not acceptable to cite Wiki in a research paper, you can use Wiki’s footnotes to verify the information and possibly cite that information.

I can definitely see Wiki’s being used in the classroom both as educational tools and professional resources. I can see using Wiki’s in all grade levels to help promote learning at home. If you have a student who will be absent for an extended about of time, you can upload scanned notes, slide shows and other resources for them to learn while they are out. I can also see starting a staff Wiki to push out Web 2.0 tools and the monthly library newsletter. A librarian can also start a list of books read in the library to show the students throughout the year.

Thing 9 Useful Library Blogs

I had previously added Elementary Library blogs to my RSS reader, so this time I added first grade blogs to my RSS reader. After learning how to use a RSS reader, I use it constantly to check on favorite blogs. Since Google Reader will stop on July 1, I have been looking for a back up reader. I chose Feedly. I have since added RSS feeds for:

• First Grade
• Library
• Children's Literature
• Young Adult Literature
• Elementary Library
• ALA and TLA

This list will be consistently growing as I include personal topics like recipes.

Thing 8 More RSS

Of course, using Google Blog Search was the easiest and quickest for me to use. I also liked the search results. The first search result that came up after searching “elementary library,” is a blog that I am currently following on my blog.

I did not like searching for blog RSS feeds on Technorati. I did not find a lot of relevant results for the material that I was searching for; however, this does not mean that it is not a good resource. I think that this is a resource that would be very useful in high schools.

I love the easy of creating RSS feeds. I have created RSS feeds for blogs that interest me both professionally and personally. Now I will not need to always be checking these blogs. I will be able to stay current with these blogs on a single RSS Reader.

Thing 7 Blog Searching

As expected, I found a lot of current event and technology based tags in the popular tag section. I also found there to be a lot of tags about history, social studies and government and economics. I believe that the high school social studies department could use this site to connect to opinions. Just a reminder: always preview the site that you are visiting in class before hand. Open the web browser before the students are in class and be prepared ahead of time. High school technology teachers could also use this web site when teaching about various technology applications.

There are many advantages of tagging. It sorts through data at quick speeds and brings your attention to new blogs and ideals. However, sometimes the information received conflicts with the tagging credentials. The teacher and librarian need to model how to weed through search results to find the most beneficial information. If you are using this in the library or in the classroom, monitor the students and their search results.

Thing 6 Tagging

After creating an account at Delicious and looking around the website, I can see the benefits of it. I can see this site used mainly as personal and professional growth rather than to be used in the classroom. I do not see how this site can be used in the school setting. I am however thinking about an elementary school library. This website maybe used in secondary schools to further research.

Thing 5 Social Networking

I liked both the Texas Library Association and American Library Association pages, because I want to stay current with news from both organizations. Although I have been a member of Facebook since 2004, I had not looked at its current benefits. I can see Facebook being used with strict privacy settings to protect students’ privacy in the high school library or also as a resource for the staff. The librarian can add updates with award-winning books, new books in print or in the library, and technology resources that can be used in the classroom. Because these three topics change rapidly; Facebook is a great platform to get information to the students, parents and staff.

Some challenges with Facebook are the privacy settings and monitoring what others post. I noticed that through Facebook you can create “Secret Groups.” This would be a good place to have students join because their profiles and identifies would only be known to the members. I have heard that there is a way to setup groups where the administer needs to preview material before it can be posted on the wall. Just like thing 4 RSS, I wanted to add a link to Facebook. What I found was a gadget that will allow the viewer to 1 click like my blog in Facebook.

I started following PISD in Pinterest! Looking through what has already been pinned, I am looking forward to seeing what you “pin” next. Pinterest is a great resource for educators because it allows you to search hundreds of pictures based on topic. Usually the images will send you to a blog or website where you can find even more that has been posted.