Thing # 9

In this exercise I added School Library Journal 2.0 and put it in a folder entitled 'Blog'. I also set up a MISDISD feed and added it to the folder entitled 'News'.
I thought all the search tools were very easy to navigate through ~ at least initially. I especially liked the layout of Syndic8.com because of the way the items were categorized or grouped (i.e.) most viewed, most popular, most recent, the graphs, etc. On the other hand, this site got me more and more away from subjects I was interested in and sometimes real confused about what was going on-latest articles on fancy dress and fashion. This was probably the most unusual one I viewed.
The Topix.net was set up very clearly and concisely - People reading, talking and editing, I really like the clarity of this site and enjoyed browsing its contents. There was even a listing of sales (houses, merchandise, furniture, etc.) as well as the most popular news of the day. I found this to be a very interactive sight as well as a very informative sight. This is also the site where I searched jobs for librarians and found everything available in the United States and then, more specifically, Dallas. Very interesting ! We need to hold on tight to what we've got !!
Technorati covered everything from entertainment to sports to politics. In the life section, I read where 80% of all Americans are online now according to a recent Harris poll. I am sure that stat went up significantly after our last staff development meeting !!!!
I looked at Slashdot.com and found all kinds of interesting news items. One was the idea of putting chips in the uniforms of students to keep up with them. These articles and the comments went on and on ~ very insightful.
Finally, I clicked into BibMe and found that this is a way to get free bibligraphic citations online which would be useful to look into at more depth and inform our teachers.
Overall, this was quite a journey and provided a wealth of information on about anything anyone could possibly want to know. You can get as specific or as general as you want which would certainly meet the needs of all users.

Thing # 8

The best feature about RSS and newsreaders is that the information is brought to the reader, not the reader searching for the information. The reader decides up front what is of interest to him/her and that is the information that comes in as often or as infrequently as the reader chooses. This sort of information will force me to look at what is current whether I am aware of it or not and also allow me to choose a feed that a colleague/student might need current information on and pass that article on to him/her. For example, we get the Dallas Morning News everyday and we give it to the secretary every evening. Many times, someone will come in a week later and refer to an article and ask if I have the paper or how they could I get a copy of it. I think this might be an avenue to help that teacher.
As I read through these blogs and feeds, I think this technology is bringing libraries together ~ this is a way to connect to the library world even internationally. We can learn so much from what "they" are doing out there in all areas, and we can share what we are doing right here in Mesquite.
I especially enjoyed the It Really Is Really Simple: RSS for Educators and CNET Video: RSS - Feel the Need for Feeds, and Feed Me tutorials. They were clear and very informative. I thought the Getting Started Using Google Reader went too fast and the narrator was not as clear.
Overall, though, I enjoyed this exercise because I didn't feel rushed and did it in segments. The more I searched the more I wanted to search. I guess these "webfeet" are getting wetter and wetter.

Thing # 7

Today I visited iGoogle and Picasa Web Album. I set up a home page in iGoogle with a background, temperature, time and information about Dallas. I added more tabs to the Google News to get daily information about popular news, business and sports. This would be an excellent resource for students in keeping up with current events during the week ~ especially if you had one person look this up and report something of interest to the class or on morning announcements. Then I went to the wikiHow-to page and learned everything from roasting pumpkin seeds to resisting a sales pitch. This would be wonderful to use with the students in learning new and interesting facts about everyday things on a variety of subjects and possibly expand their minds on projects or writings.
I downloaded all my library pictures on Picasa Web Album, but marked it private because so many children were involved and was not sure about the privacy issues. But I am going to try and link one of my Mother Goose pictures to my blog again since several attempts have failed so far.

Title # 6

Flickr mashups was a very colorful, vibrant website ! I think this really accentuates the creative side of a user and expands the diversity of the web more than any other I have seen so far. After repeated tries, I could never get into Mappr so I will have to try it later. Howeever, Flickr Color Pickr was gorgeous. The pictures were phenomenal and unlike anything I have ever seen before. They would be great attention grabbers for any website and terrific kaleidoscope screen savers. Another feature were the products that could be ordered on the right side of the screen. This was convenient if you wanted to shop online. Mosaic Maker was fascinating. In Zumyer, the mosaics that were used to create a picture numbered 2500. That is almost unbelievable, and to be able to zoom in and see the actual pictures it took to create a small square was really spectacular. I guess I was most intrigued by the Mosaic Maker and the intricate details that were involved in its design. I think the Librarian Trading Card would best be used among the librarians if each librarian would design a card that would have the picture of their school,their website,etc. and have the directions to their school. Then,these all be put on a ring for each librarian to have to refer to during the school year.

Thing # 5

I guess I had the least amount of trouble on Flickr. I went right through the assignment and really enjoyed the program. I was a little hesitant, but it was easy to follow and the directions were very self explanatory. I was glad that we had Mother Goose come the week before, so I had some pictures to choose from on my web. This is a fun sight that I would like to further explore with the postage stamps as we have had those printed through the US postal service as a joke on my son. Cool !

Thing # 4

The ways I might use a blog in my library program or at school is to post the WOW words we use each week in FutureQuest; the 'latest read and review' from the teachers; upcoming special events/promotions; book award winners and voting results; competition winners among various groups. I think it would be an excellent way to make you school shine and promote the activities that takes place during the week and on the weekend with the teachers and the students.

Thing # 3

Creating the Avatar page was alot of fun for me. I enjoyed browsing all the different pages of clothes, accessories, and backgrounds to come up with my style. I particularly enjoyed seeing other librarian's pictures and how they fit their personality. I am still feeling a 'time crunch' which prohibits me from fully relaxing while doing these activities, but as I progress, this should diminish somewhat.

Thing #2

The easiest lifelong learning habit for me is setting a goal and attaining it. I do not have a problem in finishing a task that I set out to do. My goals are usually not long range goals, but if they are within a reasonable amount of time, I can do what I am suppose to do because I don't want to disappoint or let anyone down.
My hardest lifelong learning habit for me would be to use technology to solve problems. Because I do not keep as current on new technology, I would not be as apt to turn to this source as a solution to a problem. This is why I am excited about learning new ideas on this Web 2.0 program.

Thing #1

By working with Web 2.0, I would like to become familiar with the various type of websites available in society today. I would like to know the terminology when I read or hear about this technology.
The frustration I experienced today was not a good way begin. After moving to four different computers to just get online and/or have sound, I finally began the program. However, I am determined to work my way through this and learn all there is available to me.