Thing 23: Final Thoughts

Wow! I finished! There were times, I questioned if I could do what was asked, but now I know, I can tackle any one of these Things, and more. I learned so much, and found, I have so much more to learn. I compare this to a favorite author's new book. I read it through quickly, so that I can find out what happens. Then, I read it again to savor the thoughts, ideas and words. That's how I plan to revisit 23 Things. Now that I am done, I will go back and do some of them again--just to make sure I understand the process. I will delve deeper into them, and add them to the list of resources our students have, so they can become more worldly, in an internet sort of way. Until the next time, Gator Reader signing off--

Thing 22 What did I learn?

Mainly I re-confirmed my thoughts that there is sooooo much out there and I am only using the very teeniest tip of the iceberg. 23 Things gave me the opportunity to see more, (and want more). I will continue to keep up my blog, and as a media specialist, I hope to keep up with what's new in the technology world. I briefly explored the Library Web 2.0 blogs, as suggested, so the first part of my plan is to spend some time with each of them. I will go back and review what I have already learned, and incorporate some of them into my library as communication or research tools. I don't know if I will get to 15 minutes/day, but I do plan to do Saturday or Sunday afternoons (instead of watching TV)--Sunday is "watch-hunting or sports day at our house, so this will be easy to remember. I find that revisiting the things that we have done (I like to read what the others say in their blogs after I have finished mine) and then go back to find something they may have found and I have missed. I will keep up with the GoodReads and the 23 things on a stick Ning, just because I found the comments useful and interesting. The best way for me to keep up, is to do this on a weekly basis--I have too many evening activities to do this every day. So I will continue on Sunday afternoons, and refresh my memory as I go.

Thing 21 Beyond My Space

It took me awhile to get through all the links in this "thing", and of course, I wasn't allowed to enter any of these social networks at school. So, here I am, Easter weekend, finishing the 23things. The 23things on a stick Ning was interesting. I uploaded a photo, and added the badge to my blog. I also joined the GoodReads network and invited my son to join me, and he has added a huge amount of books and reviews that I didn't even have time to catch up on. But it was easy to join that group. It appealed to me because of the book reviews. I am always looking for new/old books for my students to read, and this network might just prove to be helpful later on. On to the next Thing! Almost done. Huzzah!

Thing 20 Facebook and My Space

After viewing the Common Craft Show Video and perusing both Face Book and My Space, I formed a different opinion of the Social Networks especially after looking at the libraries that used My Space. I can see where teens and younger people would relate to this type of space. I felt more secure with Face Book, so I joined that site. I will see what happens in the next week. I did ask friends to join, and I also posted a short message on the wall. I do have a friend or two out there that has a Face Book site, and will see what their page looks like. I joined the Librarians and Facebook group and read a few of the posts that I found interesting. I can see why these sites would be appealing. I, too, like to have all my stuff in one bag. It is time to call it a day.

Thing 19 Podcasts

Huzzah! I just added an RSS feed for some Yoga Podcasts on my blog. I just started doing Yoga--and I am loving it. I even recognized some of the terms from the feed and knew what they were talking about. I listened to several podcasts about Harry Potter, and other book related casts. I found the educational directory the easiest, although I thoroughly enjoyed the ones from St. Cloud State (after they finally downloaded). I'm not sure I will try it myself, but I know that I will check on the RSS feeds that I subscribed to on a regular basis and keep up with my yoga, and the other health site I added.

Thing 18 YouTube and others

It is fascinating to find a video about any possible topic (and some impossible ones) and watch it instantly via YouTube or Google Video. I found that on my iGoogle home page, it shows the most recent YouTube videos. After looking at Google Video, I found that they were all labeled YouTube. I disliked the small pictures (yeah, I know I can make them bigger) and I did not like the hesitation between some of the scenes. I thought the library ads were hilarious, especially Conan the Librarian -- I feel like that some days. Sometimes the videos were hazy and that is what happened with the Librarians on Parade, so I did not recognize the person from MN--although, it might have been the one sticking out her tongue at the camera. I chose the Jodi Picoult Video because she is one of my favorite authors and she was visiting a favorite city of mine. I actually got a hug from Jodi Picoult when she did a book signing at Borders in Minneapolis. (Because I came the farthest distance to see her). I do think these short video clips could be useful in a library setting -- in fact, I have used some for Internet Safety training. I have not put them on our website as of yet. I think they could become a distraction for students, and that is why we do not allow YouTube in our school--I found a lot of inappropriate videos that I'm sure students (and maybe staff) would find very fascinating. I am glad for the opportunity to have used this option, and I did sign up for a YouTube account.

Thing 17 Part 2: NetLibrary

I was finally able to figure out how to get into NetLibrary (it was tooooo easy) and found that I really think that I will recommend it to my High School staff. What a great way to get resources for Social Studies, Science and English research papers. Using the search feature and finding parts of books that pertain to a topic, and then being able to view them and see what information pertains to the subject is great. Adding notes for personal use is an added plus feature. I am glad I took the time to use this tool.

Thing 17 Elm Productivity Tools

Where do I start? The Gale/Cengage data bases are being used in my libraries. I haven't taken them one step further to add the RSS feeds before. I sincerely tried to get the feeds to work, but to no avail. I also viewed all the short videos and tried to do the step by step directions. I found lots of information on Youth smoking, but couldn't find one with a feed. I was successful at Page Composer, and even created a webpage with ProQuest (I think I like this one). I wasn't able to access a place to register with NetLibrary, but am still working on that one. I finally got to view the short video today and think I can use that resource. I have used Webinars before, and do check from time to see if something is available for me to use. I do use the ELM resources on a regular basis, both at work and at the public library. I think that I would use the ProQuest article web page maker and share that via email with colleagues in order to collaborate resources. Being able to get to a webpage directly on a certain research topic would definitely save time for both students and teachers. And, I like the idea of peer reviewed articles being used by students. I still want to check out the NetLibrary and plan to do so if I ever figure out what I need to do to get into it.

Thing 16 Assignement Calculator and RPC

Having already accessed the Research Project Calculator, I am somewhat familiar with the process and have already suggested it for use with my students in our district. I have shown teachers how to use it, and the resource page that is available to them. I looked at the Assignment Calculator, typed in a topic, and liked the idea that after a topic was decided, some articles, either periodical or web sites, were indicated that might be useful for that research. I think that I could use the Research Project Calculator to make a slide show for some of my internet safety lessons that I teach to my elementary students. I may try that when it is time to do that project. I believe this is an excellent resource and include a link on my Media Center resource page for students to access it easily.

Thing 15 Libraries and games

Well, I am not an on-line game lover, and definitely not a virtual game player. However, I did try the Pirate games, and it reminded me of the games my son played (and still does) on his Play Station. Talking to the pirates, via the keyboard is not my thing. I did enjoy the booty games and trying to beat the pirates out of their swords, but I can play those kinds of games anytime, if I feel the need. I also checked out the virtual library game/learning tool, Second Life. I am intrigued by the concept of learning at kiosks about art for an entire quarter or semester or a short hour long learning experience about a certain topic. I can see this happening at a public library where games are one of the reasons patrons visit that library. In our school district computer games are not allowed unless supervised by a staff member, and if it takes as long as it took me to download (at least an hour for the pirates stuff) then it would not be time efficient. I think the students would love this type of learning environment, but our servers would be clogged indefinitely.

Thing 14 Library Thing

I LOVE library thing--I plan to add my collection of books to it as I have extra time. It is easy to use, and I think it will be useful for me to connect to books that other librarians have used and read. Mostly I will use it for my personal collection. It will be interesting to see what I actually have and be able to keep track of my collection. I even added my short list of books to the blog. WOW!

Thing 13 Online Productivity tools

I chose to customize an "igoogle" page. I have done My Yahoo before and I just updated that one, but I do like the igoogle page better--many more choices for set ups, and I just plain prefer to have all my stuff in one spot, and google has so much to offer--online calendars, sticky notes, to do lists, itunes and many more that can link to what I already have set up, like Picassa. In fact, I liked it so well, I made it my home page, and added a weight watchers link to it, and let google do the work for me. As for the other productivity tools, they are just too much for me--too much organizing so I can be organized. I do use my Outlook calendar, and that seems to be sufficient for my purposes. I looked at the online calendars and the reminder thingees, but too many places for me to sort out right now. I did look at the other tools in the list and can see why they would be useful--backpack intrigues me--but right now I'll stick to what I have and now that I have igoogle as my homepage, I should be organized forever.

Thing 12--I Digg, I Mixx, I Reddit

There is so much information in each of those sites, and it is constantly updating. I did find a couple of articles that I enjoyed, and went through the process of sharing them by posting as a direct link to my blog. When I went back to view it, of course, my computer wouldn't allow me to see what I added. (It was about geishas) What I thought was interesting, is that you click on "share" and it lets you choose the site you want to share through. As for using them in the library, I think I preferred Newsvine because of the format and the national news updates on a regular basis. I'm not sure it would save me any time, or make me more productive, since I seem to find all sorts of links to distract me.