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Week #5/Thing #12 Rollyo

While Rollyo seemed pretty straightforward, I couldn't think of anything to roll together. I finally decided that I am in need of some decluttering, so I created a searchroll to search a number of decluttering websites and blogs that help you get your home and life organized. I found the process a bit frustrating because I wasn't very alert and happened to back arrow out of the Rollyo website (more than once) which caused me to lose the urls I had saved. With some persistence, I finally got it done and was quite pleased with the sample searches I performed.

Week #5/Thing #11 Ning and Web 2.0 Award Winners

I went to the Web 2.0 Award Winners' short list first. I was amazed at the number of applications with which I was already familiar. I think some of this Web 2.0 stuff is sticking in my head. I scanned the categories and tried Travel first thinking I could find something to help plan my vacation or something that could be used by my teacher husband in his world history class. The first two applications seemed like new versions of Expedia or Travelocity, so I switched to the Organization category.

The big winner in the Organization category is called Backpack. It looks really cool with lots of features (calendar, whiteboards, pages, journals, reminders sent to your e-mail or cell, and more). I scanned the list of how users recommend Backpack be used and hit upon a woman using Backpack to plan her family vacation to Disney World, so maybe I have found an application to help plan my summer vacation after all. I signed up for a free trial and will give it a try before getting my traveling companions involved.

The features I especially like are the calendar and the whiteboards (which seem to function like a wiki). I also really appreciated seeing a video tutorial for each feature of the application. The only feature I didn't like was that there didn't seem to be a login box on the main page. After searching for sometime I finally figured out that each login page is unique based on the name you wish to give it and you have to bookmark your special login page. Now that I have done that, I won't have to worry that I can't find it. Once you're logged in, everything seems quite intuitive. I will have to really post some information to test it out.

As for school library uses, I could easily see where this would be an easy place to plan a unit of study with a classroom teacher. There is lots of room for all sorts of information -- the calendar, files, lists, images, etc. The things that are uploaded are very easy to drag and drop around.

Once I had the Backpack account, I moved over to Ning and joined a group. I searched for YA lit and selected a large group titled YA YNot! It had lots of members and was associated with the website TeenReads so I thought I would be able to get many recommendations for what to read next. Since I will be done with my MLIS in just a few short weeks I will once again have time to read for pleasure. Though I have stacks of books waiting, I am always looking for new ones. I don't have to be the first on the block to read something, but I don't want to be the last either. Scanning some of the discussion posts in the Ning, the group looks active and knowledgeable.

Week #5/Thing #10 Another Online Image Generator

Playing with the online image generators was so much fun, I decided to give it another try. Here I used the magazine cover feature of FD Toys. As I was composing the text for the cover, it started to sound almost like poetry. I could see this application being used for a class assignment quite easily.

The title of the magazine is the title of the poem. The headlines are the lines of the poem.

Or, the title of the magazine is the theme of the picture. The headlines are the events and images that evoke the theme.

Maybe the title of the magazine is the student's name and the headlines are the episodes of the student's life.

There are no limits as to where imagination can take you!

Week #5/Thing #10 Image Generators

I have been playing around with image generators and have found ImageChef to be the easiest to use. I really liked that it gave me many options of how to save my image. Being able to create images so quickly that have the logo displayed in the corner makes this a potentially very useful tool. I chose to create a baseball jersey in recognition of the fact that tonight my 8-year-old son got his first Little League hit ever (went all last season without a hit though he had many walks) -- his first hit was a double which was followed by a stolen base. Yoohoo, Eric!

Week #4/Thing #9 Adding Blogs with RSS

Aldous Huxley
"Maybe this world is another planet's hell."

Got my laugh for the day when I checked the blog Quotes of the Day!

Life has been so busy that I have been unable to check in for a few weeks. I'm glad to be back. I checked on the blogs that I had originally added to my Bloglines and found it quite easy to catch up. I love my BBC newsfeed, Quotes of the Day, and the Shifted Librarian. It is very easy just to scroll down and skip was doesn't interest me. One of my favorite blogs, The ShelfTalker (children's bookseller extraordinaire) doesn't seem to be working correctly since there were no updates since I last checked in with the feed. I couldn't figure out the problem, so I just added it again and will see if things improve. I also figured out how to change the format from headlines to full entry (a much faster way to look at things if I know I want to see everything) -- I only changed a few to the full-entry format.

I remembered fairly well how to add new blogs, so I went and checked out the winners of the Edublog Awards and added one called HeyJude posted by a school librarian in Australia (I have an affinity for Australia after having visited there in 2005). I checked out Technorati (since I have been seeing it mentioned everywhere I read). I don't feel as though searching on the Technorati site works intuitively enough, but I did find a couple of blogs. I picked one called As Usual, I Need More Bookshelves which is a blog in which a woman discusses the books she is reading because she has more to say than her friends and family want to hear. I loved the name of her blog and noticed that she was reading a book that my book club read sometime last year. I am hoping that our taste in books is similar and I can get a few ideas for the next time it is my turn to pick the book. I eventually want to find a blog that discusses YA lit but didn't have the time today to go looking (web 2.0 is addictive and it would take over my life if I let it -- can't afford the time at the moment until I am done with my e-portfolio). I did search on Technorati for a blog about traveling in Washington, DC -- it took a long time because everything I originally found were just single mentions on a person's blog but finally hit on the blog DC Travel. I will subscribe from now until July when we take our family vacation to DC -- hope the blog gives me lots of great ideas. One Moroccan restaurant mentioned sounds very tasty.

All in all, searching for blogs wasn't too difficult, though I think once I have a set I like, I won't be looking for too many more or I just won't have the time to keep up with my favorite ones. I did discover that the favorites in my computer have a tab and folder for feeds so I added one in there. I think I wouldn't mind having my blogs limited to one computer since I would be tempted to check at work.

Week #4/Thing#8 RSS Feeds

I have noticed the orange box with the wave design on webpages for some time now, even so far as knowing that the icon meant "RSS," which was a way to get web content updates quickly and easily. Now I am kicking myself for not having investigated this handy invention sooner.

I am what one might call "an occasional blog reader." I have a few favorites but have never mastered the art of checking up on them efficiently or even regularly. Though I read at least one daily print newspaper, I catch up on additional news headlines by having a news page as my home page when I access Internet Explorer. I sometimes grumble when my e-mail inbox is clogged with content to which I have subscribed because I should be reading my work e-mail. The result is that I waste time on things I don't want to read and I miss things I do want to read!

RSS feeds are the answer. I actually created both a Bloglines and a Google Reader account, adding 5-6 different feed subscriptions to each one (okay, I did duplicate one feed -- Shelf Talker, the blog of one of my favorite booksellers). I plan on reading each account regularly for a few weeks and then deciding which account's layout and features I like better. Once I make that choice, I will move over subscriptions that I like and actively search for a few more subscriptions to round out my collection.

I also need to give myself a "whoa baby" because I don't want to load up on more subscriptions than I can handle. Organizing the subscriptions in folders sounds like a good idea too -- Books, News, etc.

Week #3/Thing #7 Technology -- How to get others on board?

As I learn more and more about all the educational possibilities of web 2.0, I continue to ponder how to counter people's negative reaction to social networking. In my school district, it seems as though anything related to blogs and wikis is blocked. I have lost track of the number of times I have proposed uses of blogs and wikis as a way to engage students in standards-based content only to be met with less than enthusiastic responses.

Taking the "23 Things" tutorial is my way of delving deeper into web 2.0 so that I have the background to support new technologies from a comfortable knowledge base. I am also very open to suggestions on how to persuade others, especially administrators and IT people, that blogs and wikis are a prime opportunity not to be overlooked. Once I have the powers-that-be on board, I think I can persuade a few teachers to give web 2.0 a whirl.

Week #3/Thing #6 Mashups

I used this nighttime photo of of the U.S. Capitol in Washington DC (credit for Flickr photo to Stan Pustylnik) to create several layouts on Montager. Though the dark sky did not provide as much contrast as I would have liked, the bright light streams made the montages intriguing. I have had Washington DC on the brain lately as I have been planning our family's July vacation -- now that I know about Flickr and some of its associated applications, I will have some great uses for my vacation photos. One of the friends with whom we will be traveling is a photo hobbyist, so I will just have to convince him to establish a Flickr account and share. I will also have to add a second digital camera to the budget so my 13-year-old will have her own set of photos to document the journey.

Week #3/Thing #5 -- Flickr Fun

Here is an image that I found on Flickr. The caption resonated with me because it said that these were the books that the photographer (Karin Elizabeth) had to read before she would allow herself to purchase any more books. I, too, have many, many books that are in my "waiting to be read" stack. However, as much as I think about waiting to finish reading some of my books before I acquire more, I don't have the willpower to stop buying books because I already have enough to keep me reading for a year (or more).

Week #2/Thing #4--Signing up

Now that I have officially signed up for the course, I feel committed to completing all 23 Things. Onward and upward!

Week #2/Thing #3--Create a blog and add an avatar.

Oh me, oh my! Wish it were as easy as building an avatar to slim down and look young and carefree. I am amazed at how simple it can be to create and customize web content using free tools and templates. The possibilities seem endless and empowering.

Week #1/Thing #2--Lifelong Learning

My philosophy, both professionally and personally, has always been to be a lifelong learner who encourages and assists others on their lifelong learning journeys. Thus, the lifelong learning habit that most characterizes me is to teach/mentor others. My years as a classroom teacher and as a parent of two have given me endless opportunities to practice this habit. On the flip side, the habit that I find the most difficult is to view problems as challenges. Though I always try to look for the silver lining within problem situations, I have had to work hard at using problems as an opportunity for active reflection, improvement, and learning.

Week #1/Thing #1

Ever since CSLA's School Library Learning 2.0 was launched I have wanted to participate so that I could continue to advance on the 2.0 learning curve. I watched the progress of others, never seeming to find the time to begin myself -- that is, until now. I am thrilled to begin this learning journey.