Saturday, August 28, 2010
Mockingjay
I had to purchase and read Mockingjay before next week's start of school, so that's just what I did! It is a very satisfying conclusion to The Hunger Games trilogy and I predict it will be very popular in school. The author certainly knows how to end a chapter with a cliff-hanging surprise! I wonder if a movie deal is in the works and if so, will they make one movie or three?
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Thing 23 Post
I have learned so much about the possibilities of the digital world and education this summer. Way back when I got my masters in Educational Technology you were supposed to learn how to program, but I managed to avoid this by writing the script for the big group project. Now the technical aspects are more or less hidden and the content is the focus, which has opened up the web to practically everyone. I am excited about students conducting real research and creating sophisticated projects. PowerPoint is no longer the gold standard, as far as I am concerned. And students do love working on computers.
But I have concerns about the digital divide; about re-teaching digital natives who might have picked up bad habits (cut n paste plagiarism, for example) and especially how education always seems to lag behind the real world when it comes to computers. And what happens to developing brains that are constantly being stimulated?
Digital Devices Deprive Brain of Needed Downtime
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/25/technology/25brain.html?src=me&ref=technology
I am most interested in using Delicious and creating screencasts for library and research procedures and all kinds of web 2.0 booktalks and developing a library wiki and/or blog. I especially want to collaborate with teachers who also took this journey this summer (Lori, Terri, Vita???) and others. I think that I want to try pilot programs instead of waiting for mass acceptance, if that makes sense. Even in the digital age, sometimes baby steps are the best way to proceed.
I will continue to learn about Web 2.0 by reading listserves and looking at Delicious and finding more wikis to join. I also want to learn more about graphic design because it is so important in this visual medium. This was a fantastic learning opportunity and perhaps the best professional development that I have ever participated in. Thank you 2.0 for Web 2.0!
But I have concerns about the digital divide; about re-teaching digital natives who might have picked up bad habits (cut n paste plagiarism, for example) and especially how education always seems to lag behind the real world when it comes to computers. And what happens to developing brains that are constantly being stimulated?
Digital Devices Deprive Brain of Needed Downtime
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/25/technology/25brain.html?src=me&ref=technology
I am most interested in using Delicious and creating screencasts for library and research procedures and all kinds of web 2.0 booktalks and developing a library wiki and/or blog. I especially want to collaborate with teachers who also took this journey this summer (Lori, Terri, Vita???) and others. I think that I want to try pilot programs instead of waiting for mass acceptance, if that makes sense. Even in the digital age, sometimes baby steps are the best way to proceed.
I will continue to learn about Web 2.0 by reading listserves and looking at Delicious and finding more wikis to join. I also want to learn more about graphic design because it is so important in this visual medium. This was a fantastic learning opportunity and perhaps the best professional development that I have ever participated in. Thank you 2.0 for Web 2.0!
Thing 22 post
My wiki is found at https://jwmslibrary.wikispaces.com/
I started this a few years ago for another class. I only had time this morning to add some photos from my summer vacation that have a literary connection and attempt adding my screencast. The editing process seemed very very slow and I must finish all 23 things by tonight, so this wiki is bare bones at best. But I do plan to add more content and links and publicize it to the school.
A blog seems more personal and is under the control of one person, while a wiki is meant for collaboration. I want to engage teacher and student readers at my school to share their recommendations and opinions and feelings about books and I think that this wiki is a great platform. I will add to this once the school year gets started!
I started this a few years ago for another class. I only had time this morning to add some photos from my summer vacation that have a literary connection and attempt adding my screencast. The editing process seemed very very slow and I must finish all 23 things by tonight, so this wiki is bare bones at best. But I do plan to add more content and links and publicize it to the school.
A blog seems more personal and is under the control of one person, while a wiki is meant for collaboration. I want to engage teacher and student readers at my school to share their recommendations and opinions and feelings about books and I think that this wiki is a great platform. I will add to this once the school year gets started!
Thing 21 post
Describe a wiki you found that inspires you to create one of your own.
In the Examples of Educational Wikis, I found a wonderful library wiki for Cahokia High School (somewhere in southern Illinois which I found by Googling the area code.) It had great information and lots of links to resources and teacher wikis. My two favorite links were to Readergirlz (great website, but geared to HS rather than MS girls....do you know this one, J or M?) and to LibraryThing which is a website that lets anyone keep a list of books they have read or want to read which creates a community of readers, rating and commenting about books.
What hurdles might stand in the way of your using a wiki? What would it take to remove the hurdles?
There might be security or other computer issues involved with using a wiki; would it be necessary to get permission from IT or others? But I see that NHS uses a wiki, so why not any school in the town? Right now on the JWMS Infranet opening page, there is a link to teacher pages and every teacher has a separate web page, if they want one. But a school-wide wiki (sponsored by the library !?!) would foster collaboration and avoid duplication of resources. I am very excited about this idea...it could have links to resources, screenshots for procedures, slideshows for book talks, etc etc etc. Good thing school starts next week!
In the Examples of Educational Wikis, I found a wonderful library wiki for Cahokia High School (somewhere in southern Illinois which I found by Googling the area code.) It had great information and lots of links to resources and teacher wikis. My two favorite links were to Readergirlz (great website, but geared to HS rather than MS girls....do you know this one, J or M?) and to LibraryThing which is a website that lets anyone keep a list of books they have read or want to read which creates a community of readers, rating and commenting about books.
What hurdles might stand in the way of your using a wiki? What would it take to remove the hurdles?
There might be security or other computer issues involved with using a wiki; would it be necessary to get permission from IT or others? But I see that NHS uses a wiki, so why not any school in the town? Right now on the JWMS Infranet opening page, there is a link to teacher pages and every teacher has a separate web page, if they want one. But a school-wide wiki (sponsored by the library !?!) would foster collaboration and avoid duplication of resources. I am very excited about this idea...it could have links to resources, screenshots for procedures, slideshows for book talks, etc etc etc. Good thing school starts next week!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Thing 20 Post
I think that non-fiction e-books are a great addition to any school library. They combine the authority and appropriate content and reading levels of books with the accessibility and ease of use of the Internet. I tried a few sites in the "Free Books" listing but did not really find much of value for middle school students; the various collections seemed to consist of mostly very old or obscure books. But the British Library collection was amazing! The ability to get clear and close-up views of priceless medieval texts was unbelievable and the brief audio comments were illuminating. And then to see and hear the original Alice was such a treat and practically impossible under any other conditions. The sensation of turning the page added greatly to the whole experiencee.
The NHS e-books are so useful for student research. They come from recognizable publishers and they are very user-friendly. A student could search for a specific term or browse through subjects and topics. Print copies of reference books can only be used by one student at a time at school, but the e-books can be accessed by many students at home or at school. I wonder if we can work out a district-wide plan so that all school libraries can purchase more e-books. I do intend to show staff and students the iCONN collection of e-books.
The NHS e-books are so useful for student research. They come from recognizable publishers and they are very user-friendly. A student could search for a specific term or browse through subjects and topics. Print copies of reference books can only be used by one student at a time at school, but the e-books can be accessed by many students at home or at school. I wonder if we can work out a district-wide plan so that all school libraries can purchase more e-books. I do intend to show staff and students the iCONN collection of e-books.
Thing 19 post
Post a link to your screencast on your blog. Describe your experience creating the screencast. What applications do you see for this in your classroom?
The screencast itself was quite easy. I did not write out a script to follow which made me a little nervous at first, but all I did was describe the action on the screen. It took a couple tries to publish it and I don't know why, but I persisted and it finally worked.
There are so many applications in library-land for screencasts. How often do I demonstrate things to a class and then find that some students were absent or at lessons or not paying close attention? They could click on the screencast and follow the directions at their own pace. I foresee a list of screencasts that cover many aspects of using the library catalog and iCONN and other resources. I really can't believe how easy it is to use Screenr.
The screencast itself was quite easy. I did not write out a script to follow which made me a little nervous at first, but all I did was describe the action on the screen. It took a couple tries to publish it and I don't know why, but I persisted and it finally worked.
There are so many applications in library-land for screencasts. How often do I demonstrate things to a class and then find that some students were absent or at lessons or not paying close attention? They could click on the screencast and follow the directions at their own pace. I foresee a list of screencasts that cover many aspects of using the library catalog and iCONN and other resources. I really can't believe how easy it is to use Screenr.
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