Thing 18 - You Tube

Video clips can provide a valuable resource in the classroom. Teachers in our building are increasingly using resources like You Tube for curriculum support. Though resources like You Tube and Google Video are full of junk, there is also an abundance of educational resources at your fingertips. A search for Heifer Project, a charitable organization that our students have supported, resulted in a wonderful video reporting on a visit to a Heifer Project location by students from Hong Kong. This video was available in both You Tube and Google Video, but Google Video offered a search alert. Did I mention that I like search alerts? Specific topic searches, particularly proper names, seem to yield more valid responses. The video above, about the Olweus Program, was produced by a school. Though we may not post our videos online, I anticipate using more video within the school. We have a video distribution system on which a slideshow displays daily reminders and announcements. Video seems like our natural "next step" in building communication and it sounds like fun!

Thing 17 - ELM Productivity Tools

The search alert is a great tool! Thanks to the new instructions, I was able to set up the search alert in my Bloglines account with little difficulty. I did not need to remove "proxy." It was not in the feed address. How many times do we repeatedly look for information on a particularly interesting topic? My search alert in bloglines has worked well and provided updated information over the last couple days. Again, a reader can save many steps. The Proquest Newstand Web Page would also be a useful tool for media specialists who are assisting teachers in gathering information about a topic. Teachers would appreciate the benefits of the direct link to the information. Though I am very interested in NetLibrary and find the notes to be potentially useful - indeed, you can write in the "book" and not leave a mark - how fun is that - I have had little success in finding books that addressed research questions of the middle school student. It has been awhile since I explored it and know that ebooks are continually added. I may have to go back and take another look.

Thing 16 - Student 2.0 Tools

Aha, a tool that I have used. Last year I worked with a science teacher using the Research Project Calculator for an 8th grade final project. I presented pertinent ELM resources and the RPC to each of her classes. She coordinated her timeline with the RPC, requiring certain elements of the project to be completed along the way. She used the notetaking information and distributed the Taking Notes worksheet. I thought it was helpful that students could designate the format of their project, so that the steps were specific to their presentation. The Research Project Calculator provided a thorough resource for students, as well as a framework for our discussion.

Thing 15 - Games in Libraries

A recent article in eSchool News describes how two organizations, Kaplan and Princeton Review, are developing video games for SAT test preparation. This gives one pause for reflection. If gaming proves beneficial to our college bound students, might there be a place for it in our schools and libraries. Though many board or strategy games have long been recognized for their educational value, Scrabble or chess, for instance; computer games are often considered frivolous or even counterproductive, particularly in educational settings. The very technology we strive to learn and understand is prohibited in our schools. I believe the greater question, as we strive to understand the world of online gaming, would be how we best utilize this resource to enhance education. In the last couple years, I have seen our 6th grade math teachers use online math games to reinforce skills. Though our educational time with children is precious - it never seems like there is enough time - there are occasions when students may benefit by games that support their learning.

Thing 14 - Library Thing

In January of 2007, I set up a Library Thing account. I entered two books and thought little more about it. Since that time, I have visited occasionally, but found no compelling reason to use this resource. Even at this point I have little interest in creating a record of my personal library. However, I noticed that some are, instead, entering books they are reading. To me, this has more appeal. Whether or not it is a efficient use of time is still a question for me. I am most interested in the Amazon bookmarklet, allowing one to add a book viewed in Amazon to your Library Thing account with a click. This might be a useful way to prioritize books to add to your reading list. I was also pleased to find the Local tab, allowing one to see what book events and authors are in the area. I may be missing something, but it seems that new circulation systems are providing many of the services and benefits of Library Thing; personal lists, reviews and recommendations.

Thing 13 - Online Productivity Tools

Well, my new iGoogle page is full of wonderful widgets. Truly, time must be forgotten while one prepares to be productive using online tools. The options are limitless! My new Google Calendar is prominently displayed on my iGoogle home page with a ToDo List, LabPixies Calculator, local weather, Mapquest and Yellow Pages. I have fussed over tabs for Minneapolis, News, Cooking, Technology, Entertainment and Books, adding and removing a variety of options on each page. I am delighted with the ease with which one can add a new topic and have a wide selection of choices immediately. Though i thought the to-do lists were over the top, a convenient list of the top priorities on homepage doesn't seem like such an imposition. The Google Calendar went together with ease. I started with a family calendar to coordinate the lives of my college student and work-wandering husband. It seems like this would be a great calendar to use for sharing our library volunteer schedule.

I chose to use Google products for this Thing; one less account and login to establish, as well as program compatibility. I have heard very good things about the Google suite of products and had planned to explore them further.

I was also pleased to learn about the online file converter, Zamzar. I look forward to sharing this with student who prepare documents at home in Works, just to get to school and discover they can't open them. I ahve a file converter on my computer with which to convert files: teaching them to convert files online will be much better.

Thing 12 - Do You Digg?

Though intriguing, I fear I would find social media sites to be a consumer of time better spent. As I looked through the selections I found Digg be more appealing to me in it's organization. However, I noted that Mixx included a category for books in the entertainment section. Upon further exploration, the selections labeled books held little relevance for me. I believe I can more quickly skim through my carefully selected RSS feeds and find the articles and information in which I am most interested. though I have not used these sites, I do monitor "most popular" lists of many news sites.