Thing 19 -- online productivity tools

I had used Google docs for word processing and really liked the sharing feature. But I found the presentation feature difficult so I was determined to use this assignment to give it another go. I found it easier this time and there were even some features I preferred in the google version.

Thing 18 -- play with Wikis

After being in the sandbox a bit of several Wikis, I feel much more confident in using them. It makes a difference when you are completing someone else's assignment rather than following my own plan. It challenges me to have to learn something new that I didn't come up with.

Thing 17 -- Wikis

I had known about Wikis, created and used them, and was thinking I wouldn't be learning much of anything new with this assignment. Wrong again.

I love the Stephen Colbert videos, because they encapsulate the pitfalls of Wikis -- a lot of people sharing and collaborating does leave us open to a lot of bad information and just plain silly stuff, but on the other hand, getting to see the Simpsons wiki shows a great upside -- passionate people can create a great source of information on topics that are not generally covered in traditional media.

I haven't seen wikis work all that well in my school yet -- just haven't taken off. A class blog has already worked faster and better for the students to put work up than a wiki we created last year. And we have google apps, which I could see as a more effective way of teachers collaborating than a wiki.

BUT---I had a DCF blog going, and so I added a general book review blog and it hasn't worked at all. A schoolwide book review wiki would be much better, I think. I'm going to take down the blog and try a wiki.

Thing 16 -- Library 2.0 perspectives

I read "Away from Icebergs," whose 3 pitfalls to avoid were right on, I thought. First, most libraries need to move away from the "just in case" collection; we will have even greater specialization (as we do now in the global economy) where a few libraries are archival and the rest are more "just in time" libraries. Second, we can't rely on educating the user. This one is also spot on, but difficult for those of us who are school librarians to give up on. I find it hard to give up the control feeling that I will be the one to impart all library and tech knowledge, yet every time I do manage to give it up, it is more rewarding and more effective. The students teach themselves, each other and me, and there is true learning going on. I am trying to encourage my teachers to give up the same element of control -- tough in an elementary school. Third, the users won't always come to us. Again, it's tough to let this one go; I keep them coming to the library sites even at home by ensuring they can get to my portal of sites. I also know they won't, so I have as many conversations as possible about evaluation and internet safety. I should think about how this works with print sources too, not just technology. How to help them to navigate the whole world of information and explore it as their own guides.

I also read "Into a New World of Librarianship," which really got me going. I really liked his thoughts about controlling technolust (purchasing for the sake of gadgetry, which can be a challenge) and making quick decisions yet good ones (really tough for me to act quickly). And of course, how much the 2.0 librarian will be creating a lot of useful tools on his or her own in the library. Daunting but in an exciting way!

Thing 15 -- Technorati

Technorati is a great tool. 23 Things' explanation was comprehensive and helpful. I had been using Technorati during the week or two before the election. It was pretty fascinating to keep track of such an important American phenomenon through the bloggers' perspective. It's a whole new way of experiencing news and so many bloggers have become unintentional media moguls through their reactions to important news stories or the fact that they were in a certain place and time.

This assignment led me to explore it further, taking a look at the photo and video features. It's also exciting to see what is out there in images right now. This meant an hour long detour checking out "where the hell is Matt?," the guy who dances around the world. I got a chance to show my husband and kids, and this led us to a fun hour of thinking about the world and places and people; it was wonderful, totally non-linear, and not at all how I'm used to learning things. It's good for me to open up these new possibilities of learning, but it does keep me from doing things like cleaning my house!

Thing 14 -- delicious

I was so looking forward to this lesson, because I have wanted to try delicious ever since the BLC conference when presenters were easily sharing great links with us, all within seconds!  I found it a little difficult to get started with adding the browser toolbars, but now that they are added, it's a piece of cake.

I actually use a social bookmarking site as a makeshift library home page.  It's a site called "portaportal," and while not as snazzy as delicious, it allows me to put links our students and teachers need to use in one place.  there is no tagging, however, and it's more of a practical way to keep all of our websites easily in one place.  I do recommend it for that situation.  I was actually thinking of setting up my own portal, but I thought I would use delicious for my stuff and see how I liked it.  So far, so good!

Thing 13 -- Library Thing

Library thing is cool. It was fun to make this list of books I have read, see others who shared my interest, and have the chance to easily read and write reviews and make connections. I hadn't expected to see a tag cloud, but of course, it makes sense, and it was fun to see which authors were bigger on my cloud. I am thinking of all kinds of uses for Library thing among students and teachers where I work.