Excel in Education

All THINGS Considered....

2009-08-05T09:14:00.000-07:00

Library2Play's 23 Things really introduced me to several new resources. Like I mentioned in a previous post, I have always been one who only used a resource if I was introduced to it and it was well received by the majority. However, upon completion of this program, I now feel that it is important that librarians become active in finding new resources. To do so, I will subscribe to various newsletters and seek professional development courses that are beneficial.

By far, my favorite discovery were the online image generators! If it was entertaining to me, I can see it being a big hit with the students! I already know that I'd like to include the comic strip generator to reading and BigHugeLab to individual projects. I would classify this Thing as one of the first surprise outcomes of this assignment. Usually, when I think of assignment, I think of work. Well, I did work, but I chose to spend time creating my images and perfecting my vidcast because I had so much fun!

Perhaps it is just me, but there are some resources that were introduced that I did not like very much. For example, I did not like Rollyo's tool where you can specify to only search from certain sites. I felt that by doing so would limit by options. Also, another resource I was not too fond of was Technorati. I felt the page was cluttered and the materials it contained was little when I clicked on the category Education. Other lack of support for some of the resources, I felt the format and concept of this assignment was great. Because I feel this way, I would most definitely choose to participate in another program like this in the future! Not only would I be gaining knowledge about new resources, I will obtain professional development hours on a session that is useful!!

How would I describe my learning experience in ONE WORD or in ONE SENTENCE?
Informative yet fun interactive professional development that beats others!

Thing #22

2009-08-05T09:10:00.000-07:00

I checked out Ning for Teachers and thought it was an interesting concept: to be surrounded by others with the same interest or profession as you. Of course, like many websites for teachers, Ning for Teachers has a link that leads to lessons and classroom resources. You can also peruse the various blogs to get ideas and leave feedback for other teachers. If you are unable to find the answer to your question from the blogs, you can post it in the forum for a general discussion too.

Thing #21

2009-08-05T07:21:00.000-07:00

This is not my first time working with PhotoStory. The first time I used it was to create a bridal shower for a coworker, which she and the rest of the staff absolutely loved. I can see this would be a better form of presentation for the students because I am sure they are all PowerPoint Presentationed out! This would also be a great way for them to create a presentation of their project. One year they used MovieMaker instead of PhotoStory. It presented so many problems for the students and was not user-friendly at all!

Here is the book review I created for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson.

Thing #20

2009-08-04T21:37:00.000-07:00

I thought the above video was mindblowing! It can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPO_HGafBsE. The facts that the video presented only makes our job as librarians even more important. With technology changing so fast (as indicated in the video), we must take it upon ourselves to stay up-to-date with new resources. If it was not for Library2Play, there would be many resources I would have been oblivious to. I have already solicited my cousin (who is a techie) to help me stay abreast of new materials and ideas.

I like the above video's thought provoking content. I feel that it would be a great addition to the Africa unit in 6th grade because it will spark a great discussion in the classroom about current events in Africa. I think that it is our duty to not only teach them world geography and culture, we must educate them of what is going on in our world. This video can be found at http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=91259&title=Child_Labor_and_Soldiers_in_Africa_C_Class

Having choices when choosing videos for the classroom helps us locate videos that are more meaningful and on target with the TEKS standards. I feel it is a hassle that Youtube is not available to teachers in the classroom. Hopefully, after I put a request in, I can access it through my computer!

Thing #19

2009-08-04T21:18:00.000-07:00

What is special about the tool? What are its useful parts, especially with regards to Libraries and school? How might you use this tool in your own setting?

As I looked through the awards list, I saw a lot of familiar sites. Bypassing those, I tried to look for something new. And I found DocStoc. It placed 1st for Education, which peaked my interest because, of course, I am in that field.

When I came to the homepage I thought it was interesting to see that I can search through over 3 million documents. Below that, to the left of the page, listed the categories in which those documents would be tagged as. I really liked this because, after testing out Rollyo, I felt this had a good layout. (I will return to Rollyo and give it a whirl again, just in case.) When I clicked on the subject Education, I REALLY liked how the documents were subcategorized (Is that a word?) by grade level and usage. I can see myself coming back to this site in the future.

Thing #18

2009-08-04T21:03:00.000-07:00

Given the choice to choose between Open Office and Google Docs, I chose the latter. I feel that Google Docs is better because
(1) I will not be able to download Open Office onto all computers that I access (such as my school's) and
(2) Google Docs is more readily available anywhere.

Like I mentioned in a previous post, Google Docs makes it convenient for all to access their files more easily without the need of a jump drive, external hard drive, or floppy disk (if anyone still uses these). Not only that, we can pull up a file, make revisions, and save it for future uses. I also like how I can easily share files with whomever I choose without having to send it as an attachment via email.

In the end, if I can remember to save my files to Google Docs, it will help me in those situations where I need my materials but did not grab my jump drive, cannot access my school's server, or did not upload an item from my desktop.

Thing #17

2009-08-04T20:37:00.000-07:00

It took me awhile to get used to Rollyo. When I first customized it, I was not able to tell whether it worked or not. However, as I went through it a bit more, I could see that it did indeed delete the some of the references that I chose. Afterwards, I created a new searchroll titled Teacher Resources. I continued feeling like I was lost. Here is a link of this searchroll: http://www.rollyo.com/search.html?q=library&sid=569154&x=0&y=0

Maybe because this is not such a big hit yet and I did not have someone to show me, but I found it a bit difficult to maneuver. I am a Google fan all the way. My husband uses Chrome all the time. I would have switched over to it if my email account was able to open within it. In the end, I was not impressed with Rollyo.

Thing #16

2009-08-03T15:36:00.000-07:00

When I thought of wikis I only thought of Wikipedia, and let's just say it was in a negative light. The technology specialist at my school told me that the kids should never use it because the information there can be edited by anyone, which could either be factual or nonfactual. However, through some explanation by Dr. Bishop in our class, I have come to realize that it is a useful resource. Students do not have to rely on the information solely from that page, but can use the list of resources to help further their investigation.

Now that I know what wikis really are, I have a better appreciation of their uses. I like how someone has mentioned that instead of having a million emails floating around and people forgetting important information, using a wiki will help decrease the inbox folder and minimize those forgetful situations. I foresee the use of wiki this upcoming school year. As community leader, this will make relaying important information to my colleagues more efficient and easy.

Thing #15

2009-08-03T15:05:00.000-07:00

I found it quite interesting how Rick Anderson wrote about how librarianship has changed. Before the internet was created, librarians had control over the information they possessed. Those who needed it had to flock to the library. Nowadays, with information so easily accessible, they have had to change their methods and follow suit.

This brings me to a thought that was asked of me recently. My uncle expressed his concern about my decision to go into Library Science. He has heard of a librarian who was fired because everything can be found via internet. I explained that librarians do not just dispense information; we help patrons seek it. Perhaps that librarian was no longer needed within her field (business field); however, in the education system, students and faculty will always need someone who can teach them information seeking strategies and introduce them to new resources.

Thing #14

2009-08-03T14:29:00.000-07:00

Technorati is basically like another search engine, except limiting searches to blogs. Like the female from the tutorial video explained, searching for information from bloggers can be more valuable than new articles and such. There are times where we need to read the opinions of real people and not just one writer. I feel tags available in Delicious and Technorati will make our searches for materials much easier. Along the same lines, I hate to say this but I am not a huge fan of Flickr. For our final project I felt finding pictures on Flickr was torture. I felt the images that were pulled up did not fit the topic searched or was not what I was looking for.

Thing #13

2009-08-03T14:11:00.000-07:00

I've got a problem. That is that I cannot think outside the box. Usually, I only use a product with only with one use in mind. However, this Library2Play has really opened up avenues for me!

Not only did this assignment introduce me to bookmarking sites such as Delicious, it has also gave me ideas of how I can integrate this into my profession, whether as a teacher or a librarian. When I become a librarian, it is my responsibility to introduce new resources to my colleagues. Delicious makes this part easier because I can easily say "Check out the new thingy-majiggy the I just bookmarked!" This will be a BIG help when teachers forget what the resource is becuase they can easily locate it on my account.

I hope that after this class, I can look at new material with an open mind and try to see other uses for it as a teacher and librarian.

Thing #12

2009-08-03T13:07:00.000-07:00

In order to create a sense of community online, we must open that line of communication between bloggers. I like how Cool Cat Teacher suggested to only write comments that are meaningful. Writing "Yay!" and "Awesome" are nice but they do not encourage further commenting. Another suggestion that I thought was good was from the article "10 Techniques to Get More Comments on Your Blog". It stated that you should leave ideas that are open-ended. When you are too specific, then others will feel they cannot add to it because all the information has been provided.

The first blog I commented on was "The Nicki & Alex Wedding and Honeymoon Adventure Blog", which can be found at http://nickiandalex.blogspot.com/2008_06_01_archive.html. I first stumbled upon it last year when I was researching for an Asia trip (it never occurred...Boooo!). I have always lurked but never commented. I told them how I have bookmarked their blog for when my time comes to go on a similar adventure as theirs.

Another blog I posted on was "Gard's travel blog". Again, another website I lurked on. I enjoy coming back to this blog (http://gardkarlsen.com/blog/) and Gard and his wife's website (http://gardkarlsen.com/) because they give great details about where they've been, what they did, their advices, and so much more. They are couple whom I admire for they have traveled around the world many times!

Thing #11

2009-07-29T03:26:00.000-07:00

This "thing" is perfect for me! I have always been one to read the book so quickly because I want to know what happens next that I inevitably forget details of the plot! LibraryThing will help me keep track of the books that I've read, jog my memory of what the book is about through my review, and connect me to others who have the same interests as me, which, in turn, introduce me to books that may be of interest to me. I found plenty of groups that shared my interest, such as Harry Potter, Khaled Hosseini, Twilight Saga, and Dan Brown, just to name a few. Whoo-hoo! Another tool to help me!

Thing #10

2009-07-29T02:13:00.001-07:00

That sure was a lot of image generator websites to check out. I immediately closed out the windows that seem to elementary to me. (I hope to get a librarian position intermediate on up.) I liked the following sites and included a summary of why:

http://www.glogster.com/new/ - My first thought: What was a glog? It would be like a blog, but instead of writing, it would be through graphics. I can see how many of our students would prefer to use this over blogs. The graphics and images are quite eye-catching.

http://bighugelabs.com/ - I love how this site allows users to manipulate pictures easily! Out of all that I liked, I felt this was the most user-friendly.

http://www.imagechef.com/ - Similar to BigHugeLabs, just a bit difficult to get into. I do feel that it has potential because it has backgrounds and tools that our students would love. I have created the following graphic which I know the girls (some boys) will love!

http://www.comicstripgenerator.com/ - Finally, this would be a great tool to include in reading! Instead of asking students who are not great artists to draw their comic strip, this website helps them create one that would be pleasing to them and the audience.

Thing #9

2009-07-29T01:54:00.001-07:00

The feed that I thought was most unusual was the Topix. Without having to input my information, Topix gave me all news related to the city I live in by determining where I was accessing the internet. This makes me think of ways Big Brother can watch over us.

CoolCatTeacher's blog was overwhelming! It was so crowded with information which makes it nonresourceful to me! I am sure there is good information somewhere, but I do not feel like wading through the mess to search for it.

After sifting through all the search tools, I did not feel one jumped at me to be the easiest. I felt many of them were on the same level, such as Technorati, Bloglines, Google Blog, and Atomic Learning. I feel that using a variety of blog search tools is beneficial, just as one should not limit themselves to just one search engine.

Thing #8

2009-07-29T01:38:00.000-07:00

What do you like about RSS and readers?
How do you think you might be able to use this technology in your school or personal life?
How can libraries/teachers/administrators use readers or take advantage of this new technology?

RSS and readers are convenient because they bring news that are of interest to me, not the other way around. In regards to my profession as a librarian or teacher, this tool makes it easier for me because it will keep me up-to-date in current events all in one area. They same benefit can be be achieved by administrators.

Thing #7

2009-07-21T21:32:00.000-07:00

There are many functions about Google that are not new to me, such as Picasa, Google Scholar, Google Advanced Search, and Google Earth.

But Atomic Learning? What the heck is that? The name alone peaked my interest. I think it is a great website that informs everyone on how to do things that involve technology. So many times, we, along with our collegues and students, are dumbfounded as to how we are work with the technology we have today. Student does not know how to blog? No problem, its tutorial will explain it to him/her. A teacher is having problems with MovieMaker? Piece of cake, send them the key number of the problem and a video will show them how to fix it.

The other resource that I liked was Google Docs. Many times I would forget to grab my jump drive, leaving me helpless without my documents. However, Docs is like a jump drive that I have in the internet. This is a great way for me to backup my documents just in case that jump drive dies on me. At the same time, it makes my documents more accessible to me, whether I am still within Houston or on the other side of the world.

Thing #6

2009-07-21T21:27:00.000-07:00

Out of the three third party tools suggested, I like Mappr the most. What caught my eye was that the website suggested using the tags of photos from Flickr as a way for students to infer where the picture may have been taken at. This basically promotes higher-leveled thinking and interesting discussions.

Thing #4

2009-07-21T21:14:00.000-07:00

Well, I suppose we have to blog about the completion of this step. I figured it would be a given! Haha This "thing" would be the easiest of them all?

Thing #5

2009-07-19T21:07:00.000-07:00

Doesn't the above picture look inviting? I found this picture through Flickr's Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs License link. It took me a while to find it because searching "books" and "library" did not produce pictures that caught my eye. Upon using "reading", I found this. I immediately liked this because this conveys what reading is to me: relaxing, enjoyable, etc. At the same time, I feel the picture has great artistic qualities, from the colors, to the angle, then to the position of the subject and objects. I think this would be a great picture to add to my library.

Thing #3

2009-07-19T19:33:00.000-07:00

When I created my blog, I had no difficulty at all. Blogger had many background layouts that were readily available, which really helped. As for my avatar, it was suggested to use Yahoo; however, I searched for websites to make avatars for free and stumbled upon Otaku. Although its usage was not easier or more difficult than Yahoo's, it did produce something new in comparison to all that I've seen. I found creating my avatar was the more difficult than the log because I wanted to make the avatar as much like me as possible.

Thing #2

2009-07-19T18:00:00.000-07:00

This tutorial was interesting to see. I am glad to say that I am a lifelong learner because I read often and like to pick up new hobbies. However, this tutorial has given me new perspectives on how to expand on this.

The most difficult habit for me is to look at problems as a learning opportunity. So many times I would look at a crisis and just feel its another obstacle that is preventing me from completing the task at hand. However, after viewing the tutorial, I will be more conscientious to look at the situation as another way to learn.

The easiest habit is to use technology to my advantage. I love to use Google to find answers to my everyday problems! At the same time, I often use Mapquest or GoogleMap to find my way around. I do not think that I could ever give up my internet access!

How can I encourage higher-level thinking?

2009-07-01T06:56:00.000-07:00

As educators, it is our duty to ensure that our students develop into lifelong learners. Giving them assignments that regurgitate information will not do. To encourage higher-level thinking among our students we should practice the following:

1. Ask questions that get them thinking. What good does it do when kids can easily answer us through rote memory? By asking questions that make them dig for information, this helps them make connections that they can refer to in the future.

2. Guide student-led discussions. Instead of you lecturing the whole time, ask students to share their thinking/opinion and continue on from there. Not only are they processing their thoughts (which builds schema), it is great practice for students to learn how to interact with each other in this kind of setting.

3. Assign work other than fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice, short answers, etc. Have the students produce work that involves more creativity. For example, something as simple as the Frayer model can be a powerful tool. Not only does it involve the student creating a statement using a specific terminology, but finding the antonyms and synonyms of that word generates more in-depth thinking.

There are many more ways to promote higher-level thinking, but starting off the three steps above will greatly impact your students.