Varsity Reader

Summary of Program

2008-01-18T12:46:00.001-08:00

WHEW! I’ve made it! Here at the finish line I feel proud and exhausted at the time. To be honest it was alot of work, but I feel that I can use many of the items we’ve learned in my library program. My favorite lessons covered were the image generators and the Animoto video. I feel I can use those to enhance web pages and promote books and other literary events within the library. I definitely know much more about the services offered on the web and are much more technological savvy.

Thing #23- Creative Commons

2008-01-18T12:39:00.001-08:00

Creative Commons is an opportunity for your work to be shared with others, motivating them to enhance the creativity of it. It springs from the idea of by sharing more, you accomplish more. For those of us who want our work to be explored and shared with others, Creative Commons can help provide free copyright licenses so others can understand what portions of work we want them to use, modify, and/or refine. It enables us to collaborate with one another to create a high quality product. As librarians we must set a good example and follow the rules of copyright appropriately, and help to educate others in doing so as well.

Thing #22-Animoto

2008-01-18T11:59:00.000-08:00

I like the idea behind Animoto. I think it is a great way to generate student interest in school projects and one that they would have fun doing. I did find it a bit frustrating in trying to post my video on my blog. I followed the instructions given, but blogger keeps telling me there is an error in the html code. SIGH! However, I can see how creating video shorts to promote “movies” of books would be an entertaining method of getting kids interested in reading.

Check it out at http://animoto.com/play/81de3f7de5d1702131f959e1f750e118

Thing #21- Podcasts

2008-01-18T11:17:00.000-08:00

Wow! There is so much information out there available from podcasts that it can feel a little over whelming. Where to begin? I was surprised to find all the “do it yourself” type podcasts such as learning how to speak French and how to play jazz piano. I did a search on children’s literature and found several podcasts that played author interviews and discussed children’s books. As a librarian this can be helpful to use as another resource to learn about new and upcoming authors/books. One particular podcast I found amusing was a Harry Potter podcast that discussed the in depth dynamics of the series, and the literary patterns found within the books.

Thing #20-YouTube

2008-01-18T08:07:00.000-08:00

YouTube can be used as promotional tool to encourage people to visit the library more often and take advantage of the many opportunities that libraries offer. However, I would recommend that any school librarian be selective with the type of material from YouTube they choose to use due to the questionable material that can be found. I found a video with George Lopez advocating libraries. It was positive, safe, and clean and one that I would feel comfortable using to promote libraries.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhrcCWjtNQw

Thing #19- Flow Maps and Mind Charts

2008-01-18T07:27:00.001-08:00

Gliffy and Bubbl.us would both be great ways to incorporate graphic organizers into research units. I liked Gliffy because of the many templates I could choose from, as well as all the editing options. I created visual representations with both Gliffy and Bubble.us. One was of genres that my 3rd graders research, and the other was of sea animals that I plan to use with my younger students in the spring when they study their ocean unit. Check them out.

Thing #18-Web 2.0 Awards

2008-01-10T14:06:00.000-08:00

Under the “Book” category in the Web 2.0 Awards you will find a link to LibraryThing. After discovering LibraryThing earlier in our lessons I was hooked! I love how LibraryThing allows you to share your favorite books and see what others are reading and recommending. I did not think the site was intimidating at all due to its simple organization and easy use. Locating out of print materials is simple because LibraryThing has a variety of search data to help you find what it is you need. LibraryThing is a great way to have an online book club and find other topics of literary interest. Other useful tools include the Book Information page and the Book Suggester and UnSuggester.

Thing #17-Zoho Writer

2008-01-09T11:57:00.000-08:00

One of the features I liked most about Zoho Writer is that it can be accessed anywhere, which is very convenient. Other options such as e-mailing documents in word files or HTML would come in very handy when communication online. I created a “Top 5” or “Most Read” books of the month list that students and staff could view and hopefully add to. Creating documents in Zoho Writer is just another way to help promote literature and other programs occurring in the library.

http://writer.zoho.com/index.do#

Thing #16-Sandbox Wiki

2007-12-30T14:43:00.000-08:00

Using wikis is a great way to see what librarians are doing in their library program. Because information can be added and updated quickly I can easily access the ideas shared by others. One exercise I have enjoyed thus far has been the image generators. While playing in the “sandbox” I was able to add an image that I had generator earlier, as well as see what other ideas people were posting.

Thing #15-Wikis

2007-12-30T14:19:00.001-08:00

Wikis could be used to help strengthen the communication and collaboration among libraries and staff, students, and other members of the community. Information is organized and can quickly be updated. Upcoming professional development opportunities, policies and procedures, book reviews, and successful library practices are just a few applications that could benefit from the use of wikis. As Meredith Farkas stated in her article Using Wikis to Create Online Communities, “If you are looking to develop content that requires input from people outside of the library, a wiki is an ideal tool to solicit that content.” I personally enjoyed exploring the Texas School Librarians’ Wikispace because of its helpful content in various lessons and other resources.

Thing #14-Perspectives of Library 2.0 and the Future of Libraries

2007-12-29T20:11:00.000-08:00

Technology is now a common staple in schools and most homes. There is an abundance of media in today’s society and our environment is completely saturated with it due to computers, TV, video games, etc. One must keep up with the times and therefore libraries are facing the challenge; trying to change the paradigm. Libraries are asking the question how it will deliver needed information? We are much more global than past years and are sharing with others online more frequently, and at a faster pace. I think the future of libraries will experience an increase in the instruction, implementation, and use of technology.

Thing #13-Tagging and Social Bookmarking

2007-12-29T19:50:00.001-08:00

Librarians could definitely utilize del.icio.us to help with collaboration. Creating a social bookmark site would allow other members of your profession to share and learn different lessons, various storytelling techniques, and informative author/illustrator visits. It would also enable librarians to be more aware of new and upcoming literature, successful research ideas, and strong incentive reading programs. The simple organization of tagging your “favorites” makes it easy to acquire useful sites that can be shared with others.

Thing #12-Social Networks

2007-12-29T19:32:00.001-08:00

Ning gives you the option to allow only selected members or interest groups to join and participate in your social network, which can be a helpful feature. Since it is not quite as public as Facebook and MySpace, I would feel a little more at ease using Ning. However, even after exploring certain social networks I feel a little uncomfortable putting myself out there for the entire world to see (especially with so many vigilant warnings about identity theft, spyware, etc., etc., etc.). I can understand why college students would use social networks to communicate with friends, but I find it difficult to believe that social networks could effectively be used in schools (especially with younger students) as part of their curriculum.

Thing #11-LibraryThing

2007-12-29T18:53:00.000-08:00

LibraryThing is a neat way to share your favorite books, as well as take a peek at what others are reading and recommend. It is easily organized into its own library catalog and is very simple to join. With a wide range of search data from hundreds of libraries, even out of print materials are easy to locate. A great way to have an online book club and find other topics of literary interest is to create a “group” within LibraryThing. Other useful tools include the Book Information page(which gives high quality data about books you are curious about) and the Book Suggester and UnSuggester. I thought the UnSuggeter was a neat feature because it made recommendations of what not to read.
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/VarsityReader

Thing #10 Online Image Generators

2007-12-19T12:58:00.000-08:00

I enjoyed playing around with most of the online image generators. I had difficulty with the Comic Strip Generator because every time I tried to upload a picture it would tell me the site was overloaded and to try back again later. I plan on using some of these image generators to enhance my library webpage. I think it could help to make the site look inviting and fun. Here are some creations.

Thing #9 Finding Feeds

2007-12-19T12:41:00.000-08:00

I think the simplest feed search for me was Google Blog Search. I was easily able to search and find feeds on children's literature and I feel that much of the information that I found would be very useful in my library program. Technorati I found was a bit overpowering due to the massive amount of feeds that were listed. All in all I think using most of the blog search feeds is an easy way to find the information that you need.

Thing #8- RSS Feeds

2007-11-01T08:13:00.000-07:00

RSS and newsreaders will help me to stay connected with the outside world faster and more frequently. Many of my RSS feeds are news sites so I will be more aware of what is going on in the world. Using RSS feeds would be a tool that could easily be used in any Social Studies or Current Events class to quickly see what the latest and greatest news is. With the high cost of certain magazines and other literary journals, using RSS is an inexpensive way to stay on top of the most current trends in library media programs.

Thing #7- Google Tools

2007-10-30T14:32:00.000-07:00

I found the Google calendar feature to be very helpful. It can easily be created and updated, and is a great way for all staff, students, and parents to see what is going on in the library or at school.

Using Picasa Web Albums is a great to set up a photo gallery in which parents and other staff members could view what students are learning. I think students would enjoy seeing themselves in an online photo album.
Check it out at http://picasaweb.google.com/VarsityReader/StudentsOfScience

Thing 6-Flickr Mashups in Library Program

2007-10-22T10:52:00.000-07:00

Check out the trading card made about students researching in the library.

I really liked the movie poster feature because it could be used to make "Pick of the Week" posters. Students would summarize their favorite book for the week and the poster would be hung to advertise various books students are reading. Also, the calendar feature would be very handy to help organize events occurring in the library. I also liked the use of trading cards, where students could trade and collect cards that would feature popular titles or authors.

Thing 5-Flickr Photo

2007-10-22T09:58:00.001-07:00

What a cute dog! She looks ready for Halloween!

Thing 3-Avatar Creation

2007-10-22T09:06:00.001-07:00

Creating an avatar proved a little difficult at first because yahoo was unalbe to process my request. I think it will be neat to personalize my avatar once I am able to get into the program.

Thing 4-How Will You Use Blogs?

2007-10-22T08:54:00.000-07:00

The use of a blog will benefit me most by being able to share new experiences, as well as learn other successful lessons from various librarians. Blogs can be a great resource for collaboration.

Thing 2- 7 1/2 Learning Habits

2007-10-22T08:24:00.000-07:00

Playing and having fun has never been a problem for me. I think that learning habit will be the easiest for me to implement. Beginning with the end in mind will pose more of a challenge for me. It has been my experience that many objectives have a completely different outcome than originally planned.

Thing 1-What Do You Want to Learn with Web 2.0?

2007-10-22T08:21:00.000-07:00

I hope to learn more about blogging and become more comfortable with online posting. Creating and setting up a blog was relavtively easy.