MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

This has been an AMAZING experience for so many reasons. Honestly, I haven't felt this passionate about a course since I took New Jersey Writing in the Summer of 1999. That's saying something!

The most important THING that I've learned is that I CAN DO TECHNOLOGY. When I realized I wanted to be a librarian, the only thing that was holding me back was the technology; it scared me. I felt confident that my passion for books and kids would make me a good librarian, but I don't just want to be good--I want to be EFFECTIVE, and I know that being an effective 21st century librarian means embracing the technology instead of shying away from it. So that's what brought me to add 23 Things to my BUSY Summer To-Do list. And I'm so glad that I did. It's been well-worth the COUNTLESS HOURS that I've invested.

I have taken the time to soak up all of this information so that I will USE it, and I WILL USE all of these amazing tools. Here are my promises:

• I will continue blogging because it feeds my writing soul; corny but true. As a writer, I need to do this for myself. In fact, I want to start a personal blog where I focus on my family; my two daughters are growing up too fast, and I want to capture as much of their childhood as I can; this blog would be a perfect way to encapsulate these moments . I'm hoping this will make me more accountable in my writing because I suck at keeping a journal. I will continue with this blog as a professional one where I can write about my passion for the library, students, books, and TECHNOLOGY.
• I will continue to make my Google Reader a part of my reading life. I want to enlarge my "circle of the wise" with more RSS feeds. I have been amazed by the ideas and voices that I've been introduced to. They inspire me.
• I will start small and incorporate some of the tools into the library--a bit at a time. My fear is that I will overwhelm my faculty and my kids with my excitement about all of this cool stuff that I've learned. I don't want to scare them off by coming on too strong. I'm still new at this job and new to my school, so I need to proceed with caution. This year I will incorporate in the library: wikis, podcasts, Animoto, Google Docs, Google Calendar, image generators, blogs...okay, I want to do them ALL! I don't think I'm going to have a problem with implementation; my problem will be with integration. I have to find the right time and way to introduce these tools to my own faculty and students to have optimum buy-in.
• I will try not to become a LIBRARY THING addict. That's the one that I loved the most personally. It could even replace my Facebook obsession. Uh oh.
  

Thank you so much to all of the facilitators for working hard to make this class so effective. A special shout out goes to Marnie for reading and commenting on my blogs! Thanks, Marnie! I'm sure there are 23,000 more things to learn about Web 2.0, and I will jump at the chance to take more courses.

I'm a 23 Things believer!

Thing #23: Neat Nings

I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge that this is MY LAST THING!!! I made it!!!

Nings are neat, and it's going to take some time playing around with them to discover their usefulness. Classroom 2.0 is a great resource for educators because it fosters ideas and collaboration with Web 2.0 tools. I LOVE the TeacherLibrarianNing. I joined, and my membership is "pending approval." This is the kind of resource that I need to "pick the brains" of the wise, experienced librarians who are out there. I look forward to checking this out on a regular basis! I also was excited to find the Elementary Librarian Routines Wiki. Awesome! One thing that I've found liberating (and also frustrating) as a rookie librarian is that there are so many different ways to do this job, and most of those ways are right. When I would ask some of the other librarians how they did something, I would get six different answers, and all of them were great ideas. But which one was the RIGHT way? As a perfectionist and someone who wants to do a good job, this drove me CRAZY. But then I realized that I have to figure out what the right way is for ME and MY STUDENTS. And that will just take time...and patience.

Another invaluable resource was the List of Networks Wiki. Holy cow! I definitely bookmarked that sucker in my Delicious account. I noticed there is a Schools on Facebook site, which is designed specifically for higher education. I would love to have a Ning for the Shaw Library. Now I feel comfortable playing around with one!

Educators should embrace social networking as a tool for learning rather than shy away from it. Like all of these amazing tools that I've learned about, social networks meet students where they are in this technologically-saturated world. With so many social networking sites available, it's obvious that there's a right one for every kind of student at any grade level. Teachers should be educated about these and encouraged to try them out; I think that's a big part of my job as a school librarian. I need to be a lifeguard/fellow swimmer/coach to my teachers as they venture into the waters of Web 2.0. Now I'm ready to take on that role!

Thing #22: My Ode to Facebook

Now this is a Thing I know ALOT about...too much, in fact.

Oh, Facebook.
You connect me with over 400 "friends."
Former students, long-lost friends from elementary & high school,
I collect "friends" like a greedy kid in a candy store.
Are they true friends?
Mostly, no.
Then why am I addicted to you?
You provide an outlet for my joys and frustrations;
You give me "status."
You steal precious hours from my life.
You are a siren that calls my name while I'm trying to take care of my responsibilities...
My housework,
My grad classes,
My family.
"Oh, just check me quickly, Amianne. See what's going on in my world.
It won't take long."
One quick second turns into an hour.
I love you, Facebook.
I curse you, Facebook.

Yes, Facebook and I have a love/hate relationship. I've had to go on many self-imposed Facebook fasts, and it's been HARD. I've realized that Facebook is my personal drug of choice. Honestly, as I've learned about some of these "Things" I've thought, "Now this is going to cut into my Facebook time." Sad but true.

When I taught high school, I refused to accept students as friends until they had GRADUATED. But now that I no longer teach in high school, I've accepted all of my former students as "friends" when I get a friend request from them. It's my way to stay in touch with them because some were very upset that I was leaving Poteet. I don't know if this is a good or bad thing, but I just keep this in mind when I'm posting my status updates. (I have to self-censor sometimes.) When I taught Creative Writing, one of my students made a "Mrs. Bailey Fan Page." I was flattered, and I was able to post to it without crossing that student/teacher line. But now I'm "friends" with most of these kids, and I think that's okay.

I think social networking definitely has a place in school, but I think teachers must use it professionally and cautiously. Common sense, people!

And here's the link to my beloved Facebook profile.

Thing #21: I Heart Google!

Google tools make me happy. I can't wait to go back and play with ALL of them. But here are two that I've chosen to try out today:

Google Calendar: My head is spinning now. Could I use this for teachers to sign up for library lessons rather than a Wiki? This seems so much easier and less intimidating for teachers. I'm worried that a Wiki might freak out some of them. I need to figure out if I can only allow a week at a time to be viewed; otherwise, they will sign up for the same time every week and it will turn into a fixed schedule. Also, I want to see if I can change the times to 15 minute increments. I definitely need to play around with this and ask Mary and Debbie if a Google Calendar is the way to go. I hope so!! Here is my personal calendar for the week:



Picasa: I usually use Shutterfly to share my personal photos, but I really like Picasa. I think I'll use this to share my library photos. Mother Goose visited Shaw in May, and the kids ABSOLUTELY LOVED her! Just look at their sweet faces! Looking at these pictures again makes me really miss my kids and excited about the upcoming school year. AND I know all of this cool new stuff to share with them! WOO HOO!! I love the idea of embedding a slide show, so here it is! I'm so proud of myself for figuring this out!! I LOVE TECHNOLOGY!!

Thing 7b: More Heartbreak from My Reader

I found this article from the Education section of the New York Times via Facebook, but it's from the writers of a blog that I get in my reader. I am a Facebook "fan" and a subscriber to the blog of Two Writing Teachers.

The article brought tears to my eyes and fury to my soul. It's about a dedicated principal in Burlington, Vermont, who did astounding things at Wheeler Elementary, a school that makes our Title I schools in MISD look like Highland Park. However, the district has removed her as the principal so that the district can receive $3 million in federal stimulus funds. Asinine.

I hate politics, and I just can't bring myself to type a monologue about our broken educational system. But I will say this: Before anyone who reads this jumps on the Blame-Obama-Wagon (which is a very popular ride these days), please realize that this atrocity stems from NCLB. I'm not saying that President Obama is free from blame in this MESS, but it stems from the Bush administration's insane obsession with standardized testing. Standardized testing is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. When will we realize that it is STUPID to expect ALL kids to excel on ONE TEST on ONE DAY?? Wait. There I go getting all political, and I'm starting to pound the keyboard. Breathe...

Okay, please read the article AND the 292 comments. They are enlightening, and I actually enjoy reading comments on the NY Times website because they are (for the most part) written by open-minded, intelligent people, and they always get me thinking even more.

My heart is broken again by my Google Reader. I need to find some happy reading in that thing!

Thing #20: Google Docs ROCK!

I didn't know much about Google Docs until I became a librarian, and they ROCK! Here are three ways that I will use them this year:

1. SURVEYS! I love that you can make a survey so easily with Google Docs. I made a survey for this "Thing" that I'm going to embed into my library web page (I think I can do that, right? Or at least I can have the link that takes kids there). Anyway, I want to find out how my kids spent their summer vacation, and this is a cool way to do it.

2. TO BUILD COLLABORATION! What an awesome way for kids to take notes on a project and then collaborate with kids from another class. This would be great to incorporate during research lessons so that kids can share their findings with kids in other classes. I want to play around with the presentation feature. That opens up even more doors!

3. REVISION STRATEGY! I would like to play around with using Google Docs for revision, and I wish that I had this tool in my arsenal as a high school English teacher. So many kids try to make it LOOK like they revised an essay by marking it up, but the content never changes. Google Docs could help teachers track the revision. This would probably work best with older writers.

With Google Docs, the possibilities are endless.

Thing #19: Voicethread...Wow.

Now I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. Every "Thing" that I've encountered so far has been familiar to me; I have heard about most of these tools as a librarian, but I have never heard of Voicethread until now. It's a podcast on steroids.

Once I figure out how it works, the possibilities are endless when it comes to Voicethread. It would be great to use in book discussions because of all of the commenting options. It's interactive, and that's what makes it so powerful. I liked the idea of using it as a tool for creative writing. We do a strategy called "Writing Roulette" in the NJWP Institute, and I can see how Voicethread would enhance it. Voicethread would be effective for all different types of learning styles and all different ages of learners.

But first, I must conquer the Podcast. Then I can move on to Voicethread. This is definitely a tool that I want to learn more about!

Thing #18: Gaga for You Tube

I try to stay away from You Tube for entertainment purposes because it's so addicting and a little disconcerting to see the twisted minds of our humanity. But I think You Tube definitely has a place in the classroom when used carefully and cautiously. When I taught Creative Writing, I used You Tube videos as writing prompts. We watched cartoon theme songs from the early 90s to spur writing about childhood memories. My students LOVED this, and it was a catalyst for some amazing writing. It's the "inane comments"at the bottom of the videos that can get a teacher in trouble, so I was so glad to read the tip about EMBEDDING the video in Thing 18. GENIUS IDEA!

Here I go on another Wicked tangent, but I recently used You Tube to show Landry how Elphaba flies during "Defying Gravity." Before I took Landry to see the performance, I wanted her to watch this so that it wouldn't freak her out. It was a way to build her schema.

Teacher Tube is a good resource but some times it can be a bit lame. However, I did find this great video on taking care of library books. My kids would probably get more out of watching this video than listening to me blab away about it.

And here's my video that I discovered for fun. It's a librarian thing, of course!
Librarians + Gaga = GREATNESS!

Thing #17: Podcasts

I have always admired Podcasts from a far. I understand the concept, and I know that they can be used effectively in the classroom. This is my first experience to really play around with podcasts, and I like what I see (or hear). I subscribed to two podcasts: Grammar Girl and Just One More Book:

• I've heard of Grammar Girl before, and I love her advice on how to get started blogging and understanding the difference between voice and tone. Grammar girl dishes out great writing tips that will be beneficial on my own writing journey. High school teachers could use her podcasts to emphasize the importance of clear writing. It would be a way of saying to kids, "See, I don't make this stuff up!"

• Just One More Book will be a wonderful resource for book reviews, and I was interested to find reviews on some of the books that I ordered for the library (I Need My Monster is one of them). I know people who listen to podcasts while they work out, and I would like to do that. I will play around with the directory to see if I can find some that will motivate me while I jog/walk on the dreaded treadmill.

I want to teach kids HOW to make a podcast, so that's going to require some extra learning on my part. I took a staff development on Podcasting (in my BL--Before Library--Days), and I honestly don't remember much about how to do it. I think that Garage Band was involved, and I don't remember it being that difficult. So I will add "Learn How to Make a Podcast" to my list of Web 2.0 things that I still need to learn.

Thing #16: Library Thing--You Make My Heart Sing

I think I've found my new obsession: Library Thing. I'd heard about it, but I did not know that it would be this AMAZING. I'm a total book nerd, but I own it.

I had to make myself stop or I would be on it ALL DAY. I need to go back and add, edit, sort--all that fun stuff, but I started my collection and it was SO EASY. AND--I put the widget on my blog! A few weeks ago I did not know what a widget was, much less how to embed it on a blog, much less my OWN blog. Look at me! Who AM I??

This is going to really impact my book life. I tagged by the season that I read the book; that might be strange to some people, but I like to remember WHEN I read a book. I will definitely be able to find book recommendations using Library Thing. For example, I want a good southern novel to read before I go to New Orleans, so I will use Library Thing to search. I think this is even better than Amazon.

The coolest "thing" yet for me personally. And I love the freedom to make my own tags. After my experience with Cataloging class last semester, I am a bit anti-Library of Congress. I understand the purpose, but I was not made to be a cataloger. I was made to be a Library Thing-er.

Enough with this blog post. Gotta go play on Library Thing!

Thing #15: Now I'm Hungry

Thanks to reading about Delicious and its tasty bookmarks, I'm hungry. I already had a Delicious account because it was a requirement in one of my SLIS classes, but honestly I hadn't accessed the site since last fall. Why not? When I first learned about Delicious, I didn't really "get" the concept. But now I totally GET it, and I'm HUNGRY for some Delicious (and a snack).

I have to re-certify in the Spring as an Abydos Writing Trainer (NJWP), so I bookmarked sites that might be helpful with my research on FVR (free voluntary reading). Searching on Delicious reminds me of shopping for books on Amazon. I use the "people who bought this book also liked" feature all of the time on Amazon; it's how I've stumbled on some of my recent favorites. Delicious is like Amazon because you can see the sites that others have bookmarked in relation to the one you've discovered, so it really enhances your search capabilities and brings new things to light. And you can use their tags! It's just so cool! It's fantastic for teachers who go from home computer, to school computer, to laptop. I think this would also be helpful while doing research in the library. Rather than putting all of the links to websites on the library web page, I could give kids access to my Delicious account. I'm wondering if Delicious is blocked at school? I'll have to check that out.

Here's a link to my own Delicious account. Now it's time for a snack...

Thing #14: More Cool Tools

Okay, this is a HUGE step for me. Even though it's not exactly how I want it, I'm going to leave it like this (until I figure out how to fix it) as a symbol of my growing confidence with technology.

Obviously, I made a Wordle. It took the piece that I wrote about going to see Wicked (I swear I'm not obsessed--well, maybe just a little). I wanted to use a large chunk of text that I didn't have to compose on the spot, so this was easy to copy/paste. I played around with the cool features (so fun!) and created my Wordle just like I want it. However, I don't want to put it in the public gallery, but I wanted to save it and embed it in my blog. I read through some of the FAQs about doing this, and it talked about doing a "screen shot." So here it is, and I figured it out all by myself. Yes, I'm proud. But I don't like that it shows the actual screen, so I'm sure there is a way to fix this. How do I save just the Wordle (without the ugly screen) and embed it into my blog? Help me please!

I love Wordles. I think this would be fun as a revising/editing exercise. Kids can take their pieces and copy/paste them into Wordles to see what words are emphasized. In theory, the words that are the biggest should be the "main ideas" or the strongest points the writer wants to express. Also, they are just pretty. I want to decorate my library with Wordles!

I also experimented with Ta-Da List, which was super easy. I printed out my own To Do List for the week, which lists Things 14-23 on it to finish by Thursday. I have a plan to accomplish this task, and it will feel good to check these things off. I think Ta-Da List would be good to use if you needed to share a list with multiple people. It seems kind of silly to to one just for yourself.

Now I can check off Thing #14! :)

Thing #7a: A Hearbreaking Reality

I've gotten into the habit of checking my reader every day just like I check my email. Mostly, I just skim and scan; I only click on the things that catch my attention. I love the blogosphere, and I am so glad to have been awakened to all of the amazing voices and wisdom that's out there. This course has made me a temporary visitor of the blogosphere, but I want to become a permanent resident. My hope is to continue blogging on my own and reading the blogs of others long I've accomplished my "23 Things."

A blog entry this week not only caught my attention, but it connected to my own experiences and broke my heart all at the same time:

I have always been a fan of Esme Raji Codell ever since I heard her speak at a TAFE Conference years ago and read her wonderful book Educating Esme. So of course, I was excited to subscribe to her blog The PlanetEsme Plan. This week Esme reviewed some great picture books: Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I Don't) by Barbara Bottner, The Jelly Beans and the Big Book Bonanza by Laura Numeroff, and Lola at the Library by Anna McQuinn. Miss Brooks... is sitting in a box in my office as a part of my Spring book order. I'm waiting for the wax to dry so that I can get in the library and start ripping open those boxes--one of the BEST parts of being a librarian. It's like Christmas every time I get a box of books! I can't wait to read Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I Don't) to my kids at the beginning of the year! These book reviews were all wonderful to read, and this post makes me excited about the fast-approaching school year. But it's what Esme wrote next that woke me up to the sad reality surrounding us.

All of these books are about the magical power of the library on young readers. Of course, school libraries are vital to people of ALL ages, and Esme asks her readers to think about their own memories of school libraries. Esme goes on to write, "School libraries around the country are currently in terrible peril, on the front lines for cuts and downsizing, despite the obvious and well-documented benefits and the renewed need for capable instructional media professionals in the digital age. " I know that school libraries are struggling--believe me--I've lived this reality. But what really hit me this week was the war being waged on our PUBLIC LIBRARIES.

Yesterday, I took my girls to the Mesquite Public Library for the first time this summer. I know, I know--it's mid-July and this was our first trip. Pathetic on my part. Every time I walk into a public library, my heart sings. It blows my mind to see all of the amazing resources that people from all walks of life can access FOR FREE. My girls spent about an hour browsing, reading, working puzzles, and poking at the fish tank. They used their best "whisper voices" and joyfully skipped out of the library with five carefully self-selected books each. It was a happy day.

But here comes the heartbreaking reality. I saw on the news last night that Dallas is cutting 155 jobs in the library department because of budget woes. Even though these cuts do not affect me personally because I'm not a regular patron of Dallas libraries, they still hurt my heart. In fact, I'm sure that if I did some research, I would find out that the Mesquite Public Library has not been immune to cuts. I instantly thought of all of the people (children like my own!) who will be impacted by these cuts. It made me think of Esme's blog and the fact that ALL libraries seem to be under attack because of our present economy. Libraries should be a sacred part of our society, but they are not being treated as such.

It breaks my heart.

Thing #13: Image Mashups

Here is my Image Chef creation. I typed in "Summer reading is fun" and this is what I got. Super easy! I've used Image Chef before, and this is such an easy way to jazz up a web site or a wiki. I will definitely be using this more next year.






I took our pictures from our family vacation to Lake Travis and used Mosaic Maker to create this. I know the directions said to use images from Flickr, but I wanted to play around with my own pictures because I think I will use this more with my personal photos. It was relatively simple, and I like how it connects to Facebook so quickly for easy sharing.








Here's my attempt at Spell With Flickr. So cool and so easy! I would love to put this on my library web site, and I think I could actually figure out how to do it! Now if only I can remember in a couple of weeks...

Image Generators ROCK!

Thing #12: Animoto A Go-Go

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Making the Animoto video: Pretty easy. Embedding it into this blog? Not so much. But I think I did it. Not sure if I can do it again, but this proves the fine art of perseverance...click, click, click until you get it right. I stuck to my Wicked theme even though it's not something I would use in the library with kids. I just couldn't resist. I wish I could have used a song from the musical, but this one by Geoff Byrd called "Elusive Butterfly" seems to fit Elphaba perfectly since she's all about "Defying Gravity."

Here are the attributions for the photos that I used:
1. Wicked program cover by the solaris5
2.Stage view by Engel Seron
3. One Short Day by the western sky
4. Greenifying Elphie by the western sky
5. No Good Deed by the western sky
6. Defying Gravity by the western sky
7. Idina Menzel by the western sky
8. Getting the broom by the western sky
9. The Wizard and iiiiiiiiii by the western sky
10. Happy Ending by the western sky

Thing #11: Flickr Frustrations

First of all, Flickr should have some kind of disclaimer attached to it: "BEWARE: ENTERING THIS SITE WILL MEAN THAT YOU IGNORE YOUR CHILDREN FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME. PROCEED WITH CAUTION."But I guess that's the case with all of these Web 2.0 tools. My three-year-old told me tonight, "Mommy, I want you to get off that computer now." And I did. But now I've emerged from my Flickr fog (and tucked my girls into bed), and I have a slight headache. I think this is how a baby feels when she's overstimulated.

Don't get me wrong: I love Flickr. I see so many possibilities for its use in the classroom/library. I love GraphicaGirl's idea of using images to introduce books, like a pre-reading activity. Using Flickr would be a great way to introduce Bluebonnet Books!

But before I tackle a project like that, I need to vent my Flickr frustrations. Here they are:

1. This is what happens when people tag their own stuff. On one photo I counted 64 tags. Seriously? And I could not see the connection on about half of the tags. I get the idea behind "folksonomy," but it drives the librarian part of my brain a little batty. But it's the price we pay for letting users categorize their own stuff. It's one of those concepts that works well in theory but can be messy in practice.

2.Image overload! It's just so much! I cannot imagine an ADD person on Flickr. I think I now have ADD just from being on Flickr for a few hours. If you don't know exactly what you are looking for, then it can drive you crazy. It did me!

3. I still don't get the Creative Commons thing. I used the link Flickr Creative Commons and then I typed in "Wicked the musical." (Side note: I was listening to the soundtrack during my Flickr excursion. I'm obsessed with Wicked after seeing it twice while it was in Dallas. I know it's not a "lesson" idea that I will use in the library, but it was on mind during this time.) I got 321 results. Wow. So I start clicking away. Most of the images were people's personal photos of their Wicked experience. It was like going to a garage sale and searching through the junk to find some treasure. Well, then I got sidetracked because there are Wicked groups, and so I clicked on that group and the pictures were AWESOME. I especially loved The Western Sky's photostream (that was not included under CC. These had the BIG C.) But then I realized that I was no longer in the Creative Commons. But I found some amazing photos that I would love to use. Can I use them if they aren't on the CC part of Flickr? Why do people put pictures on Flickr if they don't want them used by others? Can we not copy and paste a "all rights reserved" copyrighted image (the BIG C) onto a blog or wiki (and give credit, of course)? Why does this bother me so much?

Anyway, here's my legal, legit pic that I don't think will get me a visit from the copyright police. It's one of my favorite moments when Elphaba sings "Defying Gravity." The picture alone gives me chills. Watching it in person (twice!) was life-changing. I actually wrote a piece about it for the New Jersey Writing anthology that we do every summer with the participants. Here is Elphaba singing, "And nobody in all of Oz, no wizard that there is or was, is ever gonna bring meeeeeeeeeee doooooowwwwwwwnnnnn!!!"

Link to Flickr site where I got the photo
Photo uploaded by "the western sky"

Thing #10: Confessions of a Copyright Breaker

I have a confession to make: I have (unknowingly!) broken some copyright laws in my day. I was an English teacher, after all. All the good ones did it. BUT--I'm a librarian now, which makes my past transgressions seem worse. AND...I've probably (inadvertently!) broken some copyright laws AS a librarian. Oh, the horror. There I said it.

Honestly, it's hard for me to grasp copyright laws or "Fair Use." I have not profited from anything that I have "borrowed" (I refuse to use the word "stolen") nor have I claimed it as my own (I detest plagiarism!). I think I've broken most copyright laws in the educational setting, so maybe I've been protected by that umbrella of Fair Use. Copyright confuses me. Why does it have to be so complicated?

Enter Creative Commons. I guess this should clear up the murkiness in the collaboration pool that has been created by way of the Internet. CC seems incredibly cool. I want to embrace it because I think it's been created for people like me who just don't get copyright. But it's still a hazy concept in my mind. I watched all of the videos for this thing; I especially enjoyed "Get Creative" and "Wanna Work Together" . I get the idea behind CC, and I love the philosophy of "it can be that easy when you skip the intermediaries." If only it were that easy to skip all those pesky "middle men" in life.

But I still have questions. So here they are:

• I love Google Images (a bit too much). So when I use Google Images, is it okay to just copy and paste? It's just so easy! Do I need to give attribution for each image--like on my wiki with all of the musical pictures that I used? Do I need to give individual credit for each image? That just makes my page look so cluttered and not pretty!
• I noticed that CC has a Google Images search. So should I just search GI through this site? I searched for the "Wicked musical logo" through the CC GI, and I could not find what I was looking for. So what happens when you can't find what you are looking for through CC?
• To attribute or not to attribute? That seems to be the question...

It bothers me that I don't have a clear grasp of copyright laws as a librarian. But I'm still a "baby" librarian, so hopefully I will get more comfortable with these laws/codes/rules/mandates as I get more experience. I obviously need to wrap my brain around this before I go out and try to preach it to others (the teachers and students at me school). I know this is a very important concept to understand in this day and age of creating and collaborating on the Internet. I REALLY want to understand Copyright, Fair Use, and Creative Commons. Can you help me?

Thing 9: In the Wiki World

I did it! I conquered the wiki! Once I figured out that I had to ask permission to play in the sandbox (I forgot about that important step), then it was pretty easy. I had fun making my page; I got all of my images from Google Images. I'm ready to branch out into other image sites (I'm excited about exploring Flickr!) because I abuse this one a bit too much. I want to find out if I need to give attribution when I use Google Images. I hope to find out more about that when I explore Creative Commons.

All in all, I enjoyed my experience in the sandbox. Once I got the hang of the formatting, it was easy to make a wiki page. I had two frustrating moments: one was when I was trying to make the [toc], and it just wouldn't magically morph into that Table of Contents box on the side of the page. But then I figured out that I needed to closely read the directions and add two brackets on each side. [[toc]]. It worked like a charm! The second problem I had was with spacing some of my images, but I was working on my wiki at 1:30 in the morning, so I think I was a little tired. But now it's all good. Some sleep and a cup of coffee works wonders on my mind.

If I were still teaching high school English, I would have everyone of my students make a wiki page at the beginning of the year as a "get to know you" activity. I would wheel the laptop cart into my room and we could do this in a 90 minute period. If they didn't finish, then they could finish at home on their own computers--or go to the library to finish. Talk about the power of publishing! Rather than turning in a lame "get to know you" worksheet, they could create their own pages and use them to build that sense of community that is so vital in a writing classroom. It almost makes me want to go back to those days. Almost--but not quite.

I want to know how to create an entire wiki space and give access to my teachers so that they can sign up for a library time. The best thing about this class is that it has given me the confidence to just TRY technology and figure it out myself. I also have a great network of fellow librarians that I can ask for help, but whereas before I would have asked them first--now I want to try it first myself. That's huge for me! Technology rocks!!

And now, without further ado...here is my very own wiki!!

See if you can figure out why I named it "Raindrops on Roses..."

Thing #8: Wocka Wocka Wikis

For some strange reason, I keep hearing Fozzie Bear from the Muppets saying, "Wocka, Wocka, Wocka" in my head every time I read the word Wiki. Why? Who knows. I think I'm tired.

This is one of the main reasons I'm here in the Land of 23 Things this summer. I want to embrace the wiki. I have all kinds of ideas for wikis in the library: Teachers will sign up for library time on a wiki; I want kids to use wikis in their research projects; I will use wikis to share lesson ideas for teachers. It's gonna be a wiki-great year. The problem is that I'm not sure how to MAKE a wiki, so I need to figure that out, and I think I'll get the opportunity in Thing #9. I'm wiki-excited! Okay, I'll stop with the wiki-ness. Again, tired.

I loved reading Vicki Davis' blog post about Wiki Wiki Teaching. It made me even more excited about the endless possibilities of wikis in the classroom. Wikis can propel kids to higher-level thinking skills because of the synthesis and evaluation of information that must take place. Wikis make kids excited about learning because they meet them where they are in their tech-savvy world. And the collaboration that wikis create is just plain cool.

I enjoyed looking at the various wikis because they represent the gamut of possibilities.

• The Kindergarten Counting Book demonstrates a very basic wiki, and I love the fact that Kinder kids are introduced to this cool tool at an early age. What a great way to scaffold kids into using wikis.
• The Schools in the Past wiki seemed to be used as an interactive note taker, but I couldn't tell what was done with the information after all of the memories were recorded, but this demonstrates that a wiki is an excellent way to collect information from different people.
  
• Salute to Seuss was my favorite wiki, and my brain is already firing with ideas of how I can get my kids involved in something like this. I think it would be fun to have kids do wikis when they do an author study. The possibilities are endless with wikis, and that's what makes them so amazing!

Wocka, wocka, wocka!

Thing #7: I'm a Lurker NOT a Stalker

Although I have jumped right into blogging with open arms, I have not fully embraced the concept of commenting, and I'm beginning to wonder why. Why do I feel more comfortable filling up this big box with blah, blah, blah rather than filling up that smaller box with a sentence or two of my humble opinion? It just doesn't make sense.

But I think I'm beginning to understand my hesitation. This is MY turf, MY blog, MY space to blah, blah, blah. But when I comment, I'm encroaching on another person's sacred space, and right now it just feels kind of strange. It is silly and rather ironic for me to feel this way. As I posted in Thing 4, commenting is a way to validate a writer's thoughts and ideas. A blog THRIVES off of comments; comments fuel bloggers to keep blogging. It would be depressing to put all of these thoughts into cyberspace and have them fall on deaf ears. So it's hypocritical of me to expect some comments without giving some in return. I guess you could call it "comment karma."

So I will take baby steps in my quest to make more comments. I will start with my fellow 23 Thingsters because we are all new at this. We need encouragement. But I admit that it will take me a while to feel confident enough to make comments with "the big dogs" (the blogs of those wise people that I've put in my circle). But some day I hope to feel comfortable commenting with the wise ones.

Thing #6: Feeding the Monster, I Mean Reader

Happy 50th Birthday to MY FAVORITE BOOK. OF. ALL. TIME.
To Kill a Mockingbird was published on this date in 1960.

It's time to get serious. I'm finished teaching the Abydos/NJ Institute; my UNT class is semi-under control (for now); our short family vacation to Lake Travis has come and gone (and it was oh so good); now it's time to buckle down and get busy with my "things." I will be a blogging maniac over the next two weeks, but this is how I roll. So here we go...

Don't get me wrong; I love my Google Reader. In fact, I love it a bit too much. I am now the over-committed subscriber of 20 feeds, but I can't stop feeding the monster.

As I was surfing through the blogosphere, I got that same rush of adrenaline that washes over me when I shop at The Loft or Border's. But the cool thing about blogs is that they are FREE. I went into a clicking frenzy, feeding my Monster (i.e. Reader) with no fear of buyer's remorse. I used Vicki Davis' advice on creating my "circle of the wise." I stumbled upon some amazing voices who are considered rock stars in the librarian world, and I checked their blog rolls. It was interesting to find that most of them subscribed to the same blogs. So of course, I had to do the same. Some times it's okay to be a follower.

I check my Google Reader like I check my email; I check it daily and skim and scan for things of interest. Here are some gems that I found this week:

• Laurie Halse Anderson is one of my favorite YA writers. Mad Woman in the Forest is her online journal/blog. I got to read an advanced review of her newest book Forge, which will be released on October 19. If you enjoy YA historical fiction, then you need to read Chains. Forge is the sequel. I can't wait for its release!

• A Chair, A Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy is another popular blog among many esteemed book lovers. Through Elizabeth Burns' blog I discovered Laura's Life. This is the jaw-dropping blog of a 4th grade bibliophile from Indiana. When Laura was in 2nd grade, she decided that she would read all of the Newbery Award books by the time she was in 5th grade (middle school-age in Indiana). (The Newbery Award started in 1922--do the math--that's an ambitious goal for any reader, much less a 2nd grader!) Well, Laura accomplished her goal with time to spare, and she is now a rock star herself in librarian circles. In fact, she attended the ALA Conference in Washington D.C. just a few weeks ago. Her blog is inspiring, and I look forward to following her on her reading journey.
  

• Educating Alice is Monica Edinger's blog, and her entry "That Summer Reading Slump" really resonated with me. She validated my philosophy as a teacher of reading. I say AMEN to her thoughts about supporting a kids' desire to read ANYTHING over the summer--even if it's not the best "quality." Read, read, read--that's all that matters. There's nothing wrong with a little mind candy over the summer--at any age.
  

• The blog that I am most excited about finding is Donalyn Miller's The Book Whisperer. This woman is a goddess, and I LOVE The Book Whisperer, the actual book that she wrote that reveals all of her secrets of getting even the most reluctant kids to read. Donalyn writes that she has read 24 books in two weeks of her summer vacation. Holy cow. I've read 4 books so far this summer, and I was feeling pretty proud of myself. It's time to pick up the reading pace!
  

Thing #5: RSS = Reading at Super Speed

My eyes and brain hurt. I'm overwhelmed with information, and I've only subscribed to the "required" feeds. I'm excited about making room for Google Reader in my busy reading life. However, there is definitely a "RSS literacy" that I have to adapt. When I was first looking at my feeds, I had them in in the expanded form. I thought, "This sucks. I can't handle all of this information!" I felt compelled to read every word instead of sifting through the text. But then I discovered that handy "List" option (after watching the very helpful video). And that made reading so much easier for me because it's only one line of information, and I was able to decide if I wanted to explore further by reading that little line of text rather than a big chunk. I guess our brains are trained to do this because of the way email is set up, but it makes me think about training younger brains to read this way. Because of TAKS passages, we don't teach kids to skim and scan. We want them to READ EVERY WORD, which for the TAKS test is essential. But I'm beginning to realize how important it is for me to teach the information literacy skills that are vital when using technology. I need to make a goal of teaching my kids the different ways of "reading" when they come into the library. I just love my job!

I subscribed to the required feeds, as well as the NY Times. I chose the Book Reviews for obvious reasons, and one review in particular caught my eye. David Pogue reviewed The Facebook Effect by David Kirkpatrick. As an admitted Facebook junky, of course this review interested me, and it made me want to add this book to my ever-growing list of "must reads." I especially found this fact a bit startling: "Facebook is the second-most-visited Web site on earth (after Google). The average member spends almost an hour there each day. It has more than 400 million active users — over 20 percent of everyone on the Internet — and is growing by 5 percent a month."

At least I'm not alone in my obsession.

However, I'm beginning to realize that I need to cut down on my Facebook time to make room for for my Google Reader. I have also made the connection that I need to read my Google Reader the way I read Facebook--very quickly and very often.

So many books, blogs, sites, articles, RSS feeds...so little time.

Thing 4: Behold the Power of Blogging

I'm hooked on blogging. Even though it's been a whirlwind of a week, and I have not devoted much time to my "things, " I feel my blog beckoning me. I WANT to sit down and type my thoughts. I have to keep reminding myself that this is not my personal journal--for my eyes only--locked--only I have the key. Once I hit the "PUBLISH POST" button, this piece of writing will be broadcast on the mighty Internet for all of the world to read--okay, maybe just the four followers that I have, but that's an audience, right? My personal journal gets an audience of ONE. There lies the power of blogging--publication. Blogging provides the opportunity for all "writers" (I use that term loosely to describe myself) to become PUBLISHED. And to think we can give this power to our students? As Joey on Blossom use to say, "Whoa."

The Blogosphere contains all types of writing, and this is why all bloggers should feel welcome and comfortable expressing their thoughts. There is not a certain format to blogging; there is no formula. The possibilities are endless. Voice--that intangible of writing--rings true through blogs just as it does on paper. I'm reminded of Julie Powell, of Julie and Julia fame, whose Julie/Julia project started with a simple blog. And the rest is history.

Here are some of my thoughts on the suggested blogs that I read:

• I was particularly struck by Patrick's blog about 5th Grade because it shows the impact of comments in blogging. If this was written on notebook paper to satisfy a journal assignment, then this powerful piece of writing might have received a "keep up the hard work" scrawled at the top of the page from the teacher. But this is a blog, and blogs bring comments. The fact that Patrick received so many positive, inspiring comments gives me chills! This boys' life was changed by these comments! Blogging opens the door for validation--and that's what all writers (people, for that matter) want. We want someone to read what we have to say and then reply, "I totally get that." Think of Facebook, my personal form of crack. Don't we feel good when we get those little "likes" and even better when we get comments? Honestly, I feel like a total loser when I post a status update and get nothing in return. The power of validation at work, which to a writer is like air; it sustains us and keeps us coming back for more. Blogging is powerful stuff--publication and validation are only a few clicks away. Awesome.
  
• I love it when my worlds collide. For my UNT class, I had to read a wiki post by Joyce Valenaza in which she urges school librarians to step into the 21st century and embrace Web 2.0 tools. And now her name pops up here! I love it! Her blog about power point Reform should be recommended reading for all of humanity. I despise power point (it's not even worthy of capital letters).
• Cool Cat Teacher Bog: Spies Like Us should be recommended reading for all educators and DISTRICT ADMINISTRATORS (especially on the secondary level). Blocking access does not make those little spies go away. As a high school teacher, my worst nightmare was to end up the laughing stock of You Tube. Thank goodness I escaped unscathed...at least I think I did.
  

And there it is: the power of blogging. My thoughts. My writing. Not confined between the covers of a journal. Not lost on my hard drive. My voice. Waiting to be read. The moment that I hit "PUBLISH POST."

(And praying that my links work.) :)

Thing #2: Thoughts About Web 2.0

After watching the posted videos, it is OBVIOUS that every educator in our nation needs to not only be familiar with Web 2.0 tools but also needs to utilize them in the classroom in order to fully educate the 21st century learners that fill our schools. "A Vision of K-12 Students Today" was especially powerful in relaying this message. I understand the resistance that some teachers feel toward this shift because this is not the way that most of us were taught. But as the Hebrew proverb says, "Do not confine your children to your own learning, for they were born in another time." The "time" that our children are born in is one of rapid change and growth, and students must be equipped with the skills that it will take to navigate this world that is saturated with information. Like it or not, the times they are a changin' (so said Bob Dylan) and we (teachers) have to change with them.

Web 2.0 tools such as podcasts, blogs, and wikis offer dynamic ways for kids to share the information that they learn, and I can't imagine an educator thinking this is a bad idea. Why ask a kid to write a research essay on notebook paper when he/she can publish it as a podcast and share it with the world? Why ask a kid to keep a journal when he/she can keep a blog? Why give a kid a study guide for a test when he/she can create a class wiki? Why would a teacher NOT want to offer these tools to kids? I am excited about learning more about these tools so that I can be a more effective librarian. These tools will not only benefit my students, but they will also benefit me as a learner. I realize that these tools will link me to tremendous resources and information that will make me a better educator. I can't wait to learn more!

Thing #1

Here I am out in the blogosphere--finally! I've always wanted a blog and have never taken the time to set one up, so I am so excited to finally be a legitimate blogger. So here it goes...

As I begin the 23 Things to complete my Learning 2.0 journey, I think the most challenging habit for me will be #3: View problems as challenges. I get easily frustrated and a little intimidated by technology, so I'm hoping that I won't run into too much trouble as I complete the tasks. Hopefully, the computer gods will smile down on me. I am extremely busy right now because I'm teaching the first session of the New Jersey Writing Project (Abydos) for the district, taking a grad class at UNT, not to mention taking care of my family (my two daughters keep me on my toes), and trying to relax (just a little) after a very challenging school year. Add to this the fact that I am a procrastinator--I fully admit it and own it--and I that just spells trouble. But I'm going to stay positive and TRY to stay ahead of the game. It's always good to have a goal, right? (Habit #1!)

The easiest habit for me to uphold will be #4: Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner. I embrace learning in all areas of my life--as a mother, writer, librarian, educator. As cliche as it sounds, I love to learn! My personal philosophy as an educator is that being a lifelong learner makes me a more effective teacher. Taking online classes at UNT has helped me become a more confident learner because I've had to really take ownership of my learning, and I know I will have to do the same in this course. I also just finished my first year as an elementary librarian, and not only did I survive, I LOVED it (hence my blog name). It feels so rewarding to have found my "dream job."But talk about a learning curve! It makes me dizzy to think about all of the things that I know now that I had no clue about this time last year. Being a high school English teacher for 11 years and then jumping into the elementary library was one of the hardest challenges of my life but also one of the most rewarding. So I'm feeling pretty confident about my ability to jump into unknown waters and do whatever it takes to stay afloat until I figure things out.

I think the most important habit for me will be #5: Creating my learning tool box. This is the reason why I'm taking this course. I want to become a 21st century librarian; this means not only learning about technology but really USING it and feeling comfortable with it so that I can teach it to others. I want to LEARN these "things" and absorb them so that I can use them effectively when the school year starts in August. I don't just want to complete these things and then it all be a foggy memory, which honestly tends to happen when I have too much going on in my life (like now). So I'm going to really commit to learning these 23 Things so that I can be a better librarian next year.