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.