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