Thing #21

I have had SO MUCH TROUBLE getting this to work.
My partner and I spent all day yesterday putting together a photostory that we could use during the first few days of school.
To get it posted, first we tried Switchpod, but could not get registered.
Then I tried to change the .mp3 to wmv, but photo story saves as an mp3 and I was unable to get it changed.
Then I registered at podbean.com and was able to upload my photostory there - but was unable to copy and paste the code into my blog. I know that I am doing something very simple, but at this point I am frustrated.
This is proving to be one lesson where I need a hands-on training. When things go wrong, I need help, rather than fumbling around.
I will keep trying, perhaps someone has an answer to my problem.

Thing #23

I can't believe that I am finished - with just a few days to spare. I said in my original post that my biggest problem was staying focused. Looking back - I would say that my biggest problem was getting the ability to walk away from Thing.

#1 - The wikis were perhaps my biggest discoveries and the possibilities of using them in the educational setting. The HISD North Region librarians (my partner and I head it) are going to benefit from a wiki this coming year to stay in touch with each other.

#2 - I have always enjoyed going "back to school" even if it is just for a short inservice. I never want to stop learning.

#3 - One of the main outcomes was to find out just how easy some of the Web2.0 items are to master. The scare factor is gone - now the play starts.

#4 - I have no major suggestions for improvement. The timing worked out perfectly.

#5 - I would definitely participate in any project put out by the Spring Branch library services.

#6 - This has probably been the most energizing experience of my life.

Think #12

Decided to wait until the end of the course to complete #12. I found that I was spending too much time reading other's blogs! Wonderful experience.
Two points - 1) Comment, do it politely. Bloggers like to know that others are reading and appreciate comments. 2) Don't be afraid to comment. I just might have something interesting to say.

Thing #17

I finally have my Rollyo ready to go. It was very easy to set it up, but then I got stuck. Good thing I have a partner who patiently explained the next step.
I set up my Rollyo for technology in education, as I will be the librarian/technologist this year. I want to find the best ways to help teachers integrate technology into the daily curriculum, and this includes all the great stuff I have been learning in this course.

Thing #22

There I go again, getting lost in Nings and losing all track of time. My poor husband has so many late dinners, he will be so glad when I am finished with this. Little does he know, this is just the beginning.
My daughter (senior at college) has a MySpace and Facebook account. Had no clue what it was all about, and she was not about to let me see her pages!
Nings are great for connecting with others.
Was impressed with Teacher Librarian Ning and Tx. School Librarian Ning. Both had groups, discussion groups, photos, and videos. Locked in the Library: A Halloween Tale from TSLN was worth thinking about using in my classes this year.
Ning for Teachers left much to be desired. Too many ads and seemed to be made of only blogs.
Going to go back and join some of the groups and network with people of similar interest.
This is one site that will be used in the future, the ideas I saw already are great.

Thing #20

I spent more time than I should looking, and looking, and looking.
Found a good video on TeacherTube called Advocating Teacher Librarians which I might use as a teaser at an inservice.
On YouTube I found a very funny sesame street No Cookies in the Library. I have seen this before and it is just as funny as the first time. Tried save2pc but had many problems, so played with Zamzar. Again had trouble, but with some patience and experimentation, had the video converted and downloaded on my desktop.

Thing #19

You have opened a Pandora's box - where to begin. Thanks for the listings, look forward to playing with many of them.
I went to an inservice where the presenter used wetpaint as her presentation so I focused there. I was already a member of a wikispace so knew a little about that.
I have been asked to do a presentation at the next HISD librarians inservice and had been putting together a power point. That meant handouts with very little interaction in the future from those attending. So I decided to try something different - a wiki. Same ideas as those presented in the power point, but all attendees could access my presentation via the web. But most importantly, they could add their thoughts and suggestions as they made discoveries and wanted to let other librarians know.
Tried the wikispace first, but did not like the ads running on the right side, especially when they cut through my photos. Also needed to add the photos as extra pages.
Wetpaint was so easy to use, ads are on the left, out of the way. Photos are added right on the wiki space, and can be resized immediately.
I plan on presenting my wiki to my staff, hoping that they will add comments and suggestions and become active participants of the reading program.
I have already excited the kindergarten teachers with the possibilities of using a wiki as an ongoing learning experience and can hardly wait for school to start and see how far we can go with this new technology.