Thing #18 - Online Productivity Tools

I am glad to find out about the powerpoint capabilites of GoogleDocs. I already knew about Open Office. We use that at home on some computers. Anyway, the free powerpoint viewer can be downloaded from Open Office and used for presentations. Now, I have other options. I just need more time to explore Google Docs. I was also intrigued by a post that said many people could work on the same doc at the same time. I want to figure that out. Sounds great for all those student projects (remembering my son's stuff) - everybody just meets at GoogleDocs instead of your house!

Thing #17 - Rollyo

Bruce did a great job on his video! Spring Branch ISD must be an awesome place to work. I also liked the way he plugged the Libraries' highly technical and professional use of the bond monies. Way to go! Okay, I created a link on the right side of my blog to my Rollyo search. I'm not sure that I did it just right, but I was glad to find a Rollyo search roll of "school libraries." I think this is a great tool. Actually, at our school, we have a subscription to Nettrekker which basically does all the searching for us. Now, I can see how using Rollyo could save us some money.....

Thing #16 - Wikis

I am hooked on the teacherlibrarian wiki for elementary teachers. I was really happy to find this and am going to enjoy hearing what other librarians are doing and add my ideas, too!

Thing #15 - Web 2.0, Library 2.0 and the Future of Libraries

This is a deep subject but I think I can get my thoughts together. Here goes......
I think that there will always be Libraries because they are repositories for information. The client base will change as the have's will be doing their own searches and tagging and wiki-ing. Since in America, we are outsourcing most all manufacturing, there is a need for Library assistance to those who either are in a hurry, computer illiterate or have no computer access. I think the Librarian still must be the go-to for information organization. It's just that there may be less of the population coming.
Now, about college classes and laptops.....My daughter a sophmore in college and she says in her classes, they are not allowed to use laptops or cellphones. In a perfect world, students could be blogging the lesson, tagging and doing their own notetaking with the laptop/cellphone. However, most students don't take advantage of that and just play games or facebook instead. So, there is the trust factor between teachers and students that must be addressed. I think we will have to get to students using laptops and if they choose not to follow along, it's their loss. The video with the teacher writing on the chalkboard in front of all the students with laptops looks pretty archaic.

Thing #14 - Technorati

Technorati is an awesome tool to manage blogs for your own use. It was interesting to me how the "School Library 2.0" search brought up many different things on each of the three trials. With Technorati, you can see what people are talking about and use a widget to let others know what you are blogging about. It's like a virtual pecking order of blog sites, which is good so that you know where the good stuff is happening. I will be able to use Technorati to tag interesting blogs this year. If I had all the time in the world, I could create blog hubs for my subject-area classroom teachers. Maybe someday....It is a little overwhelming right now, but it's a great tool!

Thing #13 - Tagging and Social Bookmarking

Tagging is a way of personally cataloging the internet. After reading posts and information, it can be tagged, filed and organized online with the sites like Furl & Del.icio.us. I think that classroom teachers have and will continue to benefit from this. I noticed that we have some very smart teachers already doing that in our program. And, being willing to share all their hard work with others is great, too! Everyone benefits!

Thing #12 - Blog Etiquette & Postings

I think the most important things about blogging are to make meaningful, frequent posts to a limited number of blogs (or to as many as you can manage). Many times comments made can be construed in a variety of ways. It is essential to keep a positive spin on things and make sure you are understood in the way you are intending.

I commented on several of our players blogs this summer. I wish I had more time because there is some great stuff here! I also left a comment on Blue Skunk (because he is so popular) about pdf readers. He was talking about Kindle and I had thought about buying one. Now, I'll just wait a little longer. I also posted on a blog about Kid's Favorite Stories. "The Little Black Sambo" was a favorite that is also an antique collectors item. I was interested because I love antiques!!!