Week 9 - #23 Reflections

Technology has changed how we find and share information. Taking this course provided me with the opportunity to make some sense of the confusing array of technologies and resources. I liked being introduced to a concept and/or application, and then having the opportunity to "test drive" it. I would recommend this course to anyone who wants to learn about the world of Web 2.0. I intend to review many of the lessons and resources - they are all bookmarked and ready to be used!

Week 9 - #22 Exploring eBooks and Audio eBooks

The benefits of accessing books online is another example of how technology is making it easier for people to find what they need or want. As I am poking around the WorldEBook Fair site, I am amazed by the numbers of titles that are available. It might be worth paying the membership fee in order to have access all that they have to offer.

I also took this opportunity to look at what my public library is offering to its patrons. I am always telling my students about the free resources available to them at their public library. This is one more reason for them to get their own library card.

And I can see the possibility of using LibriVox (audiobook versions of copyright-free books from the Gutenberg Project) in the classroom. I am also amazed at the selection of books that are available in The Best Places to Get Free Books - what a great resource!

Week 9 - #21 Podcasts

This is one area where I actually have some experience in downloading audio (NPR programs when I am ready to listen!) and music (ITunes is too easy and too much fun as I search for music from the 60's & 70's as well as today). So it has been fun poking around the podcast directories and finding tools that I was unfamiliar with. As is often my thought with these new technologies, it seems like things become outdated so quickly. The creators of the sites need to stay on top of their content. For example, in the EPN (Educational Podcast Network), I ran into several dead links, and messages stating that the feed was no longer being updated. But on the plus side, I was struck by how people all around the world can come together and share ideas and learning (the secondary school section had material from 9th Graders at the East Side Community High School in New York City as well as a high school in China.) This is a long way from the days of pen pals!

All these technologies have opened up a world of possibilities to the everyday man or woman. We do not need anything more than a computer and access to the Internet to let the world know how we feel or what we think.

With that in mind, I added NPR's StoryCorps' RSS feed into my Bloglines Reader. What is StoryCorps you ask? At recording booths across America, everyday people interview one another about their lives. StoryCorps creator Dave Isay showcases these first-person stories in this weekly podcast. StoryCorps airs Fridays on NPR's Morning Edition. The stories range from funny to sad, serious to light-hearted, etc. I enjoy hearing people speak about what matters to them.

Week 9 - #20 You Tube

Whoa baby! You were not kidding when you said "...like any free site, you'll also find a lot of stuff not worth watching..." What is it with people and their desires to show it all to the world? With NO effort, I was seeing a lot more than I wanted to see. Guess I am showing my age.

But with that said, I believe there is a lot of potential for using You Tube in school. On my library's website, I could picture some great introductions on subjects like researching the Internet or subscription databases. How about etiquette for the library? Using humor to make a point is often my preferred method of instruction. I LOVED the Introducing the Book video - unfortunately, they reminded me of some of my students ("Exactly what am I supposed to do with this thing called a book?"). Sigh. I will keep trying to find books that kids want to read.

After poking around, I found a video that I really liked:

The creator of this cartoon understands cats. The gentle humor makes me laugh as I recognize some familiar cat behavior.

Week 8 - #19 Library Thing

Some people are just so darn clever! Creating something like Library Thing would never have occurred to me. But as I wander around the site, I can see its potential. If nothing else, they have created "the world's largest book club." That appeals to me, a reader who just likes to read, and cannot commit to a book club. I admit that I do like hearing what other people think. Just don't ask me to show up once a week with a dip and a bottle of wine!

Week #8 - #18 - Part 2

Hmm. Posting from Zoho Writer to this blog was very easy. But I am noticing some errors. For example, the emoticon that I chose was a smiley face and I added a comment, but neither one made the trip for some reason (getting images of Star Trek's teletransporter malfunctioning - ouch!). I was also experiencing some difficulty with the formatting while I was typing - was not sure if it was me, my computer, or the application. In spite of that, I think that this is promising!

Zoho Writer Test Drive

Week #8 - #18 Online Productivity Tools

This document is a test run to play with the features of Zoho Writer.

So first I am going to play with things like:
Coloring words like a rainbow
Italicizing Underlining Setting background color
Linking to a web page:This connects to the IMC's homepage. Emoticons? with comments no less!

• This is fun. It is very similar to the word processing applications that students are using now. And I actually think that it is easier as the tool bar is up and ready to be used in its entirety. I have noticed that many students are not familiar with the formatting options that are available to them in something like MS Word.

• Tags are the new folders! Brilliant! This could make my life a lot easier! Nothing like trying to remember where I saved something.

• This could be a great tool for my students to use - they mostly work on PCs at home and often do not have MS Word. They try to e-mail it to themselves and do not do it correctly - then we cannot open it on our Macs in school. This could eliminate all that - couldn't it??? That alone would make it worth the price of admission!
  

And now for my next trick, I intend to to publish this to my blog!