Saturday, March 8, 2008
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Thing 23 - The End!
This was a cool project. I had used many of the Things, but this project forced me to dig deeper. I am plannning on teaching a summer class (I think I'll call it 10 Things) for our staff. I'm going to use this as a guide.
I want to create more online access points for our students. I have the bones in place now. I'll just have to tweek and get these things publicized.
I have only learned to love blogging even more. I was thinking I'd delete this blog after the project, but now I'm excited to use it for teacher inservices and for teachers to use as a reference with students. My favorite Things would have to be the ELM resources, del.icio.us, all the image sites and the Zoho apps. I'm using all of these things quite a bit now.
I didn't connect with other 23 Thing folks as much as I would have liked. I put some calls out there on some sites, but didn't get any hits. I wish there were a requirement of some sort to start chatting with others!
I think my greatest "aha" came with the ELM resources. I'm still impressed that they are so full-featured and easy to use. I'm going to push them hard next year.
I mentioned previously that it would be nice to have some kind of required chatting place. It would have been cool to use a board for commenting, with a requirement to post.
I would certainly participate in a 23 Things program again.
Let's see, one sentence about my learning experience? Hmmm...Get Movin' on the Web? Or - Sucking your Time Dry Without Noticing the Time Fly By?
Thanks so much for those who put this program together. It was great!!
I want to create more online access points for our students. I have the bones in place now. I'll just have to tweek and get these things publicized.
I have only learned to love blogging even more. I was thinking I'd delete this blog after the project, but now I'm excited to use it for teacher inservices and for teachers to use as a reference with students. My favorite Things would have to be the ELM resources, del.icio.us, all the image sites and the Zoho apps. I'm using all of these things quite a bit now.
I didn't connect with other 23 Thing folks as much as I would have liked. I put some calls out there on some sites, but didn't get any hits. I wish there were a requirement of some sort to start chatting with others!
I think my greatest "aha" came with the ELM resources. I'm still impressed that they are so full-featured and easy to use. I'm going to push them hard next year.
I mentioned previously that it would be nice to have some kind of required chatting place. It would have been cool to use a board for commenting, with a requirement to post.
I would certainly participate in a 23 Things program again.
Let's see, one sentence about my learning experience? Hmmm...Get Movin' on the Web? Or - Sucking your Time Dry Without Noticing the Time Fly By?
Thanks so much for those who put this program together. It was great!!
Thing 22 - Keeping Up!
So, committing to 15 minutes a day reading through blogs and watching videos to keep up? Not a problem (unfortunately??? Online Anonymous anyone? I find it highly ironic that there are so many online resources for online addiction...join their blog!!)
My issue would be actually signing up and trying the resources. I mentioned previously that I started to get "Register-Fever" after awhile. I've been monitoring my junk mail a lot during this project, and haven't noticed a larger influx of crud. That's a good sign. I also didn't take any of the surveys for cash in Second Life, either. That may be a wise move.
I feel a bit overwhelmed by all the accounts I have bookmarked, so I did do some major overhauling. I also put some links on del.icio.us. I like using that service quite a bit. I've already referred back to a few articles, and they were easy to find.
I'm also going to commit to teaching a summer inservice for staff on many of these resources. That will challenge me to really understand their use and features.
I bookmarked several of the sites listed on the Think 22 assignment page. I also created an Open ID with a Firefox extension that allows me to sign into sites with one password. Very cool.
Here are a few more I found:
Go2Web
I know this one is listed but TOO COOL.
You Suck at Photoshop
Yes, probably a tad off-putting for school, but I have learned a TON about Photoshop from these tutorials.
Technorati Tech
The latest tech chatter, and hugely popular site which tracks millions of blogs.
Technology Review
Kind of heady stuff, but I added the IT section to my RSS feeder
My issue would be actually signing up and trying the resources. I mentioned previously that I started to get "Register-Fever" after awhile. I've been monitoring my junk mail a lot during this project, and haven't noticed a larger influx of crud. That's a good sign. I also didn't take any of the surveys for cash in Second Life, either. That may be a wise move.
I feel a bit overwhelmed by all the accounts I have bookmarked, so I did do some major overhauling. I also put some links on del.icio.us. I like using that service quite a bit. I've already referred back to a few articles, and they were easy to find.
I'm also going to commit to teaching a summer inservice for staff on many of these resources. That will challenge me to really understand their use and features.
I bookmarked several of the sites listed on the Think 22 assignment page. I also created an Open ID with a Firefox extension that allows me to sign into sites with one password. Very cool.
Here are a few more I found:
Go2Web
I know this one is listed but TOO COOL.
You Suck at Photoshop
Yes, probably a tad off-putting for school, but I have learned a TON about Photoshop from these tutorials.
Technorati Tech
The latest tech chatter, and hugely popular site which tracks millions of blogs.
Technology Review
Kind of heady stuff, but I added the IT section to my RSS feeder
Thing 21 - Social Networks II
Gather - I had joined Gather last year when I renewed my MPR membership, but I didn't really spend any time figuring it out. I went there and spent more time clicking around. It seems like it's mainly original content provided by members, and geared toward adults. I checked out the "articles" which seemed to be written about other articles found in mainstream media sites, or on blogs. I prefer going right to the sites on my aggregator. The comments are interesting, but I see the same types of conversations under the original article.
I did like the photography section, though. I accidentally posted a picture on there, thinking I was putting it up as my photo ID, but it went into the gallery. I was surprised to start getting nice comments almost immediately. I like the way the photos are categorized. I think I'd spend most of my time here on the Gather site.
Webjunction - Wowee. This is a gold mine and I'm really disappointed that I don't pay enough attention to sites like these. I was going through my personal bookmarks not too long ago and when I pulled Webjunction up I thought, "Gee, that's a pretty cool site!" I spent some time on and registered for the the site. This is going in my daily links. The courses are exactly what I have been looking for (I can't tell if you can get grad credit and/or CEUs for them - that would be handy). I didn't realize that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation played a big part in its creation. The discussions boards kept me going for quite awhile. I feel like I found "my people!"
View my page on 23 Things on a Stick
Ning - I'm about at the saturation point for signing up for sites and creating a profile, so I was glad that I could just be a member of a group on Ning and not have to search around for people. I added a short "hello" post and added a comment to a conversation on databases. I think Webjunction might be more up my alley, but I'll monitor this site occasionally.
The editing options were pretty cool on Ning. You can post something, and take about 15 minutes to edit the post. You edit the post by clicking on it, and it just opens up. That doesn't sound like much, but it was pretty nifty.
I'm LOVING the What's On My Bookshelf site. Yes, I did actually sign up for another site. I know I can just go to the library (as my sig other keeps telling me), but I will use this site to find books. I would LOVE to see my books being used and not just sitting on the shelf. I've added a few books, just to get a point. I'll update if I someone contacts me. My bookshelf is BURSTING at the moment, so I'm not going to order one until I'm caught up. Which may be never, but you never know!
I did like the photography section, though. I accidentally posted a picture on there, thinking I was putting it up as my photo ID, but it went into the gallery. I was surprised to start getting nice comments almost immediately. I like the way the photos are categorized. I think I'd spend most of my time here on the Gather site.
Webjunction - Wowee. This is a gold mine and I'm really disappointed that I don't pay enough attention to sites like these. I was going through my personal bookmarks not too long ago and when I pulled Webjunction up I thought, "Gee, that's a pretty cool site!" I spent some time on and registered for the the site. This is going in my daily links. The courses are exactly what I have been looking for (I can't tell if you can get grad credit and/or CEUs for them - that would be handy). I didn't realize that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation played a big part in its creation. The discussions boards kept me going for quite awhile. I feel like I found "my people!"
View my page on 23 Things on a Stick
Ning - I'm about at the saturation point for signing up for sites and creating a profile, so I was glad that I could just be a member of a group on Ning and not have to search around for people. I added a short "hello" post and added a comment to a conversation on databases. I think Webjunction might be more up my alley, but I'll monitor this site occasionally.
The editing options were pretty cool on Ning. You can post something, and take about 15 minutes to edit the post. You edit the post by clicking on it, and it just opens up. That doesn't sound like much, but it was pretty nifty.
I'm LOVING the What's On My Bookshelf site. Yes, I did actually sign up for another site. I know I can just go to the library (as my sig other keeps telling me), but I will use this site to find books. I would LOVE to see my books being used and not just sitting on the shelf. I've added a few books, just to get a point. I'll update if I someone contacts me. My bookshelf is BURSTING at the moment, so I'm not going to order one until I'm caught up. Which may be never, but you never know!
Thing 20 - Social Networks I
I created profiles on both MySpace and Facebook. I had a "shell" of sorts on MySpace, just to be able to look at some MySpace profiles some friends have. I am going to keep the MySpace page as a more personal site, and my Facebook will be for professional work.
I noticed that many public libraries have MySpace pages for their teen departments. Lots of high school libraries. I got a kick out of the groups that were filled with self-identified study geeks. They love their MySpace library groups, almost to a fault. Typical geek behavior. I can say that because I am unabashedly geek.
It seems that many of the MySpace groups featured polls on books, announcements, and some random chatter about various topics. I am considering creating a MySpace for my school's library next year. I'm trying to create new ways of publicizing books for boys (that's my goal - although I'm not avoiding girls' interests. I'm just working on that particular focus area this year). MySpace is blocked by our district filter, so it would just be an outside source.
On Facebook, I joined the library groups recommended on the 23 Things blog (Librarians and Facebook and Libraries Using Facebook Pages). I found the discussion on Facebook Profile Policies quite intriguing. I agree that it feels odd to have a personal vs. professional online spot. I didn't include information I felt was too personal - especially in regards to politics and religious views. What made that interesting is that I have 2 friends who I know personally who have Facebook accounts. I played around with the security settings to block professional friends from seeing information that would be too personal. I do like the fact that you can tailor the settings.
It was very easy to find friends on Facebook. It searched all of my web-based email lists. Is it odd that I feel a little freaked out because these sites can access my email lists so easily? True, I did have to provide a password, but yikes. It was enjoyable to be able to search so easily by graduation places and dates. I found a few folks I haven't talked to in years.
I placed a Facebook badge in my sidebar, but it's been difficult to get people to participate with one another during the project.
Contrasting Facebook and MySpace
Right off the bat I noticed that you can't look at full profiles on Facebook. It seems more secure. You can look for friends by accessing your online email accounts. I was surprised by how many of my friends already had Facebook accounts. I didn't like the network item in Facebook - it didn't have my town so I had to look at nearby larger cities, which was a bit useless. You can't delete that item from the profile.
I like the ability to make design changes in MySpace, but it also leads to some horrid designs. I have a friend who has a site I can barely read. She's got good info on it, but I couldn't read the ornate font, or see through the black background.
I didn't like the way Facebook tracks your actions. I was able to turn that off (I think), but it felt like an intrusive option in the first place. I recall reading how that was an issue as it related to purchasing items.
The article about using Facebook for professional use was interesting. I know of a lot of organizations and political folks who use both Facebook and MySpace, so I know it's done. I guess I prefer the e-folio online resume, which gives me much greater control over who sees my information, and what I want on there.
I noticed that many public libraries have MySpace pages for their teen departments. Lots of high school libraries. I got a kick out of the groups that were filled with self-identified study geeks. They love their MySpace library groups, almost to a fault. Typical geek behavior. I can say that because I am unabashedly geek.
It seems that many of the MySpace groups featured polls on books, announcements, and some random chatter about various topics. I am considering creating a MySpace for my school's library next year. I'm trying to create new ways of publicizing books for boys (that's my goal - although I'm not avoiding girls' interests. I'm just working on that particular focus area this year). MySpace is blocked by our district filter, so it would just be an outside source.
On Facebook, I joined the library groups recommended on the 23 Things blog (Librarians and Facebook and Libraries Using Facebook Pages). I found the discussion on Facebook Profile Policies quite intriguing. I agree that it feels odd to have a personal vs. professional online spot. I didn't include information I felt was too personal - especially in regards to politics and religious views. What made that interesting is that I have 2 friends who I know personally who have Facebook accounts. I played around with the security settings to block professional friends from seeing information that would be too personal. I do like the fact that you can tailor the settings.
It was very easy to find friends on Facebook. It searched all of my web-based email lists. Is it odd that I feel a little freaked out because these sites can access my email lists so easily? True, I did have to provide a password, but yikes. It was enjoyable to be able to search so easily by graduation places and dates. I found a few folks I haven't talked to in years.
I placed a Facebook badge in my sidebar, but it's been difficult to get people to participate with one another during the project.
Contrasting Facebook and MySpace
Right off the bat I noticed that you can't look at full profiles on Facebook. It seems more secure. You can look for friends by accessing your online email accounts. I was surprised by how many of my friends already had Facebook accounts. I didn't like the network item in Facebook - it didn't have my town so I had to look at nearby larger cities, which was a bit useless. You can't delete that item from the profile.
I like the ability to make design changes in MySpace, but it also leads to some horrid designs. I have a friend who has a site I can barely read. She's got good info on it, but I couldn't read the ornate font, or see through the black background.
I didn't like the way Facebook tracks your actions. I was able to turn that off (I think), but it felt like an intrusive option in the first place. I recall reading how that was an issue as it related to purchasing items.
The article about using Facebook for professional use was interesting. I know of a lot of organizations and political folks who use both Facebook and MySpace, so I know it's done. I guess I prefer the e-folio online resume, which gives me much greater control over who sees my information, and what I want on there.
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