Week 9--Instant Messaging--AIM, Facebook Chat

Since I have used Instant Messaging many times in the past, this lesson was an easy one for me. I started out using AOL Instant Message. We use this program in our school district as a way of sharing info between staff members. Until recently, we didn't have phones in the classrooms, so this was a good way to stay in touch with other teachers or the office, especially in the event of a discipline problem. Also, our schools were on separate phone companies and a call was long distance, so AIM was a good way to send communication between buildings and not run up the phone bill.

While I was working on my master's, I used Yahoo Messenger a lot. All of the courses were online and for one particular class I had to work with a partner who lived in Topeka. Phone calls were too expensive and emails too slow, so we used the messenger program for the majority of our communication. It worked great. Even if I wasn't online, if she sent a message, it would pop up the next time I got online.

More recently, I have used the chat feature on Facebook to keep in touch with friends and family. I chatted with a fellow 23 Things Kansas student to finalize our plans for the Cloud Computing lesson. My sister also set up an account for me on MSN Messenger, but I very seldom use it.

I also signed in on the IRC channel for 23thingsks. At first I couldn't type anything, but eventually the box appeared and I was able to talk briefly to Sharon. Not sure what the problem was.

Week 8--Cloud Computing--Google Docs

I'd never really done anything like this until I started working on this assignment. For the assignment, I chose to use Google Docs. I contacted Jean, a fellow student I had connected with on Facebook, and we decided to collaborate on a project. She suggested that we start an ongoing list of great read-alouds for children. I started the document and invited her to add to it. Then I asked my sister to add to it also. We now have 4 librarians who have added their favorites to it.

One thing I learned is that the person you share a document with must also have an account with Google Docs and you must send the invitation to the email they used to set up their account. I know, it should have been obvious.....

I can see that this tool could be useful, especially if you are working on professional development projects. It's always good to get input from others on projects and this is a good way to do so. It would also be a good tool to use to allow someone to proofread or edit documents for you.

Week 7--Microblogging--Twitter

After Kevin Honeycutt did an in-service in our district last year, I opened an account on Plurk. For a while, I followed it every day, but once the new wore off, I quit checking it. I have a hard time sharing with people I have never met. I tried to find people with common interests (music, library) but even that didn't help. And, I wasn't really into all the Karma stuff on there either.

So, when I got this assignment, I decided to give Twitter a try. The only people I have added are ones who were listed in the examples. I don't really know anyone who has a Twitter account, so I don't know who to search for and don't have a lot of excess time to play around with it.

The only people I am following on Twitter are ones who are connected with the 23 Things Kansas class. Some of the ones I am following who are also following me are: hbraum, beccamunson, and dianajw. I'm also following 23thingsks on Twitter.

So far, I'm just using Twitter because it's part of this class. I will have to play around with it a little more before I decided whether or not I can really use it or not. I know a lot of people use Plurk or Twitter as their PLN. That's one possibility. I can see it being used as a means for people to share ideas or ask others for input on a subject.

Week 6--Tagging and Social Bookmarking--Delicious

I was familiar with Delicious because one of my instructors at PSU had required us to use it in her classes. But I had never set up an account of my own--we always used an account the teacher set up because she wanted everyone in the class to have access to the same account so we could all see what the other students bookmarked and the comments they made.

So my first step was to set up my own account in Delicious. This proved to be very easy since I already had an account with Yahoo. After watching all the videos in the lesson, I added a few bookmarks to my account--common sites a librarian would be interested in: the ALA website, the AASL website, and the KASL website. Later I added a bookmark for THE Journal, a technology journal I subscribe to.

Next, I created a tag bundle labeled "Library Organizations". In this folder, I included all the sites with the tags AASL, ALA, and KASL.

I was trying to think of ways in which I could use Delicious in my libraries. A couple ideas I came up with were: 1)it would be a good place to bookmark the various websites I use about authors and illustrators, and 2)I could use it to bookmark the websites I have found that have information about the various immigrant groups who came to Kansas. If my students had access to my account and the Internet, this would be an easy way for them to find these sites without having to type in cumbersome web addresses.

I Know--I'm Behind!

I'm enjoying learning about all these Web 2.0 tools, but it takes a little time to digest it all. Between juggling library projects in 3 schools and finding time for family and church activities, sometimes this class takes a back seat. I do the lessons and sign up for the different programs and then have to find time to blog about it! I'm full of excuses tonight!

My 4th graders have just about completed their projects/presentations about Immigrants in Kansas. Last Thursday, the students at Parker gave some wonderful presentations and shared a feast of ethnic foods to illustrate how various immigrant groups have impacted our culture here in Kansas. We had a wonderful time sampling new and sometimes unusual foods. Each group also shared about music, clothing, holidays/celebrations, etc. their immigrant groups were known for.