Thing 9

Blogs and Newsfeeds and Info Overload - Oh my! I definitely like looking at others' blogrolls to explore best. Next fav is Edublogs Award Winners. I found several using these 2 methods to add to my Google Reader. Technorati was pretty easy to use but I need to spend much more time figuring out the finer points. AND, I think that when I have a more specific need then it will be easier to use than just cruising around -- which is what I did. I got very excited about Superglu but was disappointed. Perhaps I didn't spend enough time with it but it didn't deliver what I expected. Topix and Syndic8 were just too overwhelming for now. I'm still trying to form the new habit of consulting GReader every day. I do love the easy access to info -- it's the challenge of time-usage and quick discernment of who you want to have in your "circle of the wise."

Thing 8

I am finally coming back to work on the Things...I have not been on vacation, just catching up and continuing to learn techy stuff but neglected to keep up here. I'm hittin' it hard now though, I want to be complete by the end of July (before really). So here goes. I had taken classes on blogging back in 2006 and set up a Bloglines account. Hardly ever consulted it or kept up. Then a few years ago I took a class offered in my district called "All Things Google" and at that point set up an iGoogle page along with a Google Reader account. Again, rarely visited it and although I set up some feeds I just didn't quite get it. But...NOW...I get it. Guess I took the slow-burn route on this one. I viewed the Common Craft videos on both RSS and Google Reader and saved the website Newbies Guide to Google Reader and then I actually opened it and played and explored and consulted the "guide" and I really do get it now. I will use this professionally and personally on a much more consistent basis. I've been advised to make my iGoogle page my home page so that I actually SEE the reader list everytime I launch the internet. The saying "So many books, so little time" hardly begins to cover it these days!

I attended a Kathy Schrock workshop at NECC about tips for handling information overload so I will definitely consult my notes from that before I grow to my laptop! Next quest...move wanted subscriptions from Bloglines and keep only Google Reader -- but I gotta get up and move for a while!

Thing 7

Google is taking over the world -- is a comment I hear often in almost any venue you can imagine. These folks and the services they provide are truly genius. I have an iGoogle page, I have set up a Calendar that's not really used much, have used Notebook but not as extensively as I would like to and I simply adore all that Docs has to offer. Learned last week that the forms option will let you create a survey. Love that!

• School implications . . . now that more teachers, students and families have Google accounts (for email if for nothing else) I can see incorporating these more with students. I work predominately with 5th and 6th graders so there are some issues to work out there.
• What I would like to do: A. post the calendar on the library web page and make it so that teachers can sign up to use the different library spaces online, B.have students create iGoogle pages so that both teachers and I can "push" info out to them, C.use Notebook more and teach students and teachers how to do so as well, and D.Have students, teachers and folks in staff dev. sessions take advantage of Docs.
• Have thought about . . . A.Using Earth to put together some lit-trips, B.Move all my photos to Picasa - although now I'm torn between Picasa and Flickr -- more research to be done on that, and C.Figure out the implications for my level of student with Scholar. I'm sure the teachers (especially those working on advdanced degrees) would get a lot of use out of it. I hear great things . . .

Oh so much to do and learn!

Thing 6

This mashup was created via Flickr Mosaic Maker. I used the tag "read". I tried several different formats and several different tags and this one created images that I was satisfied with. I am going to have so much fun with these tools! I also love how they made it so easy to give proper attribution to the original photographers, they posted html code under the mosaic and told you exactly what to do if you posted it. My next move is to get personal and library photos loaded in Flickr so that I can make some of these from events and post them on the library web page. Oh, the district newsletter will love stuff like this!!

1. Storytime, 2. eclipse, 3. 76440001 copy, 4. Relax At Seaside

Thing 5 Done!

Been playing around in Flickr for several reasons: 1.for this course 2.to find images for a book trailer that I'm trying to make and 3.to find images for a presentation that I am doing with colleagues at the end of this month. Had a lot of fun prowling around, love that there are so many images available in the --use and adapt with proper attribution-- area. And found PLENTY of images for all purposes. But I decided to use an image I found that I'll use in the upcoming presentation. It's all about collaboration and so am I -- so here it is. Oh, and I also like that you can search other image collections via Google & Yahoo etc. when using CC. What possibilibies!

Mike Sansone Creative Commons

Thing 5 almost

Took some time away and went to a couple of staff developments -- TASLA in Austin and SLA in Arlington -- both were superb.
Got a "fix" for the disappearing avatar from Eleanor -- thanks a ton!
Been playing in Flickr and LOVE it so will be able to get more of the "things" done this weekend.
Now, I'm off to plan a presentation with a colleague.
Feeling very behind . . . but I'll catch up!

Thing 4

Registered. Whew!
Commented on 2 current "players" and one "graduate".
Need to get some blogroll listings and some followers...
Dinner time!

Thing #1

I have completed my pre-requisite reading, viewing, thinking and listing so here is my first blog post for my summer of web 2.0 learning. It will be quite an adventure.

About the 7 1/2 Habits
HARDEST to accomplish - number 3 - viewing problems as challenges -- although it is dependent on a number of variables. I find it much more natural to do this when I'm working on something in which I have a high interest or that I value greatly. If those 2 items are not present I tend to view a problem as simply a problem that I'd rather not tackle. Wasn't there something mentioned about learning being attitudinal in the lifelong learning section? So, note to self -- check that attitude. EASIEST to accomplish - number 7 - teaching/mentoring others - it just comes naturally as I think I was born to collaborate.

I have created a blog and participated in a blog before but the experience is very limited. I look forward to accomplishing all 23 things and expanding my horizons -- I'm off to Yahoo avatars!