Finished!

Finished in the nick of time. So much to contemplate and delve into. This has been a real eye-opening experience and at least now I have some idea of the huge potential that Web 2 technologies hold. Now time is an even bigger enemy. (although Google reader and blog following could actually help with this.)

Task 22 and 23

These are of great interest to me as a Teacher librarian. Librivox looks like a hugely valuable site for all sorts of classics like Shakespeare and for poetry. I'll have to try it at school.
With student laptops now in operation the availability of e-books is also something that has been widely discussed. Our introduction to Google Reader rings bells here and in fact I directed a Year 12 English Extension student to it only this week.
Alternate media open a whole new kettle of fish!

Task 21 Teacher tube

I think there are probably lots of good little clips that I can use to promote library and information skills but having the time to find them may be a problem. I did find this one on explaining the Dewey system and it might be more fun than my traditional method of explaining it!

Task 20 Podcasts

At a recent Teacher librarian meeting we looked at podcasts, so I had a bit of an idea about this. I liked the look of some of the ABC programmes and think some faculties may find this source of information a change for their classes and very up-to-date. I found it easy to work with which was also a pleasant surprise.
I'm a firm believer in developing listening skills in students as I see my Year 7's struggle to engage with listening to to an audio book. It takes practice!

Task 18 and 19

I have had some experience with Wikis and their educational applications and would like to spend more time investigating the potential. Not sure whether to go with blogs or wikis for things like book review etc.
Had trouble with Rollyo - maybe had something to do with the computer playing up in the extreme heat! Will have to have another go at this as it looks like my attempt to set up a search wasn't successful.

Task 17

Lots of things to look into with Delicious. A few years ago I used a web-based book marking tool - can't remember the name but it didn't seem to have the features that appear here. The most obvious advantages are being able to access your bookmarks from wherever (work or home) and being able to share them with others. This will need a lot more time spent on it!

Task 16

Realised this should have gone with Task 15! Tried to edit that post but didn't seem to be able to do that. Anyone have any suggestions about that?
I found some really interesting sites and blogs following the suggested links. Will definitely go back and investigate some, especially some of the tools listed.

Task 15

This RSS looks like it has huge potential for a busy librarian trying to keep up with lots of varied sites etc, for updated information. My biggest problem will be finding the time to go through all the valuable information that will now come to my google reader account. If only we could get the DET to allow us easier access to Google tools!

Task 13 and 14

I'm not a fan of Facebook and Myspace. My son's "adult" friends thought it would be funny to make a profile for him and add some unflattering pics. He was not impressed and is concerned about who may see them. As he didn't have the passwords, etc he couldn't remove the page. What stops this from happening???
Also when I had a look at MySpace the first people I found where some students. The pictures, details about their profiles (they all claim to be older than 18) and the "friends" where somewhat worrying.
On the other side I do see my daughter and her friends keeping in touch and sharing their photos in a very positive way.
I registered with a Librarians group on Ning but have to wait - my membership is pending! Will make a comment in a later post.

I can see some merit and I know it is popular with teens etc (although at a conference yesterday I was told Myspace and Facebook are already outdated - not sure by what??) but I still need to be convinced about control issues.

Task 12 Flickr

Twilight Red Carpet Premiere
Originally uploaded by withlove.erin

Twilight Red Carpet Premiere


Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series has continued what J.K. Rowling did with Harry Potter.... hooked lots of kids on reading!

Task 11 LibraryThing

As a school librarian this looked very interesting and I was looking forward to checking it out. I haven't had lots of time to spend but can see lots of ways I can use it both personally and at school. It seems nice and user-friendly too so that is a bonus! Hoping to put a link on the school webpage.

Task 10

Finally, with a little assistance from a tech-savvy daughter I have managed to use an image generator to add a new banner for my blog! I used http://pryat.com/signs/headers and had a lot less trouble than with some of the others suggested. We don't really like the banner but it fit the bill.

Task 9

I'm not really a fan of this virtual reality and have some real issues with people not dealing with the real world. I can see some applications - e.g. using it as a test environment for sociological situations etc but really isn't it better to have a real dinner party, with real people in your real world?? Maybe I'm missing the point but I feel it is a sad situation when we see our society heading in this direction. I'd rather help people deal with their issues in this world.

Task 8

I've created a Igoogle home page - it was definitely an easy task but I'm not sure I like the content that you can choose to use. Seemed too USA oriented e.g. the cooking section and didn't look like you could customize this aspect. If I feel inclined I might play around a little more and see what else can be placed there.

Task 7

I think there is great potential for Google Book Search for a Librarian. I used it to find a title that a teacher was asking for that we didn't have. I was able to send him an email with a link to the book and where he could buy it. Also used it to find reviews for my google doc used in an earlier task.

Task 6

I've been using Googlemaps, google-earth and whereisit? for quite a while and find it very useful from a personal point of view. I have seen google- earth used to good effect on a videoconference between schools throughout Australia and Canada to show the participating schools and how they relate to each other on a geographical level. It worked really well.

Task 5

I've managed to post a googledoc onto my blog but somehow I've copied the heading twice? It doesn't show in the preview so not sure what has happened.

RECOMMENDED READING - WHAT'S HOT!

RECOMMENDED READING - WHAT'S  HOT!

SENIORS
The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo by Stieg Larsson Click for review
The Build up by Phillip Gwynne Click for review

Task 4

Having read some of the links about Web 2 I agree that the difference really is in the way people are using it rather than that it is a whole new thing. I do have some reservations about my students using some of the feedback and discussions they find as authoritive. It's the same problem that I have with Wikipedia (the start of the Web 2 technologies in practice??) Even the senior students go straight to it and don't question what they find. My job is increasingly getting them to question what they find and confirm it from other reputable sources.
The other side of Web 2 that I do like is the interaction between students that it encourages. The discussions and sharing are great. For those of you who aren't familiar with the "book raps" idea - this was an early step towards getting students to share opinions and ideas online.

This is my blog about my Web 2 learning!