Thing #5 - Microblogging

This one is a bit difficult for me. I've resisted a Facebook account because of some of the difficulties that have been associated with it. However, after creating an account, I sent a message to a friend I haven't talked to in quite a while and looked at some pictures from an event I recently attended. I've seen how teachers are using Facebook as a class blog/website, and feel that with some pretty firmly established guidelines it could be lots of fun and helpful for students. However, I'm still a bit cautious about it and honestly don't know how much I personally will really use it.

Now about Twitter --- It can accomplish amazing events; look at how it's being used in the aftermath of the Iranian elections. And, I can see it's value for some applications in a classroom. However, after spending some time on it, reading a variety of "tweets", and noticing that no one in my phone directory is listed on Twitter, at this point I'm not a fan. I just don't think I'll use it. I've even checked with young people I know, and the majority say they would rather use IM or email; several of them say Twitter's become too much sharing of unnecessary details; they implied that it's technological TMI.

This was not one of my favorite things.

Thing #4

As the ad says, "I'll get back to you with more details." I've done the reading, but at this point don't have a video, but it looks easy. I'm moving on to other "things" while I work on this.

Thing #3 - Like Skype

Signing up for Skype was easy. I tried it out with my kids who had used it frequently last summer when one of them was in summer school overseas. The other information on Thing 3 was helpful also. Students could use Skype or other similar things when working on group projects. It would be helpful because they could work without having to always meet together in the same place. It could offer a way for collaboration from home - creative/collaborative, but no parents of younger-than-driving-age kids chauffering for a project. A win for kids, parents and teachers.

#2 - Image Generators

Wordle was fun to play with; at first I didn't use enough text, but I can see how kids and teachers would thoroughly enjoy using it. What an attention grabber it could be at the beginning of a lesson. Voki was fun, except that it told me my password was wrong when I tried to sign in again. Bookr was a blast. I can see how students would really enjoy using Bookr as an alternative to standard written assignments. It would also be a great way to do a lab write up in a science class. Of course, kids would love Voki - it's almost like a quick little "tweet" that could be attached to email and changed on a daily basis.

Here's a Wordle example for summer.

Thing #1 -

I enjoyed the video like I enjoyed the ones in 23 Things. They're informative and easy to understand for those of us who still aren't quite comfortable with some of these applications. Librarians can certainly play the role of the facilitator. Perhaps that's why we now call them library resource specialists instead of just "librarian" because the information in a "library" is in so many forms.