My Information Highway

Week 9: Thing 23 - So, Just What is Fair Use?

2008-08-18T13:46:00.000-07:00

I'm so glad to see that this last topic is included as one of our 23 Things. As I posted in my previous YouTube Thing, as much as we librarians can celebrate over Web 2.0 tools - it also makes our jobs much more complicated. With all the sharing and uploading and downloading and mashups and image generating...comes a great need to guide our school community to use these tools ethically. And just by visiting the many links on copyright and fair use, one can see that there certainly isn't one crystal-clear answer as to what you can and cannot use for educational purposes. And...what may be the case today, may very well change tomorrow. Put copyright and the internet together and you get one, big dynamic monster which will inevitably change forms over night.

One resource which I did find helpful in clarifying this complex issue, is Hall Davidson's Copyright Guidelines for Administrators which is posted on techLEARNING.com. It's a clear, easy-to-understand chart of various educational scenerios of fair use and copyright.

Oh, and how wonderfully ironic that the discovery excercise for California's School Library 23 Things was to find an "example or attribution that shows this program has been modified from it's original". Of course, one needs to look no further than our very own PA Library 2.0 Class - a work of Creative Commons in its very finest forms!

Week 9: Thing 22 - Digital Books

2008-08-14T14:36:00.000-07:00

No doubt about it that both ebooks and audio books offer a nice diversity for many students. Our special support teachers love having the option of audio books for the required English books for their students. I am also starting to build a collection of ebooks in our library, thereby providing students with reference material which they can easily search through. Another wonderful benefit to these ebooks is that an unlimited number of students can view them at one time, and they can access them anywhere that has an Internet connection.

It was nice to see that there are so many free, online accesses to digital books. Though I had explored some of the resources in the past, there were others I did not know about, such as the International Music Score Library Project. What a great resource for our music teachers - I will be sure to share it with them. I did have a bit of trouble navigating through some of the sites. I had to download Adobe Shockwave on my Mac in order to run the British Library Online Gallery, and once I did the site was very slow to download and crashed two times before I gave up. Perhaps it would run better on a PC, but I'm wondering about the complications we may have at school. Often our school computers have issues with multimedia websites.

Regardless of issues, I bookmarked all these sites and plan to add a Digital Book Pathfinder on my website. I think students and teacher alike will appreciate knowing about these great, free resources.

Week 9: Thing 21 - Podcasts

2008-08-12T16:45:00.000-07:00

Get your own at Gizmoz.com

I've been having fun browsing the various podcasts available through iTunes. So many, that surely everyone can find at least one that is of interest or pertinence to them. One that I've subscribed to for awhile now is NPR's Book Reviews. I have a feed going into my iGoogle page so that I can always see what the latest review features.

As far as creating podcasts, I'm hoping that our students get more involved with this tool now that we will be getting Macs in our school. In the past, we've used Audacity on our PC's, but it simply isn't as user-friendly as with Apple's GarageBand. Since I recently bought a MacBook Pro, I've been having a bit of fun this summer playing around with podcasts and put a welcome podcast on my library website through Glogster (another great tool that was discovered thanks to this class!)

I'm really impressed with the work that our district's middle school has done with podcasting. With much help from the library media specialist, Craig Smith, the principal broadcasts school news each month and posts them on their homepage. And on the library website, the library media specialist has his own video podcasts of book reviews. During the school year, you can hear book reviews from the students. Did I mention that they have a Mac in the middle school? No doubt about it in my opinion, Macs make multimedia projects a cinch compared to Windows!

Free Book Jackets

2008-08-11T19:03:00.000-07:00

Okay - so maybe I should take back what I said in my previous post about Shelfari being more user-friendly than LibraryThing. Thanks to the LibrayInBlack blog, I've learned that you can now post book jackets on your website from LibraryThing's database. Of course, there are some caveats. It's not an easy process to post, and the images come from LibraryThing users, so they are not the best quality. But, it's better than nothing and worth giving it a try - which is what I'm doing here.

Week 9: Thing 20 - YouTube and Others

2008-08-11T11:20:00.000-07:00

From what I hear from other librarians, I am one of the lucky ones whose schools have not blocked YouTube. And it's a very good thing because our teachers and students use it often every day. Our teachers find videos to reinforce a lesson such as the Tiananmen Square protests or the JFK Nixon Debates. Our students use it to upload their own video projects for classes. Yes, I am often policing students who are looking at videos which are far (sometimes very far) from educational use, but blocking its access is definitely not the answer. The benefits far out-weigh the drawbacks.

I was familiar with most of the videos which were posted on the Library 2.0 site, but the March of the Librarians was new to me. I love it...how clever!

But I do have to make mention of an important issue which CathyLib2 pointed out on her post about Wikis - copyright.
Students are often using copyrighted music to accompany their videos and it certainly is becoming a bigger issue as they are uploading these videos to YouTube for the whole world to view. Web 2.0 is great, but as CathyLib2 says, it makes it way too easy to share things that are not supposed to be shared. We librarians have a big job ahead of us!

That being said, here is a video created by a Bucknell professor about copyright laws. Although it is a bit long (and at times, hard to follow) it's a clever parody and quite effective. This just may become part of my library orientation! It certainly is an important issue which both students and teachers need to be instructed.

Week 8: Thing 19 - LibraryThing vs Shelfari

2008-08-11T09:33:00.001-07:00

I'm quite familiar with LibraryThing. I created an account last summer and explored it at length during a summer workshop I had with the Reading Specialist and English teachers. We created a group for our high school. Our hope was for students and teachers to post book reviews to share among each other. However, we immediately ran into a glitch: you can not list books read by just a particular group - bummer. We figured that perhaps a work around would be for the reviewers to tag their reviews with our school name. But still, this does not let us view book reviews just of our school.

So, that is why I now use Shelfari. It is much more conducive for collaboration and just seems more user-friendly. I'd be curious to know how others feel. Anyone else out there who has tried both LibraryThing and Shelfari? And how about GoodReads? I've gotten a couple of invitations to join, but can't justify adding yet another online library database to my collection. Any thoughts?

Week 8: Thing 18 - Zoho!

2008-08-11T07:49:00.000-07:00

I was a bit reluctant to try Zoho since I already use Google Docs. Why create another account which will go unused? But, being the trooper I am, I plugged away as per our assignment. And - I'm so glad I did! WOW - I can't stop exploring the many options.

First, let me explain how I use Google Docs: primarily for collaborating with my teachers. For instance, at a recent workshop with the Reading Specialist and English teachers, we all worked on the same Google Doc at the same time. We brainstormed ideas and eventually created one document which we then made public, and emailed it to our administrators for their review. Quick and easy! Google Docs also has a spreadsheet and presenter (similar to PowerPoint) available. So what could Zoho have that Google Docs does not?

Answer: a lot! Yes, it has Writer, Sheet, Notebook and Show - just like Google Docs. But...it also has Planner, Meeting, Wiki, Creator and more. One of the tools I explored is Creator. Creator allows you to gather and share data online. As a trial, I created this one below which allows readers to submit books they have read. I also added a results view to demonstrate what the collected data looks like. Want to give it a try? Please add a book you've recently read.

There are so many great ways that these tools can allow us to share and collaborate which go above and beyond document sharing. I think I may give it a try with Reading Olympics or our Book Club: students can sign-up online and also submit the books which they have read. Then, all the information can be organized and will be searchable. Love it!

Week 7: Things 16-17 WWW: The Wonderful World of Wikis

2008-08-11T05:49:00.000-07:00

Although I'm already sold on wikis, and have been using a wiki as my library website - it's been interesting and eye-opening to see how others in my profession are taking advantage of wikis. I was really looking forward to making some contributions to the PA Curriculum Connection Wiki but, alas, you need a key. Were we provided that? I cannot seem to find any reference to it. I have requested a key from the site administrator, Crystal, and will add to the wiki once I have access. I'm hoping that this wiki grows and grows, since it has great potential for PA librarians to network and share. At present, it does not appear to have many postings. (Hmm....perhaps it's because of the lack of that darn key!)

But I loved the ideas posted on the CA Curriculum Wiki! It has 60 ideas and counting! And they all involve collaboration. Yes - that truly seems to be the best value of wikis. It is the essential Web 2.0 tool in that it networks teachers and students together and allows them to share. Story telling, composing letters to legislators, book reviews and book discussions, teacher collaboration on a unit...these are just some of the terrific ideas listed on the wiki.

I've always liked this little video Wikis in Plain English to demonstrate the many social benefits to wikis:

Countdown to Twilight

2008-08-03T11:32:00.001-07:00

Web 2.0 Tips

2008-07-30T08:26:00.000-07:00

I thought this blog post from the Librarian in Black was worth sharing: Ten Social Tips for Libraries. The most worthwhile advice, in my opinion, are tips #2 and #10. In #2, she advises us to keep all of our blogs, wikis, Facebook accounts, etc. up-to-date. After all, if we're going to call ourselves "information specialists" we best keep that information current and accurate! And likewise, #10 advises librarians that it is okay to delete accounts that you are not using. Hey - you don't know if a Web 2.0 tool is going to be a good fit for you unless you give it a try. But, if it doesn't fit and you aren't keeping it up-to-date...get rid of it and move on.

Week 6: Thing #15 - Library 2.0

2008-07-28T14:03:00.000-07:00

It's timely that as I explore this week's assignment on the concept of Library 2.0, I just came across yesterday's New York Times article, Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading? Actually, it is the beginning of a series of articles on the " Internet and other technological and social forces are changing the way people read". This first article discusses the differences between reading a book and reading online. Of course, each has its merits and downfalls. Reading a book, to me, feels much like visiting a friend for a few days - I get the opportunity to really get to know them, learn from them, and am often sorry to say goodbye. Whereas when I read online, I feel like I'm in a room full of people with all different interests and viewpoints. I find myself drawn into one interesting conversation, but then am distracted by something else being discussed that also piques my interest. So, although I am offered a plethora of information and ideas, mingling through all this information takes patience and time...and it takes much effort to stay focused!

When you think about it, Library 2.0 or Classroom 2.0 tools are also kind of like being in that room of people: there are so many worthwhile, valuable ideas out there, but keeping your undivided attention on one for any length of time isn't easy. As our students are offered more and more online learning opportunities, they are placed in the same scenario. Does that mean that we keep closing the door to that room so that our students stay focused on just books and classroom learning? Of course not. Actually, our jobs as librarians have taken a very important shift: it's vital that we guide our students through all this information and show them how to get the most value from it all.

As Penny appropriately remarks on her Considerations 2.0 blog, "Kids need a safe haven and someone to help them make sense of all the information with which they are bombarded daily."
And yes, sometimes that safe haven is a little visit with that faithful book friend.

Testing "Blog This"

2008-07-21T11:54:00.001-07:00

Nicole Atkins gets silly with Jim
Originally uploaded by mschwander

Jane asked a good question about blogging with Flickr on her There from Here blog, which really got me investigating. She wondered why some people's photos allowed her to post to her blog, whereas others did not. I never even noticed that.
Well, according to Flickr help, you can set that option up in your personal account - choosing whether to allow others to post or not.
To test - this is a picture of my husband with singer/songwriter Nicole Atkins taken at XPN's XPoNential Music Fest last week in Camden, NJ. So, anyone wishing to do so, could open this in Flickr and be able to post it to their blog through the "Blog this" option since that's how I set mine up. (not that I would imagine any would want to!)
Anyway, that's one of the best things about this Web 2.0 class - I am definitely learning and getting ideas from my colleagues' posts. Thanks for sharing that issue, Jane!

Templates Worth Exploring

2008-07-19T14:31:00.000-07:00

It's been kind of bugging me - how come my blog looks so cramped and crowded, whereas the PA Online Web 2.0 blog is stretched across the screen without blank, unused areas to the left and right? So, I started exploring different templates in Blogger and discovered this one. No more wasted space for me. Much better!

Week 6: Thing #14 - Technorati Tags

2008-07-16T07:09:00.000-07:00

So much to learn with Technorati! I thought I was understanding Technorati pretty well after I learned how to add my blog site and to post a link on my blog so that users can mark it "favorite" on Technorati. I also had no trouble in updating my pings as well as creating a Watchlist of my favorite tags.
But I'm not so sure I understand how to tag certain posts to Technorati. Actually - I guess I'm not even clear on why I need to do this. Since my blog is now "claimed" on Technorati, I would have thought that whatever tags I attribute to a post, get picked up by Technorati...no?
Anyway, I'm going to give this a whirl and attempt to add a Technorati tag, Library 2.0, to this post as per their directions. Keep your fingers crossed!

library 2.0

Week 6: Thing #13 - More Great Ways to Share

2008-07-15T06:35:00.000-07:00

On my blog about Thing 11, I talked about the great ways Web 2.0 allows educational professionals to share their resources and ideas. Of course, the sharing is not limited to just teachers, and the Del.icio.us bookmarking tool is a perfect example.

I started using Del.icio.us a couple of years ago. At first, I was only sharing amongst myself; I used it so that whether I was at school, at home, or on someone's computer - I could have access to all my favorite sites. It didn't take me long to realize that it was the perfect tool to use with my students. As I am always creating Pathfinders of resources for various class units, I used to have to go in and update each Pathfinder site as I discovered new websites. But Del.icio.us has this great, little widget called a linkroll. Not only can you display your widget on your website, wiki, blog, or whatever - but you can limit the bookmarks to certain tags. So, on my Pathfinder for the World Cultures unit on China, I have a linkroll embedded for just my bookmarks tagged "China". Every time I add a China site to my Del.icio.us account, it automatically shows up on my Pathfinder. How great is that?

As an example, here's a linkroll on my bookmarks tagged "Web 2.0". By the way, that first one listed is the latest one I added and one I learned thanks to this class! I found it on fellow blogger's site , Considerations 2.0!:

Week 5: Thing 12 - Searches Made Simple

2008-07-09T19:09:00.000-07:00

Rollyo is a tool I have used in the past for home use: I have a Rollyo for recipes which includes all my favorite recipe websites. I also have a Custom Google Search tool which searches various book websites.
But this week's assignment challenged me to think about how I could use it in a more effective way for students or teachers. It didn't take me long to think of a useful custom search tool: digital images which are copyright-free! Our students are constantly needing to find images for projects which may very well be posted to the web. Similarly, teachers need to find copyright-free images for their class websites. Too often, both students and teachers turn to Google Images and don't seem to realize that the images they select may very well have copyright protection. By having a Rollyo tool on my library page just for copyright-free images, I would really be helping my school community to use images properly and ethically. I plan to put this on my library website right away!

Week 5: Thing 11 - A Sharing Communty

2008-07-07T18:34:00.000-07:00

One of the best things about Web 2.0 tools is the ability it gives educators to share professional resources and learning ideas. I joined the TeacherLibrarianNing a couple of years ago for just that reason. I've gotten some fabulously creative ideas from this network and have gained many professional relationships. Creative Commons, Flickr, YouTube...are additional sharing networks which have been invaluable to me as well as my fellow colleagues.
After exploring the many wonderful sites on the Web 2.o Award List, I was immediately drawn to docstoc because of its value in sharing educational resources. Powerpoints, pdf files, and spreadsheets are just some of the formats which professionals have posted to share. With a separate category for education, you can find anything from gorgeous China photographs to a literary analysis organizer. Not only can you email, download or link to the documents, but you can embed them into your blog our website.
To test - here an AP US History Presidents Quiz. How well do you know your presidents?

AP US Presidents Exam - Get more College Essays

Week Five: Thing 10 - Let's Get Cooking!

2008-07-06T17:47:00.000-07:00

The things you can cook-up with Image Chef!

Above...an advertisement for our new library courtyard.

Week 4: Thing 8 & 9 - Can You Read Me?

2008-07-06T14:16:00.000-07:00

Okay - so I set-up a couple of RSS feeds with Google Reader. To be honest, with my iGoogle account, I was always content with just having feeds on my Google home pages. But, now that I've played around with Google Reader - I'm really liking it! Not only can I apply my own tags to my feeds, but I can organize whole feeds into folders. Plus, I can create a public page to share feed articles with others.
So, what are some favorites of mine? Joyce Valenza's Never Ending Search and Sarah Houghton-Jan's Librarian in Black are two that I always keep up with. I also like to keep up with new book releases with NPR and New York Times.
And now, I'm anxious to check-out some of my fellow Web 2.0 classmates' postings for other feeds to check out!

Week 3: Thing 7 - A New Soul

2008-07-06T13:31:00.000-07:00

You know that MacBook Air ad which plays the Yael Naim song, New Soul? Now that I've recently gone from a PC to a MacBook, that's kind of how I feel: "...a new soul, I came into this strange world hoping I could learn a bit 'bout how to give and take". The taking part is easy - iMovie, GarageBand, iWeb: these tools (like all Mac apps) are so, so user friendly they are pretty much a breeze to pick-up. Plus, when I do need some help along the way, the Apple iLife Tutorials are great as is Apple's Switch 101 site which helps fellow PC switchers like me.
The giving part? Well, actually that's just as easy as you can easily post and share your self-created podcasts, movies and websites.
This is all pretty exciting to me since this coming school year we are to get about a dozen Macs in our library. If the Mac process is easier for me, it's got to be the same for my students. In years past, I cannot tell you how many frustrations we had over Windows Movie Maker. Importing videos clips and saving projects were a constant headache and many teachers and students were totally turned-off to creating video projects. What a shame! Here's hoping our new Macs bring life to our "new little souls" and video projects come alive again.

The Wonderful World of Widgets

2008-07-02T05:38:00.000-07:00

I guess you could say that I'm "widget-happy". So many widgets, so little room on the blog. I decided to add two of my favorites to this blog:
1. Shelfari - my own little online database of books. Not only can you share what books you have read, but selected books in your database which are marked with a particular tag. I'm finding this a handy little tool in my high school library because it's a great way of sharing a selection of books with students. For instance, once our Reading Olympics books were announced for this year, I entered them all onto Shelfari and then posted a Reading Olympics widget on my blog. Students don't just get a boring list of the books, but images of the book jackets along with summaries.
2. ShowYourself is a cool little tool to help you stay connected through all your many social networking tools. Whether it's Flickr, YouTube, Twitter or Technorati - this widget allows your blog readers to quickly access your accounts.

Week 3: Thing 6

2008-06-30T18:37:00.001-07:00

Oh, the things you can do with flickr tools! The possibilities for use with students are endless. I love the idea of using flashcards like these for author or book trading cards. Another tool I've used in the past is the Flickr Toys movie poster: students made a poster for a movie based on a recent book that they read. I also love the Motivator to create posters for the library or classroom.
I'm off to more fun playing with photos.....

Week 2: Things 2 & 3

2008-06-30T17:44:00.000-07:00

I'm so very excited about this program and am looking forward to learning many new Web 2.0 tools which I can use in my school. I just received the Web 2.0 link today, so I have some catching up to do!
It was interesting to reflect on what my strengths and weaknesses are as a lifelong learner. Without a doubt, what I find the hardest is to view problems as challenges. I expect everything to run with 100% efficiency; when they don't, I begin to panic a bit and become quite disappointed in myself. Most definitely, I need to look at snafus and snags as opportunities to improve upon myself.
I think my strength is to teach and mentor others because it is what I love to do. As I'm exploring and discovering new technology tools, I find myself thinking "Hey, the Science Dept will love this!" or "This is a perfect resource for Kyle's 10th grade research paper." To me, that's what being a library media specialist is all about.