After viewing the first couple of online productivity tools, I wasn't sure if I would find one that I would use often. After using LibraryThing, I found a tool that I will use all the time. I spent hours on LibraryThing. LibraryThing allows you to put in all the books you have read. I put in forty of the books that I have read most recently. After you add each book, you rate the book and can write a review if you want. Based on the books you have read and the rating you give it, the site comes up with a recommended reading list. I noticed that several books that I have been considering buying came up on my recommended list. Now I have less reservations about spending money on them or maybe I will even go to the library to check them out.
The site also finds other users who have similar lists as yours and shows you other books they have read.
The users of this site in general give pretty good reviews of the books. I was excited to find this tool. With summer coming up, I will be reading a lot and now know where I can find some good book recommendations.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Thing 15 - RSS Revisited
Is RSS becoming easier to understand?
Yes, RSS is becoming easier to understand. The more I use it the more comfortable I am becoming.
Do you recognize new benefits of this tool?
I do see more benefits of RSS. Initially, I did not put any news feeds in my subscriptions. My first subscriptions were mostly for my classroom. I liked the news feeds in Reuters. I also liked that I could bring in blogs from Delicious. I like how you can find the most popular blogs and have those directly sent to you in your RSS feed.
Do you remember to check your feeds regularly?
No, I have not been checking them on a regular basis. I have been doing it on the weekends only. I guess that is as regular as it can be for me right now with my crazy daily schedule. I can see how the news feeds might be something I would want to check more frequently.
Yes, RSS is becoming easier to understand. The more I use it the more comfortable I am becoming.
Do you recognize new benefits of this tool?
I do see more benefits of RSS. Initially, I did not put any news feeds in my subscriptions. My first subscriptions were mostly for my classroom. I liked the news feeds in Reuters. I also liked that I could bring in blogs from Delicious. I like how you can find the most popular blogs and have those directly sent to you in your RSS feed.
Do you remember to check your feeds regularly?
No, I have not been checking them on a regular basis. I have been doing it on the weekends only. I guess that is as regular as it can be for me right now with my crazy daily schedule. I can see how the news feeds might be something I would want to check more frequently.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Thing 14 - Bookmarking with Delicious
Wow! I definitely spent a lot of time with Thing 14. Delicious.com was new to me and I spent a lot of time looking at the tagged websites.
My delicious user name is:dawngray99
I think this social bookmarking will be very helpful to me. I often find a site and use it once and then forget about it, even though I could have bookmarked it. Now that I am more aware of the capabilities of tagging I think I will keep better track of sites I am interested in. I really liked how Delicious showed how many other people have added sites to their bookmarks. This helped me filter through the sites and pick the best ones.
I think Delicious will be a tool that will enhance my productivity. I can quickly look to see what sites I have on a given topic and then choose which one will best meet the needs of my students at the time. I also think it would be helpful if my colleagues and I shared their bookmarked sites with each other.
I am glad to put all of the information I need in one location and that I can access it anywhere I have an internet connection.
My delicious user name is:dawngray99
I think this social bookmarking will be very helpful to me. I often find a site and use it once and then forget about it, even though I could have bookmarked it. Now that I am more aware of the capabilities of tagging I think I will keep better track of sites I am interested in. I really liked how Delicious showed how many other people have added sites to their bookmarks. This helped me filter through the sites and pick the best ones.
I think Delicious will be a tool that will enhance my productivity. I can quickly look to see what sites I have on a given topic and then choose which one will best meet the needs of my students at the time. I also think it would be helpful if my colleagues and I shared their bookmarked sites with each other.
I am glad to put all of the information I need in one location and that I can access it anywhere I have an internet connection.
Thing 13 - Social Bookmarking and Tagging
Is tagging a useful way to organize your digital resources and why?
I think tagging will be useful. I like the idea that you can keep track of sites you use on one computer. Often I will tag something on my home computer and then will have a hard time finding the same site when I am school. I like how through Delicious you can access your tagged sites from any computer.
What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages?
As a community of learners and advantage would be to share sites with colleagues. A second advantage is that you could access the information from anywhere. A disadvantage could be trying to remember what tag you put on the site.
What is important to think about before assigning tags to bookmarks or other Internet content?
I think it is important for you to remember that this information can be shared with others, so you need to be careful what sites you tag. It is also important that you give it a tag that relates well to the bookmarked site so that you and others are able to find it in your tags.
I think tagging will be useful. I like the idea that you can keep track of sites you use on one computer. Often I will tag something on my home computer and then will have a hard time finding the same site when I am school. I like how through Delicious you can access your tagged sites from any computer.
What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages?
As a community of learners and advantage would be to share sites with colleagues. A second advantage is that you could access the information from anywhere. A disadvantage could be trying to remember what tag you put on the site.
What is important to think about before assigning tags to bookmarks or other Internet content?
I think it is important for you to remember that this information can be shared with others, so you need to be careful what sites you tag. It is also important that you give it a tag that relates well to the bookmarked site so that you and others are able to find it in your tags.
Thing 12
The widget I embedded is a count down clock. I am sure all of us are looking forward to Easter Break so I put a count down clock for me and the readers of this blog to keep track of the number of days until break.
Widgets were new to me. I was surprised by how much is out there and actually want to go back to the sites and spend more time exploring.
Questions from assignment:
Are you getting comfortable with embedding codes?
Yes, I am getting more comfortable with the codes. I did not need to look back at my notes until the last step. Now hopefully, it works correctly.
Do you belong to other online communities?
The only other online community I belong to is Facebook.
Are relationships formed online as meaningful as face-to-face relationships?
For me my face-to-face relationships are definitely stronger. However, online communities such as Facebook help me keep up relationships with family and friends that I do not see on a regular basis.
Why do you think MySpace and other social networking sites are so popular with kids today?
I think they are popular with kids and adults because it helps you make connections with people that you do not talk to on a regular basis. You can let people know what is going on with your life and can keep updated with family and friends. It also can provide conversation when you do see your family and friends face-to-face. You can talk about things you have read on their social networking site.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Thing 11
Thing 11 showed me I still have a lot to learn about blogging and computers in general.
As I read Sue Caudell's posts I noticed how she copied the questions from the assignment and then stated her response below. For the type of blog we are working on, I think this is a great way to make sure you are covering all of the questions. I think it is also helpful to the readers because then they know what you are responding to.
As I read the WB4All's blog, I noticed how she linked resources to her posts. I think this is very helpful and is a great way to provide additional information to those that are interested. In her blog she had words in a different color that you could click on and it would take you to additional information. I asked my husband how she did this and he told me they were hyperlinks. I guess I have something else I need to learn now too. I just learned how to do a link during this class. Wow! I am feeling computer illiterate.
Now on to the questions!
What do you like/dislike about leaving comments?
I like that you can add your thoughts and can ask questions. I feel it is a great way to connect with people who are experiencing the same things as you. I did not have anything I disliked about it.
How did you feel when you received your first comment?
My first comment was from Resa. I just watched Julie and Julia last night. If you have seen the movie, Julie is ecstatic when she receives her first response to her blog. I think receiving a response lets you know that someone is reading and it validates what you are working on.
Why do you think commenting is so important in online communities?
Commenting encourages the person who is writing the blog. It lets them know someone is reading and gives them a sense of purpose. Commenting also facilitates discussion and helps people learn from each other.
What might this mean for students who share their writing on line?
My first thought is that they need to be tough because not everyone is nice and they may need to learn how to handle criticism. However, I also think it could be a good tool in the classroom for encouraging discussion. Blogging anonymously may help the students who are more apt to not share in class to share and bring new insight to discussions.
As I read Sue Caudell's posts I noticed how she copied the questions from the assignment and then stated her response below. For the type of blog we are working on, I think this is a great way to make sure you are covering all of the questions. I think it is also helpful to the readers because then they know what you are responding to.
As I read the WB4All's blog, I noticed how she linked resources to her posts. I think this is very helpful and is a great way to provide additional information to those that are interested. In her blog she had words in a different color that you could click on and it would take you to additional information. I asked my husband how she did this and he told me they were hyperlinks. I guess I have something else I need to learn now too. I just learned how to do a link during this class. Wow! I am feeling computer illiterate.
Now on to the questions!
What do you like/dislike about leaving comments?
I like that you can add your thoughts and can ask questions. I feel it is a great way to connect with people who are experiencing the same things as you. I did not have anything I disliked about it.
How did you feel when you received your first comment?
My first comment was from Resa. I just watched Julie and Julia last night. If you have seen the movie, Julie is ecstatic when she receives her first response to her blog. I think receiving a response lets you know that someone is reading and it validates what you are working on.
Why do you think commenting is so important in online communities?
Commenting encourages the person who is writing the blog. It lets them know someone is reading and gives them a sense of purpose. Commenting also facilitates discussion and helps people learn from each other.
What might this mean for students who share their writing on line?
My first thought is that they need to be tough because not everyone is nice and they may need to learn how to handle criticism. However, I also think it could be a good tool in the classroom for encouraging discussion. Blogging anonymously may help the students who are more apt to not share in class to share and bring new insight to discussions.
Thing 10
I put my embedded video and comments as a separate post. I found it is easy to embed a video from You Tube. I picked this particular video because I had recently received the video in an e-mail and I liked it. It was the first time I had seen the pink gloves and I think this is another great reminder to help support the cause of breast cancer.
I got a little frustrated when I was trying to download a video from You Tube. My computer at home did not follow the same steps as the video presentation so it took me awhile to figure out where the video was going after I selected download. I did not have a choice as to where I wanted to save the video. It automatically went in a file of downloads in my documents. After I found it, I was able to send it to the desktop. I am glad I was able to figure this out in case I wanted to put a video on the desk top for school.
I got a little frustrated when I was trying to download a video from You Tube. My computer at home did not follow the same steps as the video presentation so it took me awhile to figure out where the video was going after I selected download. I did not have a choice as to where I wanted to save the video. It automatically went in a file of downloads in my documents. After I found it, I was able to send it to the desktop. I am glad I was able to figure this out in case I wanted to put a video on the desk top for school.
YouTube - Embed Video
I saw this video on You Tube and thought I would share it.
Here's the story behind the video.
"Their daughter-in-law, Emily (MacInnes) Somers, created, directed and choreographed this in Portland last week for her Medline glove division as a fundraiser for breast cancer awareness. This was all her idea to help promote their new pink gloves.
I don't know how she got so many employees, doctors and patients to participate, but it started to really catch on and they all had a lot of fun doing it.
When the video gets 1 million hits, Medline will be making a huge contribution to the hospital, as well as offering free mammograms for the community.
Here's the story behind the video.
"Their daughter-in-law, Emily (MacInnes) Somers, created, directed and choreographed this in Portland last week for her Medline glove division as a fundraiser for breast cancer awareness. This was all her idea to help promote their new pink gloves.
I don't know how she got so many employees, doctors and patients to participate, but it started to really catch on and they all had a lot of fun doing it.
When the video gets 1 million hits, Medline will be making a huge contribution to the hospital, as well as offering free mammograms for the community.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Thing 9
While I was looking up some topics on You Tube my young daughter came in to watch. We watched a song called Big Pig that was by Hooked on Phonics. I liked the song. There were a lot of songs by Hooked on Phonics that I thought could be useful when teaching different phonics skills. However, I was very uncomfortable with my daughter looking at the phonics video because of all the advertisements that were around the video. I felt the content of the ads was inappropriate for my daughter and would be inappropriate for my students. However, we also watched the Water Cycle Song and we enjoyed looking at this together and there were not inappropriate ads. I am wondering if there is a way for you to show just the videos without the advertisements being shown.
The Water Cycle Song would be a great video for me to use in my classroom right now. We are learning about weather.
I am not positive, but I believe You Tube is not allowed in my district. I know that we can not access Facebook accounts at school. We also have Deep Freeze on our computers so it erases anything we download every night.
The Water Cycle Song would be a great video for me to use in my classroom right now. We are learning about weather.
I am not positive, but I believe You Tube is not allowed in my district. I know that we can not access Facebook accounts at school. We also have Deep Freeze on our computers so it erases anything we download every night.
Thing 8 - The Next Day
I just opened up 23 Things to start the next assignment. I am frustrated because the pocket album that I made yesterday was pictured on my blog for Thing 8. Now today it is no longer pictured. I felt quite accomplished yesterday when I figured out how to put it in my post and it was there when I looked at my blog later in the day. Now there is just a box and when I click on it, nothing happens. What did I do wrong?
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