Love in the Library

A coach, a basketball player and the cheerleader

2012-01-31T12:34:00.002-06:00

This is basketball season and Elijah is loving it. Through a program called UPWARD, he is playing bball and Lydia, for the first time, is cheerleading. It's a cute, non-threatening, easy activity and she really enjoys it. Lanie, who is unable to do any of these things, but is dragged everywhere to "watch brother!" and "watch sister!" has to be content to echo the cheerleading moves she's taking in and wants ever so much to do. With that said, after school has become a time for Elijah to shoot hoops and recently, Lydia who I think is a great little athlete, has joined him. One afternoon, she worked like the devil to make a hoop, Elijah coaching her all the way, and Lanie, donning her TEXANS cheer uniform on and grabbing some unmatching pom poms - woo'ed her all the way. The hoop was way too high for her, but her tenacity amazed me. She never gave up. I shot over 20 different videos of her trying and the ONE time I put the phone down, she made it! We were all so excited, and bitter I missed the recording. But, I did get some video of this strange dynamic - my kids, all working together.

A short glimpse of our lives on Marathon Day

2012-01-24T11:49:00.001-06:00

I know I am a week late on this post but since I haven't posted since November, I'm doing pretty good to get this in as early as I am. But as a side note - I am going to try to blog more regularly - start with twice a week and then maybe, just maybe move up. Who knows?

But, this picture, if it seems senseless to you, is a pic of my 3 kiddoes the day before the marathon. There are in their best poses, wrapped in free marathon give-away bandanas to which Kenny and I had no idea how to tie, walking the halls of George R. Brown Convention Center, and ready to cheer dad on the next day.
And it was a day. Kenny ran the 1/2 marathon and after only a few days of training (after a bum knee issue), he did great. The weather was chilly and perfect "for the runners" but not so much for the spectator with three kids. I love races - I have always enjoyed watching them but it seems taking my 3 kids since they were little does have its share of "woe is me" moments. First of all, it's dark when I wake them up, even the "let's get donuts!" doesn't arouse them quickly enough. Once we are on our way, dropping glaze and spilling chocolate milk throughout the car, I always screw up with the directions. The GPS took me one way that wasn't planned. A couple of Argh moments, parking randomly, running down a street and we are there at the planned Westheimer and Montrose spot. Waiting, Waiting, Waiting -- here's a litany of what a stranger would hear standing by our crew.
"Where's dad? I'm cold. Hold me! Can we go? Where's dad? Is that him? Is that him? Is that him? I'm soo cold! You're standing on my sign. Did we miss him? I knew we'd miss him. Is that him? I think I see him. Mom, hold my sign. No, that's not him. Hold me! Mom, why won't you hold me, you've held Lanie this whole time. I want to go back to the car. I'm cold. Go runners! There's dad! I see him. I SEE HIM! Look! Look! YEA!! Hi daddy, bye daddy. Will he get first?"

And that's the end of that. The complaining anticipation changes the instant they get to see dad run by, give them high-fives and hugs and be on his way. And our journey wasn't over. Now it was a "let's go, let's go - don't want to miss the finish line!" Followed by the inevitable - "I have to go to the bathroom."

Again, I love marathons and our role as cheerleaders and despite the quiet thoughts that I have the harder job than the runner himself, it's creating a memory for the kids that cheering on those you love, no matter how cold or how long, is totally worth it.

All dressed up and waiting on daddy

2011-11-25T21:04:00.003-06:00

This great tree pic is before a wedding in Karnes City (where my dad's folks live) and right before we were going to see Kenny after an entire week of him in Haiti. So much excitement and really, for some reason, my kids love to take pictures by or in trees. I have trained them well, I guess. I love the look of each kid -- totally personifies that moment, and most moments in our house. Lydia is always ready to perform, Elijah trying to do the right thing but for some reason a sister always gets in his way, and Lanie, oh dear Lanie, always the trouble maker.

1 van, 10 hours, 3 kids, 5 states - precious time

2011-06-26T00:50:00.008-05:00

We got back from our ocean vacation weeks ago and before we prepare for our trip to see family in Nebraska and Oklahoma, I wanted to document the fun we had and the book I read.

Charlotte - dead; Racer the fish - you guessed it . . .

2011-05-23T21:25:00.001-05:00

If I'd taken a picture of Racer, Elijah's red glow fish he'd gotten for his 7th birthday, I'd post it here. But, I never thought that picture would be necessary. Of course now, that the fish has breathed his last, I wish I had. It is as of right now, sitting in kleenex inside a soap box. Elijah wrote on it: "Raser" "He is Dead". I think he's been to a lot of Lutheran church services - "He is Risen indeed, Alleluia!"
It was a sad moment or two or three. Elijah cried, his little sister who can't stand to see anyone upset, cried. He thought it was all his fault because he said he didn't always remember to feed him. He broke into nostalgia about how he loved to sit and watch the fish (it lit up in a blue light) and his friend, the yellow glow fish named "Chaser" swim around. It was terribly upsetting for him but as soon as he took a breath, he asked if we could go to Petsmart today to get a new one. So much for cherishing the life.
I think what impacted this little moment with my son, was just a few minutes before I got the shout out that the fish wasn't moving, we finished Charlotte's Web during out nighttime reading. I broke up when Charlotte died. If you haven't read it lately, see if you can get through this line: "Nobody, of the hundreds of people that had visited the Fair, knew that a grey spider had played the most important part of all. No one was with her when she died." Ugh - right to the heart. And Elijah kept asking, "are you crying, mom? Are you crying?" So, death was on his mind and he was given a great example as how to react to one.

Charlotte's Web is such a great story - and I'm so glad I have kids that give me an excuse to reread some great old novels that I haven't read in years, even if I do end up sucking down tears at the loss of a spider, or a fish.

M - i - crooked letter, crooked letter, i . . ..

2011-05-13T13:39:00.003-05:00

This is a pic that depicts our nighttime routine - each kid's face depicts their character and Kenny in the middle of it all - I love it.

I was reading my kids the children's book, If You're So Smart, Why Can't You Spell Mississippi the other night. I never know what books we'll bring home from the library. We rush in - all 4 of us - everyone grabs 5-10 books each, I take Lanie to the bathroom at least 3 times, and Lydia plays with some of the toys until I finally heave the books onto my shoulder and make it to the check-out desk. We get home with our hoard, and at night divide up Lanie's books and put them in her room and then, the moment I relish. I LOVE to lay all the new books out, ones I didn't even know got put in the bag, and have them each choose 1 or 2 to read. It seems the older they get, the longer the stories are, the longer bedtime is drawn out - but that's another story.

So, I grab this one and read it and it's about a girl who can't believe her very smart dad can't spell Mississippi. Come to find out, it's a book about dyslexia. This brought on all kinds of questions. "Do you have dyslexia, mom?" "Do I?" "I have 170 AR points mom, I'm a good reader." "I can spell Mississippi without looking" This of course, let me to tell them the "cool" way to spell it - but then, "what's a crooked letter?" "Why is it a humpback?"

The girl in the story goes to the library (love the plug!) and talks to her dear librarian about finding a book about famous people who had dyslexia. As she goes through the very long list, she comes up one this quote from William James . . .

"Do every day or two something for no other reason that its difficulty."

I love it. I had to think about the quote for a while. I took the book to my desk and laid it there so I could. I don't have any experience with dyslexia, except for teaching a few kids who had dealt with it. I wondered - How often do I fail at doing things for their difficulty? How easy to become lazy and do just enough of what you know. But then, Elijah called me name in that "mommmmmeeeee" voice "I caaaannnnn'tttt ssslllleeeeeepppp" and I trudged myself back in the room ready to be bombarded with his a million questions a night. And while I'm not scaling walls, building bridges, or even attempting the difficult level of Suduko, being a parent provides all kinds of "difficult" choices, just because they know doing the difficult thing (for me, stopping my homework in the midst of a lesson, answering my son's questions without being angry, rubbing his back while balancing on the edge of the bunkbed, and singing a sweet song) is a blessing.

"Never hurry, never worry" - Charlotte

2011-05-10T22:01:00.002-05:00

I have been reading Charlotte's Web to Elijah and Lydia at night. Lydia is listening, but gets bored a little. Elijah is listening, and waiting for a black and white picture to appear. Lydia stops me and asks me to define every other word. Elijah stops me to ask if Wilbur will die? Will Charlotte die? and then peaks in the back of the book before I can swipe it away from him.
I love the story - it's so smart and I've totally forgotten all about it until a friend of mine mentioned she and her children were reading it. The chapter we read tonight has my favorite quote in it. Charlotte told Wilbur, "never hurry, never worry" as he fretted over whether Mr. Zuckerman would kill him or not. Charlotte has a plan.

A connection to faith?? I think so. God's plan, His Will - never hurry, never worry.

"For I know the plans I have for you. Plans not to harm you but give you a hope and a future." Loosely translating Jeremiah 29:11

Little Lydia now 5

2011-05-10T00:20:00.003-05:00

My little girl is 5 today - well in just a couple of hours. All of my children were born in the middle of the night 1:37am, 3:03am, and 4:01am. We don't know any other way. It's always strange to us when couples go to the hospital during daylight hours and have a baby the same day. But what memories of the evening we went to the hospital with all three of them. With Lydia, we were sitting at Bible study on a Tuesday night and I was watching the clock and counting possible contractions. Just to be safe, we sent Elijah to our friends' house (his first sleepover) and we went to the hospital prepared to come home. But - We stayed, and waited and watched the contractions on the printout (my husband's favorite job), chatted with friends who came to support us, and we watched the Astros lose a game. And then finally it was time -- not a lot of labor, but enough to wonder why I was doing it again. When the doctor told me it was a girl - I was shocked. I didn't think God would give me a girl. I thought I was more of a boys' mom. Little did I know, another girl would soon come after, but at that very special moment, and coming off a botched epidural, I cried my joy out loud. God had entrusted me, me, with this tiny, little girl. Amazing.

Losing the battle - but just for now

2011-05-09T23:55:00.000-05:00

I have been in the thick of, well if you call updating my resume and filling out 4 applications at different school districts in the Houston area, in the thick of it - well I am searching for a part time library position. I have been emailing old professors, mentors, and have even emailed people I don't know that I've met through the Texas Library Listserv. I still have a class this summer - Research Design - and then, truly, I'm done. I'm tired of school. It's been 5 long years -- would have been 4 -- but I added 4 extra classes on, and I'm ready to be done. I would like to find a position, part-time for the school year since I'll be home with Lanie 3 days, but ready to work the other two. It's not looking good. Here's the email I got back from a mentor ----
Hi Jennifer, Right now, I am sure you have found this out, jobs in a school district are at a premium. There isn’t much part-time at all. We had one part time library position but it was cut. I will keep my eyes and ears open for something. I am sorry.

I am disheartened that something I love - that libraries - are losing the battle. It's not just about books - it's about teaching kids how to be life-long learners, how to be savvy researchers, how to use current web tools, and so much more. And yes, it's still about reading and loving how a character, a setting, a plot, a word - can move you. It's still about that.

Which reader are you?

2011-01-15T22:16:00.009-06:00

I've always been an advocate for the written, well physically published in a library-binded book, kind of person. This Christmas, I got a Kindle and I can't believe how quickly I have adapted to reading via computer screen. I've always been caught between loving tradition, and secretly desiring the new. Now, with technology as mainstream as it is, in so many aspects of my life, I am having to take a step back and gain perspective. I am a librarian, without a job, but I have the love of reading that any librarian has, and I've come to terms with . . . as long as we're reading, I guess I don't care the format. It's like a church service - some prefer drums and hands in the air while others move more toward quiet, liturgical chants and traditional hymns. The Holy Spirit is present at both. And whether I'm bending back a book in my bed, or clicking on a light on my kindle -- I'm still reading,

and isn't that the point.

Ward Christmas 2010

2010-12-20T15:26:00.001-06:00

Check out the EXTENDED (4:05) WARD FAMILY CHRISTMAS CARD VIDEO --

Have a blessed, peaceful Merry Christmas!

Ward Christmas 2010

Ward Christmas Card 2010

2010-12-12T21:37:00.002-06:00

Top Ten Moments Christmas Card

For hundreds of Christmas card designs, click here.

View the entire collection of cards.

Thing #23 - THE END, for now

2009-11-30T21:18:00.003-06:00

1. Favorite discoveries/exercises? I have taken a great deal away from many of the exercises but my top 3 are Photo Story, Wikis, and Delicious. These three are at the top of my list because I have begun to use them outside of my assignments and it is rewarding.
2. How has this program assisted life-long learning goals? How could it not? I came in with a small amount of knowledge and no real desire to learn web 2.0 and have come out on the other end more aware of how the tools can lift up what I will be able to do in the library and in the classroom. It has shifted my entire way of thinking about how libraries can play a role in the life of the school.
3. Any take-aways or unexpected outcomes? Yes, many times, yes. I don't know anyone who wasn't surprised by the amount that they were able to take away be it a way to create a power-point slide with narration and music and pics to creating an avatar for the first time (just in time for the new movie - AVATAR!) I didn't expect to love this program so much that I went directly to my principal with it.
4. Improvements? One of the first notices to be made when starting this program is to open up a new document to keep all of the logins and usernames in one place. I didn't realize there would be so many so I didn't write them all down, certain I would remember. When I didn't - I had to start over with new passwords. Very important.
5. Would I choose to participate in more? Absolutely - if I had the time. It was quite time-consuming. I'm glad to have been "made" to do it. I would like to learn about other tools and would hope to make the time for it. On my own though, I'm afraid it would take me much longer, I'm certain.
6. One Word -- Addictive!

Thing #22 - Nings

2009-11-29T21:39:00.003-06:00

For this thing, I took a look at the Teacher Librarian and Texas Librarian Nings - they remind me a lot of the information I get subscribing to TLA emails. There is a lot of good information to be found at these sites. Nings are newer but they seem to be picking up members and I like the idea of creating a place for an academic purpose that isn't MySpace or Facebook. Besides using it for personal reasons, a Ning could be used for direct instruction or indirect instruction. Indirectly, I would like to see a network created for a specific classroom so that students can discuss assignments in a safe place where the teacher has input. Directly, a library ning could be available for all students for book discussions, project discussions and for students to have a place to create their own blogs. I'm still learning about this so I'm sure there are many other capabilities.

Thing #21 - Podcasts and Vidcasts

2009-11-28T21:15:00.003-06:00

This was my first time to use Photostory and it was certainly an experience. Every step I encountered some problem with installation slowness or incorrect format, etc. But the project is complete and I am so glad to have learned it. I think I can tuck about four more bits of know-how under my cap. And now, I'm afraid, I'll use this bit of technology for every memorable event - for example, when our senior class graduates, the journalism department puts a slide-show together of each senior. Before, it was picture and music, but with the ability to add narrative, that could really change what they are able to capture with voice-overs over the pictures. I'm glad that so many options for using podcasts and vidcasts in the classroom have been provided - that makes them easier to promote.

Thing #20 - Teacher Tube & You Tube

2009-11-20T15:24:00.006-06:00

Teacher Tube Video: Sock Monkeys Do the Dewey System by Wittmannt

Videos are always useful in education. Having a video is never THE reason to present the material but it can certainly jazz up a topic you are teaching. Just watching the Common Craft guys, I've gotten a lot more interested in the web 2.0 tools then if I'd only read about them. It piques my interest more when there is video programming to go along with the learning and it seems to stay in my head longer. I used a Dewey Decimal video for my teacher-tube video - it's cute. A class put it together to explain the divisions of the system. When I searched You Tube for libraries - the topics were endless - libraries 2.0, library fun, libraries funny - and on and on. Blocking the ability to receive online videos would be a shame. I am not in a school now to know how wide-spread the blocking of youtube is but I would hope that the administration could be convinced to include it for teachers.

Thing #19 - Web 2.0 Awards

2009-11-19T18:13:00.004-06:00

I'm really glad to have this list of award-winning tools. It helped bring all the categories of web tools into one place. I took some time and looked through Medix and Galaxilla.
For my own health purposes, I enjoyed using Medix and asking questions about illnesses. It has a support center with many different support groups you can join along with a place to ask a doctor a question or the general public. It was a lot like WebMD but it seemed more user-friendly. For schools, it would nice to have it available for students who are researching or just for personal use. It has a widget that allows you to create a search screen on a library homepage, for example. You need to be 13 or older to use it so it would only be good for high school age. I taught speech to 12th graders for a number of years and many of their chosen topics included health issues. While databases are wonderful, it would be nice to have this resource as well.
I also looked through Galaxilla which is a science fiction and fantasy site that allows you to build an online fantasy world where you can edit solar systems and even write your own science fiction or fantasy stories. Our 9th grade teaches The Hobbit and there are many other sci-fi and fantasy books that are studied in our school. It would be a creative addition to introduce this to the students who enjoy writing in this style. It would also be a fun lesson to include in an astronomy course since one of the features is to buy your own star and name it.
~ Photo courtesy of Jim Linwood, Flickr.com

Thing #18 - Online Productivity Tools

2009-11-19T13:48:00.005-06:00

I tried using Google Docs to collaborate with classmates on our final project. It reminds me of a wiki and I wonder what differences there are. I haven't gone further in a wiki then just creating a document so maybe wikis have more capabilities. I do like Google Docs and they are free. I struggled with creating a table because the program does not let you create like Word does - I did find that a barrier. OpenOffice.org was new to me and I'm impressed by the FREE part. I also am always a bit giddy about anything that looks new. From what I saw, there were many templates (I used the calendar) and creating a document was really simple. They seem to use more icons in place of words that are used in Word. I'm not a superstar at any specific word program so I couldn't tell if there were many more significant differences but I did enjoy using it.

Thing #17 - Rollyo

2009-11-17T12:31:00.008-06:00

It took me way to long to understand something that seems so simple. I finally figured out how to make the link - I think I just bypassed that part in the video. But overall, it is a good site for teachers/librarians if they are prepared for the research they want their kids to do. I always gave a research paper where the student had to choose a historical movie and research the real events and compare the two. This would be a difficult project to use rollyo since there are so many varied sites, but there could be some general sites used. I created a search for Houston Food and Fun, since I'm always trying to find new and different things to do around town. I like the site though it was terribly slow; loading pages took much longer than other websites.

- Ferris Wheel pic courtesy of Flickr by Dave G. Kelly -

Think #16 - Wikis

2009-11-16T21:04:00.006-06:00

Sandbox photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons, by Sula - I've been waiting for this THING since we had our first group assignment that used a form of technology and was introduced to using wikis in the class. At first, I only understood a simple way to use them - make lists between friends - which I've done twice now. But after reading so many of the example wikis from Library2play, I've seen how there is a way to use them in the classroom. I really enjoyed the 10th grade literacy circle wiki since I taught 10th grade English for so long. I really connected to the short stories in the wiki, the way the questions were asked and the responses the kids made. I even went on to read about Mr. Morris, his class blog and again was hit over the head with ways to use a blog in an English classroom. I was just so impressed and a bit jealous that I'm not in the classroom right now to start implementing these ideas. I love the list of ideas as well at the end of Thing #16 about how to use the wiki - I never thought of using it for note-taking - so clever. I'd like to see how the boundaries for the students are set up, how they are taught how to use the wiki correctly. I'm sure it takes a bit of education. I also see the wiki being used for a poetry unit. I can't imagine the rules to it right now, but I can imagine the creativity that would come from collaborative poetry. It's just like the game I used to play when I taught 6th graders and gave the first person a sentence and they had to add another sentence, and each person did the same until the story ends with the last person. There really are some clever things that could be done with a wiki - now, to get my self back in a school.

Thing #15 - Web 2.0, Library 2.0 and the future of libraries

2009-10-31T13:37:00.007-05:00

After watching the video, my first response - chilling. I realize that the students are trying to make a point about where they spend their time and how education doesn't meet their needs today, but since I am of an older model, I was also frustrated with the laziness of not reading their text book, not coming to class, etc. I recognize that educators must be a part of the changing social networked world, but aren't college students still responsible for doing their part?
I was very interested in the articles and read them all. What seemed to be an overall opinion was that we need to create a user-centric service. I really liked Michael Stephens phraseology "The Library is human" and Wendy Schulz' saying about libraries: "They are conversations." And I guess that's where I stand in the discussion. I love what I am learning in 2.0 tools and see how they can benefit school libraries. But I feel it is important not to get overwhelmed by the fear that we're doing everything wrong (like the video seems to point out), as if students are unable to learn using a white board. I want to think that when I do become a librarian I will work to make the physical and virtual library "human" and a "conversation" where learning freely takes place and to give credit to the video - where I check myself and the educators around me to make sure we are doing all we can to meet the students where they are.

Picture by Lavern Kelley http://www.flickr.com/photos/nostri-imago/2872099576/

I bounced around David Warlick's blog and found this essay - it's good.
David Warlick's article

Thing #14 - Technorati

2009-10-23T12:29:00.003-05:00

I had a little trouble with Technorati. Everytime I was on for a bit, it timed out and had problems loading. I did look for blog post and found 23 on school library learning. There were zero in the blog directory and I had a hard time doing a search for tags. I went to the tag section and school library science 2.0 wasn't a choice. When it doesn't boot me off every few minutes, I will try again.

I think I've mentioned before that Technorati can be of great assistance to anyone on a search for a specific topic, someone who wants not just specific articles for research but recent opinions on any given thing. For me to just browse technorati, I get a little overwhelmed but I think with a purpose, I would find it quite useful. This goes for the tags as well. There is great value in organizing your finds. I've always had a messy list of saved items and while it was nice to have it all in one place, it saves time to have all of your finds tagged for further use. It is truly a time-saver for any profession that searches, saves, shares information, and what profession doesn't do that?

Thing #13 - Delicious

2009-10-23T12:05:00.002-05:00

Before I could understand delicious, I had to learn about bookmarks. I love the Common Craft guys who do such a good and simple job of explaining what could become very complicated things. I am most excited about delicious because it enables me to look at my bookmarks anywhere, that is if I can remember my login information - I have so many to keep straight.
Delicious is useful for so many things. I taught an advanced writing class at UHCL last semester and I had so many sites that I went to for both planning my syllabus and creating links for my class to go to on webct - how helpful to have this program then. I did use my internet explorer bookmarks but they weren't as extensive as delicious. It's a great organizer tool and a way to share resources without having to copy and paste articles in an email. The only hurdle will be getting the people you want to share with to join the program and get into delicious as well. The list of social bookmarking sites was long - top 20 - that I like just being given one good one and sticking with it. Delicious will be mine. I'm glad to have been directed to it.

Thing #12 - Commenting

2009-10-23T10:17:00.002-05:00

For someone who didn't read blogs before this class, I've had a lot of reading to add to my daily routine. I've enjoyed it, but searching for the things that I like has taken time and trial and error. I was at first overwhelmed by the amount of articles that were spread across my page, but once I realized it's okay to delete or ignore, life has been less stressful.

Now, about commenting - I really enjoyed the information on Darth Commenter - just to succeed in life, this is a good tip. I liked the information on how to criticize kindly when trying to counter an opinion - it's simple but a good reminder. I also agree with interacting with comments that are left on your blog. I know for some who have high membership this must be hard. But to validate someone's comment - that will open up even more readership.
I went out of my comfort zone to comment on blogs - I'm a stalker reader. But I found one to respond to through his comment to a librarian site on why we shouldn't be just observers. I liked what he said that sometimes, some people need time to process what they've read and don't comment on a blog right away. Then, after the information percolates, they're ready to discuss, but often the blogger has moved on to something else. I appreciated his comment so I found his blog which was not highly read, and read a few articles and found one to respond to. It was a joy to do this and let him know that I found him and agreed with him. The other blog was a writer that I like and was drawn to a quote he posted. I feel like I searched for good, meaningful comments and genuinely responded - like any good blogger would do :-) I'm on my way.

Thing #11: Library Thing

2009-10-13T12:07:00.004-05:00

I've been on many a book sites and tried to keep up, but I think it's about timing. I have to be at the right place at the right time to want to be a part of, in essence, a book club. As I mentioned on my profile in Library Thing, I am a bibliophile without the time to read. I am going to try this time around to keep up with my books and jump on blogs to see how others are reading and what they are reading. I did find the ease of this site wonderful. I put about 15 or 20 books in my catalog already and joined 3 groups. It's hard to decide what to spend time reading - novels or blogs - both can be informative and entertaining. I think finding the balance between all of this - reading for pleasure, reading for information, reading for professional edification, reading for faith-building, reading for others - is the goal for all of us and I suppose I'd read any blog of a person who figured this out. :-)
This tool will be useful for me mainly because in the past 10 years my reading has slowed down, though I keep buying books and they are stacked up or lost in a bookshelf somewhere. I have been wanting to create a list of books I have that I haven't read and prioritize them. Having something like this that will provide others' opinions and reviews will help with this task. It is a fantastic site - I'm glad so many people are finding it and using it.

2009-10-09T22:26:00.001-05:00

ImageChef.com Poetry Blender

Thing #10 - Image Generators

2009-10-08T13:42:00.020-05:00

This phase of the THINGS was much more relaxing then the last. While I am not the quippiest person around and stare at cartoons that urge me to write "YOUR TEXT HERE", I'll give it a try. Airplane the movie, always makes me smile. I worked in ComicStripGenerator and enjoyed the wide variety of images that they had to create a single comic. I also figured out how to create moving text and posted it directly to the blog. That was new for me.

I had the most fun at ImageChef - The kid pics and football jersey for my son's 6th birthday party are all created from that site. At BigHugeLabs, I ordered a picture puzzle for my dad for Christmas. So, all in all - I got a lot done while still working. I love it.

I was really impressed with Wordle and intriuqed by Glogster. I can see English teachers creating very unique presentation assignments with both of them. The image generators are always good to have bookmarked for any handout, newsletter, power point, blog, web page, etc. that a librarian may need to create. Images always increase readability. I will caution though, that too many images can be overwhelming. Children today are used to the busyness of images on a screen, but that doesn't make it right to overload them with images just because it's what they are used to. The images need to be chosen wisely.

Thing #9: LIbrary-related blogs and RSS News Feeds

2009-10-06T13:34:00.003-05:00

I will be honest, I struggled getting through all of this information. I am overwhelmed with the many, many ways to get information. I'd much prefer a top 3 - no more. I'm actually still trying to figure out how to get my RSS feeds to go directly to my Google Reader if I'm not already in Google Reader - if anyone knows, please help me.
Which takes me to the useful feeds. I did really enjoy going through some Edublogs Award Winners. I got stuck on Blue Skunk Blog and wanted to add it but it ended up in a favorites section on my Internet Explorer. I think that I get stuck when I'm told to search for blogs because I'm never sure what I want to find. I think that my simplicity craves a way for the blog searches to find the best blog that meets my demands instead of included feeds of all kinds that simply have the topic in its tags.
I promise not to keep complaining because I really enjoy learning about these avenues of information, but everything takes time. I think the easiest search tool for me was Technorati - I liked the format, the color and the way you could search the blogosphere quite easily. If you wanted news, entertainment or wanted to know the top 100 of anything, it was all here. I least liked Syndic8 - it was lines and lines of information, little graphic and I don't feel it pertained to what I was looking for. THe most random thing I found was on Topix where you can add your own news. Amazing. You can add, edit and post an original story, add a story you found on the web, or turn a comment into a story. I liked Topix and the way you could change the front page information to your city and everything you ever wanted to know was there. Very cool.

Thing #8 - RSS Feeds

2009-09-17T23:20:00.002-05:00

Getting into Google Reader was a rough experience. I had trouble finding the right blogs - many weren't coming up even when I copy/pasted the URL and when I realized this, it took a while at looking at HELP sections and then asking my husband to look at it with a new eye - how to delete both folders and subscriptions. It was all there - but hidden to me. Now, I understand it better and the idea of Google Reader is wonderful if you like a lot of information all at once. Yes, it helps with click time but for me - it's information overload. I could spend hours reading news and entertainment; hours I don't have. But for educational purposes, I see the benefits. It's a lot like the Google Alerts in that all of the information is provided without having to go search for it. Because you are able to share your information, I see this working nicely in the classroom. If the teacher has the email address of every student or if the teacher has a blog set up - this would be an easy way to send the article to every student with the expectation that it would be read or listened to. The same would work for a librarian who stays updated on department issues and sends interesting blogs/pods to fellow faculty. A specific newsfeed would also work well on a library homepage. If every student had their own IGoogle homepage, it would work well that for a requirement, every student had to be a part of Google Reader including curriculum-driven feeds and hopefully a community of sharing and commenting would arise. All in theory - I would have to see how it works in the classroom.

Thing #7 - Cool Tools from Google

2009-09-15T13:33:00.003-05:00

I have spent so much time searching through these tools that I finally had to make myself stop and begin writing this post. I went through Alerts and now email alerts being sent to me along with a calendar of birthdays I need to remember. But what I really took the most time with is my IGoogle Homepage. It was as much fun as putting together the blog. I've always used the default for any homepage, so I really enjoyed learning about all of the gadgets. I'm still trying to figure out how to attach a link to my blog on my IGoogle page. I originally linked my webpage to my blog then realized that isn't a smart idea when my email account is wide open if anyone were to click onto it. I'm definitely still learning what to and what not to link together. As for educational purposes, the alert would be great for English or History students who are researching anything current and doing a paper or project on it to find quick information. Or if a teacher asked a librarian to find current articles/blogs/videos on a specific topic, it would be a nice way to compile them. I wish I'd have had this while my students were writing their research papers. The calendar would be great to have on a library homepage with current events popping up and Google Scholar is a great tool to teach to students along with the online periodicals although I often have a hard time penning down the actual article. I agree with the "23" directions and I would have each student create their own IGoogle homepage asking for specific gadgets to be added in which all of the students can become a community. I envision assignments that call for discussion via IMing or chatting. The possibilities seem endless.

Thing #6 - Mashups

2009-09-14T19:39:00.003-05:00

I got a big kick out of the mashups - not only can you put your pictures up for all to see, but these apps have ways to organize them, connect them to other pics, and create random but wonderful gifts with them. I really liked Flickr Postcard Browser that lets you browse databases by searching specific tags and putting them in a postcard type format. I was hooked on the FD Flickr Toys and the customized jigsaw puzzles you can make out of your own pics - now I have Christmas ideas.
I created a trading card for my son and his first baseball at an Astros game - this was fun. I looked through several of the library trading cards and they were humorous, but I'm still trying to determine how I would use it with my own library. You could create a more informative one - with library info and have it connected to your webpage, or it could be printed out as a trading card and posted around the library for students to find quick info they may need. I'm sure there are better ideas out there than this for using it; I'll check what others have said.

Thing #5 - Flickr Discovery

2009-09-08T14:07:00.006-05:00

"Sophisticated ... I'm so sophisticated." - Daisy, The Great Gatsby

This picture is from Lauren Nelson, taken from Flickr, a wonderful site. I liked the flapper look and it fits nicely with The Great Gatsby unit I used to teach.

What I found most impressive was the opportunities for using Flickr in libraries. I liked the idea of taking 365 pics in a year to demonstrate to the community, your school, the administrators what really goes on in the library. I also think as an English teacher, I could have used this site when my students were making their books using magazines, drawn pictures, photos, etc. I can see many a lesson plans using this site. Of course, the education of copyright and what type of photos were appropriate would come first.

Thing #3 - Write about creating blog and avatar

2009-09-06T23:27:00.006-05:00

What a frustrating few days this has been trying to get the avatar to appear. I have been working off and on this and finally, with the help of some of the posts from this summer about getting their avatar to work - I was able to download avatar to My Pictures and then post it that way in the blog. I'd like to know what I was doing wrong - but at least it's working now.

One of the questions for this post is whether or not we have read other blogs. I have mostly been looking through the formats of other blogs but have read a few entries. My only question is, after this assignment is complete - does anyone continue to use this blog and delete the Things, Journal about everyday matters from the day the project is finished, or create an entirely new blog?

Thing #2 - Life-long learner habits

2009-09-04T13:59:00.004-05:00

Wow - I've already been challenged. I am excited about this concept of life-long learning because I've seen so many of my elders forget this concept and have given up on learning and grown used to being a tv vegetable. After watching the presentation, I feel that like most other people, I have a difficult time seeing a challenge for what it is - an opportunity to grow. When I make some error, I flame up with frustration that I have to take time out to learn how to fix it, instead of taking the situation as a chance to learn something new. The habit that I found easiest is #1 - I always have a goal in mind - an end to the situation. That's why I write numerous lists and diligently check them off.

I think that if I can take a deep breath and be aware that learning new technological tools will take time, I can meet the goal - finishing all 23 things without losing my mind and using it beyond this course.