Web 2.0 and Library 2.0: What Librarians Need to Know

One important chapter that we have read this semester is in Courtney. The first chapter Web 2.0 and Library 2.0: What Librarians Need to Know by Elizabeth L. Black, does a great job of defining what Web 2.0 actually is. We are introduced to Tim O’Reilly who is credited with coining the term “Web 2.0” states that “Web 2.0 is the network as a platform, spanning all connected devices; Web 2.0 applications are those that make the most of the intrinsic advantages of that platform: delivering software as a continually-updated services that gets better the more people use it, consuming and remixing data from multiple sources, including individual users, while providing their own data and services in a form that allows remixing by others, creating network effects through an architecture of participation” and going beyond the page metaphor of Web 1.0 to deliver rich user experiences”(p2).

O’Reilly gives us seven principles of Web 2.0. These principals are the web as a platform, harnessing collective intelligence, data is the next Intel inside, the end of the software release cycle, lightweight programming model, software above the level of a single device and a rich user experience.

Examples of Web 2.0 include blogging, wikis, tagging, social networking, library thing, and mashups.

Black, E. L. (2007). Web 2.0 and library 2.0: What librarians need to know. In Courtney, N., Library 2.0 and beyond: Innovative technologies and tomorrow’s user (1-14). Westport, Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited.

Hardware for Educators

The most useful chapter that I read this semester was Shelly's Hardware for Educators. While I believe myself to be very technologically savey, I did not have a basic understanding of hardware. I can manipulate software programs, and I can, with time, figure out and implement Web 2.0 such as voki, twitter, etc. I could not however, explain what a byte was, identify the system unit, or have any basic understanding of the difference between memory and RAM. In fact this has been very embarrassing to me at times, when I have called or talked to someone about issues with my computer, and have problems interpreting the language that the truly technological are using.

Now, based on the reading of this chapter, I can tell you that a byte is a basic unit of storage of memory, and a terabtye is 1 trillion bytes. The system unit is in different parts of a computer, depending on what type you have (its purpose is to house the electronic components of a computer). I understand that a processor is the same thing as the central processing unit. Memory is used to store data and information while RAM (or Random Access Memory) is found in some memory chips. RAM is important, because the more RAM you have, the more programs you can run at one time.

This chapter filled in many gaps that I had in my knowledge of computers.

Shelly, G. B., Cashman T. J., Gunter, R. E., & Gunter, G. A. (2008). Hardware for Educators. In (5th ed.), Teachers discovering computers: Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom (201-249). Boston: Course Technology Cengage Learning.

Last Week!

I always like to find lesson plans that I can implement. I will be talking to my school librarian this week in order to find a book that I can use in order to implement the following idea. I like the idea of the pizza. Its visual, which can help many of my students with learning disabilities.

Questions
1. What one thing did you learn, and what will you do differently as a result?

I have really become more interested in the different types of technologies that are available to persons with disabilities. I had no idea that there were so many assistive technologies that come in so many different price ranges, and different levels of applicability. This will lead me to think differently about how to meet the needs of students with disabilities in my classroom.

2. Do you plan to recommend this tutorial? If so, please elaborate.

I will recommend this tutorial to the special educators at my school. I also already sent the link to the technology specialist at my school.

3. Do you plan to read or recommend some of the Recommended Reading books or add them to your collection? Will you link our LibraryThing list to your blog? If you have a book recommendation or have read one of the books that does not include a review, please send us your own review so we can share it.

It was interesting to see the book list. I have read a few of the books already on the list including A Child Called It, Flowers for Algernon and The Giver. I will definitely check a few of them out over winter vacation in order to expand my reading repertoire! I have placed the link on my blog.

#4

I was unable to invite someone into my classroom to teach my class, but I did find a video on United Streaming called “skills for healthy living: Dealing with disabilities” This is a good way to introduce diversity into a classroom. It even includes a section about relating to peers with disabilities.

My “Local” Center

The disability Resource Center
409 Progress Street
Fredericksburg, VA

www.cildrc.org

The dRC is one of 16 Centers for Independent Living in Virginia providing four core services:
• Independent Living Skills Training • Peer Counseling
• Information and Referral • Advocacy
Additional services include:
• Deaf and Hard of Hearing • Benefits Assistance
• TAPLoan program • Seminars
• Work Incentive assistance for Social Security beneficiaries who want to work • No Cost recycled durable medical equipment
• Children and Youth Services • Support Groups
• Community Action Specialists • Workshops
• Personal Assistance Service Facilitation • Nursing Home transition assistance
Free, confidential services are provided regardless of disability or age



5 Useful Websites

http://assistivetek.blogspot.com/

Blog on the topic of assistive technology, eLearning, mind mapping, project management, visual learning, collaborative tools, and educational technology

http://www.assistivetechnologies.com/

Website which reviews assistive technologies that are available for all types of learning disabilities. You can also purchase the technologies from this site.

http://www.microsoft.com/enable/at/types.aspx

Outlines the types of assistive technologies that are available from Microsoft. The site. provides demos and tutorials of the technologies.

http://www.familyvillage.wisc.edu/education/At.html

This site provides many websites that provide helpful information for families and students affected with a disability.

http://equalitytechnology.org/

“We are an informational site whose mission is to promote uniting the disabled with adapted computers through the use of assistive technology devices. Disability - articles, short stories, and link exchange; links to assistive technology computer furniture, software, and input/output devices; computer therapy; nursing home realities; message board; news; links; and resources”. Equality Technology

Module #3 Software

icommunicator is a really cool software package that can be used by deaf or hard of hearing students. It is pretty impressive that an educator can speak into an amplifying devise, which will in turn translate the words into text AND the words into video sign language. Having this type of technology would keep all persons with a hearing disability able to communicate with anyone they run into in the world.

Dragon NaturallySpeaking also had an interesting demonstration of a voice recognition program for students or persons who have difficulties typing.

Performance Statement: Assistive Technology Software

Sarah J. Gobe

Inspiration

Inspiration Software, Inc.

Dimension/Task	Unacceptable (1 pt.)	Acceptable (2 pts.)	Exceeds Expectations (3 pts.)
Price		$69
Features			-organization -graphic organizers -concept maps
Good Things			-assists students with organization -assists students with writing -kid friendly
Not So Good Things		-requires extensive preparation for teacher - extensive training needed for students

Total Points: 10 Points/12 Points

Kurzweil 3000

Kurzweil Education Systems

Dimension/Task	Unacceptable (1 pt.)	Acceptable (2 pts.)	Exceeds Expectations (3 pts.)
Price	$1,495.00
Features			- Easily use Kurzweil 3000 at home or on other non-school computers. - Save files and user settings — saving files on the USB flash drive enables students to have ready access to their important files regardless of what computer they are using. (from site)
Good Things			-Reads to students -word prediction -can use on word documents -can leave speech bubbles can be used on the web
Not So Good Things		-distracting to students -extensive training for students needed

Total Points: 9/12

Module #2

Assistive Technology Hardware Solutions

Through the reading and activities this week, I have been able to find many hardware technologies that are useful for a classroom and library environment. I have become aquainted with many technologies that are easily available for educators including talking calculators, oversized keyboards and computer aided note taking devises.

In order to implement technological accommodations to students with a visual impairments, I could use technologies such as a hi-rez monitor, glare guard, or oversized monitor.

In order to implement technological accommodations to students with an auditory impairment, I could use a computer aided note taking devise, amplified hearing devises or a personal translator.

In order to implement technological accommodations to students with attention difficulty, I could use various technologies such as white noise generators, oversized monitors, task organization software and interactive white boards.

Discovering Assistive Technology Module 1

Types of Disabilities and Accommodations

I checked out the website for the National Federation of the Blind. It was interesting to me to think about how I would adjust my classroom if I were educating a blind student. I have taught hard of hearing students, and had to adjust my teaching style for them, but I would struggle to make the accommodations necessary for blind students. The NFB would be a great resource for teachers. It provides information from a list of recommended toys, to newspapers, to training programs to meet the needs of blind students.

I found the Job Accommodations Network interesting. You can search the site by disability or by topic, and they provide a list of recommended accommodations for persons in the workplace. Of particular interest to me, is that they had pregnancy on the list of disabilities!

I finally checked out the National Center for Learning Disabilities, which I think is a great resource for inclusion teachers. I am dual certified, and was still able to find interesting information from effective teaching practices to hints on monitoring student progress. Great resource!

Thing #23

Through 23 things, I have been exposed to many new types of technology that will apply to me in my teaching and library careers. My favorite finds were Google Reader,Voki, RollyO, and Zoho. I wish that there was a second step to this program that I could pursue independently. It is a great way to stay in touch with new technologies that are available to librarians and educators. I have shared the course with many friends and family, and hope that they find the things as useful as I have.

Thing 22 Audio Books

I found http://worldebookfair.org a bit hard to navigate, but a great resource for libraries and teachers. Being able to find FREE books online, opens a whole new world of resources.

I wanted to share another site that I use often in my classroom http://storylineonline.net/ My students look being able to hear books read by actors, and it gets them extra excited about what they are reading.

Thing #21 Podcasts

I love podcasts! I spend many hours of my life in a car driving, and so podcasts are a great way for me to spend my time. I love being able to find podcasts based on my current interests, and being able to get that information on my "free" time.

I found some podcasts that I haven't listened to before. They are SMARTBoard Lessons Podcast. This is perfect for me as an educator, because they talk about many of the resources I have in my classroom: smartboards, clickers, computers, etc.

It was very easy to place this podcast into Google Reader.

Thing #20 You Tube

You Tube is a resource that can be used for various purpose included how to do certain activities, catching up on current news and issues, and of course, for entertainment purposes. I tried searching for Conan the Librarian, and then found myself distracted watching Weird Al videos.

I posted an episode of Mr. Bean, as he goes to the library. :) It seemed appropriate for the class.

Thing #19 Library Thing

Library Thing is a nice place to get information on books that you like, or are concidering reading. It has reviews, shows popular books, and can give you valuable information on the books you are interested in purchasing or reading. It also provides a nice list of recommended books based on the books you are looking at.

http://www.librarything.com/catalog/sarahgobe

Thing #18

Webquest

https://exchange.ccboe.com/exchange/sgobe/Inbox/No%20Subject-2055.EML/ancient%20greece.htm/C58EA28C-18C0-4a97-9AF2-036E93DDAFB3/ancient%20greece.htm?attach=1


I worked with a social studies 6th grade teacher in order to create my webquest. It focuses on Ancient Greece, and helps students to come to their own conclusions about the similarities and differences between Athens and Sparta.

Thing #17 Sandbox Wiki

In 4th grade we spend a lot of time writing Brief constructed responses. With Wiki's, I could have students go on, and fix a poor BCR, or add to each others. With this type of online collaberation, students could work together in order to create a group final project.

Thing #16

Wiki

I have had some experiences with wiki's before, and I think that they are particularly useful for the classroom and library settings. They can be used to have students or patrons discuss different topics, books, or make recommendations to each other. It allows everyone to have a say, and say what they would like to say in an arena that is dedicated to a particular topic.

My school is doing a book study currently, and made a wiki for the discussions. I think that this was a very good use of a wiki, because anyone and everyone can go in and post their thoughts, or create new discussions based on the book.

The nice part about Wiki's is that everyone can participate, which differs from blogs, where there is one participant, while others can comment.

Thing #15 Copyright.

Copyright is a great topic for all librarians and educators. The more I learn about it however, the more I feel that I know nothing about it. I'm always nervous when I make copies, or scan an image for my class that I am breaking some copyright law.

I loved the Did you Know 4.0 video! I enjoyed it so much I posted it on my facebook account. While I am sure that no one will watch it, I just got into a debate with my neighbors about how important it is to teach children how to effectively use technology (Im hoping that they check it out at least)

Creative Commons is a neat tool to use. I enjoyed watching the "Wanna work together?" video as it helped me to better understand the use of creative commons. I think that in the future, if I create things, I will be sure to use that resource.

I also really enjoyed the copyright comic book. I wish I had found all of these fun resources when I was creating my copyright blog last year!

I found the proof that the program had been modified from its original "Learning 2.0 is a discovery learning program created by Helene Blowers. Content and style for School Library Learning 2.0 and Classroom Learning 2.0 have been borrowed and duplicated with permission, under a Creative Commons License."

Thing #14

Again, I find myself disappointed with a resource. I am not sure why or when I would use Technorati. While I see the purpose of tagging with Flickr and Delicious, I am not sure why I would ever use it with blogs. As a general rule however I don't read blogs anyway, unless its from a person friend, or a legitimate source. Blogs can be written by anyone, and I therefore don't read them as a rule.

Thing #13

Delicious is an interesting tool. However, this is the first "thing" that we have used that I haven't seen immediate professional application for. While I can see that personally, this tool can be used if you are person who uses multiple computers, I am not sure why you would use this if you are a librarian or educator. Why not make a wiki, blog or website instead?

Most bookmarks that I use anyway are sites I'm not really going to go back to in the future... Im not sure that I will use delicious personally or professionally.

Did anyone else think of wonderful applications for this tool?

Thing #12

I really enjoyed Rollyo! I had no idea that you could create your own search engine. This is applicable for all sorts of educational settings. The Rollyo that I created, I created for my husbands History Class. His next unit is on Ancient Greece, and so I created the Rollyo with websites that are based on Ancient Greece.

I will be using this for my class with different books online, reading strategies, reading practice sites, etc. Im very excited!

http://rollyo.com/sarahflyslive/ancient_greece/

Thing #11

Thing #11

Web 2.0 Sites
http://www.last.fm/
I was familiar with Pandora before this exercise, and it was a ton of fun to experiment with last fm. Being able to find music in the online environment is a ton of fun.

Ning
I joined Classroom 2.0. This is a neat way to network with others who have the same interests as you. I really enjoyed seeing professional conversations with others about implementing technology into the classroom.

Travel IQ
This is a fun game I have played before. For some reason it didn’t work so well playing it with my mac book…. it wouldn’t click where I was actually clicking at. I would love to leave this as a center in a social studies class to help students to start orienting themselves with the world, country, etc.

Thing #10 Pictures!

This has been the best "thing" yet:) I have had a lot of fun playing with pictures and changing them up and creating videos, etc.

This is a picture I took last summer of a black eyed susan in my yard!

Thing #9

When searching for blogs I found it easiest to browse through google reader, and browse by topic. I also found that there were many websites that I check on a regular basis, that subscribe to RSS feeds. There are so many available that it hard to search by anything more than topic.

Thing #8

Google Reader and RSS

I have really enjoyed becoming familiar with RSS on google reader. While I have recognized the symbol before, I had no idea what it was, or how to use it. This assignment was slightly addicting, as I kept wanting to look for feeds to subscribe to, and then went to all of the websites that I go to regularly, to see if I could use RSS through google reader. RSS could be used for school or library websites, as a way for students to access specific information. Personally, I will be using google reader on a daily basis now that I have been exposed to it.

Thing #7

The technology piece that I have been thinking a lot about this week is a document camera. I was recently given one for my classroom, and it has been a great deal of fun. When I am reading a book to my students, I can quickly put the book under the document camera, and all the students can see the story. We were working on writing BCR's this week, and I put some samples of strong BCR's right on my smartboard, without having to scan them into the computer.

Thing #6 retrievr

Retrievr is a fun mashup that takes the photos on Flickr, and allows the user to "sketch" a photo they are looking for. While my sketches don't look anywhere as nice as the actual photos, it is fun to browse through the pictures. If you are looking for photos with certain colors in them, this would be a great place to start. I tried to sketch actual things, and what I was looking for rarely came up (I do have to admit I am not that great of an artist however...).

Granada Thing #5

Granada
Originally uploaded by Gil art

Thing #4

I think I messed up when I registered my blog with the website. I accidentally registered for the School Library Learning 2.0 instead of Classroom Learning 2.0. I went back and tried to re-register for the other program. Hopefully it worked!

Thing #3

Making an avatar was the most fun assignment I have ever had as a student! I found it simple to create, and simply to export onto blogger. I hope these assignments continue to be so entertaining!

Thing #2

I found the 7.5 Habits of Successful Lifelong Learners to be very interesting. Too often in life, we become passive about our own learning, and these habits can help individuals to focus and become more active in their own learning.

The habit that I think is the easiest for me to stick to is Habit #6: Use technology to your advantage! I have grown up with technology available for me, and when I have simple to difficult information needs, I have been able to solve these needs quickly with the use of technology. I am also fortunate enough to be a quick technological learner. Even when I am not completely sure how to use resources, I am usually able to do so quickly.

The habit that is the hardest for me is Habit #3: Viewing problems as challenges. The second something goes wrong, I get disheartened. I need to change my attitude, and realize that every problem has a solution, and finding that solution will be valuable for me in the long run.

My first exposure to “23 Things” has been positive, and I look forward to learning more about Web 2.0.