Thoughts...

If you would refer back to my 'life-long learners' post, you would note that one of my challenges to overcome was the fear of my unknown...Technology.

Learning 2.0 has forced me to face that fear head-on. Each task has been a challenge. Some have been frustrating and one was impossible for my computer to do. However, I persevered, I played, I have definitely grown.

I am already using some of my 'new found knowledge' in my job as an Elementary Media Teacher, and find that it compliments my curriculum. 2.0 has been a positive learning tool. I will admit, a few choice words were expressed over the frustration of some of the tasks, but overall a worthwhile medium of discovery.

Fun with Wordle

This Wordle was created at www.wordle.net.

'Tweet Tweet Tweet'

I began this school year, 2009-10 with a 'Twitter' account. I was skeptical. I didn't know if I would really find it worthwhile. To my surprise, I do use and view it daily. I 'tweet' with other librarians, CSD administration, and even the Superintendent. My one and only criticism of tweeting, would be when it is used to post personal, not professional information. I feel posting 'what you had for dinner last night', should be saved for Facebook or Myspace, not a professional Twitter account. cve_library

Bloglines are FREE!

I love FREE stuff. Bloglines is a FREE online service that helps you subscribe to and manage lots of web information, such as news feeds, weblogs and audio. I love being able to access my favorite blogs from one central location. But, I am bummed that not every site has as RSS feed. I will be following Points of Reference, because it looks informative and diverse. I will also be following CrazyPeople, because it is my daughter and son-in-laws (enough said).

Podcast Tasks

I tried to subscribe to a podcast, but my system cannot support any of the podcast aggregators available. Itunes, Juice, Newsfire and Podget all require systems of Mac OSX 10 or higher, which my Mac is not.

I wanted to share "Act!vated Stories" with you, a family team that shares stories from the road, so here is a link to their podcast. http://activated.libsyn.com/rss

Fablehaven Book 5

The Fablehaven books have taken the reading world by storm. Book 5 is now available! Brandon Mull met the public at Cottonwood High School on Tuesday, March 23rd to introduce "Keys to the Demon Prison". Excitement was in the air as Brandon was introduced, and the crowd shouted with delight to finally see the author in person.

Del.icio.us is delicious!

I signed up for this social bookmarking site and began categorizing and tagging my own personal list of amazing websites. This will definitely be a work-in-progress as I find the time to create lists of links for each grade level that will compliment their core.

Technorati = Blog Directory

After exploring Technorati, I found it to be one of the more unique 2.0 learning tasks. I felt the categories offered were heavy on the 'popular entertainment' genre and lacking in other areas, such as politics. I enjoyed the newspaper heading and would definitely use this for current events. Upon examining blogs vs posts, I discovered that although there were fewer blogs listed, they offered thumb-nail pictures and multiple authors. The posts tab was almost like using a google search, with more content and lists of blogs by title.

Christopher Harris writes...

Christopher's article titled: Say good-bye to your mother's library, left me with mixed emotions. His article focused on the redefining of the school library in an effort to keep pace with our digital world. He wrote about Web 2.0 and how its revolutionary contribution will transform the very nature of knowledge and information.

I am totally on-board with redefining the learning landscape. Blogs, social bookmarking, Flickr, etc. are powerful and compelling functions that can and will enhance the learning environment. But let us not lose sight of our 'old school' values. The warm inviting room with the smell of print, the rustle of turning pages, the friendly smile behind, "What can I help you locate?". And, never let us forget the quest to infect students with the love of Reading.

Rollyo Search Bar

Select Search Engine...Canyon View LibraryBook Talk SearchSearch The Web

Powered by Rollyo

Library Thing

Not many things in life are Free! Library Thing is Free. What an easy way to catalog your own library on-line. You can share your personal book lists with friends, family and foe. I will be using my recently compiled book list for class discussions of the different Genres of Literature.

Read with the Doctor!

Happy Birthday...
Theodor Seuss Geisel
DOB: March 2, 1904

Published over 60 Children's books
Pen name - Dr. Seuss

Could Wikis be the answer?

To counter President Obama's 2010 budget proposal (calling to cut school library funding) and the ugly rumor that the school library is obsolete and no longer needed, librarians need to speak out, reach out, and build the visibility and importance of school libraries nationwide. Could Wikis be the answer? This interactive communal website just might be an avenue to 'market our mission' to all venues...students, parents, faculty, administration, parents and the community and even President Obama! Therefore, please view Canyon View Elementary Library Wiki at: http://www.ezclasssites.com/canyonviewlibrary

Destination: Imagination

Imagination: The forming of pictures in the mind of things that are not really there. I use this posted picture from Flickr (don't scroll down yet) to open a discussion on the amazing gift we all have called imagining. Students close their eyes while I describe details of this photo taken at our family farm. After I've finished describing the photo, and the students have imagined what the photo looks like, they open their eyes and we see how close their mental image matches the photo I was describing. What was the same? What was different? Did they add things? As beautiful as this photo is, your imagination can take you to places above and beyond what you see...

So...Let's do some imagining right now. I'll describe the photo, and you imagine it. When you are done, scroll down to see the photo. BUT DON'T SCROLL DOWN BEFORE READING...

"It's 6:00 o'clock on a sultry Fall evening...the setting sun is peaking through the scattered clouds...the few trees are holding on to the last of their leaves... and an old broken down, rusty white van sits eternally parked in a field of golden dry brush... it's only companion, a pile of indescribable metal scrap, a few yards away... there's a light blue hue behind the sunset sky that coats the landscape... a dust trail from a speeding truck is the only sign of life around... it is quiet, calm, and lonely."

Once you've imagined what this photo will look like, and you have a clear image in your mind... go ahead and scroll down to see what I was referencing.

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Almost there!!!!
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Ta Da!





How close did your mental image match the picture?

Life Long Learning Habits

A writer once said “Life long learning is key to stay current and successful and above all to make life interesting!” I completely agree. Plugging in and personalizing the 7 ½ Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners made me reach deep inside and acknowledge some hidden fears.

Habit 1: Begin with the end in mind.
This habit would be fairly easy for me. I usually visualize how I want something to turn out.

Habit 2: Accept responsibility for your own learning.
Once again, this would be easy. I love to learn. I am curious. I always want to know more.

Habit 3: View problems as challenges.
Instead of viewing this habit as a challenge…I panic! “Oh, no the sky is falling! What will I ever do, where will I go?” Guess I’ll have to work on this one.

Habit 4: Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner.
Again, this habit will be a challenge. The ‘what if’s” creep in. What if…I’m just too old to do this? What if…I physically can’t keep up?

Habit 5: Create your own learning toolbox.
This habit will probably be the one to get me back on track. I love organization. I love a plan. I love boxes.

Habit 6: Use technology to your advantage.
The reason this habit will be difficult, is because technology scares me. I will want to revert back to my comfort zone. Technology is my fear of the unknown.

Habit 7: Teach/mentor others.
This habit will be a ‘piece of cake’. Teaching others has been a study method I used back in college days. I would torture my younger sister to sit and listen to me ‘teach the material’ before a huge exam. I would always reward her with a treat.

Habit 7 ½: Play
Love that this is listed as a habit, and not just wasting time. I have learned many, many things by mistake. I was just playing around.

Everyone has habits, and good habits can affect your life just as much as bad habits. If I incorporate these good habits into my life I will open doors for learning, and that’s exactly what I plan to do.

Welcome Students and Parents to Canyon View Elementary Media Center.