P.S.

P.S. I forgot to mention that my sister-in-law Diane (computer girl) added a Salmon recipe to my wiki. She is one of three people who joined--I think I will have to do a little guilt tripping...Not :)

Techno-Overload

This week I have had a hard time coming up for air. I am spending so much more time on line yet I haven't written much about it. I am like a kid in a candy shop who cannot make up her mind about what to choose. There are just so many sites to see--so much information to sort through and organize. Widgets/gadgets, videos, blogs,tweets, wikis, google alerts, RSS feeds...two hours pass and I find I am watching videos of Pekingnese dogs on utube.
I realize students will need much guidance to stay focused when they scan sites to compile information for research. I think Richardson makes a point about the different types of reading we need to do when online and off. We need to teach our students to discern what is significant and what is random...I mean we wouldn't want them to end up looking at videos of Pekinese* :)
*I have a fondness for these little lion-like beasts and own a couple of them.

the voki--more than I bargained for!

Well, I finally played around with my voki to the point where I now have two of the same voki on my blog. I am trying to delete one. In all honesty, I just wanted a little voki photo! I had no idea I get the whole blessed thing. Ahhhh....

I did it--eliminated one with a little tool on the side of it.

I wonder how long this rather large voki will last--it seems a bit obnoxious.

Getting Started on Week 4

I am finally starting to move into week 4 although I still need wiki work. I checked out Google Reader and was pleasantly surprised to see my blogs got there first! I now have updates on world and breaking news, I can check out the latest movie reviews, and I can view Oprah and Dr. Oz's Twitters. Not bad. I read through the class discussions thus far and I gather that Delicious is connected to Yahoo. Like Elizabeth, I find Yahoo obnoxious with its advertisements and pop-ups. However, I do have an old Yahoo account out there...I better get going--time to learn about Delicious.

Computer Blues--Back to Best Buy

I should never have installed that McAfee (sp?) protection plan on my new laptop. Since I did that on Thursday, I am being blocked on Voki and I am getting a message on my wiki that something was not installed properly, probably that McAfee plan. After being blocked and getting the negative message, I tried to cancel protection on the computer...that didn't work. In fact, I think it has caused other problems. My wiki is no longer displaying "New Page" on the computer. I still need to work on my wiki for I have not created links to pages. It is a wiki for family/friends' recipes but it lacks sophistication.
Right now, I am on Ed's computer. Later, after dance, I am bringing the computer to the Geek Squad at BB...I hope they can un-install the plan.

WikiWackiness

Today I will create yet another wiki. I haven't been happy with my initial attempts. I deleted one and tried to edit another without the results I was aiming for. I have a new idea altogether. These posts are getting to be pretty dull reading...my apologies.

Basic wiki 101

I deleted my original wiki and substituted it with a wiki where students could access the templates we use in our ELA class. It is very bare bones right now, containing a simple book report template.

Looking for the toolbar

Earlier this week, my first wiki experience was a bit frustrating. When I went into the sandboxes, I couldn't find any useful information or application. I then tried to start a wiki on wikispaces but couln't find the toolbar which was nearly off the page (I found it, dragged it on the page but had trouble getting it to stay put; it took me a while to figure out that I needed to stay in the gray area)I am going to reread everything and start afresh. Back to the sandbox for me.
Part of my frustration comes from the computer on which I have been "trying" to work. It regularly disconnects me from the server. Later this afternoon, my husband and I are buying me a computer all my own :)

I thought this was easy :)

I just tried to contact my one follower Kathleen Porter and ended up being a follower of my own blog instead of hers. Help!

A Tweet!

I think my older girl AJ Rombie Machine, tweeted me. I hope it was me. Do I see all of her tweets? I bet I do not. She thinks my "twitter" is good stuff; Chloe, on the other hand, thinks twitter is silly. She need a Voki :)

Time Zone?

Reading over the blogs, I realize they are not in the time zone in which I exist. Hmmm, I should try to edit this.

The Jewel Tones Win!

I am back from the a capella competition, and finally after making it to the semi-finals 3 out of 4 years, the a capella group in which my daughter, Chloe, sings (she's the high soprano) won!! They are off to New York City, my kinda place, in April! Yes, yes, yes, I am so glad she is finishing HS on a "high" note. In December, she was Maria in West Side Story and now, the Jewel Tones have won. Last year, she seemed to be getting a little discouraged about performing...she hadn't landed any leading roles in three years.
I better sign off. I have a busy day tomorrow.

And now I twitter!

I just set up a twitter account! The only two persons on my list of contacts were my nephew and my oldest daughter. I was able to find Barb and invite her to twitter. So far I have found it easy to access new sites and create pages. I learned that I have been accepted to classroom 2.0. I find myself spending more and more time on line; it's fun but I have brownies to bake. My younger daughter is in an a capella group that is competing tonight and I'm a FOPA(Friends of the Performing Arts)mom, so I better get going.
P.S. to Barb, do you just get these Blogs? I sent the first; is that all I had to do?

Who is on Classroom 2.0

Today I went onto the classroom 2.0 site and I tried to register. I haven't heard from them yet so I don't know if I am in or out.
Other than the Reading Literacy teacher of 2 years ago, I have not observed any use of blogging(or any interactive tech) in the classrooms of MVMS. Blogging in the classroom does not take place in the SS, Science or Math classrooms; I am curious about 3 of the 4 English classes--one I already know the teacher is not blogging in or outside of the classroom. Are we behind the times? I think maybe so...

10 things...

Hi Barb,
Here is my list:
*Make contact with the school librarian (or computer science teacher) and learn at least one new technology.
*Practice by teaching new technology to your peers
*Be open-minded about trying something new in the classroom.
*Invite the school librarian into your classroom to help you demonstrate your new technology.
*Technology does not mean that all the conventions of writing have to fall by the wayside. Students can use technology in every aspect of their writing fromfreewritng to writing formal essays.
*Let your students know that you don't have all the answers.
*Find out what your students know how to do that you don't.
*Talk to your principal about professional development that focuses on new technology.
*Join an online classroom to share ideas.
*Connect with the IT person at your school.
*Take a course.
*Relax, enjoy and apply your new knowledge.
*Then take another course (smile).

The library of my childhood vs. the library of today

One of my earliest childhood memories is my weekly trip to the library with my mother. I remember her tirelessly reading Mother Goose rhymes, fairytales and oddly, books from a Little Golden Books series, one of which was titled We Help Mommy. For some reason, I couldn’t get enough of the stories about that helpful brother and sister who did all sorts of household chores, something my mother never expected me to do. (Their round, pleasant, very similar faces appealed to me.) At the library itself, I only recall physical resources: books, magazines, encyclopedias, maps, newspapers and of course, the card catalogue. The library did not host children’s reading hours like those to which I took my own children. It was sometime in the mid to late 60’s when a bookmobile made its way into the Glenwood Houses, where I lived in Canarsie, Brooklyn. Along with nearly every child in the neighborhood, I anxiously awaited the weekly visit of the beloved blue and white “Library on Wheels.”* There we found the literature that would introduce us to new places, different eras and a broader understanding of the world. In my teenage years, I sometimes traveled to the New York Public Library. How I loved sitting on the steps of that grand, imposing building with a recently-acquired book in hand. There also was no better place to do research, and my mother often packed me a lunch so I could spend the day. It was at the New York Public Library where I first used microfiche, about the only source of information I accessed other than the physical resources I mentioned earlier…which brings me to the library resources available today.
The changes that have taken place between the library of my childhood and the library of today are mind-boggling and are all due to the advent of the computer. I do not even need to step out of the house to access much of what is available in the NOBLE library. Books can be browsed, reserved, renewed, or downloaded; newspapers, magazines, encyclopedias and journals can be accessed; one can learn everything from speaking a foreign language to repairing a car (both of which I would find challenging). The library itself is no longer a place where complete silence is expected; there are programs, events, and activities for children and adults and designated areas where people with laptops can get free wireless connections. Walking around, one sees CD’s, DVD’s, and electronic books to download. Long gone are the days of card catalogues. Computers have transformed our libraries forever.

*Barbara, I was curious to see if I was accurately remembering the name of the bookmobile, and I stumbled upon this image. I nearly “dropped my teeth” as my husband often says. This is the bookmobile in the housing development of my youth.
This scene was made into a postcard. I have to try to get it!

SUMMARY Blue and white "Library on Wheels" bookmobile, with children holding books spilling out of doors; mothers and children watching from bench in foreground; large apartment buildings (Glenwood Houses in Canarsie) in background. Caption from copy 2: "Brooklyn Public Library: Twin bookmobiles, serving areas not reached by library buildings, pave the way for permanent structures. Scene at Glenwood Houses." NOTE Title supplied by cataloger. LOCAL NOTE Copy 2.
SUBJECT Brooklyn Public Library. Public libraries -- New York (State) -- New York. Bookmobiles -- New York (State) -- New York. Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) Canarsie (New York, N.Y.)


Where is my bookmobile? I lost it in the translation somewhere!

Oh to be a LMS

When I read through all of the posts of my classmates, I am overwhelmed by how much experience they have in library technology. I cannot comment on some of their posts because I lack knowledge in a particular area. For example, I wonder what a Moodle is? Yet another avenue I must explore. I have much to learn.

To blog or not to blog

I guess I'll blog. Setting this up was easier than I thought it would be. I have no course insights and have nothing new to say today, at least not yet. But I am a blogger :) It's a start!