Tuesday, April 29, 2008

#23 (WEEK 9) Copyright, Creative Commons, and Congratulations!

Web 2.0 is reshaping how we all think about copyright. I think this is a very positive thing. Since more people are creating content, rather than just consuming, I think internet users are realizing that quality work takes time, effort, and a considerable amount of thought. Yes, we should be acknowledged for our labors. That's why I sites like Creative Commons are so important. I'd like to think that yes, making money is good, but being recognized for our work just might be enough.

So, my final thought on the 23 Things.
Consuming content is fun, but creating stuff that others enjoy and use is exciting and gratifying.

I'd like to thank those that read my blog. I tried not to be too boring.

BTW-I'd like to give a shout out to CTAP Region IV
CTAP Region IV ROCKS!
I love the work they have put into cybersafety. No, Digital Citizenship! Check out the rest of what CTAP IV has to offer in Cybersafety.

Am I off topic?
Yes, as always.

Out

#9 (WEEK 4) Locate a few useful School Library related blogs

I completed this task, but forgot to blog.

It's funny. Searching others blogs reminds me of the time I wish I had. Readers like Google Reader sure make this easier. One of my favorites is The Fischbowl, by Karl Fisch. He always seems to find a way to provide food for thought and encourages us to expand our educational horizons.

I was also inspired by my colleagues, Latte Lover and Closet Chronicles. I work with one of these bloggers in my district. She reminded me that we make time for what we think is important. Besides, she did some cool 2.0 stuff. Closet Chronicles always found time to locate or create content of quality. Not bad, even for an Angels fan.

#22 (WEEK 9) Explore eBooks and Audio eBooks

This was much more entertaining than I thought it would be...

At first I thought,"Download html eBooks? for free? I can do this at my county library. This is no big deal!"

But then I searched. And found Kafka, movies of atomic testing, and jpegs of the cave drawings in France. I realized that Project Gutenberg was providing me a glimpse of the past. My own past reminding me of reading Kafka in high school. Our nation's past as I watched the frightening movies of atomic testing in the 1950's. And mankind's past as I looked at the pictures of the cave drawings. The best part? Knowing that I could share all of this if I followed a few simple rules.

I strongly recommend reading the Gutenberg webpage distinguishing between free of charge and freedom of use. Classroom teachers definitely prefer freedom of use.


Not copyrighted in the United States. If you live elsewhere check the laws of your country before downloading this ebook.

I really enjoyed this task.

Out

Monday, April 28, 2008

#20 (WEEK 9) Discover YouTube and a Few Sites

YouTube presents interesting problems for your IT staff at school. In order to be CIPA (Child Internet Protection Act) compliant, it should be blocked, but it has so much content that is of educational value. The music teachers in our district love to stream videos of famous musicians, many of whom are deceased, to show our students the passion and beauty of performance.

I the other hand, you can find nonsense. I'm showcasing the nonsense today. Psycho Teacher. A play on words from the Talking Heads title Psycho Killer. Reminds me of my younger days as a fifth grade teacher. Not as a killer. As a teacher.




This is for Closet Chronicles. My former partner in crime.

Run Run, Run Run AWAY!!!
Remember the YouTube terms of use. No downloading, streaming only.

Psycho Teacher
Out

#19 (WEEK 8) Check out LibraryThing






My personal online catalog of books. Very cool.

Tonight I had my son and daughter tell me some of their favorite books. I wanted to find some other titles that might interest her. I clicked on Frindle after entering into my catalog and ," Voi la!" I had many options. I could enter a conversation about the book, find similarly tagged books, or get loads of recommendations.

I could see how this could be useful for parents, or even teachers that may not know a lot of titles for children.

Okay, I may need LibraryThing in order to keep up with my own children and students!

Out

Saturday, April 26, 2008

#17 (Week 7) Add an entry to "Sandbox" Wiki

What I love about wikis is the ability to share and post ideas for public viewing quickly.

What intimidates me is the amount of reading and searching one might have to do if you're searching the wikis of others.

I loved Joyce Valenza's wiki, but it's large size leaves many sections with little or no information. the role of the moderator is so important!

Out

Thursday, April 3, 2008

#18 (WEEK 8) Online productivity tools (ZOHO)

Hey! I am psyched about ZOHO writer. cool I once heard on the radio that many people are starting to get rid of their fancy cell phones. You know, the ones that surf the web, text, email, and do the laundry. What did these people want? A cell phone that can be used to make and receive calls, clearly. I think ZOHO is on to something with the what you see is what you get menu. Many word processors, i.e., Word 2007, bury some functions so far into the menu that you need an archaeologist to dig them out. I also like the ability to work on documents offline. Did you hear that Google? OFFLINE! Now for the hard part (I hope), finding the bugs in ZOHO.