Thing 39--Digital Storytelling

I decided I wanted to do something a bit more archival, so I scanned some photographs of my great-grandparents and my grandmother. My relationship to family history has always resided in stories and photographs, since only one of my grandparents was alive when I was born, and he died when I was three months old. Here is a link to my Voice thread : My Grandmother Agnes. It should be the same as the screen above.

I found this relatively easy to use. I dealt with all my photos through a scanner and Microsoft photo editor before I uploaded them to Flickr.

I could imagine using this approach for student project of various sorts. It works enough like Powerpoint that it would probably be more intuitive for them than for me. I also think it would be a lovely way to create and share information for people to document their family histories.



I also tried to create a scrapbook on Smilebox. While I liked some of the features, I was frustrated that I was unable to change the shape of the photo slots on a premade page. It forced me to rearrange the photos differently than I wanted to. Still here is an example of one of the pages I made using the same photos as I uses for my voice thread set.

Thing 37--Photo Tales

British Columbia Vacation 2008,
originally uploaded by librarylady90.

Here is the mosaic version of some of the same photos that I used in the animoto video in the post below. While it isn't very difficult to do, I was disappointed at the limited music available to use for the video.

I can see ways that I could use this feature both for student projects and for promotional materials for my school and my library. One could also do an interesting video or poster montage of book covers to promote something Banned Books week.

I used Flickr mosaic and animoto.

Thing 23 -- Evaluation

Doing this program has made me much more comfortable navigating some aspects of the web. I no longer assume that my students or children know more about things that I do. In fact, now I can see how much more I do understand than they do. That makes me aware too, though, of how much more I need to teach them. They may be digital natives, but sometimes those of us who are immigrants understand the nuances of language better.

My only disappointment in this program was how little other people seemed to comment on each other's blogs. I only received occasional (2 or 3) comments from people who weren't my friends who were reading my blog in that light. I tried to go out and comment on other people's work, and will continue to do so. I would have benefited from, and greatly enjoyed, more commentary from my professional peers. Perhaps you could try to sort people into groups--school librarians, public librarians, etc.--as a way to create a focus for people to "meet" electronically.

I have enjoyed so much about this program it's hard to be very specific. I found much of it directly linked to teaching that I have been doing or am now planning to do. But for sheer fun, I loved the photo sites like Flickr and Big Huge Labs, and I annoyed my family for several days after playing at being a pirate in Puzzle Pirates. What I have learned is already enabling me to help fellow teachers as well as students, and we are building many of these skills into our curriculum maps for the future.

I do hope to repurpose this blog--or create a new incarnation with a new name. I will certainly post it here if I do so.

It has been a pleasure, and I appreciate having the opportunity to participate in this program.

Thing 22 – Planning Ahead

I find that I will miss the demand of 23 things. It’s easier for me to meet a challenging deadline than it is to make time for things I want to do. But I am glad that I am being asked to create a plan—I do have the capacity to create a plan and stick to it. (Sometimes, anyway…)

So here goes—

1. I have signed up for Web Junction and subscribed to the Crossroads newsletter. That will get me to look in at specific times.
2. I am already enjoying getting emails from the Ning sessions that I commented on. I plan to stop there when I have an occasional question or to see what people are talking about.
3. I have made “iGoogle” my home page, so that I check the feeds I subscribe to on a daily basis (at least). I also can check my Yahoo mail there with a widget and I subscribed to technology and education news sites so that I frequent updates.
4. I will be using many of the early tools on a regular basis. I have already used Flickr and Big Huge Labs for signs, I will be using them for a student project soon, and I will be exploring podcasts in the not too distant future. We will also be considering having our students use Blogger to correspond with our partner school in Israel, since Blogger is Hebrew capable. How cool is that?
5. Given that I am a former writing teacher, I think I will be able to make time for blogging. My only fear is that no one will read what I write. (That is what Site Meter has suggested lately.) Still, that never stopped me before. I may, however rename it or create a new one. If I do, I will put the link into my 23 things blog.
6. I will share with my fellow teachers. One of the best ways that I have discovered to sharpen and to retain my skills in any given area is to share what I have learned. I plan to offer opportunities for the teachers at my school to learn some of what I have learned during this course. They may not be sure at first, but…
7. I plan to teach students how to use some of the tools we have been exploring. I especially want to show them Google Docs and the power of Wikis, the value of using a Research project calculator, and the wisdom of using something like ELM.

I have benefited greatly from the experience of doing these things. I look forward to looking forward to Library 2.0 and counting!

Thing 5 -- Flickr Spelling

Well, with perserverance and some help, I managed to spell out a sign and then paste it into paint and then save it as a jpeg, all so that I could upload it into my blog. (see top of screen). I like the sign, but it was a lot more work than I expected. Still, I suspect it would be easier a "next time" if I try again.

Thing 5 -- Frustration

I have spent a large chunk of time this morning trying to figure out the topics in Thing 5, but nothing I tried worked. I am usually capable of following directions. This morning, though, links didn't work, there were no directions on a site, and nothing did what it was supposed to do. On the other hand, I was able to see photos that my son posted to his facebook account (courtesy of his younger brother's account), so I am feeling at least somewhat competent. I also was able to use Flickr to find photos from his neighborhood in Athens, BEFORE he posted his own photos. That was truly exciting. But I am frustrated about not making any progress on Thing 5. Ah well--it isn't really learning if everything goes smoothly....

Thing 4 -- Story Area

library photos 002,
originally uploaded by librarylady90.

My school library was recreated this past year, and I absolutely love the new space. The bench in this area has shelving on the back, and I love the sun and wood. I'm really enjoying the time I spend at work! I am finding that using Flickr has its moments, and I could see it really helping older students with group projects. I think, though, it has more value to me as an individual, than as a pedagogical tool.

Thing 4 -- My Hometown

New Kensington Pennsylvania by Joseph Nicholson

I looked for images from my hometown, and found a wonderful photo collection on Flickr. My hometown is an old rust belt town that has become, as the photographer calls it, a ghost town. The images are haunting. I can't link to the particular photo, but I am including a link to the set of pictures of the town. The link is ttp://www.flickr.com/photos/joeinfulleffect/sets/72157600225626992/

It's a sad, but moving testimonial to the impact of an industry leaving a one-industry town.

But, lest you think that the area is only sad, I've attached a photo of one of the near-by state parks, called Kooser State Park. My family spent a great deal of time camping in my childhood, and we spent many weekends at this park. The photo is by 1CraftyLady.