Thing #11- Library Thing

What a great way to keep up with your personal library! I like the ease of this site. It was fantastic to be able to simply enter the ISBN and automatically your title was popping up in a sidebar screen. I think this service could prove to be very useful. I like to be organized and what better way to organize your books than this?!
I could see looking to this site and taking a look at titles that people with my similar reading interests have been browsing. Sometimes you might think about trying out a new author, but aren't sure if they fit your taste. This way you could read personal readers' reviews and see how their reviews match your common reading interests. It seemed like there was a 'group' for just about any topic of interest.
I like this Thing!

Thing #10- Online Image Generators

*This thing was a lot of fun! I participated in a summer inservice with Dr. Bishop and Ms. Branagh where they introduced us to the Big Huge Labs playground. I enjoyed being able to revisit. I know I can go to this site at any time, but sometimes our days get so busy we have to cut the fun and only stick to the meat and potatoes of our day.

*All of these online image generators could be used to help make informational or motivational signs in a classroom or a library. Sometimes a new image will help get the message across easier than 'peat and repeating the information.

I visited many of the sites.

*I created a happy face sign at http://www.happyfacegenerator.com/

* I created a seasonal comic strip pic at http://www.comicstripgenerator.com/

*I created a quick version of a Wordle using 'homework' terms. I realized that to create a great one you need a lot more text to contribute to the design. I typed a short paragraph, but you would actually need more to give the cool effect you see on the online examples. http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/1171247/homework

*Finally I had some fun with the jigsaw puzzle maker at the Big Huge Labs site. I created two-- the first is of my Yahoo Avatar, but the resolution is rotten. The second jigsaw puzzle is an Easter picture of one of my nieces. The resolution is much better on this one.

*I enjoyed this experience! I can definitely see how these tools could be used in a classroom or a library.

Thing #9- Useful Library-Related Blogs & News Feeds

*The search tools I found the easiest to navigate were Google Blog Search and Topix.net. I enjoyed various searches to see what I could unearth.
*I can't say that the School Library Blogs on Suprglu was confusing. I couldn't get into this search tool, so I'm not sure if would have had any trouble with it or not. I thought the title was catchy, so I was disappointed that I couldn't access this one. I'll try it another time!
*I found several useful feeds on Topix.net. I particularly enjoyed finding local news links. A few of the unusual or interesting feeds that I came across were Wikitravel and Broadway Shows Guide.

Thing #8- RSS feeds and readers

*I like that my Google Reader has been tailored to meet my personal interests.
*I can see this applying to my school life as a way to keep updated on current issues in education and current events impacting my students' learning. My Google Reader has the same appeal in my personal life-- I have chosen RSS feeds that personally interest me. This is a quick way to browse many topics in a single browser setting.
*I could see this easily lending itself to a content-specific research project. What a cool way to sift through countless informational articles and sources without any paper cuts!

Thing #7- Cool Google Tools

I liked this "Thing" a lot. I explored all of the tools and even created a few items along the way. *For the last two years I have created a family calendar that I have printed and given to family members at Christmas for the following year, noting birthdays and anniversaries. I liked the Google Calendar application. I created a new version of this calendar, emailed it to an aunt for her to preview, and intend to forward to the rest of the family. I did not, however, create this as a public document.

*I set up a Google Alert for full moons. After 13 years in the classroom, I am a firm believer in the effects of full moons and barometric pressure changes on our little ones. I am curious how this Alert will work!

*Finally the last item I saved was a photo from the Dole Pineapple Farm in Oahu, Hawaii. This picture was found on Picasa Web Albums. The photo was uploaded by Carol.

This was a cool 'thing'!!

Thing #6- Mashups and 3rd party sites

This was a fun "Thing" to complete. I had experimented some over the summer with Big Huge Labs. What a great site to visit! I made a quick poster and trading card in no time. This would be fun to use with the kids too. I now realize I need to build the My Pictures file before doing too much more...or set up a Flickr account. Thanks for the fun!

Thing #5- Flickr

Gravity, uploaded by Richard Peters

I first discovered Flickr this summer at the Web 2.0 seminar. What a fun website! This evening I found countless wonderful images, but downloaded only two. One goes along with what my students are currently studying in Science (forces). The other shows a picture of the USS Arizona memorial at Pearl Harbor. Visiting this memorial is one of my favorite and most somber vacation moments over the years.

USS Arizona, uploaded by pandk

Thing #4- registering blog

I thought I had correctly uploaded my Avatar to my Blog. When I viewed my Blog I could see the Avatar, but apparently no one else could. I have tried it again; I think I have it taken care of now...let's hope!