I can honestly say that this was one of- no I take that back- THE BEST professional development class that I have ever taken and I am hoping that I will be able to take Track 2 & 3 at some point! I can't even believe everything that I have had the chance to learn about and I am so excited to have all of these new amazing and wonderful tools to share!
I learned so much from this class and am excited to take with me what I learned and share it with my colleagues. This class was a wealth of information and I know that I will be going back to try and explore things that I did not get the chance to during the class. I really enjoyed taking some time and looking through some of the other blogs and seeing what they were sharing with the world.
When I first started this workshop it was very overwhelming to me and it seemed like I was going to be drowning in all of the work, but once I got into it didn't feel like work to me. I was learning new things and getting tips and idea from some of the best people in the industry! I honestly enjoyed each of the projects and learned something new each time. Each of the projects featured new sites and tools that I will use with all of my students and future students. I was also happy to share all of the news and exciting tools with my colleagues. Over the summer I plan on spending some time going back over each of the projects and exploring things that I did not have the chance to explore.
Even though this was not my first experience with this kind of self-driven learning it was my first experience with a class that took place over a 5 month period. I really liked that I had the freedom to take my time and complete each post on my own time. Even thought it took me a little time to get going because of other things going on I finally buckled down and got to work and loved every minute of it! I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to take this class and I hope I will be able to take Track 2 & Track 3 at some point!
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Thing 9: Databases & Search Tools
This topic could not have come at a better time! Right now I am working with my 4th and 5th graders on databases- how to use them, why they are important, and which ones are the best to use! I love that while I am teaching my students about databases I am also learning about new ones that I have never used before.
In my district we have some AMAZING databases that we use in our schools and I know that I am extremely grateful that I have access to that information. I have been using in my library Pebble GO, World Book, and Scholastic GO! for the most part with my students so you can only imagine how excited I was to see the list that was compiled for this topic. I have also used NOVEL NY and I like some of the features it has to offer but I don't really use it as much with my students- it is something I share with the teachers.
I have never tried Sweet Search before and I may not have if it weren't for this blog. It sounds like this is a great database however I was not able to explore it. Each time I clicked on the link I was told something was wrong and they were having technical difficulties. I will have to make a mental note to remember to check back and explore the site at another time. Anything that librarians and teachers have used and approved is fine by me!
DuckDuckGo has to be my new favorite search engine! I can honestly say I LOVE it and I cannot wait to share with my fellow teachers and colleagues. I cannot tell you how many times I search for something and a million different ads pop up even if it something I am not interested in. I may be searching for a baby shower present but I do not have kids yet so ads for diapers and burpies is something I don't really need to see.
I took some time reading as many of the articles as I could but the one that I really connected with was "Do Your Students Know How to Search"? As a library teacher I am teaching my students how to use the Internet and safe searching strategies but while reading this article I really questioned wither or not I was teaching them how to do it because I assumed they had to have known. I would love to share this article with my students because it gives some great ideas.
Loved KidRex! The pictures when you first go to the site are very kid friendly and would for sure be a great search engine to use with the younger guys. I love that it was really geared toward kids.
There is so much information out on the Internet and whatever I can do or use to make it easier to find good reliable information I am a fan of. I love learning about new databases or search engines that I can use, especially when they are of no cost.
In my district we have some AMAZING databases that we use in our schools and I know that I am extremely grateful that I have access to that information. I have been using in my library Pebble GO, World Book, and Scholastic GO! for the most part with my students so you can only imagine how excited I was to see the list that was compiled for this topic. I have also used NOVEL NY and I like some of the features it has to offer but I don't really use it as much with my students- it is something I share with the teachers.
I have never tried Sweet Search before and I may not have if it weren't for this blog. It sounds like this is a great database however I was not able to explore it. Each time I clicked on the link I was told something was wrong and they were having technical difficulties. I will have to make a mental note to remember to check back and explore the site at another time. Anything that librarians and teachers have used and approved is fine by me!
DuckDuckGo has to be my new favorite search engine! I can honestly say I LOVE it and I cannot wait to share with my fellow teachers and colleagues. I cannot tell you how many times I search for something and a million different ads pop up even if it something I am not interested in. I may be searching for a baby shower present but I do not have kids yet so ads for diapers and burpies is something I don't really need to see.
I took some time reading as many of the articles as I could but the one that I really connected with was "Do Your Students Know How to Search"? As a library teacher I am teaching my students how to use the Internet and safe searching strategies but while reading this article I really questioned wither or not I was teaching them how to do it because I assumed they had to have known. I would love to share this article with my students because it gives some great ideas.
Loved KidRex! The pictures when you first go to the site are very kid friendly and would for sure be a great search engine to use with the younger guys. I love that it was really geared toward kids.
There is so much information out on the Internet and whatever I can do or use to make it easier to find good reliable information I am a fan of. I love learning about new databases or search engines that I can use, especially when they are of no cost.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Thing 8: Collaborating, Connecting, Sharing
Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate! When I was getting my masters degree that was all I heard from my professors and fellow classmates. I was told over and over again that if I was going to be Library Media Specialist I was supposed to be the person that knows anything and everything and that I would need to collaborate and work with others in my building on a daily basis.
My district seems to be going in a Google direction so I figured now would be a good opportunity to learn a ting or two. I liked Google Drive, and while I loved that you can see in real time what someone is writing I also think that is a negative aspect of the tool. There are so many features that can be added on as well- Easy Bib would be a wonderful added on for my 5tyh graders since we are currently learning about bibliographies and citations. I also like that I can create something and share it and my students will be able to comment on and make changes. It also has the option to go back and edit or restore something which is one of the best features if you ask me. mistakes are made all the time especially with elementary school children and being able to restore something can turn a bad day into a good day.
I was not as impressed with Google Calendar and do not think that I would be using this tool. I know that it can be used and shared so that whoever it is being shared with can be on the same page with one another and this is maybe something for my personal life but not school life. At my school we use a shared calendar to sign up for the iPad, laptop, and MacBook cart and this is a great way to use this collaborative tool but I am not sure how I would use it with my students. Since I am not a classroom teacher I do not assign homework or take home work so that would not work- maybe to share events that are going on in the library but I am not sure how many kids would actually check it. I like that you can view the calendar by day, week, or month and editing it was a breeze. Once you know a few Google tools you pretty much know them all and I found both Google Docs and Google Calendar to be pretty similar.
Google seems the be taking over everything and I am excited to see what it will be like in the future!
My district seems to be going in a Google direction so I figured now would be a good opportunity to learn a ting or two. I liked Google Drive, and while I loved that you can see in real time what someone is writing I also think that is a negative aspect of the tool. There are so many features that can be added on as well- Easy Bib would be a wonderful added on for my 5tyh graders since we are currently learning about bibliographies and citations. I also like that I can create something and share it and my students will be able to comment on and make changes. It also has the option to go back and edit or restore something which is one of the best features if you ask me. mistakes are made all the time especially with elementary school children and being able to restore something can turn a bad day into a good day.
I was not as impressed with Google Calendar and do not think that I would be using this tool. I know that it can be used and shared so that whoever it is being shared with can be on the same page with one another and this is maybe something for my personal life but not school life. At my school we use a shared calendar to sign up for the iPad, laptop, and MacBook cart and this is a great way to use this collaborative tool but I am not sure how I would use it with my students. Since I am not a classroom teacher I do not assign homework or take home work so that would not work- maybe to share events that are going on in the library but I am not sure how many kids would actually check it. I like that you can view the calendar by day, week, or month and editing it was a breeze. Once you know a few Google tools you pretty much know them all and I found both Google Docs and Google Calendar to be pretty similar.
Google seems the be taking over everything and I am excited to see what it will be like in the future!
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Thing 7: Podcasting & Screencasting
Let me start by saying I don't have a lot of experience with this and can't believe that I have waited this long to check it out. Not only are there a million things that I could create to share with my students like book reviews or how to actually find books in the library but it would be a great way for struggling students to get their thoughts out without having to worry about writing them down. Last year I made a book talk video using an iPad that I posted to my website but it is nothing compared to what I could do!
A million ideas are running through my mind about how I could use podcasting and screencasting with myself and my students. Just to name a few- book reviews, showing students how to use shelf markers, beginning of the year procedures, how to use OPALS, searching for books and looking on the shelves for books and other materials in the library and to show teachers how to search for resources in the library and where to search for them. I can't even being to tell you how useful it would be to record everyday things that students need to know in the library (like using shelf markers and where things are located) so that when a student is absent or a new once comes to the school- which happens all the time- and I would not have to spend all that time explaining and re-explaining those things. It would be great to have something that can be used as a reminder as well because we all know how students can forget things that were learned the day before.
I decided to use AudioBoom to explore. There is a lot more to the website then I originally though and I got lost clicking on things and going from one thing to another. I am usually a person who will teach myself how to use something and find that by clicking and exploring is when I learn the most. There seemed to be a decent amount of categories to choose from and even though they didn't all appeal to me that was okay. If I was using this with students I would definitely want to be careful because they could be clicking on something that was not appropriate.
The recording part was so easy! It took me only a minute or two to figure out how to record my voice. What took me long was to actually save a recording because I did not like my voice. I had fun playing around and practicing by saying some silly things.
A million ideas are running through my mind about how I could use podcasting and screencasting with myself and my students. Just to name a few- book reviews, showing students how to use shelf markers, beginning of the year procedures, how to use OPALS, searching for books and looking on the shelves for books and other materials in the library and to show teachers how to search for resources in the library and where to search for them. I can't even being to tell you how useful it would be to record everyday things that students need to know in the library (like using shelf markers and where things are located) so that when a student is absent or a new once comes to the school- which happens all the time- and I would not have to spend all that time explaining and re-explaining those things. It would be great to have something that can be used as a reminder as well because we all know how students can forget things that were learned the day before.
I decided to use AudioBoom to explore. There is a lot more to the website then I originally though and I got lost clicking on things and going from one thing to another. I am usually a person who will teach myself how to use something and find that by clicking and exploring is when I learn the most. There seemed to be a decent amount of categories to choose from and even though they didn't all appeal to me that was okay. If I was using this with students I would definitely want to be careful because they could be clicking on something that was not appropriate.
The recording part was so easy! It took me only a minute or two to figure out how to record my voice. What took me long was to actually save a recording because I did not like my voice. I had fun playing around and practicing by saying some silly things.
Check out what I made!
https://audioboom.com/boos/3156429-mrs-cohen
https://audioboom.com/boos/3156429-mrs-cohen
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Thing 6: Curation Tools
There is so much information on the Internet that sometimes it becomes too much and I don't even know where to start. As a teacher I am constantly looking for new content and sources that my students can use and most of the time I spend endless hours trying to find and sift through all of the information. I never realized that I was actually doing "digital curation". I found this topic to be really interesting and there was only one tool, Pinterest, that I was familiar with. I use Pinterest not only in my personal life but for teaching as well. Sometimes I spend more time then I should clicking through and exploring, but I always seem to find the best stuff whether it be a new hair product, a paint color to use in my home, or a really cool lesson. While planning my wedding I used it all the time and it was great when I could send my boards to the florist and photographer to show them what I wanted instead of trying to explain it. I never thought of Pinterest as a curation tool but now that I think about it, it makes perfect sense! The article "16 Ways Educators Use Pinterest" shared some great ideas one of which I would try with my students which is creating resource boards and maybe even creating boards for books they want in the library.
Each year with my 5th graders I teach them how to search for information, and how to determine whether that information is good information or not. I enjoyed the handout "Building Link Collections" and the article "Teaching Kids to Curate Content Collections" was a great read. I explored Delicious and Diggo and in my opinion Diggo had more to offer. I liked that it had a lot of features that could be utilized and it offers ways to share you information and also keep things private which is good for an elementary school teacher working with younger kids. The site was really user friendly and I liked that, and I also liked that there was a blog I could follow. It is definitely a website that if I used with my students I would have to walk them through how to use it.
Each year with my 5th graders I teach them how to search for information, and how to determine whether that information is good information or not. I enjoyed the handout "Building Link Collections" and the article "Teaching Kids to Curate Content Collections" was a great read. I explored Delicious and Diggo and in my opinion Diggo had more to offer. I liked that it had a lot of features that could be utilized and it offers ways to share you information and also keep things private which is good for an elementary school teacher working with younger kids. The site was really user friendly and I liked that, and I also liked that there was a blog I could follow. It is definitely a website that if I used with my students I would have to walk them through how to use it.
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Thing 5: Digital Storytelling & Presentation Tools
Love, love, love this topic! I have had some experience working with some of these tools in the past but it wasn't until this class that I actually spent some time exploring!
Prezi was something that I was already familiar with and have used in the past to create presentations for my students. I find that it is similar to powerpoint but a lot more eye catching. It is pretty easy to use and there is a lot you can do with it. Voki was pretty cool, and I can guarantee that is would be something my students would love to use. One of the things I really liked about it was that you could set up class account and manage student work. I find it difficult at times to keep track of student log in's and id's and to be able to have everything in one place would be great. I didn't sign up for anything but this is definitely something I will be looking into doing. The video "It's Time for Phoenicia" was great- I always love to see videos that other teachers create and it always gives me some great ideas.
The tool that I decided to use this week was Animoto and I had so much fun using it. It was user friendly, and was extremely easy to use which is great because I know it will be something I can use with my younger students. The possibilities are endless when I think about what my students and I could do with this tool but right away I am thinking about using it to make book reviews for either the new books in the library, or ones that are not being circulate enough. I could also see myself using it with students when they have to do their book reports- they can use this instead and what a cool way it would be to present it.
For the video that I made I of course used my dog Riley as an inspiration. I chose pictures of her from the time she was a puppy to recent one's and uploaded them to Animoto. I then added captions, and chose music for the video. I absolutely loved Animoto and had so much fun making the video. I found it so easy to pop the pictures in and create the movie. The only thing I did not like was the free version has a watermark across the video and in order to remove that you need to pay a subscription fee.
Prezi was something that I was already familiar with and have used in the past to create presentations for my students. I find that it is similar to powerpoint but a lot more eye catching. It is pretty easy to use and there is a lot you can do with it. Voki was pretty cool, and I can guarantee that is would be something my students would love to use. One of the things I really liked about it was that you could set up class account and manage student work. I find it difficult at times to keep track of student log in's and id's and to be able to have everything in one place would be great. I didn't sign up for anything but this is definitely something I will be looking into doing. The video "It's Time for Phoenicia" was great- I always love to see videos that other teachers create and it always gives me some great ideas.
The tool that I decided to use this week was Animoto and I had so much fun using it. It was user friendly, and was extremely easy to use which is great because I know it will be something I can use with my younger students. The possibilities are endless when I think about what my students and I could do with this tool but right away I am thinking about using it to make book reviews for either the new books in the library, or ones that are not being circulate enough. I could also see myself using it with students when they have to do their book reports- they can use this instead and what a cool way it would be to present it.
For the video that I made I of course used my dog Riley as an inspiration. I chose pictures of her from the time she was a puppy to recent one's and uploaded them to Animoto. I then added captions, and chose music for the video. I absolutely loved Animoto and had so much fun making the video. I found it so easy to pop the pictures in and create the movie. The only thing I did not like was the free version has a watermark across the video and in order to remove that you need to pay a subscription fee.
Check out the finished product!
Monday, April 20, 2015
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