Thing 18, Online Productivity Tools

I am going to be honest here. I chose to explore Google Docs over Open Office because I did not want to download any new software to my computer at this time and I already have an account with Google. I did notice that Open Office is installed on my daughter's computer in her new classroom in a Conroe ISD elementary.

I think the biggest advantage to using a tool like Google Docs is the capability of collaboration between several parties. The ability to work on the same document without having to go through email is a huge time saver making the task less time consuming. Also, you don't have to worry about carrying a flash drive around; the document is saved to their server. I hate it when I go to save a file and I don't have enough space left on my flash drive!

I think one fear of some people is that Open means it could be full of viruses lurking about waiting to attack whoever downloads the software into their computer.

Thing 17, Rollyo

The video about Rollyo created by the L2P participant, Bruce Goodner is great! I would like to echo his rationale here; I see students using Google all the time with searches returning hits numbering in the 100,000's if they are lucky; normally the return is more. Rollyo is an excellent resource to help with the student's time management and ensure that they are using quality sources for their research. Of course, if the student does find a great source in their Google search it could be added to the Rollyo search roll building on the teacher's cache of relevant websites.

I browsed the site a little, I did not want to waste too much time this morning. I created a search roll on Space Exploration because our fifth graders participate in a summer Space Camp.

Great tool for teachers and librarians!

Thing 16, Wikis

I did not realize how user friendly wikis could be until viewing the Common Craft video and taking a look at the various examples provided.

I think that any teacher, administrator or librarian could utilize this tool in any aspect of their job description; whether it is instruction or professional development.

I see endless possibilities in my job description, Bluebonnet Book Club, YA Book Club, C-Scope resources for teachers. I need to do like the Nike slogan says and "Just Do It".

**Image is from my personal collection.

Thing 15, Web 2.0, Library 2.0 and the future of Libraries

If libraries or librarians are to continue providing services to their patrons it is imperative that we ride the 2.0 wave or we will find ourselves marooned on the beach. Information is available at almost the speed of light via the Internet; we cannot expect today's patrons to rely on the static resources housed within the library's physical walls. We have a responsibility to the patron to get on board with the 2.0 community. It is the ultimate form of collaboration. What do you think?

*Image from Flikr Creative Commons member mccheek/carol smith.

Thing 14, Technorati

Hmmm, in the realm of the tag cloud size matters. The bigger and bolder the word in a tag cloud the more popular the tagged subject. I had noticed this phenomenom in tag clouds before but did not realize that there was any significance to the words being different sizes. Learn something new every day-life long learning again!

While browsing the Technorati website I searched for "school library learning 2.0" in the blog directory, popular blogs and popular tags and came up with the same hits each time; in my mind that is a good thing.

I watched the video on Technorati and a statement by one of the team members really struck me. She stated that she liked to search blogs for current information such as a review for a particular concert she was interested in attending. She did not want to read a "professional" reviewer's take on the group, she wanted to know what everyday people were saying about the them.

I definitely understand the concept of tagging now and appreciate the power of utilizing it. It will help me make sense out of my bookmarks and I like the idea of being able to share them.

Thing 13, Tagging and Social Bookmarking

My good/bad habit surfaces yet again: checking out tags on del.icio.us (good habit) and spending way too much time (really not so bad, but...).

Del.icio.us is definitely another tool that can increase time management efficiency. I like being able to tag different articles, blogs, sites, etc., with more than one tag and also the ability to rate it. Group projects in school whether professional with colleagues or a class project with students can save so much time and energy by sharing bookmarks on the subject of the project; especially since they are always complaining about the lack of time!

Digg was also very interesting seemed very user friendly, I clicked through the "About Digg" information. I don't see the benefit of subscribing to two social bookmarking sites; I will stick with del.icio.us. I watched the tutorial on Diigo which is the new site for Furl. I think the ability to annotate articles would be very beneficial if working on a research topic or group work for students. The Ma.gnolia site is not up and running after a fatal database crash. Sounds like everyone needs to take greater care to back up data!

Thing 12, Creating Community through Commenting

I have participated on discussion boards in classes and I occasionally have commented on blogs that I "lurk" on. I feel that it is a good way to share information and create a conversation between individuals. I agree with Cool Cat Teacher's comment that "the true conversation participants are those who contribute to the discussion wherever the blog posting is." She is encouraging people to share their wisdom on a subject in multiple venues, not just their own blogs. I also agree with her guidelines to Criticize Kindly. In an online environment it is so easy to be misunderstood with out the intention of offending someone. I experienced this on a discussion board I was commenting to; I inadvertently stepped on another person's toes and she let me have it. I apologized for the statement that I made about wanting a printer solely for the librarian's (me) use to print library related materials. I was wishing out loud so to speak and she promptly pointed out that her district was very limited on funds and resources and that she would never presume to be so extravagant. I try to re-read every comment that I make in order to keep this type of incident from happening again, although if I continue to pursue an online presence I am sure that it will.

I chose these Library2Play blogs to respond to: Book Diva, I highly recommend everyone take a look at this blog. Book Diva personalized her blog background and it looks very attractive she is also very thorough in her posts. I also commented on Book Egg blog; reading through her posts I seemed to feel an instant rapport with her. Wow, someone who has finished all 23 Things; I visited and commented on Gooder's Adventure Blog Monday morning. Looking at someone's blog that is finished has inspired me, thanks Ms. Gooder! I enjoyed watching her PhotoStory Thing.

(Aug. 5) As I work through my "Thing" List, blogs catch my eye; this morning it was Algebra at SOC. Another L2P participant finished with all 23 Things and I am still scrambling to get them all done! I commented on her PhotoStory Thing, very cute, she included her children (I'm assuming here) in the commentary. Great idea, I can see students using this resource to culminate any project, using their own photos or Flikr Creative Commons and describing the content. It really makes an impression when hear the children's voices.

Exploring Thing 13 and following the link to the "sweets" tag I found a blog on cooking and food with a few adventures of the author's private life thrown in called A Slice of Cherry Pie. It's not library related but a personal interest. The author lives in the UK and has a very delightful style. I added her to my Google Reader and I even commented on a post in which she talks about how excited she is to have such an international following. I look forward to following her blog.