Thing 17: Ning

I tried to visit all the Nings listed to see which drew my attention.  Educator Ning and Texas School Librarian Ning seem defunct. Future of Education Ning was linked to a lot of good resources but it requires the investment of time to visit and read.  Ning for Teachers is another Teacher Pay Teachers type site that is less busy and has less resources. I did download a couple of free resources the Word family centers and games, I have, Who has subtraction...  I think my favorite was the Teacher Librarian Ning.  It had resources that address some current needs. I particularly liked the Elementary Library Routines corner.
Ning is a great way to showcase upcoming events in your library, district and State events.  Once you gain a solid network core group it could be a one stop shop for all library related events and conferences.

Thing 16: Video Sharing

Youtube is one of my favorite teaching tools.  I use it for both math and language arts.  Because of the ease to access Youtube in my district, I haven't really explored Teachertube. On my first try, I found a new ABC rap that I will be using in my classroom.   It was fantastic!
Below as assigned is a video about web 2.0 tools on Youtube and a new favorite video (ABC rap) on Teachertube:

   

After trying to embed them both I found it easier to embed the Youtube video than the Teachertube one.

Thing 15: Podcasts and Vidcasts

 

 

This was easy to use.  The most trouble I had was finding the right music.

Thing 14: More Online Applications and Tools

Although, I have created several Prezis, I have never imported a Powerpoint into a Prezi. Well, I made it harder by "thinking" so this took longer than it should have.  I tried to create by using a template, then with a really long presentation.  Not smart but I finally got it done. 
 http://prezi.com/4klpze0zaggf/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

Thing 13: Explore Google Docs

I have used Google Docs as part of a class group response to an instructor and to work on a couple of projects however I never took the time to explore all the functionalities of G Docs.  I learned, through searching you tube because the link for teachers was removed due to copyrights, why I was frustrated when trying to use it.  I realize that this tool is more user friendly than I originally thought and that you can share/collaborate on documents with ease.

Thing 12: Microblogging

I have avoided the Twitter realm for as long as I could.  It took this assignment to shove me over the edge.  While I have little to say to others about my personal activities, the naturally nosy part of me has longed to see what all the hoopla is about.  I know that on a personal level I will not Tweet about my activities but I can see the benefits of using it to promote events in my library.  So, if I see it as apart of my job requirements I'll do it.  For personal use, I'll just be a Looky Lou peeping in other peoples posts. One of my favorite tweets said "The library is open. The librarian is grumpy. Come and get some books and stuff or whatever"
Oh yeah, while I was playing in the medium I also joined Tumblr so I could follow Jon Klassen.  Man I'm joining the modern world (lol).  The only site listed on the page that I had trouble opening was Jaiku.
This was fun....

Thing 10: School Wikis

I have used a Wiki previously for a college group project and as a landing spot for a websites and resources found for a mutual project.  This assignment allowed me to see some other possible uses for a Wiki.  Exploring how others have used Wikis in their classroom has inspired me to use a Wiki next year to create my friends and family board. I found that "The 2nd Grade Classroom" made Wiki seem more accessible to kindergarten.  I could also use it as a kind of family reading log...(hmmm still thinking)