So for this reading journal entry, I picked the Blue Skunk blog as my source and was not disappointed. Here is the link to the entries that I really liked:
http://doug-johnson.squarespace.com/blue-skunk-blog/month/august-2012
To summarize what I read: his whole blog! I started at the "my website" tab and worked my way through each of them. It is entertaining and informative! And to be quite honest, I'm not much of a techie and I still really enjoyed it!! Maybe because I'm not a techie that's why I did like it so much.
My favorite entries that I read were:
1. Social networking policy whiplash
2. My biases-which is an entire tab devoted to Doug Johnson's personal beliefs
3. BFTP (blast from the past) Concerns about creativity
When I first started to read this blog, I didn't realize that it was based on technology. The resource is really helpful-although a lot of the entries are based on Johnson's personal beliefs and thoughts. I did enjoy his point of view and appreciated his thoughts on the use of technology in the classroom and library. There wasn't an aspect of this blog that I didn't like. I read it as what it was-a personal blog devoted to technology and the way it affects teachers and students from a personal point of view. I would use this as a resource for personal reading. I would use this on occasion.
I didn't really learn anything, but I did appreciate Johnson's point of view. My favorite was his "my biases" tab because it made me laugh out loud. It was pleasurable to read his entries-I'm not sure I really learned anything new, although I did not read every single entry available, so perhaps there are things like tech/app reviews elsewhere. I would use this as a tool for professional reading simply because Johnson has an interesting point of view. It is not like Edudemic where I actually learned about apps, but it did have a different kind of value to me. It was thought provoking which I like. It was challenging to my way of thinking which I also like. I also admire that he is bluntly honest about topics that most educators shy away from (BFTP concerns about creativity)-and really, he is right. I would like to ask him what technology he uses personally. How does he feel about the iPad usage in the classroom. He values games and such in the library, but I wonder if he really feels this way or was he being sarcastic? I couldn't tell. I would consider looking into social networking policies further because I know this is an underlying issue in my own building.
Maybe I should come up with my own Mrs. Story's biases tab for my own blog-hmmm....the list might be too long.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
God Bless Pinterest (tech entry)
I love Pinterest-I mean I LOVE IT!!!
Okay, it started off innocently enough-my friend sent me an invite (which I still think is a bit ridiculous) last fall. She warned me-"Kara," she said, "you will hate me for sending this to you!" was how it went. From the minute I logged in, I was HOOKED!!!!! Obviously up until this summer, I used it primarily as a virtual bulletin board for ideas, recipes, tips, etc. I honestly had no idea that there was educational value to all of the visual awesomeness!! To find out that my visual crack had meaning made it even better!!!!!!!
In the summer months I began to notice that my "teacher" friends were branching out. They were creating pin boards with titles like "My school day" or "Potential Lessons". It was like a light went off-I COULD USE THIS FOR SCHOOL!!! Now sure I know I wasn't working full time, but I was confident that I would be going back at some point!!!!! Let the professional pins begin!! I created "School is Cool" and then upon being hired in the library ventured out to create a new board "Life in the library".
Here is a link to my boards:
http://pinterest.com/karakst/
Please don't judge me-I don't sleep a lot!! I know there are a lot of pins on there!!! I just can't help it.
This tool is so user friendly!!! The only aspect of Pinterest that I don't particularly like is the invitation to become a "member". It seems silly to me-I don't really have any substantial reasoning behind that feeling. That being said, I guess I also don't like that you have to have a Twitter or Facebook account to even get the invite from a friend. This excludes tween and teens who could use this site for fun. My 13 year old daughter would love her own account, but because she does not have either social network she is unable to have her own account. I will continue to explore (yes, on a daily basis!) the categories that other pinners are creating-what excites me is that I can go EVERY day (okay, sometimes multiple times a day) and find fresh new ideas. I also like that while this is a social network there is very little actual communication between people. To me the social aspect is seeing what other ideas are out there on topics of my choosing. This has totally replaced my desire to go to Facebook. I would much rather look at pins and get cool ideas (I actually do create things that I pin) than read status after status on Facebook. I also need to explore the technical aspect of pinning an original pin from the Internet on my iPad. Currently I only have the "pin" button on my old Dell laptop so I can use that device when I am searching for ideas/lessons/tips on the Internet. Within the Pinterest program I am fine, it is when I leave the site and go exploring that I have trouble.
I am using this tool with students right now. I recently created a board called "Young Adult Lit" where I have started to record and note what YA books I am reading, have read, or have gotten a review on. I also have gotten book suggestions, bulletin board ideas, library lessons, book displays and many other things that I have either used or plan on using in the upcoming months with the kids. I think this would be a fun tool for students to use as well. My kids love to pin ideas-while I will not let them have their own (you have to have a Facebook or Twitter account to be eligible for the illustrious invite) account, I do let them get on and pin things to their own special boards. I think kids could keep track of what they are reading, what they have read, what they like, etc. with Pinterest. I know that several teachers in my building use Pinterest during brain breaks and other various times by pulling up their accounts and utilizing pins that they have found.
It is easy to get lost in the Pinterest world! I will admit that it is my favorite time suck! I can sit down and pin the hours away-I'm not spending any money and I am finding cool ideas to use professionally (and it doesn't hurt to find cute craft ideas either!) and here at home. As I said before, I love it!!!!!
Okay, it started off innocently enough-my friend sent me an invite (which I still think is a bit ridiculous) last fall. She warned me-"Kara," she said, "you will hate me for sending this to you!" was how it went. From the minute I logged in, I was HOOKED!!!!! Obviously up until this summer, I used it primarily as a virtual bulletin board for ideas, recipes, tips, etc. I honestly had no idea that there was educational value to all of the visual awesomeness!! To find out that my visual crack had meaning made it even better!!!!!!!
In the summer months I began to notice that my "teacher" friends were branching out. They were creating pin boards with titles like "My school day" or "Potential Lessons". It was like a light went off-I COULD USE THIS FOR SCHOOL!!! Now sure I know I wasn't working full time, but I was confident that I would be going back at some point!!!!! Let the professional pins begin!! I created "School is Cool" and then upon being hired in the library ventured out to create a new board "Life in the library".
Here is a link to my boards:
http://pinterest.com/karakst/
Please don't judge me-I don't sleep a lot!! I know there are a lot of pins on there!!! I just can't help it.
This tool is so user friendly!!! The only aspect of Pinterest that I don't particularly like is the invitation to become a "member". It seems silly to me-I don't really have any substantial reasoning behind that feeling. That being said, I guess I also don't like that you have to have a Twitter or Facebook account to even get the invite from a friend. This excludes tween and teens who could use this site for fun. My 13 year old daughter would love her own account, but because she does not have either social network she is unable to have her own account. I will continue to explore (yes, on a daily basis!) the categories that other pinners are creating-what excites me is that I can go EVERY day (okay, sometimes multiple times a day) and find fresh new ideas. I also like that while this is a social network there is very little actual communication between people. To me the social aspect is seeing what other ideas are out there on topics of my choosing. This has totally replaced my desire to go to Facebook. I would much rather look at pins and get cool ideas (I actually do create things that I pin) than read status after status on Facebook. I also need to explore the technical aspect of pinning an original pin from the Internet on my iPad. Currently I only have the "pin" button on my old Dell laptop so I can use that device when I am searching for ideas/lessons/tips on the Internet. Within the Pinterest program I am fine, it is when I leave the site and go exploring that I have trouble.
I am using this tool with students right now. I recently created a board called "Young Adult Lit" where I have started to record and note what YA books I am reading, have read, or have gotten a review on. I also have gotten book suggestions, bulletin board ideas, library lessons, book displays and many other things that I have either used or plan on using in the upcoming months with the kids. I think this would be a fun tool for students to use as well. My kids love to pin ideas-while I will not let them have their own (you have to have a Facebook or Twitter account to be eligible for the illustrious invite) account, I do let them get on and pin things to their own special boards. I think kids could keep track of what they are reading, what they have read, what they like, etc. with Pinterest. I know that several teachers in my building use Pinterest during brain breaks and other various times by pulling up their accounts and utilizing pins that they have found.
It is easy to get lost in the Pinterest world! I will admit that it is my favorite time suck! I can sit down and pin the hours away-I'm not spending any money and I am finding cool ideas to use professionally (and it doesn't hurt to find cute craft ideas either!) and here at home. As I said before, I love it!!!!!
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Reading journal take two (i.e. the right source)
http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/teacozy
Alright. I made a mistake-imagine that. I went out and found my own source for my reading journal entry-I didn't read far enough through the syllabus (that I have a paper copy of!!) and thought that we were to find our own resources. Sigh. I am learning.
For my official reading post, I went exploring on the site: A Chair, A Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy which is now affiliated with the School Library Journal. I chose this site off of the list because I liked the name of the blog. It sounded like something I would like to do-sit in a chair in front of a fireplace with a hot mug of tea and read-not something I get to do often enough!! The link above is where you will find this source.
I read several things on this site-the majority of what I found are book reviews, so I spent most of my time looking at those. Most of the titles that she recently has reviewed were not familiar to me, so it was definitely worth my time. I also read a few interviews with authors and looked at the archives. There is also a battle of the books section that compares and contrasts selection.
I did not like this site as much as others I have seen. I do appreciate the book reviews for young adults-I have said this before, I am lacking in being current on this age group. Even though I have been reading YA literature like a maniac, there is so much new stuff out there that I just can't keep up!! The most helpful aspect of this site is the extensive reviews. The author does get really into her reviews-she is super honest. If she loves it you know. If she dislikes it-well, you know that too. As a newbie to meeting the needs of middle school and junior high students I appreciate that. I do see myself using this as a resource for the middle school and junior high students in our building. I am going to bookmark this so that I can use it as a reference for the kids. The reviews are tagged so it would be easy to go on and locate a book that a student might like-for instance if they are wanting a new historical fiction selection I could find that with relative ease.
As for the content, the site is okay. I wish there was more. I would like to ask her how she sells YA books to her readers. Does she do displays? Does she have incentive programs? Does she pull out books for kids? While the reviews are good, does she still introduce the books that she doesn't like? I know the goal of this site is to discuss young adult literature, but where is the discussion? Do the comments count as what the site owner considers discussion? I'm just not getting that piece.
Overall this is a good reference to use when looking for a book review for YA literature. The benefit is that it is easy to use and gives a variety of YA literature that is being reviewed. I would use it for that. Beyond the reviews, I really would not use this site for anything more.
Alright. I made a mistake-imagine that. I went out and found my own source for my reading journal entry-I didn't read far enough through the syllabus (that I have a paper copy of!!) and thought that we were to find our own resources. Sigh. I am learning.
For my official reading post, I went exploring on the site: A Chair, A Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy which is now affiliated with the School Library Journal. I chose this site off of the list because I liked the name of the blog. It sounded like something I would like to do-sit in a chair in front of a fireplace with a hot mug of tea and read-not something I get to do often enough!! The link above is where you will find this source.
I read several things on this site-the majority of what I found are book reviews, so I spent most of my time looking at those. Most of the titles that she recently has reviewed were not familiar to me, so it was definitely worth my time. I also read a few interviews with authors and looked at the archives. There is also a battle of the books section that compares and contrasts selection.
I did not like this site as much as others I have seen. I do appreciate the book reviews for young adults-I have said this before, I am lacking in being current on this age group. Even though I have been reading YA literature like a maniac, there is so much new stuff out there that I just can't keep up!! The most helpful aspect of this site is the extensive reviews. The author does get really into her reviews-she is super honest. If she loves it you know. If she dislikes it-well, you know that too. As a newbie to meeting the needs of middle school and junior high students I appreciate that. I do see myself using this as a resource for the middle school and junior high students in our building. I am going to bookmark this so that I can use it as a reference for the kids. The reviews are tagged so it would be easy to go on and locate a book that a student might like-for instance if they are wanting a new historical fiction selection I could find that with relative ease.
As for the content, the site is okay. I wish there was more. I would like to ask her how she sells YA books to her readers. Does she do displays? Does she have incentive programs? Does she pull out books for kids? While the reviews are good, does she still introduce the books that she doesn't like? I know the goal of this site is to discuss young adult literature, but where is the discussion? Do the comments count as what the site owner considers discussion? I'm just not getting that piece.
Overall this is a good reference to use when looking for a book review for YA literature. The benefit is that it is easy to use and gives a variety of YA literature that is being reviewed. I would use it for that. Beyond the reviews, I really would not use this site for anything more.
Reading Entry-The Kardashians (seriously-this is GOOD!!)
http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/book_whisperer/2012/09/what_the_kardashians_taught_me.html
So for my reading entry this time I thought I would go to thebookwhisper.com and see what Donalyn Miller's website was all about. I have the book and thought it would be cool to see what her website looked like-BORING!!!! Yes it had book recommendations which is great, but it took me all of 10 minutes to read it!!
So then I saw on the right hand side a link to her blog-the article title was: What the Kardashians taught me about reading-that grabbed my attention!! So I clicked on the link and HIT THE JACKPOT!!!!!
I ended up on Donalyn's blog which is fantastic!!! Officially I chose this on accident, but it is evidence that good things come from exploration!!!
First let me say that you have to go and read this article-IT IS SO GOOD!!!! It is a guest post by one of Donalyn's friends, Christopher Lehmen. He makes the connection between the Kardashian family and their ability to permeate, well pretty much everything, and ties it to reading. How we can brand ourselves as readers, market our library to attract "buyers", and why reading instruction should be real.
I also went further into the blog and read several additional posts-this one was my favorite!!
I really like Donalyn's blog!! Her website, no, but her blog gets a resounding thumbs up!! The blog is full of various postings from guest writers/teachers/professionals and the blog owner herself. The postings are witty and current. They are also very easy to read! I am bookmarking this blog and will definitely make it a part of my professional reading.
The content of this blog is varied which I enjoyed. The Kardashian article gave me a great idea for "selling" a particular section in our library that just doesn't circulate. I intend on going in and pitching an idea to my colleague about covering this area with paper and caution tape and then doing a reveal after a week. Maybe putting some book jackets in frames like we have in other places?? Something to get some traffic!! The ideas that I gleaned from this one article have got my creative thoughts running. It is exciting to have a fresh perspective. Overall this resource has a variety of topics that are informative, entertaining, and thought provoking. I will come back to this blog because Donalyn does a great job of grouping and reviewing books, giving tips to engage readers of all ages, and the guest speakers crack me up!!
*********************************************************************************
After doing this review I realized that I had gone out and gotten my own source instead of going to the back of the syllabus. I did not realize that we were to use the list that you gave us, so I went out and found this blog. I will do a second posting on one the resources listed. The Kardashian article was too good to pass over and I wanted to share it with you.
So for my reading entry this time I thought I would go to thebookwhisper.com and see what Donalyn Miller's website was all about. I have the book and thought it would be cool to see what her website looked like-BORING!!!! Yes it had book recommendations which is great, but it took me all of 10 minutes to read it!!
So then I saw on the right hand side a link to her blog-the article title was: What the Kardashians taught me about reading-that grabbed my attention!! So I clicked on the link and HIT THE JACKPOT!!!!!
I ended up on Donalyn's blog which is fantastic!!! Officially I chose this on accident, but it is evidence that good things come from exploration!!!
First let me say that you have to go and read this article-IT IS SO GOOD!!!! It is a guest post by one of Donalyn's friends, Christopher Lehmen. He makes the connection between the Kardashian family and their ability to permeate, well pretty much everything, and ties it to reading. How we can brand ourselves as readers, market our library to attract "buyers", and why reading instruction should be real.
I also went further into the blog and read several additional posts-this one was my favorite!!
I really like Donalyn's blog!! Her website, no, but her blog gets a resounding thumbs up!! The blog is full of various postings from guest writers/teachers/professionals and the blog owner herself. The postings are witty and current. They are also very easy to read! I am bookmarking this blog and will definitely make it a part of my professional reading.
The content of this blog is varied which I enjoyed. The Kardashian article gave me a great idea for "selling" a particular section in our library that just doesn't circulate. I intend on going in and pitching an idea to my colleague about covering this area with paper and caution tape and then doing a reveal after a week. Maybe putting some book jackets in frames like we have in other places?? Something to get some traffic!! The ideas that I gleaned from this one article have got my creative thoughts running. It is exciting to have a fresh perspective. Overall this resource has a variety of topics that are informative, entertaining, and thought provoking. I will come back to this blog because Donalyn does a great job of grouping and reviewing books, giving tips to engage readers of all ages, and the guest speakers crack me up!!
*********************************************************************************
After doing this review I realized that I had gone out and gotten my own source instead of going to the back of the syllabus. I did not realize that we were to use the list that you gave us, so I went out and found this blog. I will do a second posting on one the resources listed. The Kardashian article was too good to pass over and I wanted to share it with you.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Monday, September 3, 2012
Tech Journal-Google Reader
http://www.google.com/reader/view/?hl=en&tab=my#stream/feed%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.slj.com%2Ffeed%2F
For this technology entry, we were asked to create a Google reader account. I actually have had a Google reader for quite some time. I love blogs, and when I was a stay at home Mom, I used Google reader to keep up on my favorite sites.
I love Google Reader because this tool makes it very easy to keep current with the blogs of your own choosing. It is easy to jump on reader and pick and choose what I want to read on that particular day. Then if I want to actually go more in depth, the blog site is just a click away. It becomes this fantastic tool for a quick read-I have my list, I click, I read. There is nothing that I dislike about Reader.
Back in the day, a Mom friend of mine actually introduced me to Reader. She encouraged me to get an account because it would make life easier when it came to reading my favorite blogs. While I don't remember the exact steps I took to create my account, I do remember being very pleased at how simple it was to get started. I have noticed that now a simple click links me up to Reader instead of having to copy the URL like I did in the beginning. What excited me the most is the ease of use. It really does make the excuse, "I don't have time to read journals", obsolete.
For this assignment I chose to link up to: School Library Journal; School Library Monthly; and Edudemic (a school technology blog). I chose these feeds to follow because I can apply each of the site contents to my job now. As I shared in my last post, School Library Journal is an AWESOME resource for book reviews!! I figure instead of sifting through the paper journal, I can keep current by having this on a feed. School Library Monthly is another great feed that I will use frequently with students and for my own professional development. Some of the recent feeds discuss common core standards in regards to the library, library advocacy, and book reviews as well. I stumbled on to Edudemic and holy cow it's awesome!!!!! First of all I am admitting that technology is not my strong suit. After being at home with kids for 13 years, I am realizing that knowing how to use a smartphone just doesn't cut it!! Sure I can navigate a Smartboard and I know what an iPad is-but there is SO much out there!!!! Edudemic is SO cool!! The articles range from how to use an iPad, what apps to use on the iPad in the classroom, to being responsible technology users. There are tutorials, reviews of apps and products-this is DEFINITELY a feed that I will be using A LOT!!!!!! I am actually excited that I found it. I will make time to keep up with all of the new posts that come from this site!!
While this particular feed will be used for me, the information that I glean from these feeds will impact my students. Whether I get a good review for a new book or find a cool new app to share, my knowledge will trickle down to the kids that I serve. On a bigger scale, I wonder if it would be possible to link an RSS feed to our library blog page and provide our students with appropriate feeds that would assist them in content areas? Or just link up to cool feeds like 5 Minutes for Books. There are so many feeds out there that it would be a good way to highlight really good ones.
I have always enjoyed Google reader for personal usage, but now I see the value in using it professionally as well.
For this technology entry, we were asked to create a Google reader account. I actually have had a Google reader for quite some time. I love blogs, and when I was a stay at home Mom, I used Google reader to keep up on my favorite sites.
I love Google Reader because this tool makes it very easy to keep current with the blogs of your own choosing. It is easy to jump on reader and pick and choose what I want to read on that particular day. Then if I want to actually go more in depth, the blog site is just a click away. It becomes this fantastic tool for a quick read-I have my list, I click, I read. There is nothing that I dislike about Reader.
Back in the day, a Mom friend of mine actually introduced me to Reader. She encouraged me to get an account because it would make life easier when it came to reading my favorite blogs. While I don't remember the exact steps I took to create my account, I do remember being very pleased at how simple it was to get started. I have noticed that now a simple click links me up to Reader instead of having to copy the URL like I did in the beginning. What excited me the most is the ease of use. It really does make the excuse, "I don't have time to read journals", obsolete.
For this assignment I chose to link up to: School Library Journal; School Library Monthly; and Edudemic (a school technology blog). I chose these feeds to follow because I can apply each of the site contents to my job now. As I shared in my last post, School Library Journal is an AWESOME resource for book reviews!! I figure instead of sifting through the paper journal, I can keep current by having this on a feed. School Library Monthly is another great feed that I will use frequently with students and for my own professional development. Some of the recent feeds discuss common core standards in regards to the library, library advocacy, and book reviews as well. I stumbled on to Edudemic and holy cow it's awesome!!!!! First of all I am admitting that technology is not my strong suit. After being at home with kids for 13 years, I am realizing that knowing how to use a smartphone just doesn't cut it!! Sure I can navigate a Smartboard and I know what an iPad is-but there is SO much out there!!!! Edudemic is SO cool!! The articles range from how to use an iPad, what apps to use on the iPad in the classroom, to being responsible technology users. There are tutorials, reviews of apps and products-this is DEFINITELY a feed that I will be using A LOT!!!!!! I am actually excited that I found it. I will make time to keep up with all of the new posts that come from this site!!
While this particular feed will be used for me, the information that I glean from these feeds will impact my students. Whether I get a good review for a new book or find a cool new app to share, my knowledge will trickle down to the kids that I serve. On a bigger scale, I wonder if it would be possible to link an RSS feed to our library blog page and provide our students with appropriate feeds that would assist them in content areas? Or just link up to cool feeds like 5 Minutes for Books. There are so many feeds out there that it would be a good way to highlight really good ones.
I have always enjoyed Google reader for personal usage, but now I see the value in using it professionally as well.
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