Final Reflection

I feel that this course has definitely prepared be to become a 21st century librarian.  Although it was only for 5 days, I learned a lot in those few days and feel that I can take most of the stuff with me in the future.  In today's world, it seems that everything is on the computer and as librarians, we really have to know everything that is available out there for teachers and students.  I am most likely going to be a public librarian once I graduate, but I feel that most of the stuff we were taught I can use in a public library as well.  Not everything was just for school librarians.  I like how we spent time on each website and program, and got to play around with it and teach ourselves. 


Coming into this course, I would say that I was pretty "tech-savvy."  This course enhanced what I already knew and also taught me a few new things.  I now feel like I know a lot more and it will only benefit me.  As for the pre-course assignment compared to now, I still feel the same way that I did.  I understand what "web 2.0" means much more now.  Before this course, I just thought it was knowing the internet and how to navigate it.  It's obviously much more than that.  




As for the social networking tools that we learned about, I think I will continue to figure out Google+. I am glad that you gave us an invite because I was curious what all the hype was about.  It seems interesting, but there's a lot to learn.  I won't continue this blog.  I felt it was good for the class, but I don't have the time to update it and I wouldn't know what to write about.  I'm not the type to post my thoughts to the world and just write about anything.  It was fun to learn how to use a blog though since I never had one. I've been using GoodReads for about 3 years and I am addicted to it.  I think it's great to be able to keep track of all the books I want to read, read and currently reading.  I have different book shelves and friends on there to get ideas of what to read next.   Lastly, I am still unsure about Twitter.  I understand that it's great for networking, but I don't like it.  I like Facebook much better and I use that everyday.  I rarely check my Twitter account and I find it very annoying and people are always updating.  We'll see what the future brings....maybe I will use it one day. 

Day 4 Reflection

The day flew by today.  We got to experiment will all different websites which was a lot of fun.  I have used Glogster before in a different class and I think it's an excellent website.  You are able to do so much with it and really make it your own.  It's a great way to promote books or have students use it for class projects.  

Having my special education certification, it was nice to video chat with Lisa today.  Hearing about what she does in the classroom and how she accommodates all of her students is great to hear.  I feel that having my teaching certification will only benefit me in the future when I become a librarian because I already know about classroom management and all the "teacher" things. 

I can't believe that tomorrow is the last day of class! I've learned a lot more than I expected in these past few days and I am glad I took this class!

Book Trailer

I had a lot of fun making this book trailer.  It's a great way to promote new books that are coming out or might interest students.  I would make these videos and have them as the screen saver on the computers in the library if possible.  In the beginning of the school year, I would make a few to promote books when the students first visit the library.  If there is a Battle of the Books or book discussion, it's a good way to promote the books used for that and try to get students to be interested in joining the club.  


You can also have students use Photo Story to make their own book trailers or use it for a project to tell a story. I think they would have a lot of fun with this program and they can be very creative with it.  As the librarian, you can collaborate with the teacher to come up with a project that would include using Photo Story.

Day 3 Reflection

I really enjoyed "Fun Friday" yesterday.  Learning how to use Photo Story was great and I can see myself using that in the future.  It's a great way to make a lesson exciting and different, rather than just showing pictures to a class and having them talk about it. I enjoyed playing around with it and figuring out what different tools there are in the program and what each one does.


The assignment that was given to use was also a lot of fun.  It was a fun and creative way to get outside and figure out what to take pictures of.  My partner and I had trouble at first thinking of what kind of story we wanted to show, but then we came up with "Summer Time on Campus" and became to snap away.  Unfortunately the program we were assigned did not let us showcase out pictures so that was a bit of a bummer.   If it was somehow possible I would love to do that in a classroom one day and assign the older grades to do some sort of project where they have to take pictures and create a story out of it.  It's something different and gets their minds going.

The munchkins were delicious too!

Day 2

Today was a fun day.  We got to create new accounts on a few new websites and learn how to use some new things.  Some of the programs that we used today I already knew about so it was easy for me.  It was good to know how to go more in depth in some of the programs though.  


I am still iffy on Twitter.  I don't really get it and understand why it's so popular.  I have a personal account and I just use it to follow celebrities, but I go on it maybe once a week to check it.  Now that I have a professional account, I can see how it can help you network.  I still don't really like it though.  Maybe it will grow on me.  I use Facebook much more and all of my friends and family are on there, not Twitter so it's easier to stay connected with them.  


I really enjoyed the story exercise we did at the end of the day.  It was a fun way to talk to the other classmates and have fun.  We got to be silly and just think of random things to write.  It remidned me of an activity I had done when I was in elementary school.  Someone had to start a story with just one word, and the teacher would pick the next student to pick another word.  She would write them down as we go, making a story.  It would be very funny and we all had a great time doing it because we didn't know what to expect.


I'm also excited to try out Google+!
Until next time!....

Using Blogs in the School Media Center

In my school library, I would use blogs for many learning experiences.  I would like to collaborate with the teachers in the school and use blogs for projects that they may be working on.  It gives each student the opportunity to be creative and try new things, rather than just writing a paper.  Whether it's an individual or group project, the students can collaborate together and share their information with the other students.

Another way I would use blogs would be for the parents to be able to access all the school information, and keep the blog updated daily.  It would have homework assignments, events and ways to communicate with the teachers.  The students would also be able to access the blog from home also in case they want to look up something from their class or use it for homework.  

I would also like to use the blog to create a book discussion with the students.  It could be an after school program or during their lunch that they can read a book and write responses to it on the blog.  They can have discussions about it and ask questions.  The blog is a good way for some students to participate if they can't be at the program and it makes them feel included.

Happy Blogging!