honeybear's hive

Thing # 11.5 Evaluation

2009-08-16T17:58:00.000-07:00

Though I muddle through much, I THANK you each for exposing us to all these "THINGS"!
Of, course, I loved the Vokie, Bookmaker, and I am really interested in exploring Slideshare. I know it takes an inordinate amount of time and planning to prepare this opportunity for us....then the reading and comments. Thank you! I feel proud and privileged to have been given this opportunity...even though I am NOT a star player...but baby-steps get one in motion!

Thing #11 Digital Citizenship

2009-08-16T17:47:00.000-07:00

A "brand new" technology need and required new curriculum..Digital Citizenship. Read all...It is obvious we are starting several generations late on this ethical super-highway. It is obvious that it must be a communal effort of family, educators(classroom and library), and individual... and taught alongside "print citizenship"! I need to read your printed handouts and explore more web sites before I form a plan. Thank you for the "heads-up".

Thing #10 Second Life

2009-08-16T17:30:00.000-07:00

How hard can it be to register....the 13 ATTEMPTS to register and I have to keep trying for a new virtual first name. Frankly, I am very happy with my real-life one lovingly selected by my real-life parents. I have trouble enough keeping my present real-time life on track without messing with Second Life...read required readings...have no interest in it and see no viable app for wee ones..their teen siblings can initiate them in yet another fantasy...WHY DO WE NEED THIS

Thing #9 Slideshare

2009-08-16T17:08:00.000-07:00

WOW! Tweaked my interest BIG TIME!Read Stephen's Lighthouse...tried to e-mail ppt on "Top Ten Reasons Libraries Are Still Important"...couldn't get it to work.Read Dr. Valednza's article and was anxious to expiement with 280 Slides......I got bogged down, need help, but want to persue! Slideshow concept awesome. I want to participate!

Thing #8 Screencasting

2009-08-16T16:41:00.000-07:00

OK, I am, once again, officially on overload....I viewed Landrum's Jing...I am not at that place yet..read Merdith Farkas' article on "Joys of Screencasting"....perhaps her disappointment of so few people using it is because the are busy with 1,000,001 other technological gadgets...I can see no immediate use for me in elementary school.

Thing #7 Video Resources

2009-07-18T17:10:00.000-07:00

Well, I do not know what I was trying to previously import so I just deleted them....re "viewed" video sites..liked Hulu's quality, was excited to view wildcast...BORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRing! Needs a narrative...there was some cursory music and skimpy narration...Google fun, contemporary...went to Vaughn's blog to read about the non-access of Totol...will go back to that...many resources at our fingertips!

Thing #6 iTouch Apps

2009-07-18T16:33:00.000-07:00

Have read and explored all requested items. Will take myself to a store as soon as my company leaves and explore the IPhone and all their apps.

I did not know Britannica was 241 years old. Three cheers for trying to become more relevant...adding some wiki features. But I agree with someone's comment: it is like trying to emulate the success of Southwest Airlines and failing because they do not understand....
Congrats to Wikipedia for "coming into its own"....their linguistic instaneous diversity is without a peer.

What Wickipedia Is Not should be read by all who use and those components who will "never" use.

Thing #5 Microblogging

2009-07-18T14:49:00.000-07:00

I love the analogy that technology is to the classroom as the water is to the sea.

Facebook: I signed up: I asked my daughter if I could be a "friend", signed up with a group: School Library Journal and I read the article: Book Clubs for Kids. This might be an enrichment for our 5th graders in MDE's Great Books program. I read Chen's article, 2 Cents Worth, plus Twitter in Plain English.

Does Twitter matter? Ask people in oppressed countries... Twitter spews forth the truth instantaneously and uncensored. In addition, with the use of only 140 characters, it makes one more disciplined in tweeting (?)...less verbal padding, etc.

Twitter in the library? Elementary? The "possibility door" is always open.

Back-channeling: Great concept with focused users. The "rub"? It will be getting presenters comfortable with the audience quasi focused on them.

Thng #4 Video Posting

2009-07-18T13:54:00.000-07:00

OK...confession. This was my first time to peruse both sites...and, "no", I did not know until now that there was a SCHOOL TUBE. My technology skills preclude uploading a video (making a video is on my "to do" list). I signed in on YOUtube. So easy to navigate. My search for both sites was: Zheng He. YOUtube was excellent. I installed Windows Explorer 8 because my current browser was about to go KAPUT! I have no idea if that was good or not.
I found all the video quality to be out of focus.

I hated TEACHERtube. I tried to sign in and it would not let me install GOOGLE Search...needed to use IE7 or Firefox 2 so I was dead in the water.
Did NOT like any of the videos, pictures, channels, etc. that I searched on. I would use YOUtube to enhance lessons.

Thing #2 Bookr

2009-07-16T13:44:00.000-07:00

I have tried multiple times alone and with the help of the magic fingers of Vaughn. We could not post the physical book at this time, but it was a learning expierence on how to work in HTML and hyperlinks. WOW! This a GREAT tool for the kiddos!Can hardly wait to use it with them.

Insects by Honeybear

Thing #3 Like Skype

2009-07-15T17:00:00.000-07:00

Oh, my gosh!My head is buzzing, my eyes are crossing, my back aches, my shoulders are knotted...it is just overwhelming!Live videoconferencing...I want my students to talk with children in Pakistan's elementary schools... (Three Cups of Tea)...free"telephoning"(international too!) from your laptop, etc...miraculous deeds for education, industry, and personal use. I cannot begin to fathom how my grandchildren's life will unfold in this technological tsunami!

Thing #2 Image Generators: Voki & Bookr

2009-07-15T15:56:00.000-07:00

What fun! I will need help- again- getting them posted to my blog!Oh, well, continue the learning. The kids will love doing both of these image generators!

Thing #1 Video Comments

2009-07-15T15:40:00.000-07:00

The video was inspiring, intimidating, succinct, and a lesson for a whole new vocabulary genera.I envied the student's ease and tech knowledge. I would fail that teacher's class if I were currently enrolled....the concept was staggering. Absolutely, librarians can facilitate many (probably all) concepts. And where does this leave the future of university book stores? No more textbooks.....new or used!

Could It Be Columbus?

2008-11-10T10:34:00.001-08:00

Perhaps It Was Leif the Lucky?

2008-11-10T10:33:00.001-08:00

Maybe It Was Zheng He?

2008-11-10T10:31:00.001-08:00

Who Was First?

2008-11-10T10:28:00.001-08:00

Table 3:PhotoStory

2008-08-20T11:36:00.000-07:00

What fun!!!!! Thanks to the "table help"I completed the entire assignment and can hardly wait to use it and teach it! Thats what I call a GIANT Nanette step!

Table 2: Audio Manipulation

2008-08-20T09:02:00.000-07:00

The AUDACITY of the time frame!!!!
Got to the point of uploading the audio.....twice...failed....frustrated...frustrated
No time for iTunes....found where to find them..no mas

Table 1:Image Manipulation

2008-08-20T08:13:00.000-07:00

Flickr frog that has been Warholizered...

Not enough time...feel fractured, but completed.

Table 1: Image Manipulation

2008-08-20T08:06:00.000-07:00

Discovery Education...done that!

Thing 23: Summation

2008-07-30T12:37:00.000-07:00

Watching my indomitable granddaughter, Honeybear, master a new situation (i.e., a Thing ?), I see her unflinching joy and mindfulness in exploring and mastering the given task. Katherine was my inspiration for my blog name, Honeybear, and the honey hive (new knowledge and skills) was to be my "reward" after I would invariably get "stung" during my many forays into this Cyberworld. My animoto reflected my French background, but the "can-can" dance was my mantra to myself: I can-can do this!
I thank all of you who were so supportive and so much help! I am at least quasi- literate when it comes to the new vocabulary. I have yet another new notebook with many a print-out for quick references. I am no where near masterful in using or applying many of our "things", but I can hardly wait to re-explore a few and use them in the library.
If I had not been required to do this, I would not have done it....out of sheer terror and intimidation. You can go to the bank when Dr. Bishop, Liz, and Vaughn say they will never leave you afloat without life support.
Unexpected outcome? I am actually proud of myself!
One word to describe this "pajama professional development"...comprehensive.

Thing 22: Nings

2008-07-23T17:46:00.000-07:00

I would love the lexicon of this term. Catchy! Again, I comprehend the preface of the concept and I can see it used in the upper grades and university level. I read the nings for teachers and Texas librarians. Hummmmm...if I were to take the time to read online, I would read the "wisdom" of bloggers, as I am "done" with library nings after school.
Personally, I cannot seem to find enough real-time-ninging with the people in my life I care about, to spend time online with social group gatherings of unknown voices.

P.S. I take issue with the claim ( Read About 7 Things....) that this social networking for students is a "neutral" setting. I would like more face-to-face dialogue on this, please!

Thing 21: Podcasts and Audacity

2008-07-22T12:14:00.000-07:00

What fun! I had help doing this, but I can hardly wait to experiment and do many more. I for see many applications!

Thing 20: YouTube,TeacherTube and Zamzar

2008-07-21T12:01:00.000-07:00

I give up! I go to YouTube on my laptop to pull up the videos on libraries and what greets me? Access Denied! I meander over to their URL for Houston Libraries and am still denied access. I go home and go to YouTube and BINGO! Everything works except no sound is emitting from my brand new Dell stand-alone...
A very famous award winning blogger thinks perhaps a sound chip was not installed when the computer was assembled. Bummer!
Loved TeacherTube and can hardly wait to use it! The Portal to Texas History was a gem to find! I'll pass it on. I will remember CARS when evaluating a "Tube" video and the three C's as they pertain to the Three Steps for 21st Century Learning.

Thing 19: Web 2.0 Award List

2008-07-20T20:01:00.000-07:00

Just how convenient can you get? Talk about user-friendly! Great resource for all Internet users as a viable, proven starting point for just any search topic. I played around with anything that wasn't library related...then ended up at the Web 2.0 Book Awards. Want to publish? Lulu is your "girl". Buy from Biblio? Their hook is donating a percentage of their proceeds to support community libraries in South America. Good for Biblio! VuFind? I would like some outside dialogue concerning this library resource portal...it looks promising. Library Thing has been previously perisued. I find WorldCat the most provocative.

Thing 17: Rollyo

2008-07-20T19:40:00.000-07:00

I sincerely have tried and tried this Thing 17! I have read and re-read (at least five times) each required "hot" spot...or are they only "hot" if they are a blue, underlined Web site?... and viewed the video. I very superficially understand the basic premise and then I simply shut down. Sorry, this one is a total bust. Hats off to those who "can do"!

Thing 6: Mashups and Third Party Sites

2008-07-19T11:46:00.000-07:00

23 Things continues to be an in-road to a whole new vocabulary. WIKIPEDIA's source of origin for mashup is cited as a pop music term. Well, I would like to go back at least 55 years and offer this older definition of mashup....... the sacred term used by all children at the table for the after-church-Sunday-fried chicken-meal: you take the last, and the most tasty, morsels of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, the puddles of butter and gravy, and whatever other bits and pieces one has guarded for that last sacred bite, and you MASHUP everything for that one last delicious bite ! Now that is a true mashup! And a 3rd Party?That was the nosey neighbor who listened in on your telephone conversation when one had crank telephones and party lines.

After reading about the general flavors of mashups, I got a roaring migraine! I understood the concept visually, but after wading through the quotes, types, architectural aspects, mashups versus portals, etc., I thought my eyes would be permanently crossed! I gladly bow to a 3rd Party via a public interface to mashups to their heart's desire. I had collected awesome pictures from Flickr and had made my mosaic, however, even with help, we could not get the mosaic to post properly. Moving right along....

And then there are trading cards, magazine covers, and mosaic applications...bingo! Wonderful tools for any and all elementary disciplines.

Thing 14: Technorati and How Tags Work

2008-07-17T16:03:00.000-07:00

After completing #13, a name appears now giving credit to Joshua Schachter, the programmer who invented tagging and launched the Web site Del.icio.us. Thank you Joshua! Well, somehow in this day and time, numbers with a tail of zeros seem to meet rather apathetic shrugs......a mere 84 million blogs?......yawn!
Technorati gives this number of blogs excellent guidance with its tools enabling one to search in a multiple of creative ways: keyword; content; top blog posts; news or the 'buzz'; top tags; photographs of "hot bloggers"; top videos; top news; top books; etc.......... a steady stream of useful search options for blogging Web sites, all public, to benefit people, peers and me! Technorati take the intimidation out of blog searching!

Thing 13: Tagging and Discovering Del.icio.us

2008-07-17T14:06:00.000-07:00

Love the graphic rendering of Delicious! With 15 billion Web pages, hats off to those who came up with these great organizational tools.... they are so logical and easy to use... Web-based and public to boot! Wow! The Common Craft guys video was the most "definitive" for me. For educators, the social bookmarking for lesson plans would be so efficient and gratefully utilized and expanded! Tags can take on a life of their own! Who knew organization could be so much fun and creative?

Thing 11: Library Thing

2008-07-17T13:49:00.000-07:00

Well, my first of five titles could not be located! I gave all the required information for M.F.K. Fisher's The Physiology of Taste and it was a "no show".

As I was persuizing the sites, I fond a member under "Interesting People", Sylphette (the name facinated me), an took a look at her book list. For my interests, her cultural studies book list was a veritable gold mine! Off to the public library I go! I will definately return to this site. Thank you for the source!

Thing 18:Online Productivity Tools

2008-07-04T10:03:00.000-07:00

Why, if I have Microsoft Office installed on my computer, would I need to seek out another source when I haven't even begun to master what Microsoft has to offer, plus it serves my needs just fine? I realize my computer skills are wanting, and my lack of curiosity seems to be nil in this instance, but I am focused on what I have. My browser could not display Open Office correctly and all things Google are user friendly.

Thing 16: Wikis

2008-07-03T14:00:00.000-07:00

For me, the jury is still out on a wiki. There is the ever present, pervasive belief that what is posted on the Web is the gospel truth, so help you God. That is a huge barrier for youngsters to hurdle. If a teacher is diligent having students note and correctly post their citations, maybe. For adults, not so much a problem. Obviously, some of the very "benefits" of wickis that make them so attractive, are also their greatest pitfalls. I noted one site, "Best Practiced Wikis", now requires an e-mail confirmation in order to create an account...seems there has been vandalism.

Thing 15: Web 2.0, Library 2.0 and the Future of Libraries

2008-07-03T12:51:00.000-07:00

Prior to delving into 23 Things, my gut opinion of L2 was: we were throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

After reading all five of the perspectives on L2, I found that Michael Stephens', Chip Nilge's, and John Riemer's blogs made my eyes glaze over and my mind wander... I found myself wishing I was at Nordstroms buying a pair of shoes.

However, after consuming Rick Anderson's "Away From the Icebergs"and Dr. Schultz's "To a Temporary Place in Time" I was ready to jump aboard Anderson's boat, commandeer Dr. Schultz, row like mad to Library 4.0, disembark, and settle into the Knowledge Spa......

I find myself with one foot in the well-mannered backlash against L2 and the other foot struggling to educate myself and come to grips with L2 as a vital and very real movement. No one ever seems to talk about funding. Are there magic money trees sprouting in the nether-lands? Lack of funding for public and academic libraries is notorious reality. One blogger, Laura Crossett, asks if L2 is just a club for rich libraries.

If I can keep focused on Sarah Houghton's definition of L2, supposedly the de facto standard, I can work with making libraries "more relevant".

Thing 12: Creating Community Through Commenting

2008-07-03T12:06:00.000-07:00

All those in the blogosphere, newbies too, take note and read.... or perhaps, reread: "How to Comment Like a King (or Queen!)"! Sound advice comes from"10 Techniques to Get More Comments on Your Blog" ...perhaps 2 out of 100 will now comment. Do you think we are a society of cyberspace voyeurs?

Final comment: "10 Commandments of Blog Commenting"...applies to all communication whether verbal (interpersonal), written (the Alexandria or 1.0 way with paper and ink), or the new god of the Web (bloggiong). Expressions of opinions, responses or replies hopefully embrace the same courtesies and respect regardless of the venue of choice.

Least we forget: Blue Skunk to the rescue! Those two little magic words never go out of style: thank you.

Blogs for kiddos? Iffy. Great tool to let them speak in their own voice or experiment in finding their "voice". The big, bad DC is a reality..bruises heal, verbal bashing makes a permanent imprint.

I went to Google Blog Search and found a multitude of blogs on ancient Chinese textiles (silk). What an envigorating and refreshing respite!

Thing 10: Online Image Generator

2008-07-03T10:59:00.000-07:00

Loved each discovery resources! I played with the Canadian, Famous Faces, and Sign Generator. This was a very welcome relief after some of the previous grueling Things. A thousand uses for everyone...demonstrate satire, humor, opinions, Haiku....or just plain nonsense!

Thing 9: Useful Library-Related Blogs and News Feeds

2008-07-03T08:33:00.000-07:00

I have spent over four hours wading through all the required sites. I was inundated with more information than I could possibly process ..or ever want to process. I finally took a break and mopped the kitchen floor. I probed some more. No go! Too much, too complex, can not relate.

Comments: could never get an e-mail verification for Bloglines; OPIX.net was easy to navigate; netvibes you can pitch;related links on Schoollibrary blogs did not work; etc.;etc..I felt I was in a whirlpool getting nowhere fast.

I have never kept a diary. Many a diary laid fallow in a drawer during my teen years. Journal keeper? Of sorts. I suppose I am a combination of a psychological-snippet journalist and a reader's journalist...finding a particurally eloquent sentence or passage from my readings....I pause and add it to my journal. In the article Vicki Davis wrote, How to Create Your Circle of the Wise,
her comments were succinct and comprehensive. From her point of view, I would catagorize my approach to bloggiong as a Learner.

Ms.Davis ended her blog with the question..."If you were able to read the writings, of say Ghandi, on a daily basis, would you?" My answer: The only things I read consistently on a daily basis are school e-mails (manditory).
Ghandi? Perhaps, but I would print it out in hard copy, grab a glass of wine, make a bee-line to my reading chair, curl-up and then read.

Thing 8: RSS Feed and Readers

2008-07-03T08:16:00.000-07:00

RSS, "Really Simple Syndication", really lives up to its name. Could any Web-based gadget be easier to set up? Done in a flash! I can see libraries and classroons using the bundeling to organize topics of interest and study....it is easy and efficient.

Thing 7: Cool Google Tools

2008-07-03T07:50:00.000-07:00

Loved Thing 7!!!! Having been a creature of the high desert where any viable persipation is in your dreams, this move to the tropics has me trembling! Hurricanes? Torrential rains?Flooding? Oh, my! Google Alert here I come..."hurricane alert" please. Well, if the electricity doesn't fail.

I "combined" iGoogle, Picasa Web Album, Google Scholar, and Google Advanced Search to explore the delightful mythical dragons that are now so prevalent in children's literature. Needless to say, a plethora of information in all its formats, includindg an eye-poppong power point!

Great sites for all.

Thing 5: Explore Flickr

2008-06-23T12:26:00.000-07:00

Exploring Flickr was a visual buffet! My comment after perusing "tags" and "groups" is they are the Container Store for Flickr. Under library uses, I jumped on the altered books..... WOW! The Flickr Creative Commons offers a plethera of stunning visuals that could be used in various and sundry ways by all faculty, staff and students alike.

Thing 3: Set Up a Blog and Make an Avitar & Thing 4:Register Your Blog

2008-06-23T11:23:00.000-07:00

What fun! I have finally made the plunge and psychogically I was euphoric that I had started, and artistically, I was lile a kid in a chocolate (dark) factory!!!!!! I will make my tortoise inroads and eagerly look forward to each new adventure!

Thing 2: Pointers from Life Long learners

2008-03-22T09:28:00.000-07:00

Steps #1-#5 are the core ingredients to my recipe of living and learning: they combine flawlessly to make the batter of my living and learning ethics.
Step #6? The creative side of me truly looks forward to "playing" and teaching others, however, the botton line, in the long run? I am a firm believer in in Joseph Campbell's outlook:

Technology is not going to save us.Our computers, our tools, our machines are not enough. We have to rely on our intution, our true being.

However, today, I begin to play.

The Journey of Honeybear to the Sweet Hive of Knowledge

2008-03-22T08:50:00.000-07:00

The first step of any journey is the hardest, but it may also be the step most filled with discovery...