my tool belt

In week 10 of my class I am finding that my tool belt is growing regularly. Everyday I find that I have the opportunity to learn new tools and envision which ones I find useful in my ideal library and technology center. As for Digo I am excited to be able to have such an easy way of keeping track of web sites that I wish to refer to on a day to day basis. Being able to share with groups is another positive. Would I recommend Digo?, sure I would. Each new tool is a valuable addition to anyones tool belt for the professional world.
I don't neccessarily believe that every tool such as Wiki's are meant for every area of education but by taking a course like this it allows one to be able to experience and experiment with new technologies being developed. Wiki's are great for upper education but I do not believe I would use them at an elementary level due to there complexity.
In becoming a librarian I do believe that it is important to become familar with new technology. I think it would be wonderful to be able to keep up to date with online courses such as this one. Keeping in touch with growing demand for change in education can be difficult but with aides like this one it makes it much more fun.
What can I say about blogging.. Well it is obvious that I really like blogging. It's a great way to express creativity..
On to next week!!

online conference

Ok so I attended 6 sessions of an online conference this week. I thought the conference was very informative and well presented. The first conference keynote presentation I attended was entitled the Wizard of Apps. I believe that the presentation was very interesting and well organized. The idea to set the presentation to the tune of the Wizard of Oz was unique and quirky. This also caught my eye and my interest. The information presented was also well thought out. I guess I am not as creative as some folks when developing something like this. I have not figured out what made her come up with the idea but it was ingenious to enlist the schools theatre group. I discovered that when listening to song and dance it can make any topic fun to participate in.
The next presentation I attended was one on writing e-books. What a wonderful way of getting students involved in researching topics such as Ancient Greece. I always knew this exsisted but never understood how easy and interactive this could really be. I also agree that this is a wonderful way for parents to see how their children are working and what they are learning. I really do think that this also keeps attention and creative flowing. Would I ever use this in my classroom..Absolutley.
These were my favorite of the presentations I attended and I look forward to more in the future.

PowerPoint Presentations

Powerpoint presentations are very useful in a wide variety of arenas. When starting to use powerpoint it is very easy to become confused and agitated but as you navigate the program it becomes much easier and even fun to become creative. I am in agreement that when creating a powerpoint you should be aware of your audience. Obviously you are not going to put childish images into a professional staff development presentation. But for student this would an ok idea in order to hold their attention. Unfortunately I have been subjected to some pp presentations that could use some serious TLC. I thin power points are a great way to show information to students and it is even fun at the higher levels to have the students assist you in creating your presentation. I am a great fan of power point presenting but I think you really have to be somewhat computer savyy in oder to have fun using it.