blogs or wikis

week 7 already. On to blogs or wikis. Well as I sit here blogging I can see a difference between blogging and wikis. I do have to admit that I like blogging a bit better. Even though I feel more information can be laid out on a wiki. As I read through the many articles and chapters by Richardson I found myself developing a liking for both pieces of technology. When i have my own School library media center i feel that I will using blogging to keep students informed of what is happening in the library, however I will keep a wiki tio provide quick access to information relevant to school projects such as databases. Choosing between the both is very challenging that is why I feel incorporating both is benefitial.
As for collabortive projects in a graduate study class. I have mixed emotions. I clearly understand that group work is important but I feel that most of us already understand this and know how to be an active member of a group. The project assigned was interesting but most of us seemed to be coming up with the same ideas.
So on to week 8....

Copyrights and Safety

Wow on to week 6 already. Copyright is a very important serious issue. How do we go about following all the rules and regulations? Who knows where to begin. It is my belief that students should be taught on a situation by situation basis such as writing papers or doing research projects. I think that as a School Librarian it is part of our job to make sure that students and faculty can come to us with any concerns or questions. I think it is important that faculty should be trained as well. Well it is nice to have Simpsons book on hand it seems that Copyright Laws. I wonder if anyone else is having a problem with being able to show a movie to a class. I work in a Nursing Home and we often show movies as an activity. But the question remains are we really able to show these movies or does it reflect and infringement on copyright issues? There are many thoughts on this issue. I think it is important to follow copyright laws and we obviously do not want to get our schools or adminstration in trouble because the fines can be very steep. I know myself I will be able to make knowing copyright laws at the top of my list.
On to Safety...another important issue. I think knowing Internet Safety is very intrical in being a successful school librarian. Students need to be reminded not to put information on the net that they do not want to be shared. The Internet can be a very powerful tool but has its downfalls such as myspace and facebook. Used correctly these tools can be fun ways to keep in contact with friends and family, however used incorrectly students can put themselves at risk. So as School Librarians we need to teach these.

Search Tools

Hi everyone welcome to week 5. Moving right along to search tools. Search tools are a very important part of reseach which need to be taught and redefined at an early age. When being taught how to use these devices teachers and librarians should be very clear in making sure that their target audience are aware of the many possiblities provided for them. It is also very important to make it very clear that your sources be reliable and that is why I prefer databases to search engines although I do realize that they are not always avaialble, If I had to choose my favorite search engine I would probably choose Google for its wide variety of capabilities. I am not as fond of Bing and Yahoo. As for databases I prefer Infotrac to Proquest for Highschools and Public Libraries. For elementary students I prefer Searchasaurus and Worldbook Kids. Teachers also need training in these databases in oder to be able to serve their students better. In the last few weeks I been observing in school libraries and have found that many different schools have different views on the subject of searching. Smallwood elementary prefers to teach Google for searching whereas Herbert Hoover Elementary prefers Database searching. Amherst Highschool looks very fondly on databases as well such as Infotrac. I know when I have my own library I will make sure that I make as many possibilities available as I physically can.

Information Literacy

Wow, where to begin. Ok so this week we covered a large amount of information. But what I found as most informative was the Webquest on Information Literacy. I really like the idea that students need to be informed on the correct usage of technology. It is not so important to know how to send an e-mail or create a webpage as it is to know the function of how to perform these tasks. Although I believe that I could be a strong advocate for Information Literacy I believe there needs to be a strong collabortaive effort between librarians and staff in order to fully provide students the capabilities to success. Although I realize that getting staff to become less reluctant and take a leap may take alot of time and effort. Bloom also had a lot of information to think about. It is really surprising how much technology has developed since I was even in high school,(graduated in 1997). Simpson and Richardson both in chapters 3 were also very informative. I have never been very technical which is why I support teaching students and staff current updates in technology because bwhen facing the job force these skills can provide the capabilities to exceed. All right enough for now, on to next week.

Assistive Technology

This week I found that creating my Newsletter was very informative. I knew of many options for Assistive Devices in Technology but was surprised at what I was able to find for Motor Coordination. I think that both School Libraries and Public Libraries should both have availabilities for this technology. I have noticed while working in an elementary school that more and more students are challenged in some way. Special education classes could benefit highly from assistive technology in many ways. It is very interesting that some schools are fortunate to have the availability of funds to provide these devices whereas others do not. Budgets definately play a significant role in what is made available but I think that schools have to be more proactive in seeking out other means for funding such as Grants. On to next week.

richardson and simpson chapters 2

Wow, I was a little surprised by both these chapters this week. First to Richardson, Weblogs. This is my first time using a blog and I am finding that I really enjoy this. What I did not realize is how many functions a blog can serve especially in Education. I am now clearly understanding what a wonderful tool this can be for both teachers and students, although I do wonder about editing their content. For teachers I feel blogs are a wonderful opportunity to stay connected with fellow teachers and to share ideas. For students I feel that blogging can serve two purposes, educating and socializing and I feel there is a divided line between both. I think it is important if a teacher is going to use a blog in their classroom that the students be taught the proper way utilize them to their highest potential. Ok enough about blogging now on to Simpson. I do have to admit that all the copyright issues and laws disscussed in the first two chapters make one a little nervous about accidently violating them. Although Simpson does outline the laws clearly. I think it is important for an educator to understand basic copyright laws and to abide to them as best as possible. The penalties one might face were much steeper then I expected and the infringements were surprising because I never knew there were three different classifications. As I go through both books I cannot help but thinking what am I getting myself into. Technology has changed so much although I am finding new things daily and find it very interesting. Ok now on to chapters 3 and much more learing to do.

First thoughts of the week

I am very excited to be embarking on a journey through technology although I have to admit that at first the tasks ahead seemed daunting. The thought of joining a Wiki or developing a Blog made me think that there must be a whole world of technolgy and endless possibilities. When first answering my invite into the class Wiki I discovered that on some computers you cannot access the EasyEdit Button. I tried to use my Mini Dell Inspirion but found it does not appear, so I moved to my desktop and had no problem creating my profile. I also found it very easy to create a Blog..no problems there. I found that the attachments posted at the bottom of the weekly assignment page were extremely helpful in creating the requirements for the class. I am slowly becoming more comfortable with the Wiki although I am still trying to figure out how to find my classmates. This I am sure will come in time. As I cracked open the textbooks I found myself becoming very interested in the Read/Write Web. I have now conquered the first chapters in both books. I also found myself learning extensively about copyrighting..Until Next Week...