Week 7 Thing 17 Sandbox Wiki

My idea here is to use a Web 2.0 tool for a student project Scrapblog http://www.scrapblog.com/. Have students use Scrapblog to create their project on a project that they would normally use PowerPoint. It would be fun to see how creative they could be with the Scrapblog. It is a fun tool to use. I have added this idea to the wiki.

Week 7 Thing 16 Wikis

This exploration has been interesting. I created a wiki for my library webpage but I never linked it to my page at ASD. I have spent some time modifying it as I have seen a few new things out there on other wikis, just to see if it was something I could do. I need to spend more time with them and continue exploration. There are lots of awesome wikis out there. I think that this would be a good place to get teachers to add content to a wiki for the lessons they teach to help students find the information they need to complete their class projects. I have liked using the wikis that I have been involved with and will continue to learn as I do so.

Week 6 thing 15

In the article by Michael Stephens "Into a New World of Librarianship" he adds an interesting thought that the library Web 2.0 is that "the Library is human," because it makes the library a social and emotionally engaging center for learning and experience. I think that libraries should be more of a socially engaging place but not just because of Web 2.0. Our school libraries need to be the hub of the school both educationally and socially. Students need to want to be there and feel comfortable there to utilize the resources available. It would be nice to be able to do all of the things he talks about but I have trouble figuring out where to find the time to add all of these things into the daily routine.
Librarians 2.0 plans for their users as all librarians should to meet the needs of their patrons. It will take time before librarians embrace Web 2.0 technologies. They must become more comfortable with them and see how they can be used to benefit their patrons or they can best use the technology to assist them. Embracing the tools to enhance their ability to meet the needs of those they reach. They make good decisions about the technology to use not just for technology sake. This all makes good sense as well as the ability to make good decisions about the changing technologies by planning and communicating with those who will be impacted by these decisions. I am not sure how well all of these would work in the school library but can definitely see many applications being valid.

Week 6 thing 14

Using Technorati was an interesting experience. So many blogs and so much information out there. I found it overwhelming and somewhat frustrating at times. When searching for something what I thought I would find was very different than what I actually found. The tagging was interesting it seems dependent on others and how they tag their post to how it comes up in the search. It does have some interesting points and was another way to sort information finding things in different ways. Using similar search patterns or tags. I am not sure I will be spending a whole lot of time here. I really didn't find it very user friendly and ran into search problems where it wouldn't complete the search having tech problem or something like that. But it is another tool to explore out there. http://www.technorati.com/

Web 2.0 New Tools New Schools Chapter 7

In the chapter on online safety and security the authors discuss legal issues, copyright and intellectual property, security solutions, awareness programs, acceptable use policies, ethical behavior, administrative restrictions, parental involvement, blocking and problems as well as some alternatives when things are blocked.
Online safety is of great concern as teachers we are aware that the Internet is not always a safe place and we must create an awareness in our students about the dangers out there. Keeping our students and data safe are important aspects of using the Internet. It is important to prevent problems by education of both staff and students. With today's Internet web 2.0 applications it is easy to get information out on the Internet but that information is not always truthful, may be biased or inappropriate for some individuals. We must be aware of the social networking sites like Myspace and Facebook that students readily utilize to maintain their social contacts and teach our students not to post private information on these websites that may be used by others Adults and children do think differently about the Internet and its dangers.
Their discussions on how to avoid copyright problems and five steps are good things to think about. Having a technology policy that includes a code of ethics and procedures, reviewing this policy with parents, teachers and students, have a technology manager, teach ethical and legal behavior for technology use, and thank your employees and students for supporting the steps. We all must work to help students understand copyright and intellectual property.
Security is important to protect our students:
According to the Thinkronize report from 2006 the actions that have been taken to protect students include;

• Having filters installed
• Giving faculty instruction on safety
• Giving students instructions on safety
• Providing parents with tips and information
• Purchasing special search engines

Anchorage schools are working on this with the Internet safety being taught in elementary and middle schools. More instruction is being given to faculty and students alike. That information as well as other information is being shared with parents. Special search engines have also been purchased to help alleviate these problems. Students are being taught about cyber awareness, safety, acceptable and appropriate uses of information.
Instant messaging, image sharing, and social networks have created another interesting obstacle for school districts to manage. With filters and education it is still a challenge to keep students from using these inappropriately. Having web 2.0 tools on intranets so they are behind district firewalls is one way to help alleviate some of the problems. As always with new technology come new challenges and obstacles which need to be overcome and continually monitored. Continually getting information out to students, teachers and parents on how to use these resources will help them to do it safely and legally. We will still have challenges to overcome but that is always the case with emerging technologies.

Web 2.0 New Tools New Schools Chapter 1

Chapter 1 discussed the new world, new web and the new skills needed to make it in the world. It is true that we are wired in a world where we can communicate and collaborate all hours of the day. With many corporations becoming multinational having workers around the world has changed the way corporations are doing business. If we are going to keep up and continue to be productive in this society we must understand the changes in the web and how they reflect the changes in the world around us. As teachers we should provide these new tools to our students so that they are prepared for the challenges that they will face. Our students need to be intelligent employees as well as educated citizens. It is true that education needs to focus on the skills and abilities that students will need to help them remain competitive in a changing world. Competition in the workplace continues to intensify around the world. Businesses must diversify and spread jobs around the world in order to remain competitive. It may not be how much we educate our children but how we educated them. The new internet with its growing and expanding applications and open source software allows everyone to interact and add correct comment and create information on the internet and post it with the click of a button. The increasing amount of social networks has changed the way we interact with others.
I definitely agree that it will have a dramatic effect on businesses. Creating a different way of communication with immediate feedback on service or products, meeting online from a variety of places across the country. This seems to impress on the need to teach those 21st Century Skills we are always talking about. I think the biggest weakness we have here is the lack of training for our teachers it is hard to get everyone on board working to increase the use of 21st century skills in the classroom. NCREL;2003 has a good definition of theses skills:
Digital-Age Literacy

• Basic, scientific, economic, and technological literacies
• Visual and informational literacies
• Multicultural literacy and global awareness

Inventive Thinking

• Adaptability and managing complexity
• Self direction
• Curiosity, creativity, and risk taking
• Higher-order thinking and sound reasoning

Effective Communication

• Teaming, collaboration, and interpersonal skills
• Personal, social, and civic responsibility
• Interactive communication

High Productivity

• Prioritizing, planning and managing for results
• Effective use of real-world tools
• Ability to produce relevant, high-quality products

The new Web 2.0 tools is going to effect schools and students learning and change the way we think. These tools promote creativity, collaboration and communication and will enhance those areas where these skills play and important part. This may be a slow process in some places but it will happen and is already starting. They create many new options for students, teachers and schools in the way information is used and interacted with. The better students are at using the tools of the Web 2.o the better prepared they will be to utilize them in the workforce.

Week 6 Thing 13

Web 2.0 who would have thought that we would be tagging and social bookmarking. I think that this is really cool way to not recreate the wheel every time you are looking for something searching a tag and finding quickly what you may have already found or someone else has tagged. I have found some very useful sites searching the tags. I had created an account and explored it in a class earlier in the summer but not spent much time with it. I am liking that it is easy to use and organize. I have explored many others accounts and it is very interesting but again it seems to be a time zapper. All of the sudden an hour has gone by and who knew what I was really doing. I do see this as a useful tool however and I think that I will be using it more and more.