Week 8 #19

Here's my library thing picks for my poetry webquest. I liked working with library thing. It seems like a great way to connect with others with like interests as well as offer readers a selection of choices for a library. Library thing has alot to offer and I really like the links to local stores as well as the discussions available for some books.

http://www.librarything.com/catalog/cferber

Week 8 (#18)

Zoho: I have actually worked with google docs before and I think that it is a great tool for access to documents when you are away from your computer. it also offers a chance to work collaboratively on documents. Zoho seems to be just as easy to use as Google docs and though I have not utilized these tools a whole lot so far, I do feel like there is a definite place for them in the classroom and educational setting.

Week 7 #17

I played around with the Classroom 2.0 Sandbox wiki and posted my webquest URL- its also posted here. I think that wikis are such a great tool as I mentioned in a previous post and I for one, appreciate the fact that you can fix wikis if you make a mistake (which I did-couldn't attach my URL at first). As mentioned before- they are a wonderful collaboration tool and I love the idea from 2.0 of using them as a Kidpedia and having kids collaborate to make a school wiki with information they can all use about content, though the teacher or administrator of the wiki still needs to follow it closely to monitor content. I am having issues linking my webquest so i copied and pasted it into this blog...

Introduction: Here’s to poetry! This web quest is designed for you to explore all that poetry has to offer and guide you to become a poet in your own right! You will create a poetry journal, learn about poems and poets and then create your own poems. When you are finished you will understand what poetry is all about and get your own creative juices flowing…off we go!

Task: Your task is to create a journal that includes all of your findings as well as your original creations. You will seek out poems that you like and poets that interest you. After thoughtful consideration, you will compile reflections on these poems and poets and move on to the next task- creating your own poems which will fall into these categories: acrostic, haiku, 5 line poem, limerick, and free verse.

Process: This web quest is broken into two parts… Part 1: Research and reflection Part: 2 Creation Here are the tasks to follow… Research and Reflection 1. Search through the attached Rollyo and find and read various poems by different poets. Locate five poems by five different poets which you like. 2. For each of the poems, write a journal reflection about the poem (at least one paragraph)…some guiding questions- what does it mean to you, why do you like it, what sensory images does the poet use, how do you feel when you read it, what style is the poem written in? 3. Research the five poets who wrote the poems that you chose. Find out some information and interesting facts about them and write at least one paragraph for each that includes biographical information, as well as such facts as what made them turn to poetry, did you find out any background about the poems they wrote, what factors from their lives influenced what types of poems they wrote or write? Creation- now that you have seen what’s out there it’s your turn to add your name to the list of poets. 1. Search the Rollyo to find out the definitions of these types of poems. • Acrostic • Haiku • Cinquain or Five line poem • Limerick • Free Verse 2. Write the definition and find an example of each to copy into your journal. Each type should be given its own page in your journal. 3. Now that you know what each one is, it is your turn to create an original example of each. Create at least one example of each type of poem and be sure to label them. If you search the Rollyo there are templates for some of these poems that may help you in your creations.

Resources: Everything that you need to find is available to you through this Rollyo---you just have to search for it and I promise you will find it! Happy searching!

http://rollyo.com/cferber/poetry_all_around/
Poetry all around Rollyo

Evaluation: Your completed journal is the way that this assignment will be assessed. Evaluation will be based on completion of all tasks and organization of your journal. At least one paragraph is expected for each poem and each poet. Definitions and copied examples should be correct and clearly organized, and your original creations should be correct and labeled. Creativity is encouraged, but your grade will be based on adherence to the task assignment and correctness of each type of poem.
Conclusion: Great job! You researched, learned and then created! There are many more types of poems that you can create and if you keep searching the Rollyo, there are some fun activities to aid you in that creation. Keep exploring more poets and poems and discover more about the world of poetry!

Week 7 #16

I think that wikis are a fantastic tool to use in the classroom. I have taken classes that used them as a tool for note taking(each person was assigned the role for a class and posted notes for others to review), and actually use one now with a book club that posts responses in a local magazine. They are easy to edit and offer a collaborative environment that is easy to access. I especially like the idea of using them as a book review tool in libraries and I also like the idea of using them with literature circles. Classrooms could use these to create group projects and offer students an easier way to collaborate together on projects and learning in general. In "Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom," Shelley notes that technology is an extremely powerful tool that can help keep students engaged in the learning process and increase motivation (330). Wikis are one way to do that.

Shelly, G., et al. (2009). Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom (5th ed). Boston: Thomson Course Technology, 2008.

Week 6 #15

I am slowly shaping a definition of Library 2.0 as I look through the listed websites. I like Michael Stephens' comment that "the library is a social and emotionally engaging center for learning and experience and Librarian 2.0 is the strategy guide for helping users find that information. And Dr Wendy Shultz states that libraries are not just collections, they are conversations, and they are not in communities, they are the community.I think that frames what Library 2.0 is perfectly: it is the library as the center of a community helping with the ongoing conversation and collaboration of all members of that community. The librarian assists in that conversation--if my take on this makes sense, I think that libraries have always been in the 2.0 state of mind.

Week 6- #14

According to Courtney, in Library 2.0, tagging has its pros and cons. It is usually current, creates a community of users, and gives insight into user behavior. Unfortunately, there is no synonym control, precision, nor hierarchy among the terms (94-101). This makes it hard to use in a controlled cataloging setting of the library, but great to use on the web- it certainly made it easy for me to hone into my own interests on Delicious. Technorati seems like another great tool to use in searching, however there is alot of information to search through. I think that tags are a useful tool, however they do not always give you exactly what you may be looking for.You still must sift through the information or blogsites returned to find what you are looking for. Tags can be a very useful way of searching and can be an added tool to use, however you must realize that they are not a fool proof way of searching.

Courtney, N. (2007). Library 2.0 and beyond.. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

Week 6, thing #13

Delicious...

I think that social bookmarking sites are fantastic tools and the 2.0 delicious site is one that I will use again.  I found two sites that I deemed good enough to add to my own favorites and the tagging tool made things extraordinarily easy to find. I can't wait to continue looking for more.  This is a great tool for anyone, but I can see the potential as people working within the same communities can access information easier and share that information through social bookmarking sites.  People researching the same thing could use these sites to share their findings and collaborate.  What amazing tool!

Week 5 #12

I am sold on Rollyo.  What an incredibly useful tool!  You can create different themes and search within those sites for things.  I think it could be very useful in an education or library setting.  I did a theme on poetry for middle or high school students, though I am still working through the lesosn plan.  The sites I included are subject specific and provide a variety of resources about poetry.  Here is the link to Poetry all around!

Poetry all Around!

Week 5 #11

I actually ended up exploring more than one 2.0 site and noticed quite a few that I have used in the past or use now.  Facebook is one that we are all familiar with, and I also explored delicious and reddit- both social bookmarking sites.  Both were easy to use and navigate and offer lots of extras as well.  Flickr is one that we have used in the past and I share all of my pictures through that site, and I also noticed that revolutionhealth had alot of great information.  Many of these sites would be able to be used in the classroom though should be vetted first.  I actually heard of a school principal using Twitter in order to make sure staff knew about meetings and such.  So much to search through and so little time....

Week 5 (thing #10)

I had a ball with the image creators!  I am still trying my hand at "movie" making, and think that all of these tools could find a place in the classroom.  I was thinking of how much students would enjoy making photostories of stories they have read in  an English class--you could have them retell the stories complete with setting and scenes.  I will also be checking them out when I send ecards from now on...the attached link in the sidebar is of a quick video I sent to my neice for her birthday!  I used http://www.imagechef.com/ for this video.