For the last blog entry for my SLIS 5720 class, I was given a choice of three topics. However, I felt that I had something to comment on each topic, therefore I decided to answer all three questions.
1. At the beginning of this course, you were asked to assess your present strengths and weaknesses in technology. Has your assessment changed? If so, how?
In my first blog entry back in January I mentioned that I was most looking forward to learning how to blog and incorporate it into my classroom. I feel that over the past several months I have become a blog expert. Not only do I use it in class all the time, but it also helped me score higher in the technology aspect of my PDAS evaluation. My principal is very impressed and has even used it as an example in a recent faculty meeting.
2. How do you plan to keep up with new innovations in technology once you have completed your classes at UNT?
I have learned a lot this semester about different types of technology to incorporate into my classroom. I even recently convinced my department head to purchase mp3 players to use in the Reading classrooms. This summer, I plan on attending a training over using SmartBoards in the classroom.
3. What specific plans do you have for implementing technology in an educational setting as a result of what you have learned in 5720?
I plan on incorporating my class blog at the beginning of the year. I hope to make it available to parents to post questions or to even allow students to post questions when they are at home working on an assignment. I plan on doing more computer research in my classroom, not that I know how to correctly research and how to evaluate a website.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Blog Entry #4: The Job of Organizing
"Organizing books and materials used to be in the domain of professionally trained catalogers and indexers. Now, through Web 2.0, it is in the hands of everyday "folk." What are the implications of this trend for librarians? Also, for additional food for thought, go to your Delicious site and examine your list of tags. In your opinion, are these tags more or less helpful than traditional subject headings?"
When I think of organization, I always consider things alphabetically. I don't know if it is the OCD in me or what, but my entire DVD and CD collection is set up alphabetically. I think that creating websites like Delicious is great for "everyday folk". It allows people to create their own organization as well as making it available for other people to see and search as well. But at the same point, it can be a burden. There are people out there who take advantage of websites like delicious, and might go "tag crazy" or people who might purposely use tags that are wrong or misleading. As a librarian, I think it is not only our job to catalog and organize, but to also teach librarian patrons how to not only correctly use the cataloging system, but how to use it in their own lives.
When I think of organization, I always consider things alphabetically. I don't know if it is the OCD in me or what, but my entire DVD and CD collection is set up alphabetically. I think that creating websites like Delicious is great for "everyday folk". It allows people to create their own organization as well as making it available for other people to see and search as well. But at the same point, it can be a burden. There are people out there who take advantage of websites like delicious, and might go "tag crazy" or people who might purposely use tags that are wrong or misleading. As a librarian, I think it is not only our job to catalog and organize, but to also teach librarian patrons how to not only correctly use the cataloging system, but how to use it in their own lives.
Blog Entry #3: The Machine is Us/Using Us
"The title of the video that you were asked to view this week is "Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/Using Us." Referencing what you have learned about Web 2.0 through the readings in the Courtney text and through watching the video, why do you think that Professor Wesch gave this title to the video?"
I really enjoyed watching the video about Web 2.0, I loved how the author started out talking about machines, but by the end of the video made the comparison that we are the machines. By naming this video Web 2.0, Wesch made sure to point out all of the different types of tools that go under that category: blogs, wikis, videos, digital photos, etc. He also showed how vast the internet is and (what I thought was amazing) how it is all put out there by people. He mentions, "who will organize all this data? we will!" I love that! We are the machine because the internet would not exist if it weren't the people blogging every .5 seconds or uploading new videos to youtube. We are the machine!
I really enjoyed watching the video about Web 2.0, I loved how the author started out talking about machines, but by the end of the video made the comparison that we are the machines. By naming this video Web 2.0, Wesch made sure to point out all of the different types of tools that go under that category: blogs, wikis, videos, digital photos, etc. He also showed how vast the internet is and (what I thought was amazing) how it is all put out there by people. He mentions, "who will organize all this data? we will!" I love that! We are the machine because the internet would not exist if it weren't the people blogging every .5 seconds or uploading new videos to youtube. We are the machine!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Blog Entry #2: Handheld Devices
Your technology director has given you a budget of $10,000 for the purchase of handheld devices in your library. Using the prices in Chapter 5 of Courtney as a general guideline, what would you purchase and why? Your grade for this blog entry will be based on your justifications for what you purchase and your creative ideas for how to use the handhelds in the library, whether by students, faculty, and/or staff.
Overall, I would like to purchase the most amount of devices in order to accommodate the most amount of students. After comparing all of the handheld devices listed in chapter 5 of the Courtney text, I found that the Internet tablets had the most well rounded amount of abilities to accommodate the students. Researching the different internet tablets mentioned in the book, I found that they were designed for internet browsing, playing media, e-book reading, image viewer, and chat. Even due to limited storage capabilities, students would still have the opportunity to save information to the intranet, or their shared drives. The library would also be able to store e-books, media, and school work on the intranet that would be accessible to the devices. With the $10,000 I would be able to purchase a class set (30+) devices to be used in the library.
Overall, I would like to purchase the most amount of devices in order to accommodate the most amount of students. After comparing all of the handheld devices listed in chapter 5 of the Courtney text, I found that the Internet tablets had the most well rounded amount of abilities to accommodate the students. Researching the different internet tablets mentioned in the book, I found that they were designed for internet browsing, playing media, e-book reading, image viewer, and chat. Even due to limited storage capabilities, students would still have the opportunity to save information to the intranet, or their shared drives. The library would also be able to store e-books, media, and school work on the intranet that would be accessible to the devices. With the $10,000 I would be able to purchase a class set (30+) devices to be used in the library.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Blog Entry #1: Individual Technology Assessment
So, for my newest Graduate level class SLIS 5720 "Instructional Materials Production and Use" I have been asked to create a blog. I'm actually really looking forward to learning how to blog. I missed the district's class (Who Let the Blogs Out) and would really like to learn to incorporate blogging into my classroom. I've also considered creating a personal blog with book reviews, I read about three a week and would love to just put my opinions out there. But for now, I'm on a strict schedule with exact topics that have to be covered for my class.
Today's topic: "As an educator, what are your present strengths and weaknesses in technology? How do you plan to use your strengths? How do you plan to address the weaknesses?"
Schools have changed so much since when I was a student. We used chalk boards and overhead projectors. I've been lucky to have helped open a new middle school with the largest amount of technology available I have ever seen. I use technology on an everyday basis, I use the data projector in my classroom to display the Bell Ringer for each day's class. My students use the Elmo to display their own work.
For one of the first assignments for my class, we have an AV Equipment Checklist. We are supposed to have an expert (my school librarian) sign off on the fact that I know how to properly use several pieces of technology. The first one on the list was an overhead projector. I talked with my school librarian and found out that my school does not even own an overhead projector.
My school offers several other types of technology that I have not found the time to train myself on, such as a Smart Board. I feel that one of my strengths is having all of this technology available to me and also my eagerness to learn how to use them. After enrolling in this class, I came to the realization that times are changing, and quickly. I need to take advantage of learning these new technologies before I am left in the dust.
I asked my husband to help me out with what some of my weaknesses would be. He started ticking off on his fingers things such as "not being familiar with command line interfaces on non-Windows based operating systems." Let's just say that my husband works in a LINUX/UNIX environment doing OS admin and application development (or so he tells me). Hopefully I won't be falling short on any technological knowledge any time in the future. But as for weaknesses, nothing really comes to mind. As this class continues, I'm sure that list will grow.
Today's topic: "As an educator, what are your present strengths and weaknesses in technology? How do you plan to use your strengths? How do you plan to address the weaknesses?"
Schools have changed so much since when I was a student. We used chalk boards and overhead projectors. I've been lucky to have helped open a new middle school with the largest amount of technology available I have ever seen. I use technology on an everyday basis, I use the data projector in my classroom to display the Bell Ringer for each day's class. My students use the Elmo to display their own work.
For one of the first assignments for my class, we have an AV Equipment Checklist. We are supposed to have an expert (my school librarian) sign off on the fact that I know how to properly use several pieces of technology. The first one on the list was an overhead projector. I talked with my school librarian and found out that my school does not even own an overhead projector.
My school offers several other types of technology that I have not found the time to train myself on, such as a Smart Board. I feel that one of my strengths is having all of this technology available to me and also my eagerness to learn how to use them. After enrolling in this class, I came to the realization that times are changing, and quickly. I need to take advantage of learning these new technologies before I am left in the dust.
I asked my husband to help me out with what some of my weaknesses would be. He started ticking off on his fingers things such as "not being familiar with command line interfaces on non-Windows based operating systems." Let's just say that my husband works in a LINUX/UNIX environment doing OS admin and application development (or so he tells me). Hopefully I won't be falling short on any technological knowledge any time in the future. But as for weaknesses, nothing really comes to mind. As this class continues, I'm sure that list will grow.
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