Hello World

"Hello World!"

 According to Wikipedia, The Hello World Program is a simple computer program that prints or displays the words "Hello World." It is one of the simplest program languages and it is tradition for people learning a new programming language to write, "Hello World." Wordpress has adopted this as their first post when you create an account. This is quite fitting as blogging is just the beginning of how we, and our students, can begin sharing with the world.  Hello world and bring on the blogging.

Reflections On Blogging and RSS

I just finished creating a new blog that will be a space for me to share what I am reading with other teachers, teacher-librarians, and students.  As part of my role of Publications Councilor for the Saskatchewan School Library Association it was suggested that my role would include blogging about young adult books.  Most of my blogging experiences have been specific to the school or library setting, with the exception of the blog for this class. Needless to say I was excited, and a bit nervous about writing a blog that people might actually read. I know that I have one faithful reader of this blog, but it will be nice to have the opportunity to extend my readership.  

The Makings of A New Blog

Choosing The Software
I decided to stay within my comfort zone and continue using Blogger for my software. I actually signed up for an EduBlogs account and when I realized that EduBlogs was supported by Wordpress I decided to stick with Blogger. I have not been able to get my head around Wordpress, yet I have heard so many fantastic reviews about it. It will have to be for another time. 


What's In a A Name?

Thinking of a name for a blog is one of the most difficult tasks.  You want the name to be unique and catchy, yet it should capture what the blog is going to be about. I knew that I was going to be sharing my thoughts and reviews about a variety of books with educators around Saskatchewan and beyond.  One of my first thoughts was "From My Shelf To Yours."  I didn't know what to think of it so I shared my idea with some of my classmates who seemed to think it was quite fitting. Thanks to all of their positive feedback it was a winner. The name of the blog should give the reader a sense of what to expect from the blog. I felt as though I captured this and was ready to move on to the next step.

Setting Up The Blog
Since I knew what software I was going to use, and had already decided on a name for my blog this process was quite simple. I decided not to include the entire name in the URL because I thought it looked silly to have two m's next to each other, frommyshelftoyours, and I simply went with myshelftoyours.  

When I set up this blog for my class, I noticed that blogger had made some changes and you were no longer able to add your own background. I used to use ShabbyBlogs and embed the code into blogger. I was quite frustrated after a few hours of trying to make it work and searching the internet for answers. Due to my frustration I never took the time to see what the new blogger could offer me. Over the past month the grade 8 students at my school have been setting up blogs and they have taught me a lot. Of course they figured out how to jazz up their blogs in no time.

I discovered that I could  make a few more changes to my blogger background than I originally thought. When I created this I only knew about the blogger templates. I didn't know that I could change the image of the template. There were hundreds of images to choose from and I was quite excited to discover that there was one that even looked like books on a shelf. I took a few minutes to make changes to the basic formatting and colors on my blog and within minutes I was ready to explore what else blogger had to offer.

Adding Widgets

Since I am blogging about books I thought it was only fitting to add a widget from either Shelfari or GoodReads.  I decided to go with GoodReads because I am able to have multiple shelves under the same account. As I review books I will add them to my GoodReads shelf.

Another interesting feature that I discovered was Amazon Associates. I signed up to become an Amazon associate and I will link the books on my site to Amazon.ca.  As a teacher-librarian I always have a cart open on Amazon and as I come across books I add them to my cart. We are able to order books through ULS in our school division but I find that they don't always have the books that I want because they are not in stock. I thought it would be nice to have a link for teachers and librarians directly from my site to Amazon. I don't think that I am the only TL that keeps a cart open on Amazon so I hope that this will be helpful. Another added bonus, found under the Monetize tab, is the Amazon Product finder. The product finder enables you to search for products within Bloggers interface, and it creates links and product images without having to leave the page. I thought this was a nifty feature.

Thinking about My Posts
Before I started thinking about my posts I knew that I had to consider who my audience was. I have no idea who will actually read my blog but I hope that teachers, and teacher-librarians in Saskatchewan will. I thought about what they would want in a blog about reading, and what I find useful in a blog about books. I looked to many successful YA bloggers such as Naomi Bates for ideas and inspiration.

Format
Since I will be posting on a regular basis about YA books I wanted to have a consistent format for each post. I think it is important to start with a brief book review to give the readers some background information. After the review I will write more of a personal reflection where I will talk about my connections to the book and include any other noteworthy ideas, or new understandings that I have gleaned. At the end of every blog post I will conclude by highlighting any awards or reviews of the book, and when possible I will make connections to how the book could supplement various subject areas in the Saskatchewan curriculum.

Promoting My Blog

My blog will be linked through the Saskatchewan School Library Assocation and I will tweet about it through my twitter and our ssla twitter account.

The moment you have all been waiting for....I present to you From My Shelf To Yours . Add it to your RSS reader and let me know your thoughts. Happy reading.

Becoming More Efficient with my RSS Reader

I think that my RSS Reader in Gmail is one the best features of the internet. What could be better than a space that saves all of your favourite articles, allows you to star/favourite articles, and save them until you have time to read them?  Just recently I discovered that the databases available through the University of Alberta have the option of creating an RSS feed.  For example, in Proquest look for the RSS feed icon and set it up in a few short steps.

Using RSS feeds in databases will become extremely important as I begin collecting research for my capping paper.  Ovid, and other databases allow you to set up an RSS feed when a new article is posted based on the search terms outlined.

I know how important it is to stay organized using Google Reader so I created a special folder specifically devoted to Academic Journals.

 Blogging and RSS in My Personal Life

 I like to think that having my RSS reader makes me more efficient, and as a result gives me an opportunity to have a life? 


There are a few blogs that I subscribe to that aren't related to my job. I like nifty crafts and home decor and decorating. Eat, Drink, Chic is an awesome blog for anyone planning a party. I think I came across it when I was wedding planning a few years ago. Twig and Thistle is another blog the I read for inspiration and neat ideas for around the home and for those added touches.  A friend of mine who is an amazing artist also has a blog, Wazo Design  that is a space for her to share what she creates and what inspires her to create.

Blogging and RSS in the K-12 Classroom

Blogs can be used in many different aspects of education.  For example, blogs could be used for sports teams, communicating with parents and the community, clubs and activities. Why should blogs be used in the classroom?

1) Create a learning community that is available 24/7
2) Supports differentiation by allowing students to work and produce at various levels
3) Provides students with an authentic audience
4) Creates a collaborative culture
5) Promotes learning as a social activity
6) Students learn how to read for understanding on the web
 7) Research, synthesis, and critical thinking skills are critical components to blogging

There are a wide variety of different options available for teachers interested in having their students blog.

Blogger is Google's free blogging service. Blogger is easy to use but requires students to have an e-mail and some basic navigation skills.

Edmodo is another alternative that allows teachers to sign up an entire class and have complete control.


KidBlog is a fantastic, kid friendly blog that does not require students to have an email or an account. The teacher has complete control over the content and can easily set up a blog for the class.




Teaching About Blogs

William Kist (2009) poses the question, "who is the audience for our writing in a new media age?"  When students begin blogging they fail to recognize that their audience may be larger than their classmates and school. Often students blogs are not encouraged to have their blogs "out there" for security and privacy issues. It is still extremely important for them to have an understanding of an online audience. In Kist's book, The Socially Networked Classroom  he provides a variety of activities designed to get students thinking about who their audience is.

Before beginning to blog in the K-12 classroom it is highly recommended to communicate with the parents about what the purpose of blogging is and how it will impact students learning. Having some blogging guidelines set up in advance, and it is absolutely crucial to have conversations and lessons, supported or led by the teacher-librarian, around what it means to be safe online, digital citizenship, and how to comment appropriately. Here is one of my favorite videos to share with students about online etiquette.



Evaluating Blogs
To evaluate, or not to evaluate? That is the question. Will Richardson (2009) says that "when overseeing student blogs, the teacher's role becomes that of connector, not just evaluator. Richardson encourages teachers to take an active role and to comment when appropriate on student's blogs. Richardson suggests using a rubric that evaluates: a) the level of participation b) intellectual depth of the post c) effectiveness of writing d) level of reflection regarding ideas expressed e) the willingness to contribute and collaborate with the work of others (p.47).

Since blogging is used a space for  people to reflect, it is only fitting that students learn to become more reflective practitioners and to self assess their own learning. Blogs are a perfect opportunity for them to begin their practice. In order for them to reflect on their learning and progress it is important to have established criteria. Together teachers and students can co-create criteria for a successful blog. This criteria will evolve overtime as students become more comfortable with blogging.

Teacher-Librarians, Learning Leaders and Blogging

Will Richardson (2009) emphasizes the importance of teachers dabbling with the technology before they introduce it. As teacher-librarians and learning leaders it is part of our role to be media specialists. Therefore, I see our role as more of a support for teachers who are interested in exploring how blogging can extend the learning already happening in their classroom.

I also see the role of the teacher-librarian as a leader playing a pivotal role as we continue to use web 2.0 tools in education. The role of the teacher-librarian is be a leader and teach students the important skills, strategies, and tools for organizing and managing information (Berger & Trexler 2010).  An example of how students can organize their information is by using a personal information space such as igoogle, netvibes, or pageflakes.

Professional Development, Blogging, and RSS

The list of blogs that I subscribe to on my Google Reader is enough evidence to show how blogging can extend professional development opportunities. I currently follow and have current research at my disposal from prestigious professors from universities around the world,  and I can stay informed about current practices and discussions in school libraries. Some of the best professional learning I have gleaned through the following blogs:


Joyce Valenza's Never Ending Search

Libraries and Transliteracy

21st Century Collaborative

Free Technology For Teachers

Blogging opens up the world for teachers to expand their professional development opportunities and to collaborate and learn from others around the world in real time. Our students will learn how to communicate effectively, problem solve, and think critically. Hello World and goodbye transmission teaching style.

References

Kist (2010). The Socially Networked Classroom. Teaching in the New Media Age. Thousand Oaks, CA" Corwin Press. 

Berger,P & Trexler, S (2010). Choosing Web 2.0 tools for Learning and Teaching in a Digital World. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.  

Weaver, A. (2010). Blogging -- it's a journey!. Access (10300155), 24(1), 28-31. Retrieved from Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text database.

Zawilinski, L. (2009). HOT Blogging: A Framework for Blogging to Promote Higher Order Thinking. Reading Teacher, 62(8), 650-661. Retrieved from Canadian Reference Centre database.