My Web 2.0 Journey and Beyond

Reflecting on The Process

Since the beginning of  September I have been on a Web 2.0 learning journey and now it is time to pause and reflect to see how far I have come. As I think back on the whole process there are many "ah ha" moments, major reoccurring themes, and patterns to my learning that I would like to share. 

Learning By Doing

After 12 weeks of blogging I feel that I had an opportunity to discover my academic blogging voice, understand the importance of  "a hook", and develop an understanding of audience.  Blogging isn't just about putting your ideas and reflections down, it is a craft. This craft was not easy to master and I thought it was going to get easier as the term progressed but it continued to be a weekly challenge. I had to immerse myself in research and current practices, think critically about the information I consumed , and then I had to synthesize what I learned and apply it to my role as a teacher-librarian, learning leader, and lifelong learner. The biggest challenge was to pull it all together and capture the "big idea" to entice my readers. 

I felt that my blogging learning journey allowed me to get into my student's shoes (Ganley, 2004) and experience the entire blogging process from the perspective of a student. I am more conscious of creating opportunities and challenging my students to think critically about the content they are creating, reflect on their learning and relate their new understandings to their life, and to analyze their writing voice.  I also have a newfound respect  for the hundreds of educational bloggers that keep up a weekly blog that entices readers from around the world to subscribe.

Starbucks, Scaffolding, and Web 2.0

In William Kist's book, The Socially Networked Classroom" he explains social media in education using the sizes of Starbucks coffees: Short, Tall, Grande, and Venti. In the "short" chapter he talks about social networking in a low-tech environment, "tall" social networking in a medium tech enviornment, "grande" social networking in a high-tech environment, and "venti" social networking in an unlimited tech environment. This book has been a "go to" manual for me over the past year. But, it has only been at the end of this course that I have really come to understand the significance of the Starbucks analogy. Depending on the day, the people or students that we are working with, our school division's mandates, and our own personal comfort level will determine what "we order."  As I continue to work with students and staff I must remember to start at their level and as they get more comfortable it will be simply a small transition to the next level.

photo © 2005 Esparta Palma | more info (via: Wylio)
In our EDES 501 class we have a wide variety of learners, and we all came to this class at different points in our career and understandings of Web 2.0. Interestingly enough, we were all able to learn and extend our understanding about Web 2.0 tools for schools and libraries. As I reflect back on the sequence of the blog posts: photosharing, videosharing, social bookmarking, podcasting, wikis, presentation/multimedia and sharing sites, social networking, twitter and blogs, I realize that the web 2.0 tools were scaffolded. to ensure success for all.

For those students new to web 2.0 tools the structure of this course was designed accordingly.  Each tool required the prior knowledge gleaned from the tool before, to be applied to the next. For example, if you didn't know how to upload, save, and organize pictures videosharing would have been very difficult because many videos are created using pictures. Similar to our classrooms, we must be aware of the prior knowledge that our students bring to their learning and scaffold the activities accordingly.

After the first assignment I was a bit frustrated. I had been using Flickr for quite a few years in my personal life and my current school division is a bit wary of some tools being used in an elementary school setting. As I looked down the list of blog posts I did not notice anything that was new or unfamiliar to me so I really wondered how I was going to "learn anything new." This was a rather humbling experience because I soon realized that it is impossible to know everything about web 2.0. The tools are changing constantly, some don't last, and there is always something to learn if you actively seek it out. Each week I was blown away by my new discoveries. For example, even though I had been on twitter for a year I found many new tips such as how to share resources, organize my friends, and how to get involved in various chat sessions to enhance my twitter experience.  

Web 2.0 and Participatory Learning

My experiences as a learner in the 1990's and even during University in the early 21st century were far different than my experiences in the TLDL program in 2010. This observation has become evident over the course of the last four months. My participation in this class over the last 12 weeks has given me the opportunity to: post, comment, exchange and share information such as tags, files, audio, text, and pictures and to stay connected and participate with my peers and other educators on blackboard, twitter, e-mail, second life, flickr, and RSS feeds. I have experienced what it means to be a part of the participatory culture. According to Lemke (2010) "Participatory culture is reflected in today's economic globalization. Multinational corporations in particular epitomize participatory culture, where the success of an individual is directly tied to the success of the teams within which they work....this is indicative of web 2.0 participatory culture where the power lies in the quality, frequency, expertise, backgrounds, and commitment of the participants" (p.265).  My big learning from this course was how web 2.0 is truly about participation. What you put in is what you get.  Almost all of the new knowledge I gleaned, presentations I shared, and new understandings were a result of other people sharing their knowledge and expertise with me. Most of what I embedded and shared was created by someone else and I stumbled across it in my research or RSS feeds. It is all about sharing, creating, and collaborating.

What I learned From Members of My Class

This evidence of a participatory culture was also displayed through our group. It was always fun to read the blog posts of the other members of my class. We all have so many different perspectives and knowledge to bring forward.  Heather Ohashi introduced me to Google Search Stories. This has become  a part of my presentation toolkit  and it is an excellent way to get students thinking. After our TL group attended the School Library Journal's summit on The Future of Reading we presented our new knowledge and understanding to the group. The following questions guided our presentation.



Another tool that has become my "go to" for creating pathfinders is Jog The Web  ,and I came across this after reading Yvonne's blog. Just the other day I created a pathfinder on the Periodic Table.

Last but not least I learned about a few new groups to follow in Twitter from Franki Sibberson. Franki introduced me to #titletalk and #engchat. Over the past few weeks I have added a lot of books to my amazon wish list and have a network that I can ask advice for what books to buy next for my library.

The Ups and Downs Of Learning


Lowlights

One lowlight of my learning was the frustration of some of the tools coming and going, not working, not an option in our division, and not having enough bandwidth to make them work. I was quite excited when I discovered only2clicks and after embedding it into our virtual classroom and testing it out, I realized that it would only allow 8 students on the page at a time. I found this to be a bit bizarre and tried to contact only2clicks but I was not able to find any contact information. I learned an important lesson. Before you get to the "finishing touches" stage, try out the tool to see if it can do what you need it to do. This was a very important lesson to learn.

Highlights
I really have come to understand that the world of Web 2.0 can include everyone. Adults, Kindergarten students, my Functional Life Skills students, and even grandparents. In order for a tool to be useful, there must be a purpose and reason to use it. The tool should enhance student learning and extend their learning in a way that was not possible before. The world of web 2.0 is inclusive and accepting of everyone.
 Future Plans

 Classroom

 Over the past few months I have been working a lot with a special programmer at our school. We are very fortunate to be one of the two schools in our division to have a Functional Life Skills classroom. The teacher and I have been working together to create projects and opportunities for the students. They often use the smartboard and to make surfing the net easier we created, with them, a only2clicks page. This page houses all of their favourite websites and information. Our school has been fortunate enough to receive 5 Kodak zi8 flip cameras and we are hoping to be able to record some of the stuedents thinking and reactions to their learning. We are currently working on Text to Text, Text to Self, and Text to World connections. To be able to record their connections and excitement about some of the picture books and to share this with their parents would be absolutely transformational. We have a variety of options available to us on how to upload and share the videos. We have also discussed the possibility of creating a wiki that would act as a portfolio. This teacher has also expressed an interest in following some special education bloggers. I have been compiling a list, thanks to some of the #speced tweeters this has not been a difficult process.  I have also started researching about web 2.0 and special education, but at this point there is not an awful lot out there. Therefore, I  started following special education bloggers and have added the #speced chat to my TweetDeck. I look forward to thinking outside of the box and considering ways in which our students in the FLS classroom can collaborate, share, and learn outside the four walls of the classroom.  

Library and School

Since our library homepage is through our school division portal we are limited in our options. Currently my virtual library includes links to the library schedule, a link to destiny our catalogue, a shelfari of the new books, voicethreads about students talking about books, and an embedded only2clicks page that has  failed miserably. My purpose for the only2clicks was that it was a visual pathfinder for my students. I organized it into the following categories: digital citizenship, copyright free images and sounds, search engines, reference K-4, reference 5-8, digital storytelling, and e-books. I recognize the importance of our students having a pathfinder created and a space where they can quickly access tools and important links. Therefore, I have decided to create a wiki to house all of this information. I will have three wiki's all feeding to the same one through a glogster on the main page. A page for the students, staff, and the parents. Watch for it soon.

Professional Development


I will continue to frequent my RSS feeds, which really grew over the past four months, and I hope to be a more active participant on twitter rather than a lurker.  Web 2.0 has offered immense opportunities for learners to engage in professional development. For example, I have signed up for a Webinar on Ebook File Formats and How They Effect You.  An area that I hope to become more familiar with is e-books and gaming in the library. I have ordered a few new books that I hope will broaden my understanding and will continue to follow and read posts to extend my learning. 

What Tool Do I Want To Share

 As I considered what tool that I wanted to share with my students and staff I remembered the advice of Anita Brooks Kirkland in her article Clearing the Fog About the Cloud: Some Relationship Advice. Brooks mentions the overwhelming feeling that many educators can relate to and provides an attempt to help educators clear the fog about the cloud with some technology and teaching relationship advice. When "flirting with web 2.0 technologies you might want to consider asking yourself some thought clarifying questions. Think of it as the ultimate online dating questionnaire" (CASL, 2010).

• Question 1: Are you interested in a long term relationship with this technology, or only a "one-class stand?"
• Question 2: Do you have fear of commitment?
• Is this the right match for me?
• Is this going to make me happy?
• How do I nurture this new relationship?

I think this is a great way to introduce and model to others how and what to consider when getting started with web 2.0 tools. I have been offering a monthly "Teacher Technology Tuesday" session and I am planning on introducing social bookmarking in the new year. My relationship with Diigo has far surpassed a one night stand and is an important tool to keep me organized and efficient. Diigo's commitment level is not daunting as you will only gain what you put in. There are numerous social bookmarking sites and I will be sure to share a wide variety of options so that teachers can find the right match for them. Lastly I think that introducing social bookmarking will make many teachers happy because they will become more efficient and organized. I feel that the last question applies more to me and I will be able to support and nurture their new relationship with social bookmarking. I will communicate with my staff and be open for questions, concerns or help. Social bookmarking can begin as a low level technology but has the ability to take teacher's learning to a whole new level with the ability to share and annotate. This is an excellent entry level tool that can allow teachers to become comfortable with technology, and they will be able to see immediate results.

The message that I hope to pass on to my students and staff is that it is not about the tools. We must continue to think beyond the tool. The tool doesn't matter, what matters is that our students become critical thinkers, and can communicate effectively. I will continue to consult the NETS and the AASL standards to drive and focus my thinking when planning instructional opportunities for students.    

The Future of Web 3.0

There were many times during this course that I thought about what was to come. Where were we going? What does the future look like for our students and education?  Even in the last 10 years there has been an explosion of Web 2.0. Where will we be in 5 years? 10? 25?

When I stumbled across this presentation on Judy O'Connell's blog Hey Jude  I realized what the future has in store and realized that we are currently building and working towards the world of 3.0.

eXtending the Web - New and Emerging Learning Technologies

View more presentations from Steve Wheeler.

References

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

Bellanca, J & Brandt, R (2010). 21st Century Skills:Rethinking How Students Learn. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

 

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.

You Are Invited

Twitter Metaphor

Imagine that you have been invited to the biggest, most talked about party of the year. Everyone is talking about the party.  It is on the news, in the paper, on the internet, a lot of celebrities are attending, and to top it all off the party is free.  How would you react?  Would you attend? Why or why not?

Here is the story of the party that I was invited to back in 2009.

At first I didn't want to join the party. I didn't think that it was my kind of party, and I had better things to do with my time. I kept hearing about it on the radio, and people were buzzing with excitement over it. Was I missing out? I was still not convinced and had no desire to join the party.

As I was preparing for another big event in my life, applying to the tldl program, I realized that people in the program had joined the party and I was encouraged to do so as well.  So, it was decided. I got out my invite and RSVP'd that I would attend. At first when I arrived I was a bit hesitant and shy. I was surrounded by famous and very intelligent individuals, and I didn't think that I had anything significant to say. After I felt a bit more comfortable with all of the new people and surroundings, I gained some confidence and I started joining some of the conversations. That is when the party started...and it still has not ended.

Thanks to Chantel Kingston (2009), for the inspiration I received after reading  Social Media DIY Workshop for small business   that compares twitter to attending a large party.

The Twitter Party

Pre-Party Planning

The twitter profile/ bio is very similar to an invitation to a party. If you want people to follow you on twitter your profile must be informative. When I first signed up for twitter I was hesitant to include information about myself and I kept my profile empty. Over time I realized how important the profile information is for other twitter users. I recently updated my twitter profile to reflect my current job, interests, passion, and education. After attending the SLJ Conference this year I also realized how important it is to have a real picture instead of an avatar. I recognized so many people from twitter, but they did not know who I was because I had an avatar for my picture.  As a result, I have changed my avatar to a real photograph of me.  

Sending Out the Invitations
Before sending invitations out for a party you must have an audience in mind. What is the purpose of the party?  Who do you want to attend the party?  What would make them want to attend?  Your twitter profile is like an invitation for a party. When people receive an invite they decide if they want to attend based on the information provided. Similarly, when people read your profile they decide if they want to follow you. The invitation/profile is crucial to getting the party started. After your twitter profile is posted and you continue to tweet about your passion and interests you will be surprised how many people will start following you.  I found a neat website, Mention Map, that allows you to visualize the connections that you have as a twitter user.  

Getting Ready For The Party

Before attending a big party we pay close attention to our attire. We try to dress accordingly and usually it takes a little bit longer to get ready when attending a special event. When you first start tweeting it takes some time to get used to it. You also may pre-meditate what you are going to tweet and it may not come naturally at first. You will be very conscious that what you tweet will be well received. Twitter is similar to getting ready for a party because it takes a bit to get ready, at first you might be nervous and uncertain.

At The Party
Meeting new people at a party is always a highlight.  A party is always more entertaining when there are people that you can talk to and share experiences with. Sometimes parties can be extremely overwhelming and there are so many people to meet. Twitter is like a party except that it is 24 hours a day,7 days a week. You can choose who you want to socialize with and you can socialize with a few people at first.

Leaving the Party 
Twitter is a party that never ends. You may not always be in a mood to party, but with Twitter you can determine when you want to arrive, take a break, and leave.

Consider this as an invitation to the best party of the year: Twitter. If you have not joined yet, I hope you will consider giving it a try.

And The Learning Continues

It is hard to believe that it has only been a year since I have signed up with Twitter. According to Twitter Grader, that is a website that determines how "influential" you are on twitter, I have been a member for 1 year and 5 days and my influence on Twitter is 2, 282, 095 out of 8,144,548. Not too bad considering I am relatively new to this.

 Since I have only been on Twitter for just over a year,  there are still some aspects of Twitter that I have not experimented with.  I have been using TweetDeck and I love it. I especially like that I can organize my groups and view them in columns.

When I am doing research or surfing the net I usually have my TweetDeck on so that I can view the new tweets as they appear. When I am writing and don't want to be distracted I turn TweetDeck off and check in during a writing break, or if I need inspiration.

I know that a lot of  people use TweetDeck and others use HootSuite. I decided to create a HooteSuite account to see what the benefits of both would be and if I should switch over. At first glance, HooteSuite has a very similar layout to TweetDeck.

I did some research to find out what the differences and similarities are between HooteSuite and TweetDeck. I found an excellent blog post by Sazbean that compares the two.

Some of the interesting features that I discovered about HooteSuite were:

• HooteSuite has the ability to provide you with your Twitter stats
• You can add multiple users to your account 
• Scheduled updates are available

 For an overview of what HooteSuite can do for you check out this video.



 After my research about HootSuite and dabbling with it for awhile, I decided to tweet out to and ask fellow twitter followers what they prefered. TweetDeck vs HooteSuite.  I was surprised and intrigued when Shannon Miller said that she used TweetDeck on her desktop and HootSuite's Hootlet for sharing resources.

I was not sure what she meant by HooteSuite's Hootlet, so I Googled it.   I was thrilled to discover that HootSuite has an add-on for your web browser. How slick is that? So often I would come across a website that I would want to share and it would be such a chore to open Twitter or Tweetdeck, so I just wouldn't bother. Ok, I know it is not that big of a chore but it really was an inhibiting factor. With only a few quick steps a HootSuite icon was added to my mozilla firefox browser.

 Now,  when I find an article or website that I want to share I can simply click on the icon and VOILA!

 

For now, I will continue to use TweetDeck because I like the flying update and the overall appearance of it. I will also begin sharing resources using my new HootSuite Hootlet add on.

Adding Twitter To My Blog

In a few short steps a) copy embed code b) paste into the "Add A Gadget" column and press save, I added Twitter Feeds to my blog. I think I prefer the HootSuite application because it is constantly updating and is a bit more interactive. What are your thoughts? I am thinking about what this could look like for my blog about YA books?

Twitter N Me
 Sometimes I wonder why I even try to talk about how a certain web 2.0 tool could be used in my  personal life. What is a life? I think I gave that up when I started my TLDL program.  Even though I mostly follow teacher-librarians and other educators I do follow others such as: CBCRadio2 , Discovery News, and Time to name a few. I could also see the potential of using Twitter to search to share information and upgrading.

MicroBlogging in The K-12 Classroom

"What happens to traditional concepts of classrooms and teaching when we can now learn anything, anywhere, anytime(Richardson, 2009)? Watch this video to discover how four educators discuss how Twitter is changing education.


Twitter & Education - #140conf LA from RealPlayer SP on Vimeo.


As educators in the 21st century we must continue to create opportunities for our students to contribute positively to society.  Using Twitter or other Microblogging platforms in the classroom allows the students to communicate beyond the four walls of their classroom, and emphasizes the importance of collaborating,  sharing and contributing. The important question to ask is: How can Microblogging platforms change the culture of teaching and learning in the classroom? Due to age limitations and privacy Twitter may not be the first choice for educators. Richard Byrne has discussed in detail five platforms for a classroom back-channel chat.

I have used TodaysMeet in the classroom and it is very simple and easy to use. You simply set up a chat area, give it a name, and invite people using the url.  There is no public gallery, no advertisements and it is great for using in an educational setting. Bring on the backchanneling.

Why would you use twitter or other microblogging platforms in the K-12 classroom? According to Mashable reports and the National Survey of Student Engagement " Students in the study were asked to contribute to class discussions and complete assignments using Twitter increased their engagement over a semester more than twice as much as a control group." Does engagement mean academic excellence?







Teacher Librarians/Learning Leaders and Twitter

In Buffy Hamilton's article, "Pivots for Change: Libraries and Librarians" she talks about establishing a presence in the library and marketing your library using Twitter. Hamilton (2010) asks the reader to think about where their students and parents dwell,  and to consider creating a presence using social networks. This is a free and powerful way to reach parents and members of the community, and to highlight upcoming school and library activities. Christopher Harris provides teacher-librarians with some catchy examples of promoting the library in less than 140 characters.

• "The new Meg Cabot is here! While waiting, grab something from our Cabot Countdown shelf of books that you're sure to enjoy."

• "Classes first, third, and eighth period. The library is open, but remember to respect the work taking place. See you (but not hear you)."

• "Just finished reading the third book in Flanagan's Ranger's Apprentice series. Will and Evanlyn are Skandian captives. Can Halt save them?"

 Gwyneth Jones, the Daring Librarian, presented  "Don't hate the Hastag: A Social Media Revolution." at CASL's 2010 conference and she said, "personal learning networks and utilizing social media has shifted the way we make connections and grow within our profession. Twitter allows me to grow, share, and network with other teacher-librarians around the world and even in my own community.


As a learning leader, you may feel the urge to convince others to join twitter if they have not already done so.   Thanks to Rodd Lucier of the Clever Sheep for creating, "20 Things I've Learned in Twitter." This is a great way to promote Twitter to staff members, and other colleagues.

20 Things I Learned in Twitter

View more presentations from Rodd Lucier.

Twitter and Professional Development

Twitter is the best 24/7 professional development for educators in the 21st century.  On November 21st Larry Ferlazzo posed a twitter challenge "ten people I follow on twitter and why."  I decided to complete this challenge and as you will see below, it is evident that my reason for being on twitter is to grow as a learner and teacher.  I would pass this list on to fellow teacher-librarians that are just starting to experiment with Twitter. I could also use these examples to show other teachers how Twitter can be used for professional development. This activity really forced me to think about why I follow the people that I do and what impact they have on my learning. This was an extremely difficult task as there are so many amazing educators and teacher-librarians on twitter, but this is the list I came up with:

@aasl    The American Association of School Libraries is not a "person" but it is an organization. I like their motivating "advocacy tip of the day and I also think that it is important to stay informed about the events and opportunities available through the AASL.

@Larryferlazzo Larry Ferlazzo always posts new information and resources that he has added to his blog. His resource lists cover every subject imaginable in grades K-12.  His tweets are always relevant, and reflect current research and events happening around the world.

@gwynethjones  Is a teacher-librarian that dares to challenge your thinking and is a strong advocate for teacher-librarians and the pivotal role that we play in student learning.

@gcouros  Is passionate about education and this is reflected in his tweets. George is an extremely reflective practitioner who continuously extends and challenges my thinking.

 @shannonmiller Shannon is another teacher-librarian who loves to share her new web 2.0 discoveries, ideas, and what is going on in her library. Shannon makes an effort to reply and respond to your tweets which is the best part of twitter.

@librarybeth  Beth's background is in libraries and she is currently a PHd Student who is passionate about literacy education. Need I say more? Beth's area of interest reflects my passion as well. I always look forward to Beth's insightful posts.

@zephoria  Danah Boyd researches social media, and she tackles a lot of issues surrounding social media and teens. Her research and insight is not like any others. Danah's research is cutting edge and she even manages to create a personality through 140 characters. I think she would be one of the most fascinating individuals to sit down and have a chat over coffee with. Oh wait, twitter is kind of like that!

@buffyjhamilton  Buffy Hamilton's blog is "The Unquiet Librarian."  I think this sums up Buffy's passion for libraries, and her zest for learning  Combine all of that with her knowledge of library reform, advocacy, transliteracy, and participatory culture and you have another cutting edge resource available to you through twitter.

@RossJTodd Ross Todd is an extremely distinguished professor at Rutgers University and is the director of the Center for International Scholarship in School Libraries. Ross Todd averages a few tweets a week. He is an example of quality vs quantity. When he does tweet, it is meaningful or thought provoking.

@joycevalenza  Joyce Valenza's bio simply says, "teacher-librarian, learner" Joyce is an amazing teacher-librarian that shares her everyday challenges, thoughts, and she keeps you in the loop of the library world.

What is so unique about Twitter is that you also have an opportunity to share, question, and challenge other educators. Twitter can be whatever you want to make it.

Concluding Thoughts

 When you leave a party you typically feel exhausted. Twitter is not an exhausting experience but the process and steps to getting started can be overwhelming.  A good party typically consists of: meeting new people, getting acquainted with old friends, sharing stories and experiences, and good food. So find a great snack, a computer and get started with the best party of the 21st century, Twitter.

References

Hamilton, B. (2010). Pivots for Change: Libraries and Librarians. Library Media Connection, 28(6), 54-56. Retrieved from Literary Reference Center database.

Christopher Harris.  (2007, November). Tweets at Your Library. School Library Journal, 53(11), 24.  Retrieved November 23, 2010, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 1375667231).

Is Anybody Out There? Absolutely.

Is Anybody Out There? 

What Does it Mean To Be "Out There?" 

• Being a member of Facebook, MySpace,linkedin or other social networking sites
• Having a digital footprint
• Online Gaming
• Shopping Online
• Creating content
• Sharing online using various web 2.0 tools
• Virtual worlds

According to the 2010 Social Media and Mobile Internet Use Among Teens and Young Adults survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project  73% of wired American teens use social networking websites. This is a significant increase from November 2006 when only 55% of online teens used social networking sites. 
Even though the research gleaned from this study is American, I would imagine that the statistics in Canada would be very similar.

If 3/4 of our students are using social media platforms outside of school, what does this mean for educators, and education?   What SHOULD this mean for educators and our education system in the 21st century? What implications will this have for the future of education?

Social Media and Me

Facebook

I have to admit that I am not a big social media kind of gal. When I lived in England, I was on facebook quite frequently as it was an excellent way to stay in touch with friends and it was free. A few years later and I rarely go on Facebook. I prefer communicating with my friends via e-mail, skype or the phone.  I have recently decided to give facebook a chance again. This time, in a different way. In the past I followed people and now I am going to try following a group. I discovered that it is not really following, but it is actually called "liking a page." For example, I chose to like the School Library Journal page and this means that I am connected to that page, it appears in my profile, and the page is able to post content into my news feed. 


I recently came across a blog post "10 Facebook Pages Every Techie Should Follow"   but none of them piqued my interest. I was quite excited when Bobbi Newman decided to use the same idea and creat a blog post about " 6 Facebook Pages Every Librarian Should Follow, Plus 17 Bonus Pages."  I took the suggestions and advice from Bobbi Newman and I am now following:

Librarian By Day: Bobbi Newman's official page  

Libraries and Transliteracy: official page of the libraries and transliteracy team 


American Library Association : stay up to date with the ALA and receive current information

 Library Journal: stories and relevant links

Learning Round Table of the American Library Association : promotes quality continuing education for all library personnel


yalsa 
Will keep me up to date on the events of the young adult library services association

If I was in a High School library I would create a page for my library similar to the ones listed above. It would be an excellent way to promote the library and to connect with students.


Online Bookshelves

I have enjoyed creating bookshelves on Shelfari for both my professional and personal books. Just recently I created an account with Goodreads. Overall I think that I prefer Goodreads because I can create more than one shelf under the same account. I think that Shelfari, Library Thing, and Goodreads are excellent social media tools that allow friends, colleagues, teachers, and students to share and recommend what they are reading. I have some colleagues, friends, and students as friends on both Shelfari and Goodreads. 

Overall I like the look of Shelfari better but I find that I need a multitude of different shelves for a variety of different purposes. For example, on this blog I created a shelf that was specifically professional reads and on my library page I want to highlight books that are new. For each new account you need a new username and it can get really confusing. Goodreads is not as aesthetically pleasing but it is a lot easier to organize. 




 For example, on the main page it displays all of your bookshelves and categories.

The true test was to discover the ease of embedding with goodreads. It was quite simple and I was surprised at the various options of how to display the books on your blog. You can choose a flash widget, a book montage, or customize it yourself.  Some other interesting widgets included: a badge for your blog, email footer that links to your books, and a quote widget to spice up your blog or webpage.












Nings

The first Ning I ever joined was The English Companion Ning. I joined almost two years ago but had not been a frequent member in the past 6 months. The last time I tried to log on I could not remember my password for the life of me. I typically have my account information stored in a folder in my e-mail but I used my old school divisions email address so it was long gone. I decided to sign up again. One of the reasons why I liked the English Companion Ning was because of the Book Clubs. Over the course of the past few years they have had authors such as: Smith and Wilhelm, Troy Hicks, Bill Kist, Jim Burke, Daniels and Harvey. I have not heard what book will be highlighted in the new year. What is so great about this opportunity is that the authors participate in the discussion and you can communicate your questions and concerns to them directly.

The other ning that I belong to is the Teacher Librarian Ning.  The best part of this Ning is the opportunity to participate in a wide range of discussions. I also can stay up to date with the TL Virtual Cafe. I see that on Monday, December 8th Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey are discussing "better learning through structured teaching: a framework for the gradual release of responsibility" I recently discovered that people are blogging about YA books within the TL Ning. Yet another fantastic resource for me to access for YA literature. You never know what new ideas, resources, or links you might discover. Just tonight I found another Twitter Group to follow #engchat. Where have I been? 


 Social Media and The Role of the Teacher Librarian and Learning Leader

 Participating in today's contemporary culture is not just about consuming, but also creating and sharing. Therefore, it is critical that we teach our students digital citizenship skills, and multimedia communication skills. Renee Hobbs policy paper, The Digital Media Literacy: A Plan For Action, presents a detailed plan for educators and policy makers to bring digital and media literacy into mainstream society. The digital and media competencies outlined in this paper also reflect the AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner and the ISTE nets.

•  Make responsible choices and access information by locating and sharing materials and comprehending information and ideas 
• Analyze messages in a variety of forms by identifying the author, purpose and point of view, and evaluating the quality and credibility of the content
• Create content in a variety of forms, making use of language, images, sound, and new digital tools and technologies
• Reflect on one’s own conduct and communication behavior by applying social responsibility and ethical principles. 
• Take social action by working individually and collaboratively to share knowledge and solve problems in the family, workplace and community, and by participating as a member of a community. (Hobbs, 2010)   

Unfortunately, most of our students are accessing social media platforms such as facebook and they have no one teaching or modelling how to "create, navigate, and grow these powerful, personal learning networks in safe, effective, or ethical ways" (Richardson, 2010). I believe that the role of the teacher-librarian in fostering information literacy and digital citizenship skills is critical. As teacher-librarians we must continue to find opportunities to teach these strategies to our students, and to educate our staff and parents about the importance of this knowledge, understanding and skills.

I hope to have a parent evening to discuss internet safety and to provide an opportunity for parents to ask questions and learn more about what they and their child can do to stay safe on the internet. Here are some resources that I would provide.

•  Wired Safety
• Get Net Wise
• NetSmartz
•  i-Safe
•  OnGuard Online

 Teaching Students to Manage Their Online Footprint

 Before teaching students to manage their online footprint we too must do the same. Daniel Pink's "Two Questions That Can Change Your Life" is a great way to have students begin thinking about who they are, and what they stand for. 

Two questions that can change your life from Daniel Pink on Vimeo.

 

After watching the video the students can participate in a variety of activities that will have them exploring their own digital footprint and determining if it is representative of who they are and what they stand for. Have students:

• Google themselves
• Spezify who you are
• Use Google Alerts to monitor what others are saying about you

For more information, tips, and new perspectives go through Dean Shareski's presentation, "You or Google."

You or Google? Who Controls Your Identity

View more presentations from Dean  Shareski.

Is There A Place For Social Media in Schools?

When I was a teenager I talked on the phone with my friends on a regular basis, as I got older I used msn, and now I use Facebook. There is nothing "new" about social media, rather it is the platter that it is served on.  Leander and McKim (2003), explain that what relations and social dynamics play our in school extend into the spaces created through social media. Online and offline worlds are not separate, they are simply "different settings in which to gather with friends and peers" (Boyd, 2010, p.84). Ultimately, Boyd is saying that social media "mirror, magnify, and extend everyday social worlds. By and large, teens use social media to do what they have been doing-socialize with friends, negotiate peer groups, flirt, share stories, and simply hang out" (p.85).  

As always, before using and teaching with social media tools we must ask ourselves what our purpose for using the tool is, and how it will extend and transform student learning.

Professional Learning Through Social Media 

Over the past few years I have become a member of the TLNing and the English Companion Ning.
Many educational organizations have facebook pages or use other social media tools. As an educator i believe that we have a responsibility to understand the shifts that are occurring in education and to make them a part of our own practice so that we can model, share, adapt, and prepare our students for the future. There are many professional learning opportunities available for teachers using social media. You will discover that there are people out there, and that they are willing to help, share, and create with you.  

References
"Digital and Media Literacy: A Plan of Action  Knight Commission: Strengthening journalism, communities and democracy in the digital age. The Aspen Institute, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2010.

Bellanca, J & Brandt, R (2010). 21st Century Skills:Rethinking How Students Learn. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.