Thing #11.5 Evaluation

1. What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
Learning the secret behind screencasts!
Understanding the purpose and value of Twitter.
Playing with new online image generators that my students will use in their learning and when creating project final products.

2. How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
While in graduate school (online), I had a mainline to cutting edge librarianship through my coursework. Once again, participating in 11 1/2 Things was like being back in school with the bonus of no grades! I’m a slower and visual/hands-on learner, so going at my own pace in this type of learning venue is perfect. What's next, Lifeguards?

3. Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
Discovering how others have used or will use the tools introduced this summer.
Realizing the need to expand the scope of the digital citizenship skills lessons my students receive.
Feeling more confident about the bond technology that will be put in place this year.
Continued amazement at the tremendous at point of need support and professional development growth opportunities generated by SBISD Library Services. Kudos, Vaughn, for the 24/7 support!

4. What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
Going through 11 ½ (instead of 23) Things this summer was more manageable and made it easier to delve deeper into each one. Where and what are we playing next summer?!

Thing #6 - iTouch Apps

The lingo of Thing #6 has me thinking about the old term cyberspace, an imagined place where electronic information goes or is exchanged or lost(!), in relation to the new concept of cloud computing. Space (as in cyberspace) is cold, foreign, and impersonal. A cloud, on the other hand, is known, can be experienced, and is more personal. With the advent of communities like Facebook, Twitter, Blogs and, now, the portability of mobile devices enabling access anywhere at anytime, we are not as isolated and ingrown as was once thought our computer dependent society might become.

For novices to the iTouch with no experience using a handheld mobile device, a helpful video to watch before going to the Apple store is Apple iPod Touch: A Guided Tour . When I went on my field trip to the Apple store to play with an iTouch, I found that figuring out how to hold it and manipulate the screen was awkward at first, but I finally began to get the hang of it. Students will have no problem manipulating the screen, and some will probably be able to teach their peers and me plenty. Their portability, small size, and familiar touch screen will appeal to and energize students.

Some things I can imagine students doing with iTouches in the library:

• Using it as a reference tool - quick access to a dictionary/thesaurus/encyclopedia
• Backchanneling - sprinkled around the room for small groups to use
• Watching student-made videos, Photo Stories, educational videos (see Thing#7)
• Creating and listening to podcasts
• Creating music with apps like Band
• Gaming preselected games - the Wii will be limited to 2-4 students and some smaller libraries have a space issue problem
• Mapping - map skills with a real life application
• Microblogging - Came across something called Edmodo, which is a free micro-blogging platform (like Twitter) for students and teachers, addressing the need for privacy when making a 2.0 technology tool available to K-12 students. An elementary teacher in the UK posted an enlightening article “Enhancing communication with Edmodo” describing how and why he intends to use this platform in the classroom.

A blog post from a high school teen's point of view as posted on Digi Teen: Digital Citizenship for Teenagers - Uses for your iTouch

#5 - Microblogging

Microblogging? Typing in a tiny font size? No, a code name for things like Facebook, Twitter, and back-channeling.

The latest Facebook statistic says that the average Facebook user is between 37-53. Interesting, since this was originally created for college students. One grown child is urging me to get a Facebook account. The other (college-aged) called me several weeks ago to make sure I was still Facebookless. So what's a mother to do? Probably forge ahead and just refrain from trying to “friend” my college-aged son. Since I can link a Twitter account to a Facebook account, it would be easy to monitor both.

I am now an official Tweetee on Twitter... following a few news sources and some librarian educators. Thought I could just be a lurker at this juncture. I wondered what the point of posting was when no one was "following" it anyway. About 6 hours after creating my account, some strange person was "following" me. I was virtually freaked out for a moment. I found an article about SchoolTube and twittered it to my page. Neat. The "short, succinct messages" that I might tweet are my challenge; however, once again, even if I do post them, who is reading them at this point besides that strange person who is following me (and 600+ others) and is being paid to Twitter 24/7?!

Had an enlightening conversation with my late-twenties nephew and one of his friends over the 4th of July weekend that helped me understand the Twitter phenomenon a little better. They both said that they use Twitter as a news source. It's immediate with links to the latest news. One works in the marketing dept. for Fossil and the other works in the online advertising dept. for Southwest Airlines. Both said that their companies employ professionals whose 2.0 career is to monitor/respond/post on Twitter 24/7 for their respective companies. It’s part of their companies’ social media program that gives a “human nature” to their brand name. The immediate feedback on Twitter to a tweet by a customer creates a loyalty between the customer and the business. Additionally, businesses can “IM” the world globally by using Twitter to broadcast information about new products, info about the company, and any other important announcements.

So, in this same vein, can library media specialists and directors and educators represent their libraries and districts and classrooms on Twitter by posting pertinent articles for professional development, respond to or comment on individual queries or comments by readers or students, and keep followers informed of library or classroom news creating a 24/7 connection. Without mobile phone Internet access or the desire to be connected 24/7, keeping that connection current might be a problem for some. Also, I can't see elementary students on Twitter. It would be nice if there were a "little chicks" account for them that would enable them to use it without access to some of the grownup stuff.

I like the idea of black-channeling in a classroom setting, especially for those students who are reluctant to ask questions in a large group setting. Using an anonymous screen name might evoke responses from even the most withdrawn or shy learner. Students with learning differences might benefit from asking and/or reading questions and answers in a written form. The only drawback to back-channeling might be keeping students on task and not on the Internet doing something unrelated!