Skype?

You know, I'm sure there are plenty of great ways to make use of Skype in a school library. Chatting with authors, for example. We used Skype to chat with Bob Berkowitz (bad spelling) in class the other day, it was great. I'm just having a problem with it on my computer. It's just a little invasive at the moment, and I would love nothing better than to uninstall it from my system. That would probably not be the best idea since I need it for class, but oh well. It's applications are amazing. You can video chat with whomever you wish and it doesn't cost you a cent. Of course you can do the same thing with Gmail so I have a bit of a problem with this, but I guess that's ok. My computer is super old and doesn't like a lot of new programs, which could be why I have so many problems with this. I'd have to try it on a different computer to test that though. As a tool, Skype is great. If I had the inclination or the need I could use it to chat with authors, reference librarians, family, or other people that could add to my learning (or the learning of others). It's probably a whole lot cheaper than flying people out to give a seminar or something. I'll have to try it on a different computer to see if I like it any better and I'll let you know what I think later.
Happy reading!

WIKI WIKI WIKI WIKI WIKI

Well dear reader here we are again. I am super behind, as per usual for me. Worst blogger EVER! Since I'm behind you get a post a day until I'm all caught up again. This should be a grand adventure! Anway, this lovely post is, as you may be able to tell, on Wikis. For a class assignment, the same class this blog was created for, I was asked to create my own wiki page. I did. It's still in the developmental stages, but when I finally figure everything out it will be AWESOME! Here's a link if anyone wants to check it out and leave feedback as a comment to this post: http://get-thee-to-a-library.wikispaces.com/ . I actually think Wikis are great ideas. My mom's got one for her English and Humanities students, and she's creating a section that her English students can use to collaborate on their group Shakespeare assignments. They can also use the Wiki to post their assignments to create an entire book, or newspaper since the assignment is to create a news article of events from the plays they read. I like that. An online space that can be used to work on group assignments is incredibly convenient, speaking as a student, because it is always a pain to try and get a hold of everyone in the group and find a time that they can all get together. A wiki can also be a great source of information to the populace. I managed to add a calendar to mine, it can have important events added to it so that anyone can find out about events going on that day/week/month. Of course, my calendar has nothing on it at the moment, but it's the thought that counts. I also figured out that youtube videos can be posted to the site. I figure that this is an opportunity to introduce students, parents, and teachers to new books by using book trailers, talks, soundtracks, etc. Right now I've got part of a soundtrack for To Kill a Mockingbird posted. I actually created that video as a final project for another class. Anyway, I think the Wiki is a great opportunity to introduce books, collaborate on assignments, help parents know what their children are working on, assist teachers in their lessons, I also had a teacher use her wiki as a means for students to chat with the author of a book the class was reading. The list is pretty much endless at this point. Those are just the big ones I can think of right now. Anyway, check it out and let me know what you think. It's still under construction.
Happy reading!

An Experiment in Pictures!

Well dear reader, I took these pictures. Just as an experiment I made a collage of them to see how it would come out.

I used bighugelabs.com, but I discovered that wasn't quite as user friendly as Picassa. This website had more options of fun things to do with photos such as creating a jigsaw puzzle, a motivational poster, movie posters, and calendars. These options would be great to use with book covers, maps, and other useful visual aids. As far as the mosaic option goes though, I would use Picassa. It was a little more user friendly and you can see the product before it's finished. I'll have to experiment with the other options to let you know how those work out.