Thing 10: Productivity

The two tools I chose to experiment with were Diigo and Evernote.

Evernote took me a while to get the hang of. I could not figure out how to add images to notes for the life of me. I will need to play around with this some more and I'm sure once I download the app on my iPhone I will see the many benefits of this tool. I can not get the Evernote clipper to open at school, so I'm sure I'm missing out on a huge part of the experience here.
*Side note; I figured out the screen clipper. Very cool.

Diigo was the next tool I spent some time using. I practiced highlighting text and adding sticky notes, which I loved. However, when I went to get the annotated link from my library, the pages did not look right, almost as if compatibility mode had been turned off. That was disappointing. I'll keep trying.

I'm also going to try both tools in a different browser. I'm using IE at school, which is an old version, so that might have something to do with the issues I'm having. It was fun trying something new. I think Evernote is more user friendly and has a more attractive interface. The mobile apps are a bonus as well. Thanks!

Thing 9: Databases & Search Tools

Databases:

Several times a year, I offer voluntary professional development to staff. Recently, I presented a training focusing on the databases. The name of the training was "Finding Grade-level, Non Fiction articles using the Gale Databases.” I basically went over the new lexile levels as they pertain to Common Core and then showed teachers how to find article in their subject areas using advanced search features.
I got a lot of positive feedback form the training. Many staff members did not realize lexile ranges had been impacted by Common Core Standards.

 

Thing 8: Collaborating, Connecting, Sharing

This week we are blogging about our experience with online collaboration and sharing tools. This is very fitting as I am currently using Google Drive to collaborate with another teacher to plan a unit on the Cold War
.
To plan the project we used Google Drive and placed documents we would be using there. I also created sub folders within the folders to help us define  for the different days


When we were ready to share the project with students, we built a live binder which can be viewed here.

Click here to open this binder in a new window.

Thing 7: Podcasting and Screencasting

This week we were told to check out some web tools for screencasting and podcasting. I have used many of the tools for screencasting for professional use before. I was excited to learn of the online audio recording options out there. We have used audacity for projects and I find it confusing for middle school students. Audio Boo would be a great option and I can think of a few projects that it would be applicable to in my building.

listen to ‘Testing’ on Audioboo

My favorite tool for screencasting remains the screen recorder in Active Inspire, I realize not everyone has access to this program, but if you do I highly recommend it. I use it mainly to record tutorials. Check out the one I made last year below. (I just hit 10,000 views last week!)

Sarah

Thing 6: Curation Tools

I had been using Pinterest personally for about two years before I came to the realization that it also had the potential to be a very powerful educational tool as well (sometimes I'm a little slow on the uptake).
Anyway this year I have been using Pinterest more and more for educational purposes as a way to find and share new content with my faculty. I created a content specific board for each subject area and shred it privately though email with each department.
I also facilitated a staff development on "Pinterest in Education". Those who attended got experience creating pins form scratch, finding people to follow related to their content area, and creating collaborative boards with colleagues within their departments.
Sometime this year I hope to get students on board using Pinterest as well. I want them to create collaborative boards to pin resources for research in groups.

Here is a link to my professional Pinterest Board.
http://www.pinterest.com/hhmslibrary/

Thing 5: Digital Storytelling & Presentation Tools

Here is my first attempt at a Moov using Moovly, an online digital presentation tool to help you create "common craft style" videos. I stumbled upon this after we created common craft style videos with social studies classes here last year. I decided I would test it out for this week's assignment. Once you get the hang of it, it's fairly simple. I love that you can import your own videos and sound. They have an extensive clip art library to choose from. I can see this being used in classrooms to define vocabulary terms, summarize learning, or to introduce a new topic. Very cool.

Thing 4: RSS, Personal Home Pages and Feed Readers

When Google Reader was killed off (which I was VERY distraught about), I struggled to find a replacement. I gave Feedly a shot, but for some reason found it confusing. Now that I've been forced to revisit it through this course, I'm not sure what was so hard about it, but I decided on using The Old Reader initially.

What do you like about RSS and feed readers?

I like that the RSS readers are a one stop shop. One thing I especially like about Feedly is that I can categorize my feeds. I might be switching over from The Old Reader after all.

What features did you explore?

I added a few of my feeds from The Old Reader and put them in various categories. I also added the Cool Tools for Schools to my list of "Ed Tech" blogs that I follow.

How do you think you might be able to use this technology in your work or personal life?

I see myself using this primarily for work. I send out a weekly "Web Find" to the teachers at my school, and often times find the tool or site I will feature through the RSS feeds I follow. I also present at each faculty meeting and again rely on my reader to do much of the work for me.

Did you find any great sources we should all add to our feed readers?

A few of my all time favorite blogs are:

A Media Specialist's Guide to the Internet

Cathy Jo Nelson's Professional Thoughts

Edudemic

The Adventures of Library Girl

The Daring Librarian