Week Eleven Reflections

LM_NET

            I first learned of Skype when I went to study abroad my senior year of undergraduate school.  It was how I kept in contact with my family and friends while I was away for 5 months.  I started using it again in grad school for one of my online classes. I love the many potential uses it provides and it was no shock to read about it on LM_NET.  Denise Perkins brought it up on October 30^th to see if anyone had used it for a book discussion.  I think this would be a great idea for the library.  Students could have book talks with people from other states or even countries.  It would be a great way to expand our learners into more global thinkers.

            On the subject of book talks, Karen McLachlan wrote on October 30^th about using Animoto.  She was looking for some ideas for student projects.  I know some people have mentioned using it for book reports, which I absolutely love, but I can see how this too might have endless opportunities in the learning environment.  I remember using publisher one year to get kids interested in sharing what they have read. We created brochures and printed them in color.  The students loved the project and loved being able to share.  I think Animoto has the same potential.

BLOGS

            Yesterday, November 7^th, the Unquiet Librarian wrote about an experience she had with PollEverywhere.  Apparently, during a conference she had audience members participating during her presentation but sending in their votes through Twitter or by texting.  She said it was an amazing way to engage members through 21^st century technology.  I went and checked out the web site and you can sign up for a free account.  The technology is advanced enough to update the information sent in automatically and can handle thousands of people texting at once. I think this would be awesome to use to get students involved in lectures. I can’t wait to see about using this at school!

            On October 30^th, the Unquiet Librarian writes about being more transparent in his/her monthly reports about the happenings in the library. This caught my attention because I just read an article about this recently for grad class.  The Unquiet Librarian has tried using Animoto to show more detail with the reports and has had a great response.  He/she has also put videos and lesson plans on the web page.  The whole idea of making the library business transparent is really taking off.