The future. . .

I made it!

My nine weeks of Web 2.0 exploration are complete.

I have forwarded my recommendation to my colleague, Pam, for her upcoming blogging adventure with the Grade 9s. The winner of the hotly contested Edublogs vs. 21Classes blog platform debate can be found here.

Pam and I are meeting tomorrow to create the student blogs with the Pro Account I purchased. It will be interesting to see how Edublogs works around the usual requirement for an active email account. In my initial attempts to set up the additional student blogs I see that an email account is "required", yet a few lines further down it instructs, "If your users do not have email addresses you can use this Gmail method to add your users!"So far, clicking on this Gmail method hyperlink takes me in a circle. Hmm! I will have to investigate this further. The details of this dilemma will not be known before this post's publication deadline - further evidence that a Web 2.0 exploration project never really ends!

This is Jessica Levitt, mum, wife, reader, tl, and BLOGGER signing off!

Goodreads through an academic lens

I have two friends! Wait - three, and a fourth is pending! I can really see the lure of this social tool. I have been very distracted this week by emails from Goodreads that pop up in my gmail account, like:

 and

and

It is a lot of fun to check out my friends' shelves, to add their chosen titles to either my "read" list or some to my "to read" list, to gasp in shock at their ratings, or to nod in agreement. One of my Goodreads friends is currently reading Twilight, and she has shared some hysterical insights into the book that I had not thought about.

"Edward is an admittedly supernaturally handsome man, so that would explain the initial attraction and perhaps some of the later attraction. I also get that vampires seem to have some persuasive mojo going on. I am not sure, however, that that would override the fact that Edward is a jerk and Bella seems to be trapped in this strange abusive relationship"(McMartin, 2011).

I raced through the entire series two summers ago. I lost a week of my life that I have never regretted, but it wasn't until I got on Goodreads and learned what some other members had to say about the series that I had this thought: I am not sure I can wholeheartedly recommend the series now. I will have to temper my enthusiasm, having read about Edward and Bella from so many different perspectives. I will still recommend this series to my female students, but I will now add a little caveat about the reality of some of the content matter. There is nothing wrong with getting lost in a romantic novel, but there is something wrong about ignoring the secondary, and possibly harmful, messages.

Wait, now I am essentially self-censoring the school library collection. I can't do that! But if I recommend based on my opinion, without being aware of other perspectives of the novel, then I am censoring due to bias and deliberate ignorance.

This is making me rethink the whole idea of the teacher-librarian as a reader's advisor. I have just learned the boldfaced term after reading Stover's (2009) article, "Stalking the Wild Appeal Factor", in which the author explores three "book-centered social networking sites", LibraryThing, Shelfari, and Goodreads (p. 244). Stover (2009) explains:

Readers' advisory (RA) is one of the most social services librarians offer. It's no surprise that talking about books so easily made the leap to the Internet. This discussion is a natural extension of the readers' advisory conversation" (p. 244).

She goes on to describe book-centered sites as being a combination of the "the in-person RA interview" and the "in-depth questioning through reader profile forms", in that "online readers are using all the descriptors available to express what they like about what they have been reading or what they want to read. They are in a relaxed environment, they are taking their time, they are enjoying looking for the right words, or even using creative terms to describe what they like" (p. 244). She even refers to a new taxonomy, or classification system, on these sites called a "feeling taxonomy" (p. 244). This reference to taxonomy connects to Richardson (2010) when he explains the tagging system Diigo uses; he describes how a new classification system has evolved on social bookmarking sites which he calls "folksonomy" (p. 91). Essentially, "the idea is in working with your community of researchers, new tagging systems will emerge and become accepted that will allow us all to participate in the process" (Richardson, 2010, p. 91). I think this idea can be applied to members in sites such as LibraryThing, Shelfari, and Goodreads, and I think Stover (2009) would agree, as she states "The shared language of readers' advisors and readers is changing and expanding when put to use on the Internet" (p. 244).

While working through all of this information about book-centered social networking sites, I do not want to lose sight of this fact explaining the necessity of being present on at least one of these tools:

"Not only are library staff reaching new and different patrons, but they are improving their own knowledge of books read, heard of, and glanced at, and it is all in one place" (Stover, 2009, p. 244).

Being a reader's advisor is a much bigger responsibility than I thought. . .

Goodreads, launched in December of 2006, was the third book-related social networking site to come online, after LibraryThing launched in August 2005, and Shelfari launched October 2006 (Stover, 2009, p. 245). Stover says LibraryThing "is moving into the business of library catalog enhancement with its LibraryThing for Libraries service" (p. 244). I have just signed up for a one hour Webinar on this service, hosted by Cisco WebEx on Tuesday, November 22nd. Best to learn all I can about these different tools before choosing one for my school library.

A quick email to my VISLA Google Group (Vancouver Independent School Librarians Association) , which is an exciting addition to my expanding PLN, elicited a few responses, all of which have just added to my dilemma about which tool to align with. Perhaps I will do as Stover (2009) suggests, in this piece of excellent Web 2.0 advice:

"Try out all of the Web toys out there. It's the responsibility of a good readers' advisor to at least be familiar with the numerous Internet playthings. But once they've all been taken for a test run, commit to one and politely show the others the door. It will be enough of a time commitment to keep one account current on a reading network, and it will be very important to keep that account up to date" (p. 246).

References
McMartin, P. (2011, November 18). Re: Pmcmartin is currently reading: [Online forum comment]. Retrieved from www.goodreads.com/user/show/6962786-pmcmartin
Richardson, W. . (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Stover, K. (2009). Stalking the wild appeal factor. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 48(3), 243-246.

Breathing room

While learning about and using the Web 2.0 tools Diigo, Jing, VoiceThread, and Podomatic, I mainly explored how I could use these tools as a Teacher-Librarian. My focus has been mostly professional. With my attention now directed toward Goodreads, a tool intended SOLELY for book lovers, which teacher-librarians undoubtably are, I have yet to explore it for anything other than personal use. How ironic! To be honest, it feels like I am getting a little break from the self-imposed professional restrictions of my Web 2.0 exploration.

My exploration into Goodreads began with a casual inquiry directed toward my friend and colleague, Pam. As you will learn from the sidebar, Pam tends to "jump in with both feet", to quote an obscure blogger. I had mentioned GoodReads to her late in the morning, and sure enough, true to form, Pam returned to the library that same afternoon raving about the site. Here's how it works:

Goodreads is a free website for book lovers. Imagine it as a large library that you can wander through and see everyone's bookshelves, their reviews, and their ratings. You can also post your own reviews and catalog what you have read, are currently reading, and plan to read in the future. Don’t stop there – join a discussion group, start a book club, contact an author, and even post your own writing (How it works, 2011, para 1).

Pam has this practice of recording every book she reads and writing her own reviews, for herself. Now she has discovered an online tool where she can publish her reviews for others to enjoy. And let me tell you, it is enjoyable! I've been stealing moments of time to check in with Goodreads: while my daughters are in the bath, while the perogies and sausages are cooking on the stovetop, while having lunch at school. It's addicting.

These are two of my favourite features:

1. "Most book recommendation websites work by listing random people’s reviews. On Goodreads, when a person adds a book to the site, all their friends can see what they thought of it. It’s common sense. People are more likely to get excited about a book their friend recommends than a suggestion from a stranger" (About Goodreads, 2011, para 3).
2. "We even created an amazing algorithm that looks at your books and ratings, and helps you find other books based on what fellow Goodreads members with similar tastes enjoyed" (About Goodreads, 2011, para 3).

The algorithm only works after you rate 20 books. I could hardly believe how quickly I rated more than 20 books. I chose to browse through the books Goodreads has categorized into lists, found via a hyperlink called Listopia. Two rows down is "Recommended Lists" and the sublist "Best for Book Clubs". Within seconds I had rated my required 20 books. I then clicked on "Recommendations" and was thrilled with the results of the "amazing algorithm". Several more clicks and I had an impressive "To Read" list. Bring on the Christmas and Hanukkah gifts!

Here is a look at my "Favourites Shelf":
There are different book covers available so you can specifically choose the edition you have read, which I really like. I do not like the new cover for Through Black Spruce at all, and was relieved to find the edition I had read. I preferred the uncle's narrative voice to the niece's, so this cover with the male figure appeals to me.

The series title comes up in parentheses after the book's title, and I learned that some books are part of multiple series! (These come up in separate parentheses.)

The number column represents the Goodreads readers' average rating out of  5. The orange stars are my rating, also out of 5.

I have discovered that I am not naturally social on Web 2.0 tools. I really have to force myself to seek "friends" out. I am not interested in actively following people in Diigo, and I am more of a lurker than a

contributor on Twitter.

I have one friend on Goodreads. . .

Here's my pathetic call for my bookloving friends to join me on Goodreads. . .

References
How it works. (2011). Goodreads Inc. Retrieved from http://www.goodreads.com/about/how_it_works
About Goodreads. (2011). Goodreads Inc. Retrieved from http://www.goodreads.com/about/us

Reflecting . . . and a bit of ranting (just a bit)

I am at the halfway point in my blogging project. On Friday, I received informal feedback from my professor on my blog to date. It was not great, but I am not surprised. I have deliberately neglected including certain aspects of the overall assignment criteria in this blog. Not because I am a rebel, although I can join a good cause in a heartbeat, but because I am struggling to find a space in my blog for the very things I do not like reading in others' blogs.

Bloggers lose my attention when their posts are lengthy and when they descend into the how tos of a task, with those awful "and then, and then, and then" that I tried to beat out of my Grade 6 and 7 students when I was a classroom teacher. (Not beat in a violent sense, more in a repeated reminder sense.)

If I want "how to" instruction, I'll watch a step by step video on YouTube: I do not like to wade through written instructions. I would even suffer through a podcast, although I have said before how insufferably boring I find podcasts.

Herein, lies my problem: I do not want to produce something which I would not like to read.

I am not a technical writer. I prefer to teach by demonstrating. I am not the kind of teacher who provides her students with reams of notes to "learn" from. My lessons are mostly of the "demonstrate and apply" format, followed by an assessment of the application.

Yet. . .

This blog is for an assignment. I want to do well on this assignment, and I want to conclude this project in December having met the following four goals set in my proposal:

• to achieve the level of "proficiency" in all six tools
• that my future Web 2.0 experiences, through self-regulation, will be rich with deep learning 
• that each post will be a place “of critical thinking, analytical writing and reflection”
• to become a resource for teachers and students in my school (See my full proposal for further explanation of these goals, including references for some of the language appropriated here in quotations.)

I believe my readers are knowledgeable and they can infer a great deal from what I am not telling them. I believe my professors can do the same.

But. . .

Can my professors assess what they infer? I do not think so. To date I have demonstrated proficiency in Diigo, Jing, and VoiceThread. I believe I am becoming a resource for teachers at my school, and I have provided some evidence of this in these blog posts. But my posts have yet to be places "of critical thinking, analytical writing, and reflection", nor have I explained much of the deep learning that I have experienced.

Hmmm. . .

So. . .

My challenge from this point forward is:

• to include the "how tos" in a critical, analytic, and reflective style that will hold my readers' attention; and, 
• to provide evidence of my deep learning through connections to academic literature

My posts are going to get longer. I just hope they get better, too.

P.S. The rant: I HAVE SHINGLES! According to The U.S. National Library of Medicine, when you have had chicken pox as a child the virus lives on forever in your body. And for about 20% really fortunate people (sarcastic tone necessary) it can reactivate during a time of lowered immunity. Say, when your husband is away with the senior boys soccer team and you are single parenting and trying to stay abreast of your Master's level coursework. . .ARGHHHH!

For further information on shingles, refer to this page. Caveat: the images are disgusting!

I've been cheating on Diigo

I feel like I have developed a good relationship with Diigo, but I need to tell you, it is not exclusive. You see, in order to demonstrate my learning I've had to master the art of the screenshot, and in so doing I have kind of fallen for another Web 2.0 tool.

Hard.

Actually, to be completely honest, I am in love with this new tool. Is it because I get to hear my voice in video captures? Or because I can precisely set the crosshairs to capture the exact portion of the screen? I'm not sure at what point I started pushing Diigo to the back burner, but it's happened, despite my best intentions to give it my all.

We'll still be friends, I promise.

Next post: My new love and I go public.

Why does online success surprise me?

I celebrate every digital achievement: from publishing a post on my blog to manipulating html code to shrink a screen capture, and now this . . .

Diigo will send bookmarks directly to my blog for publication!

Gr. 9 Epic Works

The Tain Bo Cuaillnge 

Explanation of the Irish Epic "Tain Bo Cuailnge".

tags: epic poems poetry tain bo cuailnge 

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

I continue to be amazed by what I am capable of in the online world. It may be small potatoes to some, but it is epic to me, in that cheesy, teenage slang use of the word. To culminate my experience with Diigo, and to ensure that I do not lose track of the progress the grade nine students are making in Diigo, I have added a widget to the right hand side of this blog, right underneath my Blog Archive. I can follow the new content they add to their own Diigo Group, thanks to the Teacher Console which allowed me to set up protected student accounts. With this introduction to Diigo, in a safe and controlled environment, it is my wish that they continue to use this practical Web 2.0 tool.

Richardson (2010) worries that "it's not technology that's causing a decline in critical thinking, it's our lack of understanding of how to use technology well" (p. 94). I have taken on the responsibility to ensure that I understand how to use certain technologies, and that I teach and share this knowledge as widely as possible. Thanks for the play, Diigo! Until next time . . .

References
Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful Web 2.0 tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

I introduce Tain Bo Cuailnge to Diigo
I set out last week to collect some appropriate websites for one of the senior English teachers in my school. She is beginning a study of epic works across the ages with her two grade nine classes. The classes have been divided into small groups and will be researching Gilgamesh, Ramayana, Aeneid, Kundalakesi, Tain Bo Cuailnge, the Epic of King Gesar, and Chanson de Roland. I continue to live in awe of the breadth of literary knowledge my colleague possesses. Every time I work with her I learn alongside the students. I wanted to impress her with my diligence and determination in finding the best websites for her students to use.

The students researching Gilgamesh, Ramayana, and Aeneid were the lucky ones; several Diigo users have publicly available bookmarks linking to excellent sites. Those looking for links to Tain Bo Cuailnge were not so lucky.


Now I have never done anything new in cyberworld. Never. I have always followed someone else's lead, mimicked something tried and true - I play it  safe online. What I am about to reveal is not ground-breaking in a technological sense, but it is epic from my point of view: today, I introduced Tain Bo Cuailnge to Diigo. That's right, I did something that has never been done, online. I tagged two of my bookmarks with Tain Bo Cuailnge. I am a true pioneer.


I just have to add one more successful moment. In this post, blogger Steven Anderson stated: "Another feature I love is the ability to auto-post to my blog. If you look at the post previous to this one you will see 10 of my favorite saves from last week. I set that up through my preferences. I tell Diigo what saves I want to post (either everything I save or specific tags) and what time I want it to post. And presto! A fresh blog post of resources to share" (Anderson, 2011). Now, presto, in my next post you should get a list of my new Diigo resources. Cross your fingers. . .
References
Anderson, S. (2011, October 14). Why diigo rocks! [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://web20classroom.blogspot.com/2011/10/why-diigo-rocks.html

Just like Brownies . . . (Girl Guides, not chocolate)

Today I got my first badge. I was approved to open a Diigo Educator Account, and to show their "sincere appreciation to those educators who are taking pioneering steps in getting their students and/or their peers started on collaborative research using Diigo’s powerful features" they have created nifty badges for educators to post on their websites (Diigo, 2011). I even got to choose a colour that matches my blog design!

I am now an official badge-carrying Diigo Education Pioneer. Acquiring my first badge led me to investigate the Web 2.0 badge phenomenon. For more information please have a read of this blog post.

  I have been using Diigo, a social bookmarking tool, since February of this year, but along with a few other Web 2.0 tools I enthusiastically signed up for in the same month (Symbaloo and Tumblr to name a couple), I have either ignored their existence or grossly underutilized their potential. Diigo falls into the grossly neglected category. I quickly learned how to create lists and downloaded the Diigo toolbar onto my desktop, and for the past seven months I have accumulated approximately 150 articles, blog posts, websites, slideshares, archived webinars, videos, and the like. It reminds me of my first few years of teaching when I photocopied entire teaching units with little thought given towards the usability of the stacks of paper I proudly labeled and filed. (And then recycled twelve years later in a massive purge that was initiated by a peculiar smell emanating from one corner of the garage. Several shredded box corners later we discovered what must have been small animal remains sloshing around inside a spare tire.)

And, here I am, back in that same rut, gathering more resources than I could ever need (digital resources, mind, but resources nonetheless), and flying solo on a social bookmarking site. So my goals are to: a) ease up on my hoarding tendencies; b) get connected with others on Diigo; and, c) discover the differences between this new Diigo Educator Account I have and my personal Diigo Account I originally acquired back in February.

Next post: Pioneering update.

References
Diigo V5.0 beta. (2011). "Wear your 'Diigo education pioneer badge' with pride :-)." Retrieved from http://www.diigo.com/teacher_entry/get_badge

Proposal Approved!

As you can see from the text below my photo, I am a part-time grad student at the University of Alberta in the Teacher-Librarianship by Distance Learning program (TLDL). My full-time gig is as a Teacher-Librarian at a small, independent K-12 school just outside of Vancouver, BC, Canada.

I am enrolled in a course this semester which requires independent exploration of at least six Web 2.0 tools. My learning is to be documented through this blog. The design of my exploration was crafted in the form of a proposal which I submitted earlier this week. The feedback I received last night from my professor was very positive. My proposal is approved!

I intended to explore the following tools in this order:

1. Diigo
2. Flikr and Picassa
3. Video/Screen casting
4. Good Reads vs. Shelfari
5. Digital Storytelling
6. Google Apps

However, this week I was experimenting with the screencasting app, Jing, so the order of tool exploration may shuffle as this blog evolves. For a detailed look at my proposal, this link will take you to the document in the publc file of my Dropbox account.


Next post: Introducing Diigo