www.storytlr.com

I remember some of the complaints during our 23 things on a stick project. One that echoed frequently was the lack of time to keep up with all the different web 2.0 apps. Another was how there wasn't just one way to put everything together. Well here may be the solution to all of our problems, or is it more snake oil?

Take a look at this free service called Storytlr where you can route all of your social networks into one hub.

Animoto

I stumbled onto a nifty Web 2.0 tool called Animoto.

You can upload your photos (book covers for example) and Animoto can animate the images for you. You can upload your own music and choose from selections it offers. You can easily post to your google account or save it as a file.

You can go to Teacher Tube to view a snippet on how to get started with Animoto in the Classroom.

Also: go to Animoto for Education Sign-up.

You can see one of my examples at my B.O.B. Blog.

Searchme

Searchme is a new seach engine that has a unique look to it. Results can be viewed like a stack of cards, each card showing the first page of the web page. Searchme isn't as large as Google, but it is one of those search tools that you might like in addition to Google.

I liked having the ability of looking at the first page of each result as a way to decide which web site to investigate further. Searchme also has a feature called "stack." If you see web pages that you like and want to share with others you can use the stack feature. Stacks can be added to your del.icio.us accounts. Give it a try.

(I got this info from InfoTips which is written by Mary Ellen Bates)

My Blogs

Here are my blogs that I've started since I finished 23Things on a Stick:

Video Creations (This is for an enrichment class that I teach in the summer. I do a 3 week video production class for middle school students. The purpose of the blog was to provide information to parents and to also have some of my curriculum available online. I also thought having the information online would provide a way for my students to go back and take a look at some of the things we covered.

BC Book Talk (This is just getting under way. I thought having my booktalks that I do with students during the school year available online could provide others a resource on middle school books, especially those for boys.

Sites

I need to dump some other sites I want to visit here:

Yahoo Pipes - customizing RSS Feeds

http://doug-johnson.squarespace.com/
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1340000334.html

http://www.edsupport.cc/mguhlin/

http://weblogg-ed.com/


http://www.apture.com/

http://www.aliceinfo.org/blog

Thing 23 : Final Thoughts

I didn't network with so much with others participating in 23Things (I hardly found time to complete the project), but the project did provide me a way to generate some side conversations with my colleagues at school. These conversations are what made the project valuable to me.

There were some modest accomplishments such as setting up a wiki for some of our staff to contribute ongoing ideas for our spring research assignment. There were conversations about starting up a blog as a way to keep in touch with family members across the world. As I invited people to look at my blog, I felt a sense of purpose to it that made the endeavor worthwhile. I guess this just reflects the nature of Web 2.0/Library 2.0 : its about our need to experience the social networking side of the web.

Thing 22 : What did I learn today?

Looking at other 23things blogs I ran into Doug Johnson's site on Professional Fitness. His Professional Fitness site/blog appears to be just getting off the ground, but I think it will be a good place to go back and visit in a few weeks. I like the title. We do have to push ourselves to keep up with Library 2.0-Web 2.0 innovations.

I tend to collect things: Stacks, piles, stickies, to-do-lists. I fear that I've just created another stack of things to do for later that will just sit. I have a distaste for resolutions, so I'll risk not getting my flash drive to say that I've got plenty to go back and look at. I'm not adding any more stuff to my RSS aggregator for the time being.

Thing 21 : Beyond MySpace: Other Social Networks

Would it be a good idea to have a follow-up workshop for those who participated in 23Things. I think there were some kick-off type workshops when it started.

I plan to go back and look over some of the places we've been, but I think it will be difficult for awhile to sift through it efficiently on my own and hit the important stuff.

Trying to keep up with Web 2.0 on my own will probably make me appreciate the structure, guidance, and expertise the 23Things staff provided.

Thanks.

Thing 20 : Libraries and Social Networks

Meredith Farkas says in "Libraries in Social Networking Software" : "I think there is a big difference between “being where our patrons are” and “being USEFUL to our patrons where they are.” I think some of the libraries in MySpace and Facebook have put a profile up, but they have not tried to make it useful to their patrons at all. Just putting up a profile does not make the library seem cool, nor does it make the library more visible."

What makes a library cool? She says one reason for a library to create a MySpace profile is to gather feedback from teens in a place they feel comfortable.
She also says a library's profile on MySpace might make it easier for its teen patrons to find the library's web page.

I like her explanation on why we should be involved with social networking. Its more than just going where they are.

Thing 19 : Podcasts

I would have to agree with one of my media specialist colleagues in our districtl that podcasting would seem to have some barriers to cross in order to be applied in the school setting.

However, podcasting could provide a way to link to important events or special topics that could be listened to at home. Also, I don't see why an educational podcast couldn't be played on computers by students at school, especially if provided head-phones.

Thing 18 : YouTube and Online Video

From one of my earlier blogs:

Our staff watched a video called: You Need to Know 2.0. It is posted on YouTube. I think the video ties in well with what 23 Things On a Stick is trying to emphasize. I encourage my fellow 23TOASers to take a look. Just click on the link above.

I'd like to recommend a Saturday Night Live skit by Jerry Seinfeld that people in our building have looked at for the purpose of starting a discussion on classroom management and our school's efforts with positive behavior interventions. An online video resource is definitely a convenient tool to spark discussion.

Thing 17 : ELM Productivity Tools

Do I disqualify myself from truly completing 23things? I was unable to set-up the RSS Feed using our school's subscription to ELM resources. I've done something similar in the past so the idea of a search alert is not a new thing to me. Currently I do not see a need for an RSS feed for our school's research purposes, but it is a good reminder to look for the RSS feature. Oh well.