Day 4

I think that I'll use technology in an over-arching way this year in the library as an advocacy, communication, and a teaching tool. Not having a real web presence is very frustrating and using too much paper to communicate is just not practical or environmentally savvy.
I will also use technology in my library skills classes that I try to use with my middle school students as well as in Galaxy, a quasi-exploratory period near the end of our school day. Since I will be working with seventh-grade classes and eighth-grade classes, I'll need to change what the content is, but I can keep the same type of technology. When I have my eighth grade students prepare for their ethical debates, I'll want to give them time to search different databases and then evaluate them for content, ease of use, etc;
My immediate use for technology will involve the use of a Vado video camera and the creation of tutorials created by incoming BAMS students to show the other 7th grade students how to use our library. I am slightly limited as I need to put some content in my library website that I can use for this Switch program and I need to become comfortable with embedding video. I have confidence that I can do this.

Day 3 Reflections

How embarrassing...I nearly had a tantrum when I couldn't download Adobe Flash and keep up with trying out picnik.com. I completely feel for my students who often face hardware and software frustrations before they can even begin to perform whatever task is required of them. I need to simplify whatvever that I do with students and make sure that their technological needs are met before I can require them to explore the webquests that I might create or to respond to a wiki or a blog.
I don't think that I have reached "information overload" yet because there are obvious breaktimes when we can stand up and walk around, use the bathroom, or go and eat lunch. I have attended conferences where I walked out feeling like an absolute failure and then applied one kernel of new learning to my teaching practice. There is simply not enough time in the day to try every single technology tool nor are most appropriate or germane to what each of us do. By concentrating on those Web 2.0 tools that we might use, Lisa has really streamlined the learning process.

Day 2 of Tech4Teachers

Well, I survived day one and feel pretty pleased with myself. Being able to rename the URL for my library website makes life so much easier and now I feel more adept at attempting to add forms, widgets, and other tools to make the page more user-friendly.
I did get frustrated with Filamentality as a webquest creator. It didn't seem to be set up the way that I expected, or rather, in a linear way. The templates were strange. My topic is Ethics and Debate as I teach a quarter class to 8th grade students. Rather then handing out reams of paper, I'd rather make much of the assignments web-based or at least a percentage of them. I'd like to embed library skills in what I am having them do and so an examination of fee-based electronic resources would be an appropriate task for students to learn how to do. With the information that they are able to glean about their debate topic, they can work in small groups to plan their debates and to create some type of multimedia resource to also reinforce their point of view. I need to sit and backward plan on paper before I can create this quest. Time to turn in my web address.

Day 1 reflections

Today was great for me. I guess that I am more of an experiential learner than I once thought. Lisa's approach seems to work for all of us. So often we learn something and then don't get the chance to apply what we learned. How and what we apply is personal to each of us but having eight other people to bounce ideas off of is comforting.
My learning goals include using technology to promote my library and my program, to create webquests for student achievement, and to assist my faculty and staff in using appropriate technology to meet their needs. For now. This could change tomorrow.
The only difficulties that I had involved multiple people on the same wiki (traffic) and my own way of organizing information.
I am excited by the prospects of not being tethered to my wonderful but overworked technology coordinator and also the possibilites of providing in-house technology training for my staff.
The pre-class readings showed me how far and how fast technology has evolved. I'm not one to listen to many podcasts (this will now change) and view technology in perhaps a cautionary way. I should not be afraid; walk in and get both feet wet.

Bad Mother

I started Ayelet Waldman's new book, Bad Mother, with some trepidation. I am not a mother, I saw her book on Newsweek magazine's must read list, and I am a loyal fan of her husband Michael Chabon. I should point out that I am not Jewish, but rather lapsed Catholic. Twenty minutes on my exercise bike with this pithy, slightly precious memoir and I was hooked. Waldman blows the lid off of the stereotypical Supermom and allows all of her warts to show. She proves that no matter how many college degrees you have, your kids are often dirty and exhausting and there is no shame in having less than loving feelings towards them. Her public villification was unwarranted...let he who is without sin cast the first stone and so on. My only complaint about this excellent compilation of very real, personal essays is that she paints her award-winning husband as some kind of demi-god. If he is half as wonderful as he is portrayed in this book, then oy, her mother should be extra proud of her daughter for snagging him.