My simple site

Here is the link to my very simple site created with Google Sites. I think that I would like to try experimenting with Wix, too. Google sites just seems to be too simple - there does not seem to be alot of ability to work outside of the frames.
I really liked seeing examples of "good" school library media sites. There are a lot of free programs out there with the potential to create a very interesting and interactive site that would appeal to students, teachers and parents.

FotoFlexer

I really liked this photo editing software -it looks like it has enough functionality to do basic and some mid-level editing. Best of all - it's free. The one on the left is the original and the one on the right is the edited version.

My pixie on the Three Furies.

Glogster

Student Presentations

Last nights class was a lot of fun. It was really interesting to see all the different technologies and to see what the presenters thought was most useful in that software. In this post, I have highlighted the ones that appealed to me most, and the ones that I think I could start using immediately.

Blabberize won the contest for software that could be useful, but also the biggest time waster. I was also really interested in Screen Toaster, as an alternative to Adobe Captivate, and I could see myself using that in my current position, too.

The three book tracking programs - Shelfari, goodreads and bookglutton were all very similar, but had some distinct differences, i.e. one you can use real-time chat in, another you can read entire books. Assuming you were allowed to, you could save your district money by having students read books online instead of purchasing them.

The last technology that really struck me was soshiku. I think it would be great to suggest to students so that they can keep track of their assignments online.

The technologies were a lot to think about, but it's great to see what is out there and how it can be used.

Noodle Tools, Slidshare and Inspiration

I've heard of Noodle Tools, but never seen it in action. Many of the local community colleges have it, too. So students who have used it in college would be a step ahead. I really like the idea of being able to use the notecard and outline functions, in addition to just keeping track of and citing your sources. The only problem that I wrestle with is what about students who do not have internet access or computers at home?

I've also seen Slideshare used professionally, but I had never thought of using it as a school library media specialist's tool. I have a feeling that there are many tools and programs out there that I would have this reaction to. This would be a great tool to use for an "alternate" assignment or in UDL.

Lastly, one of my college acquaintances uses Kidspiration in her first grade class. I thought it and Inspiration were really interesting programs. In addition to concept mapping, I would also use the software to come up with keywords and concepts for searches.