Blog Post #5: Conclusion

At the beginning of this course, I was asked to assess my strengths and weaknesses in technology, and I was truly lacking in knowledge and skill. I had absolutely no clue what a podcast was, much less how to create one or what uses it could potentially have in my classroom or in the library. After having this class, I am fully aware of podcasting, and I created a book report podcast as my final technology project. I found that the podcast was very easy to create, and I have realized many ways to use podcasting in my classroom and eventually in my library. I currently teach English I, and my book report podcast will serve as a model to current and future students of my English I classes. In addition, I will be having my students create book report podcasts to take the place of the old, hand-written book reports of the past. Throughout this course, I was introduced to numerous technological Web 2.0 tools, many online tools that I will be using in my classroom with my students. I learned that even facebook and other social networking sites can be useful in the library and classroom settings...an idea that was completely foreign to me before. I am grateful that in such a short time, my knowledge of technology has increased, and that students now and for years to come will benefit from these tools as well. I look forward to continually learning more for the benefit of many, many students to come.

Technology Project #5: Book Report Podcast

Blog Post #4: The Job of Organizing

While it used to be the job of professional catalogers, currently through Web 2.0, the duty of organizing books and materials can basically be done by anyone. More and more, everyday people who are not trained in cataloging materials are doing so. I do feel that it is great that people can share their opinions and suggestions for sources; however, because these people are not professionally trained catalogers and indexers, there could be resulting issues of inaccuracy. Librarians are experts in their field, and organizing materials is their specialty; therefore, I feel that the job of cataloging should remain with the librarian rather than taking the risk of having outdated information and a faulty system for those who are seeking accurate and reliable sources. Folksonomies and tagging web sites can indeed be beneficial, and tags themselves can be incredibly helpful. There are, however, still issues that remain regarding accuracy. Untrained, everyday folks are able to tag and organize, and the tags placed on sites and sources may not be appropriate to the content of the source, which leads to imprecision for those who are seeking information. While I feel that it is nice to have the ability for people to add their own information and opinions, there is still a lack of reliability when these tasks are not performed by trained individuals such as librarians.

Blog Post #3: "Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/Using Us"

In chapter 1 of Library 2.0 and Beyond, Courtney points out that in our world today, “…more people share their ideas, contribute content, and have easier access to collaborative tools.” There are far more people on the web today than in years past. In Professor Wesch’s video, entitled “The Machine is Us/Using Us”, he very creatively and precisely illustrates Web 2.0. By titling the video as he did, Wesch explains that “the machine is us”, meaning we (the users) are the ones who are putting the data and information on the web. We are the ones who are organizing all of the data as well. Wesch cleverly stated, “XML + U & Me = Database-backed Web”. This means that the users (“u and me”) are putting the information on the web ourselves, and we are creating the web. We actually “are” the web because we are the information providers “for” the web. Wesch explains that it is the people (us) that teach the machine to do various tasks. With every person, every click, every link, and every command, we are teaching the machine what to do. Therefore, we “are” the machine.

By the same token, Wesch says “the machine is using us” because without the user, the web would not exist, and certainly would not be advancing as rapidly as it is. Wesch points out that the web is no longer just information or the linking of data, but instead it’s connecting people. People are constantly sharing and collaborating on the web using blogs, wikis, and other social networking sites. Without “us” (the user), the web would not be what it is today; the machine uses us to grow, to develop, and to continually progress.

Blog Post #2: Handheld Devices

A current issue at our high school is that we cannot afford to purchase a lot of books to be used in the classrooms. We have the same novels we’ve had for years and years. They’re old, big, bulky, and falling apart in many cases. They take up way too much space in storage rooms, classrooms, and on bookshelves. If I were the librarian at my high school and had $10,000.00 to spend on handheld devices, my first purchase would be for a class set of Ebook Readers for teachers to check out for their classes. A class set (30) at $200.00 each would cost roughly $6,000.00. These Ebook Readers could be used within the classrooms for reading classics and books of any length. These digital Ebook Readers would take the place of all of our big, bulky books that are currently in the classroom. Thousands of ebooks can be accessed and/or downloaded for free from various web sites, and since money (or the lack thereof) is a huge concern at our school, the Ebook Readers would provide a way to access new reading material without spending unnecessary money. The Ebook Readers would be stored in locked rolling cart cases in the library and numbered with library bar codes for organizational bookkeeping purposes. They would be available for check-out for teachers of any content area on an as-needed basis for use within their classrooms, and then they would be returned to the library for storage after use.

Our library currently has numerous table workstations, but there are only 3 desktop computers in the entire library to be used for research. We have nearly 700 students in our high school. There is a major need for devices that will allow for research. With my remaining $4,000.00 budgeted for handheld devices, I would purchase 8 PDAs at 500.00 each. By purchasing a set of 8 PDAs, students could facilitate their research. Since PDAs can do virtually anything a regular desktop can do, students would have access to the Internet, use regular computer software, listen to audio files, watch video files, and create or edit most any kind of document. This would be a perfect addition to our library, which is currently lacking in ways for students to access resources for their research. The PDAs would be stored in the library at all times, would be used in the library at the existing table workstations, and then returned to the librarian for storage after use.

Blog Post #1: Individual Technology Assessment

As an educator, I possess certain strengths in technology, but still have a lot left to learn, so I strive to gain knowledge in the technological field continually. Perhaps my greatest individual technological strength is the ability to learn new programs quickly. I do not shy away from technology; in fact, I love learning new software and programs, and implementing them into my classroom as well as into my daily life. I am proficient in Microsoft Office programs as well as Internet Explorer. I've also become proficient in Adobe InDesign as I was the Yearbook Sponsor at my previous job in Henrietta, Texas. Another strength I possess is a great knowledge of social networking sites on the internet, such as facebook and myspace. I also maintain a family blog where I keep my family and friends, near and far, updated on the crazy, busy, fun life we live. I am also capable of using computers, ELMOs, projectors, Smartphones, laptops, netbooks, printers, copy machines, and overhead projectors. I use these items routinely in my classroom as an educator and in my day-to-day life as well. I have also worked with the Reading Counts program in our high school. This is a program similar to Accelerated Reader, and I am accustomed to using it regularly throughout the school year. I am enthusiastic about technology, and although I possess many technological strengths, I have a great interest in learning more.

I do have weaknesses in technology that I would like to improve upon. For instance, I have no background whatsoever in building web pages and computer programming. I have little to no knowledge of using Ipods in the classroom, although I've heard of many schools using them. I have no knowledge of webcasts, podcasts, and/or other forms of virtual technology. I am very interested in Skype. I hear many of my friends talking about how they Skype with family and friends near and far, and I am incredibly interested in learning about Skype, but I am currently not knowledgeable of it. Another weakness, which I feel will be a strength eventually, is taking online courses. This is my first semester at UNT and it is my very first semester of online courses. I feel a bit overwhelmed because although I'm very skillful when it comes to the Internet in general, I have a very limited background in Blackboard and online educational forums.

I plan to use my strengths in technolgy by continuing to integrate as much technology as possible into my classroom. I will strive to make the learning environment as fun and comfortable as possible for my students, and I feel that technology is essential in this day and age. Technology is what kids know these days; in fact, if the truth is told, they (the students) could probably teach us a thing or two. I feel that it is crucial to include modern technology in the classroom and curriculum, and I will strive to do so. I plan to share my enthusiasm of technology with my students and colleagues, and add as much technological variety to the classroom as possible in an attempt to accomodate a variety of learning styles.

I plan to address my weaknesses in technology by simply exploring and learning as much as possible. My interest in technology makes it easy to improve in my weaknesses, in that I am anxious to learn as much as possible, and I strive to get better continually. I plan to gain as much information and knowledge from this class, as well as all of my other classes to become even more technologically proficient. I plan to learn new programs, practice new programs, and not be intimidated to try new things. I look forward to learning more and becoming more technologically competent.