Method 12

After completing these exercises, I will be able to take some new things back to school with me in the Fall.  I  was really surprised by how many podcasts are out there.  Method 11 convinced me to use a podcasts for lessons that I have to repeat over and over.  Orientation will be my first podcast that I will use the first week of school.  I was also grateful to learn more about computing in the cloud.  Our district seems to be moving rapidly in that direction and I embrace it with open arms.  If I could think of one way to improve these exercises would be to have one geared just for school librarians.

Method 11

I can see that Podcasts would be a good way to spotlight a special collection in your library.  I am considering doing a podcast for the beginning of the year orientation for my students.  It would be so much better than me saying the same thing approximately 40 times and leaving out important  information because I thought I had told them the info, but actually had told another class.  In fact, doing this step has convinced me that I WILL do some form of recorded orientation to ensure students get all the information about our library that is necessary to be successful patron of our library.  My eyes were opened to how many podcasts are available out there.  I had no idea there were so many on so many different topics.  I will be exploring this more in the remaining days of my summer.

Beyond Method 12

I think the best nugget that I got from this exercise was the Gutenberg Project information.  I am so happy to know about this wonderful, free resource that I plan to utilize in the fall.  Most of the exercises I was mostly familiar with, but I did learn some additional information about each step or tool.  I will be adding the job search information to our library webpage.  I really had never thought much about high school students needing help with job searches.Screencast-o-matic was another nugget that I discovered and will use with our students and teachers.  I used Jing many years ago, but didn't like that the tool put that yellow sun thing on my desktop.

The exercises were aimed more at public libraries and I think having a class like this that focuses on the school library would be beneficial.  Most of the tools apply to both, however the school library has a different focus that the public library.

Beyond Method 11

I am not in a public library so I don't really use surveys with students about library services.  I have used PollEverywhere in faculty meetings and with students at the end of the class period to get their ideas about the learning.  Students love being able to text their answers and this feature makes it fun for them to share their thoughts.  
I have used Socrative recently and it was a big hit with students and has a poll feature.  

SurveyMonkey would be a good resource for schools to use with parents. Most all parents have email address now and this is helpful with mass communication as in the past when most parents didn't necessarily have an email account.

Beyond Method 10

I have attended several webinars and really enjoyed the video conferencing.  I have used Skype and Elluminate for video conferencing and both were easy to use and extremely useful.  I have also used JoinMe to work on a project with a colleague. This is a great collaboration tool for librarians and teachers to use that save time and money.  Just think about it... The teacher was at a school on the other side of town and we met without having to drive 7 miles to meet.  It is wonderful.. I think that the video conferencing could be utilized in a library more often.  I have used Skype to have a speaker in another country talk to our students in World Geography classes.  Students absolutely loved it and listened intently.  I would like to Skype with some authors this next school year for our students.  Video conferencing saves schools a ton of money and are easy to setup. 

Beyond Method 9

Digital storytelling is one of my favorite tools that I get students to use to present information that they have leaned. Students get so involved in the creation of their story it is sometimes hard to get them to finish the project due to them wanting everything to be perfect. It is great to watch.  I did a quick video on National Gaming Day 2012 to encourage students to attend.  I like to use Animoto to promote activities that the library is hosting as well as showcasing a past event.

Beyond Method 8

How to find a library book in our online catalog

I loved Screencast-o-matic!  These screencasts are some of the most helpful tools that libraians can use to help their patrons.  I had used Jing many years ago and had just forgotten to use it again.  We are introduced to so many tools that I tend to forget about them.  This will be so helpful for our students and teachers and it will keep me from repeating it over and over.  I and going to start creating some of these to start school with this year.  I didn't like that Jing placed that sunshine tool on my desktop.  Screencast-o-matic is my favorite new screencast tool!  You can believe that I will be utilizing it over and over this next year.

Beyond Method 7

I chose to use Prezi.  I tried Prezi about a year ago and found it difficult so I gave up.  I wanted to give Prezi another chance and was pleasingly surprised at how much they had improved the tool.  It was much easier to use this go around.  I usually use SlideRocket due to its ease of use, however now that I have tried Prezi again, I will definitely use it in the future.  Students love to use Prezi due to it visual appeal.  I am glad that I was able to use Prezi this go around and plan to use it again very soon for a class that I will be doing for teachers at my school.

Beyond Method 6

The Scarlet Letter

I am ashamed to say that I had heard of Project Gutenberg, but didn't really know it was all about.  This is some great information that I can use with the students at my school.  Most of the ELA reading assignments are classic books and there often aren't enough copies.  This is just great information that I can share with my students in the fall.  The html version was fairly easy to read.  The font was a little difficult for me due to my aging-eyes.  I would most definitely be able to help patrons download their books to their ereader. I feels as if I have discovered gold with this dance step.  Thank you.

Beyond Method 5

I really haven't browsed GoodReads or LibraryThing before today. I have a Shelfari account that I rely on for book suggestions. I think that patrons that are voracious readers would benefit from sites such as these. I also think that students that have a hard time choosing a book to read could really benefit from one of these social cataloging communities. I have now created a Library Thing account and will be doing some further browsing for some great summer reading! I use the What should I read next with students asking for recommendations based on what they like. Kids seem to like this service.

Beyond Method 4

The Finding Jobs page from the Texas Workskills Development in Libraries website seems really easy to use. However, it might be daunting if I were a person that wasn't familiar with the computer. I work in high school library so this website would be very helpful to students looking for jobs. For the most part my patrons are computer literate and would be able to search without any difficulty. I am not sure that my patrons would know about this resource so I would have to show them sites to look at for jobs. I could add these sources to my library website for students to have easy access. I have worked with many adults that have trouble with basic computing skills so offering courses on basic skills would be a very good program for public libraries. I loved the Mouserobics site.

Beyond Method 3

SGP9th Library Map

I think adding a map to any activity that you are trying to promote whether it be the library or any other school activity is a great example of customer service to't your patron.  I really like it when I am able to look at directions to a place that I am going.  I think patrons would appreciate the extra effort that the library took to help them make their life just a little easier.  Another example of 21st Century technology that makes our life just a bit better.  I wasn't able to embed the map.  Under the embed code it said that it couldn't be embed.

Beyond Method 2

The customizable homepage would probably work best for the public library.  I am in a school library and we do all of our work through the school district's website.  However, I see that this could work very well for me personally.  I like iGoogle since I seem to work from many of the Google Tools quite frequently.  It would save lots of time.

Beyond Method 1

I dusted off the old blog.  I thought I was working on the correct activities only to learn that I did Two Steppin' instead of Beyond Two Steppin.  I am finally on target so I am ready to begin.

One down and eleven to go.

Method 10

I think Wiki's certainly have their place for libraries.  However, I am not a fan of the Wiki.  I think they are messy and harder to navigate than a website.  We have a technology wiki for our school and we have information there that is needed on a frequent basis.  I am just not a fan of the Wiki.  The visual appeal turns me off.

Method 9

I use IM at school all the time.  I don't use it to carry on a conversation; I use it to ask quick questions or to give quick answers that teachers might have.  I don't think that IM is useful for public school libraries as far as patrons are concerned.  Our patrons use face to face contact for answers to questions that they may have.  I think those are wonderful tools for the public library.  I have used them myself to ask a reference librarian some questions.  It was easy to do and extremely helpful. 

Skype is a wonderful tool for libraries.  There are many authors that are available to Skype with students and the library could host these types of sessions.  I think Skype would be a great way to showcase that the library is forward thinking in its philosophy.

Method 8

I have a Facebook account.  I use it to keep up with family and friends.  I used to be extremely addicted to Facebook, but as Facebook has continued to evolve I have found that my interest is waning.  I created a Facebook Account for our school and make posts to it each week.  It has been a great tool  for communication to parents and students.  I have also clicked like on many professional FB pages such as ALA and I Love Libraries.  It is very convenient to have their important news land in my newsfeed.  I would not be able to visit those official websites on a daily basis. 

Twitter is another social media site that I have an account for and I only use it for professional reasons.  I enjoy reading updates from experts in fields of just about any topic that I search by using the hashtags.  It is a wonderful tool for professional development.  I have my schools FB account linked to our schools Twitter account and the statuses that I post go on Twitter as Tweets.  Just another way to promote activities in our school and library.  Social media is a powerful tool that all libraries need to consider.

Method 7

I have a Delicous account and a Diiego account.  I think that these are good examples of social bookmarking, but I have been using Pinterest for about a year now and it is my favorite because of the visual appeal.  We have created a Pinterest account for the IMS team to share with the teachers of our school district.  I think it will be  a success due to the visual appeal and Pinterest is the fastest growing social media site.  If you have tried it you should give it a whirl.  I promise you will become addicted.

Method 6

I chose this video because I think it is very inspiring.  I think this video really makes us think about how we are teaching our students.  It really encourages the use of technology and getting our students ready for the 21st Century.  I could sit for hours watching videos on YouTube.  TeacherTube is a great tool for teachers, however, I like YouTube the most.  YouTube is blocked by our districts filters, but I have learned how to download videos that I need for instruction.  Video sharing sites are great tools for promoting the library.  I had some students create a video for me last year. We had lots of fun and entered the video in the ALA contest, Why I Need My Library.  YouTube has made it so easy for us to share that it is crazy not to utilize this wonderful tool.

Method 5

Holiday Tree Book Art, a photo by Kimbrough Library on Flickr.

Very cool! I want to try this project this summer.

I have had a Flickr account for my years.  It was my first experience with a photosharing site.  I then moved to Picasa because I could upload an unlimited number of images for my friends to download. Flickr limits the number of images each month and wants me to purchase a premiun account.  I have recently created a Shutterfly account because I could create a free website and my friends can download or purchase cool photo gifts directly from their website.  I think that Shutterfly is my favorite because they have so many options.  I only use these photosharing sites for personal pleasure.  All of the professional images that I have I post on our school website for parents and students to enjoy.

Method 4

http://annoyedlibrarian.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

http://www.librarystuff.net/feed/tumblog/

http://theshiftedlibrarian.com/rss.xml

I chose the feeds that are library related.  If I am going to be reading, I like to be learning.  I personally would not use the The Google Reader.  I use http://www.paper.li.com/.  It is a news aggregator that I have setup to pull from Twitter using hashtags that want to know more about.  It delivers my news in a weekly newsletter.  I love it!

Method 3

Personally, I feel that teaching our patrons about cloud computing is extremely important. Google Docs is a great tool for patrons to be able to use as well as other cloud products.  I am a fan of Edmodo and it is the perfect solution for students to use as they graduate to other cloud products. In our school district, our students rely on saving their work to the student drive that everyone in the school has access to and this causes big problems.  The work is easily deleted or sabotaged by other students.  I have also witnessed students bringing in their flash drives to learn that it has become corrupt somewhere between their house and the school. I think that cloud computing will save libraries money and time in the long haul.

Methods 1 and 2

I think this exercise was more geared for the public library, however Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 go hand in hand.  The librarian in schools needs to be well versed in these amazing tools for many reasons.  Knowing about and being able to execute Web 2.0 for classroom use as well as to use in the library for promotional reasons. Web 2.0 tools are innovative ways for students to present what they have learned.  Library 2.0 is a way of keeping up with the changing world around us.  We have to use these tools or we will be left behind!

Ready to two step...

I love to learn new things so I am ready for the challenge.