Thing #10

Okay, this is the funniest "thing" yet. I could spend all day creating! I loved using Comic Strip Generator and Custom Sign Generator. The hardest part was trying to decide which item to create (especially in the Custom Sign Generator) and what to say. I need to work on my creative (for sayings). I have added two of my creations to this post. In the classroom, teachers could use these items to create motivational posters for the students. Students, too, could use the sites; however, several of the images were not appropriate for student use. Maybe the teacher could select the image to use and then the students could add their sayings.

Thing #9

I must say, this was not my favorite "thing" to complete. I found most of the tools confusing and hard to maneuver. However, out of them all, I liked Google Blog Search the best. I was given lots of possible feeds to add, but not many were to my liking. I hope that with more practice, this "thing" will be easier in the future and I will find more pertinent feeds that I like.

Thing #8

RSS feeds and readers are awesome! I love how information you are interested in comes to you and you can read it at your leisure. With a very busy life, I don't have a lot of "free time" to surf the net looking for items of interest to me. I found this easy to set up using Google Reader and began with a bundled feed about food. I love to cook and I'm always looking for a new dish to try. I also added "A Library by Any Other Name" so I can keep up with library happenings.

RSS feeds would be beneficial to both the library and the classroom. I could see a librarian subscribing to a feed to keep up with changes in "library land." Teachers and students would benefit from up-to-the-minute information provided by RSS feeds, especially on topics like science and technology that rapidly change.

Thing #7

Google is amazing! I've only used it as a search engine and was surprised by everything it has to offer. I enjoyed using Google Earth. I think classroom uses are endless. Students would love seeing where they live in relation to other places in the world. I also enjoyed using Picasa Web Albums. I created an album using photos from our family farm in Hallestville, Texas. We have about 100 acres, 2 horses, 1 donkey, and lots of cattle. I hope you enjoy my photos.

A link to my album: http://picasaweb.google.com/jobabeskla/OurFarm?authkey=UeAsjFN09_U

Thing #6 - Trading Card

I finally have time to post a trading card (posted on the side of my blog). I used a photo from this past Christmas to practice. This would be so cool to use when I teach my students about types of clouds, landforms, or animal habitats. The students could create "cards" to show what they had learned.

Thing #6

Okay, I'm having too much fun! There are so many things that you can make: CD covers, jigsaw puzzles, mosaics, trading cards, badges...

I loved the trading cards and badge makers. Trading cards could be created for books that have won honors (Bluebonnet books, Newberry, etc.) or for a series of books. How cool would that be for students to read over and get an overview of the book before they checked it out? It could be a mini book review, book summary, or facts about the author or illustrator. The badge maker could be used for volunteers, student helpers, or visitors to the library. Let's see what else I can create with this cool "thing".

Thing #5

I loved using Flickr. This is my first experience with this type of photo sharing. I need more practice to get better at using it, but that too will come. I love using tags to label and sort my photos when I upload them to my computer. It makes life so much easier when I'm trying to find a particular photo for a project or to print. The photos available on Flickr are amazing! I can't wait to practice with my own photos. Watch out Thing #6 - here I come!