How to Create an EduBlog

The Benefits of Blogging

What is a Blog???

E-portfolios

This week we looked at e-portfolios; this particular one is called Mahara.
My impressions? Very very easy to use - at least the part we did at the Polytechnic was. At home we have been asked to simply put our blogs, flickr photos and YouTube videos in the External links section. And guess what I am having trouble with???
Anyway Janine explained how to do our blogs and I asked Leonie about the rest as I could not for the life of me find a way to link the sites with the e-portfolio. Although I cannot make heads or tail of her answer this is what Leonie suggested:

It might be easier to use the portfolio option and attach the YouTube video and the Fickr photos as files. I can't see an option in Flickr to link directly to the site but there is a way on YouTube to embed the video - may be useful for your blog.

Good luck!

Rollyo

Probably the easiest thing I have done this year. I like how you can use other peoples searches and customise them to suit yourself - very handy and time saving.
My Rollyo username is: maria105
The name of my search roll is: Library Search
These are the URLS I have listed:
http://learninginhand.com
http://bshslibrary.edublogs.org
http://aliawaltg.bpworks.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lesterpubliclibrary
http://technorati.com/blogs/theshiftedlibrarian
http://obiblio.sourceforce.net/index.php/main/openbiblio
http://www.nla.gov.au/ilrs
http://www.library.yale.edu/cataloguing/music/placeabb.htm
http://www.lib.monash.edu.au/tutorials/citing/havard.html
http://mariaslibraryblog.blogspot.com

Why did I decide to create this specific search roll with these specific URLS? Because these are the sites I have referred to the most this year during this course. Some I really like - the first two are my definite favourites: the first because it is a useful site on technology in schools and the second because it is a blog by a librarian who faces issues at his school I can relate to. Both have useful up to date information on libraries and technology. I will, however, probably delete the last three: my blog, the site on the Harvard style of referencing and the AACR2 abbreviations (as these are useful now but I will probably not be referring to these as much after the course).

2D0

I came across this organiser app (2Do) and thought it would be great to replace all those sticky labels I have at work (sticky labels represent my "To Do" list and are forever becoming unstuck and blowing away every time someone opens the door. On top of everything else, they are messy!) What caught my eye was that one user commented that it almost exactly replicated what he would have in his diary.
Some of the features include: tabbed calendars; drag and drop to move a "To Do" from one calendar to the next; email alarms; image attachments so you can add an image to any task; project and check lists and snooze alarms. There are many more - too many to list! Click on this link to see for yourself:
http://www.2doapp.com/en/2Do/overview.html

My YouTube Video

This is the YouTube Video I filmed last week (with lots of help!) It shows how to check out a laptop at the Polytechnic Library.

Teachertube video on Cyber Bullying

Amann, E. 2008, Cyber Bullying PSA Video, Fairport High School, N.Y., viewed 15th April 2010, [http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id.=26038&title=Cyber_Bullying_PSA_video]

Elizabeth Amann, an International Baccalaureate student at Fairport High School, has created this video on Cyber Bullying. The opening scene explores how simple it is for modern day technologies to be used as a tool to victimise others. Viewers are then presented with some alarming statistics; the repercussions of cyber bullying (such as depression and suicide) are explored and solutions to this harassment are suggested. The video concludes with a couple of websites viewers can refer to if or when needed. Thoughtful (if not disturbing) and authoritative: sponsored by Fairport High School and added to Teachertube by Gianni Bussani, the Information and Technology teacher.
View the video here: http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=26038&title=Cyber_Bullying_PSA_video

Youtube and Teachertube

This week, during our lesson, we looked at Youtube and Teachertube.
Youtube: A very popular web sharing site that lets anyone store short videos for private or public viewing.
http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia_term/0,2542,t=youtube&i=57119,00.asp
Teachertube: A video sharing website ... designed to allow those in the educational industry ... to share educational resources such as video, audio, documents, photos, groups and blogs. The site contains a mixture of classroom teaching resources and others designed to aid teacher training.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TeacherTube

It was definitely a fun lesson. Firstly we needed to produce, direct and act in a film - this in itself was a life lesson (the lesson being, I was not created a movie star). I loved the cameras the Polytechnic allowed us to use (and have since been told St Therese's is looking into purchasing some!) I cannot remember their name though - does anyone know?
Anyway, my film was on checking out a laptop and the library staff were kind enough to allow me behind the circulation desk (and even showed me their library system and where everything is kept).
After this, the fun part ... uploading to Youtube. In theory, this should have been very easy. Just signing on to Youtube, naming the film, tagging it, adding a few details and then uploading it. But, of course, rarely does life work the way we expect it to and so was the case here. Technical problems at the Polythechnic interfered with our (almost) perfect day and, alas, our films are still on our memory sticks while the whole world awaits their release on the world wide web! Needless to say, we were all devastated ...
Teachertube: I did not have a chance to view this enough to give an educated opinion on it. What I did see, however, was all from America and all, well, very American. I will definitely explore this more this week.

cyber bullying

The You-Tube Video I will critically evaluate is on cyber bullying. This is the link:
http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=26038&title=Cyber_Bullying_PSA_video

Learning in Hand

While looking at the Bundy High School Blog, under the "Talking Tech" link, I came across this site, Learning in Hand:
http://learninginhand.com/

The site focuses on today's technology in a school setting or how we can use what is out there to enhance learning (however, while it is mainly aimed at teachers, it is not exclusive to educators). Discussed are the iPod Touch, the i Pod, podcasting, PDAs and the i Pad ... to name a few.
The site caught my eye because it is exactly what we need at work where we have wonderful ideas but no clue how to implement them!

Bundy High School

I first saw this blog ages ago (well, maybe a month or so ago) and absolutely LOVED it - maybe because I can relate with many of the library "issues" this librarian has to face or maybe because I love reading (and so really enjoy the book reviews which give me ideas for myself and my children).
Whatever the reason, I have decided to do an annotated citation of the blog and hope you guys will enjoy it as much as I do.

Symonds 2010, Bundy High Library, Bundaberg High School, Qld., viewed 7th April 2010, [http://bshslibrary.edublogs.org]

Mr Symonds, teacher-librarian at Bundaberg High School and avid reader of books, gives us a glimpse of life at Bundy High. Easy to navigate and fun, this blog is designed mainly for students and staff at Bundy High but is not limited to these members - anyone with even the slightest interest in books or technology will delight in this blog. There is an extensive section on book reviews covering most genres; a link to the newest technology and its application in the library; speculations on the degeneration of the reading culture amongst teens and the gradual "phasing out" of the teacher-librarian.
Authoritative, with no apparant biases, this blog has a little of something for everyone.
Here is the link;
http://bshslibrary.edublogs.org/

Apple I-Pad

Last week our technician was raving on and on about the launch of the Apple I-Pad which, he said, was on the brink of happening. This morning, judging by all the news broadcasts, the Apple I-Pad was launched. Every channel deemed to have nothing else to report.
"What's the big deal?" I asked myself. So, I looked it up.
The Apple I-Pad is basically a hand held device through which you can view movies, surf the net, read e-books and play games.
I found some sites I thought were interesting and informative including one which states the new device has obvious "teething problems".
Here are the links:
http://www.apple.com/au/ipad/

http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/03/apple-ipad-review/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/7558319/Apple-iPad-launch-marred-by-technical-problems.html

The University of Adelaide Library Podcast

University of Adelaide Library 2010, University of Adelaide Library / Library Podcasts, University of Adelaide, S.A., viewed 3rd April 2010, [www.adelaide.edu.au/library/help/podcast.html.]

A set of three podcasts useful for keeping students updated with information on using the library effectively.
Podcast #1 gives a general outline of the library including study areas, databases and the Research Librarian. Podcast #2 focuses on the "non-google-googles" or library databases with academically approved information (no unreliable material). Podcast #3 discusses (in detail) the Research Librarian - available in each study area for 1st years through to Honour students.
Aimed at new students or "old hands" still finding their way, the podcasts are also available in print format.
Authoritative: Podcasts sponsored by the Adelaide University and delivered by two Research Librarians at the Barr Smith Library.
Here is the link:
http://www.adelaide.edu.au/library/help/podcast.html

The W.A. Library Technicians Wiki

WALT Committee 2010, Welcome to the ALIA WA Library Technicians' Group Wiki, WALT Committee, W.A., viewed 30th March 2010, [http://www.aliawaltg.pbworks.com/FrontPage]

The W.A. library technicians new wiki is an innovative site for library technicians everywhere wanting to keep updated with the latest news, courses available and with Web 2.0 and library links.
The wiki is mainly useful to library technicians in Western Australia as many of the meetings posted in the Events Calendar occur in W.A. However, this is not to say the wiki does not have something of interest to technicians Australia-wide: The link to technician courses covers all states; the section on Web 2.0 creations shows interesting tools and designs applicable to libraries anywhere and the library link should interest anyone in the field.
A subdivision of ALIA, the site appears to be authoritative with photos and contact details for all members. No one can contribute to the wiki without an account or requesting access.
Here is the link:
http://aliawaltg.pbworks.com/FrontPage

Wikis and podcasts

Definitions:
Wiki: A type of website that allows visitors to easily add, remove or otherwise edit and change some available content, sometimes without the need for registration.
Podcasting: A multimedia file distributed over the internet using syndication feeds for playback on mobile devices and personal computers ... distinguished from other digital audio formats by its ability to be downloaded automatically using software capable of reading feed formats such as RSS.
I found these definition from "Net Pedagogy Portal" which has a great glossary with clear explanations for everything we have been studying. Here is the link:
http://www.thewebworks.bc.ca/netpedagogy/glossary.html

Anyway, yesterday we spent a little time looking at Wikis. I must say of all the social networking sites we have looked at, this one I liked the least. Messy. I found it really messy. Everyone editing a page, putting whatever they want on it - where are the controls, the ORDER???? While I'm not a stickler for order, the front page of our class wiki began to resemble my lounge room - bits of my son's clothes here, my daughter's makeup there, my books over in that corner ... you get the idea. Perhaps when a group of people decide to start a Wiki, they firstly plan where everything goes and how, and have someone control the content if "visitors" are allowed to edit. It got me thinking, if I go onto a Wiki (one where I didn't need to register) could I delete masses of content at will, just because I was having a bad day? Big disadvantage.
We also touched on Podcasts but I have not spent enough time looking at them to offer and opinion. Perhaps within the next few days ...

University of Adelaide library

i will be looking at this podcast:
http://http://www.adelaide.edu.au/library/help/podcast.html

Wikis

I will be doing an annotated citation of the following wiki:
http://http://aliawaltg.pbworks.com/

... a wiki of WA library technicians.

WA Technicians Group

Hi everyone, just thought I would share some information I got in an email. It's about the WA Technicians' Group new Wiki.
Although based in WA, the group specify they are open to ANYONE with an interest in libraries - us! I found this Wiki very easy to navigate. In particular I found the "Contact information, latest news and library links" of great interest. It has a section on enhancing your web 2.0 creations I think will interest everyone.
Anyway, see for yourself. Here's the link:
http://http://aliawaltg.pbworks.com/

Lester Public Library

Lester Public Library 2010, Lester Public Library's Photostream, viewed 23rd March 2010, [www.flickr.com/photos/lesterpubliclibrary]


The Lester Public Library has found a creative way of promoting themselves on Flickr by posting photos not only of the library but of their hometown - Two Rivers, Wisconsin.
The photos give a visual account of the numerous events and activities in the library and can be viewed under the following links: collections, sets, tags, archives, galleries and people (although these last two are under construction). The photos can also be viewed by year, starting from 2007.
The "Favourites" link displays the libraries favourite photos by other Flickr members while the "Profile" link provides detailed written information about the library itself: its location, bookclubs, library events and an exploration of their newly digitised collections. Links to their My Space, Facebook and Twitter accounts are provided as is link to their blog.
The "Two Rivers Events and Living" link shows stunning scenery shots of Two Rivers as well as photos of special events such as the Apple Fest.
Overall a well thought out, authoritative and functional site which successfully promotes the library and its surrounding area. I recommend anyone interested in libraries and travelling to visit this site.

Flickr

Today we learnt to use Flickr. I have just looked it up on Wickipedia which described it as "an image and video hosting website, web services suite and online community." Wickipedia also stated that Flickr is widely used and, as of October 2009, had 4 billion photos.
Impressive.

My experience as a first time user? Not so impressive. In theory Flickr should have been easy to use (just follow the instructions,step by step and upload your photos). In practice, it was a little more complicated.

Firstly, the computer at Polytechnic kept logging me off, telling me my time was over. How caring. But I am currently doing the OHS unit and I KNOW I can spend more than 10 minutes at a time on the computer!

After the usual trying to find a username that was not already in use and taking photos of unwilling participants, I was ready to upload my photos. The Upload Your Photos For First Time Users seemed a safe bet, "seemed" being the operative word. Not so. After two frustrated attempts my hand shot up, my mouth formed the word "Leonie" of its own volition and I was off!

Another attempt with Leonie (Oh, and another log off) and I was still getting nowhere. Finally Leonie suggested that we try another link to "Upload your photos" further down the page, in writing so small I never would have noticed. But ... it worked!

So I labelled my photos, tagged them and posted them pubically all before the end of the lesson (this part was easy!)

While Flickr appears to be a good idea and I can see how some organisations and libraries can benefit from having their photos up for all to see, I don't know if I would ever PUBICALLY post any photos of my personal life. I prefer my life at home to be just that, personal.

It seems to have put my photos in a vertical row - does anyone know a better way of putting them in???

Lester Public Library

I will be TRYING to do a critical evaluation of the Lester Public Library. This is the URL.
http://http//www.flickr.com/photos/lesterpubliclibrary/

Search Engines

While doing the annotated bibliography I came across this little gem about searching the internet. It is about "all in one search engines" that allow you to search social networks and social bookmarking sites simultaneoulsy. I decided to make a note of it for future reference particuarly because of its potential usefulness in schools. Some of the Search Engines discussed are: Scoopler, OneRiot and IceRocket.
http://http://rhondda.wordpress.com/2010/03/12/searching-the-internet-in-real-time/

Difficulties in creating a citation

I was just about ready to shut the computer down and put this citation exercise to rest (it has been haunting me all week) when I saw Leonie's comment to my previous posting: Leonie would like me to comment on the difficulties I have had in creating a citation ("difficulties" by the way is a COMPLETE understatement!)
I still do not know if I have done the citation properly, I'm just hoping for the best.
My first question concerned the author. On the Technorati page she appeared as Jayhawk. On her blog she is Jenny Levine. Who do I use? I also could not remember which date to use and was having trouble finding the sponsor (I actually thought it might be Technorati). This is Leonies answer:
For your bibliographic citation you need to put the author on the blog itself - Jenny Levine. All the details from the citation need to be taken from the blog itself not the Technorati site. For the date, always give the latest date - so look at the most recent blog post! The sponsor/publisher is the organisation that has published this blog. By viewing the source information (click on page - view source, then look at the title /url and it gives shifted librarian then word press) I was able to work out that it is Word Press. You can do some research on Google to find where wordpress are located.

So off I went onto Google and put in Word Press thinking I was researching an organisation, or something concrete at the very least. How silly of me, how easy would that have been! Wordpress is some sort of open source software used for blogs. How do I find a location for this?????
As always Leonie came to my resuce when she wrote:
Look at the wordpress url - does it have a country after it or not? If not it is US.

Now, hopefully I abbreviated it correctly. I looked up abbreviations in AACR2 (oh, those cataloguing days!) and it gave me U.S. and I then put a "comma" after it because I am using Harvard style and somewhere in my Google search it told me to (sorry, I did not make a note of where I read this as at the time I did not know I would be writing on my adventures into the world of citation. From now on I will be sure to keep records of all sites I use).

Hopefully this will help. Good luck everyone!

Critical evaluation of "The Shifted Librarian"

Levine, J 2010, The Shifted Librarian, Wordpress, U.S., viewed 19th March 2010, [http://www.theshiftedlibrarian.com]

Jenny Levine, Internet Development and Strategy Guide with the American Library Association ,explains information shifting and its affect on libraries. Ms Levine believes that today's libraries need to adjust to became libraries of the future - places which can "shift" in order to cope with ever emerging technologies. The "Shifted Librarian" works to make libraries adjust to cater to 21st Century patrons.
Specific examples can be found in a link to Ms Levine's presentations; she includes a "shifted" reading list; an amusing article in Meme Spreading on worshipping your librarian; and Ms Levine's favourite bookmarks are under the Delicious link. The blog is aimed at anyone with an interest in libraries and technology.
Ms Levine is easy to contact: included are links to her Facebook and Twitter accounts and email.
On a Technorati search the blog has medium authority. It reflects the personal opinions of Ms Levine (who has extensive practical experience with libraries and Web 2 technologies and a Masters in Library Science). Biased? The blog is biased toward an ever changing social library, equipped to enrich the masses through technology, gadgets and online socialising. That said, it does describe the way libraries are now headed.

Technorati

This is my clain token for technorati:
QCKWUQ4XKKAG

I will be doing a critical evaluation on the following blog about the "Shifted Librarian":
http://technorati.com/blogs/theshiftedlibrarian.com

OpenBiblio part 2

Well, I only received one response and I'm going to have to go with that (seems everyone is so busy!).
It seems that the advantages of OpenBiblio are: VERY easy to use and simply runs on Firefox on the Internet; is compatible with ScisWeb (which, for those of you who have used it, makes cataloguing so very easy); you can easily upload records from your previous library system; is easily backed up on to school server; and it has a program for children (although the Tech in question who answered my query admitted to never having used this program).
The disadvantages are that there are not very many options (although she did not go into detail with this) and that any technical support comes from the school technician (although there is a "self help" section on the website). I consider this to be a big disadvantage: if I cannot rectify the problem myself by looking at the website (which COULD take awhile) I would have to wait a week for the technician to visit a school (the technicians for catholic schools usually pay a visit to the schools once a week; any problem usually has to wait for that day). At the moment, with e-library (the library system I am currently using), help is a phone call, or email, away.

OpenBiblio

Sacred Heart in Geeveston and St Pauls in Bridgewater are both using OpenBiblio, an opensource library software. I decided to investigate as St Therese's will probably head this way in the future.
This morning I spoke to our technician, Thibaut, who is regarded as the "God of anything that plugs in" around here. Thibaut is also the technician at Sacred Heart. He is more than impressed with OpenBiblio and believes the advantages far outweigh any disadvantages there may be (he hasn't come across any yet).
Sacred Heart did spent $200 having OpenBiblio customised (as this CANNOT be done by just anyone - perhaps a disadvantage?) but then it was up and ready to go (with "a few" extra hours spent importing their data onto the system). Because OpenBiblio is opensource, any improvements you make to it is then made available on the internet to anyone in the community ... BTW this may not be news to most of you out there but to me, the technological novice, it came as a surprise to say the least.
I have emailed both Sacred Heart and St Pauls and am still waiting for a response. I have also emailed the OpenBiblio expert at the CEO. As soon as they are in touch I will keep you posted on their opinions.
The website for OpenBiblio is http://http//obiblio.sourceforge.net/index.php/Main/OpenBiblio for those of you interested in learning more.

igoogle

I found igoogle very easy to set up once Leonie explained it ALL to me!

today's class

I found today's class very confusing. This is the google link. This is a picture of a beach.