YouTube

It's easy to get lost in the word of YouTube. There are so many great videos out there for entertainment as well as education. It would be great to be able to use YouTube at school to show my students great videos like the one here. I wonder if I embed the video in my blog if I can play it at school - legally?? People have gotten very creative when explaining complicated concepts in biology. It would be a great tool to use.

YouTube could be a useful tool for the library. For example, we could have YouTube storytimes for people who cannot make it to actual storytimes. We could also have tutorials for how to use our website and perform catalog searches.

CML's Power Tools Page

StumbleUpon is a site that is new to me. It could keep one entertained for hours. I'm glad to have stumbled upon this site, since now I have something else to distract me while I'm surfing the web.

Discovering Web 2.0 Tools

Lots of great stuff here. I love the Im Cooked site. I'm not much of a cook (my sister got those genes), but having the option of following along while watching others make things could help me with my techniques and confidence in the kitchen. My husband keeps talking about having a spot in the kitchen for a laptop so that I can view recipes online while cooking. I've always thought that this was a goofy idea, but after seeing these cooking videos, I've changed my mind.

As a newly married woman, I am looking forward to owning my first home. Even though my husband and I can't afford a house yet, I still like to look. The Web 2.0 award-winning real estate site Zillow is going to be my new best friend.

Playing in the "Sandbox"

It's fun to look at everyone's "Favorites," especially to get ideas for places to visit, books to read, etc. I can see myself using this feature at the beginning of a new school year to get to know my students better. I could set up a sandbox similar to this one on which students post their favorite sports, hobbies, music, subjects, restaurants, etc. It's a great way to incorporate technology while learning about my students.

Google Docs

I wish I had known about this feature when I was a student in college (and in high school - if it was around)! It would have made group projects, presentations and reports sooooo much easier! Now that I am a teacher, I will share my new knowledge of Google Docs with my students so that they can work more effectively on THEIR group assignments!

Wikis

A few of the library wikis were overwhelming. The links on the wikis were not always clear regarding the direction in which they were going. There were a few links that led me to library catalogs, but I'm not sure why. Also, I am so used to using Wikipedia that it kind of threw me off when several of the library wikis looked like Wikipedia, just with different subject matter.

In the future, I can see libraries using wikis for book clubs. This would be a great way for customers within a library system to connect with one another and share their thoughts. Libraries could have a variety of book club books from which to choose, and as customers read the book of their choice, they can post information on a wiki.

Library 2.0

I vaguely remember using a paper card catalog when I was a kid. For most of my life I have been using computers to search for library materials. However, it is amazing to me how far libraries have come in the past 20 years. Not only can I look for materials from the comfort of my own home, but I can reserve materials and have them sent to libraries across the country. The perspective "Away from the 'Icebergs' " definitely highlights major changes libraries will see in the near future as a result of Library 2.0. For me, Library 2.0 means that I will be able to view science journals free of charge (hopefully!), access books via the Internet, and download book discs onto my Ipod. Although these things already exist, I think they will be more accessible when they are more connected to the library system. I am excited to see how the library changes and develops in the future, but I hope it doesn't change so much that my kids will not know what it is like to browse through rows and rows of books.

del.icio.us is a "tastey" tool!

I am so glad Learn and Play @CML introduced me to this tool! As a teacher, del.icio.us makes my life so much easier. I can bookmark websites with great lesson plans, activities, etc., and then access my bookmarks from home, school, or anywhere! I can tag my bookmarks so that they are easy to find, and I can look at other people's bookmarks for related sites. It's great!