WEEK 3: Online Meetings

I have seen webinars advertised before, but have never taken the time to "go" to one. While perusing infopeople.org I found an interesting one titled "The Deweyless Library: An Innovative Approach" with Marshall Stone. I enjoyed listening to this webinar and liked the fact that they added a powerpoint and a resource list to go with it. Oh, the things you could do with a library. My library is very confined by space so I don't have a lot of room for displays, creative design, etc. I am always trying to make my students aware of the new books or featured books. They had some really great ideas with this approach that could be incorporated in small ways.
I think webinars are becoming a norm in many workplaces. They are great for staff development and help get information to lots of folks quickly. I do think it is hard at times to find the time to "attend" a webinar. Maybe there should be a built in monthly or quarterly time set aside for such things. Especially with budget cuts I think webinars will be the new meeting for state and national events.

Week 2: Online Communities

This week's lesson is on online communities. I took the plunge and joined facebook about 1 1/2 years ago. My initial reason for joining was my high school class was planning a 20th reunion and many of them were on facebook.
I have mostly used facebook to reconnect with friends and family. It has been great to find out how people are doing and to see pictures of family, kids, etc. I have also found it is a great way to get a lot of information out quickly. Through facebook I was able to raise my fundraising goal for a cause I am passionate about, PKD.
I joined Ning (without realizing it) last fall. After attending a workshop about the Technology Rich Classroom I joined their group to find out more about the program and stay informed.
I think facebook would be a great way to get information out about your library. You could make announcements, let people know of events and happenings.
Facebook may not work for elementary school libraries, as many firewalls block this site. Plus the minimum age to be on facebook, legally, is 13.
I truly enjoying checking in on facebook and keeping in touch with others. It provides at least 1 laugh a day for me!
You can find me on facebook.
See you soon!

Week One: Blogging

I am the librarian at Queen of the Holy Rosary-Wea Catholic School. It is located in the country, surrounded by fields of grain and horses, although right now there is a lot of snow!. QHR-Wea is a small school with students in preschool through 8th grade. Although my library is small (20' x 50') it is wall to wall books, media and resources! WE LOVE BOOKS! In addition to my library duties I also teach K-8 computers. I feel 23 things Kansas will give me the opportunity to become more technologically savvy.