Web+2.0+Tools

Libraries are changing rapidly. There is a great deal of talk about what a 21st Century library should look like. Technology is now a major disruptive innovator in our libraries. In order to keep up the changes libraries and librarians need to embrace the changes and be fluent in their use and knowledge of Web 2.0 tools. This page offers some of the tools that I believe are currently impacting libraries - especially school libraries.


 * __Blogs - librarian blogs to follow__** - Blogs are web spaces that allow people to write about and share their opinions, thoughts and ideas and that allow readers to respond through a comment dialogue box. It is a form of online journalism. The blog 'posts' expand and grow over time and so do the comments providing a rich learning environment.

100 Best Blogs for Librarians of the Future

Informania - Fran Bullington's Blog

Shelf Elf - my personal favorite for book reviews and general library fun, especially for YA novels

Blue Skunk Blog - Doug Johnson's blog

Unquiet Librarian - Buffy Hamilton's blog

Always Learning - Kim Cofino's blog Student blogging guidelines

Best Advice on Student Blogging - Larry Farlazzo


 * __Blog Platforms to Use With Students__**

edublogs - use the Pro version for students - Pro version is not free, but very inexpensive - my first choice for student blogging

blogmeister - created by David Warlick - free site

kidblog - free site


 * __Blog Platforms for Professional or Personal Blog__**

edublogs

livejournal

wordpress

Blogger

Why blog?

//** Seven Ways That Blogs Support Student Learning **//
 * 1) Supports critical thinking, encouraging student sto think and reflect prior to writing.
 * 2) Motivates and engages students.
 * 3) Provides an opportunity to improve literacy skills.
 * 4) Offers an authentic audience, encourages students to write responsibly.
 * 5) Provides a forum for feedback, collaboration, and discussion.
 * 6) Involves students in a community of learners.
 * 7) Helps student develop their voice and provides equity. (Berger & Trexler, 105)


 * // Tips for Educators //**
 * 1) Explore how other educators are implementing blogs //before// starting your own.
 * 2) Give your students a formal, hands-on training session on how to interact with your blog.
 * 3) Provide an RSS feed on your blog.
 * 4) Incorporate blog responses and ideas into class discussions.
 * 5) Include trackbacks to the blogs of others that can be included on your blog.
 * 6) read feeds frequently to better manage the information flow.
 * 7) If students have created blogs, subscribe to all of them on the aggregator so they will all be stored in one place and thus be easier to view and comment on.
 * 8) Syndicate the feed of a Google News search result and place in the aggregator.
 * 9) Use widgets to enhance your blog.
 * 10) Have fun and enjoy blogging. (Berger & Trexler, 106)

Commoncraft video explanation of blogging - Bogs in Plain English

**__Wikis__** - are a collaboration tool that incorporate a wide range of information formats such as text, images, videos, graphics, links, animations, rss feeds and all without having to know HTML coding. The focus of a wiki is authoring content, not just downloading it. The most famous wiki, of course, is Wikipedia. Wikis are a powerful teaching tool in that they can be used collaboratively to support collaborative thinking which enables students to share data online, allows groups to share their understandings and come to a consensus by creating a very dynamic learning space. It is a great place to showcase student projects. Some free wiki sites are:

Wikispaces for educators

pbwiki for educators

Wikis in Education (wetpaint wikis)

Why use wiki's in education:

//** Ten ways Wikis Support Learning **//
 * 1) Supports planning, collaboration, and critical thinking skills
 * 2) Facilitates inquiry
 * 3) Encourages personal accountability
 * 4) Provides practice in peer editing and reviewing
 * 5) Empowers through shared authorship
 * 6) Encourages responsible writing
 * 7) Deters plagiarism by showing process
 * 8) Engages and motivates students
 * 9) Supports constructivist learning
 * 10) Provides practice in validating information (Berger &Trexler, 99)

//** Tips for Educators **//
 * 1) Preselect a wiki service based on your project criteria.
 * 2) Develop guidelines for student participation. Including requirements respecting the work of others, citing sources, fact checking, constructive criticism (when peer reviewing), using discussion space to provide rationale for editing another's work, language spell checking, organization and visual appeal.
 * 3) Create a "Cheat Sheet" or a video tutorial using Jing (http://www.jingproject.com) to demonstrate how to edit, import files, insert widgets, use discussion space, create new pages, link (internal or external) and save.
 * 4) Pose leading or essential questions for students.
 * 5) Delineate student roles (author or editor), if applicable to the project.
 * 6) Send a letter home to parents describing the purpose of the wiki, with the URL, and students' learning objectives so parents understand how this tool supports learning.
 * 7) Develop an evaluation rubric, with students, for assessing the wiki design and content. (Berger & Trexler, 100)

Commoncraft video link to an introduction on wikis - http://www.commoncraft.com/video-wikis-plain-english

**__Citations__**

Berger, P. & Trexler, S. (2010) __Choosing Web 2.0 Tools for Learning and Teaching in a Digital World__. Santa Barbara : Libraries Unlimited.