Summary

WOW, I can't believe it's over. It's been a lot of work, but I will say that I have really enjoyed this exercise. I have actually looked forward to each new exercise to see what new technology skill I would learn. I enjoyed some exercises a lot more than others, but I have learned something from each and everyone of them. I would definitely participate in another exercise such as this. I love technology and I think in our profession it is extremely important to be up on the latest advancements so that we will know what our students are using as well as our teachers. More than likely though we are going to be a step ahead of our teachers.

My favorite exercises were Animoto and the image generators. I can't stop playing with either one of them. I see myself using the image generators in my library program on my website, wiki, and blog. I will most definitely be using Animoto in my personal life as well as for school projects. I introduced Animoto to several teachers the day after I discovered it and they immediately made their own accounts and began playing.I then introduced Animoto with examples of video clips I had made to the staff in a meeting and most everyone was intrigued and wanted to know more. I hope to have class projects going in the library very soon using the digital cameras and Animoto.

I didn't see myself getting into blogging or wikis in the beginning but I think it will become a part of my library program. I have introduced the teachers to my wiki but no response yet. I am hoping to get some responses with the Mockingbird page and also requests for materials for next year. My C-Tech and I have been talking about setting up a technolgy blog for the teachers and blogs for the students. This teacher has set up a blog for her students and I actually set up a library one the other night but we want to get clearance from the principal before we start. One teacher at a time in introducing new concepts.If one becomes interested they will pass on their new knowledge to others.

My life long learning goal is to keep on learning until the day I die. I never want to get stale. I want to know what my children and grandchildren know as well as my students. For someone who once knew nothing about computers and technology I think I have come a long way. My husband actually said I know more than he knows now. That goes for my own children as well. With this lifelong learning I always want to pass on something new that I have learned to others. Without this program, I would never have explored these new technological developments.

The only way this program could be improved upon in my opinion would be to have some more library staff developments where we could work together on some of the projects. I am encouraging teachers to take this course as a staff development this summer

Librarians are the leaders in technology on elementary campuses. On my campus, many teachers never even venture into the computer lab because they become so frustrated with not only the computers themselves as well as the students but they don't know what to do with students when they get there. This year I have concentrated heavily on computer technology and the learning resources available online.I believe I have actually been successful in getting more teachers to the lab to try some of the skills and resources they have been shown in the library. With the acquisition of the laptops for both classrooms and the COW which is housed in the library, I have been able to teach every class from kindergarten through 6th grade some new skills. I plan to keep introducing new skills and resources and the 23 Things will definitely be included in some of those lessons. It is imperative for students today to be computer literate and to be aware of the many resources available to them via the Internet. By keeping abreast of all emerging technologies , librarians are helping to prepare students for the world ahead of them.