All Sorts of Stuff

I like e-readers, from what I've seen. With my limited exposure to the outside world at this point (email me for more on that), I'm not able to go out and fiddle around with one. But I have seen several of my colleagues and friends using them. I like the Nook because it's like a little computer and has great graphics. But people tell me the non-glare/eye comfort feature of the Kindle is really helpful if you use it a lot. I'd like to get one at some point, and if I travelled a lot for my job I would have already gotten one. I think they'll become incorporated in more schools but I don't think they'll take over the majority of school libraries, like Cushing Academy. It's possible that this technology will be replaced by something new in the years to come, or it's possible that this is the future - I have no way of knowing now. I do know that while getting rid of books opens up the library to other educational uses, these e-readers are currently quite expensive and few schools could afford to do what Cushing did. I also know that books are not just containers of information; they are also physical artficacts, and are valuable in many ways as such. I'd welcome a mix of e-readers and books, but I hope that actual books are always at least a part of my librarian experiences.

By the way, I know no students who use these. I don't actually know many students who like to read! I'm sure there are students who have them, but I just don't know of any yet.

On to my top five tools. Not quite sure what is meant by this - top five in terms of potential? For personal use? In a classroom? In a library? I like different ones in different situations. Here's my best shot:

1. wiki (I typically use PBWorks)- I like this tool because it has so many uses, both professionally and personally. It's easy to use, collaborative, has great privacy settings for kids, and it's easy to tell who's done what (in terms of accountability in school assignments).
2. blog (I typically use blogger) - I was an English teacher for many years, so I really, really think students should be writing all the time. Just because we tweet and text doesn't mean we are not responsible for teaching our kids to be writers, and to organize their thoughts into lengthier pieces of writing. Writing is a part of nearly every job, to some extent, so I love a tool that has them writing but really feels appealingly like it's theirs. They can modify and personalize it, collaborate with others, share, comment, etc. - and has great safety features. Perfect.
3. Jing - I just love these screencasts. I think they're an enormously helpful tool in both teaching and professional development. They make it possible for students to re-visit parts of your lesson...and if that's available, they are likely to learn the concepts more solidly. I like that they can be personalized with your voice, too.
4. YouTube - or other online videos. I'm a visual learner, so I always welcome a visual aid to my learning. I think a lot of people are like that, too. Videos are a great way to introduce or reinforce concepts in a lesson -they are real-life examples of what students are learning about. This both engages them and reinforces what we teach. There is loads of great content on YouTube in addition to some junk that must be waded through.
5. Delicious/social bookmarking - though this wouldn't necessarily be used for a classroom, I think it's invaluable as an educator, or grad student, or any person who looks around the Internet a lot. Which is most people. Having the sites I need all in one place has saved me many times, especially in this grad program where I need to revisit certain concepts frequently. I like that I can look through other people's sites using the tags too. I think we put sites like Good Reads in the same category - I just love that because it helps me remember what I read, and I get to see what others recommend. And I get to see everything lined up so tidily and neatly - which is heaven to my compulsive organizing tendencies!