Library Management Systems

After reviewing the articles, I decided to research the Libramatic system. The reason I was drawn to this system was because of the cloud services it offered. I was also immediately intrigued when I went to the web page and it said that their goal was to focus on productivity and not cataloguing. They immediately referred to how many systems have to enter new items by a librarian hand entering them. The Libramatic system allows for items to be scanned with all the information inputted using the electronic scan of the ISBN number. Libramatic can also be customized and worked on via a computer. They also include standard library needs such as overdue/reminder lists and a waiting list for books already checked out. Even in a small school library I think this would be important because often times I know my kiddos go up to check out a book they are really excited about, but it’s not available. They settle for something else they aren’t nearly as excited about. Then as time passes, they forget all about the book they wanted. I would like to encourage their return to the book they had wanted so badly to help them keep up their love of reading. I found that the ease of being able to scan items with a smartphone or enter them manually is a huge bonus for librarians of various technology skills. I also like that the information is stored on a cloud and makes it easy for users to search from any place. I took a peak at the web based screen shots and it seems very easy to use. Overall, I like the innovative, forward thinking appearance and usability of this system. I feel like it would meet the needs of a small school library and would be user friendly for the librarian, staff, parents, and students.

Montana Library 2 Go

The last time I used Montana Library 2 Go was a long time ago. I remember fighting with the file types and becoming easily frustrated. When I went back to the website, I was happy to find that it was much better. I found the Overdrive Help and the Device Resource Help to be very beneficial when first using the lending service. I downloaded a book and look forward to reading it on my kindle. I am currently a 2nd grade teacher. I have not used any eReader device in my room. I do have a set of ipods and think that I may begin to lend out titles on the ipods. I think this would encourage more independent reading in the classroom. I do not have a listening center, so I would also like to download audio versions of the stories associated with our reading series so that the kids can listen to the stories on their own. I am glad I was reintroduced to Montana Library 2 Go. I look forward to using it in the future.

Summer is amazing

Website Assignment 1

I looked at several websites within Missoula County Public Schools.  We have recently switched webpage services so many of the websites are under construction.  I also reviewed the Missoula Public Library page, http://www.missoulapubliclibrary.org, and the Target Range School website, http://target.k12.mt.us/site/default.aspx?PageID=1.  After reviewing these websites and the articles provided, I came up with the five things I would ensure were on my library homepage.

1.  The school's name, clearly displayed at the top of the page with address, name and phone number listed just below it.  I always find myself trying to find a phone number or trying to verify if I have the correct school.  Do you know how many Washington schools there are in the United States.  If the school name was displayed clearly with the address and phone number located right below it, I would be able to quickly confirm I have the correct website.  I would also include the library contact information such as an email address near this area.

2.  I would also include the library's policies for checking out materials or using the computers, open computer lab times, and open library hours or hours of operation.  Within this information I would also include ways that parents can use the library to support their kiddos.

3.  I would have a school schedule of events.  I always include a schedule of events in my newsletters for my 2nd graders and I would want to make sure that as a librarian I had the entire school's schedule of events easily accessible to all persons checking the website.  I know how many calls our poor secretary gets leading up to field trips, picture day, etc.  If this information was always available then maybe I could alleviate some of the stress on her.

4.  I would also include links to resources that students often use at school.  I know there are things like Worldbook, Spelling City, Webster'd Dictionary, Think Central, etc., that our teachers always use with the students and teach the students how to use.  Since students learn this at school, they could then easily access them from other places.

5.  Lastly, I would include the mission of the school and the library and links to staff contact information.  This way parents can find the resources and information they need in one spot.

Rss Feeds

The first feed I looked into was Flipboard.  I had a friend that used it so I figured it was a good place to start.  The idea behind Flipboard is you create your own “magazines” based on what you like.  It’s like having your local newspaper, favorite magazines, and blogs all in one magazine.  Flipboard is made for portable devices like ipods and ipads.  I like the fact that I can create my own magazines with everything I usually search for on the Internet.  However, I had a hard time finding less well-known blogs.  For example, I never was able to find our blogs created by our groups.  I was able to find some of the teacher blogs I currently follow that have been around much longer.  I love the way you “flip” through the things you have marked and the layouts.  I do not believe though that this would be a good place to aggregate student work.  As I mentioned before, it was hard to find some blogs and wasn’t always easy to use.  I think I would use for personal use, but not for school.  The only thing I might use it for in school would be current events.

I then searched and searched to find something new that was easy to use and that no one had written about.  I found Old Reader to be just that, old.  I felt like it looked a little dated and didn’t catch my attention.  I really like the look of Pulse, but found it hard to navigate.  I tried and tried to have it follow blogs I wanted to follow, but couldn’t figure it out. 

In the end, I found both Digg Reader and Feedly the most user friendly and the ones that would be most easily used in an educational setting.  I have taught 2^nd grade for five years so when I reviewed the RSS readers I needed something that was basic enough for what I might use it for in the classroom.  Both of these seemed simple to manage, organize, and accessible.  I was able to use my ipad and navigate them with ease.  I feel like student work could be easily placed on my boards and I could follow any number of students easily on both my laptop and my ipad. 

In the beginning, I really had no idea what RSS was about.  I enjoyed experimenting with it and like being able to follow all of my blogs via an app rather then dealing with emails every time someone posts to a blog I follow.  

Welcome to the World of Blogging

This is my first attempt at creating my own blog.  In the past, I have read and followed blogs.  I use them mostly to get ideas from other teachers.  I always find that I am really jealous of other teachers fantastic blogs, but never thought I could pull one off.  After reading about blogging it seems completely doable.  I look forward to trying to learn ways to incorporate blogging into my 2nd grade classroom.  I want all of my kiddos to be familiar with these things to help them meet the standards of being a 21st century learner.  I look forward to these blogging adventures.