Friday, January 25, 2008

Wikis Are Too Much Fun


Our school needs a research guide with various parts to it, and especially a section on plagiarism. So I'm making a wiki on wikispaces. It's very easy and a lot of fun. It took a couple of sessions to figure out how to edit the navigation column and how to link pages, and I'm finding the formatting a bit frustrating, but overall I'm very happy. I've set it so that anyone can look at it but only members (our faculty) can edit it. it's at http://christschoolresearch.wikispaces.com.


The Web 2.0 tools are great for users like me, who are not afraid of technology and use it a lot but are not technically oriented by nature and don't want to learn html and the like. Blogs, wikis -- yeah!

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

My Wishes for 2008


Well, I lost the first draft of this and will try again. Following the lead of Doug Johnson, I will articulate some wishes for my library and school for the new year. Since my blog is a general one about the library, and not specifically a tech blog like Doug's, the items will be diverse.

I wish:

* that the administration and board continue to support educational technology at a high level

* that faculty continue to improve their skills at using all the new tools, both hardware and software, becoming more and more comfortable with such and thereby enhacing the classroom experience

* that we make time for more faculty in service sessions where we can practice using new tools

* that more teachers will catch on to the value of blogging

* that faculty work together to draft a manual of good research practices, with an emphasis on practical ways to avoid student plagiarism (such as lessons in how to summarize and paraphrase)

* that my budget might permit me to buy more high quality books

* that those students who enjoy reading continue to do so, and that more readers are tempted by our materials

* that our eighth graders really get involved in reading for Battle of the Books and make us proud at the competition!

* that all faculty attend a conference or a workshop to learn about new tools and practices

* that more students in classes engage in constructive discussion rather than just memorizing lists of facts

* that the library gets its web page, now to be a wiki, up to snuff! and that it is used by students and faculty

* that the arts receive their fair share of support

* that all teachers feel valued and empowered

* that dstudents more and more take responsibility for their own learning
Photo by jlh of art by Bri Johnson, West Barrington, RI