Ning
http://readkiddoread.ning.com/
ReadKiddoRead (created by James Patterson) on ning.com is a place where librarians, teachers, parents, and students alike can go to talk about books, read reviews of upcoming releases, and just in general talk about books and reading. I think it s a great site to use to get kids motivated to read. It is dedicated to getting kids to be readers for life!

This can be used in a library to locate books that have been recommended for children who like certain subjects such as bugs, or transformers, or horses. There is a specific section on books for especially for boys. Also included are blogs to talk about the books that are being read by members of this social network. In addition there is a scetion where you can talk to different authors. For teachers and librarians there is a section of lesson plans for many different types of books.

I would use this site to start a bookclub discussion group. My second grade team will be starting a bookclub in the Spring and I think this would be a great way to incorporate some technology into it. We could even get the parents in on our discussion of the books that we are reading. I would also use the lesson plan section to access some the "guiding" questions to get more lively discussions going.

By: Sara Riley

Technology: Social Networks
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6658704.html?desc=topstory
Facebook Book Clubs

This article expresses information about a new craze where students don’t have to meet face to face to comment and communicate about their favorite books. Facebook Book Clubs is an excellent way to get students motivated to read. It is utilized by having students join or create a Facebook page based on their reading interest. What students need to do is find how to search by books, authors, interests, or location to know where they will communicate with other students and post their comments. The book club is free and gives students an opportunity to unite students based on their reading interests. It’s a great way for students to discuss books or authors on their own time. Since not all students can make weekly/monthly meetings it is a perfect way to express their love of reading at any time. They can communicate with students in any region. It doesn’t take the place of meetings it just gives more possibilities and chances for students to communicate with other students. I think it is a fantastic way to get students to express their love of literature.
By: Diana Herrera

Online Literature Circles
http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/de/pd/instr/strats/literaturecircles/index.html
Online Literature Circles allow students to engage in critical thinking and reflection as they read, discuss, and respond to books. Students can engage in in-depth conversations and share their thoughts in virtual communities with readers inside or outside their school district. Participants increase their understanding as they construct meaning with other readers via the web by:
· Self selecting reading materials
· Working in small temporary groups
· Reading different books
· Having a regular predictable schedule
· Discussing topics posed by students
· Engaging in open, natural conversation
· Having task roles (see website)
I am planning to begin hosting a book club for my students. Online literature circles can be incorporated with my book clubs. Students will be given a reading survey to determine their interests. Books will then be reviewed and selected by students. Roles will be assigned and the book will be divided into chunks. Students will then, based upon their role, respond appropriately to questions and post reviews. Group membership will be changed after each book.
Dina Branford



www.livejournal.com
Livejournal. com is an online community website that gives a free service that allows users to keep in touch with friends, family and others so they can connect on ideas, services and currents events. This website offers the user various ways to set up their free account with them, the user may choose from different subject areas such as media, content you care about, staying in touch, and your personal journal etc. This website also offers the user a private journal that offers a privacy level to be set so only certain designated individuals can view your content.
Classroom Use
Livejournal.com could be incorporated into the library classroom by having of students set up a free journal account with livejournal.com. The students would choose the private journal account and designate only their classmates as authorized to see the content. The second step would be to give the students an assignment of writing a entries in individual private journal and then take turns responding to what each wrote. This would be a great opportunity to teach students about social networking, netiquette skills, and how web 2.0 works.
By: April Costner






Facebook
The New Canaan High School Library Facebook Page
http://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Canaan-CT/New-Canaan-High-School-Library/29323106472
The New Canaan High School Library Facebook Page is an excellent example of how school libraries can implement social networking sites. This library site has an events page for announcing library events, video and photo pages, and information pages. This is a particularly active high school library with reading clubs, fundraisers, outings, and study groups, which are all announced on their Facebook page.
Another Example:

The Paris Cooperative High School Library.
This is another example of a school library page. The librarian has several postings about library and school events, book reviews, and photos.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Paris-IL/Paris-Cooperative-High-School-Library/165699114355#
I would follow New Canaan’s example and use this to promote and advertise library events, use the blog feature to hold book discussions and possibly music or movie reviews, and host helpful links to searchable databases like World Book Online, EBSCO, and Gale. I would also feature links such as EasyBib.com or Citationmachine.net.

-Sarah Thomasson





Technology: Social Networking
Teens and Social Networking in School and Public Libraries: A Toolkit for Librarians and Library Workers
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/profdev/socialnetworkingtool.pdf

This is a great document created by YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association). It contains guidelines for librarians in the use of WEB 2.0 tools. There are many suggestions here for the use of social networking in schools. The 12 page document discusses creating a Facebook or My Space page for students to use to keep up to date about programs and learn what the library has to offer. YALSA suggests that teens should be educated in the safe use (who to befriend etc.) of social networking sites first. Many useful terms are defined along with helpful websites to utilize such as Animoto.
In my search for schools that were currently using Facebook, I thought it was a great way to promote the library and get teens excited about reading and writing. For use in an educational setting, social networking would be invaluable. Students can collaborate and share what they are reading. Groups could discuss their book club books in a fun and popular format, all the while using written text, conprehension skills, and summarizing. Students could connect with authors that are on Facebook or even with the use of Skype if it was on the Facebook page. As an extension, students could complete an author study. You Tube videos of favorite books, movies, and video games would be a fun way to share. Animoto could be experimented with. I would be sure to add catalog search for the library on the Facebook page along with resource links. CiteMe is a useful tab for the page. Assignments for reading circles can be added at any time. I love the possibilities with social networking.
Tina Davis





Technology: Social Networking
Teen Ink Website
http://www.teenink.com/
Technology Description: This website is a social networking site which focuses on the literary expression of teenagers. The site was developed as a place for young people as a forum where they could preserve their sense of self-worth and express themselves through poetry, essays, stories, reviews, art and photography. Teens can join for free and submit their art, essays and more to allow others to read, review, critique and vote on their work. Submissions are also considered for publication in Teen Ink’s print publication. The site is extremely reputable and has many celebrities, academic sponsors, advisory boards and writing programs and contests which promote teen literacy and expression.

Incorporating into an Educational Setting: This site can be used to increase teen literacy and empower teen writers and readers by giving them a place to show their works and review other work by peers. The site could best be used by the Librarian, ELA and Social Studies teachers. A teacher could create a class writing contest and have students post their works online for students in other classes to view. Teachers and students from a specific school could collaborate, create and share works with students from another school, district or country. Teachers could have students read books and post their reviews online for a grade…the possibilities are endless. The most important lesson is that the site can teach young writers and readers that their opinions matter. How empowering!
Julie Guarnero








Technology: Social Networks

Middle School Blogging About Books

A great example of a practical application of blogging in a school library setting is the Springton Lake Middle School Blog, Book Blast! __http://www.rtmsd.org/747320831144750753/site/default.asp__. Students and staff are invited to log in and add a comment on a book review already submitted or they may also submit a new book review. This library blog is a creative way of not only supporting the students’ literacy skills by promoting reading and writing but it also teaches students communication and technology skills.


Additional Ideas on Incorporating Blogging into an Educational Setting:

Every summer many students participate in summer reading projects with their schools. A great way to incorporate blogging into students’ summer reading is to create and maintain a summer reading blog. Students can be required to submit blog entries by adding book reviews or by answering questions on the school library’s blog. This could replace the written assignment that they have to submit on the first day of class. Students will need specific instructions on how to post their entries on the blog. It will also required for the blog to be monitor by the school faculty and librarian during the summer. Students will also need access to computers with internet access.


Blanca E. Smith






Technology: Social Networking
25 Useful Social Networking Tools for Librarians - College Degree.com (http://www.collegedegree.com/library/financial-aid/25-useful-social-networking-tools-for-librarians)

This article is a wealth of ideas! It puts using Social Networking in a library into three major categories:
Communication, Distribution, and Organization. Several ideas are given for each category. Within the Communication category the author recommends sites such as MySpace, FaceBook, and Blog, stating that if we want to bring in the young people we need to be where they are. These sites are great for communicating about ideas, library activities, new material arrivals, classes and tutoring.

Within the Distribution category the author recommends sites such as Flickr, YouTube, TeacherTube and SecondLife. These sites are great for sharing knowledge,photos, videos, resources, instructions, and aiding in finding new content/information.

Within the Organization category the author recommends sites such as aNobii, Del.ici.ous, and Netvibes. These sites are great for keeping information up-to-date and readily accessible, keeping track of due dates and directories, and keeping track of internet feeds and resources.

Moderation is the key when deciding to use these resources/technologies. While reading this article it would be very easy to become motivated enough to want to try each of the 25 ideas, yet overwhelmed with the prospect. Choose one, maybe two ideas, starting with a category that seems most intriguing. Put the ideas into place and monitor for appropriateness and to make sure that you haven't bitten off too much. Then add on as you become proficient.

Barbara Mott








Technology: Social NetworkingTechnology: Social Networking: Elgg URL: http://www.elgg.org/ Description: What is elgg?...
Technology: Social Networking: Elgg
URL: http://www.elgg.org/
What is elgg?
Elgg is aimed primarily toward education. Elgg is all about a learner-centered, learner-controlled space in which you choose the connections, the resources and the communities you want to participate. Elgg provides users with their won weblog, file repository(with podcasting capabilities), an online profile and an RSS reader. Additionally, all of a user's content can be tagged with keywords - so they can connect with other users with similar interests and create their own personal learning network. However, where Elgg differs from a regular weblog or a commercial social network ( such as MySpace) is the degree of control each user is given over who can access their content. Each profile item, blog post, or uploaded file can be assigned its own access restrictions- from fully public, to only readable by a particular group or individual. A user can start a community, which other learners can then join. For example, a course leader could start a subject-based community to hightlight potential reading materials to a group of learners. Elgg also includes the ability to publish a podcast and a way for users to subscribe to content elsewhere on the web.
Incorporating Elgg into education:
I would set Elgg up by having each class as a group. We would post reviews on books that we have read. Members of the group can go in and add to the posts. It could be used to discuss different subjects. I could see a math teacher using as a tutorial tool. She/ he could post a problem and students go in and work the problems. If there is something done wrong someone could go in and tell the person what they are doing wrong. Language Arts teachers could use this to allow students to post poetry and have others comment on the poems.
Amber Partain




Technology: Social Networking: FOOTNOTE

URL: www.footnote.com

Technology Description/Using in a school setting: Footnote is a social network devoted to original documents. Libraries are using this site to augment research databases with original documents that go back to the Revolutionary War. Having a link to the website will give patrons access to documents previously unavailable or inaccessible. People who use the website can also comment on the documents, pictures,etc. giving even more insight to the document.

Incorporating into an Educational Setting: This website has unlimited potential in an educational setting. Students can easily access documents and/or pictures that relate to a topic they are studying. The site is divided into time periods, so students studying the Civil War could do a site search on a particular topic i.e. the Gettysburg Address. They can look at a draft of the Address in Lincoln's hand. What a way to bring history to life!

Carol Pomering







Technology: Slide Share

URL: www.slideshare.com

Technology Description: Slide sare is a social networking site where PowerPoint Presentations, Word Documents, and Adobe PDF Portfolios can be shared with others. There is a wide variety of categories that can be browsed. The information can also be sorted by slideshows, videoslides, and latest.

Incorporating into Education Settings: This site could be used by teachers and students to find PowerPoint Presentations in different content areas. Teachers and students could also share their PowerPoint Presentations on this site for others to use. It's a great way for information to get to many individuals in schools on a wide variety of areas.

Monica Perkins






Technology: Classroom 2.0

URL: http://www.classroom20.com/

Technology Description: This social networking site allows educators to communicate with one another about Web 2.0 and the variety of applications its technology has for educators. It includes a home with current events and technologies being discussed or taught, a forum for asking questions and giving advice, areas for chatting and posting media, and links to others useful sites.

Incorporating into Educational Settings: This site offers sample activities and advice for those wanting to use wikis in their classrooms as well as workshops and forums discussions. Its community mentality is designed to make newcomers feel at home and learn about these technologies so that they can be implemented into classrooms.

Amanda Liebman





Technology: The Pinellas Talking Book Library Social Network

URL: http://pplcptbl.ning.com/

Technology Description: The Pinellas Talking Book Library is a social networking site specially designed for its patrons with two distinct purposes in mind – communication and information. First, this site provides a community atmosphere for patrons to give recommendations, reviews and opinions on the downloadable pilot book program offered by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS). Members can also communicate within this site to offer suggestions and help regarding specialized reading equipment. Groups have also been established based on reading preferences – mysteries, westerns, romance, etc… in order to more easily categorize patron reviews for recommended books and authors. Members can also make this site more personable by adding their picture or pictures related to posted comments. Second, this site offers information on special events, library references and links to sites such as the NLS. This site provides an invaluable service to those with special needs.

Incorporating into an Educational Setting: Although this particular site is not widely used as other social networking sites because of its localized and specialized nature, I can see great potential for this type of concentrated site within any school library setting. ADA compliance is an ongoing concern as mainstreaming within public schools is becoming more and more prevalent. Students with special needs should have a forum and a place to openly communicate concerns, issues and problems that only they may encounter, not only in the classroom but also within the library. This could also be a great forum for the librarian to address issues and suggestions regarding technological improvements and advancements to the library for physically challenged individuals. Another option may be to create a general social networking site for the library and include specific specialized categories for direct input, as maintaining multiple social sites can be challenging and time consuming.

Posted By: Lavonne Ohnheiser





EdWeb.net

http://www.edweb.net/

The edweb.net site is an user-friendly social network for educators. It can be used to connect educators for collaboration, networking and learning communities. The site gives educators a place to gain insight into new research, case studies and technologies that are helpful in the field. It Links to blogs, weblinks, videos and communities based on interest.

Edweb.net could be used to bring educators together to share ideas on lessons, jobs and areas of interest. It could be used to forward professional development. You get a collection of Web 2.0 tools to use. You can create a community and organize the communities. You can join communities that are already up and running connect with other educators of the same interest.

Cheri Carpenter







Flikr

http://tametheweb.com/2006/11/ten_ways_to_use_flickr_in_your.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11329886@N00/sets/72157594291410121/

The first site listed has a number of ways to use Flikr, but my favorite is to use it to set up a virtual library tour. I teach in intermediate school and I think it would be very powerful to hook the kids on the library before they even get to school. Obviously the transition from elementry to middle school is anxiety ridden, so if I could use flikr to help the students associate the library with a place they know and understand before they set foot in the door - I will have a new client for the next three years!

Laura Gladney-Lemon





Shelfari.com

http://www.shelfari.com/groups/10057/discussions/67762/Uses-of-Shelfari-in-your-library-

This social network is for cataloging books you have read or want to read, your rating of the book, and a review. It allows you to pick from any published book, including the different released book covers. The site then adds a widget to your own personal bookshelves. Since it is a social networking site, it allows you to reach out and ask for friends and accept friends who can view your bookshelves. It allows you to discuss books with colleagues, or join groups who like certain types of books. The home page also shows you the most "shelved" books of the day, as well as, the highest rated books.

A great use for this site is to use it as an online bookclub. At my middle school, we meet monthly to discuss books for our readers. Then we put the books on the HMS Bookclub bookshelf with a review. The students can then access the bookclub from the library's homepage to see what teachers are reading and what they think about books. Most of the time the students line up to read the books that we give rave reviews.

Gina King









Facebook Fracas
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6647721.html

This article discusses "appropriate boundaries" when communicating with students and the importance of "demonstrating ethical and appropriate use."

One possible example would be to create a "professional facebook page" and "friending parents" instead of students to communication book recommendations, book lists, library contests, etc.

One librarian stated "Many of the students in my school don't have many positive role models so it's a way to encourage them to stay in school and think about college. After all, it's take a Village and what does it matter if the Village is Cyber? I also have a personal blog, which I know some of the students read - I do make sure the content is upbeat and G-rated. Given how some electronic communications have turned around and bitten people I think it's wise not to write anything I couldn't show to an 11 year old - or a future employer."

One would be wise to consider using a library facebook page to promote the library and events in the library. If one were to "friend" students on a personal facebook account, one should be cautious.

Susan J. Reyna




Technology: Social Networks

Website: TravBuddy [ http://www.travbuddy.com/]


TravBuddy in the school library
: This interesting website for travelers can be used in libraries. The users can share travel tips, ideas, reviews, pictures, and blog about their different adventures. TravBuddy allows the user to create a profile write reviews of destinations, find a travel partner, and post to different forums, maps and games. It also allows the user to search hotel, flights, and find the right deal to travel. Under games, it contains a feature in which the user can keep track of the places they have traveled to and take travel quizzes. A suggested use in the library is to allow the user to explore different places particularly the location of notable libraries such as the Library of Congress and Ann Arbor District Library. The user can add posts relating to libraries and may elaborate on the special collections that exist in certain libraries.


Incorporating
TravBuddy into an educational setting: Students can be encouraged to use TravBuddy to explore different countries and view the reviews and tips posted by other users. The class can incorporate the places they will study or plan for class trip.

Posted by Mirna Barrios





Twitter


iLibrarian - A Guide to Twitter in Libraries
http://oedb.org/blogs/ilibrarian/2007/a-guide-to-twitter-in-libraries/


This article is designed as a guide to help librarians incorporate twitter into their messaging systems. It has links to many websites that introduce twitter and explain its advantages and limitations. This article promotes twitter as a source for a library's users to attain needed information, but also for a library to use twitter to follow other libraries and various resources. This website also gives users a chance to blog their feelings about twittering in libraries.

In an educational setting, twitter could be used to give students information related to a library's services. For example, upcoming events, schedules, due dates, etc. could be posted very quickly and without much effort. Twitter could also be used to link students to various websites and even the school library's website.

Courtney Robertson



NING
http://www.ning.com/
Ning is an online platform used to create social networking sites similar to MySpace or Facebook. Ning offers 50 different themes and supports all the standard applications found on social networking sites such as videos, photos, chat, music, groups, events, friends, messaging, email notification, and RSS feeds. Members create profile pages, have individual blogs, and are able to access advanced applications. Information on the website declares that 4,000 new nings are created every day.

NING IN EDUCATION: Using Ning for Educational Social Networks
http://education.ning.com/
Ning.com can be used to create a social networking website for any classroom, library, campus, or school district. This particular site is a community of educators who have used Ning.com to create social neworking sites for schools, libraries, and classrooms. The suggestions and tips provide guidance in setting up and moderating an educationally based social network, and the links to established educational ning sites are an incredible resource for ideas to use.

Librarians can use Ning.com to build a library-centered social network that provides phtots and up-to-the minute information about their library. It can be used to market new titles, promote events, educate students and faculty, and even replace traditional newsletters. The use of a ning site for the library reaches out to students in a way that they enjoy receiving information and in a way that they are comfortable responding. Library usage and patronage is likely to increase as more and more students share their experiences on the site with their peers in turn prompting more members and more participation.

Posted by Ashli Montgomery

www.librarything.com

Librarything is a community of nearly 1,000,000 book readers. It could be considered a HUGE book club! Or, you could consider it a virtual catalog of the users' libraries. Registration is free and it is very easy to add your personal home library. Connecting to other users with similar intrests is an easy task as well.

This networking site has been used to actually house the catalog for smaller libraries. Patrons can easily see what titles are available or find books recommended by users with their same interests. Teachers have used this site to conduct book clubs and promote author visits.

What is more interesting: writing a book report on paper or writing a book review on a social networking site? The book review of course! It is published for all the world to see which gives it so much more meaning than some piece of paper that goes in a stack on a teacher's desk! So, that is one way that I would use Librarything. It is a fun way to get kids excited about books and to get them to share what they thought after reading one. Rating and reviewing can really add spice to an after-book activity. I would also use it to recommend my personal favorites to kids.

Courtney Butler


MySpace

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/profdev/SocialNetworkingToolkit_Jan08.pdf

Summary & Implementation Ideas: This document was created by YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Associations) in order to provide librarians with information to educate communities about the benefits of social networking for students in school and public libraries. The document also provides ideas of how to integrate several Web 2.0 technologies into the school and public library. Some of the ideas included for MySpace consist of creating an informational page about the library, connecting students to popular pages of authors, having the students create author pages in order to learn more about the author as people join their page, creating reflection pages for reading and writing, etc.

How I would implement into my library: I would set up a MySpace account for my library that provides general information about our collections and that provides access to our online catalog for students and parents to find what they need at home before they check it out at school. I would create a closed group for the students, parents, and faculty of our school to be a part of that is a safe environment for students to exchange ideas and ask questions when needed. I would use the Blog feature of MySpace to provide discussion areas on specific research projects students are working on, so they can share ideas and resources. I would also use this as a way to discuss books being read during library time for students and parents to discuss opinions, rewrite endings, etc. Another feature on MySpace that I would make use of is the Instant Message feature. I personally would set aside some “open classroom” time for students that need help on research projects for school during the evenings. I would also use this profile to set up links to author pages, useful research sites, educational games, etc.

Amy Horton



Care2

www.care2.com

Care2, a social networking site, is committed to restoring the balance of the world and making positive social and earth-friendly impact on this world. The website was founded by Randy Paynter in 1998. It is devoted to green living, health, human rights, animal welfare, global warming, women’s rights, heath and wellness, healthy home, family life, etc. The company motto is “Care2 Make a Difference”, so it not only promotes the healthy, green lifestyle but also helps to connect activists to take action by starting a petition, joining/starting a group, posting a news story, or writing a blog. Information on petition sites, daily action, donation, non-profit polls, volunteer, and job information are all listed.

I found this website from an article titled “Intellectual Freedom for Youth: Social Technology and Social Networks”, by Annette Lamb, Professor, School of Library and Information Science at Indiana University. She states that social networks now are very popular with teens. The five ways that young people use social networks are: activism, belonging, contact, data collection, and freedom. However, these social networks are normally the targets of censorship. Professor Lamb notes that school librarians need to know the Intellectual Freedom of Youth and take the responsibility to guide students, teachers, and parents in the proper use of social network. Before users start using any social networks, they need to make sure to read the legal and privacy notices posted on the websites. Care2 is one of the web resources of social networks for youth.

Children ages over 13 are allowed to register as a member. Therefore this website can be used by high school students to connect them to people for cooperation, collaboration, and information sharing. “Healthy & Green Living” offers the information on living a nontoxic lifestyle. Causes & News provides current issues and news. “Take Action” involves members to take action to make a difference. “Community” connects users to other members. Photos, stories, blogs are shared here.

To integrate Care2 into a school library setting, the school librarian can first introduce this social networking site to teachers. Then set up a time to bring a high school class to the library to show students how to create an account and show what the website can do for them. The teacher can assign a project for students to pick a topic listed in “Causes & News” then use Texas State K-12 databases to do research and write a research paper. Students can also use the site to post a message on a particular topic. (for example reply to the topic “SOS: Save Our Seabirds from Commercial Fishing Boats.”) To learn how to write a petition, students can also use the online activist toolkit. Whenever students send an ecard from Care2, “Care 2 will make a donation to an environmental nonprofit to save 1 square foot of rainforest.” Using this social networking site will empower students to take their social responsibility, increase awareness of current issues, and care to make a difference.

Tien-Chi Hou





Social Networking functionality in the library catalog


In Social Networking and Your Library OPAC! (http://www.mmischools.com/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=13955) and the update Social Networking Through Your Library Automation System: What Librarians and Vendors Have to Say (http://www.mmischools.com/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=14806), Barbara Feihn provides an overview of the vendors that have integrated social networking features into their OPACs. She discusses each vendor and provides a snapshot of what librarians “in the trenches” have to say about the new features. By and large, the features offers by vendors include “top 10 books,” book review and commenting capabilities, list sharing, user tagging, tag clouds, and social bookmarking. Obviously, all of the largest OPAC vendors are on the forefront of adding these social networking capabilities to their products, but Feihn also profiled Fish4Info (fish4info.org/gofish) where an individual using open source Drupal created a library portal that integrates social networking capabilities into the existing catalog.
Many of these features when implemented will make for a more robust, dynamic and user-friendly OPAC interface for the student. Particularly the list sharing, book review and commenting features, as well as the user tagging will make the library catalog seem much more inviting and intuitive for our young users. As the catalog moves more toward the same look and feel as other (non-library) websites, the user may feel more ownership and in turn create a stronger user-base. List-sharing is a great way to get students involved in creating content and raising the profile of the library. The main benefit of these activities happening within the catalog itself is the sense of one-stop-shopping. User tagging is also a potentially great resource to use within the catalog, as users (particularly students who often use a different vocabulary) can add tags to records that will provide additional access points to materials. This allows the catalog to have a sense of being organic, continually evolving and accessible as many of the social networking sites our students are used to using.
Posted by Stacy Garcia






Kidderlit on Twitter

www.kidderlit.com

This site can be used by young students to write a short blog about a book they are reading. This can be used in the library to encourage students to promote the books they are currently reading.

www.twitterfiction.com
The object of this site is to write stories collaboratively. Students can be challenged to write a story in 140 characters or less. They can work in groups or individually.

Both of these sites I found in the Journal of the American Association of School Librarians March/April 2009 issue.

Yasmina Walker




Twitter

http://www.collegeathome.com/blog/2008/05/27/twitter-for-librarians-the-ultimate-guide/

This article tells what the basic uses of twitter are for everyday users and then goes into greater detail of how to incorporate Twitter into a professional setting such as a library or a school. The article provides many different opportunities and ways to use Twitter in a library setting. There are links to other websites that serve as guides on how to use Twitter effectively. There are also links to studies and articles about libraries implementing Twitter or considering it. The article also includes tips about Twitter tools and add-ons and examples of Twitter library accounts.

Twitter can be used in a library setting to inform parents and students about upcoming events and programs. It can also be used to connect with other libraries and see their latest updates and how they are using Twitter. The account could be used as a Question and Answer forum. A Twitter account could also post different small tips about how to use a library more effectively, study, multitask, etc. Twitter accounts can also keep people updated about book releases, author visits, etc.


Jennifer Stoner




Technology: Blogs

Website: http://classblogmeister.com/blog.php?blog_id=1019187&blogger_id=93503

This blog is operated by a fourth grade class in Long Island, NY. They “[use] this blog as a resource for online expression and communication of topics that [they] are exploring inside and outside of [their] classroom.” The teacher posts writing prompts and students respond in their own blogs, which are linked to the class blog.

For a kindergarten class, (which is what I teach), a teacher could create a class blog to post the class’s shared writing pieces. Students could go home and read the class stories to their parents. Students can even illustrate the stories using KidPix or some other drawing program.

Amanda Lewis



Blogs in the classroom
URL http://www.21classes.com


Blogs in the Classroom

This social networking website creates a virtual classroom for students and the teacher. The teacher can ask questions and the students could give their response for science, math, social studies, reading and language arts.
It provides:
1.A homepage
2. Interconnected as well as independent
3. Upload images, videos
4. the teacher can make all students private
5 different templets provided
6. no instillation needed
7. Free service
8. Make your own Custom Headers

This site has many purposes in the classroom. The teacher can have the students write projects, answer questions on topics being discussed, Ask their own questions to classmates and the teacher, Different subjects can be discussed. I like the fact that the teacher can make the writing private for security purposes and it is FREE.

Cynthia Shamblin



Social Networking: Librarything.com

http://www.librarything.com/

This site involves as many people as possible who is eager to learn more about books. The site provides help from cataloging books under the library of congress catalog to information about authors and their inputs. One can even leave notes for some authors. It gives so many feedbacks about books and one can input on the challenging books.

This website will help me catalog books that are purchased from companies or donated books that have not been catalog. It will also help me learn more about authors and their publications. It also provides the newsest books and their reviews. Always keeping in mind those challenging books who may provoke a dilemma in some libraries. The community does have a major role on the books that are purchased.

Mayra Reyes



Facebook
www.facebook.com

Description: Facebook is a social networking site that allows users of all ages to create accounts using an email address. Users can edit their profile, upload pictures and videos, join groups and pages, update your status and communicate with others leaving messages on other user's profile page or wall, creating notes that friends can read and sending messages via an inbox, among other things. Accessing your account allows one to have live access to you and your friends' status updates and news feeds. Users have the ability to set up a variety of privacy controls where you can set access to photos, etc. Be"friend"ing others is a simple task accomplished by searching the vast network and requesting friendships.
Integration: Many schools, classrooms, and school and public libraries have created Facebook accounts. Setting up a free Facebook account, would allow instant access to patrons and other members of your community, allowing librarians to communicate with patrons, showcase their library and new materials, conduct surveys, advertise upcoming events and educate patrons about conducting research and appropriate web usage.
For school libraries, a Facebook page can be a valuable educational tool. Librarians can post video tutorials about the Dewey Decimal system, locating books in the library, etc. You can also upload photos and/or maps to show the layout of the library and materials. You can also post photos of new books, conduct book disucssions, and allow students and/or users to recommend books to read.

Kara Mackey



Blogging
http://classblogmeister.com/blog.php?blogger_id=1337
Blogging has been used in the site above to allow children to create and publish their work within a classroom setting. What an amazing tool to motivate children to work hard and feel such success with their work and publication. This paticular blog is from a classroom full of six year olds. The blog consist of colored work, pictures, videos, voice recordings etc. AMAZING!

http://www.pbs.org/teachers/vote2008/blueprint/pdfs/pbs-teachers-vote2008-lp-1.1.pdf
The site above is good reading if you are considering teaching junior high students to blog in the educational setting.

For me in the elementary setting blogging seems like such a wonderful way of giving quick feedback to students on their writing/research. Like referenced before I think blogging adds pride in a young childs work that may not always find intrinsic motivation to do their best.

Whitney Benton


Social Networking:
http://socialnetworkinglibrarian.com/

This is a site maintained by Josh Hanagarne, a librarian who blogs about social networking and other web 2.0 applications in the library setting. It has a lot of good information about different types of social networking and how to use them.

This is a great introduction for librarians new to social networking who need basic information about networks such as FaceBook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. Hanagarne's blog posts are all pertinent to things we are learning about in this class and he has some very practical ideas that would be useful in the school setting.

Christine Carter



Teens and social networking in libraries
http://www2.curriculum.edu.au/scis/connections/issue_66/teens_and_social_networking_in_libraries.html

This article is presented by YALSA and it is a great source for librarians who are preparing to use social networking in the library. It specifically describes what social networking is and it also mentions some advantages and disadvantages and it gives examples of certain types of social networking sites.

The article also helps librarians learn how to facilitate social networks in the libraries for today's youth and how to teach them how to be safe on the social networks. It also gives great examples as to how social networking can be incorporated into an educational setting and the classroom.

Another topic covered is how librarians can educate the community on social networking. It gives a sizeable list on the many different ways that the community can be reached for example, creating brochures, invite parents for workshops, and even creating an online demonstration.

Lastly, it also covers on how librarians can educate teens on online social networking and it gives a list on how to get the word out to today's youth. Some examples given are hosting a do-it-yourself workshop, having teens create a delicious account, or even by working with teens to create podcasts.

Irma Trevizo


Technology – Social Networking
Cover It Live – CIL http://www.coveritlive.com/
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6703704.html?
It is considered live blogging where writers and readers can post events live. You can hold an online chat in real time instead of waiting for your questions to post. You can interact with people at that moment instead of waiting hours or days to give your opinion about the topic. You can post video, pictures, polls, and even tweets. Currently ESPN, FOX News, and Newsweek use this web based software business to report to the online community in real time.
It could be used in a classroom setting as a discussion board. It students were required to read a certain chapter, story, or book a scheduled time would be set up to discuss and analyze the assignment. The same could be done in a library. The librarian could hold live book talks. She would need to post when she would be on line for the students and or parents to join.

Leah Shoemaker

Phatmath

Category: Social network

Web Address: www.phatmath.com

Site Information:
In response to the growing need to promote mathematics proficiency and financial literacy skills, Dr. Iris Mack and her Harvard colleagues founded Phat Math, Inc. in September 2008. According to a September 8, 2008 PRLog press release, Phat Math, Inc. conducts research, develops content materials and provides various professional services. Among their services is a new mathematics “edutainment” social network that combines education and entertainment. This site features online math homework help, math chat rooms for grades K-12 and college mathematics courses, and activities designed to help students develop math skills. It also contains databases of professional role models, mentors, career exploration, and information on job opportunities. Information on scholarships, grants and student loans is provided as well.

Implementation: As a secondary math teacher, I feel that this would be an excellent resource to post on the school website for homework help. It could also be posted under the school library link as a student resource as well. Students are often reluctant to come for tutorial help from their teacher. They may be more likely to seek help from peers in a math chat room or from private one-on-one tutoring from the Ivy League PhDs on the website. I plan on posting the website on the board in my classroom. I would like to get some feedback from my students as to how helpful they found the site.


Janelle McCabe





Goodreads
http://www.goodreads.com/

Goodreads is a social networking site dedicated to exploring people's interest in books. As with MySpace or Facebook, members can select other users to be their friends, and then access each others' information. Users list the books they want to read, and the books they have read, along with their reviews and ratings, and friends can comment and make recommendations. Within the Goodreads community, there are many sub-groups, including high school English classes, public libraries, and groups of people with specific interests. Users are able to follow posts from members of
their groups, as well as posts by their favorite authors.

This could serve as a valuable tool in the school setting, because it would allow students to do something other than the traditional book report. Students could first search for a book that would interest them based on users' recommendations, then become involved in a discussion about the book, and even advise others about whether or not they would enjoy the book. Also, if students were required to read a particular book for class, they could discuss it with classmates on Goodreads as part of the assignment.

Laura Kuhfahl


School Library Facebook Pages:

http://www.facebook.com/troylibrary
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Santa-Barbara-CA/San-Marcos-High-School-Library/92802558341

Facebook is a popular social networking website that allows users to post photos, comments, video, and links in seconds. At the two school libraries above, Facebook has been used to connect with students and staff and to keep them udpated about library goings-on, such as events, added copies of popular books (Troy just added two copies of Catching Fire), and book discussions.

In any educational setting, Facebook may be useful in meeting kids where they are. One of the best aspects of Facebook is its popularity, so students wouldn't have to learn a new technology or be lured in to use something new. Creating a page is free, and updating the page is easy and fast. Students can become "friends" with the library and receive updates more quickly than teachers or school announcements can relay information. Since most school districts have blocked Facebook access from school computers, using a school library Facebook page guarantees that students are receiving information outside of school hours. Social networking could be help school libraries become more user-friendly (pun intended.)
--Kira Mullins




Technology: Social Networks
Learning Spaces: Social Networks and Virtual Worlds

http://eduscapes.com/hightech/spaces/social/index.htm

Technology Description: This site provides information on social networking and includes three suggested uses of this technology in a library setting. The first suggested use is using social networking sites to interact with "friends" through study or discussion groups using sites such as Facebook or Myspace. Another application is using sites such as Librarything to connect users through reading interests. The third suggested use is to enhance study units through virtual worlds such as Second Life. The site also includes several suggested social networking sites with brief descriptions.

Incorporation in a School Library: Social networking can be a great way to get students actively involved in the library and also provide them with new ways of interacting with their peers. As a school librarian, I would like to incorporate Librarything.com as a way to connect students through reading. Students have the opportunity to search for books in the library based on student created tags, book lists, or even book covers when using Librarything. Reviews, book ratings, and recommendations can be shared among users which can help students to find reading material that interests them. Book discussions and literature circles could also be conducted using Librarything as a part of class novel units to help support student learning.

Laura Ortlieb


Technology: Social Networks

http://theunquietlibrary.wordpress.com

This school library blog was exciting to see. Exploring it gives one many creative ideas for using a library blog and other social networking sites.
The heading describes it's users: "The Unquiet Library. Not Your Mother's Library. Your Library." It has a library Home page, Blog Manners, IGoogle/Google Reader page, Research PathFinders, and Staff page. It has a visible presence on many social networking pages i.e, YouTube, Delicious, Facebook, Flickr and Twitter. There are links to SLJ News, Book Videos, Web2.0, Google Maps. There is a library Wiki on wikispaces.com. It features an event page that with school events as well as current events. And on and on it goes.
The blog pages and website show the many ways a creative library and librarians entice their patrons into the next century as readers. Through webpage https://sites.google.com/site/theunquietlibrary, wiki, blog and social networking sites we see book reviews, book clubs, poetry club, award winners, school events, research data bases, videos, pictures and comments. This is a fascinating library.

Barbara Stroup

Technology: Teens and Social Networks

http://www.ila.org/netsafe/SocialNetworkingToolkit.pdf

Description: This website is comprised of an article touting the facilitation of learning in schools and libraries through online social networking. It proves to be a comprehensive description of the aforementioned, plus contains resources for librarians. Social networking technologies such as blogs, tagging, wikis, etc. are defined, as well as examples given for uses of social networks in academics such as math, biology and writing plus incorporation of such by school libraries. The social networking platform is promoted as an ideal environment by which a community of learners can exchange information, create something together and receive feedback for their efforts from librarians, teachers, peer, parents and others. Positive uses are shared and examined in addition to suggestions of how the library can play an integral role in educating parents and the community regarding social online networking. I view this as a most reliable source and one that can be referred to frequently when designing the course a library may take when assimilating social networking into the learning environment.

Integration: As a librarian and teacher of gifted and talented students in a combined class of sixth through eighth grade students I see this article as being invaluable to me toward convincing my administration of the merit of being allowed to facilitate the incorporation of blogs or wikis in the reading classes and library program at my middle school. Whereas social networking is such a popular communication tool among this age group, I would like to implement this use as a way to share books the students, and even the staff, have read. It would serve as a nice forum to communicate with the students and for them to share with one another. Whether by blogs or perhaps a wiki, I see the students enthusiastically embracing such an idea. It would serve as a vehicle which would further allow me to promote what is happening in the library, book arrivals and reviews, etc.

Penny Giesecke


Goodreads
http://www.goodreads.com/

Technology: social networking
This website allows members to keep track of what they have read, what they want to read, and what they are currently reading. Members can rate and review their readings and share recommendations with other members. Additionally, members can add other members to a list of friends and form book clubs or join discussion groups. Members start off having three bookshelves, but they add additional bookshelves like for example, children's literature.

This website would be a great tool to use in a school setting. Teachers and librarians from a school can form a group and share their reviews of book they have read. They can categorize books by subject or grade level. For instance, teachers can have a bookshelf for books to teach mathematical concepts or a bookshelf for books that teach reading skills such as cause and effect and main idea. The school librarian can manage the bookshelves and make a central network for the entire swchool to use.

Elsa Coronado-Salinas


Technology: Blogs

Website:
http://www.infotoday.com/mls/nov03/fichter.Shtml

This website shows you how to use a blog to promote your library and its services. It also gives many good points as to why a blog is a useful library social networking tool. A library blog could promote library events, support dedicated users, engage and support the community, and build new ties among community members.

Blogging is a great way for students to have some ownership of their school library. Once the librarian posts an entry on a new addition to the library’s collection, students can post their excitement and thoughts about the new purchases. The blog would also be a great place to suggest new materials for the library to purchase. Another great way to involve students in the library blog is to have them write their own reviews on the books they have read. They could email these to the librarian to be read and monitored, and then the reviews could be posted on the blog for everyone to read. Providing a place to discuss topics such as authors, books, genres, etc. would be a great use for a blog. This is a great networking tool that will get students excited about reading new books and help them feel like they are a part of the library.

Deah Robbins




Teacher-Librarian on Ning

http://teacherlibrarian.ning.com/

This site is one of many on the Ning network of social networking sites. It features a vast array of resources to include active discussion forums, podcasts, and an active list of community events relevant to teachers and librarians across the country. It also features the use of Slideshare (
www.slideshare.com) to share presentations that are relevant to the community. Additionally the site features links to webinars, which are online training sessions conducted via the internet. The membership is fairly robust currently showing nearly 4000 members. There are a number of blogs on the site but that does not appear to be a real strength of the site. I believe this site’s best implementation is to learn about training opportunities both in your local area, as well as online training via webinars.

Victoria Mintz





You Tube Social Networking

Yes YouTube is looked at as a video sharing network but it is also a social network. Students are able to sign in to youtube and add each other as friends. Students and educational professionals are able to share videos they create or other videos they find interesting. Friends on this social networking service can also see recently viewed videos and videos friends find interesting. Users are also able to comment on videos to allow information before previewing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvi0hrqlkIM&feature=player_embedded. Using youtube students can also share video stories with each other to visually tell information.

I use youtube to show my showcase student work and to record the story times I do. I have also started recording my professional developments to show to teachers at a later time.

Jerome Hurt



Technology- Social Networks:
Website is located at:
�10�http://lib.rario.us/
Technology Description- This is a website where you can basically catalog all of your stuff while it can be shared with friends and family.
There are category options to add which include the following:Media, DVD's, games,music and books. Not only does this give you and others access to what is in your "library" but you can also see what other members have in their library.
School Library Incorporation-
I can see this social networking tool as a popular one for the high school and college age student. I think the draw here is simple. Who wouldn't want to know what was in someone else's library? You can access what other members have, as well as as send a link to someone so they can see what is in your own library. This is great for sharing assignments, books, videos and DVD's. You can also acess the music members have in their library. The site also has a blog that give user's (students) tips and instructions for using the site.

Julia Bufford


animated_ricky_V2.gifReading Rockets-
Teaching kids to read and helping those who struggle
Category: Good Reads

Web Address: http://www.readingrockets.org/

Site Information: This site is geared for various audiences. It contains a section for parents, teachers, principals, librarians, and others to help readers of all levels. The site gives insight to help struggling readers by providing various activities to help children read. Reading Rockets offers a wealth of reading strategies, lessons, and activities designed to help young children learn how to read and read better. The reading resources assist parents, teachers, and other educators in working with struggling readers who require additional help in reading fundamentals and comprehension skills development. The website contains various reading guides, research, and reading resources to help struggling readers. It also contains links to blogs, calendar of events, and videos and podcasts about reading, children’s books and authors. The website contains quotes, downloadable, trivia, e-cards, and writing contests.

Application: This website helps librarians because it contains resources to make it easy for librarians to offer community forums, discussions, and workshops for parents, teachers, and caregivers on how to support children's reading achievement. It also helps give insight on why children struggle with reading.
Reading Rockets provides activities librarians can implement in the library to promote reading. It also contains various links to other sites to help incorporate the information to a library, classroom, or home.


Name: Myrna G. Almaguer