Thing 10: Productivity.

I tried Evernote and Dropbox. I have to say, I'm not really a fan of either, yet. This may change. Dropbox I find redundant because, as I have stated before, most of my stuff is in Google Docs, or I email myself - which is just about the same amount of work. However, I can see where it might be handy to have all your files in just one place. Evernote I just haven't found the need for. I either create a new page in Google Docs, star it in my RSS feeds, or save as a PDF to send to my Kindle. I don't really want another place where my saved info is, but may eventually transfer everything over to Evernote at some point. However, it might be useful for student projects - I have not had the opportunity to try it with them at this time.

Thing 9: Databases

I like H.W. Wilson's Omnifile Select. It has a great number of issues of professional journals, which means I can save on subscriptions by just accessing them through the database. I can save articles as PDF files, and send them to my Kindle for reading. However, there is a caveat, that some of the journals are embargoed for a certain amount of time, which means I do not get to read them when they are published. Sometimes this is an issue, but I can still use the information, albeit a little behind. I also like using Sweetsearch and IPL2 to find good websites for pathfinders. They are my go to resources when teachers want websites for a research project. Our school doesn't subscribe to LibGuides, but I have used already published ones from other schools, and enjoy the layout of them. This would be a great tool for anyone who can afford a subscription.

Thing 8: Collaborating Connecting Sharing

I am a big supporter of Google Apps for teachers. Half of what I create is in Google Docs, as I can access it from anywhere, including my phone. Often times, I even end up uploading stuff I've created in Word, just so it is there. I have lots of things for school, including spreadsheets of reading promotion activities, records of student logins for Animoto projects, forms for my student workers, and a bunch of other things. I also use Google calendars to keep track of classes and projects I am working on.

Thing 6: Curation

I'm not a big social bookmarker - if there is something I need to remember, I usually stick it in a Google Doc. I know everyone is using Evernote, but I haven't made the switch yet. However, I do like the curation tools. I use Scoop.It for finding info, and Pinterest for noting cool things for the library (don't use this as often though). I really like the idea of MentorMob but haven't tried it out yet, and Paper.li was too much for me.

Thing 5: Digital Storytelling

I haven't had much call for this in my classroom. I have used Animoto for book trailers, but have not had as much time for that this year. Maybe over the summer I will get back to it. I also like Glogster. Below the posts is one very basic one I did as a demo for a potential project on an alternative pick for the first president - if George Washington hadn't been elected, who would have been the best choice to lead the country? We didn't end up doing it, but I still think it would have been really cool.

Thing 4: Photo Sharing and Editing

I don't do a lot of picture taking, but I do work with images as part of projects. I am always trying to get kids to realize that pictures are part of intellectual property and that they need to only use pictures they are legally allowed to. That's where I run into a wall - teachers want them to find specific pictures, and sometimes, those pictures just don't exist legally. I've had some success with Google's advanced search and wikimedia commons, but this really needs to be a school-wide dialogue that hasn't happened yet. On the flip side, I love Aviary, and use it to take screenshots all the time. I even have it as an extension in my Firefox browser.

Thing 3: RSS

I love RSS! I used to use My Yahoo, but I am slowly converting everything to Google Apps for Educators, so now I use Google Reader. My biggest problem is getting through everything, and I may think about paring it down somewhat, but for now, many of my ideas and updates come through RSS, and I then share them with teachers or incorporate them into my lessons and library activities. I also RSS journal articles from EBSCOhost, which saves on me having to go and check for new content all the time.