Use Google Doc Forms for Instant Feedback

Erika Eich and I have been collaborating on a presentation on October 31st for the 2009 ISLMA Conference, Embracing Change. Our focus was Using Google Docs, especially forms, for student feedback and teacher collaboration. The New Trier Library pages have many examples of how we’ve used this tool, including surveying interests before a project, assessment, and reflection after a project is completed. We’ve even used this feature to help students “Ask a Librarian”.

There’s much from which to choose, but here are some of the other resources we have found:

• Official Google Docs Blog
• Google Docs for Educators
• Google Docs Video from Common Craft and presentation from Google
• Google Docs tutorial from Michigan State University
• 7 Things you should know about Google Apps from EDUCAUSE (March 2008)

So create an account OR login here and have fun experimenting!

An Ode to the Internet's Big Bang

Forty years ago , two guys in California sent a five-letter message over a primitive computer network. Enjoy Public Radio Morning Edition's "shout out" to this event and see just how far we've come.

Library 101 is here!

Do you know about the Library 101 project?

The event took place at Internet Librarian October 28th in Monterey, CA where Librarian and Michael Porter (aka Libraryman) and Librarian/Author David Lee King launched the Library 101 Project.

Check out their new website. I thought the Libary 101 song was quite annoying but am looking forward to reading several essays which support the needs of librarians trying to navigate the "still-emerging landscape" of changing technologies.

Howard Gardner Presentation

Just another quick reminder that Howard Gardner, author of Five Minds for the Future, will be speaking at Gaffney Auditorium tomorrow evening, October 29th at 7:00pm.

More information is available on the Family Awareness Network (FAN) site, including details about the Parent Discussion Groups to be held November 2nd.

Google sites --collaborative web page making

Google Sites makes it easy for anyone to create and manage simple, secure group websites. You can create and publish new pages with the click of a button, edit web pages like documents.

A School Library Journal Must Read

If you have not yet seen this article, be sure to read, “Things that Keep Us Up at Night” by Joyce Kasman Valenza (JudyG’s guru) and Doug Johnson (speaker for our copyright session at ISLMA last year).

It makes many, many provocative comments on topics of importance (e.g., use of space, copyright issues, social media, reading, intellectual freedom and more) to the future of librarianship and has generated quite a bit of debate, much of which is linked from Doug Johnson’s Blue Skunk Blog and Joyce Valenza’s NeverEndingSearch Blog. This article seems sure to be a topic of conversation at ISLMA and AASL.

Consider adding your own comments to one of those blogs or add them right here. As you read the article, what’s an idea that strikes you?

A Teacher's Guide to Web 2.0

This was originally posted in early September by Sacha Chua:

A Teacher's Guide To Web 2.0 at School

View more documents from Sacha Chua.