#14 Facebook

I already have a Facebook account so did not want to set up another one.
I have used Nings - eg for Syba Signs events and also ASLA events and think they work really well and offer a range of tools to work with. My aim is to set up a Ning for the library staff at the Distance Education school I work in and share with the library staff at SIDE - the distance ed school in WA. A Teacher Librarian and I have discussed this and want ot have it set up next term for us to all share.
I have tried LinkedIn and find it interesting but a bit more than I need as it is quite broad with the people who are involved and the information that comes through. But useful to see too - as we can get a bit library-scentric or even school library and not look beyond that enough.
I also use a Twitter account and have deliberately set the Facebook account and Twitter one to serve different purposes for me. Facebook is where I keep in touch with family and friends and Twitter is more professional and PD for me. I 'follow' a range of other Teacher Librarians and other library related people plus a range of speakers I have heard at recent conferences. This year I am also 'tweeting' significant events in my library so I am keeping a record of these. I find Twitter great PD and it doesn't take up heaps of time but keeps me very in touch with new ideas, information and introduces me to people out there all over the world doing wonderful things!
In many schools Facebook and Twitter are 'locked out' but through this course I am finding out about other options that will be worth trying and possibly suit students who will want to keep their 'social' tools separate from the school ones but still use the skills they have to share ideas and information and interact with others.

#13 MySpace

I had set up a MySpace account a while ago but haven't used it - but it was still there!
I find it very busy and lots of ads but can see it would have appeal for some.
I checked out Drupal, including the Slideshare and that got me thinking that it could be an alternative way to set something up for the 12 members of my library staff to use, where we can put library information, try out some of the tools etc in the first instance before we go 'live' with all the staff and students. I think Drupal will be a very worthwhile tool as it encompasses a range of things available on eg MySpace but less public etc. The 'look' also appears to be more business like than MySpace which is more social.
I will also do more comaprisons with Moodle which is being taken up by the 2 schools I work in

#12 Flickr

I decided to go with the option of uploading photos (not my blog) as I think this is more in line with what I want to use Flickr for in the future. I would like to use it for my own personal photos but will also set up one to file the photos of events etc in the library.
I also checked out the Creative Commons tags as I wanted to make sure what I put up will be acknowledged.
I was also pleased to see the choices about who can see what as this is important in the school setting where we need permission from students to use their photo/image, so in this case I would make this a private collection or for selected people in a group I set up.
I know I could spend hours on Flickr - organising my photos but also checking out the great ones from others.
It is also a wonderful collection of images that could be used in presentations etc (acknowledging the source, of course)!

This photo on my Flickr account is added in this blog entry.

#11 Library Thing

Have set up a Library Thing to highlight some of the Australian Children's Literature books I have in my collection.

http://www.librarything.com/catalog/SueJohnston

I found it very easy to use. I think it would be great at school to add a list of titles for students to work with - eg a particular theme/author etc. The reviews and other features are good and I think students would really enjoy working with ratings.

So - lots of uses for me - I just need to get organised and add other books from my personal library.
But, would also lke to try this with students and get their reactions - I think they would be very positive!

#10 Image generators

A great range of ideas and products to use.

I looked at a few different ones and enjoyed playing around with them.

And it also reminded me that we need to add graphics to work for our students as it really does add the sparkle

Image created using: www.vistaprint.com.au

I have also used meez.com and dude.msn with staff and students to make avatars and everyone has always wanted to do more!

#9 Vitrual worlds

Virtual worlds like Second Life open up a vast array of possibilities for students etc. Last year I was at the ASLA conference in Perth and attended a session where the presenter showed the Virtual Worlds set up by many of the Australian universities. One of the schools I work on is interested in joining in a project with other schools to set up a virtual environent for a particular course. So, in terms of trends I think there are a variety - some people using it for entertainment but others also using it as advertising/promotion etc. Libraries could use it for both purposes!
Benefits - it appeals to many who enjoy the cartoon/graphic type representations. It also allows for flexibility to get ideas/information etc through another means to staff and students.
I know online game is appealing to some and we obviously need to cater for them too (it just isn't something I personally find appealing!). I think it is important that Second Life keeps the adolescent and adult streams separate though.
Ideas such as Avatars can allow students to express their personality in various ways and also be used to teach students about online safety and not revealing all about themselves (eg photos).
And I can see great psooibilities for setting up my ideal library in a virtual world and sharing it with my line managers next budget cycle!!!

#8 iGoogle

iGoogle is a great tool. I like the way that you can adapt it to suit particular events etc. In a discussion with other tachers about this tool we looked at using it to have changing things up on the projector screen and or IWB when students begin class. It can be changed to suit a particular theme and thus keep it fresh for each group. The physics teacher talked about using physics type applications, a primary teacher thought they could have a theme set up while working on this in class. From the library side of things I chose library/book/news/elearning type applications and tried it with a class - they enjoyed it!
Google seems to keep improving all their applications - but I would like a bit more choice on wallpaper/themes! But I like the way now you can adjust the size of boxes, move them around easilyy etc.
And, Google seems a fantastic place to work - and a place where teams seem to work well. I also looked at that aspect of the company when watching the videos and have also read a few other thongs about the comapny.
And, I wish our library had the funds for some similar furniture etc!!!!