THING # 9 eBooks

I have sat back ..sort of a wait and see how ereaders & ebooks were going to play out.  I received a Kindle as a present and loved it.  I still love the feel of a book in my hands but the Kindle certainly has its usefullness.  I have purchased ebooks...love the $.99 daily deals that Amazon offers!  I have borrowed ebook through Questar III and my local public library.  Very easy to do....small learning curve.  The public library waiting list was disheartening and it seemed like everytime a book became available and I got the email informing me it was available...I was already involved in another book and had to pass up my spot on the waiting list!
As far as my library...we have 0 ereaders.  I have no $ for technology but 3 years ago I convinced an administrator to buy a few cheap MP3 players for audio books.  That was sucessful and I am really hoping to get into ereaders.
I attended a conference on April about Ebooks - policies & possibilities.  I wanted to see how everyone is handling this emerging resource.  It was both interesting and eye opening from the vendors point of view (the middle man) and the publishers point of view (running scared).  I am sure the publishers will come around - they have to get their product out there they just have to figure out a way to stay profitable.  Another interesting talking point during the conference was paper vs. eBooks and the environmental costs....certainly a topic to look into!
I  learned some of the different options when creating an elibrary.  This is a whole new avenue to explore - the management of the collection will totally change when dealing with digital content - do you own, rent or license??  This is what I hope to tackle over the summer... We had a brief conversation at a Questar III meeting about buying into an ebook collection and I loved the idea but I am wondering what other librarians are doing. 
At the conference vendors discussed the options with ebooks....I did not know they existsed...you can get a short term lease for 7, 14 or 28 days...there is also the PDA option Patron Driven Acquisition - purchased based on patron use.  And I love Overdrive...especially since they are working on a Browser based reader! WOO HOO!!
So for the assignment I did check out...Lendle which seemed a little involved.  I didn't realize they earn $ when you purchase amazon books through their site.  You have to lend in order to borrow - and you can only lend a book once.  Some publishers do not allow books to be "lendable" which again I think will change in time.  I took a look at ebookfling as well...you can borrow for a Nook or Kindle - here you need credits to borrow or the cost is $2.99 and on LendInk it is not necessary to loan to borrow.  All had similar rules and modes of operation.  BookFriend.Me seemed to be an up and coming site for both the Nook and Kindle.  My favorite site was booklending.com - well designed, easy to use site...love their pick of the day...simply done well!
I hope that there is more discussion about eBook collections, ereaders, apps ....collection development and management of such collections! 
PS  Joyce Valenza's list of eBooks portals rocks!!  You have to check it out!!  Does this woman ever sleep???

Thing # 8 Databases, Search Tools, Custom Search

Databases...mid-year my district purchased from Facts on File  their Issues & Controversies in American History  and Science Online.  I figured now is the perfect opportunity to play around with them...A nice feature about the Issues & Controversies  was the collection of political cartoons...primary source documents....everything was arranged by era.  They did a nice job...produced good results.  However, the Science Online database blew me away.  I loved the science dictionary,  conversion calculator & science standard all available by tabs at the top.  A teacher who used the NYTimes to introduce science in the news until we couldn't get it anymore...now uses Science Online.  They have a list of news worthy science topics and always have a Today's Science feature.  You can browse diagrams, experiments, bios, timelines by subject then era, videos and animation.  They hit the nail on the head with this one...easy to use, great information..it is a fun databases to just browse!
Search Tools... I came across duckduckgo.com and I am now a huge fan.  It has a similar feel to google...but much simpler.  It was one of Time's top 50 websites of 2011.   It promotes more privacy and less spam.    Like google...on its search page its logo changes with events...for example the duck was dressed as Adam Yauch in honor of his passing.  I like the way it presents search results...very no nonsense and relevant.  Google tries to think for you and returns results it thinks you will like.  You and a friend might do the same search but get totally different results...google trying to think for you.  Google tracks your searches and saves them which can be legally requested.  They save your browser  & computer information which leads to all the 3rd party ads.  I really appreciated the list of Apps duckduckgo provided for maximum protection while searching the internet!  I love the Goodies it provides as well!  I think it is a great alternative to the all mighty, all knowing google.
I have also had my students try out SweetSearch....results were good although they seem to miss the bells and whistles of a google search...I tried to explain to them the research experts' input into the results they get...but they were not impressed!  LOL
I was interested in the Custom Search on Google...have not tried it yet but hope to ....next on my list of things to do.

Thing #7: Collaborating, Connecting, Sharing

Addition to Thing #6  After working with a student to learn Evernote I am now a fan!!  And I was surprised how many of my students used it.  I think for next year I will try to sell it to some of my teachers....very useful!!!
OK....as for  Thing #7....I have used GoogleDocs previously however, our computers at school cause it to work sporadically.  I have run into a few issues with what our district has blocked when it comes to "sharing" work.    I am a huge fan of Dropbox.   My district restricts the use of flashdrives and students cannot access their emails accounts so it is a battle having them work on something at home and then wanting to access it at school.  SO Dropbox makes it soooo easy!!  Drag, drop and save!  Woo hoo!!! It took some dealings with my IT department but it works!  I even got my mom on it...I save pictures of her grandchildren and she has no problem viewing them.
I took some time to look into Livebinder again too!  Another great way to share and store information.
I played around with Stixy....I liked it...not sure how I would use it in the classroom.  I seem to run into that with all of these tools.  I think my summer will be revisiting these tools and figuring out ways to incorporate them into the classrooms...getting teachers to buy in!!  I need to find some examples of how they are being used....if anyone has a good place to go let me know!
The last one I tried was Google Calendar!  LOVE IT!!!  I shared it with my family ...we put in our vacations, special dates, birthdays and sharing it is easy!  We all have our own color so it is easy to see who is doing what at a moments notice.  I could see introducing this to students when mapping out a research project...what needs to be done when and Google Calendar will send you email reminders!!  LOVE THAT FEATURE!