Social Networking

To be honest, I wasn't comfortable when I was checking out the 3 mentioned social networking sites. I felt as though it was meant to meet people (dating) or to begin a physical relationship. I didn't get the positive feeling I thought I would get. Adults can make their own decisions, however, I don't believe I would want my own children on these sites at this time. I just think that there's too much danger involved. I think I'll have to explore this topic further in order to gain more of an understanding of why people have such a need to connect online. What do you think?

**Beatrice**

Come Fly With Me!

Come and discover the Louvre! Take a virtual tour of one of my favorite museums-now we can all get to Paris (virtually!). I immensely enjoyed being guided through the Louvre and remembering places and exhibits I had seen when I visited many years ago. Now I hope to increase my knowledge of museums around the world through the use of this assignment. That way, when I'm ready to actually visit or teach about various places in the library-I'll have a sufficient knowledge base to draw off of. The website is http://www.louvre.fr/llv/musee/alaune.jsp?bmLocale=en
Hope you enjoy your tour!

**Beatrice**

Simulations

I actually felt a bit more connected to this topic this week because I have incorporated numerous non-electronic simulations over the years while teaching. It seems as though the simulations (electronic or not) motivate the children and inspire open communication and collaborative learning. Rules and procedures are a necessary component to this type of classroom activity as is making learner outcomes clear with the assistance of rubrics. Children should realize that although they may be having fun when being actively engaged, there are also expectations and accountability involved. What do you think?

**Beatrice**

Museum Resources

I located a wonderful site for educators interested in virtual museums! It has museum resources "for those who are starting out building virtual museums with their students." The site is http://fno.org/museum/oldies&goodies.html
The site also has an article written by Jamie McKenzie (1995) about virtual museums. The subtopics in the article are:
--The Virtual Museum Defined
--Students as Curators of Virtual Museums
--Virtual Museums are Global
--Virtual Museums are Dynamic, Multidisciplinary, and Multisensory

I learned a lot by reading this article and the links on the website also bring the user to schools that have tried this-food for thought! Enjoy!!

**Beatrice**

Museums Around the World

Amazingly, this virtual museum site has reached almost 6 million who've visited it! The site provides a listing of museums around the world which are categorized by country/continent. When you click on the USA, it then gives the user a state list which can be clicked on as well. Museums, complete with addresses and a brief blurb about it are shown along with a direct link to their web page. I have truly enjoyed taking tours of some of these museums and some of their web pages are fantastic! Here is the website so that you can check it out for yourself: http://icom.museum/vlmp/world.html
Let me know what you think.

**Beatrice**

Tagging

Another new word to add to my ever increasing computer world vocabulary! Tagging seems like a very useful activity to use in order to organize the contents of your collection. Organization is a key component in being able to access information quickly and really get the stuff that you want! Therefore, it seems like a lot of thoughtful consideration must go into tagging.

**Beatrice**

Social Bookmarking

As I read about the various social bookmarking sites, my first impression was that there really seems to be some sort of connection for individuals to reach out to others with the same interests. When I explored the sites I spent an awful lot of time doing so and wondered how much time do people actually spend on their computers. Mine feels like an extra appendage lately. I think the sites are useful, but because I am a novice with all of this, I have only used the "regular" bookmarking to save certain sites on my own laptop or for the children at school. I see there is a lot to learn, share, and utilize on these sites.

**Beatrice**

RFID

I was happy scanning books with barcodes at my fieldwork location, and tonight I just finished reading about this incredible Radio Frequency Identification! What an extraordinary leap for libraries as they strive to handle their collections and improve service. I'm still hoping to be automated at my school and I certainly hope I'm there long enough to utilize this amazing technology!

**Beatrice**

Virtual Museums

Virtual Museums - what an interesting idea! There's a whole world out there to discover and you can do it all from the convenience of your own PC. I've been reading a great deal of information regarding these virtual museums and what I've grasped thus far is that museums are represented online now just like many other educational and commercial entities. There has been something called Virtual Library museums pages (VLmp) online since 1994 and this is an online museum directory which is internationally distributed. The site is monitored and maintained by 20 experts from around the globe. Related vocabulary that I read about concerning this topic was: online museum, virtual library, access statistics and museophile. What is a museophile? It is a term that comes from Britain which has to do with supporting online museums and virtual libraries. The website that you can visit to find out about the VLmp is http://forums.museophile.net/section/VLmp .
Till next time---

**Beatrice**

The First 2 Weeks...

So...two weeks has gone by in the blink of an eye! I think I may finally have gotten all of the groups and assignments straight in my head. Although I truly was panic-stricken at first-I have learned some new things thus far, like---what a "blog" is and their purpose, how to actually create and use a blog, as well as alternate methods of communication which may very well be the wave of the future. I look forward to learning more in this class now that I have broken it down into bite size pieces that I can actually digest!

**Beatrice**

Hello Out There!

Hello to everyone out there reading this blog! My name is Beatrice and I'm studying to become a Library Media Specialist at Syracuse University. I've been teaching for 21 years and can't believe I'm back in school again after all of these years. The program is both interesting as well as challenging and I've learned so much thus far. I've also had the privilege of meeting some really outstanding peple and have been exposed to many different points of view regarding educational processes and institutions. Although sometimes I am stressed out, I wouldn't trade this experience for the world!
My family (husband-Rich, children-Alison-14, Richie-10, and Sarah-9) have encouraged me to spend as much time on the computer as I need to and they just love checking out my report card when it arrives! Being away from them last summer was tough, but we made it through and everyone is looking forward to me graduating. Then I will need to look at colleges for my daughter-maybe Syracuse-who knows? For now I can't (we can't) wait for summer to come to get some R&R-we are a true sports and activities family and are on the run a lot. I would just like to settle down on a lounge chair and read a book of my choice-not a college text:)
For now though, I take one day at a time and have learned to become more flexible. I am enjoying this journey and will take with me an increased knowledge base as well as invaluable practical experiences.

**Beatrice**