Tech Chick Tips, episode 25, April 2007

As part of the Digital Media class, the librarian had to listen and review a podcast. She listened to a few of the Tech Chicks’ podcasts, and wrote about the latest one, episode 25.  In the podcast, the two Tech Chicks begin by talking about Ryan, at Teachers and Tech, who wants turns teachers into geeks. The librarian went to the site and was disappointed about the scant information included in the site. It made her wonder if it was a matter of not accessing the right information on the page or the Tech Chicks being not too critical of the site.

The Tech Chicks go on to provide several resources that the librarian found valuable:

• Makebeliefscomix is a free online make your own comics site. The site allows you to drag and drop characters into a frame, and includes story ideas. It looks like a great way to get kids exited about writing.
• Grammar Girls goes to Middle School – a middle school class from North Dakota that is doing their own version of Grammar Girls.
• LeaderTalk is the first group blog written by school leaders for school leaders.
• RandomKid  believes in the power of anyONE to make a difference. The site, run by an eleven-year-old boy helps kids develop their ideas to solve/help real-world problems. Also builds leadership skills needed to orchestrate their idea.
  

Google Spreadsheets offers a dynamic chart/graph option now,  and of course, Google for educators, a great source http://www.google.com/educators/index.html .

Overall, the librarian found the idea of listening to podcasts useful and has decided to make a habit of listening to them on a regular basis. After all, it’s exactly as long as it takes her to get to work in the mornings. And no annoying commercials!