Thing 7

My email accounts are kind of like all of these fun new Things... getting out of control. All of the good information that arrives from list serves as well as the Things can get overwhelming. I need to organize and categorize and be realistic about what I may not get back to. I need to decide what is essential and what will truly be useful in my life and library position. I do appreciate the notification emails I get from my public library. If our school were bigger... this may be an implementation idea that could catch on with the students.
As far as IM goes, school librarians are basically available during school hours when the students are also at school. A face to face meeting seems like the most efficient way to help. We have a small school and a trip to the library is a short walk. If students felt more comfortable using IM or groups needed to communicate that could be a different story.
Texting is kind of the same boat. School library staff hours are basically limited to the school day. Also, cell phone use during the school day is limited by school policy. I can see how this service would be appreciated by those who stay connected through their cell phones.
I watched the OPAL screen movie overview of how OPAL works. Web conferencing looks like a great way to take advantage of staff development opportunities without leaving town. The potential to take advantage of archived programs adds to the flexibility. It could also be developed as a tool to teach students how to use things like online databases and searching techniques... anything a PowerPoint could do... this seems like it could even do better. I'm not sure about the technology it would take to produce your own web conferencing opportunities, but until then... I've taken advantage of Webinars in the early days and equipment differences caused a lot of delays. I should try one of these again.
I also like the potential of co-browsing.
I have had experience with texting and IM, but don't use it often myself.
I also looked at the ELM overview on Minitex. It was a great reminder of the valuable resources at this site and a door opening experience for resources that I did not realize were a part of ELM. This was interesting mainly because the timing of some of the offerings haven't worked for me. This is a way to access a variety of topics on my own time. I can also refer others (teachers, students) to this service or maybe even use it as a starting point for my own staff development presenting.