Thing 6: Curation Tools

I really enjoyed the graphic above because it brought home for me how much time I still spend step by step curating and finding information. It is a process that is so routine in my every day life that I never even considered that there are tools that do that and they are of great value !!!

I started this unit a month ago. I had been an avid Pintrest user for years. I have now realized that although I was using Pintrest regularly- I was not using it mindfully. I was not considering if the information I was taking in was up to date or accurate. I was simply getting my information fix.

As I began this unit I was open to these tools being useful to me professionally but I was not sure how often I would use them. I explored Diigo, LibGuides, Edshelf, and paper.li. I enjoyed different features about each site and can see that with time I will find each one helpful. The one that became an immediate addition to my daily routine was paper.li. I even was able to read articles about curation tools within this tool.

I feel up to date with the daily information I receive with paper.li. I feel more responsible as a professional because I am being mindful and informed daily. I wake up and start my day reviewing my selected areas professionally with my first cup of coffee. I actually look forward to, "what am I going to learn today?". This spills over to my vision for my students daily also. I am working on linking my personal links to my accounts to remain updated and linked to my old favorites also without having to go from site to site for daily information. 

I would like to become creative with my use of these tools with students. I can see middle and high school students finding this kind of tool helpful to add a new dimension to research and information seeking projects. I am going to try to set up a page for my students during the Olympics and see how it goes on an elementary level.

Paper.li presents information that allows me to have deeper professional conversations. I find myself introduced to new ideas. I even shared paper.li with my principal- who is an information junky and our one on one classroom teachers. They are finding it very helpful to keep their passion and interest fresh every day.

On a personal note, this post was delayed due to some health issues. I was able to set up a news feed about the health issue I am battling and it gave me guidance and focus on how to proceed. It also motivated me to go back to my Pintrest account to reorganize and update.

Who doesn't need help with curation in their everyday life and in a world of information overload ?