Wk 9 Thing 23!!!!: Summary of Program

I have completed the program! Yay! Overall I am pleased with the process and the things I learned. There were some stumbling blocks and some not so-clear instructions here and there but together with my co-workers, we got past them. Avatars, wikis, widgets, feeds and how to create a blog were some of my favorite parts. I think this will help me at as a librarian because I will be more aware of how the Internet works and have more tools at my disposal. BY the way, my branch manager believes that 23 things are too many things. At times I agreed with him, but I am proud of the fact that I did them all.

Wk 9 Thing 22: Project Gutenberg

I chose to explore Project Gutenberg. I am glad to know it it out there. It could prove useful for students who need a classic that we are all out of. I myself would not be interested in reading a book online like that. I much prefer books in regular book format. But the neat thing about this project is its emphasis on accesibility....and the variety of languages presented. I like that no account or software is required and that a lot of the titles have the online recorded version as well as a on-screen version. This site may be the only way that some people can get these titles.

Wk 9, Thing 21: Podcasts

I explored the three podcast directories listed in the instructions. I liked Podcast.net the least. It was not very well organized. The larger categories weren't broken down much and the descriptions were often not clear about the content. The other thing I noticed is that I couldn't find any that were current. When I was at the main "Entertainment" category page, the list of the newest podcasts started with "December 29." Quite odd. I liked the orgainization of Podcastalley.com better. It was clearer what each podcast was about. But it only gave you an option to "subscribe" and then download software. I didn't do that. (Yahoo podcasts did give you an option to "listen" rather than subscribe, right under each podcast). But then I found out that if you click "details" under each post that another page will come up which gives you the option to just "listen". One issue that was present in all directories is that none of the lists I came up with seemed to be in any order...definitely not in alphabetical or topical order. I did find some podcasts that could potentially be interesting, but all in all I don't find these directories very user-friendly. I am glad to know more about podcasts though.

Wk. 9 Thing 20: Youtube

That is so neat that you can post a video right on your blog! It worked with no problem. But I didn't have to copy and paste the code as suggested. Once you have an account with Youtube, you click on "Post Video" and it will ask for info on which site you have a blog with. Then it finds your blog, gives you an option to add text and then posts it. It put it right at the top with the correct date and the title of the video. That is cool! It also has links for related videos and a volume control.

I have used Youtube before and have had fun looking at different things. There s a lot of creative videos represented amidst the wierd stuff. I chose this video because it was good quality and packed a lot fun into a short time. It also didn't have any inance commenting going on in the background. I clicked on a video with two otters doing "it" together and a young boy was yelling in the background..."I can't believe this...I am going to post this on the Internet." I tried to find a cute video about hedgehogs but most of what I got had to do with the show "Sonic the Hedgehog." That is a of the drawback to Youtube...but it is also an issue present in most of the web.

In terms of library use, one could use Youtube videos to promote library programs. The system could put up a video of a segment of a lecture or discussion on its website to give the public a taste of what the program was about and to encourage them to come to future ones. If the branch was represented in a community event, it would be fun to show their customers what happened with a video.

Otter Hackey Sack!

Here is a cute video of an otter playing. Otters are one of my favorite animals. I have no idea if this posting will work. We'll see.

Wk. 8 Thing 19: Web 2.0 Awards

I explored the Web 2.0 Awards site and found it interesting. One site that I liked was Yelp, a reviews site for restaurants, store and services located in different cities. I looked around the New York City portion and was impressed at the variety of stores it listed. It'll probably be useful next time I visit NYC or if I am going to a city I have never been to before. I have also heard about the Pandora music site from a friend and would like to try it out sometime. Based on the songs or artists you enter it will create a radio station with selections of similar music.

The site that I worked on the most was Netvibes.com. You can create your own home page that you sign in with a password and design it with feeds, photos, videos, a calendar etc. Netvibes has an extensive list of newsfeeds on different subjects and from a variety of sources. You can preview them before adding them to your site. The site is quite user friendly. The widgets that make up the page (feeds, search, calendar, notes etc.) are easy to choose, edit, move and delete. I enjoyed creating my page. There are enough options for one to be able to really personalize it with your interests. It is neat to have a bunch of updated information presented all at your fingertips. I think it is more reader friendly than bloglines. I was glad you only needed to give an e-mail address and a password to get started...no other information.

Wk. 8 Thing 18: Online Productivity Tools

I tried out Google Docs. I am glad to know about it. I looked around at the options. I was glad to see that you could upload documents from another source like a disk. The layout of the home page seemed well organized. When I created my document, I had fun with the different options..all clearly presented...including text color, text highlighting, insert link or picture.

Wk. 6: Thing 15: Future of Libraries

Of the articles I read, I thought "To a temporary place in time..." by Wendy Shultz and "Into a new world of librarianship" by Michael Stephens were the most interesting and relevant.

I liked how Wendy described libraries as staying true to past traditions but flexible enough to adapt to changing trends and needs. She said, "Libraries are not just collections of documents and books, they are conversations, they are convocations of people, ideas and artifacts in dynamic exchange." Then later she continues, "But the avalanche of material available will put a premium on service, on tailoring information to needs, and on developing participatory relationships with customers." As librarians, we not only point the way to specific resources that will help, but we also share with them our knowledge of how things are organized, or how the publishing business works, or give general advice based on our experiences. With technology, often we have to start with more rudimentary tools for customers not familiar with the basics. But the more we learn about new technologies, the more we we will be able to pull out the most useful tools for all of our customers and for communicating with fellow staff.

Michael's article focused on similar themes. "Librarian 2.0, then, is the 'strategy' guide for helping users find information, gather knowledge and create content." I liked his writing style and his practical outlook on libraries.

Wk 7: Wikis cont.

The link didn't work the first time so I will try again

I am glad to learn more about wikis, other than wikipedia. Wikipedia has the drawback that lots of people assume the infomation given is always going to be 100% accurate, but that is not the case because it can be edited by anyone. But its broad range of topics and usually straightforward way of explaining things can make it a useful tool, once you understand its limitations.

Wikis can also be helpful for sharing of information among colleagues at work or students in the same class. For example, if librarians want to collect information about a certain topic that is particularly relevant to their customers, wikis could help. Co-workers can add information as they find it and that information can get collected in one place so that it would be easily accessible to all staff.
http://marylandlibrariessandbox.pbwiki.com/My+Favorite+Things

Wk 7: Wikis

http://marylandlibrariessandbox.pbwiki.com/My-Favorite-Things

This is my page I created of favorite things in the Maryland Libraries Sandbox. It was fun and I will be adding to it with other items. I wanted to set it up and see how to do it first.

Wk 6, Thing 14: Technorati

This can be a good search tool for finding blogs on different subjects and keywords. I liked exploring that aspect of it. But I didn't find much use for the "popular" feature (favorited blogs, top searches, top blogs). I don't know why some of those blogs got to the top and most don't seem interesting to me. I am not the type to read what someone has to say just on random topics (current or not).

Wk 6, Thing 13: Del.icio.us

This not a useful portion of the project. The video tutorial didn't work. The introduction that was provided didn't help...it was too advanced and was condescending to novice techies. I tried just jumping into the topic and looking at PLCMCL2 to see examples of Del.icio.us tags. But just looking around that site didn't clarify why and how this tool could be useful.

Wk 5, Thing 12: Rollyo

Rollyo is a good thing to know about. If you are doing research on a topic and have gathered together a bunch of websites etc. that are on that topic, then you can do one search on rollyo and come up with information from several hand-picked sources in one step. I also like the fact that you can find out about websites that others have searched on different topics and find ones you haven't heard of before.

Wk 5: Rollyo

Here is my Rollyo search box for New York City.

Select Search Engine...New York CitySearch The Web

Powered by Rollyo

Wk 5 Thing 11: Library Thing

Library Thing is a interesting site where I could spend lots of time wandering around in. It could be a useful tool to figure out what to read next, depending on your mood. I like being able to find out more about people who read similar books and also check out their catalog. The groups are another aspect I would like to explore more. One thing that would be nice is if the site had a capability for the member to make a list of books from their catalog on topics such as "what books I read recently," or "which books I would like to read" etc. I put up a widget of some of my books (with a link to my catalog) and I like the way it looks.

Wk 5 Thing 10: Image generators

Here is my Yahoo avatar. It was fun to create. I also fiddled around with Meez...also a fun way to create avatars. But it was little slow and cumbersome. Here is a the link to Yahoo's avatars: http://uk.avatars.yahoo.com/

Wk 4 Thing 9: News feeds cont.

So I am learning a whole new vocabulary with this project....bloglines, RSS, newsfeeds, widget, avatar etc. and getting the chance to put the terms into practice. This is one of the best parts of the process so far. I have seen some of these terms while surfing the web and I'm glad to understand them better.

I enjoyed learning about the different newsfeeds and blog finders and exploring each a bit. These are good sources for finding information about different topics from a variety of sources. And I was excited to create a widget of a newsfeed (see earlier post)! I checked it today and the newsfeed widget was updated! I know...a simple thing for techies...bear with me.

Wk 4 Thing 8: RSS and Bloglines

Bloglines is another fun thing to learn about. It is neat to have different news sources and other websites in one place and have them continuously updated. It would be nice, however, if the pictures showed up as well as the text. But I understand that the main purpose is to see a quick scan of news items. Now that I know that something like this exists and how to use it, I will keep it in mind for other sites I come across. This tool can be useful as a repository for sites that I see that I don't want to forget about and would like to refer to in the future.

Picture Fun!

I am posting this picture because I wanted to know how to post a non-flickr picture and this cool photo goes along with the widget.

Wk 4: News Feeds

With Clare as my inspiration, I am inserting my own Widgit into my blog. It is a news feed from Feedster about my favorite baseball player, Mike Mussina. Very exciting! More about news feeds and bloglines to come.....

Wk 3 Thing 7: Technology

I am interested in doing this project because it gives me the chance to get familiar with newer aspects of technology. I am not a person who likes technology for technology's sake. I need to have it be useful in my life. I don't jump on the bandwagon right away. I like to see how other people are using a product or a service and learn from friends and family. It is a neat feeling once you get accustomed to using it and it becomes a natural part of your life and enhances it or makes things more convenient. DVD players and cellphones are two examples. I have a digital camera and I took it on my last trip. I was really impressed with the ease of using it and the quality of the pictures. I know how to download them on to my computer, but I have yet to be comfortable with the next steps...sharing them and editing them etc. That will come soon. I like taking advantage of the fun things that I can do with technology, but I also need to be in the right frame of mind to get over the learning curve. Curling up with a good book is still one of my favorite ways to unwind from a busy day that includes so much involvement with computers and the like.

Wk 3 Thing 6: Flickr Fun!

I explored some of Flickr's website and enjoyed seeing people's photos. There were a lot of beautiful pictures of Prague, one of my favorite cities. I picked one of them to post on my blog. I also looked at FD Toys' site. There are some cool things to do with photos on them, such as creating Mosaics, calenders, captions. Something to remember for the future!

Wk 3, Thing 5 Flickr

Prague Old Town Square
Originally uploaded by Lazy B

This is a picture of the Old Town Suare in Prague. Prague is one of the most beautiful, amazing places I have ever visited. It is so rich with history and culture and gorgeous, old buildings. It is a great place to walk around in. The Old Town Square is one of my favorite places in the city. There are all sorts of people streaming in and out of all of the corners and so is a great place to peoplewatch.

Wk 1, Thing 2: lifelong learning habits

I thought the piece about lifelong learning habits was interesting. I like the fact that it included a wide range of activities that people can engage in for learning or just enriching one's life.

Habit #1 (begin with the end in mind), #2 (accept responsibility for your own learning) and #3 (view problems as challenges) are the ones that come most naturally to me. These give structure to the project at hand and provide me with impetus to get the project moving. Oftentimes when I approach problems logically, the challenge is to find the solution that fits. When I do, it can feel rewarding.

Habit #6 (use technology to your advantage) and #7 (teach/mentor others) are the ones that I would like to get more comfortable with. I have had some experience with them over the years (ie: using databases, searching the Internet and supervising others), but would like to get more.

first post!

Hi there...
This is my first post to my very own blog! I am excited to learn more about new technologies and have hands-on practice, instead of only hearing about them on the news or from other people.