Thing 23 - The Summary

Wow! There was a lot of info packed into these 12 weeks. Some things were interesting, helpful, and useful to me, even if I didn't quite understand them. Other things were not so useful, but now at least I am aware of them. Some things I would like to go back to and delve into a little more. I don't really feel totally comfortable with most of this technology but I can see how more use would improve that situation. Many of the things are very time consuming to keep up with and may not be something I use everyday. But to know what's out there with at least passing knowledge will help me work with our patrons especially with the children and tweens.

Thing 22

I looked into Overdrive and there are good selections of titles. My husband listens to audio books for his commute. I am always trying to find some in our library that he would like. With these on-line audio book downloads he can get what he is interested in and it will available when he needs another book. Overdrive also has children's books that I am going to recommend to patrons especially during the summer travel months. I always thought that Project Gutenburg is a very worthwhile cause and now it is even more accessible on downloads.

Thing 21

Podcasts are interesting little bits of info for learning or fun. I found that Podcast.net directory was easier to use to find items by subject or tag. I found some useful podcasts about books and libraries including live teen slam poetry from Kankakee Library.

Thing 20

I had seen a few videos on You Tube before, some are like home movies or kid stunts but some are well done and even informative. I did not realize that television shows, commercials and other professionally made videos were also included. I looked under the subject of books and found 'Reading Rainbow' and ala psa on banned books. This may be a good resource for these types of videos and in a portable format. Here is one of my favorite animated shorts about the library.

Thing 19

The Web 2.0 awards site is very good because it narrows down the overwhelming size of the internet. By having a few good sites listed helps you find something useful without spending sooooooooo much time hunting and seeking info. This would be useful in the library when patrons want info and feedback. I looked at the books and travel areas. Even though we already studied LibraryThing. com I think it would be very helpful professionally as well as personally. The realtravel site had some interesting comments, personal itineraries and photos that may help someone plan their own trip.

Thing 18

I can see the use of these new on-line products. Not only to share with others but to share with your other computers. If you have several computers you use, like one at home and one at work, you could connect the projects in this way instead of emailing yourself or putting new stuff on a portable storage units like jump drives. That way you would always have the newest update at hand. I opened an account with Zoho and found some new uses, like the calendar and to do list. These could be very helpful when planning meetings etc. with a group.

Thing 17

I found the favorite blog site on the Learning 2.o Marylandlibrariessandbox wiki and the ones I looked at were interesting. I opened an account, wrote up a wiki on my favorite science fiction authors but I can't get it into the sandbox. I must be missing a step somewhere. I'll keep trying and maybe get some help with this. I can see this is a good way to share things but right now I'm frustrated about how it's not working for me.

Thing 16

When I first heard about Wikis some time ago they seemed rather dangerous because of the possibility of misinformaiton being used unknowingly. Now they have developed checks and balances to the edit program so revisions can be reviewed. I liked the libary wikis with subject guides, patron book reviews and programming ideas because they make the library sites more personable as well as useful.

Thing 15

Web 2.0 has so much info coming so fast that it's scary. Yes, things have changed in the library over the years and we must keep currant. Yes, working cooperatively has always been important in libraries, more so now with the price of technology and the speed of change. But the comments on the library being the community and the people show that there is more to libraries and life than the web, blogging and other gadgets.

Thing 14

The Technorati tour was not working for me so I read all the little print about this site. This site seems to have even more info, bloggers, interesting lists and tags. It really shows that people from all areas of life and interest are blogging, from silly cartoons to serious politics, and business. The numbers of people involved and the frequency of use are mind blowing. With all this info out there I can see the need sharing tags with interest groups. But I still find it hard to believe that all these people have time to spend blogging. I can see that some do it for work, research, business etc. but there seems to be lots of just fluff that people blog about.

Thing 13

I signed up for an account on del.icio.us but I had a hard time putting the buttons links on my page. I found this whole thing very long, tedious reading and listening. Too many steps to follow even with the tutorial guides. I liked some of the library d pages but had a hard time posting the links and tags. I think I understand it but can't put it in use now. I will try to get someone to walk me through it in person so I can follow the steps. I can see this as a useful tool to find and share info, the tags are good connectors.

Thing 12

I created a Rollyo account, and will add to it. This will be useful in many ways for myself as well as helping others find what they need.

Thing 11

I like the LibraryThing. I have lots of books that are mostly shelved by genre or author. Sometimes I forget if I own a book or just read it from the library. In my spare moments I would like to organize my books with this system. Then maybe I'll tackle my husband's westerns, sci-fi and hard science books.

Thing 10

This image generator is an interesting addition but I'm not sure how I would use it, maybe just something to highlight info to catch a reader's eye.

Thing 9

Again I learned that there is lots of info out there, too much to really get around, so these feed search tools are very useful. I could not open Feedster so I can't comment on it but I thought that Topix.net and Technorati were ones that I would use. There is a need for standard feed icons because with all the info on a home page it's sometimes frustrating to look for the correct icon.

Thing 8

This RSS and newsreader idea is interesting because there is so much info out 'there' that no one can possible read it all. Having a blogline account lets me know when new info comes up in my areas of interest and helps me get that info in a timely manner. I am still hunting for more feeds in my area, it is an ongoing task.

Thing 7

Technology that interests me would be the new digital camera I received for the holidays. I have been trying to figure out the stuff on it. I e-mailed some pictures to my sister's children and I made a video of falling snow. I would like to try making a montage of my own pictures some time. I can also burn dvds of programs and movies so we can see them when we have time. In addition to the laptop for internet and e-mail, this is the kind of technology I use most.

Thing 6

Wet purple,
originally uploaded by hexion.

I tried to make a mashup inspirational postcard but after I put it together I could not move it to my blog. I tried it several times but now I think i should move on and come back to this later. It was fun trying to find something to put together. Could be very useful for poster and publicity, if I could do it right. This flickr color pickr is pretty and interesting, so I just added a purple hydrangea for Aunt Purple.

Thing 5

poker face,
originally uploaded by floots.

I liked Flickr but there is so much to look at that it can be too time consuming. I also found a few pictures that I liked and would have used in this blog but they did not have the button to 'blog this' so I couldn't use them. Using my own photos may be something to think about in the future.

Thing 2

The 7 and a half life long learning habits were interesting. I use several of these views in my own outlook on life but have never seen them in an actual list. The two easiest of these habits are taking responsibility for your own learning and teaching others. I am always learning something especially working with children in the library. I am learning facts, technology or methodology as I am helping and teaching people to find what they want in the library. The two hardest habits are viewing problems as challenges and creating a toolbox. I know every obsticle is a learning apportunity but somehow I see the challenge as getting through the crisis of the problem. The toolbox idea was hard to put together because there are so many things that could be helpful in different situations.

Thing 1

There is going to be a lot of info in this program. It seems a little daunting but hopefully I will find my way through it. I think I will learn many things because I have little knowledge in this area now other than occasionally reading blogs.