Week 9, Thing 23

Wow, I am finally finished! This project was very enlightening. A nice way to introduce non-tech lovers to all the new technology around these days. I was surprised to learn that I really enjoyed some of the new technology. I especially like flickr, RSS feeds, and del.icio.us. I have used RSS feeds and del.icio.us to find great resources for teen programming and our TAG groups. There is so much out there. Too bad there aren't more hours in the days.

Week 9, Thing 22 Downloadable Audiobooks

Took a look at Overdrive downloadable audiobooks, movies, music, etc. I found some interesting titles here. For myself I found a cool self-improvement title, The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People by David Niven. I think these products are wonderful for people who enjoy mobile audiobooks, i.e. listen in car or while you excercise. As more and more people adopt MP3 technology these products will be more and more utilized by our customers.

Week 9, Thing 21 Podcasts

Not loving the podcasts. I am really not an auditory learner. Therefore I think that I do not appreciate this format as much as some might. I would really rather see the speaker and have something written to refer to. As far as using the podcast format in libraries, I did like the podcasts from Opal (Online Programming for all Libraries). These podcasts are short and cover various topics of interest to librarians. I listened to a podcast on the Milennial generation. The podcast gave some interesting ideas about how we can tailor library services to this particular generation of customers.

I also listened to podcasts from a public library that broadcast news to customers about library issues. This may be of more interest to librarians than the general public. It might be cool to add a monthly podcast to the library's homepage. The podcast could mention upcoming events at the library, just like the PSAs we do with Metrocast cable. Just an idea!

Week 9, Thing 20 YouTube

YouTube is certainly entertaining. I could see how you could spend hours looking at the videos! I chose a Jordache jeans video from the 80's. Jordache jeans were very big when I was a middle schooler. This video took me back to my middle school days and made me laugh.

Week 8, Thing 19 Web 2.0 Awards

I explored a cool site called cocktail builder. You can tell it what you have in your bar and then it tells you a bunch of cocktails you can make and how to make them. You can also make a bar menu to hand out to guests at a party. They can then choose what they would like to drink. There is also a search function to find recipes for cocktails you know of, but don't know the ingredients or how to make them. Great fun for parties! We could suggest this tool to customers planning parties or weddings. It would also be a cool addition to a book display for summer barbeques or cocktail parties.

Week 8, Thing 18 Google Docs

I made a test document in Google docs. It seems fairly easy to use. I can see the benefit of using these online productivity tools. Collaboration and easy access would seem to be the best reasons to use these tools. I don't quite understand how you can save a doc in Google docs as a Word file and attach it to emails as a Word file. But Google docs says you can!

Week 7, Thing 17 Learning 2.0 SandBox wiki

I added a few foods to "favorite foods" and books to "favorite children's books". A pretty cool way to collaborate on stuff!

Week 7, Thing 16 Wikis

Wow! I was just looking at the subject guides wiki that was created by SJCPL and I really like it. What a great way to organize all types of information that customers are interested in, all in one place! For example, under "Gardening" there are links to local gardening resources, great gardening websites, book covers of recently added gardening books, lists of gardening magazines, and community information about gardening (Master Gardener classes). What a great application for a wikis in libraries. This looks like it took a tremendous amount of time to create and upkeep but I think it would be worth it.

I also like the idea of a book review wiki open to both library staff and the public. However, to really get this going you need some people that really want to share their opinions with others and are willing to take a little time to contribute to the wiki. I like the book review wiki created by Princeton Public Library. They have a book lovers club that was dedicated to creating this wiki. I love the book covers they added.

Week 6, Thing 15

Icebergs

It's not hard to agree with Rick Anderson's article on library "icebergs". I am often asked by customers for help navigating something as simple as our library catalog. It seems fairly simple to us and I think most people are able to navigate it without too much trouble, but even our catalog could probably be made simpler and more user friendly. Libraries should definately focus efforts on simplifying ways for customers to access information. I also agree with Mr. Anderson on the topic of pumping up library services on the web.

Week 6, Thing 14 Technorati

Technorati is a great tool for following blogs. When I searched blog posts, tags, and the blog directory for "learning 2.0", the results differed significantly. I got the most results when searching for blog posts, and the least results when searching by tags. Searching tags will give you the most refined search. The blog directory search is a good way to seek out blogs you would like to monitor on a regular basis.

Popular blogs and top blogs often cover technology related topics. No surprise there. I guess techies have a never-ending thirst for opinions, and info on technology! I thought it was cool that the Post Secret blog is so popular still. It's an interesting site where people share secrets.

Week 6, Thing 13 Del.icio.us

I signed up for a delicious account and so far I think I like this technology best of all. I found some great teen library sites to add to my bookmarks. Came across some great info on gaming that I have not been able to find elsewhere.

I will definately check these sites on a semi-regular basis to get program ideas, book titles and more. This is a great way to keep track of sites you use regularly. The tagging really helped me to find sites that were relevant to what I was looking for.

Week 5 Practical Application

The most practical use I can think of from this weeks technology tools is to create a search tool roll of frequently used reference sites. Reference librarians could search multiple sites at once to try to find material to answer those tough reference questions!

Week 5, Thing 12 Rollyo

I created a search roll on rollyo of teen book sites. If nothing else, it gives me a cool list of some of the best sites to search for teen books. Here's the link: http://rollyo.com/elmwalker67/teen_books/

Week 5, Thing 11 Library Thing

Library thing is pretty cool. I think it will be a great resource for finding new authors and read-alikes. My library thing :http://www.librarything.com/catalog.php?view=elmwlker67&shelf=list

Week 5, Thing 10

Wow, I had a great time playing with the online image generators. I really liked one particular image generator, image chef. We made some cool personalized birthday cakes and wrote some messages in the sand on the beach!

Week 5, Thing 10 Online Image Generator

Here is the cake Joanna and I generated!

Week 4, Thing 9 Locating RSS feeds

I tried using feedster, syndic 8, and bloglines search tools. I had the most success with bloglines. Found some great library feeds. Just didn't get the hits on feedster or syndic8 that I did with bloglines. On feedster I tried to get some search tips but that page was not available when I clicked on the link. On syndic8 I found a feed that looked interesting but was not able to get into the link. Bloglines and feedster both have a nice clean interface.

Week 4, Thing 8 Rss Feeds

I really like the concept of RSS feeds. It makes me feel like I have some control over all the information out there that I should be reading to help keep current! I'm not really a news junkie but I definately see myself using this technology to keep more current with library news. I am going to search for feeds that pertain to teen services in the library, particularly teen advisory groups. It would be great if our library system could set up an RSS feed for upcoming library events. This would help interested customers stay abreast of library programming.

Week 3, Thing 7 My Favorite Technology

cell phones
Originally uploaded by phil.lolol

Have to say, I do really love my cell phone. At first I was not too keen about being that connected to people but I have become an addict like everyone else. It is so easy to catch up with my friends and family anytime I have a spare moment. We are all so busy these days and my phone allows me to multi-task and keep in touch with people. Love the pictures on my phone. I take pics of my nieces and nephew. Over time I look back at the pics and see how much they are growing!

Week 3, Thing 6 Froglet from Flickr Color Pickr

Froglet
Originally uploaded by codebleu

Isn't he adorable? I found this pic on flickr color pikr. What a cool mashup! This froggy reminds me of a recent trip I took to the zoo with my bf. We saw several different colored frogs like this one. They came in blue, green, yellow and red. It is amazing that nature can create such vibrant colors on a frog. They are so tiny and cute. I think their actual size is about 1/2 the size of this pic. But don't let their cuteness fool you. If I remember correctly, these froggies are poisonous tree frogs!

Week 3, Thing 5 Flickr, Myrtos Beach, Kefalonia

Myrtos Beach, Kefalonia
Originally uploaded by weirdbeardmt

I know it's not exactly unique but I am a sucker for beaches! This one looks amazing. I even get excited about Chesapeake and North beaches over in Calvert! Don't even mind the commercialism and crowding of Ocean City. Just give me some sand and water. Love to hear the waves.

Week 2 Thing 3 Blogging In the Library

Our library system has already begun using blogs to foster communication. We have a staff blog that staff read each day to get important information about what is going on in the library and other staff information. It seems to be working really well. All 3 branches of our library system are better connected to each other as a result of the staff blog.

More Week 1 Thing 2 71/2 habits

When thinking about the 7 1/2 habits of successful lifelong learners, I am happy to say that I am pretty good at picturing the end point of my learning goal. I am also great at accepting personal responsibility for my own learning. In fact, I really like to learn things on my own. I am a big fan of using books to teach myself new things.

Where I have trouble with the 7 1/2 things is having confidence in myself as an effective and competent learner. I think I compare my own learning pace to the pace of other people and this sometimes is very discouraging! I need to remember that we all learn at our own pace!

Week 1 Thing 2 Learning RSS

This is my first blog. I am planning to learn to use RSS feeds. They seem like they will be helpful for me in working with teens in the library. Looking forward to all the learning!