#23 The final thing
Doing 23 things was great fun, and I learned alot. I may not use every thing that was included....I don't think I will do RSS feeds because sometimes I already feel overwhelmed by all the information that is out there, but I think it was important to know about them.....
If I had to pick a favorite of the 23 things, it would probably be the web applications, or maybe learning more about the audio books.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
#22 Audiobooks et al
I love to read, so hadn't really done much exploring on the audio books.....audio books are great for traveling, though, and I've checked out the library's playaways--which, by the way, are a wonderful way of listening to a book, too.
But with the new selection of videos and music available through our digital library, I plan to go home and download the software to our computer and start enjoying the digital books, music, and videos.
There are so many titles available....I am not a person who goes around with her IPod or MP3 player, (though I have a tiny hot pink IPod shuffle loaded with music and I have enjoyed that so much) but I can see how I could become hooked on listening.....the variety of choices is amazing. I plan to start by downloading music.
I love to read, so hadn't really done much exploring on the audio books.....audio books are great for traveling, though, and I've checked out the library's playaways--which, by the way, are a wonderful way of listening to a book, too.
But with the new selection of videos and music available through our digital library, I plan to go home and download the software to our computer and start enjoying the digital books, music, and videos.
There are so many titles available....I am not a person who goes around with her IPod or MP3 player, (though I have a tiny hot pink IPod shuffle loaded with music and I have enjoyed that so much) but I can see how I could become hooked on listening.....the variety of choices is amazing. I plan to start by downloading music.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
#21 podcasting
My first thought as I watched the low-tech explanation of podcasting was "what would I want to waste my time doing that?" His explanation about listening to a couple in Japan talk about their favorite sushi was not exactly something that would draw crowds!!
But as I looked through the directory, I found lots of neat stuff....interviews with authors, book reviews, music and musicians being interviewed.
I also remembered that NPR always mentions podcasts and that would be a useful tool....many times I've hated to leave the car because I was missing part of an interview or story, but if I subscribed to the podcasts, I could catch up on them later. Of course, I can see that subscribing to podcasts might be like trying to watch all those tv shows that I've recorded, but never watched...
As for library applications, I think we could use podcasting to share the book reviews from books sandwiched in, and possibly the authors who come and speak at the library could also be podcasted, with their permission, of course.
My first thought as I watched the low-tech explanation of podcasting was "what would I want to waste my time doing that?" His explanation about listening to a couple in Japan talk about their favorite sushi was not exactly something that would draw crowds!!
But as I looked through the directory, I found lots of neat stuff....interviews with authors, book reviews, music and musicians being interviewed.
I also remembered that NPR always mentions podcasts and that would be a useful tool....many times I've hated to leave the car because I was missing part of an interview or story, but if I subscribed to the podcasts, I could catch up on them later. Of course, I can see that subscribing to podcasts might be like trying to watch all those tv shows that I've recorded, but never watched...
As for library applications, I think we could use podcasting to share the book reviews from books sandwiched in, and possibly the authors who come and speak at the library could also be podcasted, with their permission, of course.
#20 Online Videos
I love youtube.com because it has enabled our family here in Tulsa to watch our granddaughter in Alaska--from the time she was a newborn to her toddler antics.
The only thing I do not like is that they re-design their page and things change.
Here is the video that I am sharing I could not get it to upload using the embedded code so I have cut and pasted the url
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Euh5HWkHY4
As far as library related applications for You Tube, I could see offering a little tutorial on using some of our databases, or even a quickie tutorial on putting a book on hold.
I love youtube.com because it has enabled our family here in Tulsa to watch our granddaughter in Alaska--from the time she was a newborn to her toddler antics.
The only thing I do not like is that they re-design their page and things change.
Here is the video that I am sharing I could not get it to upload using the embedded code so I have cut and pasted the url
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Euh5HWkHY4
As far as library related applications for You Tube, I could see offering a little tutorial on using some of our databases, or even a quickie tutorial on putting a book on hold.
#19 Discovering Web.2 tools
I decided to look in the food category of the web.2 awards, and chose the 2nd selection Urban Spoon www.urbanspoon.com
It took me right to the Tulsa page of Urban Spoon, with a choice of different categories. You can go to restaurants by neighborhood, by price, or by food types. Choices on the left side of the page were fine dining and talk of the town.
Most of the restaurants didn't have menus posted but people have posted comments about the restaurants.
The site is easy to navigate and is simple to use. I am sure it will contain more reviews later, but for now the ones that are posted are fun to read.
I did think it strange that one post, while it looked like it was going to be a review of the Brookside restaurant called Oliver's Twist, was actually a lengthy campaign ad for a candidate in Tulsa by someone who lived in KC....I could've cared less about how she met the candidate and what they ate in college....I wanted to know about the restaurant. Weird!!
The site is useful for find restaurants in different parts of the city. Library applications, hmmmm, well, I guess this site would be one way of finding addresses and phone numbers, though there are probably quicker ways. I think if we had people asking about restaurant recommendations, this site would be a valuable too.
I decided to look in the food category of the web.2 awards, and chose the 2nd selection Urban Spoon www.urbanspoon.com
It took me right to the Tulsa page of Urban Spoon, with a choice of different categories. You can go to restaurants by neighborhood, by price, or by food types. Choices on the left side of the page were fine dining and talk of the town.
Most of the restaurants didn't have menus posted but people have posted comments about the restaurants.
The site is easy to navigate and is simple to use. I am sure it will contain more reviews later, but for now the ones that are posted are fun to read.
I did think it strange that one post, while it looked like it was going to be a review of the Brookside restaurant called Oliver's Twist, was actually a lengthy campaign ad for a candidate in Tulsa by someone who lived in KC....I could've cared less about how she met the candidate and what they ate in college....I wanted to know about the restaurant. Weird!!
The site is useful for find restaurants in different parts of the city. Library applications, hmmmm, well, I guess this site would be one way of finding addresses and phone numbers, though there are probably quicker ways. I think if we had people asking about restaurant recommendations, this site would be a valuable too.
Google Docs
Google Docs
- Easy to start using because I already had a google account
looks like is is simple to use
easy to choose fonts, sizes, styles, etc
clean page
uses the same format as word, so adding a table, using bullets, etc, is familiar.
have choices under "file" as to what kind of a format do you want to use when downloading.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
#17 Playing around with PBWiki
Like anything else, there is a learning curve....I think the most difficult thing here for me was to remember to use the save button ....after I finally found the insert/edit link, that is!!
The 23 things exercise is really good for me because I am learning so many new things.....and I have to think about how I teach the Surf'n for Seniors class because they are learning new stuff, too. I think the keys words here are SIMPLE EXPLANATIONS.
Like anything else, there is a learning curve....I think the most difficult thing here for me was to remember to use the save button ....after I finally found the insert/edit link, that is!!
The 23 things exercise is really good for me because I am learning so many new things.....and I have to think about how I teach the Surf'n for Seniors class because they are learning new stuff, too. I think the keys words here are SIMPLE EXPLANATIONS.
#16--So What's in a Wiki
I liked the little video on wikis. It was a great explanation of what a wiki is, how to use it, however low-tech their production is. (just makes me chuckle each time I see these explanation about new technology illustrated by using crude sketches and hands ...what's wrong with this picture?)
There are a couple of really good reasons for Wikis: 1. It is a great way to share information; 2. It is a great way to organize that shared information and have it in one spot.
Some downsides I see from the wikis that I looked at. 1. I found several dead links--looks like once they were put up, there was not much monitoring: 2. Some were not really up to date. One had their reading program for 2006.
That said, I enjoyed the GRPLpedia. It was well organized, easy to read and figure out, and looked like it was current and up to date.
I liked the little video on wikis. It was a great explanation of what a wiki is, how to use it, however low-tech their production is. (just makes me chuckle each time I see these explanation about new technology illustrated by using crude sketches and hands ...what's wrong with this picture?)
There are a couple of really good reasons for Wikis: 1. It is a great way to share information; 2. It is a great way to organize that shared information and have it in one spot.
Some downsides I see from the wikis that I looked at. 1. I found several dead links--looks like once they were put up, there was not much monitoring: 2. Some were not really up to date. One had their reading program for 2006.
That said, I enjoyed the GRPLpedia. It was well organized, easy to read and figure out, and looked like it was current and up to date.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
About #15 Library 2.0
I love the ideas presented in Discovery Resources "Where Will Web 2.0 Take Libraries?"
It is hard to imagine what the next 10 years will look like. When I started at the library 14 years ago, finding some of the answers to obscure reference questions was hard, and sometimes it was just plain dumb luck when the answer was found, even though I'd like to say it was my amazing reference skills! Now if an answer isn't easily found in one of our basic reference sources, there is always the internet.
A couple of points of interest in the articles in Discovery Resources for me: reliance on user education--we have so many online databases, and I always wonder how many of our customers really know about these great resources. How can we teach and promote the use of these sources? The other point was that the "come to us" approach would change because of the many online sources. It is interesting that we still seem to place a heavy emphasis on physical customers coming in to the library at the same time we are making it easy for them to not come in to the building by having lots of resources that they can use at home. (and making it harder for them to get to the library because of lack of parking) He also mentioned circulation being down by 55% (?) and I think our circ numbers continue to go up.
It will be fun to see what happens with Worldcat, too. Sounds like they are going to be adding new features.
I love the ideas presented in Discovery Resources "Where Will Web 2.0 Take Libraries?"
It is hard to imagine what the next 10 years will look like. When I started at the library 14 years ago, finding some of the answers to obscure reference questions was hard, and sometimes it was just plain dumb luck when the answer was found, even though I'd like to say it was my amazing reference skills! Now if an answer isn't easily found in one of our basic reference sources, there is always the internet.
A couple of points of interest in the articles in Discovery Resources for me: reliance on user education--we have so many online databases, and I always wonder how many of our customers really know about these great resources. How can we teach and promote the use of these sources? The other point was that the "come to us" approach would change because of the many online sources. It is interesting that we still seem to place a heavy emphasis on physical customers coming in to the library at the same time we are making it easy for them to not come in to the building by having lots of resources that they can use at home. (and making it harder for them to get to the library because of lack of parking) He also mentioned circulation being down by 55% (?) and I think our circ numbers continue to go up.
It will be fun to see what happens with Worldcat, too. Sounds like they are going to be adding new features.
About # 14 Technorati
Maybe I am just a very private person but I am not sure that I want my blog to be read by the world....how much do I want to share?
Until a few months ago, I didn't know much about blogs and bloggers, but I have several blogs on various subjects that I now enjoy reading. The Manhattan Kansas Public Library has a neat book/reading blog. I read a couple of blogs on cooking, several on quilting.
I am amazed at the blogging world, and think it is an amazing internet activity.
In the last couple of weeks, there have been news articles on an Oklahoma woman's blog www.pioneerwoman.com winning the most popular blog award from the National Weblog awards.
Maybe I am just a very private person but I am not sure that I want my blog to be read by the world....how much do I want to share?
Until a few months ago, I didn't know much about blogs and bloggers, but I have several blogs on various subjects that I now enjoy reading. The Manhattan Kansas Public Library has a neat book/reading blog. I read a couple of blogs on cooking, several on quilting.
I am amazed at the blogging world, and think it is an amazing internet activity.
In the last couple of weeks, there have been news articles on an Oklahoma woman's blog www.pioneerwoman.com winning the most popular blog award from the National Weblog awards.
About #13---social bookmarking & tagging
Maybe if I had more time to spend on 23 things, I would have found more uses for tagging & social bookmarking with www.delicious.com
I looked through some of the bookmarks, and was surprised that there were some commercial (read: advertisements) sites....guess I expected more really helpful sites.
Since we cannot add the tag button to our browser bar, this "thing" is probably the least useable for me.
Maybe if I had more time to spend on 23 things, I would have found more uses for tagging & social bookmarking with www.delicious.com
I looked through some of the bookmarks, and was surprised that there were some commercial (read: advertisements) sites....guess I expected more really helpful sites.
Since we cannot add the tag button to our browser bar, this "thing" is probably the least useable for me.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Looking at the various search tools available for RSS feeds was interesting. Technorati was too slow in opening--sound just like a customer, don't I? And Topix' page was so busy. I liked the easy searching with blogline's page.
I first tried to find feeds using the place name of St. Anthony, Newfoundland. My sister taught there many years ago and I thought it would be fun to see if there were blogs from there, or even mentioning it. Found lots of news and blogs with Newfoundland, and lots mentioning "Anthony" but none for the town.
Then I used the word "quilting" and found a number of news stories and also 5 blogs. I was surprised there were not more blogs as there are lots of quilting blogs. Maybe bloglines limits the number it lists.
I do not want to add too many RSS feeds as I already have a hard time keeping up with my email!!
I do like the idea that our library's pages can be added, because I do like the Reading Addict and want to keep up with the new posts....Great job, Nick!!
I first tried to find feeds using the place name of St. Anthony, Newfoundland. My sister taught there many years ago and I thought it would be fun to see if there were blogs from there, or even mentioning it. Found lots of news and blogs with Newfoundland, and lots mentioning "Anthony" but none for the town.
Then I used the word "quilting" and found a number of news stories and also 5 blogs. I was surprised there were not more blogs as there are lots of quilting blogs. Maybe bloglines limits the number it lists.
I do not want to add too many RSS feeds as I already have a hard time keeping up with my email!!
I do like the idea that our library's pages can be added, because I do like the Reading Addict and want to keep up with the new posts....Great job, Nick!!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Hmmm--about technology. I love learning new stuff, but for me it has to be something that is useful and something that doesn't clutter up my life AND email. There are so many great things out there......for instance, SKYPE.
It wasn't that many years ago that we were chuckling about talking on phones and being able to see the person we were talking with. And now it is a reality. We can enjoy our granddaughter in Alaska and talk with her, watch her play with their cat. I didn't know one of my grandmothers and I really don't remember talking with my other grandma on the phone because we saw her a couple of times a week.
I will be the first to admit that skype has a long way to go, and sometimes it works fine for a few minutes, and then it suddenly goes crazy on us. But what a great piece of technology.
It wasn't that many years ago that we were chuckling about talking on phones and being able to see the person we were talking with. And now it is a reality. We can enjoy our granddaughter in Alaska and talk with her, watch her play with their cat. I didn't know one of my grandmothers and I really don't remember talking with my other grandma on the phone because we saw her a couple of times a week.
I will be the first to admit that skype has a long way to go, and sometimes it works fine for a few minutes, and then it suddenly goes crazy on us. But what a great piece of technology.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
picture from Picasa
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/view?feat=tags&psc=G&filter=1&tags=france#5300299187511070322
I chose the picture of the Eiffel Tower (making sure I was spelling "eiffel" correctly :) )
Have you seen the Eiffel Tower? I couldn't believe it was so big, or gigantic would be a better word. Coming from the plains, I had seen big oil derricks, or even the towers at oil refineries, so that was my assumption about the Eiffel Tower. What was amazing to me was that there was a large parking lot between the "legs" of the tower.
Our daughter had a Frence pen pal....and her parents owned a little bistro a block or two from the Eiffel Tower. They lived "above the store." But she had never gone to the top of the tower, even though she told us she could see the lights from her bedroom window.
I chose the picture of the Eiffel Tower (making sure I was spelling "eiffel" correctly :) )
Have you seen the Eiffel Tower? I couldn't believe it was so big, or gigantic would be a better word. Coming from the plains, I had seen big oil derricks, or even the towers at oil refineries, so that was my assumption about the Eiffel Tower. What was amazing to me was that there was a large parking lot between the "legs" of the tower.
Our daughter had a Frence pen pal....and her parents owned a little bistro a block or two from the Eiffel Tower. They lived "above the store." But she had never gone to the top of the tower, even though she told us she could see the lights from her bedroom window.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
7 1/2 Habits of Life Long Learners
I enjoyed learning about the 7 1/2 habits of life-long learners. The most difficult of the habits is probably the one on using technology....sometimes technology baffles me, though if it is explained in easy steps, such as setting up a blog, it is simple and doable.
People learn in different ways--this I've really noticed as I've taught the surf'n for seniors classes. Some will jump in enthusiastically and embrace every new thing; others are so hesitant and will not try something unless we go over and over it with them.
I always hope I am like Alex, one woman in the last class, who was the class cheerleader, always encouraging, enthusiastic, and willing to try something new, and loving learning new things, too.
People learn in different ways--this I've really noticed as I've taught the surf'n for seniors classes. Some will jump in enthusiastically and embrace every new thing; others are so hesitant and will not try something unless we go over and over it with them.
I always hope I am like Alex, one woman in the last class, who was the class cheerleader, always encouraging, enthusiastic, and willing to try something new, and loving learning new things, too.
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