The Juggler

Summary

2008-01-31T10:01:00.000-08:00

This has been an adventure. I think that overall the "23 Things" exercise is an excellent tool for anybody but specifically librarians. Think about it. In this day and age librarians need to be abreast of all the new technology, all ways to search the web, and quick and easy ways to get the information the general public needs, whether that be in person or on the phone. I learned something new with every exercise. Granted, I will probably not use everything but much of it, i.e., video clips, zoho writer and podcasts are things I will be further exploring to see how I can use them to my best advantage. I've already used the bloglines account to keep me up to speed on my chosen topics.

In summary, I would recommend the "23 Things" learning tool to everyone. I look forward to learning more of the "43 things".

Overdrive/Net Library

2008-01-31T09:59:00.001-08:00

How long will we be seeing these.....Okay, I set up an account with Net Library and looked up a few titles. However, when I went to go back in it seemed to take an eternity. I'll try again later this afternoon.

Later:

This site is very possibly the most imporant library site of all the "23 Things". The immediacy of downloading books is amazing. Libraries need to be a part of this....not instead of this. I wonder if the printed word will every be replaced.....I hope not.

rollyo

2008-01-31T09:30:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what I was thinking but I left out this post.....#12 Rollyo....search engines. I wish I had remembered to write a post at the time because the only thing I can really remember is that I did not find this an easy exercise; I'm not sure why. It certainly is an important subject because having an adequate search engine makes a task so much quicker. I think we'll find just how well this works when our wiki is established. The search mechanism will be crucial to locating information quickly and easily. Sorry no more at this time.

Podcasts

2008-01-31T09:09:00.000-08:00

I went through this exercise, set up an account with Odeo and tried to record an audiocast of my voice. The directions said you needed a microphone but hard-headed me tried without one. I think I'll try downloading an audiocast from the web, see if that works. My podcast is about Gardening, tips, tricks, successes and failures. My emphasis will be on seed gardening since that is my new "frontier".

Youtube

2008-01-30T09:20:00.000-08:00

I did it....figured it out on my own.....that's one of my favorite things to do.....problem solving. This site is definitely one I will visit again. Visual aids are extremely helpful in planning new programs, augmenting a lecture or just a part of an educational process. I imagine libraries could use video clips in these ways and so much more. What fun one can have learning!!!!

Pandora

2008-01-26T13:29:00.000-08:00

I actually have Pandora installed on my computer already. While it can be great sometimes, sometimes my artists are not available and I'm not crazy about "similar" music. I started to sign up for last.fm but I think I'll change my mind and explore a new area....not music.

On second thought it looks as though my lastfm account was successfully installed. I listed to the radio already and its sounds pretty good. The setup is different than Pandora and it looks like I might be happier with this station. Anyway, I have icons on my desktop for both so I have a choice!

Zoho Writer - #18

2008-01-26T12:59:00.001-08:00

"thing 18"

This exercise was fun! Here is the link from my Zoho Writer. I'm going back in to see what else I can do. http://writer.zoho.com/index.do. As I mentioned in my previous blog post I will be revisiting the "things" that I enjoyed the most. This will definitely be one of them!

Sandbox wiki

2008-01-26T12:24:00.001-08:00

I explored the Maryland Libraries Sandbox, viewed the PBWiki tour, gallery and tips resources. It was fun setting up the wiki but much more time is needed to play; time I do not have on a regular basis. I think once I have completed the entire "23 Things" process I will go back and rediscover the "things" that I thought were the most helpful and enjoyable. The wiki "thing" may or may not be one of them.

Wiki.....or "quick" in Hawaiian.......

2008-01-23T13:10:00.000-08:00

Wiki's are my new friends. I think they are invaluable for everyday folks to collaboratively develop websites or web "stops" as I would like to call them sharing information and a little diversity to a problem, issue or subject. My idea for a great library "wiki" would be a "techno" or "technot" site. Librarians could discuss certain technologies that they feel are user friendly, pertinent and fun! Ideas and problems could be discussed and valuable information might be discovered. For example, lets say one library wants to share their best power point presentations, tidbits, and shortcuts. This could be invaluable to many a librarian or even patron.
I'm planning on doing more reading about wiki's and website development.

Now on to specific findings:

Library Success Wiki:

* Provides much information about services to specific groups

* Has marketing information to sell your library

* Provides reference services

* Provides training and development for librarians

My findings for these are that this is a "no brainer".....it's a tremendous help to patrons and librarians alike....easy access and immediate information! What more can you ask for.

Web 2.0, Library 2.0 and the Future

2008-01-16T13:21:00.000-08:00

WOW......What a lot of information....I think we all know that libraries are changing, the same as everything else. I agree that technology brings about change and especially in an environment where "information" is a buzz word. Therefore, libraries which are "information keepers," need to be abreast of all latest technology to help the patrons reach their full potential. But I also agree with the perspective that libraries are collaborative, customer friendly and welcoming. I don't necessarily agree that they have always been (in my youth the libraries I visited were not
very flexible) but are much, much more so now. That said, the next generation Web will take us to so many exciting places. We just need to get aboard for the ride....there is so much to explore.

DELICIOUS

2008-01-16T13:06:00.000-08:00

Delicious.....I believe this was before Technorati; however, I'm catching up with my blog posts. I've set up my account and have my handy dandy
"delicious" icon set up in my blog and explorer account. I've tagged a few sites but that's about the extent of my use of this #13 "thing". This site may prove more useful after I have finished and can go back and review which of the many things I have learned are the most useful!

technorati

2008-01-09T11:28:00.000-08:00

rel="me">Technorati Profile

Library Things

2007-09-13T11:33:00.000-07:00

#11

I'm a non-fiction lover, but can't turn away good fiction OR reread anything by Jane Austen. The Library Thing tool is great especially for catalogers. I can use it to share authors, titles, subjects and reviews.

2007-09-05T11:59:00.000-07:00

#10 On-Line Generators

2007-08-24T10:42:00.000-07:00

I played around with some different on-line generators. I created a Simpson Avatar....named it "Purplemeee".... (guess what color my hair was) but for some reason I wasn't able to transport it to my blog. I also visited the slogan, and horoscope blogs. I finally decided on the sketch generator where I transformed a picture of one of my favorite movie stars into a sketch....granted it's not that a great of picture to begin with but.....see if you can guess who this is?

I'm very anxious to do more investigation into a video clip for my blog. I've pulled up some links on the web and done some reading. I can see where these on-line generators spell interesting library blogs...

MERLIN

2007-08-14T09:27:00.001-07:00

Working on the MERLIN exercise.....thought I had it....I'll try again later.....

I think I did it!....I'll go back and look for more library blogs

Added a new RSS feed to my bloglines...

RSS and Bloglines

2007-08-14T07:33:00.000-07:00

http://www.bloglines.com/

I have listened to the RSS videos, read about blog lines, news feeders, etc. and have set up an blog line with 4 feeds. Some of the information that I am taking in seems relatively easy but I do experience some problems from time to time. That's okay because I like to problem solve but I like to do it at my own pace. Sometimes I feel as though I'm rushing through the process and not always grasping everything the way I'd like. Therefore, I'm going to take my time and review what I need to before I move forward. That way I'll get more out of the whole exercise.

Practice makes perfect

2007-08-07T13:26:00.000-07:00

Thing #7

Technology is a great animal. The Flickr component is cool but I am not a camera buff so I will not be posting many of my own pictures...I did enjoy the mashups especially those using mosiacs. On to the next item.

Using Technology

2007-08-02T09:18:00.000-07:00

Ever get tired of writing things down all the time. I do! Today I decided to use technology to my advantage......Isn't that #6 in the Lifelong Learning Habits. Anyway, I received another updated list (something we use all the time). This time instead of putting it in my standards folder, I decided to email it to myself via our new xerox machine. From there I put it in a Word file which I can access easier while I'm adding books, editing, etc. No more looking through a folder! Hooray!!

At the movies with Mr. Potter

2007-08-01T13:30:00.000-07:00

This concludes my practice with "Flickr" at this stage in the game. I'm satisfied with the quote I added at the bottom of my blog and hope to "jazz" the site up even more. However, I'm not sure the site is that beneficial. But......learning new things is such fun.

Flickr floundering

2007-08-01T09:45:00.001-07:00

I have been practicing "flickr" ing. I thought this photo reminded me of myself after a busy day. It's also fun. Continued practice will surely bring me more masterful ideas and photos. I'm going back to review again but so far I can think of a few ways to use this as a learning tool. Comments welcome!

Shared methods

2007-07-31T13:24:00.000-07:00

Today I learned that a group of bats is called a "colony". Now I may have known that before but I wasn't able to pull it from my memory. Neither, might I say, was anyone else able to put their finger on the right word. This really is not important unless you consider that a number of people used a number of different methods to find the answer! A reminder that something can be accomplished in more that ONE way.

2007-07-31T08:49:00.000-07:00

We all find ourselves juggling......what works for one might also work for another....let's share!