Woohoo! I'm finished, or I will be as soon as I finish this blog and submit my log. What a summer! I never thought I'd get this done, let alone on time.
1.) My favorite discoveries were generators, YouTube and blogs. The most useful things for library use might be wikis, online productivity tools, podcasting and audiobooks.
2.) Learning about all of these emergent technologies brought me into the 21st century. I actually was able to tell my son something he didn't know, and he's in the IST field! And my daughter called me "TechnoMom."
3.) I was surprised how I didn't mind blogging, and I spent entirely too much time looking at other people's blogs! And I was basically surprised that I could actually do this whole program. The main things I would take away from this is an understanding and overview of Web 2.0, and an exposure to all the tools out there in cyberspace and where to find them.
4.) The format and concept were good, as it was easy to follow and you could go at your own speed, which for me was very slow! Some of the sites were frustrating but that's probably unavoidable. However, it would have been easier for me if it had been spread out over a longer period of time, or offered at another time of year. Summer is the busiest time of year for circ staff, and this summer was extremely busy. So I had to do most of this at home. For this reason...
5.)...I might do this again if I could do most of it at work or could spread it out over a longer period of time.
6.) Having said that, the future of libraries involves technology and we simply need to be kept up-to-date. We need to learn about all this stuff to remain a viable organization and to keep up with or ahead of our patrons.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Week 9, Thing 22: Audiobooks
I didn't realize so many audiobook titles were available through our library. I did find a couple of titles I might want to download; and if I finish this program by tomorrow, I'll be able to download them on an mp3 player!
Project Gutenberg was very interesting in that it seems to be done by volunteers. It had many choices on it, from "The Raven" by Poe to an encyclopedia volume. Digitizing books seems to be a mission for them.
Project Gutenberg was very interesting in that it seems to be done by volunteers. It had many choices on it, from "The Raven" by Poe to an encyclopedia volume. Digitizing books seems to be a mission for them.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Week 9, Thing 21: Podcasts
I looked at the 3 suggested podcast directories and the Merlin podcasting learning link. One needed a software download just to listen, and Yahoo needed a software download to subscribe. I couldn't locate an RSS feed to add to my Bloglines account from Yahoo, but did add a book review podcast series from Podcast.net to my Bloglines.
What was most useful was the Merlin link to other library sites and how they were using podcasts. (As an aside, the Westerville Public Library site was neat; it had some interesting online activities for teens. Maybe we could do teen book reviews in podcast form on our website!)
What was most useful was the Merlin link to other library sites and how they were using podcasts. (As an aside, the Westerville Public Library site was neat; it had some interesting online activities for teens. Maybe we could do teen book reviews in podcast form on our website!)
Week 9, Thing 20: YouTube
http://youtube.com/watch?v=vYEXzx-TINc
(This is the link to the video; actual video will be on next post.)
I was glad to find this video. When my son Michael was small, we used to tease him and say, "Give it to Mikey. He eats everything!" And he did. But I couldn't remember if the little boy in the commercial actually said, "He eats everything!" or "He hates everything!" I'm glad I finally found out.
I had a lot of fun with this site. I liked the extremely easy search tool, the ratings and the comments. Could we have a video contest for teens on Teens Connect? Could we show updates of the Finksburg project or any renovation project with video? Could we make videos advertising upcoming programs? How about ratings and comments on dvd's, or books, for that matter? How about a monthly video highlighting a library service the public might not be familiar with? I think I'm out of ideas.
(This is the link to the video; actual video will be on next post.)
I was glad to find this video. When my son Michael was small, we used to tease him and say, "Give it to Mikey. He eats everything!" And he did. But I couldn't remember if the little boy in the commercial actually said, "He eats everything!" or "He hates everything!" I'm glad I finally found out.
I had a lot of fun with this site. I liked the extremely easy search tool, the ratings and the comments. Could we have a video contest for teens on Teens Connect? Could we show updates of the Finksburg project or any renovation project with video? Could we make videos advertising upcoming programs? How about ratings and comments on dvd's, or books, for that matter? How about a monthly video highlighting a library service the public might not be familiar with? I think I'm out of ideas.
Week 8, Thing 19: Web 2.0 Awards
I looked at a lot tools and liked 3 in particular.
For fun, try www.onesentence.org where participants try to tell a story in one sentence. Some are sad, some are funny, most are interesting.
Under books, I liked www.biblio.com. I had been looking for books from my youth that appear to be out of print (namely the Cherry Ames series) and found them there for sale, and cheap!
For office use, you can't beat Google Docs for collaborative writing. As I understand it, you can create a document, and all involved can make changes with all revisions recorded. You don't need to send it as an attachment in email and wait for an answer. All you need is a browser. I think we really could have made much use of this last year on the evaluation team, where we had many documents (evaluations and behavior lists) that needed to be commented on and revised.
For fun, try www.onesentence.org where participants try to tell a story in one sentence. Some are sad, some are funny, most are interesting.
Under books, I liked www.biblio.com. I had been looking for books from my youth that appear to be out of print (namely the Cherry Ames series) and found them there for sale, and cheap!
For office use, you can't beat Google Docs for collaborative writing. As I understand it, you can create a document, and all involved can make changes with all revisions recorded. You don't need to send it as an attachment in email and wait for an answer. All you need is a browser. I think we really could have made much use of this last year on the evaluation team, where we had many documents (evaluations and behavior lists) that needed to be commented on and revised.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Week 8, Thing 18: Online Productivity Tools
I created accounts in Zoho Writer (another one of those "Where did they get that name?" apps) and 30 boxes, which is an online calendar. I created a document in Zoho writer and then emailed it to myself; I could have emailed it to others, right? I'll have to try that later. What's great about it is that a document can be created on a computer without Word software and sent to one that has it. Right? I'll bet Bill Gates didn't like this!
30 boxes could be such a useful tool; it'd be nice to be able to access your schedule from any computer. No more bulky planner?
30 boxes could be such a useful tool; it'd be nice to be able to access your schedule from any computer. No more bulky planner?
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