Week 9, thing 23: Summarizing 23 things

I feel like I'm finally crossing the finish line- I'm done and it's a good feeling. When I first posted my first blog and picked out the template I thought hey this is pretty cool. Then I started to feel a little overwhelmed with some of the "things" I had to do. Sometimes the "things" didn't always publish or happen the way I thought they should, but I hung in there. Then I started to worry about some of the "things" I had to sign up for. I kind of felt exposed, and I was afraid I would end up getting tons of spam (that hasn't happened). Then after coming back from vacation I started to tackle it again, and I found it getting easier and easier (maybe because I was actually learning "things" along the way). Before I realized it, "23 things" became quite enjoyable, and I must say I learned a great deal throughout the course. And now, having completed it, it feels like I completed a college level course. Near the end, when we started exploring the 2.0 award sites, youtube and NetLibray, was probably when I had the most fun. And looking back on it, that was the logical order of "things" to learn about. For me, the hardest "things" were at the beginning, and then they gradually became more enjoyable. The biggest challenge for me was finding the time to work on the program. Summer has been an extremely busy time at the library, and at times I wondered if I would be able to finish on time. The order of things kind of held my interest to the end. If it had been the other way around, I may have become discouraged. Did 23 things live up to it's purpose? It certainly did for me, I really did learn a lot and had fun in the process (wasn't that one of our goals at the beginning?). In retrospect, it really was the perfect course for someone like myself. Thank you.

Week 9, thing 22: Audiobooks

Since I deal with Books on cd on an almost daily basis, I found this to one to be extremely interesting. As per instructions, I went through the NetLibrary tutorial, and then established an account with NetLibrary. Wow, what a resource for people who enjoy audio books. I typed in a few classics, and they came up. Then I typed in a few names of historical figures I admire. They too showed up. Then I explored the "Browse by subject" bar on the right side of the screen. Everything is neatly catergorized under it's appropriate subject. After exploring that, I'm already finding books that I would like to read (or listen to) for myself in the future (although I think I'll try to locate them in physical book form at my library first). Even for those who prefer to read a book, rather than listen to it, NetLibrary offeres books in text form- a nice benefit for those who are homebound. Again, like many of the other online tools and resources we've learned about throughout 23 things, very often it was something I had heard about it, but never took the time to explore for myself. NetLibrary, like many of the other 2.0 resources I've learned about, will become a welcome part of my online journeys for now on.

Week 9, thing 21: Podcasts

Another very enjoyable tutorial. Again, I've heard of podcasts and seen a few, but never really explored them. I'm a big Gordon Lightfoot fan (can't get into Bob Dylan) so I decided to type his name in to see what popped up. There wasn't a whole lot, but I did find a pretty cool 10 minute radio interview that he did fairly recently. He doesn't really like doing interviews, so this was kinda nice. I must say I was amazed at the way you can pick and choose the podcasts. When you find one that looks interesting, you simply click on it and play, very cool. Next I searched for a book review regarding one of my favorites, "The great divorce" by C.S.Lewis. Again, not a whole lot came up, although I did find a review from a young lady that was ok. Thanks to 23 things, this is another resource I will continue to use and explore in the future. I imagine podcasts are something that will continue to grow and improve just like everything else 2.0 related. http://boss.streamos.com/download/TownHall/audio/mp3/2400f352-de4c-4312-a9a4-97247fc26c2f.mp3?siteid=PodCast

Week 9, thing 20: Youtube

I found out about youtube a few months ago from a co-worker. Because we both enjoy older music, he said I should check it out. I was amazed at all the stuff I found on there. Music from artists and groups I thought most people didn't even know about, plus all kinds of clips from tv shows and commercials, some I remember from when I was a kid. People also enjoy posting things about themselves and their friends (it's amazing what some people will do). I was going to try posting a favorite music clip, I managed to copy the address ok, but I couldn't get it to play. Hopefully youtube can continue, I remember thinking napster was pretty neat when that first came on the internet, but it was shut down after a year or so and hasn't been the same since, although I'd have to say I enjoy youtube more. In conclusion, this was another fun excercise, thanks- I needed that!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4anOSSGm6U

Week 8, thing 19: Web 2.0 Awards

Without a doubt this was the most fun I've had yet. I like to play games, but with my schedule I never have the time. I've seen kids playing games online before but I never took the time to explore it for myself. With this assignment, to explore a web 2.0 award site, I decided to check out one of the online gaming sites (Arcaplay). Wow, did this take me back. Besides new ones, they have all the old classic arcade games that I remember from the 1980's (probably the only good thing I remember from the 80's). They have Space Invaders, Donkeykong, and of course the one that really sparked the whole arcade and gaming craze- pacman. As a kid I enjoyed playing arcade games, but I was never as good as some of my friends, who could make one quarter last an hour. Yes, after all these years I can now rest peacefully having finally rescued the princess (I'm just a romantic at heart) at the top of the skyscraper in Donkeykong. Arcaplay has many, many different games to choose from. But of course I couldn't spend too much time looking around (although it would be very easy to do) as I must press on. So yes, I had fun, and again was very surprised and impressed at the wealth of games and other fun sites offered on the web.

Week 8, thing 18: Online applications and tools

What will they think of next? Again, I didn't know google offered spreadsheets and other online tools. I was a little leary of having to sign up for yet something else, but it appears I already had an account with google, so that made things a little easier. As for spreadsheets, I think they're amazing. I have used them before, but it's been awhile so I was a little rusty at it. Like anything, the more you use it, the more proficient you become at it. But I still had fun.

Week 7, thing 17: SandBox Wiki

This was kinda cool. I wasn't sure what to expect when I was reading over my thing to do for this particular excercise, but it turned out to be fun. Until now, I've only seen the blogs from Allegany, Garrett, and Washington counties. With this excercise, you get to see blogs from all over the state of Maryland. I really didn't have time to read through that many, but the ones I did were very well done. It looks like a good book is still regarded by many as the ideal way to relax and unwind. I couldn't agree more. To finish off, I added my blog to the Maryland SandBox wiki.

Week 7, thing 16: Wikis

I really like wikis. I think the whole concept is fun. It's not just a quick and easy way to find out about things without doing a lot of in depth research, but it's also a great place to start if you do plan on doing a lot of in depth research. I'm familiar with Wikipedia, and again I think it's a great place to start if you want to know about someone or something. However, there are drawbacks and you do have to be careful. Recently there was someone in the news who I didn't know much about. So I thought great, I'll just get a brief overview of this person's life from wikipedia. As I began to read it became obvious that someone had made up lies about this person, and after a while I began to wonder what was true and what wasn't. So while wikipedia is a handy resource, and probably fairly accurate, I wouldn't trust it completely. While doing this excercise, I found out that there's a lot of really cool wiki related stuff available on the web. Some of the library's highlighted have really done an excellent job of presenting these to their patrons. There's links to internet safety tips, math resources, best reference web sites, free medical resources, even a link to what song was number one on the day you were born! With wiki, the possibilities and benefits are endless. On the other hand, as it was pointed out, there has to be some way of keeping things under control (never an easy thing). If not, hackers and those who thrive on hurting others can cause problems.

Week 6, thing 15: Library 2.0

I kinda have mixed feelings about this one. First, I thought "The Machine is us/ing us" video was very well done. It makes you think about where we're headed technology wise. As for the viewpoints, the first one I read, "Into a new world of librarianship" was, I thought, right on the money. Yes, technology is changing and yes we must stay on top of it. At our library, I feel we've done an excellent job of this. There's so much going on technology wise, and we really seem to be right there with it. There's classes, training, seminars, and activities to keep everyone involved and up to date (this includes something called "23 Things"). In Mr. Stephens blog, he says we should sharpen our skills, plan for our users, and embrace 2.0, and I think he's right. But at the same time, we shouldn't "buy technology for the sake of technology." We should understand and make intelligent choices about the best ways to meet and even exceed our patrons needs, not just blindy follow and buy into all the latest fads (remember those wonderful beta tapes). I feel Mr. Stephens has a balanced, well thought out, and smart viewpoint. On the other hand, "Away from the icebergs" was a little scary. It seems Mr. Anderson feels that Libraries should do away with collections. He claims his libraries have "seen a 55 percent drop in circulation rates over the past twelve years." I'm not sure if he means books, audio and or video, but I'd say something is seriously wrong with their system. From what I've been able to gather, we've actually been setting records for circulation at our libraries. He makes it sound as if our patrons are way ahead of us in regards to technology and that we're woefully behind the times. I don't agree with that at all. As I stated earlier, I think we have a lot to offer, and we're always looking for ways to improve and grow. If his library has seen a 55 percent drop in circulation (and he's the acquisitions director) I'd have to say, respectfully of course, that he's the one that's behind the times. If we follow Mr. Anderson's advice, eventually there won't be any need for libraries, everybody can just stay at home and download. His viewpoint reminds me of that classic Twilight Zone episode called "The Obsolete man." This particular episode really makes you think about how things might evolve in the future, a future where books are seen as a useless waste of time. Then again maybe it will be more like "Fahrenheit 451" where books are considered dangerous. I don't know, perhaps I'm overreacting, I hope so, because I'd sure hate to walk into a library 30 years from now and hear the words "You are obsolete!! (echo)

Week 6, thing 14: Technorati

Technorati was ok. I tried looking up Learning 2.0 under blog posts and found various discussions about E-learning and web technology. I picked one blog that looked interesting but it was mostly written in a foreign language. Other sites seemed to be bogged (not blogged) down in technical language that made them a chore to read. I had trouble looking up Learning 2.0 under tags, not quite sure where to find that on the Technorati site. As for top favorited blog, looks like "Boing Boing" is the most popular. In fact it even won the lifetime achievment award at the 2006 Bloggies ceremony! Top searches brought up something called "noelia" which seemed to be mostly about x-rated topics (no surprise there), Youtube, plus sites that are alleged to reveal all the latest and greatest celebrity gossip (yawn). Top blogs included"Engadget" with blogs about some of the most up to date technology, "Boing Boing"(again) which is a directory of wonderful things, plus Gizmodo, another blog relating to technology. In summary, it seems people are most interested in the latest, up to the minute technology, all the latest celebrity stories, and sex (is that too blunt?)

Week 6,thing 13: Del.icio.us

With a name like Del.icio.us how can you not get excited! From what I've been able to gather Del.icio.us is really just a sophisticated bookmarking tool. It helps you bookmark web pages and tags to help catergorize things, making it easier in the long run to find the things you're looking for. This would certainly come in handy for those who do a lot of research. I don't, so it's not something I can really get excited about right now. But again, from some of the users comments that I've read, Del.icio.us is the next best thing since sliced bread. Really, I think it all depends on your needs. One of the benefits that people mention is that you can look at other users searches and tags, and even tie into it. It's kind of a social thing I guess, a way to kind of compare notes and help each other out. For me, anything that helps save time is a good thing. So while I may not need it now, in the future if I need to do a lot of research or reference, it looks like Del.icio.us will be a big asset.

Week 5, thing 12: Rollyo

I found Rollyo to be useful. A nice way to kind of neatly package all of your favorite web sites and areas of interest into one place, thereby creating your own search engine and cutting down on wasted time searching. I imagine this would come in real handy for those who enjoy surfing the net or for those with reference type positions. You can also check out other people's searchrolls to get ideas for customizing your own. I'd love to spend more time perfecting my own rollbar- but I must press on to other "things." (pun intended) http://rollyo.com/index.html

#11 Library Thing

This website offers a way to create a kind of virtual bookshelf of some of your favorite books. I really had to sit and think about some of these. In a way that's good, because I'd like to revisit some of them. In a way bad, because I never see to have enough time to read all the things I'd like. I suppose that's a "good" problem to have. Working at the library I'm never at a loss to find something that interests me. But If I'm reading something else, it has to wait. I've never been the kind that can juggle 4 or 5 books at one time (although at times I wish I had that talent). So here you are, although this list of books isn't complete, all of these titles rank high with me.
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/bookerM

Lighting Flame- Thing 10

Thing 10 looked like it might be the most fun of all. You could design your own Avatar, Simpsons character, Ben and Jerry's ice cream flavor, even a Monty Python silly walk. Because of my lifelong fondness for cereal I was going to design my own cereal box. But it just wouldn't work. I think you had to be in Netscape, or have the latest version of Flash installed for it to fully work. So I gave up on that idea and decided to go with the Superhero thing. You type in your first name, and it produces an image of what your superhero might look like. Please no comments.

Week 4, Thing 9

Again some very impressive Blog and news related sites that I was not aware of. There's certainly a wealth of tutorials to help get you started. Merlin looks like a pretty cool site, and I dutifully signed up for that. As far as news feeds go, I thought "TOPIX" was the most impressive. Just by typing in a city and state you get all the latest stories pertaining to that area. (I wonder how newspaper publishers feel about all of this) Syndic 8 seemed a little too busy. I'm sure If I took the time to figure it out, it would be alright. With Feedster I tried typing in health just to see what kind of stories came up, and I ended up with a book about how to flush away fat (I'm not sure I wanna know) Overall though, I learned a lot about RSS and the different newfeeds that are available. Still, at times an old Police song that I thought I had forgotten about came back to me "Too much information running through my brain, too much information driving me insane......." I think I'll dust off a good book and go for a walk in the country now.

Week 4, Thing 8

Well I agree that if you're a news or tech junky the RSS and Newsreader would certainly streamline things. It's really impressive the way it can bring all your interests together into a "one stop shop" kind of format. I signed up with Bloglines and created an account, so mission accomplished! (Please note: this blog will not self destruct in 10 seconds....although it might not be a bad idea)

Week 3, Thing 7

I really don't keep up with all the latest technology. Having said that, I will say that for the most part, I don't like digital photography. I don't think they've perfected it yet. From what I've seen a lot of the images look kinda rough. I've even seen digital photos published in books and I can't believe they used them- they're that bad. But again, I don't keep up with that kind of thing so maybe it's better now. I will say that as far as technology on the internet goes, there's a lot of things I like. I like Youtube, I think it's cool that you can watch clips on just about anything you can imagine (within reason of course). I like classic rock, so I was pleasantly surprised to find a site called Wolfgangs vault, that features concerts by some of my favorite performers. So even though I don't keep up with all the latest and greatest, what filters down to me is pretty neat and more than meets my need for something new and different.

Week 3, Thing 6: Trading card

As a kid growing up I collected Baseball and Football cards, so of course when I saw this feature (create your own trading card) I had to have a go at it. It was fun.

Well here's another fine mess you've gotten me into! aka My Flicka experience!

What can I say, I really dig these guys, and as for Flickr, I really didn't care for it. I don't really want to see other people's pictures, unless I actually know the people in them. (Oh the humanity!!) Plus, it's just one more thing you have to sign up for, which I never feel comfortable with. It's obvious there are a lot of aspiring photographers out there with talent, and I did enjoy some of the nature and wildlife photos that people submitted. Still, these guys make me laugh.

Week 1, Thing 2: Pointers from lifelong learners

First I really liked the music they used in the tutorial, it reminded me of those educational films we used to watch when I was in school (that's a good memory). I like the whole concept of break out of the box and play. For me, learning is easiest when it's something I want to know about. Hardest, when it's something I could care less about. I agree that having a positive attitude is of primary importance. I tend to put things off I'm not sure about. But once I get started, once I understand what I need to accomplish and have a goal to work toward, I can't really rest until I'm done. (I'm done)

Week 1, Thing 1: About this program

I've certainly heard people talking about "blogging" and now I'm starting to find out what all the buzz is about. Yes, I've fastened my seat belt, got my motor reving, and I'm lookin' for adventure in whatever comes my way(insert Steppenwolf music here).

7 and 1/2 lifelong learning habits

As far as learning goes, I feel I'm open to new things. The (hard) old school way of "read chapters 5, 6, and 7 tonight, then do the 30 questions at the end of each chapter" never really did much for me, so I'm kind of excited by this new (easy)"let's play" approach. Bring it on!

Look no hands!

Actually, I did have to use my hands somewhat to type this. But this is my first foray into the world of blogging and I'm going to try to have fun with this.