Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Week 9-Thing 23: Summary

1. What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
I really enjoyed exploring Flickr and the mashup sites in week 3, playing around wit my MEEZ in week 5, and checking out YouTube in week 9.

2. How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
Even though I have been playing around with new websites/applications online for years now, participating in "23 Things" still provided me the opportunity to learn something new. I even had a downright difficult time figuring out how to work my bloglines account. So, this program offered me the chance to discover new, interesting things on the internet that I was not aware even existed. It also showed me that I still have things to learn, which I find very exciting!

3. Were there any take-aways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
Yes, I was very suprised that I actually learned something new. I know that may sound outrageous but because I have been online for so long now, I just didn't expect to really learn anything from this. I thought it would be a breeze. But, I was pleasantly surprised. I am glad that I struggled through some of these activites because those difficult ones showed me that even I have things to learn- and I love learning new things! So, I was pleasantly surprised by what I discovered during the course of this program. I also found that I love reading what other participants have to say in their blogs. Overall, I think that this was a really fun and rewarding program and I am glad to have participated.

4. What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
At times I found some of the activities to be confusing or incorrect. The Bloglines activity, specifically, gave me a lot of trouble because the instructions were not completely accurate. So, maybe if there had been a HELP page on the "23 Things" homepage for issues such as that the overall process might have been a little more smooth. Also, in the beginning there was some confusion about whether or not blogs were registered or how to register blogs. Maybe a more clear registering process would be helpful. But overall I was able to get through each of the activities with relative ease, so there weren't any MAJOR problems for me.

5. If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you again chose to participate?
I definitely would participate! I loved having an activity to work on all the time. I don't know what I am going to do now without "23 Things" to work on in my spare time!

6. How would you describe your learning experience in a few words or a few sentences, so we can share our successes and promote this program?
Personally, I really enjoyed this program- I even looked forward to completing the activites (and not just because of the prize at the end). Like I said I didn't necessarily expect to have any trouble or to learn much of anything from this process just because I have been online for so long. But, after starting this process, I quickly realized that I did have to work to figure out some of these activities. It gave me a sense of satisfaction knowing that I had figured out how to complete a new task. I really loved being able to learn new things on the internet. I discovered things in this program- like MEEZ and Flickr- that I had no idea existed. I regularly visit sites like Flickr and my bloglines account to keep me updated. So, I think that this program was a complete sucess for me and I would love to participate again in something similar.

Final Comments
This experience was valuable to me personally because it enabled me to learn new things- even when I was convinced that there wasn't really anything new about the internet that I could learn. It showed me that the internet is constantly growing and that in order to keep up with everything available you need to keep an open mind and be willing to try/learn new things. I think that this is especially important for libraries because Librarians are required to be up-to-date with the most recent technology so that they can more efficiently help library patrons. I think that programs like this can help to show people what is out there and that you can do it!

Week 9-Thing 22: Audio Books

I created an account at NetLibrary and checked out some of their titles as well as Project Gutenberg. I think that when I get home I am going to download Emma by Jane Austen so that I can listen to it on the way down to the beach in a few weeks. I have to read that particular book for a class I am taking in the fall, so I think it would be a wise decision to listen to it beforehand and I think that this is the perfect opportunity!

Friday, July 13, 2007

Week 9-Thing 21: Podcasts

I visited Podcastalley.com and searched for some interesting feeds. I ended up discovering the MuggleCast for Harry Potter fans. I am a HUGE Harry Potter fan and so I subscribed to that particular feed on my bloglines account.

Week 9-Thing 20: YouTube



I am a frequent YouTube user, so I am pretty familiar with the site. I like that you can find pretty much anything on there to entertain you. I really like watching music videos and band interviews. I think that the library could possibly use YouTube for training videos.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Week 8-Thing 19: Web 2.0 Award-winning Sites

I chose to explore craigslist and I really liked what I saw. I had heard about this site but never before had I actually looked into it. I like that, unlike ebay, if you need to sell anything there is absolutely no cost in listing an item. I like that you can search for specific things in your own area so that you know where it's coming from and can even more easily contact sellers. I also like the idea of buying locally, which could also be good for libraries. I just thought that this was a cool website and I can see why it came in first place!

Week 8-Thing 18: Online Productivity Tools

I created an account with both Google Docs and Zoho Writer. I created a few test documents and have to admit that this was one of my least favorite activities. But I still feel like it is worthwhile to try new things. I am just now realizing, however, that these programs could be a Godsend if I ever do not have access to Microsoft Word and need to type a paper for a class. So, even though this wasn't one of the most FUN activities, I can still see myself using these tools.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Week 7-Thing 17: Sandbox Wiki

I visited the sandbox site, added my blog, and created my own page of favorites.

Week 7-Thing 16: Wikis

I have never dealt with wikis before, so this was entirely new for me (which is uncommon because I do a lot online). I visited the Book Lovers Wiki and really liked how open the site was. I liked how you could find useful information about different books and share opinions with others. I think that something like this could really be useful to a library because, unlike blogs, it's a real community of people sharing their thougts. If our branch (or other branches) each had something like a Book Lovers Wiki, people within the community could come together and swap suggestions with one another. It is also possible for it to be something like an adult summer reading program where the library features specific books that the members suggest and then respond to. Now, there is always the possibility that it might not work out, but there is also a good chance that it could be a huge success. But I definitely like the idea of it.

Week 6-Thing 15: Web 2.0

I think that it is so interesting how the internet and its capabilities continues to grow over time. I started using the internet at the end of my 5th grade year and once I started I couldn't stop! I spent practically every day online, discovering all kinds of new sites, up through high school. I think it is so fascinating how so much has changed in that short amount of time. I love social networking sites like myspace and facebook. I think that sites like that can easily be used by libraries and other businesses to keep in touch with co-workers, post about meetings (maybe even conduct online meetings) and just share information. Blogs also make it easy to find/share information. I think that libraries can take advantage of feeds, using them to broadcast information about books and local information to anyone anywhere.

Week 6-Thing 14: Technorati

I "claimed" my blog on Technorati and found the process to be quite simple. After claiming my blog and creating my watchlist, I checked out the top searches (which included myspace, facebook, and the iphone), the most popular blogs, and figured out how to tag my blog so that it is included in the mdlearn2 search group (below). Overall I thought that the site was easy to navigate and very useful!

Friday, June 22, 2007

Week 6-Thing 13: Tagging & del.icio.us

I checked out del.icio.us and tried to play around with popular tags/pages and I found it to be a little confusing but once I got the hang of the website I realized its potential. I think that in its current state del.icio.us is an easy way to bookmark information that you want and that as it continues to grow, it could become a very valuable research tool.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Week 5-Thing 12: Rollyo

I created my Rollyo account where I posted my own searchroll. I thought that this site was interesting because instead of having to visit all of my favorite websites, I can just type in something specific I wish to search for, related to those websites, and it will bring up all of my options. I think that this is definitely a useful tool that I can use when I want to save time.

Week 5-Thing 11: LibraryThing

I visited the LibraryThing website and created my own account. I found the website to be fast, fun, and easy to use. I enjoyed adding my own personal favorite books to my catalog and sharing it with everyone. I simply could not limit myself to 5 books so I added my top 10! :)

Week 5-Thing 10: Image Generator

For this exercise I created my own MEEZ (and I posted her in my last blog entry). I really love MEEZ's website- it is so fun and so easy! I had a blast choosing her outfit, her shoes, her makeup, and her hairstyle! I think that this is definitely a website that I will be visiting countless times!
:)

Friday, June 15, 2007

Week 4-Thing 9: Library feeds

From the MERLIN website I most enjoyed creating my own avatar. When I was searching that particular component of the site, I discovered the link to MEEZ and had a blast creating my own!


Then I went over to my bloglines account and, using the bloglines search feature, found the MERLIN feed and subscribed to it. I had already searched for and added a few other library-related feeds, so I didn't really have any trouble finding and subscribing to this one. I liked using the search engine provided by bloglines best because I just search, click, and it is automatically added to my subscriptions!

Week 4-Thing 8: RSS Feeds

I have successfully created my bloglines accout.

I liked that I could completely personalize my feeds. I subscribed to some general feeds like Fashion Week and Word/Quote of the Day, but I was also able to subscribe to feeds about my favorite bands, celebrities, and shoes!

I think that because I can personalize everything about my bloglines subscriptions that I will WANT to check up on my feeds. I subscribed to some interesting library-related feeds and so I am able to ENJOY learning new things concerning libraries/librarians. :)

I think that libraries can use RSS Feeds to bring library-related news to the public. By making intriguing feeds libraries can interest the general public into subscribing to their feeds, thus helping to get people excited about learning.

I enjoyed learning about feeds. I even added one at the bottom of the page! :)

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Week 3-Thing 7: Technology

I very recently purchased my own digital camera. It is a pink Polaroid i733 and I love it! I can now easily share pictures on myspace and facebook, and can even utilize a flickr account! Pretty much every day I am snapping pictures of something (be it friends, flowers, sunsets, or family members) and so I feel like it was definitely worth the cost!

Week 3-Thing 6: Mashups




For this activity I visited http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/ and tested out two things that seemed like they'd be cool. I ended up choosing both the "Warholizer" and "Framer" applications.
I think that both resulted in very neat-looking pictures. I found the website easy to use and I even emailed it to myself for future personal use!

Saturday, June 9, 2007

Week 3-Thing 5: Exploring Flickr

"Love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction" (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry).



Photo by ro_nya on Flickr. Click the photograph to access her Flickr account.

I found this picture while searching through flickr's black & white photographs. Two things struck me about this picture:

1. The beautiful quote. I liked how well this picture matched its quote/title.
2. How the background really enhances, but does not detract, from the focus on the couple.

I also really liked how simple and elegant the photograph is. I also think it is a little quirky that those two are dressed for a wedding but there doesn't seem to be one anywhere in sight.

Week 1-Thing 2: Response to 7.5 Lifelong Learning Habits

The learning habit easiest for me personally is definitely habit number 7.5, "Play!" I love taking the time to just enjoy life, especially when I am with the people I love. I read a new book practically every week and am forever recommending books I have read to other people- and I love it!

The hardest habit for me is probably viewing problems as challenges as opposed to setbacks. This is a very difficult thing to execute because when I am faced with problems generally I focus on the negatives rather than the opportunity to learn. After the problem has been resolved I often think back and learn from the experience, but I think that by taking the time to really approach the problem with a more positive attitude, the path to resolution might be more rewarding.