Thing 23. The End of the Beginning

Wow. It has been so cool ( if confusing at times) learning about all of the technology out there. And I know that what I experienced was A. just a drop in the bucket, and b. will soon be obsolete as they have already invented nano bots who will take my job :) ( hyperbole!!! I hope...)


But it has been a great and awesome journey. I can't wrap my head around anything too groundbreaking so I will answer the questions so kindly provided on the list of things.






What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?





It's so hard to pick one. But I think it would have to be thing 15. The ideas about the future and the YouTube video about the present completely blew my mind. We are living in the future. The future is now. that's a terrifying and liberating thought.


How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?



It really opened my eyes to what was out there. And not just that but that I was capable of learning it! I've never been a hugely technologically adept person. I have to call my friend in order to set up my DVD player. I discovered that I COULD do it, and that it was fun to boot!


Were there any take-aways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?


Hmmm. I guess the previous point I made. Just how much fun it was. Also, that things that seem hard and scary ( words like RSS, feed, pod cast, blogs) aren't so difficult when you learn how they work. Hopefully that will stick with me.



What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?



I think the entire set up is awesome, but like everything there can be improvement. While there is a lot of instructional information included with every weeks tasks I think some way of communicating between the participants would be really great. people could share their progress, help out people who need it, and just network. Possibly a message board and/or chat room?



And last but not

least…
If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you again chose to participate?



Absolutely! The entire thing was just fantastic. If I've learned anything it's how much there is I have to learn. I'd love to take another trip . :)


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?





I learned that technology can be fun! And that things aren't as hard to learn as they appear at the beginning.

We are way out of order now! Thing #12

Hello! This is your friendly neighborhood procrastinator! I have gotten an account with Rollyo .


I have also made my own search engine! Voila! Nepalman's Videogame search engine! I am no t truly a video game Friend but I do have certain games I am truly obsessed with. Using this search engine I can search my favorite sites for information on my obsession. I must admit that Rollyo had me somewhat intimidated which is why, I left it to this late date. But really I should not have been intimidated. Getting an account was easy and so was "rolling up" a search engine.

The problem is I don't like it. :(

I am a terrible speller. Google has saved me, time and time, again with it's handy spellchecking feature. Rollyo does not have that. I can see the uses that Rollyo could have. For one thing, it also has social networking features of a sort. You can look at other peoples search engines (if they are public.) I just don't think it's my cup of tea. But I 'm glad I did it!

week 9, thing 22. Audiobooks

Here we are... At the penultimate thing. I'm trembling. We've come so far, so soon. ... "we've always just begun"...

Ahem. My apologies.

I went ahead and signed up for both NetLibrary and Overdrive and I looked around at what they had available. I don't have a device to download an audiobook into so I would be listening to it from my computer but its still a cool service. I took a look at "The Golden Compass" by Phillip Pullman. the cool thing is Phillip Pullman narrates it! I really like that book, I recommend it.

Week 9. thing 21. Podcast A-go-go!

Wow. It is amazing to me that we are all nearing the end of the 23 things. it has been an awesome journey. I know how to embed YouTube videos now! I never had that knowledge before. Well, this week my assignment was to check out a few podcast finding tools and subscribe to a podcast.

I chose to check out Podcast.net, and Podcastalley.com. While they were both useful, I preferred Podcastalley.com. It just seemed easier to navigate and more user friendly. I signed up for a few podcasts that looked interesting. I Play Dungeons & Dragons ( among other games) so I subscribed to "The Tome" which seems like a cool podcast about role playing.

I don't have a microphone, so I couldn't do the optional make your own podcast assignment, but I think podcasts are quite spiffy. I think I might actually listen to them on a regular basis now. And the great thing is, now I know how to do it I can help a patron who has questions about finding podcasts.

Week 9, thing 20. You tube. I tube. We all tube...

As part of this Thing's discovery exercises I've been exploring YouTube. It isn't my first time I must say. I mostly look for music videos ( the originals and fan ones). I was rocking out to "Major Tom" just the other day. Oh, and "glory of Love". But there is also things of a more educational nature too!

This is a cool video I found about Banned Book Week at a particular school. I've always wanted to celebrate Banned Book Week and I think my system should! Also, we should have cool buttons like that...

I like the Way YouTube is organised. You can either search for something specific or browse by categories. If there is a particular source of videos you think are interesting you can subscribe to them. Videos have "tags" like I discovered before. I love tags. :) And you can rate videos. The site displays recent favorites on the front page. I will say... That caution is indicated for YouTube. There is a reason many videos have not Not Safe For Work on them...

I think that library catalogs should also have different ways to search for materials. We should have the traditional search functions, but we could also have categories. If people could rate books on our catalog we could have a page of favorites! Our system is going to get AquaBrowser soon which should be interesting. it features a "word cloud" kind of a model which can be very useful to provoke new trains of thought. Here is the Baltimore County Public Library catalog. Is not that cool?! And if you prefer the old view, it still has that. I think it's going to be awesome having that in my system.

Week 8, thing 19. Yelp!!!

Hello! This time my assignment ( which I chose to accept) was to pick one of the Web 2.0 Awards nominees and explore it. Then I am to write a post and describe this site.

I chose Yelp . Yelp is an online community city guide that lets people review businesses such as restaurants, bookstores, dance clubs and pretty much everything else. It contains As soon as I clicked on it it knew where I was, which was both convenient and a little scary. ( remember a few weeks ago , where my mind was blown? There is no such thing as privacy anymore!) Fortunately, it's a review site, so instead of hunter killer droids being sent to my location it just assumed I was interested in the closest big city. There are plenty of locations! I think Maryland has about 7 locations listed.

The premise of yelp is that everyone trusts their friends ( and sometimes random strangers) opinions over advertising. So yelp lets real people give reviews. Now I am not so naive that I do not think that some "shills" aren't out there trying to steer people their way but Yelp apparently makes an effort to keep that kind of thing to a minimum. They even have a guide to business owners to tell them the DOs and DON'Ts of using the site such as don't review your own business anonymously but do review your own place openly, be sure to thank people who review even negative ones, things like that. Apparently Yelp users have been known to punish stores that use "viral advertising" by circling the horses so to speak so this seems like good advice.

There is a strong social networking element to the site. You can message members, talk on a forum, and have friends, as well as invite people to join and be your friend.

I've been checking the site out for about 30 minutes but they took it down for maintenance. :(

I liked it! I found it pleasant to look at, easy to use, and the whole concept appeals to me. I can see a lot of use to this in a library at least as a place on our recommended sites list. I've noticed people often ask my personal opinion a lot. Not because they think I'm especially knowledgeable perhaps, but just because I am a real live human being. Taking the whole notion with a small grain of salt, I thought that Yelp was extremely appealing.

Week 8, thing 18. Witness my Zoho Mojo!

I am now writing using Zoho Writer. It feels just like Word. In fact, it looks like it has more option readily available . ( Oddly enough, the spell check did not recognize Zoho as a word. And I'm IN Zoho!)

I can see why this is nifty . You can access ( and save!) information, on the web, without ever putting it on a disk, or hardrive. I'm sure there is a downside somewhere but it looks pretty nifty to me!

I then exported this to my blog from Mojo. That was nifty. If I didn't have a disk to save something I could write it up in Zoho writer and then save it there! That's really cool. I wonder how much space you get?

Week 7, thing 17

Hello!



I just went to the Maryland Libraries Sandbox and added an entry! This is actually my first time adding something to a wiki. It was kind of cool!

Look for Nepalman. :)

Week 7 thing 16. Wiki madness!

First I have got to say a few things about wikipedia, http://wikipedia.org/ perhaps the most famous wiki in the world. I have serious mixed feeling about wikipedia. On the hand, students should never, ever site wikipedia or get substantial information from Wikipedia. On the other hand, I use WIkipedia nearly evry day both personally and professionally. The difference is in how I use it. I use Wikipedia to point me in the right direction. For instance, the Wiki articles often cite other sites, sources, or books which may be much more definitive then Wikipedia is by itself. Also, Wikipedia is great for things like movie descriptions, and looking up comic book characters who I have forgotten. Things that are not life and death. Wikipedia is certainly a useful tool but it is has to be used in the right way.



Now, one of the wiki I checked out for this discovery exercise really excited me to the possibility of doing one in my system. http://booklovers.pbwiki.com/ is really cool! Patrons write book reviews and e-mail them to staff who then send them a password to put them on the wiki. So it isn't completely unfettered access. I really like the concept of patrons being able to share their opinions of a book with other patrons! This has been done in my system before , but not on line. Patrons really like it when they can be part of the process and sharing your views is always popular. It makes it more personal somehow. for instance, "staff recommends" is always one of our most popular displays. because the patrons know us and it then becomes more personal.



I really liked Library Success: A best practices wiki because it allows librarians from across the country ( and perhaps the world?) to share great ideas,both successes and those valuable learning experiences known as failures.

Looking at these wikis makes me really want one for my system. Also, I find myself wanting a way for patrons to review books accessible directly from out catalog. Perhaps we could could put it behind a hyperlink to make it unobtrusive. This would really increase patron interest in our less trendy books. Sometimes the most interesting things are in the aisle less travelled.

Week 6, thing 15. My mind has just been blown.

Okay. Maybe it's just the coffee but my thoughts are racing like mad after what I've just seen. First I watched http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLlGopyXT_g which completely rocked my world. I loved it! At first it was a little confusing. But it was liberating. And a little scary. ( also I immediately thought of the Internet achieving sentience. Now, ... um, that is a little scary. Mostly because I think the Internet as a sentient being would be obsessed with sex. Frankly.) It really reminded me of that commercial with the business man in a suit going into an old fashioned diner. He asks about the old fashioned looking juke box. Obviously being sarcastic, he enquires about any classical music "on that thing." He is informed that this jukebox plays every piece of music, ever recorded, anywhere. he is in a state of shock.

This is kind of how I felt after looking at this video and reading some of the library 2.0 perspectives. The future is not coming. The future is here. And we have to adapt.
I liked all of them, But "Away from the “icebergs” http://www.oclc.org/nextspace/002/2.htm , and "To a temporary place in time..." http://www.oclc.org/nextspace/002/6.htm were my favorites. Mostly because they were a little more ... user friendly then the others. I liked the first because it broke down the issues in a really simple way that speaks to the libraries issues. But at the same time that I appreciated Mr. Anderson's points, I also had counter points. We can't afford to have everything in physical form anymore. We just can't. Libraries are relying increasingly on databases and e. texts. But... power outages happen. Connection problems happened. My branches computers were down 4 hours yesterday. people came into the branch and literally walked right out again when they saw the Internet is down. I felt powerless. Without our handy Dewie decimal cheats I would not even have known where anything was.
His point about user education also rang true. We DO need to make our systems easier and more intuitive. BUT... making the interface more user friendly is not the end of even the beginning. It's the middle. Education is necessary. I have patrons come in all the time that think ever terminal has its own e- mail address that they can uses. More and more people are getting back into the job market and trying to apply for job applications. Which absolutely So, my position is... We need easier technology AND education . Which means more money assigned to that and perhaps a staff position whose only job is that. We actually have that at one of our branches. A computer lab and a full time instructor. We need more of that. His last point, I have no reservations about. We have to go to the patron . Because we must help them to understand. Everyone can use the Internet. it's how you use the Internet that matters. And also, books. Books are awesome.

"to a temporary place in time" is so cool because it discusses the transitory nature of ... all things really. Library 2.0? The Internet is buzzing about web 3.0! The next step. And the next step. And another. We need to be flexible, adaptive, attentive, and ... CAUTIOUS. Because as I said in a discussion of hypothetical voice activated computers technology VOX , we need to understand one thing. New technology is beneficial ( potentially at least) but we must adopt it with disowning our current technology. I picked up a book. This, I said, is 100 % EMP protected. it requires no power source. It cannot be hacked. It can be altered but is readily apparent. We must never abandon this!!! For that day will sound the death knell of knowledge.

Week 6, Thing 14. Technorati !

Hello!



I have been exploring Technorati, the blog searching site ( http://technorati.com/) and it is quite, quite interesting. I looked at the top favorited blogs, the top searches on Technorati ( Harry Potter is at the top of the list.) and the top blogs as measured by number of links the blogs have to them. I found a really cool blog called Boing Boing. http://www.boingboing.net/

I added it to my feed list. I also "claimed " my blog. Now I know that doing this puts me more on the radar but I find the language interesting. If I hadn't what would have happened? One day would gold be discovered on my blog and because I hadn't claimed it I would be evicted?!

... most likely, not. But a man can dream can't he?!?!



I also did a few searches for "learning 2.0 " in a few different ways. There were 3, 949 blog posts featuring learning 2.0. There were 25, 379 posts that had been tagged learning 2.0 . And there were 488 blogs that were devoted to learning 2.0.


The entire thing is fascinating. I'm going to play with it for a while. :)

[mdlearn2]

Week 6, thing 13. D-licious!

Wow. I got an account with http://del.icio.us/ a social bookmarking site. The whole notion of being able to acce4ss your favorites from any computer is revolutionary. Then when you add the concept of sharing them , thats just fantastic!

Here are some I've done so far.

http://del.icio.us/ninjabook

It's interesting. I've seen "tags" around a lot of places, including on live journal, but I never entirely understood them. I think they make a nifty organizational tool. It's kind of similar to a concept I heard about a long time ago. You're reading a text on line and you can click on nearly anything if you want more information about it.

Using tags somebody can bounce around from link to link and get more information that way. My problem is that I might be like a kid in a candy store and just bounce from place to place without fully absorbing one thing but I thing that risk goes along with the Internet in general.

I definitely see the promise in something like this as a research tool certainly. It's a differant kind of organization, that doesn't have to replace older forms but can complement it.

Week 5, thing 11. Presenting, some of my books.

I have signed up for Library Thing! Which is this really nifty way to keep track of what books I own/ have read. And you can also see what other people have read. Here is my library * a small sample of it rather. I need to make time and add everything.)

http://www.librarything.com/catalog/Nepalman

I tried using Suggester and Unsuggester, but they were loading a long time and I suspect they may be broken.

Me as pencil sketch

Me as pencil sketch
Originally uploaded by buffyatemydingos

This is awesome! I did this with a photo to pencil sketch looking generator which is here...

http://www.dumpr.net/sketch.php

Week 4, thing 9.

I used various engines to search for feeds!


I didn't like any of them really. Now, this isn't a sweeping indictment. I think the technology is just new new to me.

On a funny aside, the other day I explained cut and paste to a patron and he regarded me as his techno savior. I told him , sir, six months ago, I did not properly understand this myself! Yes, take heart technophobes of the world, if I can do it, anyone can.

So, yes. I used bloglines searcher, and technorati, as well as a few others. My main difficulty was telling the difference between a blog or feed, that just had my subject term in it incidentally to a blog that had my subject term as its main subject. I will continue playing with it. And as for playing... onward to week 5, the fun week!!! :)

Week 4, thing 8.

Greetings!

Well, I have done it! I have set up a Bloglines account.

It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. I had looked at the help videos and they were very helpful.

It took me somewhat longer to find out how to make my ffeds public but I think I've figured it out. Here is the list.

http://www.bloglines.com/public/Nepalman

Manga LA

Manga LA
Originally uploaded by buffyatemydingos

This is the trading card I made using this nifty Trading Card Maker from Fd. http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/

As I said before it didn't QUITE come out the way I wanted it to, but that's cool.

I think the entire concept of librarian trading cards is an awesome one. :)

Bow down before the power of Manga!!! Or not, as you prefer.

Bow down before the power of Manga!!! Or not, as you prefer.
Originally uploaded by buffyatemydingos

Hee hee. I made a trading card but it did not come out right. Sigh. I will keep trying. Technology is hard. :)

Week 3, thing 7.

Hello!

I am completely out of order on this "thing"! I have explored and joined Flickr (sic?) but I a have yet to complete the associated tasks!

I actually need to ask permission to post the nifty photos I took last night. So, instead I will skip ahead to thing 7.

Technology post!

I love the Internet. And no, this is not a cop out. I do not know what I would do without it. I use Mapquest to find out where I'm going ( and where I will be near when I get lost), I use Google to correct my spelling, I check out Amazon to make sure I have the exactly worded title of a book. i use the Internet constantly. ... In fact it's a little scary how dependant I am. And not just me. I think its a generational thing. or at least a work experience thing. When the Internet at our branch goes down ( and it often does) all of the info staff who joined the system after a certain point are pretty much hamstrung. I don 't even know where anything is! I have to keep a yellow booklet cheat sheet of the Dewey decimal system! But the old hands... zip, zip, they go right to the shelf. It doesn't help that many of our best, most up to date, reference tools are on line. Sigh. Well, you can't have everything.

.... Wait a moment. this is about what I love. Yes. I Love the Internet. :)

7 and 1/2 habits .

Hello!

The hardest of the 7 and 1/2 habits for me has got to be step 4. Have confidence in yourself as a lifelong learner. I often completely lack confidence in myself in many areas. I have been working on this and am helped by the good opinions of my friends and coworkers but I still struggle with having a positive attitude about myself.

The easiest habit is 7 and !/2, to play! :) I love to do new and interesting, fun things! I recently went to the Benjamin Franklin Institute in Philadelphia and I had a blast! You could touch nearly all of the exhibits and it was really fun while teaching a great deal. I love interactive museums for this reason.

First post!

Hello! This is my first post in my new blog that I have created as part of 23 things http://www.marylandlibrarieslearning2about.blogspot.com/, a nifty program to help keep library staff abreast of technology. ... Yep, this is my first post.