Time really does fly, I can't believe it is 'thing 23'. My absolute favorite discover over this process had to be some of the online image generators simply because I LOVE playing around with pictures. My fav of these were: www.magnigraph.com and http://labs.wanokto.jp/olds. I have since used these for personal pictures quite a bit. I also loved having to play around with youtube as it can be such a fun site...however that was not a 'discovery'.
One unexpected outcome I was not expecting was how hard it was for me to grasp one of the concepts. I am generally a very quick learner or am able to trial and error things until I get it. Being able to link correctly for thing #17 on the PBWiki, I still have not figured how to do it. I was able to link it, but not in the way it was supposed to be done...and it frustrates me that I can't figure it out! However, the other tools that were presented were easy to understand and I do feel better equipped to help patrons with technology questions.
I am still in school (until next Summer...then it's PARTY TIME!!!!!) but using these tools has greatly aided me in those studies. There are some things we spoke about in class that I had not had the opportunity to play around with, that were topics in this journey. I have already been able to use many of the things I have learned in papers as well as discussion posts, and feel better equipped to intelligently further discussions on where the future is headed, techno things, etc. I hope I will continue to pursue learning after I am done with school...because this has definitely shown me that although I have been in school pretty much full-time for the last 4 years - there is SOOOO much out there still to learn!
One tool set that was not touched upon here, and was shown at a recent presentation I attended is the Google ToolBox. They have SOOOO many tools that have potential applications to help us in our professional roles, as well as something we can show to our patrons.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Monday, November 3, 2008
#22 - Media/Book Downloads
I have used the MyLibraryDV...and also went to the training, so I feel pretty confident already using that service. With as many questions as we get about OverDrive, I know some things about that service although I do not personally use it (even though I apprently could still learn a TON more about it, haha!). I chose to look at TumbleBooks since I have never used or even looked through this particular resource.
The books themselves that were available for viewing were fun, I enjoyed the animation that Tumble gave to the picture book illustrations - it makes it more entertaining and the story can come alive for children who are viewing them. It would have been nice to have more 'classic' stories for children to connect with. Other parts of the web-site were great...the games that were available to play. I did most of them :-) The WordCatch was a little odd, and even though I 'chose' the correct word every time the score did not reflect that and it could discourage some children who understand they are doing it correctly but not being given that credit by the game. The Match The Sentence game is GREAT for comprehension. The user has to read the sentence and then choose the picture that best matches. Some of the pictures are fairly close to one another so the child has to truly comprehend the entire sentence to choose correctly. The memory game has pictures and words (that are colored which are great for kids who are visual learners) and after each game is over you can move to a higher level...I don't know how far up these levels go.
The thing I found most frustrating (and the reason this is the first time I have used this resource) is because when you click on TumbleBooks from the 23Things page OR from the web links on SamePage it takes you to a page asking for a login/password. I did not even realize we had full access to this database until I was able to get in through the Kids Page off of the library homepage. That is the ONLY way I was able to successfully use the program. I understand that this is the only way a patron could have access, it was just frustrating to me personally :-)
The books themselves that were available for viewing were fun, I enjoyed the animation that Tumble gave to the picture book illustrations - it makes it more entertaining and the story can come alive for children who are viewing them. It would have been nice to have more 'classic' stories for children to connect with. Other parts of the web-site were great...the games that were available to play. I did most of them :-) The WordCatch was a little odd, and even though I 'chose' the correct word every time the score did not reflect that and it could discourage some children who understand they are doing it correctly but not being given that credit by the game. The Match The Sentence game is GREAT for comprehension. The user has to read the sentence and then choose the picture that best matches. Some of the pictures are fairly close to one another so the child has to truly comprehend the entire sentence to choose correctly. The memory game has pictures and words (that are colored which are great for kids who are visual learners) and after each game is over you can move to a higher level...I don't know how far up these levels go.
The thing I found most frustrating (and the reason this is the first time I have used this resource) is because when you click on TumbleBooks from the 23Things page OR from the web links on SamePage it takes you to a page asking for a login/password. I did not even realize we had full access to this database until I was able to get in through the Kids Page off of the library homepage. That is the ONLY way I was able to successfully use the program. I understand that this is the only way a patron could have access, it was just frustrating to me personally :-)
#21 - Podcasts
I have had to use podcasts before for classes...professors will record themselves giving a lecture and then link it to the class site for us to listen to at will to gain insight on whatever the topic is for the week. This is a great use for them, as it is not just a lecture we are reading, but we can hear voice inflections and if something is meant to be funny/serious/sarcastic...tone can often clue in the listener.
On the sites we were encouraged to look at:
Podcastdirectory.com - I did not really like this site, it was way too busy for my personal taste.
Podcastalley.com - this is the site I liked the most, it was pretty busy but the interface was set up in a way I enjoyed using. This is also where I found the podcast to add to my RSS feed link. After doing a keyword search, the user could click on links to items that had been brought up and it gave a quick overview of what the basic subject was. Very helpful!
myYahooaudio - this had a googlesque search interface, which was a little too bare for me...I did like on the other sites how it gave suggestion topics, most listened to, etc.
I added 'Packers Therapy' to my Google Reader RSS account. It is 2 lifers (green bay packer fans for life) discussing current games and news surrounding the organization. From its description it sounded as though it would be really fun to listen to, as well as maybe learning something new about the team!
Uses in the library could be endless...some I know it is already being used for are book talks, audio of author visits, describe a database or service we provide, etc. It is a *free* way to encourage use of our resources and to promote ourselves!
On the sites we were encouraged to look at:
Podcastdirectory.com - I did not really like this site, it was way too busy for my personal taste.
Podcastalley.com - this is the site I liked the most, it was pretty busy but the interface was set up in a way I enjoyed using. This is also where I found the podcast to add to my RSS feed link. After doing a keyword search, the user could click on links to items that had been brought up and it gave a quick overview of what the basic subject was. Very helpful!
myYahooaudio - this had a googlesque search interface, which was a little too bare for me...I did like on the other sites how it gave suggestion topics, most listened to, etc.
I added 'Packers Therapy' to my Google Reader RSS account. It is 2 lifers (green bay packer fans for life) discussing current games and news surrounding the organization. From its description it sounded as though it would be really fun to listen to, as well as maybe learning something new about the team!
Uses in the library could be endless...some I know it is already being used for are book talks, audio of author visits, describe a database or service we provide, etc. It is a *free* way to encourage use of our resources and to promote ourselves!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
#20 - YouTube
I LOVE YouTube...and have been watching videos on it pretty much since it started. When I first set up my blog, Micki helped me insert my all-time favorite video on the left sidebar..."The Evolution of Dance"...it always makes me smile :-) I do have to say that getting to play around with YouTube was as much fun as playing with the online image editing tools. This first video I am putting in is in honor of the fact that I am going to the New Kids On The Block concert in just TWO WEEKS (yes, feel free to make fun of me...but I was in LOVE with Joey McIntyre when I was 9, and I am reliving my childhood by going...) and this is one of my favorite songs of theirs!
I looked at alot of singing librarian videos and found some fun ones...a few that were way too raunchy to put in...and then stumbled onto the '2008 book cart drill teams' and found one that was pretty darn funny!!
I looked at alot of singing librarian videos and found some fun ones...a few that were way too raunchy to put in...and then stumbled onto the '2008 book cart drill teams' and found one that was pretty darn funny!!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
#19 - web 2.0 (Annette Lamb)
Okay...well, I went a little blurry-eyed looking through her list; it is ENORMOUS! I had to try out several and there was one I created a screen name for (and one of the things I thought would be most fun to try at my branch that I took away from NLA).
The first thing I looked at was a National Geographic 'Explore a Pyramid'. It was interesting for me to use, but would be best geared towards younger grade school students as a fun tool to use with an Ancient Egypt lesson. There is only one pyramid to explore, with four rooms to search through...but was entertaining (not too much scholarly value, just a fun game of sorts) as it has actual video footage that the user is viewing the tomb with.
Spelling City was under the practice environment section, and looked pretty darn cool...I will definitely try to remember this site for when my children have spelling lists. You can use a pre put together list, or enter in your own terms. From there you can ask the web-site to "Test me", "Teach Me", or Play a game; only a few of which are word searches, hangmouse, unscramble, and more...several of which are printable to use with paper/pencil. Again a great tool for either a teacher or youth services librarian to use to help struggling spellers find a fun way to learn their words.
THIS WAS FUN...and I do not like comics. However, so many kids today do...so it is something we all have to be aware of no matter if we're at the youth desk or ref desk. Several sites that Annette provided allow the user to build their own comics. The one I specifically looked at allowed the user to choose a backgroud, characters, and bubbles for words...and then you could print them off as a coloring page. Lots of fun!
The one I was most interested in, and looked at for having a practical application in my branch setting was www.booksprouts.com. It is an online book group/discussion tool that allows users to have a totally online book group or to supplement groups who meet in person. I have heard several times at my branch that people are not able to fit it into their schedules to come to meetings when they are scheduled at our branch and this tool could allow us to help them. The same book discussion leader could have the same book each month...but 'host' meetings at multiple times (so there is still only one book to prepare for...) allowing for users to come join at the time that works for them that particular week. It would also be great as an outreach tool for homebound patrons that might have access to the internet, but are unable to participate in a traditional book group because of physical limitations. I liked this web-site (and it is the only one I looked at out of many options, each would need to be thoroughly looked at to choose one to actually use for a library book group...) for several reasons. It very simple to start a book group, just three quick steps; register for an account, create the bookclub and invite friends to join, and choose the book. Useful features include, but are not limited to; can make the club by invite only or allow anyone to join, box showing recent activity, creating a new book choice allows for a democratic OR book leader choosing (can choose the number of days of nomination, number of days of voting, and how many nominations each member gets), and the book leader can send out mass email with information updates to all members. The uses for a library setting were already mentioned above in allowing for busy patrons who feel they do not have time to physically get to the library...or for homebound...or to teach kids/YA computer skills...or to allow for book groups between people in different parts of country/world.
There was a TON of fun stuff that would take months to get completely through...everyone should be able to find something they enjoy and can make use of...if they can't, they are picky!
The first thing I looked at was a National Geographic 'Explore a Pyramid'. It was interesting for me to use, but would be best geared towards younger grade school students as a fun tool to use with an Ancient Egypt lesson. There is only one pyramid to explore, with four rooms to search through...but was entertaining (not too much scholarly value, just a fun game of sorts) as it has actual video footage that the user is viewing the tomb with.
Spelling City was under the practice environment section, and looked pretty darn cool...I will definitely try to remember this site for when my children have spelling lists. You can use a pre put together list, or enter in your own terms. From there you can ask the web-site to "Test me", "Teach Me", or Play a game; only a few of which are word searches, hangmouse, unscramble, and more...several of which are printable to use with paper/pencil. Again a great tool for either a teacher or youth services librarian to use to help struggling spellers find a fun way to learn their words.
THIS WAS FUN...and I do not like comics. However, so many kids today do...so it is something we all have to be aware of no matter if we're at the youth desk or ref desk. Several sites that Annette provided allow the user to build their own comics. The one I specifically looked at allowed the user to choose a backgroud, characters, and bubbles for words...and then you could print them off as a coloring page. Lots of fun!
The one I was most interested in, and looked at for having a practical application in my branch setting was www.booksprouts.com. It is an online book group/discussion tool that allows users to have a totally online book group or to supplement groups who meet in person. I have heard several times at my branch that people are not able to fit it into their schedules to come to meetings when they are scheduled at our branch and this tool could allow us to help them. The same book discussion leader could have the same book each month...but 'host' meetings at multiple times (so there is still only one book to prepare for...) allowing for users to come join at the time that works for them that particular week. It would also be great as an outreach tool for homebound patrons that might have access to the internet, but are unable to participate in a traditional book group because of physical limitations. I liked this web-site (and it is the only one I looked at out of many options, each would need to be thoroughly looked at to choose one to actually use for a library book group...) for several reasons. It very simple to start a book group, just three quick steps; register for an account, create the bookclub and invite friends to join, and choose the book. Useful features include, but are not limited to; can make the club by invite only or allow anyone to join, box showing recent activity, creating a new book choice allows for a democratic OR book leader choosing (can choose the number of days of nomination, number of days of voting, and how many nominations each member gets), and the book leader can send out mass email with information updates to all members. The uses for a library setting were already mentioned above in allowing for busy patrons who feel they do not have time to physically get to the library...or for homebound...or to teach kids/YA computer skills...or to allow for book groups between people in different parts of country/world.
There was a TON of fun stuff that would take months to get completely through...everyone should be able to find something they enjoy and can make use of...if they can't, they are picky!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
#18 - online productivity...google rules
Okay...so I just went to NLA where a few of the sessions I attended encouraged us to (and I quote) "sell our souls to Google". I got a small lesson in the googledocs during one session, and I was excited about the different uses for me personally - not to mention patrons. Having ONE place where I can store all of my school documents and easily come back to no matter what computer I happen to be at is incredibly appealing...while of course always creating backups - you never know...
I also know at work we have the "X" drive with everyone's documents on it...this HAS to take up a ton of space and if we could get everyone to sign up for their own account to keep track of their documents with we could free up alot of space.
This is also an AWESOME tool for our patrons, because multiple times a week we have people coming in who don't have a flashdrive or burnable CD...and don't want to buy one...but want to have continued access to a document. Now instead of trying to bite down on frustration as you attempt to get them to understand that they cannot save documents on our computer hard drives, we HAVE a free tool we can show them and encourage them to use...
To view my 'test' HTML post...here is the link :-)
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dcdfr9qt_2dcjptsg7
I also know at work we have the "X" drive with everyone's documents on it...this HAS to take up a ton of space and if we could get everyone to sign up for their own account to keep track of their documents with we could free up alot of space.
This is also an AWESOME tool for our patrons, because multiple times a week we have people coming in who don't have a flashdrive or burnable CD...and don't want to buy one...but want to have continued access to a document. Now instead of trying to bite down on frustration as you attempt to get them to understand that they cannot save documents on our computer hard drives, we HAVE a free tool we can show them and encourage them to use...
To view my 'test' HTML post...here is the link :-)
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dcdfr9qt_2dcjptsg7
#17 - add blog to favorites
Well...I have a username/password set up for PBWiki...but every time I try to 'edit' the learning 2.0 page with my blog name (and other favorite things) it tell me I need an invite password...so I guess I will update this when I figure out what that password is :-)
Update: 11/4/08 I have tried a couple of different times now, and obviously am not understanding the directions on how to link my blog to the favorites section. I am leaving the incorrect version up so everyone knows I tried...and will continue to try and find out what I am doing wrong!
Update: 11/4/08 I have tried a couple of different times now, and obviously am not understanding the directions on how to link my blog to the favorites section. I am leaving the incorrect version up so everyone knows I tried...and will continue to try and find out what I am doing wrong!
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