#23 - summarize

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.

#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 :-)

#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!

#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!!

#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!

#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

#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!

#16 - Wiki

There are so many different types of wikis 'out there'....they are essentially web pages that anyone can edit with new or different information. There are password-protected wikis so that there is some accountability as to who is making what changes. Wikipedia is the largest wiki, and is actually a great place to begin research projects especially if the student does not know entirely what they are searching for. I have used wikis for multiple classes, both set up by the professor and some were set up by the students as our choice of keeping in touch. They are FABULOUS for group projects, because everyone has access to the latest information, and there are archive pages if you want to go back and see previous work. Wiki's are great for conferences to put information on about all the sessions, fun programs, eating places, etc...but then after the conference people can go back and post thoughts on what worked/or didn't work and continue discussions that were started. I love how easy these are to use, Terry Wingate and I have actually put one together for Millard Branch as a test project, because we would love to have a password-protected wiki with information pertaining to staff members here, upcoming events, etc. Not much has come of it since it is not currently password protected! However, it is a great idea to keep everyone up to date on information at a specific location.

#15 - Library 2.0

Library 2.0 is something that has been discussed in many of my MLS classes. To me it is something that the customer can interact with along with the librarians, and can adapt when needed (this of course would not be as easy to change in a larger system...) to adjust to new, changing, and different needs as they arise. As I was reading through the suggested list, one section really stood out to me.

"Currently, libraries have a tendency to plan, implement, and forget. Library 2.0 attempts to change this by encouraging the development of a schedule that includes regularly soliciting customer feedback and evaluating and updating services. Both new and existing library services should be revisited routinely to ensure that they are still meeting expected goals. Even older, traditional library services should be reviewed with a fresh eye to determine if any aspect needs updating."

Casey, M.E. & Savastinuk, L.C. (2006). Library 2.0: Service for the next-generation library.
Library Journal. Retrieved October 11, 2008, from
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6365200.html.

This to me shows that any service we provide can be *2.0* as long as we make collaborative decisions based on community needs, and proactively go after patron feedback. I liked the ideas of allowing patrons to leave comments or tags on the web-site, and also book reviews. Obviously some type of screening system should be in place, just so no one tries to put up naughty language.

#14 - Technorati

I found this web-site a tad difficult to search/navigate. It is probably just me...lol! However, on the advanced search page it did offer multiple ways of searching, it would have been nice if it made full use of boolean logic (in the tag search area you can only use OR, etc). You are able to search by keyword, URL, or tag. I am not sure why I assumed the basic search would search tags...and not keyword...but my initial searches I was surprised how many items came up that had nothing to do with what I was looking for. I had more success in searching through the tag function, because then I was connecting with like-minded people. I found some GREAT stuff on current Packers news! :-)

#13 - Delicious

I have heard of this tool before, but had never looked into to it very much...there are so few things I have bookmarked on any computer that I never felt the need before. I do see a great use for this in the workplace for RA resources, web-sites often used to help patrons, etc. It would be much more efficient to log into one place and have everything right at your disposal for when a question arises. Also at my particular branch we float from computer to computer depending on where we are for our shift...and having something we can use from any computer is a necessity. If there are multiple things you like to keep track of for personal information/knowledge it would be beneficial (obviously) for that as well.

#12 - Rollyo

I created a Rollyo today...and I tried to think of something new that I want to actually keep up on (I have such limited interested...Green Bay Packers, NE Huskers, haha). I realized I have not researched any new information lately on my son's eye condition and created my Rollyo search tool for that purpose. This has a great potential, even though as I was going through the offered listings I saw the huge potential for a lot of incorrect information and how it could be more difficult to weed out the good from the bad when each web-site is not given much of a description. The link to my search tool is

http://rollyo.com/dontmissathing/opticnervehypoplasia/

I hope this gets you into it! If not you'll hear from me again soon....

#11 - LibraryThing

After I started looking around library thing, I realized it is very similar to www.goodreads.com which I currently already have an account with. You are able to search for books that you want to read, are reading, or have read...and add reviews and give stars 1-5. LT was a little more confusing to me than Good Reads, it is probably just personal taste on how the interface is set up. My 'catalog' of books is at http://www.librarything.com/catalog/dontmissathing , I did only add the 5 since I have a much longer list at Good Reads that I did not want to duplicate :-)

#10 - online image editors....FUN

Okay, I had a BLAST looking at the Generator Blog and playing around with all the different tools they offered throughout. I will attach my favorite ones, and a couple that I really could not get to work...and just didn't seem to work with the pictures I uploaded. Here goes :-)

The first thing I played around with was the magnigraph, http://www.magnigraph.com/ , and this is one I could definitely get hooked on. I don't know how the pictures will format on the screen, but this is the one of my son, Andrew, in his Husker jacket. I loved how this one turned out, since the shadow/light worked really well with what he was wearing in the photo.

The next thing I played with was called "make me babies"...haha....I love the name at http://makemebabies.com/ . You upload a picture of yourself and the person you want to 'have a baby with' (including celebrities). I tried to make a picture of what my husband's and mine boy would look like first (to compare to the two we actually made) and I have to admit our real ones are MUCH cuter :-) The little girl I created next, though, was ADORABLE. Makes me wish for a girl now, haha!

The next thing I played around with is Yearbook Yourself, http://www.yearbookyourself.com/ , which I did not really like all that much. The two pictures I tried to use did not crop very well, and when the program tried to insert my picture into hair and style fashions of decades gone by, and effect was odd. Notice I am not putting a picture in of this tool...haha. Another few tools that I found mildly amusing but nothing I could imagine myself actually using were some of the name sites where they provided a name for you. Celebrity baby names and Mobster names are what I looked at, although in the long list on Generator Blog I did see that there were many more. http://www.generatorland.com/generators/mob_name_gl.php & http://www.generatorland.com/generators/celebrity_baby_name_generator_gl.php is where you can find these tools. Another tool I have seen before, and used before in a couple of classes is Worlde at http://wordle.net/ . This is a unique graphic for handouts, web-sites, any type of publicity, etc. It takes a story or a group of words/concepts/ideas and makes a visual word graphic with the repeated words showing larger than words less used. One example for a possible professional use: if you are trying to figure out what concepts keep coming up in a survey you can just throw all the responses into this and it will show you.

GlowTxt, http://glowtxt.com/ , was alot of fun. However, there is a 40 character max...and so most of the quotes I attempted to insert were way too long. Ahhh well :-) Here is what I made

Hopefully it came out correctly since this was one of the tools you were supposed to be able to just insert the HTML code to have it show up....

The next toy I played with I happened to have the PERFECT picture for (I thought). It is Old Style Photo http://labs.wanokoto.jp/olds that takes pictures and turns them sepia-toned and makes them look 'old'. I was recently in Las Vegas and took a fun picture of the NewYork New York hotel & casino. I uploaded this into the program, and voila...a really cool picture came out of it!

The next one I played with was the Coat of Arms http://www.makeyourcoatofarms.com/ and mine turned out really well, but I could not get the program to let me save it to my computer (without purchasing something...if I'd given them my credit card info I bet they would have let me save it...haha). It did let me print it out however, and I will try to scan and post that at a later date.

The last thing I did was the Celebrity Face Match http://www.picitup.com/picitup/match_start.jsp , simply because I thought it would be funny to see what happened. I put in my picture and a few of the people the site said I looked like are: Jorja Fox, Diane Lane, and Amy Adams....HAHAHAHAHA!!! I then input my husband's picture and it said he looked like: Josh Duhamel, Ryan Reynolds, Paul Walker, and Billy Crudup. The Billy Crudup thing I saw from the picture they had of him....but it was too funny....good for a laugh, but no real purpose to it (however, we all need to laugh several times a day...it's good for the soul!)

Well, I had way too much fun with this assignment...hehe

#9 - finding new feeds

Well, I looked through the 3 options given on the O!Geek site...technorati, syndic8, and topix and was a little confused by all. I never was able to find a feed for the topic I was looking for (something from the ALA) so I am not sure if the sites were not finding it...or if I am an idiot....either is possible :-) I did go to the sites that I know of to hunt down their RSS feed symbols, as I tend to only look at a few different sites every day for information anyways. The Packers is the first one I went to. The other site I tend to keep up on is www.drudgereport.com and that has several news sites that feed into it.

#8 - UPDATE

Soooo....I checked my Google reader RSS this morning (less than one day after having set it up) and I have over EIGHT HUNDRED unread articles....I don't think subscribing to all of these feeds is time-productive for me if I am going to look at even a fraction of them!

...On a sadder note

So...I am really sad today :-( Our best friends in the whole wide world moved back to Reno this morning. We had a yummy breakfast together at the Farmhouse Kitchen, and then a sad goodbye before coming in to work. The picture is a recent one of Justin and Shonee and my husband on the right...and the other one is of me and Shonee...the boys have been friends for YEARS...and Shonee and I loved each other the second we met...just a sad day!

#8 - RSS

I had heard of these before but had never put one together on my own. I used the Google Reader, so I had the 'one-less' login and password to remember. I liked the pre-packaged subject feeds they offered, I subscribed to News, Fun, Celebs, and Video. I then went through and deleted several, just keeping the ones I was interested in. The 10 I now subscribe to are: ESPN, Google News, Celebrity Gossip, Colbert Report Videos, Daily Show Videos, Google Video, Quotes of the Day, YouTube - most watched, Parents.com, and Unshelved. As of the last time I logged in I had 107 new posts to read from these sources...just a tad much. As great as these are, I personally would have to keep the ones I subscribe to down...only those that I really would want to keep up on. Otherwise, there is simply a ton of 'junk' in the to-be-read area that takes a lot of time to delete. The idea behind it and the way it can help bring all the information to you is fantastic, though! I will probably personally use this to keep up on football-related topics (GO PACK GO).

I do subscribe to a listserv through Becky Pasco, that deals with any announcements for the MU program as well as job opportunities, etc. I can also see a great professional use for this if you subscribe to one that deals with issues you face each day in your job...different ideas on how to handle patrons, new technologies, etc.

I also put Packers.com and Unshelved in the sidebar of my blog...that way everyone who visits can see exactly what I am interested in ;-)

#7 - anything technology related

The first thing, that I know I could NOT live without is e-mail. My husband makes fun of how many times a day I check it...but I love being able to stay in touch with friends in multiple states as well as family (even my Grandma doesn't send notes via snail mail, she's a wiz on e-mail) who are scattered around Nebraska and Kansas. I do not ever remember having to fax a memo (I was not in the workplace before e-mail...) but I do remember writing lots of letters to family/friends/pen pals as I was growing up, and how much easier it is to type a quick email to someone and how quickly we can hear back. The only thing we send via snail mail anymore is birthday/anniversary/etc cards, my Mother once commented to me that in this world of electronic communication...taking the time to choose a card and sign it yourself can mean alot to the receiver. Hmmm...guess I digressed just a tad

The other thing technology-related I love is MySpace (and Facebook). I have been able to reconnect with a ton of acquaintences of towns gone by...and from high school/college. I am also able to keep current on the lives of good friends here in Omaha that I do not necessarily go sit down on their couch and look through their photo albums, but if they went on a trip or had a fun family day and they upload pictures it is fun to comment on them.

#6 - flickr tools

Other the past few days I have been looking at the Flickr tools, to see what all could be done with the photos and I was blown away by so many creative and innovative ideas. The Flickr color imager was fun to play around with, seeing what types of pictures came up for different shades. I tried to make my own 'mappr' but when I got to that section it said "As of 2007, Mappr is no longer processing images from flickr". Ah well...today I was unable to see any of the pictures, the captions were still there, it just looked like the web-site itself was having some issues. I was able to make a jigsaw picture out of a picture I uploaded to the big huge labs site (which I found under the explore tab, under flickr services)...found from a LONG list of tools. Hope all are having a great start to their week - I didn't work yesterday, so Tuesday is the beginning of this week I guess!

#5 - browse Flickr and post owhatageek photo

Well...I asked our official resident techie, and she didn't know why my flickr picture isn't showing up in the public photos for 'owhatageek'. She did show me how to find the picture URL so I could post my picture, they definitely hide it well :-) Under the All Sizes option above the picture itself in my account you can choose the URL or post the HTML to link back to Flickr...I am going to try to link it back to Flickr and see what happens!

#5 - not quite there yet with adding my flickr photo

Well, I am a little frustrated right now! I have created a flickr account and uploaded some pictures onto it. I 'tagged' one as owhatageek, but when I go in to find it it does not show up. A sidebar asks the question "Hey, are you wondering why your photostream isn't showing up here" but when I click on that link it does not give me any answers. Hmmm....when I try to use the URL link, the picture comes up blank (see right...where there should be a picture there is none). I will try to keep working on this to see what my problem is, if anyone else is having problems or knows how to correct this I would love some guidance! Thanks...

#4 - email URL to o!whatageek team

I have now emailed the blog URL to the O! What a Geek Team.

I also have to say a big *thank you* to Micki...I was able to figure out how to add a YouTube video to my blog, but it was very disproportionate to the area the sidebar allowed. She messed with the HTML and fixed the size of it so I could have my dance video on the blog. Thanks!!!

#3 - add your first post

Well, technically it is my third post...but yay, I figured it out :-)

#2 - Discover pointers from lifelong learners

Well...the 'easiest' habit for me in the list is probably the last...PLAY! I have 2 young children who are very active, and it is a total blast getting to be a kid with them and play all sorts of games. They are both creative and have come up with some great adventures.

In all seriousness the easy habits for me are a tie between beginning with a goal in mind and accepting responsibility for my own learning. I am currently in school, and have been going essentially full-time since Fall of 2005 and each semester since (I had to return and finish my undergraduate)...which made my youngest only a few months old when I returned. It has been a true test of will to keep going at it and to forge straight into the Masters program with having such a young family at home. The whole family (especially my husband) has made sacrifices so that I am able to complete my goal of getting my degree and for that reason I take the responsibilities of my classes very seriously...as I try to do with each goal I make for myself. I am an incredibly organized person and if I decide to do something I need to have a goal in mind or a 'light at then end of the tunnel' for my own sanity!

The hardest habit I have been trying to overcome is to use technology to my advantage. My brain just does not seem to be wired to easily process new techonologies...it is a constant struggle! Also - with some of the technologies, you have to have access to them...and when your family is not in a situation to buy the latest gadgets it is hard to abstractly understand how to use them without having experience (again, my learning is best hands-on with technology).

#1 - Review 23 things site

As I was looking through the site, I found a few things I am really looking forward to learning about! Flickr is one thing I have heard of but never had the time to look at, this will force me to make the time...I am also interested in seeing just what the online image generator is. This is a great program for people who are not techonologically inclined to have a learning (non-graded) environment. I agree with someone else who said the incentives are great motivation :-)