It's hard to believe I've come to the end! When I reflect back on the previous 22 things I'm amazed at what I've done, the places I've visited and the tools I've used. I've enjoyed exploring and learning and know I'll continue to use what I've learnt here (I'll use some tools more than others of course). I would also list this programme on my CV as I believe it shows that I'm keeping up with new technologies. I've mentioned this program to non-librarians and they are keen to have a look at it too.
You will have picked up by now that I loooooove YouTube. I think I would search for an appropriate YouTube video to go with any training or teaching situation so I would have to say YouTube is a definite favourite. I also really like Google Docs.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Following Jane Austen
I had a look at the Web 2.0 award winners for 2007 and not only discovered a Kiwi connection but many really good tools and sites some of which I've come across on this Learning 2.0 journey I've been on.
The winner in the business category was Squidoo which is all about making a single webpage (or lens as Squidoo calls it) about your passion. The lens can be used to lead viewers to a website or blog or whatever. I was going to link to the Stupid Library Tricks lens but thought better of it and thought instead you should look at this one.
With Squidoo you only get to make the one page so you really have to be organised to say or show what you want to in the one page. Lens' are very easy to make and are useful in providing a snapshot which can be used to draw viewers to other places.
The winner in the business category was Squidoo which is all about making a single webpage (or lens as Squidoo calls it) about your passion. The lens can be used to lead viewers to a website or blog or whatever. I was going to link to the Stupid Library Tricks lens but thought better of it and thought instead you should look at this one.
With Squidoo you only get to make the one page so you really have to be organised to say or show what you want to in the one page. Lens' are very easy to make and are useful in providing a snapshot which can be used to draw viewers to other places.
Where to eat in Auckland
Auckland Restaurants
I published this list of restaurants from Google Docs. It was so easy to set up an account and get started but rather than reading my "rantings and ravings" watch this YouTube video (remember I'm in love with YouTube) about Google Docs, it says it all really.
Google Docs rocks!
Friday, March 7, 2008
Congratulations Helene Blowers
Helene Blowers has won the ALA technology award for 2008. Read more at http://www.ala.org/ala/lita/newandnoteworthy/hitechwinner08.cfm
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Rollyourown Rollyo
This is such a handy tool! I put together a collection of New Zealand websites which contain good recipes. My searchroll is called Fancy a feast? Type a couple of ingredients into the search bar, select my searchroll and see what yummy recipes come up.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
It's a Library Ting!
Library Thing is amazing and it's so easy to add books to the library you create. Have a look at some random covers from my library. What I like about Library Thing is the ability to see who has similar libraries to mine. While it is so easy to add books I think in future visits I'll manually add my titles so that I get the correct edition of the book I'm reading (or have read).
Have a look at the author cloud from the Zeitgeist page of Library Thing.
Have a look at the author cloud from the Zeitgeist page of Library Thing.
Image Generators
I actually made this mosaic of my daughter Hilary using Flickr's Big Huge Labs: Mosaic Maker. Have a go yourself with one of your own photos http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php
Hi-Tech Classroom
This news item about a hi-tech classroom caught my eye recently on NZ national news. Students from Bishop Hartley High School in Columbus, Ohio have their notes, textbooks, and lectures all in one place, on their tablet personal computers (tablet pc). You can read the accompanying article and watch the video of hi-tech classroom.
Wikipedia gives a good explanation of the tablet pc. I think one of best advantages of this technology is that the student can have everything all in one compact place (provided the subject teacher is organised and supports the programme). Another is the various ways of inputting data using the tablet's slate. You'll see from watching the video that there is one drawback ... find out what this is at http://www.ivanhoe.com/science/story/2008/03/401a.html
Wikipedia gives a good explanation of the tablet pc. I think one of best advantages of this technology is that the student can have everything all in one compact place (provided the subject teacher is organised and supports the programme). Another is the various ways of inputting data using the tablet's slate. You'll see from watching the video that there is one drawback ... find out what this is at http://www.ivanhoe.com/science/story/2008/03/401a.html
My friend Flickr
It's been a while ... March already! I've had a look at mashups and found this great YouTube video by David Berlind from ZDNet. He explains mashups and API's (application programming interfaces) very well.
I really like the look of Captioner - having the ability to add captions to photos sent to Nana adds a whole new dimension to "family photos". Of course I'll let my dentist know about this too! I'm a little tired of the old check up reminders now she can send me a photo of herself drill in hand with an appropriate speech bubble.
Do we really need scrapbooking anymore?
P.S. I'm in love with YouTube.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Librarian army :)
We all march for the good of the cause. Join today and fight the good fight for information. Flickr is a great site, all those photos, and tags of course.
In the most popular tags Librarian should be between landscape light but we don't rate a mention.
Get searching everyone, that's an order, so that we become Librarian
Monday, February 18, 2008
Google roolz!
Here's a house on the Coromandel in New Zealand. It has a light green roof (needs a paint I think) and it's near a lovely beach. It's amazing what Google Maps New Zealand can do. I've even found directions to my friend's house. Who needs Navman! Let's just take the laptop in the car and key in where we want to go each time!
But a word of caution, have you seen this?
Google Earth is amazing too! Check out the night sky or check out the Eiffel Tower (Parlez-Vous Français?), way to go Google! It's no wonder we have the Google generation, look at what Google does, can you blame them!
Hear all about it!
Wow podcasts are amazing! There are podcasts on just about anything even Monty Python (beware not all podcasts are free).
I've been into studio.odeo and had a go at making a podcast but I've had trouble saving the file. I've been in touch with Odeo and I'm waiting for the reply (can't wait as I want to make a podcast). Anyway I've added an RSS feed to receive updates from the SirsiDynix Institute and in answer to your question what is the SirsiDynix Intitute here's a quote from their FAQ.
"Established by Dynix in February 2003, SirsiDynix Institute is an online seminar series that provides free access to industry-leading speakers and events. By providing an ongoing forum for professional development within the library community, our mission is to support librarianship and advance the work of librarians around the world." Very impressive!
I've been into studio.odeo and had a go at making a podcast but I've had trouble saving the file. I've been in touch with Odeo and I'm waiting for the reply (can't wait as I want to make a podcast). Anyway I've added an RSS feed to receive updates from the SirsiDynix Institute and in answer to your question what is the SirsiDynix Intitute here's a quote from their FAQ.
"Established by Dynix in February 2003, SirsiDynix Institute is an online seminar series that provides free access to industry-leading speakers and events. By providing an ongoing forum for professional development within the library community, our mission is to support librarianship and advance the work of librarians around the world." Very impressive!
Saturday, February 16, 2008
You too YouTube!
Okay so I love cats and they've been a lot of cat videos on YouTube. Have a look at About.com:cats and from another blog Look at this with best of YouTube cats.
Cats really can talk!
Cats really can talk!
So it's Meow or is that Ciao for now!
Me me Me me Meme
When I first looked at the word meme I also thought of bandwagon (as in jumping on), The emperor's new clothes (remember the Hans Christian Andersen tale) and of course social morays. However K. Schneider shed some light on memes in the Free Range Librarian blog (love this blog and will set up a feed from it)
One of the quotes from this blog "You cannot change the user, but you can transform the user experience to meet the user" stands out for me. Librarians are (were, have been, will be)concerned with order and control but overiding this is the driven need to provide the user with the information they want. So in commenting on some of the the Learning 2.0 articles I've looked at I believe Learning 2.0 is a way of adopting new pathways (memes) and connecting to the user, establishing dialogue, and collaborating, all of which will transform the user experience and for that matter the Librarian's experience.
One of the quotes from this blog "You cannot change the user, but you can transform the user experience to meet the user" stands out for me. Librarians are (were, have been, will be)concerned with order and control but overiding this is the driven need to provide the user with the information they want. So in commenting on some of the the Learning 2.0 articles I've looked at I believe Learning 2.0 is a way of adopting new pathways (memes) and connecting to the user, establishing dialogue, and collaborating, all of which will transform the user experience and for that matter the Librarian's experience.
Mea Culpa Technorati!
Okay so apologies to Technorati! I've had another look at the site and yes it is pretty good and yes it is helping to tame the old World Wide Web! When I get serious about blogging I'll claim my own site at Technorati. So many people have so much to say and 50 + million blogs say it all!
I've just been looking at the tags on the home page and I would have to say that on the size of tags alone Barack Obama is well ahead of Hillary Clinton.
I've just been looking at the tags on the home page and I would have to say that on the size of tags alone Barack Obama is well ahead of Hillary Clinton.
Delicious!
I had a good look around the Del.icio.us site, even opened an account. What I found interesting when visiting sites was being able to view the common tags as a cloud or as a list. I can see this site's great practical use for educators especially looking up lesson plans that are available for free! Also the ability to make comments e.g. suitable for grades 1-3. I guess I could use this to organise my work bookmarks (favourites) but I already have folders for these. I do like the practical and sharing aspects of delicious though.
Finding Feeds or is this "fed up" once again.
To be honest when I looked at sites like Technorati, Topix.net and Syndic8.com they didn't really appeal to me. I found the sites cluttered and a bit overwhelming. I would rather use advanced search in a search engine such as Google to find what I like. It's a personal thing. If I'm in a blog or site and I want to receive updates from it then I'll sign it up. One of the blogs I check out regularly is the Danish Royal Watchers 
. I also have a feed set up from Stuff National News (they have many RSS feeds to choose from).
By the way did you know that Helene Blowers of Learning 2.0 has her own blog called LibraryBytes ? Have a look at the person who started it all.
. I also have a feed set up from Stuff National News (they have many RSS feeds to choose from).By the way did you know that Helene Blowers of Learning 2.0 has her own blog called LibraryBytes ? Have a look at the person who started it all.
Fed Up
Really Simple Syndication is a neat way of having "things" come to you and I agree that it saves time in checking out what's new out there in favourite sites. I can see a use for this.
Here's what I've subscribed to in my bloglines account.
Here's what I've subscribed to in my bloglines account.
Favourites
So many faves but here are some favourite places.
Villefranche-sur-Mer's Hotel Welcome
Italy's Umbria and Tuscany
The Coromandel New Zealand
Villefranche-sur-Mer's Hotel Welcome
Italy's Umbria and Tuscany
The Coromandel New Zealand
Pauanui Beach on the Coromandel
Friday, February 15, 2008
Wikis
Wikis are a great collaborative tool but one of my concerns about them is the lack of control when it comes to adding content and editing pages. When I looked at St Joseph County Public Library's Subject Guides however it was good to see that the editing page was labelled for "librarians only" and required a log in with password. I know this is a means of control but I have seen pages locked on the omnipresent Wikipedia after contentious events.
Wikis and for that matter weblogs (blogs) are a way of providing libraries with outreach to their users and help create a means of dialogue between the user and the library which I think is so positive for all types of libraries and their being part of the communities they serve.
Wikis and for that matter weblogs (blogs) are a way of providing libraries with outreach to their users and help create a means of dialogue between the user and the library which I think is so positive for all types of libraries and their being part of the communities they serve.
Lifelong Learning
Gosh the 7 ½ Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners ...
- Habit 1: Begin with the end in mind
- Habit 2: Accept responsibility for your own learning
- Habit 3: View problems as challenges
- Habit 4: Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner
- Habit 5: Create your own learning toolbox
- Habit 6: Use technology to your advantage
- Habit 7: Teach/mentor others
- Habit 7 ½: Play
... was certainly food for thought and after reflecting on each one I would have to say that the easiest for me would be to use technology to my advantage. The hardest habit would be to "play" more often than I do. At present I am nearing the end of a Masters degree and once my dissertation is complete I intend to play a lot!
Well that wasn't so easy!
Obviously SuzieQ is very popular. I'll tell you my SuzieQ story a bit later. Anyway I've made it to the blog scene as SuzieQ or Suzie Margarita, I'll answer to both!
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