Learn 2 Web 2

Playing with Lego People

2010-08-25T12:55:00.000-07:00

One of our explorations is to make an avatar from various online site. I always loved playing with legos with my kids and therefore tried that one: http://www.reasonablyclever.com/mini/flash/minifig.swf where you can build your own lego person. FUN! I'm sure children, teens and even we older folk would have fun exploring this fairly simple activity. We could use it during our family game nights or with with people just learning computer skills, like our One-on-One trainees.

dumpr.com and Book Display Signs

2010-08-09T08:11:00.000-07:00

I have jumped into the trenches of exploration! The other day a co-worker asked about making a book display sign for some new YA books. She suggested that I look into some of our new gadgets in this quarterly exploration that might inspire some "teen worthy" signage. So, I jumped into the dumpr and had a lot of fun. You can have the website transform a picture into some really fun formats. I really liked the rubics cube effect and thought it was pretty "teen worthy" so I played around with some online photos and clip art but didn't love my results. I then went to Publisher, my usual sign-making program, created a look with the words "New Books for Teens" and saved it as a .jpg file. Then I could upload it to dumpr. I printed it out with four images to the page and it is quite an effective sign!

I'm Baaaack!

2010-07-31T07:28:00.000-07:00

New assignments to explore!

The End of the Affair

2009-06-22T11:29:00.000-07:00

This exploration taught me so much....the power of the Web is "awesome", to use a very overused word. The library system has adopted many of the features of Web 2 already and will continue to expand uses...especially in this time of austerity. Free online communication, training, and resources will be extremely valuable. Our SRC program for Teens and Adults will invite many of our patrons join us on the Web. I applaud the Programming Group for trying this endeavor this summer and am trying to entice participation by our patrons. I have found that personnally, I like and continue to use some of the tools whereas others are not going to be part of my everyday computer use. I do so appreciate knowing about them all. Just this past Father's Day I was able to reach into my Web 2.0 learning bag and handover some knowledge. My daughter had told me several weeks ago that she found my "secret blog". She found it because I have her website listed as a link on my blog (www.importantcomics.com) and used that link to go to her site. As the webmaster...she is able to follow links backward to see how people are getting to her website. A useful tool for her...but it also got her to my blog! So, we talked a little about how it is not a secret blog but a work training assignment to learn about Wikis, LibraryThing, RSS feeds, etc. So both of my kids say...."What is the deal with RSS feeds?" HA! I got to tell them a thing or two!! I think I'll send them the lesson on RSS feeds so they can get up to speed with their way over-the-hill Mom....It's been fun; but the affair is over. Blogging is not for me; even though I love to write...but it will be stories and book reviews and letters, not blog entries; never was good at keeping a journal, either. I'll keep up with Library Thing, and useGoogle Docs. I won't Tweet but I will Wiki. I'll read librarian blogs and use all the tools AACPL throws my way but I think this will be my final post at this site. I have way too many books to read, places to go, people to see to try and really don't need to spend any more time on the computer than I already do. It's been fun!

Social Book Marking

2009-06-17T12:43:00.000-07:00

So...bookmarking...tagging...personal...subjective....helpful....grouping...ungrouping....searching....connecting. I get it. I participate on LibraryThing; tagging books I have read and looking at other LibraryThingers tags and books. I find it interesting and sometimes helpful but need many more hours in my day to really get the full effect. I liked the Lansing Public Library's use of del.icio.us with it's subjects down the right hand side. Good subject headings in "regular" vocabulary....not library speak or dewey. Certainly AACPL should set up something similar (if we haven't already and I just missed that memo!) I signed up as a preview reviewer and received a copy of a book...read it...and posted a review. It was great fun. Hope I get more. I don't think I'll use del.icio.us personally but do see it's value for those who travel around a bit and for institutions. One more lesson to go and I will be Web 2.0'd!

Wicked Wiki's

2009-03-18T12:34:00.000-07:00

AACPL has set up some great Wikis and I do think it is the way to go. However, Wiki workouts can be tiring as we develop more and more. But this is true of all the new communication tools that we now have and use. Overwhelmed and always behind is now a very common feeling at work. There are so many resources to check - memo books, email/shared collection, MatMan Wiki, Programming Blog, and everyone's Web 2.0 Blog - it gets tiring. On the other hand, it is better to have more information than not enough, I feel. I liked the Library Success: Best Practices Wiki and will add that to my list of Wikis to look at now and then.

Back to Exploration #6 - Online Office Tools. I have been using Google Docs with my family and my husband and I just set up the Calendar on Google to host our social and work day schedules. That will be helpful, I think - if he remembers to put his night meetings on this new calendar. He didn't get them on the old fashioned paper calendar, so I'm not sure he will remember to put them on the Google calendar but the jury is still out on that one. (That's a little joke of sorts; he's a trial lawyer.) He wants me to get rid of the paper calendar hanging in the kitchen but I am not ready to do that. When someone calls to set up a dinner date, do you say.."Just a minute, I have to boot up the laptop or run up to the third floor computer and check my calendar."? Emily Post would not be pleased what with leaving your friends waiting. Some written documents I am not ready to replace entirely.

Zoho is OK

2008-12-17T07:14:00.000-08:00

I used Zoho and the "Publish" feature to put up the poem and picture below. It was very easy to do. This site and the other online office tools are so useful, especially to our patrons. It is so beneficial to those patrons who come without external saving devices and often lose their materials. Unfortunately, they don't usually come to you in time to set up an account and save the document...they come when they have two minutes before their time is up and there's a waiting line of patrons for computers! I have used Google docs with my family to share addresses, phone numbers, birthdays, etc. Of course, the disadvantage of keeping all of your documents in one of these sites is that you have to have internet access to retrieve them but with a flash drive you can take it to any computer whether online or not.

Fall, leaves, fall

2008-12-17T07:04:00.001-08:00

'Fall, leaves, fall'

Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;
Lengthen night and shorten day;
Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the autumn tree.

I shall smile when wreaths of snow
Blossom where the rose should grow;
I shall sing when night's decay
Ushers in a drearier day.

Emily Jane Brontë

This is a photo of a creation by artist Andy Goldsworthy.

2008-12-16T16:25:00.000-08:00

I'm Baaaaaack!

I have been reading, reading, reading Young Adult books as part of the Great Books Committee. It has been fun but very time consuming. All free time taken up with reading. The conference in the spring will announce our list of the great books for teens published in 2008. There are some real good ones! Just to give you a taste:
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Good Enough by Paula Yoo
Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd
Skim by Mariko Tamaki
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Absolute Brightness by James Lescesne

So, now I have a bit of a respit and I will get back to this Web 2.0 examination. Tonight I am trying the Zoho Office Tools. I'll let you know what I think....

YouTube = mini Click Here Classes and more

2008-09-11T15:29:00.000-07:00

AACPL - Seems like You Tube could be used to post mini Click Here classes. We could produce short demonstrations such as "Using the Library Catalog", "Using Search Engines", "Using Library Databases", etc. That way patrons could learn at their leisure. One problem would be updating information when databases change. Of course, we wouldn't have to use You Tube for this, we could just have links to videos on our webpage.

We could post videos of our programs to entice more patrons to participate.

We could ask our patrons to submit videos of them telling the world why they love their library. This would be a fun promotion of Love Your Library Month in February!

My Library Thing Catalog Expands

2008-08-02T07:17:00.000-07:00

I already had an account at Library Thing for about a year prior to this Web 2.0 exploration exercise. I found that I wasn't faithful at adding book titles as I read them. I have a book journal/log that I handwrite (horrors!) titles in that I have read. I have so many ways of finding my next good book to read - newspapers, our professional journals, friends and family, just being at work! - that I didn't get into the habit of looking there for suggested readings. As I read mostly fiction, I was more in the habit of using Novelist to find books and keep up-to-date with authors, store "to read" lists etc. I am currently on the committee to read and select Great Books for Teens for a spring conference and I put all of them in My Library. I have looked to see what other readers of these titles have written. Unfortunately, I think they are all librarians not teens.....
As for "how can aacpl use this?" I'm still working on that....

RSS Feeds Explored

2008-07-25T07:36:00.000-07:00

I added CNN to my blog page as I am a bit of a news junkie and McSweeney's because there are wonderful writers on there. I put them on my Google Reader along with several AACPL Explorers I have become fond of. But to be honest...I don't think I will check in on my Reader that much. I'll just go to my favorite sites when I want to using my Favorites list. I guess I am still just too old fashioned.

I do think the library could offer a feed to patrons that would highlight upcoming events and feature library resources like some of the other systems are doing.

Later...

Found Flickr Fun

2008-07-10T16:44:00.000-07:00

I will spend many an hour browsing through Flickr looking for fabulous photographs. Travel photos of where I've been and where I'd still like to go. I use a different spot for sharing photos with family and friends but I think Flikr provides more than just a place to share photos. It also feels like a photography class because of the comments from other photographers about lenses used, lighting, etc. Really nice.

As for an application for aacpl...I think we could have an account for each branch to post pictures of things going on at the branch level - like our Programming Blog but more public. Also, we might just use it as a kind of tutorial on what the library has to offer with pictures representing all of our services...Ask Us Now, Ask A Librarian, One on One, Book Clubs, Programs, computers, Reader's Advisory, DVD's, CD's, friendly librarians, etc. Sort of like the "Find it Fast!" feature on our catalog. (Wonder if anyone uses that? I don't. Do you?)

Later....

Just Gettin' Started

2008-07-09T11:18:00.000-07:00

OK. Launced into the blogging world today. So far, so good. Chose the template, wrote a profile, posted a photo, created a list....I am on a roll. Oh...oh....oh...I have to go on the desk...see you later ... this could get habit forming.....arghhhhhh!