Learning 23 Things

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

2011-01-20T14:23:00.000-08:00

Click on comments here & tell us about some good books.

#27 Twitter

2009-04-19T11:14:00.000-07:00

I do not want to Twitter, really.

Honestly, I was hoping to get excited about 23 more things, to become more computer savvy, etc. I sort of groveled through the first 23 things, sorry, thinking of the internet as the black hole that sucks you in. Questions were asked about how to find time for 23 more things. There were a number of suggestions on-line. One link promised to be the key for finding time and I was optimistic, hopeful, thinking it would be my ticket to taking advantage of internet opportunities. The gist of the link? Consider your TV hours and shift those non-interactive hours to the interactive and productive internet. Simple. My TV hours? Zero. I do not own/want a TV because there are better things to do. No cell phone either.

Back to Twitter. Honestly, I would sign up for the account because of 23 things and not use it. More clutter in "the cloud". I do have a number of legitimate reasons but it is not worth your time or mine to belabor the point. If and when a real need for work related Twitter arises, I will be happy to use it.

Yes, I did explore a number of links, open-mindedly (yes) read about Twitter and was not convinced of a true value for my workplace at this time.

PS

To see the Hibbing Library Twitter link, I was required to sign up and did. Saw it.
Thing 31 More Twitter.......hmmmm.

#26 Join the 23 Things Ning

2009-04-07T15:55:00.001-07:00

Jog my brain. I think I did already join the Ning....but really have no idea. Honestly, am not too internet social anyway. (As you recall, I view the internet as a black hole that sucks you in.)

Will scroll through stuff, see if I'm in a Ning & figure out how to get there. Yup, am in there.

Viewed & commented on the Book Purse video. That might be a great project for Be Creative at Your Library summer reading.

The Teen/Children's Librarian discussion didn't have any real discussion going yet. It was interesting to note the Google ads along the right side. The ads were tailored to the discussion group, all related to teens.

#25 Blogger's Toolkit

2009-04-07T15:00:00.000-07:00

ClickComments sounded interesting & was easy to install BUT it looked terrible with unattractive boxes on each post. The icons in the boxes left me wondering what was what. Supposedly, it made it easier to comment whereas the existing comment option doesn't appear to be difficult anyway. Will try another widget.

Site Meter gave me a code name & password.... but am wondering where & how to access the account. Reading through info, it says I need to put Site Meter on each page of my site. Hmmm. Am wondering if Site Meter is somewhere on my site or not. If so, where? If not, how to? Guess the gangplank was pulled up while I wandered on the dock.

Looked at Google Forms for polling. The poll would have to be emailed. I had in mind to poll visitors to the blog so then tried Vizu. Vizu allowed me to ask a question & I would supply choices for an answer. The poll I had in mind would generate ideas rather than multiple choice of answers created by me. At present, maybe I would post a question open for comments on the blog instead of a poll. Maybe I'll have use for this type of poll sometime but then would want to know where this poll would show up. Is it viewable on the blog or is it an email poll?

Checked out Create a Contact Form thinking visitors would provide info for me to contact them. Oops, it was for them to contact me w/o having my email address. Nope, don't need anymore email.

#24 Refresh My Blog

2009-03-01T20:55:00.000-08:00

Hmmmm.....

I like the colors, template, and the dove instead of an avatar so opted to keep them as is. I added the useless knowledge gadget but then it showed up with a contest type thing for CocaCola. Hmf. Got rid of that and added a Monet for the day. It doesn't quite fit in the space allowed so I had a web designer look at it. A change may involve HTML stuff which is way too involved for me. It also may change the whole sidebar rather than just fit the Monet art. Will just let it go and see how the day-by-day Monet looks. Might be just fine.

Getting ready for 23 more things!?!

2009-02-28T13:22:00.000-08:00

How to find the time.
7 1/2 Things to be Successful!
100 Things for a more 2.0 library

Thing #23

2008-09-13T14:54:00.000-07:00

This was definitely a learning experience. It seems though that the more you know, the more you know that you don't know!

Things are changing so fast that what you learn today is outdated tomorrow. That means continuing this type of learning is important. Having said that, I would like more time to explore and practice each thing for better retention. There were several things (of many) that I would like to return to and, hopefully, I will remember how to get there along with user names/passwords etc. Next time, I would like to tackle one thing per month and take time to be somewhat proficient before moving on. Hands on practice is key to retaining and making it a handy and useful tool. Then again, the more tools you use, the more easily you grasp the next tool/technology.

Regarding keeping up with this blog and posting it somewhere, I would rather not. This is more like a journal, not a public document. I will use it as notes for reference and rather keep it at that.

Special thanks to those responsible for creating, maintaining, monitoring these 23 things and providing library staff with practical continuing education.

Thing # 22 What did I learn?

2008-09-13T14:40:00.000-07:00

Web 2.0 is overhwhelming. Please know that my personal technology consists of a telephone with an answering machine (no cell phone) and a Target stereo (radio, cassette, CD). OK? That means, I have no TV, VCR, DVD player, microwave, ipod, dishwasher....

The 23 things experience opened up some tools that I will use for various tasks. Yes, I will update the library blog and try to keep it current. Hopefully, the library clerks will catch some of the bug too with prompts from me?.

In effort to involve teens at the library, technologies will come into play. The blog may be our start.

Meanwhile, I hope the 23 things blogspot remains with its links so that I can go back and take notes. There was too much info for my little brain to retain. Using the tools is the best way to remember. Practice makes perfect.

PS 21

2008-09-13T14:22:00.001-07:00

Then again, a recipe network would be great if I had internet connection at home!

Thing # 21 Beyond MySpace Other Social Networks

2008-09-13T13:38:00.000-07:00

View my page on 23 Things on a Stick
Oops, guess I was supposed to put photos on the Ning. Oh well, will do that but did like these photos which were on the Ning. Meanwhile, I did post a comment there. No, at this time, I am not interested in a social network as I don't have an internet connection at home. Also, it is not on my priority list of things to do.
Find more photos like this on 23 Things on a Stick

Thing # 20 MySpace

2008-09-12T13:46:00.000-07:00

Library use of MySpace is impressive. There are so many options. The Denver and Hennepin MySpace pages were very impressive. They were definitely designed by someone with advanced skills.

Library MySpace pages would appeal to computer savvy teens/young adults. Music and slide shows enhance the appeal. Interactive options, book lists, events... are all useful.

Thing # 19 Podcasts

2008-09-12T12:50:00.000-07:00

Memoirs for School Library Media had a Children's Literature Podcast by Sandra Williams and Marcia Thompson and another children's lit piece from Minitex reminded me somewhat of online workshops. Those directories and the MPR podcasts were easy to navigate.

Well, I did a very unimaginative podcast by phone. "Hello from Babbitt. Have a nice day!"

Am wondering about linking a podcast to a blog. Many of these tools would be terrific for a library blog. Unfortunately, our library blog began last year and is outdated. It's on the back burner of a busy schedule. It may have more priority if it was being used.

Thing # 18 YouTube

2008-09-11T16:06:00.001-07:00

Once I figured out where the embed box was, it was simple. Pretty amazing. I think I'm moving slowly from the scroll to the book, too slowly.

Now to help me remember how to do this try this or to post my own video.

Why did I choose this video? It reflects the frustration of Thing # 17 when I was ready to call it quits. (17 frustrated me immensely as I couldn't sign in, couldn't retrieve a forgotten name/password, couldn't sign on as a new user because of some reason or another.) Thing # 18 revived me. Use of videos in a library blog would be great.

2008-09-10T14:18:00.001-07:00

Thing # 17 ELM Productivity Tools

2008-09-10T14:11:00.000-07:00

OOPS, don't have my library barcode handy. Will have to wait.... Meanwhile #17 says "Create a Search Alert". My first response, How? We'll see.

It may be helpful to save the notes for referral.

There were many questions in the comments of Thing 17, so we went to the MINITEX experts. Here is the reply.After much testing and consultation with one of our IT staff here at MINITEX, here's the scoop on EBSCO's and Gale's RSS feature. The information we provided in the blog was correct. Those are the correct steps to take to establish RSS feeds. However, there are two major, unavoidable issues that most everyone who accesses the ELM databases and attempts to set up RSS feeds will face. These issues force us to have to modify the way we set up RSS feeds. Issue #1 When accessing the ELM databases via the ELM portal - http://www.elm4you.org - there is a proxy server in place. Most likely, when accessing the ELM databases from any institutional website (i.e., public library, school library media center), there will also be a proxy server in place. So, when creating a Search Alert via RSS from one of the ELM databases, you will need to make a small change to the feed's URL in order for it to work in your preferred RSS reader application. When you have created your Search Alert feed and copied the feed URL, you will need to remove ".proxy.elm4you.org" from it before it will work with web-based RSS readers such as Bloglines, Google Reader, or My Yahoo!. For example, if your feed URL starts" http://find.galegroup.com.proxy.elm4you.org/itx/generateRssFeed.do... " you would change it to " http://find.galegroup.com/itx/generateRssFeed.do... "This example is only an excerpt of a much longer URL, so be sure to include the Search Alert feed's complete URL. Another example:"http://rss.ebscohost.com.proxy.elm4you.org/AlertSyndicationService/Syndication.asmx/GetFeed?guid=1234567" would be changed to "http://rss.ebscohost.com/AlertSyndicationService/Syndication.asmx/GetFeed?guid=1234567" Issue #2 Using web-based readers with EBSCO's and Gale's RSS feeds is problematic. We have had mixed results subscribing to Search Alert feeds in web-based RSS readers such as My Yahoo!, and Google Reader. When you add a feed subscription to these services, they will attempt to identify it as a valid RSS feed. We have found that this validation process may fail when the database resources are experiencing heavy web traffic during peak hours. Under these circumstances, your web-based RSS reader won't be able to detect a valid feed from your Search Alert, and will show an error. In many cases, a subscription attempt which failed initially would succeed after a few more tries. This issue is limited to web-based RSS readers and does not occur with RSS applications installed on your computer or integrated into your web browser. Attached I have included directions on creating RSS feeds from EBSCO's and Gale's databases using both Mozilla-Firefox and Microsoft's Internet Explorer web browsers. Once these steps are understood, it shouldn't take but more than a minute or two for someone to set up a feed. There are also a number of desktop RSS applications that are free, open-source, and reliable such as RSSOwl at: http://rssowl.org/ Using either a desktop RSS application or web browser to set up and read feeds, is the most reliable option. These issues will be communicated to EBSCO and Gale and hopefully they will be able to improve their RSS feature. However, it is not only a vendor problem. The other half of the problem resides with web-based reader providers such as Google, Bloglines, and Yahoo and how their technology functions as well. Thanks to Jennifer Hootman, MINITEX Reference, for getting the answer.

Thing # 16 Student 2.0 Tools

2008-09-10T13:59:00.000-07:00

Holy Cow! Pardon me. This just about does your homework for you! Yes, definitely. I thought the Gale databases did your homework. Of course, it has an appeal for teachers too.

For future reference again:

http://www.lib.umn.edu/help/calculator/

http://rpc.elm4you.org/

Meanwhile, all this 23 thing stuff is overwhelming. Maybe use the 8th day of the week to get it all organized in a useful fashion...using the online productivity tools?!?

Thing # 15 Online Games and Libraries

2008-09-10T13:39:00.000-07:00

The movie on Info Island was not there. I explored Second Life but could not view anything, I suppose, unless I signed up. So then I googled video info island but didn't have the right download. Since this is not my computer, I did not download. So...then, explored the link from the Alliance Library. This is very good:

http://www.talis.com/tdn/node/1506

Virtual worlds blow your mind. It's a whole new way of thinking and functioning. It makes a person wonder how many and who on this planet are in this virtual world. Extends the mind...like A Wrinkle in Time &/or living in Narnia. Honestly though, the real world has more than enough for me to explore.

Thing # 14 Library Thing

2008-09-10T13:17:00.000-07:00

This thing seems to be inviting me.

Click this, add to, organize, visit: http://www.librarything.com/home/Bocnuk

This will be a great tool in follow up to Nancy Pearl's Readers Advisory workshop. This is something our staff would find useful.

A certain young patron comes to mind. He would find this fascinating. Will share!

Thing # 13 Online Productivity Tools

2008-09-10T13:04:00.000-07:00

While it may seem that the Internet is populated by people with endless time on their hands who are out to torpedo our productivity, there really are Web-based applications that can improve productivity--or at least make some things easier. Yay! This sounds great.

I do have a website, debbydo.com in which I have use of Google Docs, calendar etc. Also, my hotmail account has tools and gadgets.

OK, taking "notes" again for future reference:

Choose a calendar from this article and try it out.
3. Just about everyone makes lists. Try one of these online list tools to manage your activities. Ta da list or Remember the Milk
4. Some tools roll multiple features—calendars, lists, reminders, etc--into one service. Take a look at Backpack features.
But wait, there’s more! Here are some other tools you can explore on your own:Online Calendars30 Boxes Scrybe
Personal Organizers Stikkit
Sticky Notes (requires download)StickyNotes.net MyStickies PDF Converters CutePDF (requires download)PDFConverter
Zamzar
This program will covert one file type to another. Especially handy in libraries that may not be able to open a student or patron file because it doesn’t have the right software.

Thing # 12 Do You Digg?

2008-09-10T12:41:00.000-07:00

The blog prompt posed the question, "Do these tools seem to be a productivity enhancer or a productivity detractor?" The answer is YES, to both.

Internet Explore booted me out in midst of my Newsvine article! Jumped back in but the article was no longer on the list where it had been. Things change fast on the web! (Or, I am lost?)

I read an article in the NY Times about Obama's Education Plan and was thrilled to find the Share button. The drop down box from Share listed different places to share. (Linkedin, Facebook, Digg, Nixx...) Right now there are so many things requiring registration/user name/password that I hesitate to add another. Until I have a real need to use it, it will be floating around in cyberspace unused and unremembered and never used. When I am ready to put it to use, I will register with a purpose, use it and therefore remember it. Now, I am aware of it and will file it here in readiness.

1. Explore the sites above to see how each is organized and operates.
Mixx Home Page
Mixx Tour
Digg Home Pag
Digg Tour
Newsvine Home Page
Newsvine Welcome
Reddit Home Page
Reddit Intro
2. Read one or more stories on a news/information site (for example, New York Times, Washington Post, BBC News, or another site) and then recommend it via the Share tools.

In fact, I am tempted to go back and copy a bunch of links into previous posts from the 23 Things for quick reference in the future.

Thing # 11 Tagging and Del.icio.us

2008-09-10T11:57:00.000-07:00

Oh well, am continuing the 23 Things on another computer because I'm unable to access my invite for Thing #9 (It is loaded in my email on my office computer). Now there is another snag. This computer does not want me to view the 8 minute Del.icio.us tutorial. I will continue on and have a written note to view it when I return to my office. I did register for Del.icio.us but skipped a bunch of the prompts for my browser and bookmarks. Since this is not my office computer, I didn't want to do any downloads. Also, my bookmarks are on my office computer.

This would be terrific for tagging recipes on a home computer!

For future reference, explore: http://delicious.com/ and http://delicious.com/help

Thing # 10 Wikis

2008-09-07T18:10:00.000-07:00

Made an edit to the 23 Things wiki in response to da at Icebox . That was pretty easy although, duh, it took a few moments to locate the save button!

The short instructional videos are fabulous in conveying concepts! They really should be filed on-line for easy accessibility. The videos are great to refresh ourselves, train staff, educate patrons....

PS Am still waiting for an invite to edit the collaborative document.

Thing # 9 On Line Collaboration

2008-09-04T16:51:00.000-07:00

The Founding Fathers would be absolutely amazed and intrigued. They were forward thinking radicals and would probably embrace on-line collaborative tools.

I'm typing this and waiting for an invite to the collaborative edit. I have previously seen how this works and think it would be beneficial for committees through ALS, for Boards as they draw up policies and strategic plans, etc. Unfortunately, only a couple of our Board members have email &/or computers. I already have a Google account and appreciate Google Docs. It is handy to be able to access documents from any place on any computer.

Waaaay tooo looong on this thing! Unfortunately, I did not edit the document although I viewed it oodles of times. I did sign up for Zoho and tried from there, unsuccessfully as well. Meanwhile, this is a useful tool. A friend of mine has web design business and has given me a taste of collaborative documents/conferencing, side conversations and all.

Thing # 8 Share Your Creations

2008-09-04T13:33:00.000-07:00

Check this.

I tried a number of links and think I settled on Picture Trail, tried a few things unsuccessfully and eventually blundered my way to make a slide show. This seems much like doing Power Point. Mostly, a person needs time to explore and experiment. Then the trick is to remember where you went and what you did to get what you got!

These tools would be great for instructional purposes. Perhaps a slide show in a library blog or website for patrons, maybe staff training.... Interactive blogging with book reviewing etc...

Thing # 7 Web 2.0 Communication Tools

2008-09-03T16:20:00.000-07:00

Whoa, I like the email Productivity tips. Be quick, delete, don't get buried in it!

Somehow several of the links and downloads were not working for me. I did get into some of the info indirectly. The OPAL intro was one that I eventually found. I was not able to get into any other OPAL stuff even after the download though. The OPAL intro explained aspects of conferencing, which I am familiar with but have not used. I wonder if it would be beneficial to have a conferencing option offered on our public use computers. Our rural location would suggest its usefulness for local people conducting business. Yet, it would also seem that those people would be computer savvy and have their own computers/connections. The Minitex webinar on Gale databases looked helpful for library staff to become more familiar with navigating.

Thing #6 On Line Image Generators

2008-09-03T16:11:00.001-07:00

This was rather refreshing as it was quick, easy and fun. It offers many possibilities for program publicity pieces and for the library blog. Also lends itself well for hands on the computer activities for all ages.

PS Just threw in the newspaper image on 9/11. It is in use on a display table with books like Three Cups of Tea, My Life as a Traitor and Between Heaven and Ground Zero.

Thing #5 More Flickr Fun

2008-09-02T19:23:00.000-07:00

The links to Webmonkey and 10 Best Flickr mash-ups have moved. A google for 10 Best Flickr mash-ups had a number of links. Exploring further resulted in a couple of long download times with timed out messages and another with "address not found".

I looked at the whole list for creating things to add to my blog. The puzzle and poster were very simple. (Nice.) Spell with Flickr was fun but how to get it to my blog remains a mystery.

Blog Prompt thoughts:

The tools are great for puzzles, posters, etc. This would lend itself well to actvitites for the younger patrons, students, as they are into computers. It would also be a fun hands-on for senior citizens. We have trained volunteers that help seniors become familiar with computer and internet basics in one-on-one sessions. We might need to beef up our equipment to include a color printer and a scanner. Recently, a patron donated a digital camera for the library! Photos and these tools are great for keeping the library in the local newspaper. Sharing photos on-line has its place. Many of our library photos are of children's programs although I am hesitant to publish photos of children on-line. It would be great to use our own photos on the library's blog though.

Thing # 3 RSS

2008-08-29T15:30:00.000-07:00

Linda reminded me that 23 Things was coming to a close. Here I am trying to remember where I left off a long time ago. It fell off the back burner, I guess.

For RSS, I wanted to add blogs of 23 things people I knew but wasn't able to find them. Interestingly, I gravitated to blogs that used the same layout as mine and stayed away from those with a dark background. The dark background made it difficult to read. I have favorites and bookmarks that I use now but, to be realistic, doubt that I'll be viewing/interacting with blogs.

Honestly, messing around on the internet is time consuming, the black hole. Even email can be time consuming, as in please don't forward junk mail as I have better things to do. Sorry. Yes, I do need to be familiar with all this. Am sure something will hit me as particularly useful as opposed to particularly time consuming. Then I'll be more excited about it. Maybe it's because I'm always in a hurry. An attitude at the moment, my apologies. On the flip side, I do have a domain name and find Google Documents to be very useful. Right now am signing off and getting out of the black hole!?! It's beautiful outside.

More Thing #4

2008-04-26T17:43:00.001-07:00

Clicking these photos takes you to the Flickr page rather than just providing the image URL.

Alright more learning, but I've spent too much time on this.

Thing #4

2008-04-25T14:21:00.000-07:00

OK, let me try to put a link on a photo.

Photographer is Jack C, whose photos can be found at Flickr.

This picture is located at:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/49/131922555_5f2794e061.jpg

By the way, this image was chosen to remind us of the beauty of a spring snow..... which we all appreciate.

I did notice that blogspot automatically links to the URL when a photo is uploaded. Visitors can just click on the photo for the image URL. There is no automatic link for the dove photo. The dove was first copied to the desktop and then brought in by browsing the desktop. In other words, I added that image from my desktop rather than using the option of adding an image from the web. Whoops, yes, I suppose this is true for the post BUT somehow there seems to be no option for linking in the area used for the dove. Now I know. (or think I know...)

Maybe I got lost on the information highway, but I wondered about ethics and copyright in using someone else's stuff. After reading the bulleted items below, it seems fair to assume that posted photos are public photos, especially since there is the option of posting privately. Well, at least, according to the rules of Flickr.

...you can blog any public photo you see on Flickr...
Do link back to Flickr when you post your Flickr content elsewhere.
The Flickr service makes it possible to post content hosted on Flickr to outside web sites. However, pages on other web sites that display content hosted on flickr.com must provide a link from each photo or video back to its page on Flickr.

The on-line photo sharing video and the video from a previous thing are well done in explaining concepts and practical applications. Nicely done and quite helpful. In fact, am thinking I should go back to view web 2.0 again.

Thing #2 Library 2.0

2008-04-07T12:45:00.000-07:00

Possibilities revolving around Library 2.0 stretch into infinity!?! In other words, endless possibilities. In another word, overwhelming. Also include, great potential.

To be relevant, 2.0 is a must, not to be ignored.
How does a person keep up?
23 Things is a great place for "Yertle the Turtle" to begin, the good first step.

As far as what I hope to learn from the 23 things exercises, I hope to feel less overwhelmed and more proficient in making use of technology.

Thing #1 Blogging

2008-02-21T14:22:00.000-08:00

Thing #1 is somewhat of a review as I have a blog for our library. I have not done an avatar so looked at the Yahoo avatar face options. The faces didn't appeal to me so I brought in a dove from Flickr that I really like.

My blogging experience includes a site with daily postings for people with a common medical condition. People register at the site and then can join discussions and blogs regarding their experiences, medications, recommendations, and questions as well as to share info that others may find useful.

To be honest, the internet is a fabulous tool but I also feel it is somewhat like the Bermuda Triangle, a black hole. A person can get sucked in forever! I want to make use of it but not linger long.