Monday, September 29, 2008

Thing #8: RSS Feeds & Set Up a News Reader Account

I've been using the news aggregator Newsgator about a year and a half now. There were some functionality issues that I'm not happy about, so I took this opportunity to check out some of the competition. In Newsgator I was unhappy with the load time for the blogs, sometimes pictures wouldn't load or be shown, and it was time consuming to add and delete blogs from my list.



I started by looking at the news reader 23 Things suggests, Bloglines. I created an account and played around with it for a bit. I didn't really like the look of this news reader...it was plain and basic-looking. I also don't like how little space there is in the left-hand column to display the blogs I read. I read on one of our discussion boards that another classmate decided to go with Google Reader, so I thought I'd check that out.



I'm trying to create as few logons to websites as I can. With Google Reader, I'm not only aggregating my blogs and news feeds, but I'm also aggregating my logons. I like the look and feel of the Google Reader. I can get right to it after I log on my iGoogle home page. Like Bloglines, I'm not happy with the limited amount of space there is on the left-hand side of the page for the listing of the blogs I'm following, but it's a small price to pay when I consider the features I do like such as, easy addition and deletion of subscriptions, the top recommendations that have lead me to add to my subscriptions, the look of it, the sorting capabilities, and the one simple log on.

Thing #7: Blog About Anything Technology Related

I finally did it. I finally broke down and cheated on a long-time love of mine...I cheated on MySpace and created a Facebook profile. It's not that I don't love MySpace anymore, it's just, well...different. I've found that on Facebook I can be myself...I mean my REAL self. There seem to be so many more security features that I actually use my real name instead of my alter ego. It's still difficult for me to navigate around, but everyday I learn something new.

I even downloaded the Facebook application for my BlackBerry, so I'm constantly connected to my friends (when I want to be). MySpace just doesn't offer me that, however MySpace for BlackBerry is in the works and I'm now added to an email list so that when it becomes available for download I'll be one of the first to get it. But, will it be just a little bit too late???

One of the things I like about Facebook are the networks. You belong to one network (that you can change) and you can look at all the people in that network. Right now I'm signed up for the Rockford, IL network. I also have access to the networks for my colleges and high school. I've been able to reconnect with so many people I haven't seen in so many years!

I won't be getting rid of MySpace anytime soon, but it's certainly taken something of a backseat to Facebook these past couple of weeks.



Thing #6: Play with Flickr 3rd Party Mashups and Applications


For the sixth learning experiment we're supposed to play around with Flickr mashups and third party sites. I had heard the term "mashup" before, but I didn't really know what it meant. When you "mashup", you're taking elements from one website and mash it up with another application. I played around with making a trading card of myself, which you can see to the left. This was pretty neat, and I wish i was feeling more clever so that I could come up with some better descriptors about myself. A couple of weeks ago I randomly went to some library's website and all of the reference staff members had her/his own trading card and they looked really cool - way cooler than the one I made for myself. I thought this was a really neat things for this library to have, and it made them appear hip.
The second things I played around with was spelling my name in Flickr images. You type your name into a box, click create, and your name in other people's Flickr images is shown. It gives you the html code so that you can post it in your blog or on your website, like I've done below:
'Wood 'M' 'Y'

'B' 'Vintage 'R' 'N' 'E'

I got different images back each time I entered my name.
This was a fun exercise. Next I'm going to create a map of all of the places I've been. Interestingly, I've been to every state except for Alaska and Hawaii...

Flickr Update

I downloaded the Flickr application for my BlackBerry and I've been playing around with adding the photos I have stored on it to the Flickr site. It would be really cool if my BlackBerry had a camera on it, but it doesn't. It's been very easy to upload pictures. While I think Flickr is useful for some people, I don't see it as having the same kind of value in my life. All of my friends who would want to see my pictures are on MySpace, which is where I post my photos. I have a very small family, and I don't see any of them being interested in going to Flickr to see my pictures. I'd just print off or email any that I thought they'd find interesting.

I have a friend who is a professional photographer and he uses Flickr to show his work. I have another friend with a couple of kids and relatives scattered throughout the country, and she uses Flickr as a way of recording her kids' growing for her relatives. Both of these uses make sense to me. I'll have to play around and think more before I decide if I want Flickr to do more for me.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Thing #5: Explore Flickr

I hadn't ever used Flickr before, but I am well versed in Photo Bucket, which is basically the same thing. I created an account in Flickr using my Yahoo ID. I was hoping Flickr was connected to Google since I'm pretty much switching everything I have to that so that I can have one log on, but it's not.

Since I'm not on my primary computer, I don't have any pictures that I want to upload, but I'm sure it's the same as Photo Bucket. I'll have to check this out in more detail later. One functionality of Photo Bucket I really like that I hope Flickr has is that it puts the pictures into code so that I can post them on my friends' MySpace pages. I hope that Flickr has the same functionality.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Thing #4: Register My Blog

Thing #4 is for me to register my blog at the PLCMC website. However, since I'm not an employee of PLCMC, I can't do this. They give an alternative where non staff members can record their progress at 43Things.com. I created an account, but it seems a bit redundant to me, so I'm not going to do it. Instead, I'll continue to track my progress by using this blog.

Thing #3: Set Up My Blog

Well, Thing #3 is to set up my own blog and add my first post. I've already done that! I decided to use this blog to track my progress in completing all 23 Things and since #3 is publishing a blog, I'm ahead of the game.

I subscribe to a number of blogs that I read almost everyday. Most are library-related,and I get a lot of good information from them, while some are more "just for fun" and I get a laugh. I've set up some links to my favorite blogs for you to check out.

You'll also notice I'm keeping track of the novels I'm reading in the other class I'm taking this semester, YA Literature. The two books on the top of the list will always be the books I'm reading that week.

Thing #2: 7 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners

In Thing #2 I watched a podcast about the 7 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners. This was the first time I had ever watched/listened to a podcast. Before I get into the 7 1/2 Habits (which cracks me up), I want to talk about the podcast concept.

Podcasts:
I can see how podcasts can have a relevance in a library setting. For those of you who don't know, Wikipedia.org describes a podcast as:

"A podcast is a series of digital-media files, which are distributed over the
Internet using syndication feeds for playback on portable media players and
computers. The term podcast, like broadcast, can refer either to the
series of content itself or to the method by which it is syndicated; the latter
is also called podcasting. The host or author of a podcast is often called
a podcaster."

Click HERE to read the full definition on Wikipedia.org

I can see creating podcasts to describe to customers how to access their accounts online, how to renew their items online, how to place holds online, or even podcast a storytime for kids to watch. The possibilities for this technology are endless and only limited by our own minds.

7 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners:

The PLCMC came up with 7 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners as a touch stone to lifelong learning. The are short and sweet and simple to follow. So many of us who have a thirst for knowledge outside of the formal classroom already do these things every day.

Habit #1:
I need to begin with the end in mind. What is my goal going to be? How will I get there? In this step I set my goal for what it is I want to do (for example, learn Spanish, or learn how to make handmade paper) and determine what it is I need to do in order to get there.

Habit #2:
I need to accept responsibility for my own learning. Education and learning is an investment in my future. No one wants me to succeed as much as I do, and no one is as invested as me as I am. it's important for me to value and take pride in my learning and accomplishments.

Habit #3:
I need to view problems as challenges. If a problems comes up, will I think of it as another crisis to resolve, or will I look at it as an opportunity or challenge that I can learn from?

Habit #4:
I need to have competence in myself as a competent, effective learner. I need to be careful about my choice of words. Everyone has to start somewhere, and it's usually at the beginning. I shouldn't say or think anything about my success unless I really want it to be true.

Habit #5:
I need to create my own learning toolbox. Some of the items I'll have in my lifelong learning toolbox are: books, technology, classes, friends, mentors, Web pages, etc.

Habit #6:
I need to use technology to my advantage. Technology is a tool that should make my life easier, and I should use it to my advantage.

Habit #7:
I need to teach and mentor others. The best way to learn something is to teach someone else.

Habit 7 1/2:
Play! Playing and learning are important to brain development. I need to remember to play, be curious, and read.

I've happily completed 2 out of 23 things so far and can't wait to do more!

Thing #1: 23Things

Here it is...my very first post! As a part of my LIS 635 class, which is Reference & Information Services, I'm required to complete "23 Things." This started out as a staff training tool for the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County http://www.plcmc.org/ and has been seen as a great opportunity for library workers and students around the country to participate in.

The concept is for me to discover 23 technological things that will aid me in my work (and personal) life. I'm a pretty technological person to begin with, but there are some activities on this list that I've either loosely played around with or haven't even tried because they seemed too scary. I'm excited that I'm forced to use technology that's little bit outside of my comfort zone. I can't wait to complete each week's activities and see how they can benefit me in my job and in my personal life! As I learn about each new technology I'll report about it here. I'll write about what I did and didn't like, what did and didn't work, and how it relates to my work and personal lives.

Enjoy!