Thing #23-Is this really the end? Or just the beginning...

What a mind-boggling learning experience. My brain is still trying to absorb so much information in so little time. I wish we could take time and really focus on 5 0r 6 different "things". I realize this class was to give us an overview of all the various web 2.o tools that are available. This class definitely accomplished its goals. During this experience I found some areas I will explore further and others did not interest me. I would like to learn more about Library Thing, NetLibrary and online generators. Since I am not in a classroom or a school, at the moment, I can see using all of these on a personal level. I would consider taking another discovery class in the future. Only a few more comments to add to other blogs and I am finished...yeah!!!

Thing #22-Audiobooks (or "The end is in sight")

This area was great fun to explore. I have never really been into audiobooks but I noticed some very interesting ones I might want to try. I have always been a big fan of the public libraries and this is just one more aspect to use. I like the concept of the media center. This allows you maintain a free library of audiobooks and anything else you download. Open culture was also great. There was a nice selection of every type of genre available. I will definitely investigate ebooks and audiobooks further. We are going on a couple of long driving trips this summer and this would be an ideal time to download a couple of books for the trip.

Thing #21-Podcasts, smodcasts

Podcasts are great! My favorite was Odeo. I liked the way it was set up by genres and was very easy to search. I enjoyed looking at the education and hobby areas. I can see this being useful by having students create their own podcast for a class. I can envision students recreating a historical event and videoing it for the class. I will explore it more when this class is over.

Thing #20-You too can YouTube

I am very familiar with YouTube, though I must admit I use it mainly for watching music videos. While searching videos for this "thing" I explored beyond the box. I thought of what these could be used for in an educational setting. I worked at a school where there was a 50's & 60's unit. This unit took about 6 weeks to complete and involved research, a quiz bowl and designing a project. I thought students could use YouTube to find videos or shows related to that time period. I found some very interesting videos and commericals. I've posted here the first McDonald's commerical. Students could learn how to embed the videos in their powerpoints.

Thing #19-Discovering Web 2.0 tools

Wow, this is a great website! Lots of information in one spot. I explored several Web 2.0 tools, such as books and jobs. I found one called Wufoo, which is an area to build forms or surveys. I think this could be useful for a teacher or librarian to build a survey evaluating teaching/library resources/books etc. This is done all online so the students can access it anywhere. Students can also create forms for their assignments or whatever is needed. You can use it for free on a limited basis or there are a variety of prices for more usage. I can't wait to play around with this one some more.

Thing #18-publishing Zoho

One large benefit to web-based applications is that they eliminate the need to worry about
different software versions or file types as you e-mail documents or move from PC to PC. Another bonus is that they easily accommodate collaboration by allowing multiple users to edit the same file (with versioning) and provide users the ability to easily save and convert documents as multiple file types (including HTML and pdf).

Thing #18-Web-based Apps: They're not just for desktops

I like the concept of web applications. This is helpful when your version of a word processor doesn't match another one (i.e. working from home and sending to PSD....which has the older version of Word). I can see me using this just for that purpose. This would also work great for students to create their work and open it up wherever is needed. I like the idea of not worrying about what version you need to save the document. Zoho was very easy to use easy to convert into different file types.

I published Zoho to my blog. I should have saved as a draft first and then added the comments to it. It was easy.

Thing #17-Playing around wikis

I did not find PB Wiki very useful. First, I had a difficult time getting logged on and then I found it not very user friendly. I think there are plenty of other wikis out there to use.

Thing #16-So what's in a wiki?

I learned so much by doing this "thing." So many people, like myself, associate wiki with Wikipedia. I never knew the advantages of belonging to a wiki. I can see many uses for creating a wiki among library people. A wiki could be created within school district media personnel to make a quick stop for all library needs, such as: series websites, best books for children, lesson plans, designing a new media center etc. As more resources are found members could add them to the wiki.

This would be also be great for classwork. Instead of e-mailing work to their teachers students could post to a wiki. The teacher could make it private so only he/she could view it or the whole class could have access. Also, the teacher could post assignments, resources to use, and guidelines. This could be a real time saver.

I think the more specific topics a wiki covers the less chance of people posting negative/damaging feedback. For example, the ALA conference wiki covers all necessary topics for the conference. It listed places to go and instructions to the conference. Only people who are interested in this area were posting. All the postings appeared very helpful and positive.

I am looking forward to exploring the wide realm of wiki.

Thing #15-On Library 2.0 & Web 2.0

I read the article Away from the "icebergs" by Rick Anderson. I agree with his comments about the direction libraries are going. They are understaffed and some are poorly equipped. This is especially true in the school setting. Media specialists are asked to teach 21st century learning skills yet they are not given the necessary tools needed. Many schools are going the way of replacing certified personnel if favor of classified. Many of the classified people are very capable of teaching these skills but are not given the proper training or assistance. Some schools are even eliminating the library program. I feel in order for a program to succeed appropriate resources and help must be given. It is imperative that administration understand the importance of the media center to education.

Thing #14-Getting not-so-technical with Technorati

I did some searching on Technorati for Hawaiian travel. They were pages of hits. I can find this helpful and seeing other people's blogs on a topic I am interested in. I am leary of putting my blog out there for everyone to see. I think I will hold out on this aspect.

Thing #12-Make your own personalized search engine

I was able to get into Rollyo. I found it cumbersome and hard to navigate. I was able to create my own search engine.....library sites....without registering, which was nice. I went back into the website and it was hard to locate what I had just created. I'm not sure if I would find this an asset to my needs. I like the idea of having everything in one place but will use Delicious more as it seems more user friendly.

Thing !3-Tagging, folksomonies, & social bookmarking in Del.icio.us

I signed on for a Delicious account. I use Firefox and added the add-0n buttons for Firefox. Everything looked fine. I then did the next step of importing my bookmarks into Delicious. It doubled everything on my toolbar. I ended up having to unstall all the add-ons. I need to find out to just install the add-0n buttons. I liked being able to tag different areas so if I just want to go to my copyright websites I just search for copyright. I believe this will come in very handy when I need to do research. Being able to communicate with others who have similiar topics can be a great resource.

Thing #11-Library Thing

This one is my favorite so far. I've added books I've read and it gave me lists of other people who have read the same books. This is definitely going to be a help to me. Right now I just have a list of books in Word that I want to read and then I mark the date when I've read it. I like the idea that I can get comments from other people on books I am contemplating reading. This will be a great resource. I can't wait to play around with it some more. Here is the link to my Library Thing page

http://www.librarything.com/home/Rita2

Thing #10 continued

Whew! I finally got the image posted. I had to go into Blogger help to find the image icon. Of course, if it was a snake it would have bit me.

Thing #10-It's Play time

This exercise was very fun. It took my a while to complete as I get getting sidetracked to other sites. I created a newspaper headline. I had a difficult time getting the image to post. I will keep trying. Here are a couple more online generators I found while working on this exercise.

http://www.kalagoo.com/onlinegernators.htm

http://www.tammypayton.net/courses/graphics/generate.shtml

Thing #9-Finding feeds

It is just amazing how many options are out there. After learning about RSS's I am starting to notice how many different websites have a RSS icon to download to a newsreader. I had never noticed them before or if I did I did not know what they were. I'm starting to feel very tech smart.

Thing #8-RSS & newreaders

I posted some feeds to Google Reader. It was very easy. Makes it very convenient to view all your favorite areas in one stop. If you use Vista there is a RSS in the gadget area to display on your desktop. I haven't quite figured out how to put your own choices on there. It has default settings that I can't seem to change. I will work on that.

Thing #7-Blog about technology

I have been trying to add a slideshow to pictures on my blog but have not figured it out yet. Any suggestions? I am glad I am taking this class as I always felt I was discovering technology just as others were moving on to the next "new" thing. I'm finally feeling I am staying a little more current with the times. How does anyone keep on top of all the new technology coming out and still stay sane?

Thing #6-More Flickr fun

I found that the map feature of Flickr very cool. I like the idea that you can be on vacation and your family can follow along on your trip. I looked at the Flickr color pickr and will try and see if I can find something similiar in Shutterbug. I think this would be great for students to put together a portfolio of themselves and a great way to introduce themself to their classmates. The only issue would be finding the time since I believe this can be very time-consuming. Hopefully, it gets easier as you become familiar with the program.

Thing #5 Discover Flickr

I subscribe to Shutterbug which is similar to Flickr. I have never posted anything on it but I joined because my niece posts pictures of the newest member to our family, Madilyn Mae. These photo sharing websites are a great way to keep in touch. Instead of sending out multiple e-mails and attaching photos everything is in one place. I like the way Flickr allows you to set up groupings so pictures are easily located. I searched for Fort Collins and enjoyed looking at the variety of pictures. I don't know if I would join Flickr but am considering starting to use Shutterbug more, for my own benefit, since I am already a member. I find it overwhelming to subscribe to all these different "things".

Creating a blog-Thing #3 & 4

Creating this blog was a lot more simple than I thought. The one obstacle I had was creating a blog name. Everything I wanted was not available and I did not like the options. Now I just need to make time to work on it. After I get off work, after spending 90% on the computer, I have to force myself to get on the computer at home. I tend to work better in the day so end up working up on the blog and my ning on the weekends.

Lifelong learning-thing #2

I find the most difficult of the 7 1/2 values is having confidence in myself as a competent, effective learner. I am becoming more comfortable with this as I constantly am engaging myself in taking classes and trying to remain up-to-date on technology. I am slowly learning that I can do the more difficult tasks and do them well.

The easiest thing is setting a goal. I tend to set short-term goals that will eventually lead to the larger goal in the end. I focus on the short term and then I don't seem overwhelmed.