I've had a flickr account for quite some time. It's been a good way to share photos with my long distance family without overwhelming their email inbox. I'd like to find time to upload more photos and do more tagging, sticky-noting, commenting, and other fun stuff. Someday I'd even like to upgrade to a pro account, but I need to make sure I can get my money's worth first.
At first I found flickr a little difficult to navigate. Especially before I figured out the difference between a set, collection and photostream. Now that I've played around with it a bunch, it's easy to use, and I love that it's searchable and connects me with other great people and photos.
I'm so pleased that ACPL has a flickr site up and running. What a great way to share our photos with the community. I contributed by posting photos of the Time 2 Chime holiday concert. It was fun to email all the students and give them the link to their performance on the web. (You can also see video clips of their performance on the ACPL Kids Blog.)
Thursday, December 27, 2007
The Wonderful World of Google
Early on in Learning 2.0, a co-worker let me in on the wonders of iGoogle and suggested I create my own iGoogle page before tackling the other "things." I followed her advice and have been loving iGoogle ever since. It's great to have a home page that is customizable and puts all my most-used web tools at my fingertips on any computer. While in Michigan for the holidays, I checked my rss reader, gmail, and calendar - and only had to use one log in and one webpage - wonderful!
My iGoogle page is fairly "boring" - calendar, rss reader, to do list, bookmarks, etc. One of these days I'll get around to adding a tab for fun stuff (cartoons and photos of the day, a spider that randomly walks across the screen), but for now I'm sticking to the basics. I especially appreciate Google Calendar and the ease with which I can add and color-code events. I've abandoned all my paper calendars and even the planner I used to keep in my purse in favor of updating my life online. Since I'm almost always near a computer, it's easier to log on and check my Google Calendar than it would be to hope that my hard copies are all up to date.
I haven't fallen quite as quickly for other Google features. I'm sure they're great, but I just haven't had a use for them yet. I think I would enjoy using gmail, but I've been using Outlook for so long, and I'm just not ready to make the switch. I attempted to house my Mock Sibert booklist in Google Docs, but found it to be slow and unfamiliar. At this point, the time it would take to get used to a new interface just isn't worth the convenience of having the list online. Maybe next year.
My iGoogle page is fairly "boring" - calendar, rss reader, to do list, bookmarks, etc. One of these days I'll get around to adding a tab for fun stuff (cartoons and photos of the day, a spider that randomly walks across the screen), but for now I'm sticking to the basics. I especially appreciate Google Calendar and the ease with which I can add and color-code events. I've abandoned all my paper calendars and even the planner I used to keep in my purse in favor of updating my life online. Since I'm almost always near a computer, it's easier to log on and check my Google Calendar than it would be to hope that my hard copies are all up to date.
I haven't fallen quite as quickly for other Google features. I'm sure they're great, but I just haven't had a use for them yet. I think I would enjoy using gmail, but I've been using Outlook for so long, and I'm just not ready to make the switch. I attempted to house my Mock Sibert booklist in Google Docs, but found it to be slow and unfamiliar. At this point, the time it would take to get used to a new interface just isn't worth the convenience of having the list online. Maybe next year.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Google Reader Changed My Life
Back in the spring of 2006, I set up a Bloglines account as part of my Computer-Based Information Tools class (read: time and money down the drain with no graduate credit to show for all my work, but at least I learned a few things class). At the time I thought it was a good idea, but not terribly useful for me because there weren't too many blogs or news sites that I cared to keep up with.
Fast forward two years, and I am so glad I've rediscovered RSS Readers, this time in the form of Google Reader. As Lee LeFever of The Common Craft Show says, "It's like Netflix compared to the video store." And who doesn't appreciate having entertainment and information brought to their virtual door?
I've found that since setting up my Google Reader, I've been following more blogs than ever before. When I find an interesting blog, I just add it to my Reader and I never have to go hunting for it again.
Before my RSS Reader days, I would hopefully check blogs kept by friends, anticipating a new photo of their little one or some news of their lives, only to be disappointed by the same old post I read yesterday. Now I'm pleasantly surprised each time their blog title shows up in the magical little box on my iGoogle page.
I must say though, that the wonderful Google Reader has completely done away with my favorite means of wasting time. I used to spend forever clicking from blog to blog to read all the new posts, avoiding the dishes or the laundry or balancing the checkbook. Now I get through all the updates so quickly it's almost unnerving. I guess I'll have to find a new time-waster...Facebook, Twitter, Flickr...here I come.
Fast forward two years, and I am so glad I've rediscovered RSS Readers, this time in the form of Google Reader. As Lee LeFever of The Common Craft Show says, "It's like Netflix compared to the video store." And who doesn't appreciate having entertainment and information brought to their virtual door?
I've found that since setting up my Google Reader, I've been following more blogs than ever before. When I find an interesting blog, I just add it to my Reader and I never have to go hunting for it again.
Before my RSS Reader days, I would hopefully check blogs kept by friends, anticipating a new photo of their little one or some news of their lives, only to be disappointed by the same old post I read yesterday. Now I'm pleasantly surprised each time their blog title shows up in the magical little box on my iGoogle page.
I must say though, that the wonderful Google Reader has completely done away with my favorite means of wasting time. I used to spend forever clicking from blog to blog to read all the new posts, avoiding the dishes or the laundry or balancing the checkbook. Now I get through all the updates so quickly it's almost unnerving. I guess I'll have to find a new time-waster...Facebook, Twitter, Flickr...here I come.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
This is the thing that never ends...
Thing #3: Post a comment on an ACPL blog.
Simple, right? Well, it would be if there weren't so many interesting blogs, and comments on those blogs that lead to other blogs, and links in those blogs that lead to even more blogs, and...you get the picture. So now that I've read 'round the never ending circle of blogs, here are thoughts on a few that I found most engaging.
Ms. Dianna's Kid's Programs: Once upon a time I had the great idea to blog all of my storytimes as a way of keeping track of all those books, songs, rhymes and crafts that worked for a particular theme. Apparently great minds think alike. Thankfully Dianna is a bit more ambitious than yours truly and has actually followed through with the idea. I hope she continues to share her years of storytime experience with us.
True Story: There are so many book review/what-I'm-reading-now type blogs out there, I appreciate those with a more narrow focus. Mrs. Webster takes a unique slant on the matter by discussing non-fiction titles good enough to get the attention of even a devout fiction reader. Can't wait to read more.
Ramblings of a Librarian Assistant: Here's an example of the blogs that are being kept by my co-workers in CHI. Since I'm only here in the department a couple days each week, it's nice to be able to connect with other CHI staffers in this way...and to experience 2.0 alongside them.
Simple, right? Well, it would be if there weren't so many interesting blogs, and comments on those blogs that lead to other blogs, and links in those blogs that lead to even more blogs, and...you get the picture. So now that I've read 'round the never ending circle of blogs, here are thoughts on a few that I found most engaging.
Ms. Dianna's Kid's Programs: Once upon a time I had the great idea to blog all of my storytimes as a way of keeping track of all those books, songs, rhymes and crafts that worked for a particular theme. Apparently great minds think alike. Thankfully Dianna is a bit more ambitious than yours truly and has actually followed through with the idea. I hope she continues to share her years of storytime experience with us.
True Story: There are so many book review/what-I'm-reading-now type blogs out there, I appreciate those with a more narrow focus. Mrs. Webster takes a unique slant on the matter by discussing non-fiction titles good enough to get the attention of even a devout fiction reader. Can't wait to read more.
Ramblings of a Librarian Assistant: Here's an example of the blogs that are being kept by my co-workers in CHI. Since I'm only here in the department a couple days each week, it's nice to be able to connect with other CHI staffers in this way...and to experience 2.0 alongside them.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Irrelevant Post
What does this have to do with Learning 2.0?
Beats me, but if it counts as a photo, I've completed thing #2.
Yay for me.
The First Step is Always the Hardest
I've had a difficult time getting started on the 21 Things for a number of reasons, but mainly because of my "by the books" personality. Truth be told, I've already explored a few items on the list, but I just can't bring myself to officially do them out of order.
Now that I've taken the time to view the 7 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners (thing #1), I can blog about it here and hopefully get the ball rolling.
This hooplah of lifelong learning is overdone, if you ask me. In nearly all of my graduate classes so far, we've had some discussion about being lifelong learners. Part of me just wants to say, give it a rest...of course we are all lifelong learners. It would be nearly impossible to go through an entire day without learning something new.
I did, however, appreciate the approach of this presentation: to guide us to be highly successful lifelong learners (instead of just the average kind). The 7 1/2 habits are practical and purposeful, and I can see how keeping them in mind will help me as I explore the 2.0 world.
As far as learning styles go, I am a combination visual and kinesthetic learner. I often like to read about and see new processes before I try them out, and I certainly retain the information best when I can try them out first hand.
Now that I've taken the time to view the 7 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners (thing #1), I can blog about it here and hopefully get the ball rolling.
This hooplah of lifelong learning is overdone, if you ask me. In nearly all of my graduate classes so far, we've had some discussion about being lifelong learners. Part of me just wants to say, give it a rest...of course we are all lifelong learners. It would be nearly impossible to go through an entire day without learning something new.
I did, however, appreciate the approach of this presentation: to guide us to be highly successful lifelong learners (instead of just the average kind). The 7 1/2 habits are practical and purposeful, and I can see how keeping them in mind will help me as I explore the 2.0 world.
As far as learning styles go, I am a combination visual and kinesthetic learner. I often like to read about and see new processes before I try them out, and I certainly retain the information best when I can try them out first hand.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
And the winner is...
I received several great suggestions for the title of this blog. As I mentioned, I'm really bad at making decisions, but seeing how this is a donut decision, I'll just choose one and get on with it. So...from this day forward (and thanks to the Opinionated Librarian), this blog shall be know as...
Those of you who know me very well (or even just a little bit), will realize the irony in this title. Despite the obvious connection to my name, this blog title is as anti-me as it gets. I rarely make a fuss about anything, at least in the sense of voicing my opinion in public forums. It's not that I don't have an opinion, but rather that I place a high value on words. I don't see the point in repeating what someone else has already said, simply to hear it in my own voice. I tend to speak up only when I feel really strongly about an issue, or when what I have to say is unique.
Perhaps I'll accept this blog title as a challenge to speak up more often; to think critically and actually put my thoughts out there for others to hear (read).
BTW: Although I'm changing the name of this blog, the URL will remain the same so as not to upset your blogrolls (I'm actually on a few), and RSS readers.
Making a Fuss.
Those of you who know me very well (or even just a little bit), will realize the irony in this title. Despite the obvious connection to my name, this blog title is as anti-me as it gets. I rarely make a fuss about anything, at least in the sense of voicing my opinion in public forums. It's not that I don't have an opinion, but rather that I place a high value on words. I don't see the point in repeating what someone else has already said, simply to hear it in my own voice. I tend to speak up only when I feel really strongly about an issue, or when what I have to say is unique.
Perhaps I'll accept this blog title as a challenge to speak up more often; to think critically and actually put my thoughts out there for others to hear (read).
BTW: Although I'm changing the name of this blog, the URL will remain the same so as not to upset your blogrolls (I'm actually on a few), and RSS readers.
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