Thursday, April 10, 2008

Thing #23 - Final Thoughts

Wow! I feel supercharged!! This was the best continuing ed experience ever. When I began this project, I wasn't really sure what Library 2.0 even was. I have learned so much. What were my favorite things? It was hard to pick just three (for the survey) - I enjoyed setting up my blog, I especially liked learning about Flickr and all the fun things I can do with photos (that included several Things), and I love LibraryThing. Those were my favorites. What really surprised me was that I actually managed to complete all of the Things before the deadline - there were times when I wondered how I'd get it all done. I'm looking forward to repurposing my blog for my school library media center next year, and I like the idea about adding my blog's URL to my e-mail signature. There were times during this project when I became frustrated because things weren't working they way they were supposed to. The newletters helped, also the comments from other participants, but it would have been nice to have had the original Thing ammended once we realized there was a problem, rather than having to wait to read the newsletters. But, hey, I managed to figure lots of stuff out all by myself, and that's part of the magic. This was an experience that, if I were to describe it in one word, was EMPOWERING. Thank you so much!

Thing #22 - What did I learn today?

It really doesn't take that much time? It really doesn't take that much time?? You must be kidding! I wish I had kept a log and kept track of the hours I've put in to getting these Things done. Maybe it doesn't take Jennifer Hootman much time, but it took me forever (at least it seems like it). Please don't get me wrong - I am not complaining - my time was well spent and I don't regret a minute of it. But it DOES take time. Going on to the other points mentioned: I know I can do it. I wasn't always so sure of this, but now I feel much more confident. And yes, it IS fun to use these tools. The need to stay informed seems obvious. At the public library I am routed the journal, Computers in Libraries. I'm supposed to read them and then send them on to the next person on the list. I used to look at the journal and think "this is Greek to me", but lately (since I started working on the 23 things) I've actually begun reading and enjoying the articles - there were some very good ones that dealt with the tools I was trying to learn to use! So this is one way I will stay informed. Webinars is another way I'll continue to learn. I feel fortunate to be part of NLLN and also the Lake Agassiz Regional Library because both of these organizations help keep me moving forward - sometimes being a school library media specialist (I don't have a para or even student helpers) is a pretty lonely business, and we DO need to support each other. I'll also make use of the groups I've joined - they'll help keep me connected to others in my profession and hopefully motivate me to keep developing my Web 2.0 skills.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Thing #21 - Beyond MySpace


View my page on 23 Things on a Stick

Thank you, creators of 23 Things, for introducing me to Gather and Ning - both social networks that I like a WHOLE lot more than either MySpace or Facebook. I joined Ning (23 Things Group and the NLLN 23 Things Group) and left some messages and added a picture. I had a heck of a time getting my badge into this blog!
I joined WebJunction back when it first started and I've used it to find helpful resources a number of times. I registered for a class a few months ago, but haven't had time to take it yet - as you might guess, I've been otherwise occupied with the Things!

Thing #20 - Facebook and MySpace


I joined Facebook last fall (again, so I could understand what my own kids were into) but I haven't used it too much and here's why: I have only three friends, my son and two nieces. It seems that not many people my age have Facebook accounts, and without friends, what's the point of Facebook?! I can see why it's popular - it's a great way to keep in touch with lots of friends. My son has tons of them from college, work, hometown, you name it. This way he can communicate with them all at once - how easy is that?
I joined the 23 Things on a Stick group and wrote on their wall, as well as my own wall. I looked at a number of groups - it's kind of wild to see comments from people all around the globe! I read an article recently about college libraries using Facebook - asking their student workers to be friends and hoping to grow their friends lists through them - is this a little creepy? I'm not sure I would be comfortable asking my students to be my friends on Facebook - or maybe I should say I don't think my students would like to have me for their friend. I prefer Facebook to MySpace for personal use, but when I observe people on computers at our public library, they're all using MySpace, so there's a real market there - I think the people using computer libraries to access the Internet are more likely MySpace users - the Facebook users are probably accessing it from home or school (of course, never from work :-)). One obvious thing it could be used for is simply to announce (advertise) what's going on at the library - programs and events. That would be a start.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Thing #19 - Podcasts

I listened to a number of interesting podcasts. From the St. Cloud State School Media podcasts, I listened to an interview with Wanda Erickson, who is both a public and school librarian in northeastern MN. It was like deja vu listening to her describe her dual hat-wearing (since I do the same thing). I also listened to several MPR podcasts: The Morning Show skits with Dale Connelly and Jim Ed Poole, and also NPR Booktalk, which I added to my RSS account. The directories were all pretty easy to search. I even found a podcast that teaches you Spanish at Podcast Alley - it's called "Coffee Break Spanish" (also avaialable for French and who knows what else?)! And Gcast almost makes it tempting to give podcast creation a try.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Thing #18 - You Tube

I enjoyed all the library videos, especially the one about opening the book :-). I actually had to stop the library musical before it was finished - did you catch the looks on the faces of those people sitting at tables in that library?! I did a search for Newbery books, and accidently came upon this video about Stef Penny's book, The Tenderness of Wolves (see my LibraryThing entry). I read this book recently and loved it, so if you're reading my blog, take a look at the video and maybe you'll want to read the book, too. I think I could find more interesting author interviews to share with my students.