Oh, hi! Have you met Book?

Maybe you've seen this, maybe you've not...it is a bit old. Either way, I think it's worth checking out.

For my instructional services class, we all had to do a presentation/instructional session on some topic relevant to Library Land. One student did a fabulous session on technostress (stress experienced in reaction to the introduction/use of new technologies).

To get us started, she took the houselights down and showed us the following skit from Øystein og jeg on Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK), circa 2001*:



Funny, 'eh?

*All of this information could be wrong...I'm just quoting from the About this Video section.

No, no we don't...

My library's Learning 2.0 adventure is "officially" over, but our lovely coordinator is still posting remarkable material for us to consider...and consider I must.

Last week, we were introduced to another amazing video from Michael Wesch from Kansas State University...you know...he of The Machine is Us/ing Us fame. This time, his students helped out and the resulting video, titled A Vision of Students Today, is...well, it is a lot of things. I really only have two things to say: 1. Wow. and 2. I wish I was in Dr. Wesch's class.

Being struck virtually wordless by this video, I referred back to the suggested discovery questions in order to kick-start my brain for this blog post, but I'm not sure that even those direct, well thought out questions can help me in this case. Maybe this hits too close to home...as a student and as a big sister of a student...it's both frightening and sad...and maybe a bit inspiring.

I cannot say that I learned anything new from watching this video...at least not in the 'traditional' sense of the word. The facts/statistics/ideas presented were shocking, just as they were meant to be, but somehow not necessarily surprising (except for the seven hours of sleep moment...I never got seven hours of sleep as a student...often still don't as a grad student!). I could not have quoted these things, but as each was presented, I thought to myself, "I've done that/felt that/seen that/been in that classroom/heard that story/etc..." So, yes, as a student and as a member of the academic community, this video definitely resonated with me.


To relate directly to a couple of those "signs":

I am a student supervisor. One of my student employees recently left a large state university for my smaller state university. This student started out his post secondary education fresh out of high school at a community college near his home. He enjoyed that, but his educational interests and social interests were leading him away from that particular environment and towards some place "bigger." Soon, he was enrolled at the "big university up the road that shall remain nameless." There, he went from being a generally A and B student to nearly flunking all his classes.

Why was he failing? He was a good student in high school...a good student in his first venture into post secondary education. He wasn't falling prey to the call of the clubs/parties. Plus, he didn't start out failing at the big university...he started with his usual As and Bs, but by the second or third semester he had downgraded significantly. He was depressed. Why was he depressed? Well, because his professors did not know his face, much less his name. In class, not in class...it was all the same to them. From his point of view, lost in a sea of faces, the professors did not understand nor seem to care about his life/plight as a student. They offered no help. If he needed clarification, he was sent to a grad assistant who was helping out with several classes and may or may not have specific knowledge of his particular class section.

On the other side, from the view point of someone looking out at that sea of faces...I have a friend who is an adjunct/part-time instructor at the university where I work. He recently began his doctoral studies at the same large university my student employee recently left. To help in his studies (both intellectually and financially), he served as a grad assistant and helped teach a couple of classes. One of the introductory political science classes he assisted with had approximately 300 students.

Three-zero-zero. He didn't know names...how could he? This was one of three classes he assisted with, and each had a significant amount of students. Furthermore, there was no time for anything other than scantron tests, and the students did not even get their scantrons back. Instead, their grades were posted on Blackboard along with instructions to visit a grad assistant or professor's office with questions. He hated the entire experience and "took a break" after two semesters. I showed him and his wife the video...his wife nearly cried.

We don't know our students, and, yes, that may be a problem; however, it seems that the bigger problem may be with a system that sticks three-hundred students in a huge classroom and then sticks one little professor and one little grad student assistant at the front of that cram-packed, stadium-seating lecture hall.



As to the break-down of the student's 26.5 hour day...is that all? From watching and listening to my sister (currently a college sophomore), I would think that it was much worse.

Anyway...don't listen to me...watch the video.

Yay, me!

I finally added some tags to this here blog-o-mine! They may be very sad tags, but they are tags nonetheless.

Week 10/Play Week 2/Lesson #21: Mashup Editors

Discovery Exercise #1:
Let's study some extended uses of Mashups: Go to Mashable.com and discover the 11 crazy ways to browse Flickr photos.

Through other learning 2.0 Discovery Exercises, I am now familiar with several of the 11 crazy ways to browse Flickr photos. As for the new ones...

Depictr: I love music, so I should love this. Plus, I am a lyrics person, which is probably the fault of the Literature major in me. I tried the opening lines from Snow Patrol's Hands Open. The result was suprisingly tame, considering that Depictr searched the words/tags grave, digging, and tongue.

Flickr Combat was cute...if you used cats or dogs.

Flickr Numbers: I get to see interesting photos, randomly, without having to think...I like!



Exercise #2:1:
Go to Mashup Awards' website and explore the many mashups created by different mashup editors.

The Mashup of the Month Award for September goes to....

LazyLibrary!

Well, that's great. Apparently, LazyLibrary will allow you to "find books on any topic without having to worry about high page counts." According to MashupAwards, LazyLibrary allows you to search for books with 200 or less pages by pulling in book data from Amazon and filtering out any book with more than 200 pages.

Hmm....I want to believe that this is a good thing. So, I said to myself, "Self, can you think of a good, solid educational use for this mashup?" After I chastised myself for talking to myself (again), I thought about a specific assignment, one that we often get questions about at my public service desk. As a class requirement, students in a certain class are required to read several books from several genres. Often, they want "shorter" books because of time contraints. I guess this mashup could help those students find books that fit the genre requirement of the class while also working within time constraints. Of course, they would still need to search for those books in our library...

I also checked out Oakland Crimespotting, an interactive map of crimes in Oakland, California, that also includes the date, time, and type of crime reported. You can also subscribe to an RSS feed for a location to receive alerts about crimes in a chosen area. MashupAwards points out how this mashup takes your local neighborhood watch to a whole new level, but I think that instructors and students in the Criminal Justice program, Police Studies program, and other such programs might find such a mashup interesting.

2. Now it's your turn! Try create your own Mashups by using the Mashup editors.

I'll give it a go, but I don't think I will be blogging about it or linking to it!

Week 10/Play Week 2/Lesson #20: Mashups

Discovery Exercise #1:

On my first visit to Mashup Directory, what do I find on the very first page? SkateSpotter, a mashup that allows users to search, rate, and discuss skate spots, parks, and shops and identify the locations of these spots using Google Maps. You can also upload, view, and rate videos. JN may like ;)!

I know that many of these mashups can be fun, but I wanted to find some library/education type mashups. So, I dug around a bit and found Boulder Library with Amazon Reviews , which should have allowed me to view/access Amazon.com customer reviews and editorials within the online card catalog of the Boulder, Colorado public library, but....it won't load. Sounds interesting...oh, well.

When that didn't work quite as well as I would have liked, I returned to my search and found E41ST. This mashup -- named after New York's East 41st Street, Library Way -- "provides an integrated interface for browsing at Amazon, and looking up at your public library." It is an interesting little mashup. If you would like to try it, you can either sign up for an account or give it a test run by using the guest login.

E41ST allows you to keyword search or browse categories/genres for books in Amazon, and see book covers, customer comments, reviews, etc... If you find a book you are interested in, you can either search Amazon to purchase or to search your library. If you create an account, you can select primary and secondary libraries from a list of available libraries. The mashup will search for books in your primary library's online catalog first; if the book does not appear to be available at your primary library, your secondary library catalog will be searched. As of 09/17/2007, there were no Kentucky libraries on the list of available libraries, but the creator is always accepting new additions. You can request your own favorite/local library be added to the list of supported libraries, but there are some restrictions/requirements.

This mashup also allows you to add items to a bookshelf that you can then make accessible on from web page or blog.

As for the Ten Best Flickr Mashups....

Flickr Retrievr: Fun, but how is it retrieving? Is it really based on my sketch, or is it just random?
http://labs.systemone.at/retrievr/#sketchName=2007-09-17-17-46-28-988361.2

http://labs.systemone.at/retrievr/#sketchName=2007-09-17-17-46-28-988361.4

http://labs.systemone.at/retrievr/#sketchName=2007-09-17-17-46-28-988361.5

Spell with Flickr: Hmm..it does look shockingly similar to a ransom note...




Fastr is fun. It also kind of provides an interesting example of uncontrolled vocabulary/tagging...an answer to one of my 'games' was "throw"...I guessed "toss." Same idea, different words.

Flickrball gave me broken images, but seemed like fun from the description...I'll definitely try it out later.

Not touching Flickr Sudoku.

Discovery Exercise #2:

As for educational value or merit: I am sure there are countless ways that even the "fun" applications could be used in an educational setting...you just have to match the right setting/assignment to the right mashup.

Week Nine/Lesson #19: Podcasts

I think I've done too many Discovery Exercises in a row, so I'm going to make this one brief...

I visited the three podcast directories suggested in this week's lesson:

Podcast.net
Podcastalley.com
Yahoo Podcasts

All three seemed adequate. The categories or genres in all three could be useful/interesting if you just want to browse a certain area of interest. The "top ten" or "most popular" categories are also interesting. I especially liked that I could browse tags at Podcast.net. I browsed tags associated with library, libraries, librarian(s), etc...and found a few things that I might be interested in. Unfortunately, I am currently at a public service desk, sitting at a computer with no sound...so no podcast viewing for me!

I did investigate and discover how to add the RSS feed for a podcast to my Google Reader. When I get back to a computer where I can view a couple of these podcasts, I may be adding a few. Also, I noticed an article this week's Eastern Progress about EKUcast. It seems that, later in September, EKU will offer podcasts about the "happenings on campus." The podcast will be free, and students, faculty, staff (and others) may subscribe (free on iTunes for your iPod) or watch them directly on the EKU website. Hopefully, I will soon be able to subscribe to EKUcast and keep up with the "happenings on campus!"

Week Nine/Lesson #18: Video - Discover YouTube

Okay, I must admit that I LOVE YouTube. Personally, much of my YouTube viewing is musical in nature. YouTube is a great place to find videos, live recordings, etc... of bands you like. It is especially useful if you happen to enjoy musical artists from other countries who are not yet "released" in the US.

I'm not sure how libraries could use YouTube...maybe for advertising/marketing the library and its services? Since I was a bit stuck on this, I decided to look for libraries on YouTube. The first video I stumbled across was actually developed by students in a library science marketing class University of Pittsburgh (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItCIHAksjf4). From there, I found several "I love my Library" themed videos (it seems that there was some sort of contest), which do end up serving as advertisements:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeQI25n8qPQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcNIsWExKEw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-oBHCsFbkk

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=i+love+my+library

Now, for the optional embedding...enjoy!:

Week Eight/Lesson #17: Processing Words on the Web

Discovery Exercise:

1. Create a free account for yourself in either Zoho Writer or Google Docs.
2. Explore the application and its features by creating a few test documents.
3. Create a blog post about your discoveries:
4. How does the application you chose compare to word processing software you're familiar with?
5. What features did you like/dislike the most?
6. Can you think of any ways the application you chose would be useful to you or to EKU students?
7. Optional: If you're up for the challenge, try writing your blog entry in ZW or GD and then using the "publish" feature to post it to your blog.

As you can see from the list above, the Discovery Exercise for Lesson #17 instructed me to create a free account in one of two free web-based word processing programs: Zoho Writer or Google Docs. Since I already have a Google account, I chose to explore Google Docs.

Google Docs is interesting. It is fairly easy to use and incorporates most of the more commonly used features of the word processing software with which I am familiar. It is a bit "bare bones" and simplified; for instance, as far as I can tell, it seems that there are only about twelve font styles and seven font pt. sizes. Of course, I tend to use only one or two fonts consistently, and those are included. As a current student, I am relatively confident that most students also use only one or two fonts and font sizes. I think the ability to share documents with others and being able to designate those individuals as either "collaborators" (can edit the document) or as "viewers" (can only view) is interesting, and could be useful for group work/projects. Plus, Google Docs will also provide a RSS feed of document edits.

...and to complete this Discovery Exercise, I would like to point out that I typed this blog in Google Docs AND used the "publish" feature to post it to my blog.

*Just a note: after posting via the "publish" function in Google Docs, I had to rename this blog post in blogger. I named/saved/titled the Google Doc the same title I wished it to have when posted to my blog and directed Google Docs to do that (or at least I think that's what I told it!), but Google Docs still titled the posting using the first view words of the first line of the document. Oh, well.

Week Eight/Lesson #16: Intro to Web-Based Applications

The lesson for this week instructed us to browse through the blog posts on UCD Library 2 go, read bout the different applications highlighted for students by the librarians who maintain this blog, and then blog about our reactions, specifically about interesting applications or applications that our students might find useful.

All of this is definitely interesting, especially seeing posts about applications that are used by people I know and realizing that these types of applications are much more a part of our lives (read MY LIFE) than I thought.

As for which applications EKU students might find useful, I've seen students (geography students, maybe?) use Google Earth to create a better mental image of the terrain on a flat map of some far away place that they could not possibly visit. Then again, maybe they are just curious and are not using it for any educational purpose. My husband used Google Earth recently to see just how close a hotel in Colorado was to the interstate.

Google's free software pack, with its promise of some level of Norton Security Scan and Spyware Doctor Starter Edition, is intriguing, although I wonder what level of protection is provided. Also, StarOffice, zoho, Google Docs, thinkfree and other free Microsoft Office alternatives might go over well with students who cannot afford the $70 Microsoft Office Pro offered through the EKU Computer Store (yes, I know it is a major discount, but still...some of these students don't have an extra $70 dollars), or those who just want to "stick it to the Microsoft man."

Any application that includes citation formatting is usually a hit with our students, especially when they are being asked to cite in several different styles across disciplines, so free Open Source software such as Zotero could be helpful.

I think the very fact that I personally know students (my sister uses a free Open Source word processing application...I can't remember which) who are using these applications says something about the benefits of being aware of such web applications if you work in higher education, whether in the library or elsewhere.

Week Seven/Lesson #15: Get your hands dirty in the wiki sandbox!

Discovery Exercise:

Once you have edited or created a page, write a short blog entry about wikis. How could we use a wiki in the library? Can you think of another use for a wiki outside the library?

Wow! I edited our wiki! Yay!

Uses in the library? Hmm...as lots of my coworkers have mentioned at the brownbags and/or in their own blogs, I think a wiki could possibly make a great library intranet.

Outside the library? I have a friend in grad school who is constantly working on group projects. Sometimes it is a presentation, sometimes it is a research paper/project. I watch her and her fellow group members struggling to communicate and share resources or other useful information via email or (worse) Blackboard. Now that I am a little more familiar with wikis and how they work, I think that a wiki would be a much better alternative to mass emails and the oh-so-clunky Blackboard. It would definitely be a great way for multiple members to edit and add to a presentation script or a term paper; plus, everyone would know when a change was made, who made it, and why the change was made. Of course, this is assuming that all individuals involved know how to use a wiki...

Week Seven/Lesson #14: Gettin' Wiki with it!

Discovery exercise:

Use some of these wikis to see how this flexible tool is being used in libraryland. Write a short blog entry about your favorite library wiki or about an application for a wiki that you might see in our own library.

All the wikis seem pretty neat, so I don't think I have a favorite. Sure, some are more useful or more attractive than others, but over all I think the concept is a great idea.

As for an application for our library...

Much like my coworkers, I think that a wiki has great potential for a library intranet.

One more possible application...

I hate to bring these terms up, but...when the time comes again, could strategic planning committees in our library and in other areas of the university make good use of a wiki? I remember when strategic planning, QEPs, objectives, goals, and the like became a big issue here...and these big issues came with lots of meetings. It seems that a wiki could lighten that burden. Sure, it would have to have some tighter rules, guidelines, and restrictions on who could create or edit content (only members of the committees, verified by EKU email?), but it's possible and could save time.

Week 6...#13..Tagging, Part 2

Discovery Exercise 1:

HA! I only have to read the article article by Thomas Vander Wal on the origin of the word “folksonomy” and the role he played in coining the term...I don't have to blog about it! Yay!

...and I've officially reached my exclamation point quota for today...

Discovery Exercise 2:

Silly me, I tried searching vespa again. The tag cloud was predictably small, and a bit odd (community colleges , japanese, public welfare, and secret service, huh?). Not very effective in this instance. Since I obviously have a one-track mind as of recent, I decided my next search would be on wasps. Vespa is Italian (I think) for wasp, and the Vespa scooter was thus named because of its likeness in shape to wasps, the buzzing, flying, stinging, insect that is ever so abundant in my office during the summer months. This tag cloud was much more interesting, and I can definitely see how it could help a student narrow down (or broaden out) to the specific information he/she seeks. For example, the tag cloud produced by searching wasps would allow a student who was looking for the insect to pinpoint that information, while also allowing a student seeking more information on the Women Airforce Service Pilots (the Freshman First Year Book, Mercury 13, includes some interesting footnotes about this group) or White Anglo Saxon Protestants to pinpoint that information.

I don't teach classes...yet. I can imagine that this would be an interesting way for students to discover and dig deeper into a topic of interest (or a topic forced upon them by an instructor).

Discovery Exercise 3:

del.icio.us could definitely be a useful tool. Personally, I spend my time at no fewer than four computers (1-3 at work, one desktop at home, one laptop at home, one desktop at my parents, and any number of computers on UK's campus). Being able to access all my favorites from any of these computers, not having that information tied to one, physical locale? Well, that seems like a great idea. Of course, while I have played with del.icio.us, I have not REALLY put it (or my use of it) to the test, yet. We'll see how things go...will I or won't I use it? Only time will tell.

For teaching a class? Well, see my comments on how it benefits me personally, and change those personal sites to class/subject related sites that I trust and frequent, often depending on the class/subject at hand. Now those sites are not tied to my laptop (which could go on the fritz or have a low battery) or the classroom computer...any computer with a connection will suffice. Plus, I can share that information with my students. My students can share sites with each other if they are working on a group project/paper. So, yeah, I guess it could be useful. Of course, I don't teach...yet.

As for how it benefits the library...if it benefits our patrons, the chances are good that it will benefit us. Granted, the idea and the way our patrons use it may not be library-specific, but why not let them know it's available and that it is an easy way that they can check all their favorite sites from any computer, home, dorm, lab, library, etc...

Discovery Exercise 4:

Checked out technorati...found my blog (had to dig just a bit)...so I'm done.

Week 6...#12...Tagging!

EXERCISE 1:

Okay, let's do this step-by-step.

1. Go to Google and type in a topic that interests you. See how many hits you retrieve.

About 10,800,000 for Vespa.

2. Do the same keyword search in eQuest and see how many hits you retrieve.

Two hits for Vespa.

3. Now search for the topic as a subject (or author if it is an author) in eQuest.

Ummm...nothing.

Google gave me lots and lots of Vespa specific hits (and I'm sure there are some not-so-relevant hits in the mix). An eQuest keyword search resulted in a grand total of two hits, while a subject search gave me nada. Of course, our library is an academic one. Maybe if I had chosen something else...anyway, now the rest of the exercise:

1. Can you see a parallel between the catalog and tagging in Web. 2.0?

Sure, there is a parallel of some sort there... although my own search was not necessarily the best example.

2. Do you think tagging is a reinvention of library cataloging? Or, do you think that tagging is a continuation of tradition of library catalogs, but an expansion of that tradition into new and exciting possibilities?

I am not really sure. I can definitely see how tagging is useful/helpful/necessary, but I am not entirely sure whether I would consider it to be a reinvention or expansion of traditional library cataloguing. I'm leaning towards an expansion...or maybe neither...

3. Or, do you see another angle to tagging?

I have no idea.

EXERCISE 2:

1. Review the tags in your blog, in Flickr and in Library Thing. Think about the terms you have used.

I have not made good use of tagging in any of these venues; in fact, I have not tagged ANY of my blog entries!

Having learned a little more about tagging, consider changing your tags to make them more searchable.

Yep. I should definitely do that.

You may even want to add more tags. For instance, in case you haven’t noticed, Flickr allows up to 75 tags per photo. Please don’t be like the cataloger writing these words who learned that in traditional cataloging 1 to 3 subject headings are enough.

Again, I should do that.

Go wild with your tags if you want to.

Woot!

Add a few words to your blog about the joys of tagging.

Geez. I don't know yet. Tagging is GREAT! Okay, it is obvious that I have never truly catalogued anything in my whole life, and, if you go to my LibraryThing shelf, you can see the wonders of my tagging. I'm still out on all of this; I can see how it's useful and necessary, but I don't know what else to write. I absolutely understand that it would be hard to find the stuff I want if it had no tags. Additionally, I'm sure we are all familiar with how the language of the patron often differs from that of controlled vocabularies; often, our patrons do not use the same terms that our controlled vocabulary dictates, so user-based tagging would definitely be neat and/or helpful in some instances. Then, on the other side, willy-nilly tagging across the board could lead to some wild times. So tagging vs. controlled vocabularies...do we like it?...do we hate it?...control/no control...bad/good...does it really have to be an either/or situation? I think the University of Pennsylvania has a very interesting idea with their PennTags. User added content in addition to all the things we *know* and *love* about libraryland...not too shabby!

Week Five/Play Week: #11

The second lesson of Week Five/Play Week introduced me to an interesting little thing called Rollyo. Essentially, Rollyo is a searching tool that allows you to create your own personal search engines (teehee...roll your own...) with no programming required. You just name your search, list your preferred sites to search (up to twenty-five) , and Rollyo creates a little custom search engine for you. If you have no clue what/where you would like to search, Rollyo has created a list, or "starter kit," of Searchrolls that can be personalized by adding and/or deleting sites. You can create a Searchroll just for yourself, or you can "share the wealth" and make your Searchroll public, allowing others to use and benefit from it. You can create as many Searchrolls as you like, in addition to saving and editing (and thus "claiming for your own") the Searchrolls of others.

Inspired by a shopping Searchroll, I "rolled my own" search and created a Searchroll that will allow me to search a few sites that I trust enough to purchase snowboard gear from; I thought that this Searchroll could help me find out who has what without actually visiting these sites one by one. Here...have a look. I also added my Searchroll to my blog using the "Create a Searchbox" tool, per the Optional Discovery Exercise.

Kind of nifty...or so I thought. The problem comes in when I performed a search for Burton Stow Cargo Pants, an item I picked because I know at least a couple of the sites I chose for my roll carry these pants. I got 809 hits (from the five or six sites in my search), with the first three pages being the same site/same pant. Hmm...nifty, huh? Maybe it just doesn't work so well for shopping, or maybe I need to explore a bit more. I'm not giving up, but I'm not quite sure how useful Rollyo and Searchrolls could be based on my very limited--and not so shiny--experience.

I do think that, while maybe Rollyo isn't working for me, I will show it to some of our education majors. I know one of our student workers always returns to the same few sites for lesson plans, and I think Rollyo may prove useful to her. She could create a Searchroll for just those sites she trusts, and she would not be bombarded with thousands and thousands of hits in a search engine like Google, but she would also be spared the time it would take to search each of those sites individually. Maybe she could also use it in the classroom later...who knows!

Week Five/Play Week: #10

Discovery Exercise #1: LibraryThing

LibraryThing is definitely an interesting thing. It is also pretty simple, quick, and painless to use. I have created an account, added a few books to my shelf, tagged (don't laugh...I admittedly did not put much thought in this) them a bit....all very interesting, but I am not sure whether I will keep up with LibraryThing on my own, post-Learning 2.0. As with many of the other Web 2.0 tools we have investigated, the social side or aspect of LibraryThing is the most interesting thing about LibraryThing. It is neat to see who owns what you own (especially when the number is small...one of my books is "owned" by two other peeps), and the "real person" reviews are interesting/helpful/funny, and the reading recommendations also seem pretty good. Of course, you also can see all these neat tag clouds for books in LibraryThing, and it is definitely interesting to see how people tag certain books, especially in terms of the most common, least common, and most unusual tags. Maybe when I get home and do a bit more exploring in my collection, I will find more uses for LibraryThing. For now, I find it more interesting to explore other people's collections.



Discovery Exercise #2: Web2List

Umm...wow. That is a lot of stuff! While there were many, many applications/sites listed in Web2List that I was not familiar with, I noticed a few that I was familiar with, including quite a few of the Web 2.0 tools or applications we are working with in Learning 2.0. Blogger was there...Amazon...LOTS of MySpace and Facebook look-alikes...I was happy to see BookCrossing listed. As for applications that may be useful in our roles as educators and library employees, I guess it would be a cop-out to say meebo.com, but other than that, I am not so sure. The list itself is a bit overwhelming, but I guess that is a testament to the growth and popularity of Web 2.0.

Week Four - Finding Feeds...or what I did last time.

Let's see...when I created my Google Reader account, I added some sites I already visit along with a few of the sites suggested by others (some by using the feed icon on the page), and used the browse feature. I also organized everything into descriptively named folders...yippee! The only thing left to do in Discovery Exercise #1 is check out some search tools....

....check!

I goofed off a bit with each of the suggested search tools, but to be honest I found very few feeds to add this way. It isn't that the tools don't "work." I'm sure that, for the most part, they definitely do. To be honest, I was not truly looking to add feeds while I was trying these tools out for a few reasons: 1. I added WAY too many feeds during the first part of this set of exercises, and may need to scale back; 2. I added many of my feeds through way of my other feeds (i.e. suggested sites); and 3. I added the rest based on what other trusted/admired librarians (some of whom I know in real life, some not) are reading. For now, I feel much more comfortable trusting others in terms of finding "professional/informative" blogs/sites than I trust my own searching, visiting, evaluating, and choosing. Some may call it lazy, but...okay, maybe it is lazy! However, until I get a bit more comfortable, I think I will keep it this way.

It appears that I am getting much better at keeping it short and sweet.

Week Four: Make it "really simple" with RSS & Newsreader

This week's Discovery Exercises promised to "make life 'Really Simple' with RSS and a Newsreader." Discovery exercise numero uno suggested that I watch another video from commoncraft, "RSS in Plain English." This video is another great one, and I love the style/format of these "in Plain English" videos.

Although I have known about RSS for a while now, I never seriously considered signing up for an account. I just didn't think I visited enough sites to warrant one; however, after creating a Google Reader account (Discovery Exercise #2 - check) and subscribing to some feeds (Discovery Exercise #3 - check), I quickly began to realize that I visit WAY more websites than I realized. At first, I just added news and a few sites I visit for fun or giggles. Next, I thought that I should probably include a few library/librarian related blogs, since I have been actively attempting to add more of such sites to my daily Internet rounds since being admitted to the SLIS. Before I realized it, I had tons of feeds! That's when I started to wonder just how much time I had been wasting visiting these sites, especially on days when there was nothing new to see. This is going to save much time and energy. Then again, I added quite a few new sites, ones that I had not been visiting. Now I wonder if I will be saving time by not wondering out to all of my usual sites one by one, or if I have made my site reading more time consuming by adding new sites. Hmm...I guess only time will tell. I can always delete a few.

I promised myself last posting that my next posting would be shorter, so I think I'll keep that promise...I have some feeds to read anyway!

Week Three: More Flickr Fun

i love you (some more)
Originally uploaded by niznoz

For Week Three's second Discovery Exercise, I got to explore some of the Flickr mashups and third party tools. I really liked the Flickr Color Pickr...very pretty and it actually works. I wanted to like the mosaic maker Montagr...and I probably would like it if it would work....grrr! After fighting with Montagr for a bit, I moved on to another interesting sounding application/mashup, which also did not work, but I won't name any names...

*cough...Associatr....cough*

So, this is a picture I found via the Experimental Graffiti Colr Pickr, brought to us by the same individual as the Flickr Color Pickr (Jim Bumgardner). It is pretty, I like it, and I am tired of trying to get anything else to work.

Week Three: Flickr Photo Fun

Burger Boy Signage
Originally uploaded by pjchmiel

For Week Three's Discovery Exercise, we were presented with two fun Flickr options: find an interesting image in Flickr and blog and blog about it, or create a free Flickr account and use a digital camera to upload a few pictures of something going on in the library and blog about that. I had every intention of actually setting up a Flickr account and taking some pics in the library, but I kept forgetting to bring my camera to work. I even skipped over this week and moved on to Rollyo, LibraryThing, and such, but I cannot seem to make it to work with my camera. Since I really want to finally catch up and actually be on the same page as everyone else, I have broken down, given up, and decided to blog about an image I found on Flickr not of my own making.

For those of you who do not know me well, you probably do not know that my hubby and I are in love with vintage Vespas (an Italian scooter...I should probably include a pic of a Vespa here). Through exploring a fellow scooter enthusiast's Flickr account (I was looking for pics of a recent Scooter Rally I attended), I discovered that this guy went on a little road trip to my old neck of the woods, and had several photos from areas I consider to be home. This pic made me feel a bit nostalgic. The restaurant belonging to this sign is in London, KY. It may not be "home" to me in the purest definition of the word, but London was "the place to go" for teens in Clay County when I was a teen in Clay County. I passed by this sign many, many times....

Week Two - Episode Two, or "Look out Facebook...here I am!"

I finally broke down and created my Facebook profile. A few months back, I received a friend invite and group invite (I hope I am using the right Facebook terminology), but I ignored both. I did not know the person who invited me, and I was not interested in joining Facebook. So, when I joined up yesterday, the friend and group invites were both sitting in my account...waiting for me to make a move. I ignored them both...at least at first.

After discovering that adding a friend was virtually painless (thanks, CJ!), I decided to explore my one and only network...then I began to feel a little lonely and inadequate...one network...one friend...pretty sad, don't you think? Especially when Facebook announces your new connection with a "Such-and-Such and Such-and-Such are now friends" announcement...exactly what were we before?! Oh, well...small complaints.

So, I checked out the lady who befriended me, noticed we did actually share a common real life "friend," and decided she appeared to be harmless....so I accepted her friend request and sent her a quick "nice to meet you" message (btw: I think I like the email feature in Facebook). I also joined the group she invited me to join. With two friends and a group under my belt, I explored my network and added a friend from my non-virtual world. He's living in another state, and we rarely get to see/speak with each other, so it was exciting to get to see his photo albums and get tidbits of information about what is going on in his life.

I definitely think that I will continue to use Facebook after Learning 2.0 ends. I have already witnessed how it can help me keep up long-distance friendships, and, let's face it, long-distance friendships are becoming more and more common in our world. Plus, it just seems sort of neat and fun. As I have admitted before, I enjoy small glimpses into the lives of others, and have been lurking in MySpace to "get my fix" for a few months. Now that I am officially in Facebook, I can "get the fix" without the guilt.

As for imagining how libraries can use Facebook, I am not sure. It seems as if they could use Facebook in much the same way they are using MySpace: to communicate with and/or inform patrons about programs, services, hours, changes, and so on, and so on... Additionally, it probably does humanize a library and its staff just a bit. I would also like to say that I found it interesting to see how students are using Facebook, especially when they are using it for something other than socializing with friends. For example, I noticed in the EKU network that students were communicating with the entire network about the freshman book, along with asking open questions about what types of supplies to bring to campus, how certain dorms "stack up," roommate requests...etc... I found the questions about dorm room set-up and supplies to be very interesting because this is information that can be found on EKU's website, yet the students are asking each other. Don't we all do that? Most of us would prefer to get this type of information from someone we know, or at least from another human being who has experience, rather than from an institution/corporation--or at least, that's what my LIS classes are teaching me! Facebook is obviously giving students a tool to "ask someone who knows" on a much larger scale than may be possible in their own "real world" environments.

I've got to start writing shorter posts...must have more time for adding friends, adding applications, writing on the wall, poking people....

Learning 2.0 - Week Two

Here I am embarking on Week Two of Learning 2.0...several weeks behind schedule. Ah, the story of my life! The lesson for this week introduces us to social networking, and gives us two choices for our Discovery Activity. Of course, while I may be terribly behind, I am still a bit of an overachiever, so I did both. Yay, me!

As for the video "Social Networking in Plain English": I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this video (go hunt it down on YouTube, if you are so inclined). I loved the storyboard approach, and I have to admit that it was actually enlightening, too. I may finally be convinced that social networking sites serve worthwhile purposes, rather than merely being vehicles for kiddies, teens, and those who wish they were still teens to chat, flirt, and flame. Quite frankly, if I plan on being the "best librarian I can be" (great...that's just as cheesy on the screen as it was in my head!) in the near future, I may want to consider breaking out of my shell and reaching out to librarians and other information professionals outside the walls of my library. Social networking may allow me to do that in ways that would be virtually impossible in the "real" or non-virtual world. The video is right; connections are definitely easier to see in these virtual networks.

As for MySpace, I have admitted to lurking around in that world, looking at old highschool classmates, people from back home, and the such...basically, doing to others the exact same thing that has caused me to be hesitant about actually creating my own profile. I would probably do the same in Facebook, if I could do so without creating my own profile. So, while I may not be a technophobe, I am apparently a hypocrite. At the very least, I can say, with a little bit of confidence, that I do not believe that MySpace is the social networking site for me. I just find it a bit abrasive and, honestly, kind of ugly sometimes. Of course, I am sure it has its benefits, but I think I will pass.

Before venturing into Learning 2.0, I asked a librarian, "So, exactly how could libraries use social networking sites to reach or help their patrons?" After actually making my self check out some libraries in MySpace, her answer was right on the mark. It seems that many of these libraries may truly be connecting with patrons, and they are definitely able to advertise programs/hours/etc...and get that information straight to users who may or may not check a library's "official" website. For example, one library communicated that the library was open and ready for business after a storm...this message may have reached many patrons in MySpace well before it would in any other "traditional" format. In many ways, being able to post such messages on MySpace allows libraries to (in a way) inform patrons on an individual basis...much like calling or emailing each of them personally, without actually having to call or email anyone individually....neat!

Unlike last week, I read ahead this week, so I know that I am about to create that much delayed/feared profile. Thankfully, it will be in Facebook rather than MySpace, which is sort of an assault on the senses at the very least. I mean, I know we would all love to have our own personal theme song, but that doesn't mean that everyone (and their third cousins twice removed) wants to have said song suddenly blasting from their speakers every time they want to post a hello in your MySpace comments...geez. Of course, while MySpace may not be my ideal space, I am considering creating a profile for my karate instructor/class...that may get more attention from the locals in Mt. Vernon than any other advertising venue we try.

So, until next time, I'll see you in Facebook!

Learning 2.0 - Week One, or why it is sometimes important to read ahead...

So here I am...blogging. Hmmm...what now?!

Oh, yeah. Week one...step three...Discovery Exercise: "Once you have created your blog, create a post and enter the notes that you took after you watched the video "Web 2.0: the machine is us/ing us.""

Wow. I really should start reading ahead. I watched "Web 2.0: the machine is us/ing us." Actually, I watched it a couple of times before beginning EKU Libraries Learning 2.0. I swear. No, really. In fact, I think it was earlier this year...or last year...maybe? Sadly, however, I did not jot down notes during any of those viewings. Of course, if only I had read ahead...

Anyway. This video is definitely a well crafted testament of/to Web 2.0; I believe that it definitely speaks of/to this thing(s) we call Web 2.0. It is engaging, exciting, interesting, and so on...and so on...all the things that Web 2.0 is to many (though not all). I was especially intrigued with the video's ending statements about rethinking...well...everything, and, most importantly, rethinking the human component and its place in this new (is it really new?) thing/idea/revolution/insert your own term....and I guess that is where I enter.

Up to now, I have been on the Web 2.0 fence, or maybe I have been lurking in the shadows of Web 2.0. Should I, or shouldn't I? Will I, or won't I? It isn't that I am (gasp!) a technophobe... heaven forbid! I love technology! I love the Internet! I love Web 2.0!

Okay, calming down.

While I am definitely pro-technology/pro-Web 2.0, especially in terms of learning how Web 2.0 and the tools associated with it can help me help my patrons, help myself, and help my colleagues/coworkers, I have been decidedly anti-participatory. Sure, I volunteered for IM reference services, but would I have volunteered if the lady in charge of IM wasn't the lady in charge of me? I hope so, but I am not sure. I LOVE to browse photos on Flickr, but, put my own photos on Flickr? Uh-uh. I lurk about in myspace from time to time, and would do the same in facebook if I could, but set up an account on one of those social networking sites? No way! I LOVE to read blogs, but I did NOT want to write blogs...and I still don't.

Which brings me to the title of this blog I am writing...this is all about trying new things...about becoming more comfortable...about becoming more informed...about becoming more helpful...about becoming more accessible/approachable in more ways/formats...about rethinking myself. I do not want to pass judgment on any technology/Web 2.0 tool that comes my way without first giving it a go...and "giving it a go" should by definition include more than being voyeuristic...isn't Web 2.0 at its very essence about communication/participation/sharing/contributing/collaborating? So, what better way to get started "rethinking me" than with this Learning 2.0 project, right?

At least I am among friends. So...guys...girls....help me rethink me.