Thing # 23 - Summary

Overall, I enjoyed doing the 23 Things learning exercises. Some of my favorites were: creating a blog, flickr, mashups, image generators, and RSS Feeds. Part of my lifelong learning goals are to learn more about technology and to keep updated on the latest technology. The 23 Things definitely helped with those goals. I learned about many things that I had only read about before. I feel much better informed after completing the 23 Things.
I would be interested in completing another set of 23 Things that would perhaps be more library-oriented. It would be nice to become more knowledgeable about KDL's new technological offerings for our patrons so that I can help them when they have questions.

Thing # 22 - Podcasts

I looked through the Podcast.net and Podcastalley.com directories but I did not find anything that was current enough to subscribe to. I checked Bloglines and they suggested Indiepodder.org and PodcastingNews.com. I finally found a podcast feed to suscribe to on PodcastingNews.com called Ritmo Latino. It's commercial free latin music featuring Salsa, bachata, cumbia, samba, merengue, electronica, alternative, and disco-funk that is broadcast from Guam and Saipan. I added it to my Bloglines account and am looking forward to some fun Latin music.
As podcasts pertain to the Library I think that they could be used for a number of things. You could do Library news and events, book reviews, book talks, read a book or a chapter of a book and promote the Library. I think it's a great way to reach an increasingly mobile populace.

Thing # 21 - Online Video

I checked out YouTube and looked for a funny video. Searching for something specific was quite difficult because their search engine isn't very good. Also, people can put whatever title they want on their videos so some have the same title and others don't have one at all! This could be useful on a library website to show videos of programs and promotional videos about the library.
I chose a Crazy Cats! video on YouTube:

Thing # 20 - Special Treat

I watched the video: "The Machine is Us/ing Us", a crash course in Web2.0 created by a Digital Ethnography group of Kansas State University students. I was a bit surprised by the video. It was not what I had expected! They certainly made their point that technology changes the way we do things. Before personal computers digitization was just a dream for the average American. Now many people have access to the world as never before.
I especially liked the end when they state that digitization will make us rethink the way we govern, interact, and relate to others. It has already begun to turn the judicial system on its head with copyright, security, and privacy issues. The fact that these issues often cross national boundaries is yet another quandary we are finding ourselves in.
It reminded me of a book that I have read recently: Revolutionary Wealth by Alvin and Heidi Toffler. The Tofflers are futurists and in the book they give an overview what may happen in the years to come. Some of it is exciting and some of it is frightening. It's a good book to read if you are interested in where the world is headed next.

Thing # 19 - Digital Music

I have already used digital music quite a bit. I like to listen to my favorite radio stations online sometimes. The only problem is if you don't have a strong connection the music will sometimes stop while it is "buffering,' whatever that means. I also have an iPod Shuffle so I have downloaded some music from iTunes. When Napster first came out I downloaded a lot of music for free but have since lost it when my old computer died.
I really like being able to access music online or directly from my computer. At home I have some free software from Yahoo! that has some nice Internet stations called the Yahoo! Music Jukebox. You have to download it onto your computer but there are lots of different genres of music to choose from. You can also organize your music from there or even buy songs. I love music and will continue to use it digitally or otherwise.

Thing # 18 - Social Networking

I think that social networks are having an impact on the distribution of information. A recent example is an incident with the Muskegon police where someone released their home video on YouTube and now the police are releasing their own video of the incident. This may not have happened except for the home video release.
Social networking does have the potential to be a significant influence on our culture, for good or ill. A positive aspect it that it can increase visibility and accountability. A negative aspect is that it can increase sensationalism. At this point only time will tell...

Thing # 17 - Wikis

I particularly liked the:

• SJCPL Subject Guides – a pathfinder wiki developed by the St. Joseph County Public Library system; and the
• Book Lovers Wiki - developed by the Princeton Public Library.

Both wikis offered a lot of relevant information. The SJCPL Subject Guides wiki is a great way to provide information for your patrons in an easy to use format. I liked the way they included information about the subjects, resources available at their library, bestsellers, award winners, and classics, staff recommendations, and stuff that you can do on your own. It is also easy to navigate.

The Book Lovers Wiki is valuable because you could have different staff members doing book reviews and have them categorized by subject and a link to the library catalog. It's a great way to do staff recommendations. Overall, I think that wikis offer a valuable way for people to collaborate and I am glad that Librarians are starting to use them.

Thing # 16 - Technorati and Blog Tagging

I explored Technorati again for this blog post. I also claimed my blog so that it is now searchable in Technorati. It is fun to search the millions of different blogs on this site. I had searched Technorati before for Thing #9 and found some nice blogs by fellow Librarians around the country. People blog about everything you could think of, and even some you can't!

Thing # 15 - Tagging

For this exercise I explored Del.icio.us, a social bookmarking site. I explored some of the popular tags and found some websites that I had never heard of before. Since tagging is very broadly categorized I do not think it would be that helpful for research. However, I do think it is a great idea for people who travel and/or use more than one computer. It is a great deal less time consuming (and easier on the brain) to have all of your favorite/essential websites all tagged in one place, as I found out with Bloglines. I did not create a Del.icio.us account but one is easy enough to setup if you would like one. Once you setup your account you can access your tags from any computer on the planet (with Internet access) as well as connect to other people's tags.

Thing # 14 - Best of Web 2.0

I checked out several of the different Web 2.0 Awards nominees. I never get to play computer games anymore so I spent some time investigating Arcaplay. It was really fun to explore the games and try out my old favorites, like Tetris and Mahjongg. I had a lot of fun with a new game called "Penguin Push." The goal is to push the all of the ice blocks into yellow holes. There are levels and each is more difficult than the other. I also embedded it into my blog as you can see on the lower right-hand side. I enjoy playing because it fits my skill level with computer games which is quite low. Enjoy!!

Thing # 13 - Online Productivity

I used Zoho Writer's template for a recipe and typed in a recipe for oatmeal cookies. I published it below. I had to edit the post a bit for it to show up well but it was quite easy to publish it to my blog. I think that having web-based applications is a great idea. Not everyone can afford Microsoft Office so it is a good alternative. I did find it harder to use than Microsoft Word though it does have all of the basic functions it does not have all of the editing capabilitites.

Quaker's Best Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

1 1/4 margarine or butter, softened 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp salt (optional) 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg 3 cups Quaker Oats (quick or old-fashioned, uncooked

Directions

Heat oven to 375. Beat margarine and sugars until creamy. Add egg and vanilla, beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg, mix well. Stir in oats; mix well. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 8 to 9 minutes for a chewy cookie or 10 to 11 minutes for a crisp cookie. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered. About 3 dozen cookies Variations: Stir in 1 cup raisins or chopped nuts. Omit cinnamon and nutmeg and stir in 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate, butterscotch or peanut butter pieces. Bar Cookies: Press dough onto bottom of ungreased 12 x 9 inch baking pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely; cut into bars. Store tightly covered. About 2 dozen For high altitude: Increase flour to 1 3/4 cups.

Thing # 12 - Customized Search Engines

This was an interesting exercise. I explored some different search engines and found them somewhat helpful. I think that this would be most useful for those websites that you search often. It is nice to have them all in one place instead of having to hunt through Google or Yahoo for your favorites.
I created a Health & Medicine customized search engine. Every year I get a cold and/or flu and am always looking for ways to cure it. The search engine is also good for general knowledge. I also added a searchbox on the lower right-hand side of my blog. Check it out!

Thing # 11 - LibraryThing

LibraryThing is a great tool. I read about it awhile back when it first came out. Nerd that I am I thought it was quite cool. At one point I even alphabetized my personal library when I was a kid! This is a nice idea for those who love books to be able to catalog them and then share them virtually. It will be interesting to see how many of the 18 million LibraryThing users share my taste in books. I added a widget on the right-hand side of my blog that connects to my Library. Enjoy browsing!

Thing #10 – Web 2.0 & Libraries

"Library 2.0 simply means making your library’s space (virtual and physical) more interactive, collaborative, and driven by community needs. Examples of where to start include blogs, gaming nights for teens, and collaborative photo sites. The basic drive is to get people back into the library by making the library relevant to what they want and need in their daily lives…to make the library a destination and not an afterthought." ~Sarah Houghton

I really like this definition of Library 2.0 because it gets at the heart of the issue. Everyone can argue over the specifics, such as how it got started, if it’s always been there, etc. What really matters is how libraries relate to their patron base. I am as idealistic as anyone about the role libraries play in our community but it is up to us meet our community on their terms or else there will be no Library of the Future.
I think that here at KDL we are starting to adapt to Library 2.0. Upgrading our patron computers, offering self checkout, and expanding our available services, e.g. addition of ebooks and eaudiobooks shows that we are listening to our patrons and what they need from us rather than arbitrarily deciding what would benefit the patron without their input.
Change is always difficult. I thought that I was somewhat tech savvy but after starting the 23 Things I realized that I have a lot to learn! It is challenging and frustrating at the same time but I know it will improve my service to our patrons.

Thing # 9 - Library Blogs

I used each of the four different search engines for finding RSS feeds.

1. http://www.feedster.com/: I used Feedster to search for library blogs and it didn't bring up anything close to libraries so I went to the next search engine.


2. http://www.topix.net/: I inputted my current zipcode into the search engine and it came up with local news for my area. I added this to my bloglines.


3. http://www.syndic8.com/: I searched for library blogs and found quite a few. I ended up subscribing to the http://www.lisnews.com/ feed so that I can keep up on National Library related news.


4. http://www.technorati.com/: This is a great search engine for blogs. I searching for library blogs again and found two of interest: http://thebunlesslibrarian.blogspot.com/ and http://wpbpl.blogspot.com/ and added them to my bloglines account.

As for the rest of the feeds on my bloglines I searched out websites that I use frequently and others of interest and added them to my bloglines account. I am really starting to like this tool!

Thing #8 - RSS Feeds

I had a a lot of fun playing with the RSS Feeds. It is a nice way to get all of the headlines on my favorite websites without having to visit every website. It is also nice because I can sign up for an RSS Feed instead of signing up for an email newsletter and filling up my inbox. It's a great timesaver.
This is my public blogroll:
http://www.bloglines.com/public/eagerreader

Thing #7-Image Generators

I used the Chalkboard Message Generator at:

http://www.glassgiant.com/back_to_school/

I tried some other image generators and they were fun. I wrote the message in Spanish. It means: "Long live the Library!" There are a lot of fun things you can do with the image generators and I had fun playing around with them. Some of my other favorites were the:

• M&M Character Generator: http://www.becomeanmm.com/


• Simpsons Avatar Generator: http://www.simpsonsmovie.com/main.htmlmovie.com/main.html

Thing #6-Mash-Ups

Macchu Picchu
Originally uploaded by cmontalvo

For my Mash-Up I decided to use fd's Flickr Toys. I used the Framer option and "framed" one of my pictures from Macchu Picchu using a brushed edge. It looks great.
We visited Macchu Picchu in October 2005. My husband is a native of Peru and this was his first time visiting the famous city. This view is actually from the backside of the city. We were about 3,000 feet above sea level. Macchu Picchu is located at the beginning of the Peruvian Amazon so it was warm and there was some light rain when we were there. It is a trip I will never forget!

Thing #5-Photo Sharing

Early Literacy Bulletin Board
Originally uploaded by cmontalvo

This is the Early Literacy Bulletin Board that I recently put up in the Children's Section of our Library Branch. The bulletin board is on Phonemic Awareness, one of the six Early Literacy Skills.
I had fun putting it up but it was a lot of work. It is nice to have something bright and colorful in the children's section to complement our new paint and carpeting.

Thing #4 - Having looked at the list of 23 Things, is there anything in particular you're excited to learn more about?

After looking at the list of 23 Things I am excited about several things. I have always wanted to learn more about Thing #8: RSS Feeds. I also want to learn more about creating a wiki and especially podcasts since my husband recently won an IPOD Shuffle. This entire exercise is exciting for me. I have always wanted to learn how to use the many resources on the Internet and how to use the new technologies that I own more fully. The knowledge that I learn from 23 Things I will be able to use in my personal and professional life so that makes it doubly beneficial. Wish me luck! I am on to the next Thing!

Things #1-3 - 7 ½ Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners

1. Begin with the end in mind.
2. Accept responsibility for your own learning.
3. View problems as challenges.
4. Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner.
5. Create your own learning toolbox.
6. Use technology to your advantage.
7. Teach/mentor others.
7 ½. Play!

Hardest Habit:
The hardest habit for would have to be Habit #2: Accept responsibility for your own learning. When I have to learn for a class or for work I have no trouble taking responsibility for my own learning but when I want to learn something on my own it is very difficult for me to get beyond the second step of the Learning Contract. I can easily set goals but getting over the obstacles all by myself I find quite difficult.

Easiest Habit:
The easiest habit for me would have to be Habit #5: Create your own learning toolbox. I love to plan and gather the materials that I will need to learn something new. I am somewhat of a perfectionist. I like to do any activity well and that starts with the first step.