# 23 Is this really the end?

Top four favorite discoveries: Del.icio.us, Bloglines, LibraryThing and Wikis. Professionally and personally, I use all four regularly. I use del.icio.us to keep track of websites. It is so easy to use and keep the sites organized for future reference. I use Bloglines regularly to read the blogs I've added there. It's convenient to have them all in one place. I like LibraryThing suggestions for other books I might like based on my collection. I've found some enjoyable reads this way. I am thinking of creating a Wiki for the library. I am going to talk with an education class next week about setting up a Wiki for their class.

I enjoyed learning using this method. We covered a lot of different technologies in small bites with the opportunity to go into depth with anything that caught our interest. It was great having links to the resources within the text of the blog - enough resources to make it informative and interesting, but not so many that it became overwhelming. I am coming away from this with a greater awareness of all of the technologies we covered and some great new tools to help me professionally and personally. Thanks to everyone involved in this project.

I must admit that I would have done this project anyway, but the prospect of the free MP3 player at the end of the road kept me going to the end!

#22 Face-to-Face

MySpace is more accessible to the public which is a good feature if you want to check it out to see what it is all about. Facebook is less accessible which is good if you want limited visibility as a user. I am not sure how well they work for libraries - maybe because I don't have an interest in them, my imagination fails me.

#21 Podcasts, Schmodcasts

Of the 3 podcast directories, I like Yahoo Podcasts the best. It seems to return results that are more familiar and professional - NPR, NOVA, BBC, etc. - known quantities that I don't have to look at to see what they are about - saves time. I added the NPR book reviews podcast to my Bloglines account.

I enjoyed listening to the ASU Library Channel. I would like to know the demographics of who is listening to this podcast. What is the purpose and is it successful?

I thought it would be fun to listen to book reviews so I did a search on Podcast Alley - 200 results came back - too many to look through - I need a podcast review to choose a podcast on book reviews!

On a personal level, the travel and foreign language podcasts, such as ChinesePod: Learn Chinese and Unabellavista: How to Tour Italy, look interesting.

#20 You Too Can YouTube: RSS in Plain English

I liked this video when I watched it to learn about RSS. Posting it to my blog is a good way to keep track of it.

#19 Discovering Web 2.0 Tools

I checked out Lulu, a site that allows you to self-publish your own book, music, or calendar and sell it online in either print or download format. I think this may be useful for faculty to produce textbooks for their own classes. This would also be a good way to publish a family history; interested family members from all around the world could get a copy. There is no cost to upload the book to the Lulu site; costs are only incurred by the buyer. I'm going to spread the word about this site to a few people.

Wikiality

I was talking with students the other day about Wikipedia - should I show them this video?

#18 Web-based Apps

In the spirit of efficiency, I'll create a document on Google Docs about #18 Web-based Apps and post it on my blog.

Google Docs looks like Microsoft Word, but does it have the functions I usually use in Word? Let's test it.

Sometimes I use the bulleted or numbered list function:

1. to provide information on sub-topics.
2. to list supporting evidence.
3. to make the document faster to read.

I often use the copy and paste function. I often use the copy and paste function. When I use the button for copy, a message pops up telling me that my browser won't allow access to my computer's clipboard. But the Ctrl-C command works.

My favorite button, Undo, is present and working.

And I can write text in many colors.

What about font styles? Not as many to choose from as in Word.

But we can highlight text.

Lots of fun functions for publishing a doc on the web.

It is very easy to publish the document to my blog.

#17 Playing around with wikis

Adding entries to the OULibrariesLearn wiki was fast and easy. It's a wonderful community-building tool.

#16 Wiki Wiki

I found a couple of ideas for using a wiki that I would like to try: First the subject guide. I would like to try this integrated into a subject-specific course with an information literacy component. It would be a way of involving the students in exploring, developing and sharing sources of information and it would grow year by year.

I also like the idea of using a wiki for planning and collaboration internally. Right now we have our policy manual on the C-drive of the work room computer. A wiki would make it accessible from any computer and easy to add or change immediately as needed.

#15 On Library 2.0 and Web 2.0

Today's assignment: Read some thoughts from a variety of perspectives about the impact Web 2.0 is having or will have on libraries.

Two thoughts especially speak to my experience as a librarian.

First from Rick Anderson talking about user education: "But if our services can’t be used without training, then it’s the services that need to be fixed—not our patrons. One-button commands, such as Flickr’s “Blog This,” and easy-to-use programs like Google Page Creator, offer promising models for this kind of user-centric service." We want our users to use the resources we pay for rather than the WWW, but using these resources is so much more complicated than using Google. The inexperienced freshman college student does not see the difference between what is found in Google and what is in a database. It takes time, practice, and knowledge of a field of study to begin to realize what you need to know and where you will find it. Professors and librarians insist that students use the scholarly resources, but the students only do it because we are making them do it. In reality, though, they get most of their info from the web and just throw in a few citations to required sources. We need to figure out ways to make searching the databases as easy as using Google. Federated searching is one way. But we also need to make this as easily accessible as Google by putting a search box right on the front page of the library web site.

Second, from John J. Riemer, "Adopt Web features: The features of Amazon and Google of interest to students and scholars ought to be incorporated into the services libraries make available. Libraries should welcome the submission of reviews, assignment of keywords (“tagging”), addition of scholarly commentary, and other forms of user participation." This is a scary, exciting idea - scary because it involves letting go of control over the online catalog, but exciting to think of the possibilities of community-building this could create on a campus.

#14 Technorati

Searched in Technorati for Learning 2.0 in all blogs and 4,020 results were returned - Wow! Because I'm doing this project from the Eastern Campus, I already am experiencing this as a part of an online community, but one limited to the OU libraries. The search in Technorati raises my awareness of the scope of this project beyond the world of OU and beyond the world of academic libraries. And beyond the US - I found posts are in Dutch, Spanish, and Italian! Talk about a global community!

When I did the tag search, only 3 entries, but also had videos and pictures come up as results, including the Learning 2.0 video starring our fearless leader, Jan Maxwell!

Third option, Blog Directory Search. Results: 489 blogs about learning 2.0. I looked at one to see where the phrase learning 2.0 is located and I couldn't find it, so I suspected that a few of the results were irrelevant. Did the search again using quotations marks around the words learning 2.0 and only got 168 results. This time the results had the words learning 2.0 in the titles.

So, you can search in Technorati to find blogs using a keyword search, tag search = subject search, and blog directory search = title search. This experience shows that tagging blogs is a good idea. The keyword search returned many results, but the tag search returned only a few. The title search worked well for relevancy, but, as we can see from the titles of the blogs at OU libraries, most of these relevant learning 2.0 blogs will not be returned in the list of results.

I did a tag search of oulibraries in Technorati and my post did not show up.

I think I'll go figure out how to tag my blog now...

oulibraries

#13 Tagging, folksomonies & social bookmarking in Del.icio.us

Reading the About Del.icio.us page, a few uses immediately look useful to me, personally and professionally. Personally, the Wishlist, Cookbook, and Vacation ideas look good. Regarding bookmarking individual recipes webpages and tagging them: I have often wished my cookbook's index listed ingredients so that I could look up a recipe for the ingredients I have on hand. The tagging function allows you to create this kind of index for your favorite recipes. Professionally, the Research and Collaboration ideas look great, especially for group projects, such as collaborating on creating a webliography.

#12 Roll Your Own Search Engine with Rollyo

I created a search roll with Rollyo using a small sampling of Buddhist web sites. I'm debating in my mind the value of creating a search engine that limits my search in this way to a few selected sites. Efficiency and quality could be enhanced by choosing and searching only credible sites.
Since I work in a small library I am involved in many and diverse subject areas; I can imagine creating search rolls for subject areas or courses. However, this could also involve a lot of time keeping the search rolls updated when new web sites come online. Subject specialists might do a better job of creating and updating these rolls since they concentrate in one area of study.
As with many of these new tools, I am not sure how I will use Rollyo in my life as a librarian. I am enjoying having the excuse to play and learn about them. The value in this Web 2.0 project lies in knowing that these tools exist, so that some day in the future, when the need arises, I'll remember this or that tool and realize that it would be useful in that particular situation, either for myself, a colleague, or a student. Right now, I think my brain is full!

#11 LibraryThing

LibraryThing is fun and easy and, I fear, addictive! I was fascinated to see how many others own the same books as I do. This is a good way to meet people with similar reading interests. I am also enjoying the Recommendations Machine. I am not a big fan of fiction, so if I do enjoy a novel, I can look it up in LibraryThing and see what else is recommended. We'll see if it works. Another nice feature I read about, but can't use - you can access your library thing account from your cell phone - very handy when you are at the book store and can't remember if you already own the book you are about to purchase.

#10 Play Around with Image Generators

I used the LolCat Buildr

# 9 Finding Feeds

OK. I checked out the Bloglines Search Tool, Feedster, Topix.net, Syndic8, and Technorati. I liked Bloglines Search Tool the best - it is clean and simple. I also appreciated Smitherines' suggestion about Bloglines' Related Feeds tab. I found quite a few interesting looking sites there. Problem is, now I have more feeds than I have time to look through! So much information, so little time!

#8 Make Life "Really Simple" with RSS & a newsreader

I like simplicity. That's probably at the root of my resistance to technology - sometimes it seems to add another layer of complexity to my life. However, after trying the RSS and newsreader, I can see that this could simplify my life and make it easier to check out new information. The format makes it easy to scan and there are no distracting ads.

I am not sure how I will use these technologies in my work life. I am slowly seeing the usefulness of each as I become familiar with them. I appreciated Wanda's reminder that RSS is available for the EJC. I remember reading about it before but did not investigate it because I didn't realize how useful and easy setting up a newsreader account could be.

#7 Blog about technology

I have always liked looking at maps, so the various map sites on the Internet have been one of the technologies I have used most often. My favorite right now is Google Maps. I find it very useful to be able to zoom in on a location and see the names of surrounding roads and print customized maps of the area I am going to. The Get Directions feature is also useful, but I really need to see the map to orient myself and fix a map in my mind. Sometimes I like to be a rebel and create my own route! }:-)

Photoplay

#6 More Flickr Fun

I enjoyed playing around on fd's Flickr Toys page. Lots of possibilities. And very easy to use. At right is a photo of my dad that I took with a polaroid camera (a long time ago!) and framed using the Framer application.

I thought mappr sounded like a good idea but I couldn't get it to work. I clicked on photos but it did not load!

wild bird

wild bird
Originally uploaded by xeno(x)

#5 Discover Flickr

Grasping and desire growing . . . I want one of these garden toys!

Flickr is very cool. I have already told my son about it. He and my husband have just returned from a 4 week journey in the southwestern US looking at petroglyphs and pictographs. He created a blog for this journey(http://www.drawnonrock.blogspot.com/). The map feature on Flickr would be a great addition to his blog since they traveled quite a bit, in Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah.

John Safran Road Tests Buddhism

I've become a fan of John Safran from Australian TV through YouTube.

Nuthatch Lane

I live on Nuthatch Lane. Our lane used to have a long township road number attached to it. When our township started using the 911 emergency system, they had to give names to all of the roads. Since we are the only house on the road and it ends at our house, they let us name the road. (Their suggestion was "Dead End.") So, we named it after my favorite bird, the nuthatch. Unfortunately, the nuthatch is not as well known as I thought. The name has caused some confusion as well as amusement. For example, my sister thinks it sounds like the Nut Hatch (i. e., slang for a mental health institution). My sister-in-law pronounced it "new thatch." Here is a picture of a nuthatch for all who are curious.

Seven and a Half Habits

Seven and a Half Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners

Habit 1: Begin with the end in mind

Habit 2: Accept responsibility for your own learning

Habit 3: View problems as challenges

Habit 4: Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner

Habit 5: Create your own learning toolbox

Habit 6: Use technology to your advantage

Habit 7: Teach/mentor others

Habit 7 ½: Play

Habit # 6 is probably the most difficult habit for me. I am a slow adopter of new technology, although once I see its usefulness, I am an enthusiastic participant.

Habit # 4 is easy for me - I am curious about many things and I love learning.

Introduction

Greetings from the Eastern Campus! I am excited to be participating in this project with my colleagues across the campuses. There are so many new and emerging technologies available that I sometimes become overwhelmed. I am grateful for this opportunity to learn new online technologies with all of you. Sometimes I need a little structure to get started. ;)