Method 12 - Reflection and Evaluation

I really appreciated being able to work through this course at my own pace. I enjoyed the embedded links to interesting and helpful articles and videos, especially the In Plain English tutorials. Those were simple and fun.

I had previously created a Facebook account for another training, but then did not use it. Now I have added to it a lot, added friends, posted a picture, and plan to use it more often, if only to keep up with my kids at first. My son offered to give me a "lesson" in the privacy controls.

I also had previously created a Delicious account but did not use it much. Now, I have the needed Delicious icon and the Tag icon and have a long list of favorite sites, appropriately tagged for easy locating. I have used it quite a bit on a daily basis and appreciate the fact that I can access it from home as well as the library.

One thing I plan to use more often is RSS feeds. I can see how it can save enormous amounts of time.

There were a couple of times when I really wanted to ask someone for help. I did ask when I saw that in one lesson we could practice IM with someone at the State Library, and I was promptly helped. I think it would be helpful if there was someone available to assist when people have questions (if staffing allows).

If another similar course were offered, I would sign up for it and recommend it to others. Thanks, TSLAC, for a great, informative course.

Method 11 - Podcasting

I found this unit a little more difficult as far as navigating and finding a podcast I wanted to view/listen to and getting it to work. I really liked one I found through the Bridgewater State College link in this lesson. It was from OCLC and was of Helen Blowers speaking to a group. I found another good one that was Book Talks, Quick and Simple. My library does use podcasts, as teaching instruments embedded in online classes, and as tutorials on the library website.

Method 10 - Wikis

I really liked the In Plain English video about the wiki used for planning and collaborating. I totally agree that e-mail is a mess to try to do this. In a class I have used e-mail for group projects, and it is so confusing trying to figure which is your current e-mail and which one to use to respond to. Then we used Google Docs, which I don't if it technically a wiki, but it allowed us to all work on the same document and add to it or edit, save our changes, and see what the others had done.

When I posted my favorite blog to the wiki, I had trouble getting it to show up under the View tab, even though I had Saved and I could see it under the Edit tab. I finally had to delete it and redo it.

Method 9 - Chat & IM

I did the Meebo chat embedded in this lesson to chat with Naomi. It was easy, but I did not notice at first that she was not online and had to wait until she was online. I have used IM as a student to ask a reference question and it was very easy, quick, and helpful for my assignment.

Neither the library I just came from (small public library), nor the one where I currently work (academic library) have IM Reference. I imagine the reason is because of trying to arrange staffing for it. But as someone pointed out in one of this lesson's readings or videos (I can't remember where, or I would give credit), IM reference service doesn't have to mean 24/7. We can post our availabilty hours on the IM box, and just assign reference duties for someone to sign in to be available during regular reference hours. I can see that this may be a possiblity in the future, especially at the academic library since there are more people to staff it.

Method 8 Social Networking

I think social networking sites are great for those who like to use them, as long as they don't "air their dirty laundry" for all to see. I do have privacy concerns and would be unlikely to make a personal site public for all to see. I created an account very recently because everyone at work is really into it and talking about it. But then I forgot my password (!!) and forgot about Facebook altogether. It just hasn't been a priority.

OK. Gotta new password, logged on, looked around, sent a few Friend Requests (my kids), Confirmed a few Friend Requests. OK. Now. I guess I'll log in later to see if my kids will let me be their friends! I also need to tweek my profile and privacy settings. Some of the things I just read on some of my Friends' sites, make me think I don't want someone posting something like that (embarassing) on my site and then have everyone able to read it!

My library does have a Facebook account, and I need to and plan to get more familiar with it and the amount of usuage it gets. It looks like its used for announcements, events, photos, etc.

Method 7 Social Bookmarking

I had created a Delicious account a year or two ago in another training, but had not really used it. So I dug out my password, viewed the tutorials, explored the site, saved the Delicious and Tag buttons to my toolbar, and saved a bunch of my favorite sites to my Delicious account.

I had a computer crash recently, so I lost all my favorites saved on it. SO - I really wish I had saved them in Delicious. Now I will start saving them there as I come across them again!

Method 6 YouTube

I haven't done much with YouTube, but I like this video showing college students what the library has to offer them.

Method 5

Method 5: I was off 3 weeks for Christmas and I think I've forgotten most of what I learned about blogging! Anyway, I just wanted to say that I plan to post some of my photos on Flickr and hopefully start using it for all my photos. It seems like a great way to store, share, and organize them.

Method 5

The previous two posts ("This is not my dog" and "Italy Dream Trip") were supposed to say "Method 5", but I could not figure out how to edit once I posted.

Method 5 Italy Dream Trip

Originally uploaded by federico_betti

I hope to go to Italy this summer if I can save my money, which seems to be easier said than done lately.

Method 5 This Is Not My Dog

This is not my dog but it looks like my dog Brownie. She drives me crazy and won't stay in my fenced in back yard that I just paid a FORTUNE for!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28081481@N04/2618725876/

Method 4

Method 4
I have wanted to set up RSS feeds for some of these sites for a while now. I have read Tame the Web and The Shifted Librarian before. I thought with quick and easy access through RSS, I would be more likely to read them on a regular basis. The Daily Puppy just seemed fun, and the other two are to keep me current on information. I did not find an RSS feed for some of the sites I wanted to add, though. I have added Google Reader to my Favorites and plan to check these sites everyday. Yeahhh!

Tame the Web blog
http://www.google.com/reader/view/#stream/feed%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Ftametheweb.com%2Ffeed%2F

The Daily Puppy
http://www.google.com/reader/view/#stream/feed%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogcatalog.com%2Fblogs%2Fthe-daily-puppy%2Ffeed

The Shifted Librarian blog
http://www.google.com/reader/view/#stream/feed%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Ftheshiftedlibrarian.com%2Ffeed

CNN
http://www.google.com/reader/view/#directory-search/cnn//0

Texas Library Association blog
http://www.google.com/reader/view/#stream/feed%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.txlablog.org%2Fatom.xml

Method 3

I like some aspects of computing in the cloud, but some are worrisome. For example, with a hosted automated library system, you don’t have to worry about doing back-ups, but what if the company goes out of business suddenly or crashes?
I do like the idea of being able to access my information from any computer, not just the one it is stored on and the advantage of using services available in the “cloud” and not having to buy many different software applications to handle data.

Jenny Levine, in her Jan. 14th 2009 blog, “We’re Not All Ready for the Cloud Yet?”points out that part of the librarian’s role now is to teach patrons about these types of services, such as Google Docs, but also to teach them about consequences and potential problems such as loss of data and possible privacy breaches. These are good points.

I related to Stephen Abram in the video Stephen Abram launches Murdoch University’s 23 Things saying we are experience based learners. For example, you learn more when you post to a blog and someone replies to you, as opposed to just reading about posting to a blog.

Likewise, his comment in his article “Social Libraries: The Librarian 2.0 Phenomenon” (2008) that Web 2.0 is “about the more human aspects of interactivity”, i.e, the “conversations, interpersonal networking, personalization, and individualism.” and is “about a social phenomenom”. Abrams challenges us to become Librarian 2.0 and be “where the user is, when the user is there”.

His comment that you can always find 10-15 minutes a day to learn new technology hit home. It’s kind of like exercising, I guess: we always say we don’t have time.


I loved the cool You Tube clip on Web 2.0, The Machine is Us/ing Us by Michael Wesch, but I feel like, as a Baby Boomer, I am trying to catch up to technology, and it is advancing faster than I can learn it! Since many librarians are of the same age as me, I think many of them feel the same way. We know we need to keep up and that our libraries need to provide information in the way the patrons need and want it. It’s not that we aren’t intrigued by and interested in the new technology, but at the same time we are a little (or a lot) intimidated by it.

New Blog

Hello readers! I've just created this blog today and hope to add to it often. I hope you will read it and add comments if you read something of interest.