Beginnings

"This is only the beginning ... only just the start"

I wasn't sure that I would complete this, but here I am -- a week ahead of schedule! I look forward to exploring some of the tools that I have tried as part of this program.

My favorite exercises were trying out the Slideshare; Generator Blog; and Librarything. Although I don't think that I will use Twitter at work, it is something I find intriguing enough to continue past the 2.0 Program. I feel better prepared to help customers with questions regarding the use of some of these tools that we have explored which is always a good thing. I had hoped to be able to learn to do new things with blogging and with my MP3 player. These tasks helped me to achieve both of those goals.

I am not sure if I had any unexpected outcomes; I did enjoy talking with other co-workers as they were struggling with various Tasks outlined in the Things. I would enjoy further exploration of some of these tools (such as the Image Generator) in a formal class setting. One of the things I miss is being able to discuss these things in a group setting (adding comments to other blogs just isn't the same). Being able to bounce ideas off classmates is one of the joys of the formal classroom setting.

I do hope that the Commission offers another program like this. It has definitely been a learning experience!

Pod People

I work with Pod People. By that I mean that I work with several people who not only listen to podcasts on a weekly basis, but are also responsible for creating podcasts on a weekly basis. I think the idea is wonderful -- kind of like the way I used to record tv programs with my old Panasonic tape recorder back in the early 1970s so that I could listen to programs later at my own convenience. Yes, these were the days before VCRs were found in most people's homes, folks! I tried all of the favorite Pod surfing tools, but did not find anything that I really wanted to add to my bloglines account other than our own library podcast link. I was not impressed with iTunes -- I would get too many results for any search I tried. I was impressed, however, with the format of the podcasts index on both the NETV and NPR Web sites. Those are podcasts that I will want to explore more thoroughly. I have been asked to participate in a podcast discussing books soon -- I feel that I am ready to count myself in as one of the Pod People now!

YouTube

I think that You Tube is fun. I see it as entertainment, though I have used it for educational purposes as well. We have used it for promoting things at our library as well as just for fun. Here I include a clip from a favorite movie -- which should be rather obvious.

Last FM: The Final Frontier

I chose the category "Music" to search under and picked the Last FM to explore. It was a tool that I had never heard of before let alone tried. The first artist I tried did not produce any hits, so I tried a more well-known group: The Beach Boys. The site gave me access to music, videos and much, much more. I tried a few other artists to see how well it did with lesser-known musicians and came up with hits for each one. The listings for the artists are by no means comprehensive, but it does give good general information in the biographies. I could see using this tool to help a student looking for information about artists and wanting to connect with other fans of those artists. I was especially impressed with the photos feature. Sometimes it is difficult to come up with a good photo of an artist. This site includes photos from albums, books and fans as well. I also felt it was very easy to use. This is a site that I plan to explore more thoroughly in the future.

ZoHo! Google Docs are Here to Stay!

I use Google Docs on a daily basis with our scheduling system here at the library. I enjoy the versatility of doing schedules this way. In particular, it is nice to be able to access the schedule from home and make changes as needed. I use this resource to schedule volunteers and keep up with the tasks that I have assigned each week as well. I was really unaware of the other features available in Google Docs until this exercise. Comparing the ZoHo Writer with Google Docs, I found Google a little easier to use, but that is probably due to my familarity with this resource. Either way, I think that these are great resources for library staff and likely to be around for a while.

Paddington Bear meets PBwiki

Just as Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches are not my favorite sandwiches (This Bear prefers Orange Marmalade) but I will eat them -- so was my experience with PBwiki. It has its uses, but for people with little spare time on their hands, it seems to take a Great Deal of Time to Keep Up the Wiki. No sooner had I added favorites to the Nebraska Learns 2.0 Favorites Wiki, then my e-mail inbox was overflowing with e-mail relating to the wiki. Fortunately, I was able to change my e-mail preferences to keep the unwanted messages out.

This "week" in the Things program has taken me several weeks to complete. It is difficult to complete these tasks if you don't have a large block of time that you can do it at once. I had to complete these Things in several stages with constant interruptions. It is a relief to have this one behind me. Time to get out of the sandbox and move on to bigger and better Things!

Wiki Wonderland

"Gone away is the old nerd --
Here to stay is the the new word --
He sings a love song
As we go along ...
Walking in a Wiki Wonderland"

Yes, I realize that those are not the right lyrics, but you get the idea. I use Wikipedia from time to time and enjoy its versatility, but I am also aware that any wiki can have its flaws, especially if it allows unrestricted editing. Some people choose to use wikis to express their own opinions on subjects that have nothing to do with the wiki entry that they are supposedly updating. In our own library wikis, certain staff members have used the wiki as a vehicle for pushing their own agendas rather than trying to add to the body of information for all users. I prefer the use of a wiki that is overseen by individuals that restrict the postings or who can edit out the nonsense. I was impressed with the wikis created for use by ALA conference members and can see how that would be useful as tourism tool for most communities. On the other hand, other library wikis that I looked at had been edited to the point that grammar and meaning had been lost in several places on the wiki. This is where it is useful to have someone acting as "overseer" to correct errors and omissions.