Thing 24

March 9, 2009 - Just getting started on Thing 24 and refreshing my blog. It has been almost a year since I completed 23 Things on a Stick. I learned a lot about the web and some tools, but didn't really find a way to incorporate them into my work. We also have Moodle on the job so I've looked into that a bit. I've changed the template and color of my blog - went from pale green to a bold pink. I went for a summer look with my avatar.

Thing 23 Final Thoughts

Wow. I raced through these exercises and completed the online survey today. I haven't been able to experience the online game yet, but am still working on that pesky log in problem.

This has been a great learning experience. I've never blogged before and I will try to convert what I've done into something that will help my library. I love the idea of customizing a web page for my library, so I'm going to look into creating my own web page through iseek.

I had lots of fun creating my avator. I'd like to do more exploring with flickr to create fun cards, posters, puzzles, etc.

I'm vowing to continue to check into those RSS feeds to help me keep up to date with sites I regularly check for new books and reviews.

I've also signed up and sent my registration fee in for the MN Voluntary Library Certification program.

I had several issues with technology. My computer at work doesn't have the current adobe flash. I couldn't get quicktime to work. I ran into blocked sites at both my job sites. My home computer is dial-up and very slow and frustrating.

I think it is great to learn about new technologies, but just because they are new doesn't mean they are better. I'm not sure teens want to have the library text messaging them.

Overall, I consider my experience awesome and wonderful. Thanks to everyone who worked to set this up. And thanks to all my fellow participants for sharing their experience with me along the way.

Thing 22 What Did I Learn Today

I really learned a lot exploring these Things! I resolve to first of all learn more about my library system and its technology. Then I will continue to investigate the resources found throughout these Things. Thanks for everything!

Thing 21 Beyond MySpace:Other Social Networks

I searched around on Gather a bit. Figured out how to find book reviews. Since anyone can post them, I'll probably get a lot of different opinions on books. I also looked at WebJunction but don't see its use for me right now.

I was successful creating an account in 23thingsonastick.ning. Here is my Ning badge. I'd like to put it along the side in my element layout, but on this computer I can't get the "add" feature to work. I'll try again from a different location.


View my page on 23 Things on a Stick

4/13/08 I was able to add to my layout from my home computer and added my Ning badge to the side of my blog also.

Thing 20 Libraries and Social Networks

Both Facebook and MySpace are blocked on my computer at a local high school. I'm sure the rationale is that students tend to spend too much computer time at these sites instead of assignments, and/or monopolizing the limited computers when others need them to complete assignments. I will explore these sites from another place.

4/13/08 - Was able to view the YouTube explanation of social networking. Pretty much knew this stuff going in. YouTube is pretty painful with a dial-up...slow and disjointed! Logged on to MySpace and looked around. Visited the Denver Library site. It took a long time to load. Most of the posts seemed to be from book authors. Not really impressed with the HCL site. Guess I'm just not into it. I think a good website would be able to handle these links and posts. Is this just an easier way to set it up?

Thing 19 Podcasts

I was able to get on the St. Cloud podcast site. I listened to Episode 9 with Emily Hope-Hofher & Allison Eikenberry live from MEMO. So...I got to listen to their interview instead of reading a transcript. No big deal to me. The MPR podcast was blocked at my location. I tried MPR again this morning and downloaded a Quicktime file that I can't read on this machine. This Thing will take more exploring.

Thing 18 YouTube

I got watched several of the YouTube links: Library dominos, Conan the Librarian, Grend March of the Librarians and the one about "how to read a book." I also logged on to YouTube and scanned through many subjects: libraries, librarians, books, beaches, comedy, etc. I chose a short video called I love the library. I tried to embed a link but got several errors. I chose a different video, Dr. Duck @ your library, with a much longer code and it seems to work. -- Well it worked last night. Today I don't see it, but I am at a different computer.