I made it...just barely!

I really enjoyed participating in this program. The lessons I found most useful introduced me to Bloglines, Library Thing and Pandora's Radio. Accessing relevant articles and cutting down my search times will be really helpful. I also really enjoyed playing with Flickr and YouTube. I had never tried to cut and paste items into other documents, and I know I will use this in the future.

I realize that I need to find the time to play on the Internet. I can't be skilled at using it and help our savvy customers if I don't have firsthand knowledge of the most popular sites. I also can see that just a little knowledge can carry you through a variety of different sites and platforms.

It would be beneficial to tackle a portion of the program rather than to face the whole thing at once. It was a little intimidating for those of us who are time-challenged. I ended up doing a lot of the program in the middle of the night. I needed total quiet which doesn't happen at work or home during daylight hours!

I would absolutely participate in any program of this nature. I don't even need a prize!

Thank you for this opportunity. I really enjoyed it.

Medina

Audiobooks

I am waiting patiently for Overdrive to go Ipod compatible. I have heard that this will be accomplished in the next couple of months. While visiting the Perry Branch of the County System, I noticed they have a download station. It's apparently not used a lot at this point, but my guess is this will change when Ipod becomes part of the picture. It would be great to stop in, plug in and download your favorite materials. I am also hoping that at some point, the materials will no longer be linked to an actual physical item. In other words, if a customer wants an item, they download it and go. No more Checked Out items. Books and materials on demand. We need to keep up with the cable industry. They already have mastered the On Demand system. We, however, will do it for free!

Listen to my podcast

I searched for my podcast using my Bloglines account. I did encounter a number of questionable misses before I found the one I was looking for. I am a fan of video rather than audio, so podcasting is not something I would generally use. It might be fun to have a weekly podcast of a book reading at SPL. We have some wonderful performers, and I think our customers would enjoy it.

History of Email

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YouTube Rocks!

I am a big fan of YouTube. It's an amazing resource. My son uses it to find songs he likes being performed so he can accompany them on his guitar. My niece's gymnastic performance in Indiana is available. I love searching for new artists and performances. When I miss interesting news stories or performances, I can usually find them the next day on YouTube. I have also browsed for other libraries to see how they are using YouTube to improve their service. One of my favorites was a library that developed a puppet show that highlighted new books to kids along with humorous skits.

My favorite blonde in the library clip...

Web 2.0...Pandora's Radio

I tested the music site, Pandora's Radio. You suggest a song and it creates a playlist of similar music. Their copyright information explains that they can't pull up the exact song that you suggest, just similar titles. I loved the songs they suggested. It was an interesting way to find and sample new artists.

PBWiki

While I have used them in the past, I wasn't aware how easy they are to edit. I am definitely interested in using this with the teens. We've been working on ways to create some interesting pages without linking directly to sites that we aren't currently able to.

Wiki Wiki Wiki

Wikis for special events make a lot of sense. It's an excellent way to share ideas, photos and general information. Meeting attendees don't have to grab multiple copies of the session handouts if a Wiki will be set up. I found this really useful when I went to the gaming conference last summer. I made the link available to all staff. I have gone back to that information repeatedly over the past year.

One negative is that fact that anyone can publish, so the information can certainly be unrealiable. We still struggle with teens and probably some adults who believe that any information they find on the web is reliable. A Wiki tends to look professional, so I think we have to make sure the general public understands they are not always accurate.
http://gaming.techsource.ala.org/index.php/Main_Page

Libraries are conversations...

I love that quote. We are more than just a collection of books in a building. Libraries are conversations between people. We are communities. We've heard the rumors of the library's demise for years. Libraries and librarians understand the need to change, adapt and participate. We can be information specialists regardless of the format. We can continue to experiment and play with the newest technologies, even if we don't feel that they will be around for long. What's important is that we will be around, so let's participate and learn!

Technorati Tales

I searched Learning 2.0 and found some of the videos to be interesting. I have to say the experience did remind me of using Google. There were plenty of hits but many of them weren't particularly relevant. I also searched Oxycontin to continue my research after our Drug Trends presentation on Friday. I noted that there were advertisements for drugs like Vicodin on the page. That was a little unsettling.

Del.icio.us is just delightful!

What a useful tool. I really struggle to keep up with library news. Using this site could keep me current. I also like the fact that your bookmarks are accessible even when you are away from your home computer. I think we can certainly use this tool on a daily basis to keep informed and to locate information for our customers quickly.

Social Networking Sites

I spend a lot of time watching the teens on MySpace. While I haven't had an interest in trying it for myself, I do feel it's an important tool for teenagers. The majority of teens are using social networking sites on a daily basis. I would like to investigate ways that we can utilize these services to reach our customers. I explored some of the library sites. I am not sure that I feel it's an effective tool at this point for libraries to reach teens. Most teens are interested in talking with their existing friends or meeting new friends. I am sure we'd have a few "friends", but we need to keep working on this idea. However, I do see that authors are beginning to use the sites to reach out to their audience. I think we might be able to use social networking sites to link to other library professionals that we might not have the opportunity to meet in the real world.

Library Thing

I love the possibilities of sharing books with others using Library Thing, but I found loading the HTML pretty challenging.

Playing around with Image Generators

This was a great assignment, but it wasn't easy. I experimented with all three sites mentioned. I had the best luck with Motivator. Check out the posters on my blog. I struggled getting some of the other programs to load on my blog. I plan to do some more experimenting because I love the color and personalization these programs add.

लेट'स ब्लॉग इन हिन्दी

I tried blogging in Hindi. It would be amazing to link up with someone in another country and use this option to communicate. Check out the settings area for more languages to try.

Teen Trends RSS Feed

I added a feed to a site with teen trends and information for parents. Many of the articles are relevant for anyone working with teenagers.

Technology...all I need is time, a lot of time

Many of the new technologies have been developed to save time, money and space. We can communicate better and faster, and hopefully, with less effort. The teens are amazingly quick to discover and adapt to new technologies. They don't seem to feel any fear or trepidation about signing up for the newest tech trend. While I love new technologies, I am more selective about which ones I will investigate and use. I need to know if the technology will indeed make my life better or easier. My favorite new technology is my Ipod Touch. I love being able to keep a multimedia library for my entire family in my purse. I have books, movies, music and pictures loaded. I still need time to discover everything else is has to offer, but I am more than willing to keep working at it. So, just give me time, lots of time...

Flickr Fun

I really enjoy seeing beautiful photos on Flickr. I love creating albums to share with my family across the country. It's economical and instant. Family members can see my photos on the same day I take them.

Dance Dance Revolution

DDR masters at work! This is what gaming can look like these days. It's come a long way from Atari in your basement!

Lifelong Learning Challenges

I think the most difficult habit for me establish is creating my own toolbox. I generally like to solve problems on my own, so I don't always utilize resources available to me. I need to remember to reach out to others for advice and guidance when I hit a stumbling block. Working with teens is helping me to learn this. Teens tend to be savvy with new technologies and enjoy sharing their knowledge with adults. Teens helped program my cell phone and show me new and exciting functions on my Ipod Touch.