Reflections

What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
My favorite part is discussing the program with other employees. And it's always fun finding out about new applications or sites.

How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?

I think playing is an important part of learning; and it's just as valuable to try something out and decide it's not applicable as to find a success. It's nice to have this philosophy be reflected in this program that encourages exploration.

Were there any take-aways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

It's nice to see all the people who embraced the program.

What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?

If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you again chose to participate?

Yes.

Podcasts

I'm not a big fan of webcasts, but only because of time! Having the time to listen to them! For a while I was downloading them to my iPod and listening to them during my commute, but it didn't become a habit.

I looked at both PodCastAlley and PodCastDirectory and found both a bit hard to use. First I looked for podcasts about books; not only didn't I see book podcasts I know about it (Just One More Book) which I ended up finding at PodCastAlley because I went look ing for it. Turns out it's labelled as music, not books!


So I ended up looking for something completely different: food. And settled on APMs Splendid Table: Kitchen Questions. So now I'm very very hungry.

The important thing is not whether I like podcasts or not; this to me is about me knowing enough to understand them, try them out, and then figure out how to use this at work. And do I think some library customers would be interested in a weekly podcast? Yes.

Wacky Wiki

What has always frustrated me about wikis and blogs is people who really don't "get" what they are, hear about them as a new shiny thing or something other libraries are doing, so say "we can use a blog/wiki for that." Without thinking about what the technology is, what they want as an end product, etc.

So, do you want something that highlights the latest news? A blog.

Looking for a way to organize information, and create something that will be more for reference? A wiki.

Blogging about findings:

SJCPL Subject Guides:
http://www.libraryforlife.org/subjectguides/index.php/Main_Page I like how it's not library-organized, but customer-organized, and pretty clearly reflects the types of questions real! live! people! ask. It works on two levels: helping librarians answer frequently asked questions, and being there for patrons to discover and use on their own.

Library Success Wiki:
http://libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Main_Page What's not to like about a best-practices resource, and having a place to not reinvent the wheel. It's great that people can add to it; and respect professionalism to allow people to add to it.

ALA Chicago 2009 Wiki:
http://wikis.ala.org/annual2009/index.php/Main_Page I was about to say I'd bookmark this for future reading, but I guess I should really del.icio.us it.

In library setting, this works well for:

-- Information that you want everyone to know. The library ones that show subject guides for frequent questions is a good illustration for that.

-- Where trust exists. It's a bit scary for some places to say, "anyone can change this...anyone can change what I write...anyone can have input into something "official."" Realistically speaking, this means it depends on the purpose and mission of the wiki. One for HR policies? Only HR staff would have authority. One for marketing ideas? That can have more people who contribute.

-- Time to play. It takes time to master the technology, to draft and revise things. Time encourages people to do things.

-- Respect differences. Writing, editing, etc. is not easy; is not quick; and is not for everyone. Those of us who like writing (like me!) will embrace it. Making someone do this does not help anyway. But at the same time, that's no reason to only have one or two people do all the work! That creates burn out.

You Tube

The YouTube Post I have to include, by a couple of book loving college grads who are currently living in Jersey:



But using a video I already know about is cheating, isn't it? Even tho it is about books! And twentysomethings who love books enough to create this HSM influenced video.

I love the idea of a virtual library tour, and found these:


Interestingly, searching "library tour" gives mostly university/college videos. Is it that those libraries think this targets their customers better? Why aren't more public libraries doing this?

Like/dislike:

While I love tags & tagging, the limitation is figuring out what the poster used as a tag. For instance, are New Jersey libraries NJ? New Jersey? Or omitting their state altogether? When posting on YouTube.

Love how easy it is to link/embed the video. If we want people to link to us, let's make it easy!

Related videos; aren't always on target, but YouTube does a decent job of trying to guess what is "related" for you. A library? The same user? A different tour? Some aren't on target because it's hard to know what the viewer deems "related." But they at least try to do it.

Japanese tea bowl

Japanese tea bowl
Originally uploaded by Angelrays

Image From: http://www.flickr.com/photos/angelrays/365367790/

Creative Commons Use: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/deed.en

Flickr, Part 1

My existing Flickr account; which I haven't added to in a while. I've also posted an image from Flickr, so I satisfied this answer in time for tomorrow's deadline. But I may do the extra challenge next week.

Adding to the Wiki

I added my blog to the wiki. I'm not sure why the brackets were required; it's much simpler to use just link to the page. So I did it both ways, tho the brackets took me longer.

And added my current TV shows to the Favorite TV page.

And now I'm blogging about it.

I began using PBWiki a few years ago, when it was much more like coding. I much prefer the current way, which is more wysiwyg. This is a bazillion times easier to use than Media Wiki, which I really dislike.

Wikis Take 2

What has always frustrated me about wikis and blogs is people who really don't "get" what they are, hear about them as a new shiny thing or something other libraries are doing, so say "we can use a blog/wiki for that." Without thinking about what the technology is, what they want as an end product, etc.

So, do you want something that highlights the latest news? A blog.

Looking for a way to organize information, and create something that will be more for reference? A wiki.

Blogging about findings:

SJCPL Subject Guides:
http://www.libraryforlife.org/subjectguides/index.php/Main_Page I like how it's not library-organized, but customer-organized, and pretty clearly reflects the types of questions real! live! people! ask. It works on two levels: helping librarians answer frequently asked questions, and being there for patrons to discover and use on their own.

Library Success Wiki:
http://libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Main_Page What's not to like about a best-practices resource, and having a place to not reinvent the wheel. It's great that people can add to it; and respect professionalism to allow people to add to it.

ALA Chicago 2009 Wiki:
http://wikis.ala.org/annual2009/index.php/Main_Page I was about to say I'd bookmark this for future reading, but I guess I should really del.icio.us it.

In library setting, this works well for:

-- Information that you want everyone to know. The library ones that show subject guides for frequent questions is a good illustration for that.

-- Where trust exists. It's a bit scary for some places to say, "anyone can change this...anyone can change what I write...anyone can have input into something "official."" Realistically speaking, this means it depends on the purpose and mission of the wiki. One for HR policies? Only HR staff would have authority. One for marketing ideas? That can have more people who contribute.

-- Time to play. It takes time to master the technology, to draft and revise things. Time encourages people to do things.

-- Respect differences. Writing, editing, etc. is not easy; is not quick; and is not for everyone. Those of us who like writing (like me!) will embrace it. Making someone do this does not help anyway. But at the same time, that's no reason to only have one or two people do all the work! That creates burn out.

(Disclaimer: Blogger is giving me problems posting this. It may post twice.)

Web 2.0 Awards: Twitter &

I selected Twitter because I am using it right now. When I first signed on to Twitter, I honestly could not see the appeal. If you look at my early updates, well, they are few and far between. But then I did what I usually do with something new and shiny that people are talking about; I thought about why it's being used, and decided to play with it to see not only if I was personally interested but if there were any solid benefits.

"Playing" doesn't mean just showing up once; it's learning, observing, doing. Within two weeks I discovered the benefits: a community where I could get (and give) answers and information; where I could network; and where I could have conversations. In terms of work, I'm not sure if patrons are using it; if they are, then it's a quick, easy way to respond to a customer's questions, ask them something, and establish a dialogue. But it's equally useful for establishing relationships or getting information from those who may impact patrons and our services; for example, following sources of library news keeps you up to date on what is going on in library land.

So, for me, Twitter is the tale of sometimes you have to push yourself to test drive a technology in order to see the benefits and uses. And, that it takes time, not one half hour.

But, I don't want to be accused of cheating! So I also picked a site that I know nothing about, and that would be quick and easy and fun to use. So I picked Hairmixer. Pretty much upload your photograph, and then play with seeing how you would look with different hairstyles. Easy to use, and fun. What service could it be to the library? Well, basically it's putting your image over someone else's to see what you would look with their hair. Perhaps if we had images of famous people from New Jersey, from colonial times up to today, we could have patrons have fun by seeing how they would look as those people!

TV Shows I Watch

TV Shows I Am Currently Following. That Have Not Been Canceled Yet. Hence I Leave Off Life, and Life on Mars. Also omitting those I only watch via DVD such as Mad Men and Dexter.

 

The Amazing Race. The one reality show I would love to do. I don't drive stick, but I would do the food challenges. Now I just have to submit an application....

 

 

18 Kids and Counting. How the heck can they be so happy? Explain that to me, please. Seriously, I'm amazed at how snarky the editing is. Do the Duggars watch the finished product? Do they not get the snark? Or are they in on the joke?

 

America's Next Top Model. You want to be on top?

 

Becoming Erica. 30 Something Erica temporarily travels back into the past to correct mistakes she's made. Really, though, it's more about Erica realizing it's not the mistakes we make, but rather how we will live with the choices we make, that shape us. Canadian import, so abbreviated season.

 

Bones. David Boreanaz's dream job; yeah, he's easy on the eyes, but his strength as an actor is comedy. While pretending to be a crime procedural, it's more aptly described as a romantic comedy.

 

Castle. Like Bones', this plays to an actor's strength. Nathan Fillion, like Boreanaz, is a handsome man with good comic timing. Plus, Castle is a writer and it's fun to see a successful writer portrayed on TV. Plus, I adore his teenage daughter who thank goodness is not a goth/gossipgirlteen but just a regular kid.

 

Dollhouse. Joss Whedon's latest. People are "wiped" of personalities and then, on order, get downloaded with talents and knowledge. So instead of hiring a Hostage Negotiator, you get a "doll" of the perfect Hostage Negotiator. Once the job is done, you "wipe" them clean and send them back to the dollhouse. I could rant about the flaws in this one forever...yet I still watch, because, you know, Joss.

 

Eleventh Hour. What I thought Fringe was going to be me. More science than science fiction; more like the Numb3rs for science, actually. Rufus Sewell with an American accent.

 

Fringe. Scientific X-Files. Dawson's Creek Pacey has grown up mighty fine. Good mix of wacky science, dark themes, FBI investigations, and humor. Who doesn't love Walter?

 

Ghost Whisperer. What were those writers smoking with this Jim2.0 story?

 

Harper's Island. Multiple episode limited series murder/suspense TV show.

 

House Hunters. Perfect show to not pay attention to, because half of the half-hour show is recap.

 

Medium. Yes, the mysteries are easily solved in the first fifteen minutes. But Patricia Arquette's portrayal of Allison DuBois is fearless; it's some of the most realistic family and work dynamics on TV.

 

Numb3rs. Math is everywhere, solving your FBI crimes.

 

The Secret Life of An American Teenager. Good Girl Amy gets pregnant at Band Camp the summer before her freshman year at High School. Part of the attraction for this show is just how bad it can get; it's practically camp at times.

 

Supernatural. Frailty + Route 66, with a side of Buffy. Of all the shows here, the number one show you should be watching if you aren't.

 

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Yeah, rumor says this one has been canceled ... but no official announcement yet. This version of the Terminator franchise follows John Connor and his mother in the years leading up to Judgment Day. Brian Austin Green -- Wowza. Plus, watching John grow up and grow a brain has been nice. A choppy season means it may not be renewed; I hope it will be, though.

 

 

I'm sure I've forgoten something.

Web Based Applications

First, let me say I ADORE Google Docs. I love not worrying about whether I've copied a project onto a flashdrive and which flashdrive it was on; and I've worked on several projects with people using Google Docs and it is marvelous -- both in writing articles and in preparing slide presentations. It doesn't matter if I use a PC and my co-presenter uses a Mac.

But, you want me to look at Zoho Writer so I will. Except a post about my TV watching. I liked how easy it was to post; but I'm used to drafting in Blogger so I'm not sure the benefit for blog posts of using Zoho. And it looks like my Tags didn't carry over.

Still, anything that means I don't have to save to computers/flashdrive? Or can work jointly with people? Big thumbs up.

Delicious

I started a Delicious account about three years ago and have not done much with it. I understand the benefits, positives, etc. I love anything with "tagging" because it shows that we all secretly want to be catalogers!

So, for this, the first thing I did was delete most of my old bookmarks.

Then I listened to the tutorial & read the habits.

I'm not sure how much I will lose Delicious; but I'm glad to get the reminder I have my account and to start thinking of how I can make it work for me and for work. I liked the reminder of how to use tags and also to see what other tags people are using.

What I will use this for personally? I only blog about a quarter of the things I think about blogging; sometimes I save a blog post on my bloglines account or send myself an email. Both of those end up getting clogged... maybe this may be a better tool to keep track of those interesting, inspiring things. Or to track writing opportunities.

For work, I would start an account under my work email account and probably use it to gather resources on work-related items (NFB, the Kindle2, etc.)

My account: http://delicious.com/LizzyBurns

LifeLong Learning

Easiest Habit: Habit 2, Accept Responsibility For Your Own Learning.

I'm a big believer in that learning never ends. So this one comes easy to me. If we wait for someone else to take responsibility or to offer something, the learning may never happen.

Hardest Habit: Habit 3, View Problems as Challenges

While I know this intellectually, my emotional reaction to problems is "oh no." Then I have to remind myself that it's not a "stop" or even a roadblock.

Thoughts:

Overall, I enjoyed this slide presentation and how they broke things up into easy chunks. But, for me personally, the learning contract is a little too formal for my learning style.

Public Bloglines Account

I have a personal bloglines account that is a mix of things -- comics, news, books, friends, etc. There are a few dead RSSs and the like, so I decided this would be a great chance for a "do over" and to create a bloglines account that was all new and all work-related.

Here is the link:

http://www.bloglines.com/public/LizB-Work

And Another Blog!

First posts are what they are.

I am Elizabeth Burns; I work at the NJSL's Library for the Blind & Handicapped.

This is my blog for the NJSL Technology Tapas. Hence the title!