Finished!

After I complete the last line of this write up for this blog I have officially completed my 30 things for Learning 2.0. I was surprised at how easy it was to complete certain steps. Without this exercise, I might have been intimidated by technology and never had set up a Flickr account or a LibraryThing account. The next time I think of setting up some type of computer account I will be much more likely to take the plunge thanks to Learning 2.0.

The main thing that I did not like about the format of the program was having to post to the spreadsheet. It was hard to get into the spreadsheet due to it being locked and when it was not locked it could sometimes take 20 minutes to open. I sometimes found it difficult to get time off the desk to work on the program. Quite a few of the exercises were not suitable to complete in public areas of the library. I am completing this program on 2/15/08, which is after the original deadline. Perhaps next time there should be fewer things or more time allowed to complete the program. Where I work the completion of the program was mandatory and think it should have been optional.

If a similar program was offered in the future I think I would participate. Overall the good benefits of the participating outweighed anything else!

My experience

Wow! After this only one more step to go. At one point I thought that I would never get done. My favorite thing to discover was Flickr and I can see myself using it long after Learning 2.0 ends. Flickr is a great way to share photos with family and friends and it saves money because you do not have to worry about printing out extra copies of your photos. I also liked playing around with the online image generators. I think I will continue to use LibraryThing to keep track of some of the good books that I have read. I do not think I will ever become a paying member and catalog over 200 books. I also have enjoyed doing this actual blog itself, which surprises me. I will keep putting entries into my blog after Learning 2.0 ends because I am taking a library class that requires a blog. Exploring RSS feeds and podcasts were interesting steps because I was able to see which library systems were keeping in tune with technology and embracing it. It was pleasing to see some really good library web portals out there on the information super highway. I can say that this program has given me some added computer skills. My blog is certainly not as fancy as quite a few of the other blogs that I have looked at but I have done all of the work without any assistance. There were some steps that I did not care for but I understand why they were included in Learning 2.o. It was important to explore every step to get a grasp of why certain steps worked and others were not as useful.

Rollyo

I did not care for Rollyo because I do not see it as a time saver. The website I use are varied and I cannot see Rollyo working with such varied sites. I really cannot see Rollyo being of any library use either. I guess the library could use Rollyo to create almost like an online type of pathfinder for specific subjects. The library would be careful to select only quality and trustworthy sites for this type of pathfinder. Personally, Rollyo was not for me though.

Library Thing

LibraryThing was great to use. I added several titles that I own. I am not sure if I will keep using this. It is a busy world nowadays and LibraryThing is another thing that can take up time. If I do use it again I cannot see myself paying the subscription fee to add more then 200 titles. You can see my catalog by going here: http://www.librarything.com/catalog/DENNICH. I could see myself recommending this service to library patrons. Some patrons cannot keep track of what they read and LibraryThing would be a great way for them to know what they have read in the past and to write comments about the books they liked and disliked.

Image Generator

This has been a really fun exercise. It has been fun to play around with the images of various celebrities. I created myself a first class boarding pass for a flight on British Airways from Norfolk to London Heathrow airport

It is too bad it is not real. I cannot see how this exercise was relevant to libraries other then to be able to help customers attempting to do a similar activity. I guess the library could have some fun with library photos from programs and that would generate a few laughs from customers. Children and teens could have some type of contest to generate the funniest library image from an actual library photo.

Podcasts - #25

It was fun to explore the various podcasts that have been created by libraries. I really liked the Cuyahoga County Public Library readers advisory podcasts. It made be with that VBPL offered that type of service to the patrons. Collier County Florida also had a few interesting podcasts. Their podcasts were interviews of authors and program information. I think podcasts are a great way to reach customers. The Knoxville Tennessee Public Library has local history podcasts and poetry podcasts. If VBPL ever decides to offer podcasts I would love to participate.

Number 24 podcasts

For me Number 24 was very difficult to complete. When I would try to go to a podcast site it would end up getting filtered by Websense. I ended up viewing podcasts from my home computer to complete this part of the 30 things. It was hard to find library related podcasts. I have some really good library podcasts in the past but they were from links on the webpages of library websites. I think podcasts could be a great way to attract teens to the library. For three years now the Teen Read Week team has organized a Beach Band Blowout in which local bands play for the library and I think that would make an excellent podcast. It would show the teens that a library is not just books anymore! I did find some great posdcasts through iTunes.

You Tube

Wow! You tube is amazing! You can find a video on anything. I did not really dislike anything about this site. I guess you will always get people complaining about You Tube because with so many videos out there someone is bound to be offended by something. My thoughts on that matter are if the video might offend you then you can simply decide not to view it. I think that libraries could produce videos for You Tube to promote programs. A video of a successful program is bound to attract attention and hopfully get more people coming to the next event. I have added a link to some You Tube videos of the cruise Ship the Queen Mary II because I will be taking a Caribbean cruise on this ship on January 2009.

Flickr Fun

My favorite Flickr fun type site turned out to be Retrievr. It was lots of fun to draw different images and then see Flickr try to match those drawings. I plan to make use of the Trip Planner tool when I take my next vacation. Ireally did not care for Mappr, Flickr color pickr, or Montagr.