The End

What else should Learning 2.0 have covered? It's hard to say when this is all pretty new stuff to me, so I am pretty happy with what I've learned. I can't think of anything that I've heard about that you haven't touched on. And on that note, thank you to the whole team that put this together. It was great!

Getting so close to finishing kcls27things!

I am so near the end, I decided I needed to get back in and finish. I have checked out the Overdrive collection, and am looking forward to downloading books to my mp3 player that I will earn (if I finish)!

I have enjoying being introduced to a variety of different websites and features that I can use for a variety of things at work and at home. Some things I know I won't use, but at least I now know a little more about them and how they work - and what is available. Some of my favorite Learning 2.0 exercises were at the beginning - RSS, Bloglines, Flickr. Actually, I think those may have been my favorites because all of this was new to me. Later on we had exercises involving things I had heard about, seen, or used - Wikis, U-tube, podcasts, etc. But, that is just me. Some features I think are really good, but not sure if I will take the time to use them (i.e. librarything).

Most of the time I worked on my learning 2.0 at home, because it was hard to fit it in at work, even though we were encouraged to do so. As a result, a few times I would get stuck and there would be no one to help me. When I was stuck, I usually stayed "stuck" for too long and lost momentum. One thing that really slowed me down was the problem with Myspace - and that was their site problem apparently, not something I did wrong.

I would like to see some training in the future as new library-relevant technologies emerge. Maybe an email or something to introduce it to us and have us try a few exercises. If I could go back in time, knowing what Learning 2.0 is about, I would definitely take the time to do it.

Podcasts

I was checking out podcast.net and podcastalley.com. I preferred podcast.net. I did find an interesting podcast on Libraries across Cultures in Toyota, Japan on podcastalley. It was interesting to hear how users guides, indexes and maps of the library were listed in many different languages.

I did like the idea of being able to listen to something while you are doing something else, but it is harder to pay close attention if I am only hearing something. It could be useful to give general information and entertain (books read online). I wouldn't want to use it for specific instructions - would be harder to help remember without visuals.

Exploring Youtube

I looked at Youtube a bit. I tried to embed a video onto my blog. The quality of pictures aren't very good, but it is amusing nonetheless.

I think using video online could work for training videos, sharing library layouts, displays etc. It could also be good for things like storytime - as was mentioned. Online videos can be helpful when it fills in the gap for when you can't experience the real thing in person.

Funny Cat Video

2007 Web 2.0 Awards

I choose to look at Events - winner in Web 2.0 - upcoming.yahoo.com. It breaks down upcoming local events into various time frames, events, and locations. This could be useful to librarians as they deal with helping patrons at the library. http://upcoming.yahoo.com/

There were a lot of interesting web winners - some very familiar, others not. It's nice to know which sites are reviewed as "best", since there are so many websites and information floating around the internet.

The Labs of Google

I looked around at Google Labs. I thought Google Trends was kind of fun - as it listed topics and their most recent activity. It looked like it would be helpful if you were trying to keep up with the latest news and celebrities! (I'm not, but it still was interesting.) I also looked around at the Experimental Search - Time line and Map Views. I liked it - looked up info on the Olympics appreciated the map and accompanying info regarding the various past Olympics. I like visual elements, and it was clear to read. The Google glossary looked useful too.

Google Docs and Zoho

I was impressed by both Google Docs and Zoho for simple word processing, spreadsheets, etc. It is cool that you can create documents and then others can preview and edit the documents. It seems like they are both good, easy to use, easy to save, free programs.

Learning 2.0

I have been enjoying learning many new things through Learning 2.0. I think the interactive aspects of some things could be helpful for work or outside activities/groups. I like the collective aspect of thinking together on line. It's not something I really thought about in regards to work, before. I think new technology is a very valuable and important tool. I think libraries have done a great job in the past (without technology) and will continue to do an even better job with technology. I think in the library setting, it can help you retrieve the most current information instantly, communicate easier when staff is on different schedules, and be informed as to what is available online, and be able to help our patrons.

Rollyo Search Roll and Google Custom Search Engine

Today I visited Rollyo and Google Custom search engines. I think they could be useful in weeding out unhelpful stuff that comes up in general web searches. I did prefer the Google site over the Rollyo. Part of that was I am just used to the Google format, and it did have less advertisements. I decided to make a customized search for library display.

Another day at the library

I morphed into a Simpsons character and actually got it published in my blog. It worked!

Wiki

I think the idea of a wiki could be a very good thing. I like that it is a collective community on various topics, books, etc. It is quick, current, and people are able to give their input instantly. I really liked the SJCPL Wiki subject guide. I loved how it was set up and how much information was available. I also thought the ALA Midwinter 2007 Wiki was great too. It had all kinds of pertinent information regarding the conference, but also had a place for questions and responses to the questions - responses that anyone could make. In the library I can see it as very valuable - when researching a subject, trying to find a "mystery" book with no title or author, giving staff current information about what is going on at the library, etc.

LibraryThing

I heard a lot of positive comments about this website. It looks like it could be very useful for a variety of reasons. It could be useful for cataloging as well as giving me all kinds of information regarding specific books and reviews. I will be revisiting this site. You can check it out at http://www.librarything.com.

del.icio.us

Browsing through del.icio.us, it looks like it could be very helpful. I'm not sure how much I will use it at the moment, but it seems like it could be useful. Tagging and sharing sounds like a good thing, as well as being able to use your bookmarks at any computer.

My Space and Facebook

Interesting how Facebook has really grown in the 18-25 year old range. It definitely sounds like a place to reach that age range.

I checked Libraryman blog and Librarian in Black's blog. Never really thought that some kids might not want us "invading" their space. It makes sense that we keep up with what's happening in their world.

I am alright with libraries participating in social networking sites. I do wonder how much our Myspace account is really used.

Searching in RSS

I found Google Blog Search to be the easiest to search. I also tried Blogline search and Feedster and Topix.net. In most searches, the results were a bit broad. But, I did manage to find a few blogsites that might be helpful.

Learning about RSS

I learned a bit about RSS feeds today. I think it could be useful in keeping up with the most current news and information. Currently, I've mainly used emails to get the latest. (I still like reading the newspaper every morning too, rather than news websites.) Maybe that will change. I see how this could save a lot of time.

Simba in the snow

This is Simba, our Siberian cat. He is just one year old. He is really a house cat, but we let him go exploring outside once in a great while.

Playing with Flickr and other sites

It was fun to explore Flickr and some of the other sites. I thought spelling with Flickr was kind of neat, as well as the Color Pickr. I thought those might be useful. Montagr was interesting, but didn't think it would be of much use. I thought Retrievr seemed a little strange to use - don't know how useful it would be. Trading cards looked like they could be fun, but I didn't actually try that one. That's how it went for today.

It seems so much like spring today, I thought I would post a picture of this crocus. I actually tried another photo and it kept coming up blank - even with help from Lisa! Anyway, here it is.

New Blog

I did it! I created my own blog!

I'm glad Learning 2.0 is set up so it only takes a few minutes at a time to go through. It can be so hard to break away from the endless checking in and out, etc. to spend time learning something new. I am now looking forward to learning more things.