Monday, April 13, 2009
Thing #23 - Survey
FINISHED!!! In a way I am sad to have finished the 23 Things but so glad I do not have another deadline. It was fun looking forward each week to a new Thing to explore and learn. I am thankful to Neflin for this wonderful opportunity.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Thing #22 - Staying Current
I have gone back and reviewed a lot of the "Things" and found that they don't seem as difficult and nerve wracking as when I first started with all this new technology.
I added LifeHacker to my GoogleReader. This gives you tips and downloads for getting things done. Mind hacks offer reasonable solutions to common productivity.
The one thing that this exercise has taught me is to "jump right in". It's not as intimidating now. I've continued to use MySpace, FaceBook, Flickr, and Google Reader almost daily. I plan to continue to use and explore new websites and technology to keep up with the times.
I think I will actually miss having a "Thing" to look at and explore every week. Go 23 Things!
I added LifeHacker to my GoogleReader. This gives you tips and downloads for getting things done. Mind hacks offer reasonable solutions to common productivity.
The one thing that this exercise has taught me is to "jump right in". It's not as intimidating now. I've continued to use MySpace, FaceBook, Flickr, and Google Reader almost daily. I plan to continue to use and explore new websites and technology to keep up with the times.
I think I will actually miss having a "Thing" to look at and explore every week. Go 23 Things!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Thing # 21 Student 2.0 Tools
I plan to introduce these great tools to my grandchildren in middle and high school. I think it would be a fantastic tool if it helped them to stop procrastinating and actually finish projects before the last minute. Timely reminders to students while working on a science fair project or other assignment would be wonderful. The calculators give a generalized guideline for when you need to finish something for a project or essay.
The Assignment Calculator offered individual suggestions if the subjet matter was listed on the drop down menu.
The Research Calculator was more general information but giving you a timeline which would, if you followed it, allow you to finish your project on time.
The Teacher guide to the Research Calculator had a lot of good handouts which might enable students to get a better understanding of how to prepare a paper and some seemed to make it a little easier to organize your information.
Libraries could make these sites available through their websites. On a Myspace for teens students could access these sites easily.
Maybe I will try the Assignment Calculator when I start Spring Cleaning to see if it will keep me motivated and on track.I will probably need a lot of gentle reminders for that project before I finish.
The Assignment Calculator offered individual suggestions if the subjet matter was listed on the drop down menu.
The Research Calculator was more general information but giving you a timeline which would, if you followed it, allow you to finish your project on time.
The Teacher guide to the Research Calculator had a lot of good handouts which might enable students to get a better understanding of how to prepare a paper and some seemed to make it a little easier to organize your information.
Libraries could make these sites available through their websites. On a Myspace for teens students could access these sites easily.
Maybe I will try the Assignment Calculator when I start Spring Cleaning to see if it will keep me motivated and on track.I will probably need a lot of gentle reminders for that project before I finish.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Thing #20 - Books 2.0
So much "stuff" to browse! Read or visited these sites:
Literacy Debate - R U Really Reading? As a grandparent of a 12 year old boy who does not particularly like to sit and read a book, I can understand parents just being thankful their children are "reading" something whether it is online or not. Like the girl in the article, my grandson still manages to carry a 4.0 gpa in 6th grade. So to me, reading is reading regardless of the format.
Reader's Advisory:
Reading Trails. This site was hard to navigate. A sequence of books linked in different ways on trails with intersections. You could share trails, visit open trails or create a new trail. I think you can just get lost without ever finding the right trail.
What Should I Read Next? A good site to find books that are similar to those you have read in the past.
What's Next? A great place to find a list of series books by a particular author. This would be great for patrons who read in order. You did not have to know the particular series just the author or a book title.
OnLine Book Communities
BookGlutton and the Unbound Reader. This site you could read books alone or with groups. This is not for me. I want to read with a book in my hand.
Book Group Resources:
Reading Group Choices. Information on books that may be of interest to book clubs or groups. You can find what's new to read, review, reader reviews and even a list of conversation starters for the book club.
Audio Books:
LibriVox. Found older non-copyrighted material which is read by volunteers to put on the site. During my first look at this site, finding material was hard. However, after realizing that the material was "non-copyrighted" and starting to look for older books, the site was easier to navigate. The material is listed by the last name of the author and once the material is found it is easy to listen to - right off the computer. I have already given information about this site to a patron for use with her son's reading of "The Odyssey" by Homer. They were having difficulty with pronunciation of names and with the flow of the words written.
Book Reviews:
BookBrowse. You can find books by age group or topic. Once you find the book you want you can look at the various reviews, including reader reviews, and even read an excerpt from the book just to see if it is something you may want to read. This is something you can also do on the library's website.
Facebook:
Visual Bookshelf/WeRead. Visited Visual Bookshelf and WeRead. Added WeRead application to my FaceBook. I added three books that I have read and one that I am wanting to read. I am on the wait list with the library.
The Books 2.0 tools can be rather daunting. There is sometimes too much information to absorb at one time. I think that most patrons will find the one source for information that they are comfortable with, whether it is in person from an individual at the library or one or possibly two websites. It is still good to know that these sites are available for future patron interaction.
Literacy Debate - R U Really Reading? As a grandparent of a 12 year old boy who does not particularly like to sit and read a book, I can understand parents just being thankful their children are "reading" something whether it is online or not. Like the girl in the article, my grandson still manages to carry a 4.0 gpa in 6th grade. So to me, reading is reading regardless of the format.
Reader's Advisory:
Reading Trails. This site was hard to navigate. A sequence of books linked in different ways on trails with intersections. You could share trails, visit open trails or create a new trail. I think you can just get lost without ever finding the right trail.
What Should I Read Next? A good site to find books that are similar to those you have read in the past.
What's Next? A great place to find a list of series books by a particular author. This would be great for patrons who read in order. You did not have to know the particular series just the author or a book title.
OnLine Book Communities
BookGlutton and the Unbound Reader. This site you could read books alone or with groups. This is not for me. I want to read with a book in my hand.
Book Group Resources:
Reading Group Choices. Information on books that may be of interest to book clubs or groups. You can find what's new to read, review, reader reviews and even a list of conversation starters for the book club.
Audio Books:
LibriVox. Found older non-copyrighted material which is read by volunteers to put on the site. During my first look at this site, finding material was hard. However, after realizing that the material was "non-copyrighted" and starting to look for older books, the site was easier to navigate. The material is listed by the last name of the author and once the material is found it is easy to listen to - right off the computer. I have already given information about this site to a patron for use with her son's reading of "The Odyssey" by Homer. They were having difficulty with pronunciation of names and with the flow of the words written.
Book Reviews:
BookBrowse. You can find books by age group or topic. Once you find the book you want you can look at the various reviews, including reader reviews, and even read an excerpt from the book just to see if it is something you may want to read. This is something you can also do on the library's website.
Facebook:
Visual Bookshelf/WeRead. Visited Visual Bookshelf and WeRead. Added WeRead application to my FaceBook. I added three books that I have read and one that I am wanting to read. I am on the wait list with the library.
The Books 2.0 tools can be rather daunting. There is sometimes too much information to absorb at one time. I think that most patrons will find the one source for information that they are comfortable with, whether it is in person from an individual at the library or one or possibly two websites. It is still good to know that these sites are available for future patron interaction.
Thing #19 - Other Social Networks
I went to Gather.com which promotes writers and books like MySpace does for music. I visited Bake Space, Nibble Dish, What's on my Bookshelf and a craft site. I didn't much care for What's on my Bookshelf because I don't particularly like trading books, I'd rather check out from the library. I also went to a craft site which had some good sewing ideas. I created an account with NibbleDish, formerly Open Source Food, and I liked this site. You can swap, add your recipes, and look for recipes on this site. The photographs of the recipes made this site very appealing.
In the future I might create an account in a craft networking site. I can also see myself looking for new and interesting recipes on NibbleDish.
In the future I might create an account in a craft networking site. I can also see myself looking for new and interesting recipes on NibbleDish.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Thing #18 - MySpace and FaceBook
I created a MySpace account a short time ago as I was anxious to share with friends and family, especially grandson and granddaughter. I created my account, uploaded photos, added music and changed the background. My grandson enjoyed teaching me things that he knew. I have added friends to MySpace.
Today I created a FaceBook account. It was somewhat easier to do since I had already created MySpace. On FaceBook, I joined the Gainesville, Florida Network, uploaded a photo for my profil, and searched for family and friends to add. I am waiting on responses from them. I searched for "Alachua County Library" and viewed the Alachua County's Youth Services Department's FaceBook. It looked interesting but the wall had not been updated since 2008. FaceBook and MySpace could be used as a tool for libraries to get information about programs, events, and the library itself to the public, but without routine and timely updating of the information the spaces would be ineffective.
The differences I see between MySpace and FaceBook and after talking with users of both are that MySpace can be more of a social atmosphere whereas FaceBook allows joining of groups, etc. and appears that it can allow more networking for jobs and interests.
For myself, I prefer MySpace.
I have since made comments on Facebook on my granddaughters walls and sent an invite to 23Things@Neflin to be my "friend".
Today I created a FaceBook account. It was somewhat easier to do since I had already created MySpace. On FaceBook, I joined the Gainesville, Florida Network, uploaded a photo for my profil, and searched for family and friends to add. I am waiting on responses from them. I searched for "Alachua County Library" and viewed the Alachua County's Youth Services Department's FaceBook. It looked interesting but the wall had not been updated since 2008. FaceBook and MySpace could be used as a tool for libraries to get information about programs, events, and the library itself to the public, but without routine and timely updating of the information the spaces would be ineffective.
The differences I see between MySpace and FaceBook and after talking with users of both are that MySpace can be more of a social atmosphere whereas FaceBook allows joining of groups, etc. and appears that it can allow more networking for jobs and interests.
For myself, I prefer MySpace.
I have since made comments on Facebook on my granddaughters walls and sent an invite to 23Things@Neflin to be my "friend".
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