Dizzy Girl

Thing 23

2007-04-03T20:59:00.000-07:00

The end...finally!

This learning journey was a great introduction to the world of Library 2.0 I've love the sites that cover photosharing and image manipulating. I've enjoyed just about every exercise, however, I felt rushed to finish. In fact, I feel like I'm a student cramming to finish that final paper. I will have to disagree with the person that said that one with computer experience could complete this journey in 4-5 hours. I felt like it took me forever to get through this. Many of us don't have the time from our work schedule and home schedule to dedicate time with the exercises. What can I say? I like to take my time discovering each of the resources provided. That was insane on my part, but I wanted to appreciate every aspect of these tools. Despite the fact that there was so much to cover in the beginning, I enjoyed the learning experience.

I will continue to use these tools and get into more advanced features.

This learning experience has inspired me to create my own personal log to share with family and friends. Thank you to the Virtual Team for supporting us through this adventure.

Thing 22

2007-04-03T20:52:00.000-07:00

SJPL eBooks and Audio eBooks

Either you love it or hate it. I love the fact that ebooks can be available to our library users 24/7. I just hate reading text online. I get users who are turned off by this resource and those who are grateful it exists. I believe that one of the biggest hits to ebooks has been the Audio ebooks. I have had the opportunity to talk to people who love this resource. In fact, just last week I got a phone call from a gentleman who was having a slow connection downloading his audio ebook. He told me that he downloads them for his wife on her ipod. Isn't that something? He told me he's 70 years old! I'm just impressed with the people who love the technology.
In fact, I've become inspired to get myself an mp3 player, ipod, whatever, just to keep up with many of the folks that are using this.

Thing 21

2007-04-03T20:42:00.000-07:00

Podcasts

Podcasts have become a great resource to utilize to get to rich information. How many us cannot make it to Infopeople classes. Never fear, there's a webcast page for some of the classes. How many of us cannot make it to conferences? Podcasts are an excellent tool to get the information out there.

As long as I don't have to download an application, I'm happy.

One of the best video podcasts I've enjoyed was an interview with Khaled Hosseini who discusses his bestseller The Kite Runner.

Thing 20

2007-04-03T19:12:00.000-07:00

YouTube

YouTube has become such a phenomenon in internet world. It is amazing how strong YouTube has been throughout the world. This only goes to show how much people want to share themselves and their talents.

Here's one of my favorites, since I love to dance! It's called the Evolution of Dance.

Tools like YouTube have become an excellent resource for librarians. Just recently, there was an article about this couple creating YouTube videos as an educational resource (Cullen's ABCs) for children, parents, and teachers. This would serve as a great tool for anyone new to Children's Librarianship. Ms. Cullen offers storytimes and songs. Here's an example:

Thing 19

2007-04-03T17:28:00.001-07:00

Library Thing

What a great concept to share information about books! I've added my books to the list! The library I created consisted of books marked by several users (The Kite Runner) and by none (Estrella's Quinceanera). The book suggester was interesting to explore, some offered relevant information while some didn't. For example, when typing in The Tortilla Curtain, I was suggested books on cooking with tortillas. ha ha

I like the ability to look at someone else's catalog of books. This is one tool I will definitely use. What I don't understand is why the six books I've catalogued in Library Thing didn't show up on my blog. Just four. Hmmm. Gotta look into this further.

Thing 18

2007-04-03T14:33:00.001-07:00

Zoho Writer

Here's my Zoho created document - (it worked! It was so easy to create this document in Zoho and send it off to Blogger)

I currently use Google Docs, and I must say that I prefer Zoho Writer instead. Zoho provides a more user friendly interface than Google Docs. Zoho was much easier to register as well. I've recommended library users to Google Docs, but I'm going to change my recommendation to Zoho. Zoho offers unlimited storage space! That's great!

This online tool is a wonderful device to use without USB drives, floppys, etc... Time and time again, library users show up with corrupt floppys or just don't know how to email a document to themselves. Why send someone to buy a floppy when they could use this wonderful tool? Not to mention they could use this site using the research computers thus avoiding the tied up 2hr reserveration computers.

Thing 17

2007-04-03T13:19:00.000-07:00

Sandbox wiki

This was a fun exercise where everyone can add their two cents to the pot. I like the fact that it's designed to be used among this group as opposed to allowing strangers to add their input. Love the Favorite Restaurants page since it pertains to San Jose.

Creating a list of Lists would be ideal for the library, e.g. Books recommended by patrons for leisure reading, Books to read for Books Clubs, Web sites for answering Reference Questions, etc...

My favorite restaurant, definitely CHA CHA CHA in San Francisco in the Haight & Ashbury district. You've got to order the Sangrias! Olé!

Thing 16

2007-04-01T18:36:00.000-07:00

Wikis

This is probably one of the few times when I give wikis a "thumbs up." I'm typically throwing the cross at wikis when it comes to research. I often tell students to be careful when referencing information from Wikipedia. In fact, I've read articles about professors banning their students from using it as an authoritative source. It's a good source to use for supplemental info or when you can't find any info about a particular topic at all.

In the case of libraries using wiki as a learning kit, subject directory, etc..., I think it's a great idea. What a wonderful way to share information in an organized and interface friendly manner. I especially love Library Success: A best practices wiki. There's an excellent segment on Adult Programming. Plenty of info to explore! I just love people who share information, don't you?

Thing 15

2007-04-01T18:19:00.000-07:00

Library 2.0

Web 2.0 isn't anything new. Many of us library employees have been exposed to its technologies in our homes and sometimes at work. Library 2.0, however, is something new for us library workers who are exploring ways that Web 2.0 fits in the library. Library 2.0 works for the individual embracing many of its components on a day to day basis. Yet, some of us are struggling with its uses for the library as a whole. I've seen library owned blogs use the tool for sharing information to the web world, but my question to this is: "Who is inputting the information?" One worker, several workers? What happens if Super Librarian 2.0 gets another job? Will someone be willing to take over?

I believe that Library 2.0 stands its ground for libraries who use it daily and collaboratively. I see Library 2.0 as an accessory to library services. Who knows. I could be wrong.

Thing 14

2007-04-01T17:26:00.000-07:00

Technorati

What an excellent blog tracking device. I was able to search for valuable information on blogs alone. Its popular links take me parts of the web I normally wouldn't explore. One thing to remember is the freedom of tags and how people label and organize information. It's sort of like the catalogers using "cookery" instead of "cook books." Who the hell says cookery? I haven't decided whether to register my blog, but I'm considering it.

Thing 13

2007-03-26T15:16:00.000-07:00

Del.icio.us

What a great social bookmarking tool! I love it. I created an account and placed some of the urls I have as favorites from my home pc. This ranged from travel, recipes, reference sites, parenting sites, etc. Now I've got access to these bookmarks from any computer. Excellent tool to use for reference questions, personal and professional. I was overwhelmed by the info the Excerises page covered on this. It didn't make much sense to me. Sometimes too much info is dangerous for the mind. A simple way to learn about del.icio.us is going to the site itself and reading the "about" page.

Thing 12

2007-03-13T13:13:00.000-07:00

Wow! This is a great tool for all those fav websites I have. I created one for Storytime Sources using Rollyo. I like this tool, however, I wish I had the time to understand it better. I think I've got the idea, but I feel like there's more to it.

Thing 11

2007-03-06T19:33:00.000-08:00

Web 2.0 Awards

I recommend zillow.com for purposes of real estate. It provides so much detail about homes for buyers and sellers including property tax info and past purchases. You get an aerial and street map of the location. This also gives you a clue as to the current value of your home if you're curious. Great resource for customers who want detailed info about their home.

While I was discovering this site, I was grooving to the music with last.fm Great tool to use for finding detailed information of a musical group. It also links you to the same category of live music. I wonder if there's a website where you can listen to music online and read the lyrics at the same time? I'm always botching the words to songs.

Thing 10

2007-03-05T13:14:00.000-08:00

It's amazing how computers can manipulate messages and images. I had fun looking at the creative ways people use image generators. Here's one using Photo Cartoon Generator.

A really cool one is the Image Mosaic Generator. Here's one of the King Library.

Thing 9

2007-03-05T10:36:00.000-08:00

RSS...continued. Exploring some of those RSS tools was a pain. I thought I was going to find user friendly directories of feeds, blogs, etc. Instead I found myself running around in circles figuring out what I should add to my bloglines. In the end, I realized I have what I want. I'll just add sites I typically use. It's just like your personal life: Why buy stuff when you don't need it? In this case, why add feeds when you don't use them? Why bother walking into a store, when you know you don't plan to buy? Anyway, I got what I need. Thanks for sharing.

Thing 8

2007-03-02T17:51:00.000-08:00

RSS is such an amazing tool to access all sorts of information from different sites into just one page. I've never used bloglines, and I hope I can keep up with it. Personally, I get the news from the radio on my way to work and back. I recommend the Simply Recipes site http://www.elise.com/recipes/ not just for the cooking but for the food images. yum!

RSS is great for those who have time or little time. Not recommended for those with "no time."

Thing 7

2007-02-02T22:07:00.000-08:00

I find it amazing at how little I get pictures printed with a digital camera. Nowadays, I show up with my digital camera, plug in some cords into the television, and have a slideshow for my folks. Now there's places where I can get a company to create a photo book with my digital pictures: http://www.mypublisher.com/ I've been meaning to do this, but who has time to sit down and sort through the pics and make these wonderful collages? Yeah I know the magic of tags, but who the heck has time?

On another note, don't you just love the delete feature of a digital camera?

Thing 6

2007-02-02T21:43:00.000-08:00

Mosaic Maker is such a fun tool to use with your pictures. Here are pictures I took at the San Diego Zoo last fall. FD's Flickr Toys has way too many cool tools to explore. Warholizer was especially fun to use. Ahhhhh, the magic of digital cameras.

Thing 5

2007-01-29T18:07:00.001-08:00

SJSU Library Recruitment Event, 10/18/06

Flickr covers so much in terms of photo sharing. It took me more than a week to figure most of it out. I've used smugmug and have plenty of pics in it. It's so convenient to share pics with family and friends. Here's a picture of the Librarian Recruitment Event that took place on campus. C'mon now, become a librarian!

Thing 4

2007-01-26T22:20:00.000-08:00

Registered! Goal: "Must get flash drive."

Thing 3

2007-01-26T22:13:00.000-08:00

Okay, got my blog set up. That wasn't so bad. Named myself "Dizzy Girl" for all the hard partying I did from high school through college. Now it sticks because I get vertigo every now and then, usually when I'm stressed. I was so glad U2 came up with a song about it. They understand me.

Thing 1 & Thing 2

2007-01-23T12:51:00.000-08:00

Hola!!!!! Got Thing 1 and Thing 2? I do now. Not sure how long this learning process will take me. It's hard for me to focus on something like this at work.

Easy Habit: #4. Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner - I’m always eager for learning. The more repetitive, the more it sticks. When it’s something new, it becomes one of those “Eureka!” experiences for me. I try not to place any expectations on myself for learning something new. Learning doesn’t have to be taking notes or memorizing. It’s a new discovery.

Not so easy habit: #3. View problems as challenges - Many challenges for me begin as problems. I know I shouldn’t look at it this way, but it’s so typical for a “stressed out” girl like me. This becomes both physically and emotionally draining for me: I have trouble sleeping, focusing, and prioritizing.