At last I have finished. Have had a bit of a race to get the course completed before my contract ran out! Here I am on my last day at work doing a quick blog to show that I have finished. Thank goodness for spell check!
I enjoyed doing the course, and found it very helpful. So thank you very much!! I found it so useful that I am considering doing the State Library's online course on the same subject so that I an consolidate this new knowledge, and maybe find out even more.
I expect to continue to use Delicious (love this application), Google Reader and RSS, Google Maps, and Facebook. I am looking forward to using LibriVox to find audio books for my daughter, and also Flickr to create a gallery of photos that can be viewed by friends overseas. It has also wetted my appetite to use these applications for my professional development. I have bookmarked on Delicious a whole range of articles to do with Libraries, for me to read at a later date.
I am surprised, and I guess astounded by how much interactivity there is in Web 2.0. That is the whole essence of it.. I guess.
The Program's format is fine. I was asked to explore each application, then to put my thoughts down into a blog. This forced me to thing about the application more and consolidated what I had learnt. I had no motivation problems, but did have trouble finishing it in time. Some of the the tasks were a little time consuming especially in the early days, when it was all new to me. Maybe the time period to finish the course could have been a little longer.
Friday, November 19, 2010
I have used Facebook for a while intermittently, and have enjoyed the experience. I have communicated with friends in the UK, and posted photos on it. I know a number of friends play various games on it (not sure where they get the time!). I can see the attraction of having a Facebook for organizations.
Some aspects of Facebook are similar to twitter, where people can send each other quick messages, but it is so much more. I use forums found on the Internet when researching products to buy or holidays etc. But Facebook is a good alternative. I recently went on a cruise with PO. and the Facebook pages set up by PO were very useful where I could see other peoples comments and views on various cruising topics. It was interesting reading student comments and discussions on the University of Queensland Facebook pages.
Some aspects of Facebook are similar to twitter, where people can send each other quick messages, but it is so much more. I use forums found on the Internet when researching products to buy or holidays etc. But Facebook is a good alternative. I recently went on a cruise with PO. and the Facebook pages set up by PO were very useful where I could see other peoples comments and views on various cruising topics. It was interesting reading student comments and discussions on the University of Queensland Facebook pages.
Finally twittering
Have been mystified by this word twitter.. what have birds got to do with Web 2.0? So, I have finally found Twitter and worked out what it it. When I first logged on, and clicked to follow a number of library sites. I found an article titled "Why I don't use libraries for reference anymore" and was diverted to the article itself. I was wondering what the difference is between it and Google Reader.
Then I realized as I explored Twitter more, that it is an avenue for people to discuss topics, share views and chat etc. I guess it is a bit like Facebook, but more immediate. I can see the attraction for young people (showing my age here!), especially if they use the function whereby tweets are sent to mobile phones. Not sure how useful in a library context it might be.. maybe sending notifications of overdues, Information Literacy workshops etc by Twitter. Will have to explore this further.
Then I realized as I explored Twitter more, that it is an avenue for people to discuss topics, share views and chat etc. I guess it is a bit like Facebook, but more immediate. I can see the attraction for young people (showing my age here!), especially if they use the function whereby tweets are sent to mobile phones. Not sure how useful in a library context it might be.. maybe sending notifications of overdues, Information Literacy workshops etc by Twitter. Will have to explore this further.
Podcasting
Searched a number of Podcast directories and found them confusing. Also found a number of links were broken. And could not retrieve what I wanted. Signed up to Podcast.com and listened to a number of interesting Podcasts on children's literature, and radio stations in the US.
Subscribing to Podcasts using ITunes was fairly easy, though again a number of the links did not work. Will be interested in listening to the BBC World Service. Also added links to a couple of Podcasts created by a number of Libraries in the United States. There were a variety of types of Podcasts from talks about services offered, information literacy topics and talks from conferences.
Subscribing to Podcasts using ITunes was fairly easy, though again a number of the links did not work. Will be interested in listening to the BBC World Service. Also added links to a couple of Podcasts created by a number of Libraries in the United States. There were a variety of types of Podcasts from talks about services offered, information literacy topics and talks from conferences.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Ican YouTube
Typed University Of Queensland into the search box. As I did this it struck me that what you retreive, as with many of the Web 2.0 applications, is dependent on tags that have been assigned to the document, be it images, blogs etc. Of course this is not an exact science.
Having been used to a Library Classification system which organizes subjects in a prescriptive way and enables consistent assigning of key words, searching for resources in Web 2.0 seems haphazard.
One of the first of many results in YouTube was an advert for the University of Queensland, which was quite impressive. It did not contain much if any information, just alot of images. But I guess putting across information may have not been the aim.
The quality of videos on Youtube, Yahoo videos and Google Videos varied of course. I looked at a number of vidoes on Information Skills and the more effective ones were the professionally produced videos.
As to applications to a library environment, libraries could post videos on evaluating the world wide web, library tours, demonstrations on how to use the catalogue, films of meetings, and information skills. I am still not sure of the difference between recording a meeting and putting it on YouTube or posting a Pod cast of the same meeting, but maybe the next task on 23 things will make that distinction clear.
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Having been used to a Library Classification system which organizes subjects in a prescriptive way and enables consistent assigning of key words, searching for resources in Web 2.0 seems haphazard.
One of the first of many results in YouTube was an advert for the University of Queensland, which was quite impressive. It did not contain much if any information, just alot of images. But I guess putting across information may have not been the aim.
The quality of videos on Youtube, Yahoo videos and Google Videos varied of course. I looked at a number of vidoes on Information Skills and the more effective ones were the professionally produced videos.
As to applications to a library environment, libraries could post videos on evaluating the world wide web, library tours, demonstrations on how to use the catalogue, films of meetings, and information skills. I am still not sure of the difference between recording a meeting and putting it on YouTube or posting a Pod cast of the same meeting, but maybe the next task on 23 things will make that distinction clear.
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IGoogle
Found IGoogle easy to use once I understood the concept of it. I can imagine, once you start adding a number of gadgets, the page will start to look fairly cluttered. It is a good way of having all the regular sites that you may visit, all in one place.
I was thinking I may be able to set up two IGoogle's, one for work purposes (where I could display links to UQcatalogue, publishers sites, etc) and one for use at home.
I was thinking I may be able to set up two IGoogle's, one for work purposes (where I could display links to UQcatalogue, publishers sites, etc) and one for use at home.
The Google World
Enjoyed playing with Google Maps; finding my house, exploring landmarks in the local area with accompanying pictures, directions and reviews. Interesting that anyone can contribute, and I think this aspect of Google Maps must be very useful for small businesses.
I performed a search of restaurants in my local area and found a number of negative reviews. I recently read in the press about the impact that negative reviews in TripAdvisor may have on the businesses commented on. This is an interesting development concerning the impact of Web 2.0.
I can see myself using Google Docs, for quick and dirty documents - if I haven't got a data stick handy. Doesn't seem to have the same capabilities of Microsoft Word, so I wouldn't use it for anything more than this.
I performed a search of restaurants in my local area and found a number of negative reviews. I recently read in the press about the impact that negative reviews in TripAdvisor may have on the businesses commented on. This is an interesting development concerning the impact of Web 2.0.
I can see myself using Google Docs, for quick and dirty documents - if I haven't got a data stick handy. Doesn't seem to have the same capabilities of Microsoft Word, so I wouldn't use it for anything more than this.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Wiki's 2
For libraries, our Libnet is an obvious example of how Librarians can use a Wiki for collaboration and sharing of information that is of interest to all in our community. By using Wiki's there is lots of potential for getting library clients to really participate in ” their” library.
I explored the The National Library of Australia's Wiki called Library Labs
and ALIA have a number of Wiki's which I may look further into when I get the time.
I guess the key thing again, as in using the Internet generally, is to be aware that anyone and everyone can contribute, so the information contained on a Wiki may not be reliable.
I explored the The National Library of Australia's Wiki called Library Labs
and ALIA have a number of Wiki's which I may look further into when I get the time.
I guess the key thing again, as in using the Internet generally, is to be aware that anyone and everyone can contribute, so the information contained on a Wiki may not be reliable.
Wiki's 1
Had a good exploration of a number of Wiki's. Got sidetracked by a community Wiki for a place called Davis in California. Quite fascinating. Lots of interesting facts and information about the place, such as "good study spots", "events", restaurants and cafes with reviews, and the history of Davis. There is a tab labeled "people" and under this people have added interesting (and not so interesting) facts about themselves and photos. The various animals of Davis even have their own entries! There is a guy who goes around the streets dressed in a tarzan outfit, and the wiki contains information and a photo of him in his outfit.
The privacy issue keeps coming up for me though. One inhabitant's entry contains pics of herself, the name of the person she is married to, and a link to where she works (with phone numbers). Maybe I am being a bit of a fuddy duddy, but that information now is out there in Internet world. ..and it worries me a bit.
The privacy issue keeps coming up for me though. One inhabitant's entry contains pics of herself, the name of the person she is married to, and a link to where she works (with phone numbers). Maybe I am being a bit of a fuddy duddy, but that information now is out there in Internet world. ..and it worries me a bit.
Not-so-technical with Technorati
Found Technorati confusing. Confusing layout and confusing to use. All the adverts are way to distracting. Not sure of the point of it. I guess you have to be a serious blogger. It may be a good way of keeping up to date with developments in the area you are interested in.. but not in any area that I would be interested in.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
de.icio.us and tagging
I had always wondered what tagging is? De.icio.us was easy to use though I had trouble adding a subscription. I can see now that adding bookmarks on a computer in the traditional way is quite restrictive. It is useful to be able to add several tags to the same resource. I was concerned that if you had a large number of sites bookmarked, that to organise them you would need to be careful with the bookmarks you used. This was before I realised that the tags you have used are displayed in De.icio.us and you can pick from them. In this day an age when people move regularly between computers and mobile devices, it is useful to have your bookmarks follow you.
It is also in an organisation's interest to add a link to De.icio.us. as another way for potential clients to acccess it. Checked a few out = the State Library of New South Wales has a link to De.icio.us, but the Taronga Park Zoo hasn't . It was quite satisfying to realise that I could now recognise a number of those mysterious ittle icons (Facebook. Twitter, Flickr and now De.icio.us) on a website.
It is also in an organisation's interest to add a link to De.icio.us. as another way for potential clients to acccess it. Checked a few out = the State Library of New South Wales has a link to De.icio.us, but the Taronga Park Zoo hasn't . It was quite satisfying to realise that I could now recognise a number of those mysterious ittle icons (Facebook. Twitter, Flickr and now De.icio.us) on a website.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Oh what joy!
As I was listening to "Beauty and the Beast" on LibriVox, I was thinking about how useful it would be if I could play this in the car for my daughter...we have some old cassettes with stories on that she loves. Then, the realisaiton that if we had an iPhone or iPod, we could. And of course ... we could access all types of music for her to listen to.. Wow.. And of course .. how wonderful to have this capability for people and library clients who are hearing impaired. And they wouldn't be limited to home computers or library computers if they had a roaming device.
Though I found the quality of the recordings and the skills of the person reading the book varied, it was still a great resource.
Though I found the quality of the recordings and the skills of the person reading the book varied, it was still a great resource.
Using Google Books
Have always meant to explore this site. It is not immediatly apparent how to search for fully digitised books. Found the option in Advanced Search by ticking the "Full View Only". A search for the subject dentistry showed only 8 books. Could not see any information on how they decide on their subjects. Of course the results only show full text of non copyright books. It will be interesting to see, if Google win the right to sell copyright books, how the service will change . It will become far more valuable if this happens.
I found it useful to be able to preview books that are under copyright, and which gives you an idea if you want to actually buy the book. You can do this in Amazon but not sure if you can do this to the same extent. Another useful feature is being able to export bibliographic details into EndNote.
I found it useful to be able to preview books that are under copyright, and which gives you an idea if you want to actually buy the book. You can do this in Amazon but not sure if you can do this to the same extent. Another useful feature is being able to export bibliographic details into EndNote.
LibraryThing and things
It was fun entering details of books I have read into this. Must tell my husband about this site as he used to keep a note (a long time ago when he had more time and before children), of all the books he read and classify them into different categories. A librarian in the making!! Not sure why he did this at the time.
Anyway this site is potentially very useful if you are interested in a certain genre and would like an idea of what to read next. Can be interesting reading other peoples take on a book you have read, and I think that i would use this site for that purpose. I don't think I will use it to record details of my collection (such as it is!).
Anyway this site is potentially very useful if you are interested in a certain genre and would like an idea of what to read next. Can be interesting reading other peoples take on a book you have read, and I think that i would use this site for that purpose. I don't think I will use it to record details of my collection (such as it is!).
Locating News Feeds
Dipped into a few of the sites suggested in Task 9 such as Technorati and Topix and found them a little confusing. The advertising was confusing and I found it hard to navigate around the sites. Unless I am missing something they seem to contain mainly social and news sites. I searched Topix for blogs under the Education category and could only find two subcategories.
Lots of interesting items in Digg.com. Very addictive and could spend alot of time (wasted or not, whatever your point of view!), reading them.
Lots of interesting items in Digg.com. Very addictive and could spend alot of time (wasted or not, whatever your point of view!), reading them.
RSS Feeds etc
This is a great tool. I can see the value for home and work use. I currently subscribe to a number of groups through Google and the emails currently get sent to my home email address. It can be time consuming to go through them all. This is a far better way of viewing websites and the information that you are interested in.
I have subscribed to a number of Library related sites and it is a very useful tool to keep up to date with developements. I can also see how it could be applied to a Library work setting, to update staff on changes in procedure and general info etc After I subscibed to my first RSS Feed I found it easy to do subsequent ones. It would be easy to get carried away, which I think I have done. I can see how I can delete RSS feeds that I am no longer interested in, that I have subscribed to, but I can't work out how to delete old posts that I have read, and that I no longer want displayed.
Can anyone help?
I have subscribed to a number of Library related sites and it is a very useful tool to keep up to date with developements. I can also see how it could be applied to a Library work setting, to update staff on changes in procedure and general info etc After I subscibed to my first RSS Feed I found it easy to do subsequent ones. It would be easy to get carried away, which I think I have done. I can see how I can delete RSS feeds that I am no longer interested in, that I have subscribed to, but I can't work out how to delete old posts that I have read, and that I no longer want displayed.
Can anyone help?
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Picasa Web Album
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Flickr Away
I enjoyed exploring Flickr. As a keen amateur photographer (when time permits!), I can see the value of using this application to allow the Flickr viewers to see my work, and to appreciate the photos I have taken. I can see that Flickr can be a great way of sharing photos with relatives and friends overseas. I have been using Facebook to do the same thing but the usefulness is restricted to those who have Facebook accounts and how often people access there Facebook pages. And the facilities for organising your photos on Flikr are better. While completing this task I downloaded some photos of my daughter’s birthday party from my home computer, and was able to send an email to select people giving them direct access to the photos on Flickr via a password.
Monday, September 6, 2010
fresh oyster with fish roe (tobikko) and shallot
Experimenting with Flickr and I thought I would share a new and renewed interest in food. Watching "Come Dine with Me", and reruns of the UK version of "Master Chef" at the moment, and this has inspired a "have a go" mentality to food creation. This is a particularly beautiful picture, illustrating my combined interest in food and photography.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
The First Step!
Finally finding the time to sit down and start 23 Things.
My big juggle of life: with part-time work, looking after a very active four year old and wanting to learn, learn, learn! How to do that? How to keep up with the rapidly expanding technologies that are becoming vital in the "Library World". It can all be very bewildering after having an employment gap of a few years. I feel like I am playing catch up a lot of the time. Do others of my age bracket feel the same? Am I am not alone?
Well, doing this course is a good first step. And the first task for 23 Things, to decide on my learning goals, was a good motivator. Also gave me the opportunity to look at all the other goals I want to achieve this year in my life.
Habits to make in my quest for achieving my goals: improving my haphazard organisational skills for one. Not shy away from opportunities to learn, and most importantly - to get more adept juggling of home and work life!
My big juggle of life: with part-time work, looking after a very active four year old and wanting to learn, learn, learn! How to do that? How to keep up with the rapidly expanding technologies that are becoming vital in the "Library World". It can all be very bewildering after having an employment gap of a few years. I feel like I am playing catch up a lot of the time. Do others of my age bracket feel the same? Am I am not alone?
Well, doing this course is a good first step. And the first task for 23 Things, to decide on my learning goals, was a good motivator. Also gave me the opportunity to look at all the other goals I want to achieve this year in my life.
Habits to make in my quest for achieving my goals: improving my haphazard organisational skills for one. Not shy away from opportunities to learn, and most importantly - to get more adept juggling of home and work life!
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