Hawaii Dreamin'

Just trying another image generator. If you don't use it, you loose it.

Week 9, Thing 23: Summary

Two skiers atop the summit of Mt. Baker standing next to a U.S. flag, n.d.
Originally uploaded by digitalinitiatives

I thought the adjacent photo was appropriate to mark the ending of this particular journey. In regard to "23 Things," I feel like I've reached the mountain peak as well.

This has been an incredible learning experience. Early on in the program, I was going to give up as there were so many new technologies that I found it overwhelming. I'm so glad that I persevered. I think it's important to continue to learn as we grow, especially when the subject matter is out of our comfort zone. Web 2.0 technology was definitely out of mine.

The Journey Continues...
I plan to go back through all 23 Things in order to identify which web technologies I would actually use on a daily basis, whether personally or professionally, and then spread the news far and wide.

Week 9, Thing 22: Overdrive, NetLibrary and Project Gutenburg

I've had an MP3 player for several months and already have accounts with Overdrive and NetLibrary. So, I took a look at Project Gutenberg instead. Through Project Gutenberg, I was able to locate and download "The Three Little Pigs" to my work computer. What a wonderfully dramatic reading, particularly enjoyable is the huffing and puffing villainous wolf. Also included in the download was "Rumplestiltskin." I also took a look at the ebook, "Jokes For All Occasions." Not only is there a long list of jokes, in the form of stories, but there's an explanation as to how to effectively tell them. Here's an example that was listed under the subject of cookery:

The housewife gave the tramp a large piece of pie on condition that he should saw some wood. The tramp retired to the woodshed, but presently he reappeared at the back door of the house with the piece of pie still intact save for one mouthful bitten from the end.

"Madam," he said respectfully to the wondering woman, "if it's all the same to you, I'll eat the wood, and saw the pie."

Week 9, Thing 21: Locating Podcasts

I wasn't successful searching for podcasts using Podcast.net or Podcastalley.com as I was directed to install additional plug-ins. I decided to try Yahoo Podcasts instead and had no trouble listening to the podcasts available.

I found a few interesting podcasts when I searched for children's book reviews: BookVoyages and Booktalks Quick and Simple. BookVoyages is a podcast about children's literature from the point of view of a school library/media specialist. It features reviews of books as well as inteviews with students and authors. I listened to an interesting interview with children's author, Bruce Coville. In Booktalks Quick and Simple, you can listen to booktalks by one of the experts, Nancy Keane. I added this podcast, as well as, NPR Books and NPR:Story of the Day to my blogline's account at http://www.bloglines.com/myblogs. What a quick and easy way to stay in touch with topics of personal or professional interest.

Podcasts could be used in the public library in various ways: staff training, staff booktalks, etc.

Week 9, Thing 20: Exploring YouTube

Here's a short video from YouTube entitled, "A Battery Powered By Water." Particularly interesting is the possible use of the battery in emergencies. The theory is that just by licking the end of your flashlight battery that has gone dead, the moisture from your saliva can provide enough power to get the flashlight working again. It paints an attractive picture, doesn't it?

I prefer the videos that teach or entertain. The odd videos about identifying people from the neck down, for instance, are fairly useless - to me at least.
Applying this technology to library websites is fascinating. Libraries could provide video clips of program highlights, like the Harry Potter Party, as a marketing tool, or provide a video tour of the library, its services, book talks, etc. The possibilities are endless.

Week 8, Thing 19: Web 2.0 Awards List

I had fun exploring Backpack. What a great way to create and store all those lists that would normally be written on little pieces of paper that you can never lay your hands on when you need them. Customizing a calendar is also a handy feature. These are wonderful tools for personal or work use. It's the ability to share information that is so remarkable to me.

Google Maps was very helpful. Usually, I use Mapquest but I think I like Google Maps better as you can post maps to your blog, etc.

I also took a look at Medstory under the Health category. This would be a good tool to lead patrons to when they're researching health issues, as the websites listed are very reputable, like the Mayo Clinic and the National Cancer Institute.

Week 8, Thing 18: Online Applications & Tools: Zoho Writer

I successfully opened an account at Zoho Writer and created a document. I was able to make it a public doc (BTR 2007 Titles)in order for others to view and edit if they so choose.

NEW TITLES FOR BEGINNING TO READ BOOKMARK 2007


Fiction:

Bess and Tess by Susan Blackaby

My Birthday Cake by Olivia George

Old Mo by Stacey W. Hsu

Pig Wig by Yukiko Kido

Dancing Dinos Go to School by Sally Lucas

Tiny Goes Camping by Cari Meister

Follow Me, Mittens by Lola M. Schaefer

Can You Play? by Harriet Ziefert

This should be useful as it's a bookmark that Deb Shepp and I are working on together. This web-based productivity application will make it easy for Deb and I to work on the list whenever or wherever we choose. This is especially invaluable given our different schedules. This is a great tool!

I ran into some difficulties when I tried to publish my document to my blog. The following message appeared: "Unable to connect your blog. Username or password may be incorrect." I checked the username and password; they were both correct. I think the problem may be that I never verified my email address when I first opened my blogger account. When you don't verify within a short period of time, it's a bit tricky to get it all straightened out. I'm still working on it.