Discovery Exercise #23 Is This Really The End?

And so the journey ends. This part of the journey, anyway. It's been a valuable experience for me; I've learned a lot. I was impressed with the power of RSS feeds and enjoyed seeing word processing from a different angle with Zoho Writer. Library 2.0 provided a glimpse of the library of tomorrow; Overdrive might be a precursor of what's to come on a much larger scale. My favorites were the visual sites Flickr and YouTube.
As for lifelong learning goals, I could use a number of these tools to locate and better manage information and thus use technology to my advantage. And, as I've worked through the exercises, there's been the opportunity to view problems as challenges.
I didn't expect the wide range of interactive sites that are available. I'd be interested in participating in another discovery program like this one. To answer the question in the title of this exercise, I don't think this is the end at all. This program is really part of an ongoing process of learning that helps us follow our fundamental value of service to library users. As long as technology is advancing, we need to keep learning.

Discovery Exercise #22 Audio Books (or "The end is near")

I established an OverDrive account. I found an audio book that looked interesting, 13 Things That Don't Make Sense. The Most Bafflng Scientific Mysteries of Our Time by Michael Brooks. There was also a video I liked called The Great Transatlantic Cable by WGBH. I thought it was an attractive and useful site, and also might be the forerunner of things to come.

Discovery Exercise #21 Podcasts, Smodcasts

I tried the various podcast directories listed and found a podcast in Podcast Alley. I selected a podcast called "Nova Vodcast/PBS" and added the feed to my Bloglines account. Like YouTube, Podcast Alley gives you some guidance or at least a starting point by giving you lists such as Top 10 Podcasts, Featured Podcasts, and Newest Podcasts. There's a wealth of information available here.

Discovery Exercise #20 You Too Can YouTube

I enjoyed YouTube. It's very easy to use and the featured videos allows for some quick browsing among the multitude of videos available. I liked the Quicklist feature that lets you quickly get back to videos you liked.
I found a video called "Space Shuttle" that shows a shuttle launch. It's a spectacular video: you can practically feel the heat from the flames as the shuttle lifts off. The shot shifts to a downward-facing camera and you can watch the ground rapidly falling away. This is video at its best; you almost feel like you're there.
A library website might use something like the Community tab which contains discussions, feedback and suggestions.

Discovery Exercise #19 Discovering Web 2.0 Tools

From the Web 2.0 awards list I chose the category of health and selected the third place winner, iMedix. The site is very easy to use. You can get started instantly; there's a search box right next to the title. When you enter a search term you get a drop down list of more specific similar terms. I liked the fact that you get a combination of authoritative sources like the University of Maryland Medical Center and personal experiences. I didn't find anything to dislike; the site is very successful in managing a huge amount of information. Useful features include help in making your search more specific and what are called communities. Communities are focused on specific health topics and include, for each topic, a box where you can ask questions, information on people interested in this topic, related videos, and links. This could be useful in a library to help answer reference questions on health, provide library users with the opportunity to ask questions online, and provide personal experiences. The site is easy to use and provides a lot of information from different kinds of sources.

Discovery Exercise #18 Web-Based Apps

I tried out some of Zoho Writer's features and created several test documents. I thought it was quick and simple to use. I used bold, italicize, underline, centering, changed margins, fonts, and type size, and created a bulleted list. I liked all the functions being on the toolbar. It's handy to have documents accessible from anywhere.

Discovery Exercise #17 Playing Around with PB Wiki

The sandbox was interesting. I thought the Favorites list was fun -- it was a good index. I added a comment under Favorite TV Shows.

Discovery Exercise #16 So What's a Wiki?

I thought the Princeton Public Library's BookLovers Wiki was interesting. It has a very inviting format. I liked the pictures of the dust jackets, and it's fascinating to read other peoples reactions to the books. The index was helpful.
Identifying customer needs and problems might be an area within libraries where wikis would be helpful, and also how to handle complaints.

Discovery Exercise #15 On Library 2.0 & Web 2.0

I thought "Away from the 'icebegs'" was a good discussion of the "radical, fundamental change" that's coming. I agree with what Rick Anderson said about "just in case" collections, but as we enter the "post-print era" this concept will disappear by itself. I agree with the idea of keeping library systems easy to use, but I think training is still worthwhile because some of what users are accessing comes from outside the library.
To me Library 2.0 suggests the next version of libraries. I think we are starting the most basic changes to occur since libraries began. There are two powerful forces that will shape Library 2.0:
1.The change from providing access to materials under one roof to providing instant access to materials worldwide.
2.The change from books printed on paper to some form of electronic book, what Rick Anderson refers to as the "post-print era."
If people can access information and download books from their homes, I wonder if people will come to the library at all. I think, though, that there's still a place for contact in person. As the volume and complexity of information increase, people will need more help, not less, and at least some of this help might be better provided in person. Our library has a really impressive website. It's not just another website; it's truly a gateway to the world. This amazing technology is a means to an end. It's the same end we've always had: a combination of service, helping and connecting people and books (in whatever form they will take). As long as we keep these fundamental values, there will always be a public library.

Week 6 Discovery Exercise #14 Technorati

My search for "Learning 2.0" had these results: in Blog posts, 5,771 for all the words, 393 for exact phrase, 217,197 for at least one of the words, and 466 for the Tag search. It certainly pays to refine your search terms. In the Blog Directory I looked up "technology" and "web 2.0" which produced a large number of posts. I liked the thumbnails of the individual blogs. In popular searches I was at first suprised that the number one search was "taskbar," but I guess people who are using these tools are interested in the technical aspects. Technorati is an important tool: considering the large number of blogs, there's definitely a need for access to them by subject.

Del.icio.us Week 6 #13

This is a tool with tremendous potential for research. I was looking at photography and using both the related tags and also the other tags under each item. This can lead you in many unanticipated directions. This creates a web of references; you can follow individual strands and discover new aspects of the subject.

Add a Jaxcat Gadget Week 5 #12

Having a search box to the library's catalog outside of the library's webpage can be a reminder to check the library's resources. It also saves time to have this tool readily available. I added the search box to my blog for Week 5 #11 and also to my iGoogle page.

A Thing about Library Thing Week 5 #11

This is a great way to organize a library of your own favorites and to see the libraries of others. A site like this adds a greater social dimension to reading. Here's the link to my library: http://www.librarything.com/catalog/europe

Online Image Generators Week 5 #10

This was fun. The online image generators were interesting. They give you a chance to display your creativity. I chose comic strip generator, and I included the results. The link to comic strip generator is http://www.txt2pic.com/toons/

Discovery Exercise #9 Finding Feeds

I thought that the Bloglines method was the easiest. Technerati seemed a little complicated. I searched for Hurricane Ike using Bloglines and got excellent information very quickly. It's a great index to your own feeds. Another method I used was to just think of some news sources I remember and add them.

Discovery Exercise #8 RSS

I think RSS has tremendous value for those using the internet. We have access to such an enourmous amount of information, the problem is information overload. RSS organizes and manages this information, making it more usable. This kind of technology is one of the most important areas of development today. We have the quantity and it's getting larger; now we need to organize and manage, and that's what this does.

#7 Blog About Technology

I read an article in the Times-Union about touch screens. The headline was "Pushing Buttons is a Thing of the Past." The article said that the popularity of the iPhone has created interest in using touch screens more widely. One advantage is that each application can have its own specific controls instead of hardware buttons that have to be shared.

Technological advances seem to occur at an ever-faster rate. Technology itself seems neutral and could be used for good or bad, but it's hard to ignore the benefits. We're very fortunate to have the advances in medical science to help us, for instance.

#7 Blog about Technology

I read an interesting article in the Times-Union about touch screens.

#6 More Flickr Fun

I tried "Spell with Flickr." It was fun. The word you type in appears in a variety of letter styles. If you click on an individual letter it changes to a different letter.

You can try to make the letters consistent in terms of size, thickness, and background. You can select a style that conveys a feeling about the word. It's very creative.

Exploring Flickr.com

The link to the picture I chose is http://www.flickr.com/photos/encouragement/297612560
This is a picture of the Sundial Bridge at Turtle Bay in Redding, California. I chose it because it's a striking composition. It's a study in contrasts: the fluidity of the water and the hard steel surfaces of the bridge, the vertical tower and long horizontal span, and the flat surface of the tower and the numerous individual girders on the span.
The picture also has a feeling of peace and tranquility. It's a memorable picture.

Learning Habits

The most difficult learning habit for me to apply is to view problems as challenges. My initial reaction to a problem is to see it as bad. I think the easiest to apply will be to use technology to my advantage. I think many of us are used to doing this when we encounter the many technological advances that come our way.