Week 5: (parts two & three)

I enjoyed working with Rollyo. I created a list of sites relating to traditional Japanese martial arts. The site was friendly to use - I just do not like the ads they pop into the list when you finish but otherwise it was good.

Japanese Martial Arts Links

I also looked at the Library Thing web page and thought that this is indeed a wonderful thing. Although with the number of books I have - I could easily open a library branch myself. The idea of comparing lists and being able to "talk" with others with similar tastes is appealing. My list is composed of a few books with a martial arts theme to compliment my Rollyo creation.

Book Thing - Martial Arts Reader

Book Quotation

I thought this was an interesting quote to observe.

Week 5: Play Week (part one)

Love the Week 5 title of "Play Week". Actually I have been having fun all along so this should be nice too.

I worked on my avatar first and went to Yahoo Avatars. It was easy to do and fun. Once I get started it was hard to really stop -- just so many options and nice little things you can work with. Very easy to get carried away with.



I like to hike and the outdoors so this image felt comfortable. If you click on the image then you go to the Yahoo site to create your own avatar. The info on exporting the image was on the intro page - so all was well once I found that.

The second part involved the use of image generators. I found them a little more challenging to just begin with but once I worked on the sites then it was fine. The pages just seemed really busy with ads and other things. The Generator Blog seemed to have the most options and made sense to me in usage to begin with. It was a good overview and then I just went to the web with searches on "image generators".

Played around with a few and here are the results.



The online image generator was from COOLTEXT - lots of things to play with on the site.

Cool Text website

Week 4: MERLIN

I enjoyed and appreciated all of the information present on the MERLIN site. The only thing I did not like was not there is a delay to get your password. Lots of great resources and information for Maryland libraries - I do want to check out the online learning sections. Subscribed to their feed too. Plan to explore this resource a great deal more.

The search tools that were listed for blogs were helpful but sometimes when I got to them - it just took a few moments to get orientated. I am used to the general search engines and their being a little cleaner to use. The blog searches were sometimes a little crowded - I just wanted a search box and results. It is cool they offer suggestions and other options though. Bloglines and Feedster were my two favorite search tools for blogs. The Topix site was good too but took me a little time to get comfortable with. Previously if I wanted to run searches for blogs then I would Google them just under "blog directories" and follow links. The sites/tools provided did work better and were more focused.

Zen Mind

Week 4: RSS & Newsreaders

The tutorials for the RSS feeds were really helpful to me. By the time I actually set up my Blogline account and added a few feeds - I felt like an old hand. I like the concept of having the news sent to me as opposed to seeking it out. Makes more sense and I can be more selective with news that is selected to be read.

Very friendly to use and it will be interesting to try the feeds on a daily basis. I have heard so much about RSS but was not clear on how it operated and how to set-up an account. So this was a very helpful learning portion of the program for me.

Week 3: Tech interest

Technology has provided new ways of working, learning and how we just live. I think one thing that is impressive is the influence of technology with learning - for everyone - not just students.

The ability to receive an advanced degree without ever setting foot on your campus is incredible to me. Much more convenient and flexible for working professionals to pursue advanced coursework. I think that technology, such as the Internet and databases, contribute to the ability to more fluidly pursue lifelong learning. The presence of downloads for lectures, books and other content makes access seamless. The ability of the consumer to drive and influence tech trends is interesting.

Week 3: Flickr.com

Explored the Flickr site and tried the Flickr mashups. I really enjoyed searching on topics of interest for myself and finding images that I have never seen on the general web. The site was friendly to use and search. I did not realize how broad it is with content - photos from so many countries and people.

My first search was looking for the Dalai Lama. I found some wonderful photos of him from his talks. Many of the images I would never have seen otherwise. I feel a little limited though because I do not own a digital camera at the moment so I can not post myself. What if the Dalai Lama wants to search for me?

Did learn a new word in exploring -- "interestingness" -- I like that. The geotagging feature was neat - the linking of images with their place of origin - cool concept - very visual and opens a new perspective to consider. The video tutorials were helpful and well done. I can see how this technique could be used in so many ways in libraries for patrons as well as staff. Too many other features to present at once - still exploring - site is much deeper than I thought.

I was a little lost initially with the Flickr mashups. So - I googled it and found a nice site that explained it well and linked into ten cool ones. Getting a better grasp on it now.

http://www.webmonkey.com/06/08/index4a.html

Favorite one was the first one Retrievr -- you draw with colors an image and a search is generated for images best matching it. Nice!!! Just so interesting to see how people have run with ideas and shared them. Clor Pickr was different - liked how visual and diverse it could be so quickly.

Week 2: Blogging

Creating a blog was much easier than I thought it would be. Still getting some of the basics down and playing with some of the features. The largest hurdle for me has been "jumping-in" and getting started. Now that it is up and running - it has been fun to add additional features and other things. Still struggling with adding a YouTube video or two but I will work on it.

Week 1 : Program

I have just begun the Maryland Libraries Learning 2.0 program. So far - so good. I like the organization of the program and how it builds upon itself as we move along. The 7.5 habits were interesting to apply to where I am currently and where I would like to be with my practice of lifelong learning. I am looking forward to progressing within the program and exploring.

7.5 Lifelong Learning Habits

Yeah!!! I have begun my first blog. One of the first things we have been asked to do is to comment on one of the easiest and one of the hardest habits from the 7.5 Lifelong Learning Habits.



The easiest one for me would be "accepting responsibility for my own learning". I think this is something I have always worked at doing professionally and in my personal life. On a smaller scale - I think we often do this in the course of an average day. With patrons or staff, we come across questions and/or things we have never done. So we are always learning and adapting as we go. On a larger scale -I think we work at seeing what trends or demands may be coming and work to prepare through reading, discussions and training. A big appeal to me in being a librarian is the need to constantly be learning and accepting change.

The hardest habit then would be "viewing problems as challenges". I love the concept of this but it is just so hard to put into daily practice. I think this is one that can be hard for everyone. The opportunity to take any problem and begin with a positive point of approaching it is wonderful. Thinking that there is a solution - I just need to figure it out. That every "problem" is actually a challenge and a chance to be creative. Great way to approach life too. Turn obstacles into learning opportunities for personal growth. Something to work on.