Task #23 Summary

I will have to try to condense my thoughts here because I really could go on for days about this program. This has been an amazing opportunity for me to gain a whole lot of knowledge really really quickly. I didn't really know how out of date I was until I started this and I feel I have made enormous leaps and bounds in such a short time.

The difficulty for me is that as I work limited hours I have done the program from home and that means squeezing it into short spells. I have felt quite frustrated by not being able to spend more time to get into each topic in more detail. Still, I have, at least been able to get enough info to feel I understand each bit of technology.

Where to from here? I think that now I will embrace the possibilities of this technology and look for new ways to use it. Up to now I think I wanted to push it away because I didn't understand it but now I can't wait to see it happen.

My first use of Web 2.0 will be to use it to see what work opportunities are out there. I am thinking that by using things like Rollyo and some RSS feeds I might be able to refine my job search techniques and not waste so much time. I think this will be a good practical opportunity to use the technology and will give me some more food for thought for the future.

Thanks so much for running this program. I have enjoyed it enormously.

Task #22 Audiobooks

I thought this was fascinating and the World ebooks Fair terrific especially the Historical Childrens collection. Only problem was that the search facility seems really clunky. There wasn't any quick way to browse through the list of titles and any searches I did returned some bizarre results. Still, the idea that a whole world of books is available for a free download to an MP3 player is quite revolutionary and exciting. My children love audiobooks. Bringing so many of the books of my childhood to them through and audiobook really appeals to me.

Task #21 Podcasts

I am accustomed to listening to podcasts from radio programs on the computer and my husband subscribes to a number of podcasts on his iPod so the technology was not unfamiliar to me. I have found it very useful to catch up on interesting items from radio or TV shows that I missed when they were first broadcast. The directories are handy but at this stage I am more inclined (and I suspect library patrons are also) to use podcasts to follow up items that you know exist rather than search through directories.

I subscribed to the following podcast because the subject area is of interest to me:http://www.talkr.com/app/cast_pods.app?feed_id=1225

Task #20 YouTube

YouTube is well known in our house. We use it to share some family videos. My children also use it to view a range of kids videos from other websites and wikis.

My favourite has to be the Mom Song. Great fun for those of us who are mothers. I will attempt to paste the link. Here's hoping it works.

Task #19 Web 2.0 Awards

I had a look at two different tools. First, I looked at Personalised Google which I quite liked. It should certainly cut down on the rubbish you receive searching across all of Google.

Second, and remarkably for the first time ever, I had a look at Facebook. I have deliberately avoided Facebook and similar sites partly because I saw them as a teenager's environment and partly because I was freaked out by the slightly voyeuristic nature of these sites. Having visited Facebook I am now even more freaked out by it. To view anything I had to sign up. Does that mean the world can now find me at Facebook? I went searching for someone I knew and to have even a little look at their profile my activity was recorded and would be visible to the person I searched for. The feeling that I couldn't make a move without it being tracked disturbs me and, personally, I could think of nothing worse than the whole world viewing my profile on a website.

Clearly, I am in the minority with this attitude given the popularity of these sites. But it really makes me wonder about the motivation behind this social networking phenomenon. Are we all exhibitionists at heart or are we all feeling really isolated and need to connect with people throught the web. Or maybe Generation Y are just really comfortable with a world where their entire lives are an open book. Whatever it is, it's not for me.

Task #18 Web based Apps

This was great fun although you can see by my posted document that I still need some work on editing documents to fit into a blog. Nevertheless, I thought Zoho Writer was great and I could see some real uses for it. Not so much within a corporate environment where I could see that greater control over company documents would be required but I can see that there are many times where a quick, easy to use word processor or spreadsheet with the inbuilt capacity to share quickly could be very useful.

All this says to me is not the death of Microsoft Office but the death of email. Sharing information through the Web is a much better option.

Yuck to Brussel Sprouts

Yuck to Brussel Sprouts

 

I don't like to eat brussel sprouts. They are very very yucky. I don't think they are very nice. I think they are very mucky.

 

Task #17 PBWiki

I found this a bit of a confused task as registering my blog didn't seem to follow the instructions correctly. Nevertheless, I grasped the idea of playing with the wiki, understanding the syntax and learning about it before posting.

Truthfully, however, this is well and truly one step ahead of me. Reading wikis, making use of them, even editing them I can see myself doing. But needing a tool to help me organise my wikis and track my participation in them is just not something I imagine I will be doing soon.

Task #16 Wikis

This was the easiest task of all. Thanks to Wikipedia the concept of wikis was pretty easy to grasp. I really liked the idea of wikis being used to replace constantly changing documents like work manuals. The job of updating hard copy manuals is such a labour intensive job. Wikis could really help to ease the workload.

I have found it very interesting to see the use of some of this technology through the eyes of the next generation. My 8 year old son loves wikis. His favourite right now is the Super Mario Wiki. He says he loves the fact that he can learn everything he wants to know about Mario from the wiki. He loves the links that allow him to follow things like spinoffs and remakes of Mario. He especially loves the links to YouTube videos of Mario games. He isn't in the least amazed by the technology or its functionality. He just takes it in his stride. His attitude reminds me that this is what is expected of us by our younger patrons. They are not impressed at all, they expect it.

This is Ciaran's favourite wiki:

Main Page - Super Mario Wiki

Task #15 On Library 2.0

It is amazing stuff. The YouTube video was brilliant. It all gives me great hope about the future for our profession but it seems as though we are so far behind I don't know how we can catch up. I think the idea that a library is a community and we have to break down the barriers to access to allow our users to shape the development of the library is fantastic but will require a massive shift in our thinking.

I think we need to look to the younger staff members to push us. It is one thing for people like me to learn and adapt but it is quite another for those people who have grown up expecting the world to be this way to drive development. Those who have grown up with the technology will demand more of it instead of those of us who are still trying to catch up who want the evolution to slow down so we can get our heads around it.

Task #14 Technorati

This one hasn't grabbed me. Searching by tags seems to be highly unreliable. Searching the entire post even worse. Not having a massive interest in what is going in the technical world I haven't seen an immediate use for it but I have, at least, familiarised myself with the way it works.

Task #13 Del.icio.us

This was the exercise when it really hit me. I shut my eyes just briefly and the world changed. When did this social networking phenomenon explode? Why didn't I know it was happening? Why didn't I realise that the role of a librarian was being fundamentally challenged by a generation of internet savvy young people who don't feel tied to any rules or traditions but feel totally free to create their own methods of managing information?

One part of me is terrified by these changes. The other part is excited by the possibilities and the chance to be one of the old guard who moves with the times. Most of me is exhausted by the effort of getting my head around soooo many new ideas.

I am not absolutely convinced that something like del.icio.us is sustainable. Won't this lead to complete anarchy where it is impossible to feel confident that you are accessing all the relevant information because there is no control over the access points. I liked taxonomies. I liked knowing there was a single entry point. But that is just the old librarian in me talking. Roll on brave new world.

Task #12 Rollyo

I didn't like this that much. I don't have enough expertise in any one subject to know the websites that will give me the best information that I can get. That is what I rely on Google for but, of course, Google also spits up a lot of irrelevant stuff.

Task #11 Library Thing

A librarian's dream. I couldn't wait to get started on cataloguing my book collection. The way it searches Amazon and the Library of Congress is incredible and providing the image of the dustjacket makes it so alive. I love Libary Thing.

My library is at http://www.librarything.com/catalog/edelfoley

Task #10 Image Generators

Great fun and so easy to use. I haven't really thought too much about how to use them in a serious way but great to play around with.

This is what I came up with.

I made it at

http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/badge.php

Task #6 Flickr mashups

I had a look at the librarian's trading cards and I thought some of them were really fun. I was very tempted to create one myself but couldn't find an appropriate photo of myself.

This gave me a bit of an idea about the use of mashups but it felt like something you would have to spend a lot of time to really understand all the options.

Task #9 RSS feeds

Learning about RSS feeds was very interesting and I can see how useful they could be. However, as usual, time is my enemy. Because I am doing the course from home I rarely have the time to have a really good look at any of the technologies. As with the other topics, I have to be content with familiarising myself with the concept of RSS rather than make real use of it. Still, at least I now know what it all means.

Task #5 Uploading photos

Clare 1
Originally uploaded by edel_foley

This is a picture of my gorgeous daughter, Clare.

Task #7 The technology

At work this weekend a few of us had a discussion about the relevance of what we are learning in this program. It was suggested that some people aren't entirely convinced that we will need to use some of these new technologies in our day to day jobs.

For me, this program is a godsend because I have become aware of how unfamiliar I am with the language of Generation Y. Sometimes, I approach the Webzone with fear in my heart at what I might be asked and whether I will even understand the concepts that are being talked about, let alone have any expertise with them.

These are the communication tools of the future and I am delighted to be given an opportunity to come up to speed.

Task #5 Flickr

I really enjoyed learning about Flickr. It could be really useful to me as I have family overseas and this could be a way of sharing family photos without storing them on my computer or emailing them. I wish I had more time to explore it but, for the moment, I have to be content to grasp the basic concept.

Task #3 Registering my blog

Today I set up my blog and made my first posting. I am quite proud of myself for achieving this.