I'VE FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yahoo what a day!! Donna and I have just spent a great day in Wanganui running a Web 2.0, blogging and podcasting sesison for the staff. We had lots of fun and what better way to top off this day than to complete my 23 Things with a Jack Daniels in hand!! Wahoo what a ride................

Miaow for now and forever (until I finish my studies and then I might get back on here and blog some more...................)

JackyD

Web 2.0 Awards

Hi there

Well I chose to check out the Widgets Web 2.0 sites and came across one called SpringWidgets. I have managed to create myself a widget that counts down the days, hours, minutes and seconds until I will have finished my Masters Degree. Unfortunatly there is a Java error on the page so it's not letting me post the counter to my blog however I do have it installed and counting down on my desktop. 45-20-09- and 45 seconds 44 .... 43 .... hey I'm getting closer all the time to the finish!!

There are all mannner of Widgets you can create for yourself or get from other people. Check them out here http://www.springwidgets.com/widgets/byCategory/10. This site is extremely easy to use and I can see many people having fun creating widgets for their blogs etc. I'm sure there must be some library related value in these - or is it that they are just lots of fun?!

Miaow for now
Jacky

Zoho Writer

Hey there

Well I've had a play with Zoho writer and I can see it may be useful if you don't have access to full versions of Word Processing, Spreadsheet and Presentation software etc. I also see that there are some templates provided which could be very useful for example there is a CV template where you just fill in your details. Good stuff. I think that is is good that you can save documents online so you can just log in and get to them from anywhere.

Miaow for now
Jacky

Zoho Writer document

Hello All

Well here I am playing with Zoho writer for the first time.  Cool .  Check this out I can put emoticons into my messages and do pretty much all the main things I can do in MS Word.  Hey I've just found these (speech bubble)
Right now I'm going to publish this to my blog, here goes ..........

 

Jacky

Wikis

Hi all

Well finally I get back to the final week so that I can complete my 23 things. So Wikis ..... The thing I like about them is that everyone can contribute to building up an idea. The thing I don't like is that if everyone can get in there and change things about then that means they can delete what others have done and say whatever they like - a bit like on Wikipedia!! There sort of needs to be a way to preserve what has gone before but let it be added to .... suppose that could get very messy though? I suppose I'm looking for a happy medium between a Wiki and a Blog.

Personally what I'm most interested in is the idea of incorporating Wiki software into the Library Catalogue. I think it would be extremely useful to be able to build up comments on particular books and items in the catalogue. This would provide more information to let people know whether that item is going to be what they are looking for or not. I hope that this functionality comes soon to our library catalogue .............

I also like the ideas of building subject guides using a Wiki and allowing people to comment on their favourite books. In our Academic library this could be used by the students to talk about and rate books that are good for particular assignments. This would help future students.

On to the next "thing" so

Miaow for now
Jacky

In Summary.....

Although I still have week 8 to complete here is a summary of my thoughts of this programme:-

Wow what a ride! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed 23 Things and the opportunity to play with all these technologies. My favourite discoveries were the generators, in particular creating line drawings from photos and Palooza Head! These things were lots of fun. I can however see how some of the other technologies can be used by libraries. I want to investigate a bit more with Library Thing as I’m sure I can catalogue my DVD collection in their somehow. Skype is one of my all time favourite technologies that I have used for work and home. Not sure how we used to live without it. Imagine if I was travelling over seas now how easy it would be for me to keep in touch (and how cheap?!) We already use this in our work environment. SirsiDynix’s podcasts will always be a permanent RSS feed from my NetVibes account. They have so many interesting topics to listen to. I have also enjoyed learning how to embed different things into my Blog page using the scripts provided by so many of these services.

This programme has most of all been heaps of fun. I’ve enjoyed taking part in it along with my colleagues and sharing ideas and stories about what we have discovered. I think it has taught me that it pays to keep in touch – and now I have some tools that will assist me in doing this (i.e. NetVibes and RSS feeds) and help with my future learning and professional development.

What surprised me most about this programme was the colleagues who embraced it with both hands and got a lot out of it. They were certainly not the ones I originally thought would be the ones to run with it! Huge congrats to the Wanganui staff who are beating their Palmerston North Colleagues (me included) to finish the programme. I have also been amazed at how well they have done and what they have discovered and shown me when I have been working over in Wanganui.

The only suggestion I have for improving the programme is to divide up the weeks so there are more than 9 and just have 1 activity on the go at a time. Maybe even introduce some more technologies as there are always new ones popping up. Life long learning never stops ………………….

Yes yes and yes I would take part in future programmes like this (and hope to recommend this to the wider UCOL staff as I think it would be great for them too). Bring it on!

Podcasting

I rest my case! This is my latest favourite fad - along with Second Life which incidentally I found out all about by listening to one of the SirsiDynix podcasts that you can find in the right hand links of this blog. SirsiDynix are always having great sessions on up and coming technologies which they record and make available on their web site as podcasts. This is extremely useful for those of us who live in a diffent hemisphere and don't want to get up in the early hours of the morning to join in live.

As you know my owner and I have been working very hard recently completing our research on the Perceptions and Usage of Podcasting for Library Instruction. Here is a photo of us hard at work (well she's working, I'm helpfully asleep on her knee. It's very cold hence the nice fluffy blanket). Watch out for a copy of the report to be published and some results to appear on our web site.

YouTube

I'm going to jump out of order now as I've actually already played about a bit with YouTube and uploaded some videos of myself playing with mice and water etc. See the bottom of this blog for access to my videos. I think it's great that I can share these with you all and have a place to post these online so that my family can see what I've been up to. In addition to myself there are lots of interesting videos on YouTube. Just a pity they are talking about limiting access to this at work due to the strain on the network............. What's interesting about YouTube is that by using tagging you can see other related vidoes on similar topics so this helps you to discover more.

Miaow for now
Jacky

Library 2.0

What do I think of this...................... Need you ask?! I love it. I think it means social networking in the new technological environment we now find ourselves. I think it's all about discovery, sharing, networking, collaborating, learning the list goes on. What concerns and interests me a lot at the moment however is the amount of places that are blocking access to Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 technologies. Libraries have always been about making content and learning available to the public without censorship. Isn't blocking sites such as these censorship? Why does is the Palmerston North Public Library unable to provide access for staff and customers to these technologies? How are people meant to learn and grow and contribute to society if they don't have the opportunity to experiment? What about those people who do not have access to a computer at home so need to access these things in a public place? Won't we be disadvantaging them if we block their access? I will gracefully climb down from my soap box now with my tail in the air. This is the way of the future - lets embrace it.

Miaow for now
Jacky

Del.icio.us and Technorati

Hi all

Well here I am again finally. The weather has not been too good so I've been busy curled up in my blanket asleep and have made myself a new tunnel under the bed. Yeah had to scratch it up good but now it's a great place to hide.....

Anyway have been exploring Del.icio.us. I think this is a pretty cool service as now I can keep all my favourites together from both work and home and get to them wherever I go. No more e-mailing myself URL's to add to various favourites lists. I have managed to create an account (oh no another different user name and password - however will my pea brain remember it?) and have uploaded the favourites from the home computer. I also checked out the UCOL Library del.icio.us site and like the way you can see who else has bookmarked the same sites as you and whatelse they have on their lists. This is a great way to find out about other good sites to visit. I think del.icio.us has potential as a learning tool as basically students could all contribute to 1 site and build a collaborative group of links to useful websites for their course or an upcoming assignment.

As for Technorati - ahhh well this is good for discovering blogs, videos and news on topics of interest. As for my blog here, I think enough people are finding this without me making it easier for them! According to my NeoCounter I'm getting visitors from around the world anyway so I've decided not to register and tag my posts. I'll stay as annonymous as possible for now (if that is at all possible in this technological world). As for the most popular things popping up when I looked I was pleased to see good old Harry Potter there (even thought I could find a ring tone for my phone but alas got led astray here) and also 3 different searches for Johana Cardona - so who's she anyway? Showing my ignorance obviously. Oh well so I looked a bit further and found she is famous as her ex-partner has leaked to the internet a sex video. There is no privacy in this world now.

That's it for me - miaow for now
Jacky