Me Again

I just realized, by accident, that I can move the page elements around. Now my Library Thing Random Reads are to the left of my blog entries. I like that much better than at the bottom of the blog.

Thing #11, Part II

Okay, I am finished complaining about library thing. It has taken me, what, almost a month for this latest technology to sink into my brain. I am going to use it. Thanks to another co-worker, I actually learned how to paste html codes into my blog, so I can use the handy technology on the other sites. If you scroll down, you can see random reads from my library. I highly recommend A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini and also The Kite Runner.

The Adultery Diet was also hilarious!

Anyway, back to Library Thing. I am going to use it this school year with my girls to mark the books that they are reading. Alot of what I have learned so far in this training has sparked ideas to use at home. Not I just need to figure out if I can print the list of books within Library Thing. Hope another month won't pass (just kidding, tech trainers, I know the clock is ticking!!!!!!)

Thing #11 Library Thing

I just set up an account. I like the idea of keeping a list of books (this was even recommended in LATI as a way to improve your Readers Advisory skills), but there is a limit of 200 unless you pay for the service. Granted it is only $25.00 for a lifetime subscription which I know is not alot of money, but........

I need to explore this site some more and I am interested in the comments of my fellow HCPL 23 Things participants.

Thanks 23 Things!

A while ago I checked out a book called Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms by Will Richardson. I found it by doing a catalog search for blogs. The book came from HCC. What was so exciting about it was that I actually recognize the technology and could follow along with the discussion of RSS Feeds, Wikis, Flickr, etc. I plan on creating a blog for our homeschool process this year. I also have presented the idea of a group blog & a group FLICKR account to my homeschool group telling them that this would be a good way to scrapbook our fieldtrips.

Everyone is excited.

Thing #6--Mashups

My creation, originally uploaded by knaddaf0.

I have to be honest, if my computer had not automatically done all of the steps necessary for me to do this, I wouldn't have figured it out!!!

I originally made a magazine cover, but could not get the headings on the cover to be any smaller, so I went back and created a trading. All individuals in this picture had given their permission to use this photo.

Can you tell that I like Edgewood???????

Thing # 10 ---It worked!!!!!!

Now I just need to find out how I can post it someone in the set-up of my blog and not just within a post.

Thing #10--Avatars

Well, I already have an avatar that I created in yahoo and which I use in my yahoo mail. My task at hand is to export this avatar and put it in my blog. This is a test, it is only test, in the event of an actual emergency...............no wait, that is something totally different!!!

Thing #8, RSS Feeds, Part II

I am not feeling too creative today!!

Tasks:

Create bloglines account-Done
Add various RSS feeds to my bloglines-Done (I really like ones from the CDC & FDA)
Add some participants blogs-Done
Add at least 3 Library Feeds-1 Done. I subscribed to Library Garden and was able to do this successfully at home. I tried to subscribe to Unshelved while here at work and I got an error message.

My thoughts on RSS and newsreaders:

My reactions are mixed. My supervisor, Jennifer, showed me how to RSS within Yahoo Beta Mail which I have to admit was much simpler than going to bloglines. I already have a yahoo account so it is MUCH easier to just look at my feeds while I am already in my mail. So, I am kinda annoyed that I would have to go to yet another website to find news. In the same breath, going to only one website to go all of my news from various sources IS much easier than navigating through all of the sites in and of themselves. So maybe I shouldn't bite the hand that feeds (ha, ha, sorry for the pun) me.

Back to yahoo--so with www.my.yahoo.com I had already experienced having an RSS subscription. The package was just prettier. I don't like the fact that the source goes away once it is no longer a 'new' feed item.

Verdict: The jury is still out (at least until my creativity & enthusiasm returns).

P.S. How can I use this technology in work or personal life? Obviously due to the sheer amount of information that is available, it is useful to have one central location that would aggregate headlines, blogs, etc to allow me to stay in the loop. I just would be afraid that I might miss a gem hidden within a website, if all I did was look at the 'sale items'.

P.S.S. How can libraries use RSS or take advantage of this new technology? I still need to mull on this. More later.

Thing #8 RSS Feeds/Bloglines

I had already done this one. I think I did it the same day as the tech fair.........apparently I had subscribed to several co-workers blogs which had several posts that I obviously have not read. At least for the blogs, I like having all of a blogger's newest posts listed on one site, but having a new window open every time you click on the actual blog link is a pain. To like bloglines more I am going to have to actually use it more.

Thing #7 Thoughts on Technology

What a bargain! I remember when I got my first computer. The craze at that time (at least the craze in my head) was to have one of the greeting card creator programs so that I could make my own greeting cards. Now I can make my own greeting cards, magazine covers, trading cards, websites, blogs, etc. all for free on the WORLD WIDE WEB. With the web, we are no longer tied to our individual computers or desktops.

Thing #6--Flickr, Mashups & Third Party Sites

Okay I have looked through some of the mashups & third party sites and I have found a few that I like and that have potential. The problem is that I have my photos on my desktop at HOME so I will have to wait until I get there to complete it......................which segues into the next 'Thing' (see my next post).

Welcome Back Stranger!

This is what my blog says to me as I try to log on and have forgotten my username & password. It has been a while since I have posted. (I knew this was going to be a problem). On to the next Thing....................................

Week 3, Thing #5

HCPL-Edgewood Summer Reading Car, originally uploaded by knaddaf0.

Okay I have been a little stuck on thing #5, not because it is difficult but because it is so much fun!!!!! I love searching through Flickr looking at all of the photos. I even found some of Lattakia, Syria. How about that!

This is a photo from our branch. It is the fabulous summer reading program car made by our own Circulation Manager with help from one of our pages. I am amazed by creative crafty people.

More blogging about the technology of Flickr later.

Lattakia - Downtown

Lattakia - Downtown, originally uploaded by digitaloasis74.

Looking at these pictures I am transported instantly to our last trip there (sadly 2 years ago). I can feel myself walking the streets in the hustle bustle of the city.

These are the apartment buildings

Lattakia. General view from the south kornish, originally uploaded by syrialooks.

Elevators......that was another thing our building did not have. Our house was on the 5th floor which meant 10 flights of stairs. Needless to say I got a lot of exercise.

No clothes dryers

House in Lattakia, Syria, originally uploaded by Cross Buttock.

I told you everything becomes an adventure. What was that, embrace challenges as adventures? In Syria there are no clothes dryers, so the you hang your clothes on the clothes line to dry. Mind you, at least in the city, all houses are in 'apartment' buildings as opposed to individual houses. Therefore you could have layers and layers of clotheslines.

I can't wait to post my own photos of Syria to FLICKR

Blogging from Flickr

Al-Bassit-Lattakia
Originally uploaded by NERUDA2006

This is just an example of many of the beautiful places in Lattakia, Syria. (my home away from home during the summer months for the past 9 years).

What an adventure! Every trip brings new treasures and new experiences.

Anonymity

Looking at HCPL blog participant's wall I see that not everyone has identified their blog. I know it is not a requirement and I am sure there are those who want to stay anonymous, but the postings & thoughts in the blogs are insightful and, of course, unique. Although HCPL is a system, we are all within our own 'branch worlds'. Why couldn't we let our blogs be an invitation to strike up some point of conversation amongst each other??

Just my introspective thought for the day.

Blog Templates

I have been experimenting with changing the template of my blog. I keep coming back to this 'scribe' template. I am partial to earth tones.

Too many choices--not enough time.

Dorks--Been there done that!

A word from the 80's. Just a thought..... I have been reading over some of the other HCPL blogs and I wondering if we newbies look too much like newbies to those who have already done the majority of the 23 things.

Here I am amazed by del.icio.us and find that it is old news to someone who is on Thing #15.

Wiki's

One of my co-workers (who is not doing 23 things, shhhh!) and I decided to create a pbwiki this past Saturday. While some of our staff was touring the Tech Fair, the suggestion was made to use a wiki whiteboard to keep thoughts on a particular topic centralized as opposed to being spread out through e-mail which are quickly buried.

Our wiki is named Wikedge. I love the name!

The challenge is now going to be to get co-workers to actually USE it!

Social Bookmarking??????

So I've gone on to www.bloglines.com to track the blogs of other participants & those in my homeschool group. I have to admit I find the site confusing. I need to explore more in a more focused mindset.

What I was really interested in, though, is an online place to store my bookmarks. I guess I wasn't paying attention because one of the sites that I found was named at the tech fair.....more about that later.

This is what I have found so far: www.sitejot.com --very bare bones. You create categories & then save your bookmarked sites into your categories. Next I found www.del.icio.us.......what an interesting name. I created an account with them and went to work. I like the site! More bells & whistles than sitejot. I like the snazzy toolbar icons & I am able to share my bookmarks with others, create a wishlist of sites for others to view, add bookmarks with the touch of one icon, make certain sites private (not able to be viewed by others).......social bookmarking......nice.

Now I just need a site that can organize all of my user id's and passwords or is that what paper is for????????????????????

Week 2, Things #3 &4 --Create a Blog--Time for the Ballyhoo!

Who cares what you do/think in your life?

Apparently alot of people! Hence the whole 'blogosphere' and its entry into our lexicon.

Using Blogger was really easy. I had to experiment but it is quite easy. Now I want to add some pictures. First things, first--I needed to get on track with our program. I was also confused because my blog did not show up on the 'wall of participants'. Maurice kindly e-mailed me and told me it would take a few days because the info was added manually. Thanks Maurice!

Week 1, Thing #2 (7 1/2 habits of lifelong learners)

7 ½ Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners

Habit 1: Begin with the end in mind

Habit 2: Accept responsibility for your own learning

Habit 3: View problems as challenges

Habit 4: Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner

Habit 5: Create your own learning toolbox

Habit 6: Use technology to your advantage

Habit 7: Teach/mentor others

Habit 7 ½: Play

This tutorial very eloquently expressed most of the reasons I have chosen to homeschool my children. I, myself, am a lifelong learner yet I never really knew of this label. I love to learn!! I could be a perpetual student and I mean that in the formal sense. Happily I don't have to go to school to learn. This is what I want my children to embrace. Learning happens 24/7 and also whether we want it or not.


Perhaps the most challenging habit for me to embrace is Habit #1. I don't know why, but I never formally formulate a goal. Even though I have a vague idea in my mind as to what I want to accomplish, I never state it explicitly, even in my own mind. I think that my process in accomplishing whatever task would be more focused if I tried this.

This will be my own personal task.

Week 1, Thing #1 (About the Program)

It is really week two, but I am behind! What can I say?? I just finished LATI-I was busy!

I want to keep track of my "weeks" and "things". In retrospect I am really glad that HCPL hosted a technology fair to kick off this program! I think it would have seemed too confusing to launch right into this without a 'preview' of all of this technology. Perhaps we can have another one after we are finished in which WE would be the presenters (with our newly acquired knowledge) or which would showcase our blogs (too LATI-ish), well maybe .

I look forward to learning about the various things that I can do on the 'new' internet. I still think e-mail with pictures as attachments is still great. The whole world of Flickr, blogging, RSS feeds is there for me to sample.

Keep repeating......change is good......change is good......change is good..........

What's in a Name?

I had a hard time coming up with a name for my blog. Happily I settled upon this one.......bally-what you might be asking??

Webster's Universal Encyclopedic Dictionary, 2002 edition defines ballyhoo as as "noun with unknown origin" meaning "1. a noisy attention-getting demonstration or talk" or "2. flamboyant, exaggerated or sensational advertising or propaganda"

What word could better describe a blog (that thing which demands an audience/readership) especially a blog of a self-proclaimed bookworm like myself?

I prefer to read the words of others not write the words myself!!

Nonetheless I have risen to the challenge of "23 Things" even though I am out of my comfort zone to a certain degree (i.e. new technology, staying on schedule & the self-discipline of blogging). I look forward to tackling the challenges ahead.

Until next time!

Kelly