It's NOT The End--It's A Beginning!!

I really surprised myself on this journey. My favorite things were all the technology related and time saving aspects of the things I can now do. During these past weeks I have been learning some life/time management cues and short cuts. I also learned that I can push myself with the help of my wonderful coworkers and accomplish so much more than I ever dreamed[maybe even climb mountains!]
There's a whole big wonderful world of mind-boggling things out there and I really do want to be a part of it. I want to help our patrons and get them as excited about this as I am.
The only thing that I would like you to do differently is just make sure the links work (if that's doable-it's probably not! Ah, well.)
Last, but not least--My answer is YES, YES, YES!! Where do I sign up and when will it start?

Digital Media?!!

I like the sound of MOLDI. I just wish I had been able to get access to it. I have tried several times on several days and still no access. Either the page doesn't exist or the link itself has expired. So I'm telling you what I would have liked to do: I love books and was so looking forward to being able to choose some ebooks. I hope this link will be up and running soon. I have an mp3 player that's waiting for some ebooks for me to hear!;).

Podcasting

I looked at several of the offerings in the podcast directories. I chose one of the library related ones called "LibSyn-Podcasting Made Easy. This podcast tells how users can make their own podcasts and also offers book reviews, music reviews, and numerous other things. There's even an itunes link. (I know my daughter would like that!) I'm almost finished with Learn&Play! Hallelujah!!

YouTube and Me!

I've looked around YouTube and I haven't decided whether or not I like it. I enjoyed finding some of the shows that I like, have missed and then being able to watch them. There are some things I don't mind if I never see again. So, for now I need more time to make my final decision.
The video(s) that I feel are worth adding to my blog are: Oprah's Clean Up Your Messy House Tour and Search for the World's Smartest Most Talented Kids. Both of these were very informative. (I do need to clean my house--it's not as messy as the one in the video! Thank God!) There are really a lot of talented children/teens in the world and I was very impressed.
Some of the components in these videos could be used by libraries to tell people more about the changes going on in libraries today, possibly get them interested and hopefully help make the community better library users. [I'm dreaming again!!]

Exploring CML's Tool Box--Web 2.0 tools

I had a great experience using CML's power tools and commenting on the blog about Firefox. I have to wait for it to be posted, but it was fun commenting. I'm planning to add this site to my bookmarks and use it more often as I do my daily work at home.

Discovering Web 2.0--zoho

I looked around the Web 2.0 Awards and chose the 2nd Place Winner in the Organization Section. What a treat it is to work with zoho, I'm using the writer portion to do my monthly newsletter article and I'm going to send the link to my husband (he often helps me with proofreading and I help him). I really like all the extra features and the cool tools. I haven't found anything I don't like (yet!). I can see the library staff using this whenever there are several people working on a project--such as planning a holiday party, less emailing. (I think I'm getting hungry--I keep thinking about food! teehee)
Many of the wonderful features of zoho are that it has such a broad range of applications and so many other programs and documents that can use it. I can hardly wait to import some of my current documents to see the results. All in all--I really liked it.

Web-based apps: I'm trying to break free!

I discovered that with google docs I can make a list of all the people on my Christmas List or any other gift list and easily keep track of things needed, purchased, hidden, and the amount spent. I can then get them wrapped before Christmas eve (for a change) and get to bed EARLY!! Oh Happy, Happy Day!! I also found a beautiful template for 2009 which will help me when planning activities for my housing complex. I'm so excited about this.
I think using google docs in the library could save an enormous amount of time when several staff are working on a project or just needing to get the same message to all. With many email messages not having to be sent to and fro, time saved is really money banked.

I'm Playing around with wikis

I've enjoyed playing around with wikis and I've added my login account. Now I'm having a bit of trouble getting my blog on the Learn&Play wiki. I'm gonna have to holler for help to finish all of the things today.
I got help from Joe and am still having some trouble posting to the http://learnandplaycml.pbwiki.com/FrontPage . I had already created my login, Joe tried to coach me and we both had trouble. After advice from Joe, I'm requesting access (not noted in my instructions) and will add more posting later.

What's in a wiki?--lots of participation

I took a quick tour through the world of wikis and found myself wishing I had several days to look around at all the websites. Two of my discoveries really interested me: USC Aiken Gregg Graniteville Library [It's a United States Federal Depository Library-wow!] and the University of Calgary Wiki [It included a beautiful aerial picture of the campus in the summer--how inviting is that?]
Here are a few of the wiki applications I found that work well in libraries: Updating of Subject Guides (gives librarians help/updates occur more frequently), Annotating the catalog (user reviews can help other patrons find books meeting their specific needs), Community Wiki (helps libraries become physical hubs of the community).

Library 2.0 & Web 2.0

After reading "Where will the next generation Web take libraries?" and "To a temporary place in time..." in the OCLC Next Space Newsletter, I agree with the thoughts and feeling of Dr. Wendy Schultz ("To a temporary place in time..."). I, too, believe that libraries will be more needed in the future and that the population will have more and varied information filled library experiences. People will need/want to learn about their history and 3D services will be there to help them. Those who want the virtual reality experience will be helped as well as those who want the augmented reality experience. I visualize a future with lots of people needing/wanting lots of answers/information and there being librarians there to guide them along the way. {Sometimes I'm such a dreamer, but this portion of the OCLC Next Space Newsletter really inspired me!}

del.icio.us is really Delicious!

I just had the most wonderful experience with del.icio.us! I just want to go home and sit at my computer and play around this site, for hours! I chose to look at the Library Thing bookmark [over 200,000 people have this bookmarked and they seem to be loving it as much as I]. People have sent me more book recommendations and connection news and blogs and I could go on and on. I was in book heaven (for a while); then I remembered I had to finish Learn&Play (so I came back down to earth--for now)! This is so entertaining and enlightening--I want to do it more often.

Exploring Twitter

I'm still having FUN!! I'm learning to microblog, find people, and tweet. (I think that's the correct way to talk about it.) I'm very fortunate, I have lots of people helping me--Oh Happy Day! Here is my twitter user name: http:/twitter.com/TaiGee, I hope you can find me. I haven't decided wether or not I like microblogging-can I let you know later? I found people from CML talking about Learn&Play flash drives (working/not working) and watching the fun videos. I'm going to use twitter to talk to my children and husband-quickly!

Library Thing - WOW!!

I really enjoyed playing around with Library Thing. I added five books that I want to read soon. Some more will be added as others give me recommendations and as I see books (I can't live without) here at work.
Now on to more playing!!

Playing with Image Generators

I was a little bit disappointed when I first started Thing #10, because the link to "ALA Mini READ Generator" did not work. (I tried it on several days.) Next I tried The Generator Blog (what a hoot!!) I played with it for over an hour and tried to interview Sarah Palin, plus learned my name if she were my mother. (How does "Bash Budweiser Palin" sound to you?!?!) Then I moved along to more fun adventures. My favorites were: Word Clouds, My Ideal Phone, and Transfer of Luck. I'm planning to use these at Christmas--gag gifts, don't ya know, so don't tell my family.

Thing #9 - Finding Feeds - Hmmmmm!

I'm not quite sure how I feel about this. It was very interesting going to the sites (Topix, Syndic8, and Technorati) and I did learn quite a bit. I also got a chance to view the trailer for the upcoming Star Trek movie [it looks good-I want to see it].
I thought all of the sites were pretty easy to use, without having to log in. The one that I found easiest to use was Technorati. I also found lots of library information and plenty of blog spots (I want to explore these later). On Syndic8, I found "The RFID Gazette" and lots of technical information (more exploration for me on this later, too). Topix had the most information on libraries and I really liked the way it was displayed. (I also want to do more indepth exploration on this site.) {I think I've given myself enough things to keep me busy for years to come.}
Looking at these sites and playing really is FUN.

Thing #8 - RSS Feeds - WOW!

Well, here I sit after finally figuring out these RSS Feeds. My mind is reeling and full of wonder. I can hardly wait to start receiving news, recipes, things for my grandchildren, etc. etc. The best part is that I don't have to search for this information, it comes to me! This is the part I really like.
I'm planning to use the feeds I have to find new recipes, activities for my family, and get some fashion ideas. Later I plan to use this technology to help me remodel/clean and redecorate my house. [I'm getting so ambitious, I may have to pinch myself!]
I can see libraries using these feeds to send specialized information to our users about the kinds of materials they want and then get them to check our more materials. We may also be able to save them time with their searching and homework questions. There are so many possibilities that need to be explored.
I love technology, I REALLY DO!

Technology That I Really Like

I am a true fan of camera phones! I really like taking pictures of my family (especially my grandsons), events, family gatherings, and neighborhood parties. I post these pictures on special places in my phone and then can see my family members whenever I want. I also use the video portion to record my dance teacher and dance mates when I'm trying to learn a new step or perfect an older one. This is one of the best inventions ever (as far as I'm concerned) and I use it often.

More flickr Fun

Today I had more time to work on the 'Learn&Play' things and I got a chance to really play with flickr. My favorite part of thing #6 is called Montager (it creates a mosaic from numerous photos and it's really neat). You just need to have plenty of room to move back to get the full view of the picture/mosaic being created. I'm not sure the entire picture is on the mosaic, it is a little hard to tell; but I still like the way it loooks when it finishes. Another part I liked is when I rolled my mouse over an individual picture it was enlarged and Icould see lots of details. This was fun and very enlightening for me.

My flickr Fun

Over the past few days I have spent some time (whenever I could squeeze it in) looking at the many fun things to do in 'Learn&Play'. My favorite thing so far in flickr is looking at pictures of travel around the world. This is one of the 'coolest' things I have done in a long while. I'm going to really enjoy moving around the rest of 'Learn&Play'. I'm hoping I can finish it all in time. I'm very fortunate, I have several co-workers who are helping me. Yippee! [Many thanks to Tim S. for helping me enter the link above.]

Lifelong Learning

Today I got help with my 'Learn & Play' Journey and (I didn't believe I would say this) I'm having fun. It is a little bit difficult, because everything is still so new. I think as time goes on I will really enjoy this and even be able to teach others.
Today I learned about the 7 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners. The easiest of these habits for me is currently #7 1/2, because as I learn more about this it is a lot of fun to play, besides I think it helps that I really love to read. At the present time, the hardest of these habits is #1, because I'm discovering that I have a horrible time setting realistic goals for myself.
I think that as I learn more of these 'Learn & Play' things, I will also learn more about myself and maybe even be able to expand the way I learn.