technology-related comment

Today I began using a new service for finding and reading podcasts called Odeo. It made it really easy to instantly hear an old Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me show. I think Podcasting is one of my favorite things because I hate it when I miss a radio show I like. Now I don’t have to worry about it. More and more programming is being podcasted.

On another note, I like the idea some libraries discussed on VT Librarians’ Listserve about showing the inauguration in the library. I am not going to be able to do it due to scheduling and hours and such, but it did prompt me to hook up our digital projector and a borrowed laptop just to see if I could make some streaming appear on our big screen and it worked! Now I know how and so it won’t seem so daunting next time it comes up.

Lastly, I have started the process for the Gates hardware grant. I tlooks like a long haul to actually get anything, but if we are successful it will be worth it. Our library’s computers are a mix and match lot of old components, upgraded and mostly donated by our wonderful tech volunteer. We have one newer machine from IBM/United Way in 2007.

Finale week #11

This week’s topic was podcasts and YouTube.  It was good that it was the last week because I spent a fair amount of time checking out podcasts and watching YouTube!

Summary of Vermont 23 Things experience:

I learned a lot but at the same time feel I just touched the tip of the iceberg.  If I were to employ these tools for a project, I would need to go back and either re-do the Thing lesson or get someone to show me.  That’s because there was a lot of info and also because of my limited tech-y skills.  I do feel more educated and savvy having done Vermont’s 23 Things.  Still not an expert, but I did not expect to be.

I recently offered the idea of putting photos of the quilts from a library-sponsored quilt class up on a blog.  Whether I actually do it?…we’ll see.  It would take a lot of my time for sure, to figure it out.  I will surely continue to use blogs and RSS feeds.  As for social networking sites, probably not, but at least I know what they are and how to access them if I so choose.

I would definitely consider participation in additional Things if they were introduced in the future.  Thanks so much to Mara for providing this opportunity.  At least I know some of the vocabulary now!

Week #11

Funny “I Love My Library” video finalist, complete with zombies. Go to:

Week # 10 Productivity apps and Reviews

I am using Google Docs etc. at one of my library jobs already. I didn’t know I was using a Thing!  I took the tour anyway and am now ready to use it more and use it better.  I think some of the other apps like the calendar and to do lists would be cool to use if I had high speed at home.  Pen and paper suffice for now.

The awards site (SEOmoz) was fun to peruse. It is useful to have someone else hone down the hundreds of sites and tell me which ones are the best. I particulalry liked the start pages.  IGoogle has the cleanest look, even though it was third place.  I even sent my teenagers some links from the best lists.  I will set SEOmoz as a bookmark so I can easily go back and use it again.

Week # 9 Wikis

I really love wikis!  This is the best Thing yet!  I find them useful, fun, easy to participate in and a terrific, intelligent use of the Internet.   I can imagine (no, wait, I don’t need to, someone is already doing it! ) so many ways to use wikis….students, families, colleagues, etc.

Week #8

The articles about Library 2.0 were interesting but some of it seems pretty far out there, or even irrelevant for a tiny, part-time Vermont library.  I think I need to think about and be aware of these issues and discussions going on in the library world but then go back and adjust my sights on where we are and what is realistic.  BUT I also want to be a leader, so I need to pick and choose what aspects of 2.0 to bring into my tiny library.  Is Vermont on a slightly different reality plane?!?

Delicious and Technocrati….

Delicious looks like it will be useful.  (Holding me back is having dial up at home.  This makes it hard to use a lot of these tools.  I did set up an account but I did it at my son’s school with high speed!)

Searching on Technocrati was not so useful.  Seemed like every search came up with Obama or links to things completely unrelated to my keyword.   Google did better, actually. Technocrati was full of mass comsumer/hollywood/media over-hype which did not appeal to me.

Week #7

I put 5 books onto a Library Thing account called MontgomeryTownLibr.  I did not find the Library Thing site very easy on the eyes.  It is a great way to read about books, but an overwhelming amount of info in it!  Could not get a widget onto my blog page.  Maybe WordPress only allows the certain ones it has on it’s list??  Seems unlikely but do not know how to proceed.  Need my teenager to help me! 

Week #5

All the social sites like Facebook seems like fun, but what I can’t understand is having time to spend doing them!

Week #3 revisited

Flickr has some fun partners which allow you to do extra things with photos, like get reprints, get photos framed or matted, create cards, notes, calendars, etc., make books, posters, even have a custom credit card with your photo on it (why? i don’t know!).

Look for these options at the bottom of Flickr’s homepage under “You” and then “, do more, order prints”.