Finito

Yes I have made it - sorry I am so late.

Have found it very helpful and although I don't know any where enough, at least feel I can be a little more help and try and keep up with the students.

I have found the time to get to do the course the biggest problem - has definately taken more time than I had allowed to compelte which of cause and had me always behind.  I think if you have some prior undetstanding of a lot these applications it would be a lot quicker to complete but then I guess you wouldn't being doing it in the first place.

Overall most worth while and I have already been able to pass on things I have learnt to other staff.  Also has given me more credability with my own family as I can now show them new things instead of the other way around. 

An I even now have my Facebook page which is great to keep up with what family and friends are up to - just need an extra couple of hours in my day to keep it going. 

# 22 Audiobooks and #23 Downloadable Media

Well I'm almost there.  Have looked at audiobooks several times before as we have a student who is unable to read and he is a regular at our Library so we are always on the look out for something new for him.

Yes Margie I apologise for not replying - thanks for reading my blog and would love any links you have to investigate audiobooks.

Ebooks I have also been looking at for about the last six months.  Actually already have Project Gutenberg in my favorites so was familar with that and enjoyed having a look around World Ebook Fair.  Will now add that as well and will look at more in the future.  We purchased a Kobo ereader at the end of last year (a little budget was left over) to use and become familar with as we try and work out how to use them in the Library and which is the best sort to invest in.  My daughter has an ipad so of course that is another one often used but must admit I always get side tracked on something else before I ever get to the ebooks.

Have also investigated our local council libary and which books are available to download as an ebook but to date have found the ones we are after are not yet available.

# 21 Online Videos

After attending Syba Signs seminar on the 27th May I decided I need to have another look at Wikis as this is what was used by a wonderful teacher/librarian as a research tool for her classes with great results.

Wikis in Plain English

# 20 Podcasts

Often wonder how they come up with these names, so it is interesting to read a bit of the history behind things.  Have never used podcasts before but have heard of them.  I'm probably not as keen as it is audio as I am more a visual learner.  Although I can see that this would be a great tool for missed lectures and the like.  Did also have a look at TEDtalks and found this could be good if I ever had spare time to listen for an hour......I am one of those people who never watches the recorded programmes at home.
We have a young gentleman who comes into our Library regularly who cannot read and I often write down names of books he is interested in and he then gets his mother to load the audio book onto his laptop.  We also have had a few audio books available for him.  I am wondering if this may be an avenue worth looking into for him to access research material for class as he is a great learner if we can get the information in the right format for him

# 19 Rollyo

I had never heard of Rollyo before but had used other search engines although I am a avid google user.  Have now registered and added links to some book suppliers that I like to use. 
On discussion with the Librarian who was interested then to find out how to use Rollyo we have discussed setting up a Library account and adding different subject websites that we find for teachers on current curriculum subjects so that there is a central place for each teacher or the students to access.  Often we find a good website and then when you want to use it you can't find it again. 

# 18 Wikis

Have used Wikipedia heaps of times and admit had not realised that it was a 'Wiki' although I knew that anyone could update the information and this has been what has always made me unsure on it being fact.  But then I guess it is fact to somebody.  We try and encourage the students for this reason to make sure they have other sources to back up their research.
Not being a teacher I don't see that I would use it as much as they could in class.  Can see that setting up a Wiki on the current subject they are teaching and having the students add their imput etc as being a good way to share information and having it in one central easy accessable place. 
We have a Blog in our Library and we are having trouble getting the teachers to access it and find out whats happening so to add a Wiki at the moment would probably be know different although with our new Library on the horizon hopefully we will have a new face and hopefully be able to encourage them into more new technology. 

# 17 Delicious

Just love the name to start with.  Now this is one for me as mentioned in RSS feeds I have a huge list in my favorites which is always growing and is all over the place and now takes time to scroll through and find the one I want ie Book Suppliers....etc.  Now I have created my Delicious account and have added a few in already and by tagging them I can find all under one heading - just great.  Would like it if my tag would go in with 2 words though as seems to just accept one making one tag - book and one tag - suppliers.  Is there a trick to this that I haven't had time to look at yet?  Anyway I know what they mean at the moment but if you want to share maybe not so good for others.  Although at the moment I have kept it private, yes I am still being cautious, but hopefully learning all these new things will make me bravier.

I am a neat freak in the paper world so this is going to help me to be the same in computer land.

# 15 RSS Feeds and # 16 Subscribe

RSS Feeds (Really Simple Syndication) I found interesting and helpful as I often do research on books and web sites for teachers.  I have a huge list of sites in my Favorites so that I can find them in the future and some of these with regular updates I will be able to add to my Google Reader page.  When I asked the Librarain if she knew anything about RSS feeds, she said she had briefly touched on it but had not been able to get back in and access the feeds so she is looking forward to me passing on my new found knowledge (as limited as it may be) and helping her set up a Reader page as well. 

I have subscribed to a couple of feeds - not sure if I want to admit to everyone but I had know idea what this icon meant or if I had even noticed it before and of course now I see it on everything!  We have a Library Blog so that was the first one that I added and as this is the Librarian's baby I often don't get around to looking at it but this morning I knew it had been updated and checked it straight away much her surprise.

# 13 MySpace and # 14 Facebook

MySpace - just not sure about this one, yes heaps of music seems to be what it is all about and can't see this is our school library.  It doesn't seem to be any where near as popular as Facebook these days.

Well yes I have finally registered on Facebook.  This was one subject I was looking forward to learning more about.  Don't know that I really do know that much more but now that I have started it is a matter of playing around and getting used to using it.  I have 2 friends - my cousin in NZ who has wanted me to join for ages to keep in touch instead of emailing and one of my friends from school (almost 40 years ago) although we keep in touch it's easy to see what each other is up to.  She is addicted to some srabble game on Facebook, but I haven't checked that out yet.

Still have some concerns about personal information on the internet being available so my details I have left fairly basic and again will see how confident I get and if I will add any photos - again prefer to keep mine and my kids info private although I know 2 are on Facebook, but don't really want to be their friends and cramp their style to much (or find out to much!).  My other daugther has disabilities and this is one reason I was interested to know more about it and see if she could handle this as another way to communicate with her friends.

# 12 Flickr

Yes another user name to remember, think I need a special book to write them all down in.  Loved looking at other peoples photos, so many people have such imagination.  Makes me want to go home and get the camera out and takes photos of silly things because some just turn out looking great.  We have a photo drive on our school computers that everyone can access all the photoes from all difference subjects so probably not useful for our school but for personal use I think this could be good as I am one of those people who load the photos to my computer and that is the end of it.....always going to send it to you.  As my kids do especially all the cute ones of my granddaughter - yeah I'll email it to you.  So if we all set up accounts we could access one anothers.  Now I can show them how to start and we can go from there.





http://www.flickr.com/photos/marknkl/5693290516/

#11 Library Thing

Registered on Library Thing and have had a look around.  Like the look of the free books section as this could be fun to see books before they even hit the shelves and make a review.  We are in the infancy stages of setting up a staff holiday reading club.  We made a selection of books and asked staff to also add some favorites before the last school holidays and then we read what we can and are now planning a Sunday lunch get together to chat and review the books over nice food and wine.  Will see if we can use Library Thing to keep track of who is reading what and their reviews.  

LynMc added: Water for Elephants: A Novel by Sara Gruen

# 10 Image Generator

Much more fun with this one.  Enjoyed looking at lots of different sites but did have trouble to start with on addding them to my blog after I created them.  Will have to look at some of them again when I have more time.


Myspace Picture Generator
http://www.jellymuffin.com/generators/textpix2/

#9 Virtual Worlds

Don't know where the weeks have gone and I am way, way behind. Maybe to many public holidays etc and also couldn't get into Virtual Worlds so sort of kept putting it all off.  So here we go as a non game player this I found difficult to understand how Second Life and our school library goes together and really after looking at it still not to sure.  Even got my other half to have a look with me as he plays games all the time and likes this sort of thing and is always on something similar on my daughter's ipad.  He hadn't looked at this either so he was no help to me.  My Librarian and I are going to Joyce Valenza's seminar down the coast in July and she apparently is into Second Life etc and the librarian has said the same although she doesn't really get it we will probably come away with a totally different opinion after listering to her talk about how she uses it.

#8 iGoogle

Well did have fun setting up my iGoogle page although it would definately be more fun to work at Google.  Our school is about to start building our new Library and would love just one or two of their employee incentives! 

Definately wasted to much time playing around with backgrounds and had fun playing with my hamster instead of working.  Then when my boss saw it she wanted to know how I had added all the bits and pieces so we then wasted even more time with her page.  So at least that means I have learnt something (whether useful for our Libary or not) and was able to then help someone else as well.

Best news is that there is now 9 days 22 hours 34 minutes and 49 seconds until HOLIDAYS.........

#7 Google books

Without even realising it I have been using Google books when I look up books in SCIS OPAC there is a link "About This Book" which is of course Google books.  Will be passing on this knowledge to a couple of teachers who I often order books for as it may help them to preview the book and decide if they still want to purchase it.

#6 Google maps

Have used this before and as usual had fun looking around again.  Wonder how often they update the photos from the street view because the one of our house is a few years old before we changed the whole front. 

Also have found it handy when my GPS was out of action as I am hopeless at finding my way anywhere.  I like the street by street directions to get from A to B.

#5 Google docs

Although I use Google all the time, had never looked at Google docs.  I was able to set up a spreadsheet of DVD's we need to order and then sent this to the Librarian and she was then able to add what she wanted and more information.  My idea is we can both access it as the DVD's are purchased or new ones required instead of post its everywhere that get lost.  Have thought of a few other situations that I think this could be useful at our Library but need to see if the other people I want to share the information with are happy to use this method. 

#4 Web 2.0

Have read lots of the information on Web 2.0 and like probably everyone had already heard of Wikis, Blogs, Facebook and so on, but was not a user because of lack of knowledge and also a little (or maybe a lot) of  fear about it all.  Is it safe etc?

So hopefully as I become familar through this course this will all improve and I might be able to keep up with my kids on Facebook.

My thoughts after reading is basically that Web 1.0 is the Information and Web 2.0 is the Interaction.  Web 2.0 is also about attitude not just technology.

First Timer

Hi my name is Lyn and I am a Library Assistant-Personal Assistant (so the Librarian says!) at a large Ipswich Co-ed school.
Well one more step in the cyber world has been achieved today.  Monday I set up a GMail account and now Wednesday I have a Blog.  Goodness what will the end of the week bring.