brightspark?

In the beginning......

2007-12-01T21:45:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of the learning journey I felt a bit like the attached image- entering the big unknown. I knew that there was an end but what would I discover and with whom would I be taking this journey? I'm glad this phase of the journey has ended mainly due to time constraints but I know that I've only skimmed the surface on many of the Web 2.0 tools that were covered. I've also discovered that you just need to explore a bit at a time (which I hope to continue to do somehow) and this will lead to many other discoveries. I particularly enjoyed the Flickr mashups,Del.icio.us, revisiting Wikis and of course reading and exploring the other bloggers who have embarked on the same trip.The next question is "Where to from here?" . All these ideas being bounced around. I now feel like an active player and not on the outside so much anymore and hope that my learning journey continues!
Thanks to those you made this program available!

Are you listening out there.......

2007-11-30T02:04:00.000-08:00

(Image downloaded from Flickr by Shotsbyme who was reading a book on his vacation in Italy)

Providing online audiobooks as another library service is really appealing for a number of reasons-
no cost in the handling and transferring items
no lost or damage to items incurred
portability for people traveling , they don't need to haul around bulky CDs or cassettes which may be damaged or lost
no overdue fees to contend with if they have a use by date feature
24/7 accessibility
on the downside-
patrons require software program to download to their computer or
require MP3 player
? how long does it take to download an entire book(wouldn't be a good idea if you had a slow Internet connection)-maybe they have an option of downloading at the library?!
But old and out of date prints were available to be downloaded which is a bonus. Audio in languages other than English would be fantastic for our multicultural community or for anyone learning another language other than English.
Had a look World EBook Fair - Gutenberg's Audio eBook Collection site found it relatively easy to use with the alphabet option. There's an enormous amount of info out there but as the attached image shows there's nothing better than reading outside - plus once you fall asleep you can use the book to shade your face!

"Flashing 12"

2007-11-29T02:02:00.000-08:00

I know what I am now! I'm a "Flashing 12"! Nothing like a tutorial to explain things. ( by the way a "flashing 12" is someone who's VCR/DVD etc player is flashing 12.00 as an indication that they haven't or don't know how to set the time on their machines) As for podcasts I found out that they are audio programs that are free of charge but you need to subscribe to them, you can listen to them simply on your computer and you don't require a software program. Hmmm! so why then when I tried to listen to a podcast did it say I needed to install plugins!? I'm confused. But I didn't let that stop me from exploring. I had a look at all the 3 podcast directories mentioned and found Podcast.net the one that gave me more relevant info due to the fact that you can fine tune your search by selecting e.g. keyword and then enter e.g. "library". Podcast.net had 48 entries while PodcastAlley.com had 126 entries of which many where public library entries. Didn't like the Yahoo Podcasts found it too hard to search.
I can see many uses for podcasts in the library - visually impaired patrons to explain library services and to provide material for their use
- training for library staff-SirsiDynix podcasts
- found podcasts for learning languages
- book review podcasts
I really like the idea of having audio as part of the library service where it can be easily accessed from home but again the limiting factor would be bandwidth.( I don't have broadband at home which limits me from accessing anything really fast).

YouTube - if only I had a broadband connection!!!

2007-11-27T19:51:00.001-08:00

The only problem with YouTube is that you really need broadband, because if you don't the waiting time for anything to load is sheer frustration.I think as a teaching tool YouTube is fantastic. You only have to look at all the CommonCraft downloads that were used throughout the Learning 2.0 journey to see how effective this is-too bad about not having broadband at home- hope Mr "Kev 07" Rudd will live up to his pre-election promises. Got a good laugh from "Conan the Librarian" and also searched for some YouTube book reviews - maybe this might be a good way for the extrovert to review a book - good for young teens maybe? Found a very talented sulphur crested cockatoo called Eleanor who has more rhythm than most of us humans-dances to Backstreet's "Everybody" - have a look!

And there's more to explore!!!

2007-11-27T03:51:00.000-08:00

The category I selected was from start pages - PageFlakes. PageFlakes is a personalized homepage on the web where you put weather forecasts, local news, photos, music, podcasts the list is endless. You can have more than one page, you can create a page with friends or on your own. It was really interesting exploring the public pagecasts - go on have a look http://www.pageflakes.com.
and there's more it's free. It's a pandora's box of ideas.
In a library environment it could be linked to homepage to feature local weather, local news and events, maps and because it updates automatically it would be a good way of getting patrons to login just to have access to this information therefore increasing overall exposure of the library.
It even had a pagecast with "What's Web 2.0?" !

Zoho take 2

2007-11-26T22:01:00.001-08:00

Hi again, this is Zoho take 2 without the smiley faces. Tried to send an earlier version but when I posted my blog all the smiley faces reverted to text. Hopefully someone out there can explain what I've done wrong. I'd have to get use to some ot the options available if I continued to use it - creature of habit with microsoft office.

The concept of having a web-based option that are available as alternatives to traditional desktop office applications could be useful for a group of people editing the same document. Also the ability to add comments box above the text in question is helpful.

I'm not sure if I would use it again but like all the other applications I've learnt about it and it might come in handy one day!

Wiki Wonder

2007-11-25T22:53:00.000-08:00

This was relatively easy compared to some of the other tasks that I've undertaken. To add my blog to the favourites page I found that you didn't need to insert [] brackets, it worked perfectly well without them. I can see how easy it could be to add and edit info. Wiki wonder- I wonder why I 've been so biased before over wikis!

Seeing it all ...

2007-11-25T15:49:00.000-08:00

Wikis, didn't think much about wikis until now! Must admit had a previous experience with wikis but wasn't sold on the idea. The thought of remembering another password just was too hard, email was easier but as explained all the info is scattered and repeated in every one's inbox with emails. So hopefully I won't repeat this negativity next time someone suggests a Wiki! I can see many uses for Wikis for the community, patrons and librarians.The fact that any individual is allowed to create, add/edit any entry may be a hard concept to get used too but this is what makes a wiki special.

Community wiki on our website would be a great asset as it would promote upcoming events, local history input, places to go etc making it a great community resource.We are currently updating our website so this is very timely discussion.

Patrons would also benefit if a wiki was included as part of catalogue system where they could read reviews by other readers helping them make informed selections."Worldcat" is offering this on their site http://http://www.worldcat.org/. I enjoyed the specific Booklovers Wiki offered by Princeton Library with the raffle prizes.

In the workplace wikis offer the ability for staff to view and edit a document all on one site therefore eliminating the repetition that usually surrounds a email forum.
A great way to share ideas quickly.

Everyone goes on about the validation of information put in a Wiki. I suppose you have to start out with the assumption that the information on a Wiki is more questionable than for example an encyclopedia which has taken many experts and much cross referencing to compile but as a teaching tool and general information I think it serves us well.

Power to the people - better way forward with Web 2.0?!

2007-11-24T17:49:00.000-08:00

I've only skimmed the surface but yep the way forward in libraries will be with patrons interacting adding their own thoughts and images- a more social aspect using the new technologies presented with Web 2.0. plus there's more of them out there than us so its only makes sense to expand the ideas pool! Although we are focusing on patrons interacting via computers using the web it will lead to a more user friendly system that will encourage all to share, think and evolve. We still have our walk in the door patrons who prefer to explore the library but we can't have a collection that will satisfy or anticipate all our patrons needs. I think increasingly people want to access information anywhere, anytime and we as the suppliers should meet that demand. We should make it easier for people to interact via blogs, wikis, flickr, tagging, social bookmarking all the stuff we have been learning on our journey - how to do this? Well I think we as librarians have to have that knowledge, experiment with blogs, wikis go online and see what out there, see what other libraries are doing and start up dialog.

Libraries should still be an epicentre of knowledge we need to be more user-centric when it comes to sharing knowledge and help patrons self-guide thru the maze of material out there. I've read about "Aquabrowser" and "LibraryThing" combining to provide users with just this-"My Discoveries"-patrons can add reviews, keep lists etc..is this the way forward?

Ultimately patrons want to experience the library it shouldn't be a static environment with one directional service (that is when it comes to the web - us librarians have always tried to interact, encourage and educate the public it's our job this is where I need some motivational music like that provided on the video by Demus). I hope that in the future physical libraries still exist as a community space and the virtual library doesn't take over. Sorry I've had a minor verbal diarrhoea episode but I think that this should be a continuing discussion ......

Techno What!

2007-11-23T03:26:00.000-08:00

What's Technorati? Well with all things Learning 2.0 it was another journey into the unknown for me. Well it's a monitor of weblogs - real time search engine. I suppose del.icio.us is to URLs as is technorati is to blogs, well that's my simplified view.
Again like del.icio.us it allows us to tag blogs and use tags to find blogs, the users have the ultimate power again! So I set upon the task of searching for Learning 2.0 in three different ways - in blog posts 36,622 results all entries included learning and/or 2.0 in the text
blog directory 859 blogs about learning 2.0
and tags 970 posts tagged learning 2.0. Of the three routes I found the tags most useful with more relevant hits. So there you go! Would I use Technorati again? Well it could be alot of fun keeping up with all that's going on out there in blogosphere and maybe I might tag some of my favourite blogs once I get started!
Also another use of tagging blogs I stumbled across was users tagging their blog with the same tag- In China it was used as a form of protest, so if you entered that tag in a search you would get all the relevant info relating to that protest. I suppose this is where specifically tagging a blog becomes a great teaching tool.

Absolutely delicious!

2007-11-22T19:28:00.000-08:00

Again really liked the idea behind del.icio.us - steep learning curve with this one. Found out about folksonomy( my interpretation folks adding their own individual name to items, sites, photos etc)users add tags online to items such as images (Flickr), videos, bookmarks and text.
Del.icio.us is a tagging system for URLs and offers the user the ability to store and retrieve their own bookmarks from any computer and also to tag each bookmark - you categorize according to how you want to remember them.This also allows you to sort them especially if you have 100's of favourites. Del.icio.us is a public site the other beauty is that you can share bookmarks with others by their tags. I do see the social sharing aspect of this but because of the free form categorizing if you're looking at other peoples tags you could end up with alot of irrelevant info maybe this is good gives you more ideas. could utilize it as a more structured tool to share a universal website nominate the del.icio.us site and get students teachers etc to add and view this just like PLCMCL2 have!
Viewed the PLCMCL2 del.icio.us website will probably go back there if I need further help with my journey.
I really think that del.icio.us could be quite useful for me and have created my own account so that my favourites/bookmarks are portable!

To Rollyo or To Google - Will I change?

2007-11-14T03:09:00.000-08:00

Rollyo(roll your own sites) and weed out all the junk! Sounds great, a mini search that will return far more relevant and useful info than the brand name search engines. You choose which trusted sites you want to go to and you can share these too. A useful tool that would certainly help me in the library. In my attempt to setup a rollyo site I hope to find sites that will help me with story time activities. Will probably edit some of the sites but a good research tool. Thumbs up Rollyo team!

the next " thing " to do! The "LibraryThing"

2007-11-11T22:00:00.000-08:00

Haven't really explored this site enough but will as it looks like a good site to recommend to avid readers who are looking for inspiration and of course new books to get their hands on and also compare their virtual library! I like the recommendations options. The similarly tagged books gave me options for my next read and you can exclude authors if you like to come up with new ones. I especially like the idea behind the the unsuggester that gives you a humorous list that you probably wouldn't enjoy or would you? Makes you just want to read the list and see why!

Where did that big mutant fish go!

2007-11-11T18:18:00.000-08:00

Used BIGHUGELABS again but used the captioner to add comic book style captions to my slightly out of focus digital photo of the fish on the Yarra during the 2006 Commonwealth games in Melbourne. So easy to do and have fun with, could apply this technology to spice up some boring photos to get patrons motivated around the library. Who knows what this could lead to! (of course all in good taste!)
/bighugelabs.com/flickr/deck.php

Will also explore JibJab movie generator at later stage - looks fun to use, I could waste a lot of time on the "The Generator Blog". It did say time to play unfortunately back to the real world!

The need to get my feeds fast!

2007-11-08T16:37:00.000-08:00

Really Simple Syndication and bloglines is a great idea for anyone trying to keep track of incoming updates without the hassel of logging onto individual sites - just go to the one site, great idea!
Enjoyed the overview of RSS created by Commocraft Video on Youtube.
I've located some interesting blogs and feeds.

http://www.bloglines.com/public/brightspark

Technology related stuff

2007-11-05T16:55:00.000-08:00

Found two sites that are worth looking at-

http://www.howstuffworks.com/

Another good site to learn about how to fix appliances, how atavisms work, how a machine gun works etc etc

The other site involves using Flickr as a link to display photos on the library homepage. Hennepin County Library has used flickr to develop a site on their homepage where the community can send photos of themselves in their favourite reading place, see-

http:www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace

I suppose this would mean extra work for someone but it would give a real community feeling to the homepage. Also could be used to display events held at the library.

Playing with BIGHUGELABS

2007-11-03T23:55:00.000-07:00

My oh my its been a long time between drinks er sorry internet connection complications. Have had a fun session looking at some of these sites. Yahoo planner looks good, too bad I don't have a holiday planned for the near future but you never know! Had a great time with Trading card maker could be a really good tool to use in the library to generate inhouse posters, introducing new staff reviewing books etc the applications are really too numerous to list here but I did have fun creating a movie poster.
Endless fun and not too hard to use!
The site I used to generate the movie poster was /bighugelabs.com/flickr/deck.php

Children's Library

2007-10-20T16:17:00.001-07:00

Children's Library, originally uploaded by Earthworm.

Great to see what other libraries look like and be inspired!
All we need now is the space and money!
Have spent too much time on this Flickr site but has been really interesting looking at all stuff you can access.

Flickr

2007-10-20T16:03:00.001-07:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Primo Bloggo i.e.My first Blog

2007-10-08T21:28:00.000-07:00

brightspark?(yep I'm hoping my neurones are going to sparkup!)

Well this is my first blog! Blog sounds like a bodily function but we won't go there. Who did give it this name ? I suppose I'll find out from the other bloggers
Hope to learn heaps as I'm always IT challenged but willing to learn and explore, just wish there weren't as many ways to access and do things but such is life.
The learning journey begins hope there aren't too many forks in the road!
Blogging off!