Thursday, April 26, 2007

Week 3, Thing #6

Librarian Trading Cards! Who knew? I keep seeing more and more types of mash-ups in the media and some of them are very creative, while some are just a little too busy for my taste. It seems as those that feature maps are some of the most popular -and useful - mash-ups. I recently took part in an online learning class where the class utilized a mash-up by looking at a map of the U.S. and inserting a pin where they were located. The end-result was a powerful image and testimonial to the technology.

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Yes, it's a real baby lion!

This week we're looking at Web 2.0 in relation to photos and images and I've had a lot of fun exploring flickr in step #5. After I created my flickr account, it was pretty easy to set-up a link between my flickr account and my 23 Things blog. I uploaded a photo from my own computer from a trip to South Africa several years ago.
We were supposed to look around the flickr site and I must admit that I was completely overwhelmed by the number of photos on the site. It's extremely cool and timely how you can "catalog" your own photos by adding your own tags or keywords to your photos. No LCSH or Dewey Decimal system here!

Week 3, 23 Things: Photos & Images

After extensively exploring flickr (I had to drag myself away!), I posted the photo above and I joined the Libraries and Librarians group. I got a chuckle out of the group's tagline - Please tag the images you add! And of course there were specific tagging guidelines on their group homepage - not quite AACRII, but I'd guess that few other flickr groups have such comprehensive tagging instructions!

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Week 1, Thing 1: About This Program

Blogs, wikis, podcasts, RSS, etc. - it seems as if we're daily being bombarded by all of these Web 2.0 technologies. I'm really excited about the WMPL region library employees taking part in this program. It will give us all a good overview of Web 2.0 technologies and we'll then all have a common foundation to start building on for future library services. I think that this program is really do-able and I think that those who participate will add greatly to their lifelong learning toolbox!

I highly recommend viewing the archived SirsiDynix webinar on this program: http://www.sirsidynixinstitute.com/archive.php

Week 1, Thing 2: Pointers from Lifelong Learners

7 & 1/2 Habits of Lifelong Learners:
1. Begin with the end in mind
2. Accept responsibility for your own learning
3. View problems as challenges
4. Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner
5. Create your own learning toolbox
6. Use technology to your advantage
7. Teach/mentor others
7 1/2. Play!

In this activity I'm supposed to list the habits that are hardest and easiest for me. Without a doubt, habit 7 1/2 is the most difficult for me, while habit number five is probably the easiest (with number 6 running a close second). In today's fast-paced 24/7 world taking time to play and explore can seem like a luxury or a waste of precious time. I do understand, however, that taking the time to play is quite necessary to keep one's mind fresh and supple. I'm much better at collecting resources for my learning toolbox and leveraging technology in my quest of lifelong learning. As information professionals we become quite adept at searching for and locating information resources for both our patrons and ourselves. The use of technology is a huge part of my job, as well, and so I automatically strive to stay on top of the latest trends and gadgets.