Whew!

What a great ride! I've looked at sites I never would have found and now feel better equipped to talk to patrons. I sure don't know everything but at least I'm not afraid of technology anymore. My favorite discovery was Pandora. I'm addicted and have created 6 different stations so far. I feel much more comfortable recommending Overdrive to patrons. Overdrive is one of the options I'd been meaning to explore but 20 for 2.o got me to actually do it. I liked the self paced program but 1 hour per week was a little optimistic. I have participated in on-line classes before and this is a great one.

Where in the world is JoJo?

I've used mapquest before and ended up going around in a big circle before finding my destination. Google maps seems to be much more accurate. Flying is pretty fun too.

Games people play

I'll age myself by remembering when PONG first came out....my how things have changed. I've had some fun with the word games and have enjoyed playing guitar hero and DDR with teens.

So that's me

My avatar is just a little younger and hipper than I am. It's funny how the image reflected in a mirror never captures the you that's inside the image.

serindipity

Zoho

I prepared a calendar using Google Docs that turned out well. I looked at the Zoho site but found in confusing.

Searching in all the right places

Okay, I'll admit it. I've been a Google girl for awhile now. It's been easy and I know how to use it. However, I'm happy to have found Rollyo. I used all of the search groups and found Rollyo to provide the information I was looking for. I got different responses on each of the sites but Rollyo had them sorted in an order I could work with. I'll be using it again in the future.

Photo Generator

I made a couple of Monopoly cards and looked at the magazine covers. I'm not sure I would ever use either of these but it was fun. Maybe I'll need to play a prank on a friend and put their photo on a bodybuilding magazine someday.

Invasion of the Pod People

What a cool deal. I was familiar with podcasts since we have Tumble Books on the Sno Isle website and I've recommended it to quite a few young friends. My daughter doesn't buy Cds anymore, she just downloads the songs she likes from ITunes. I guess I'll be able to do the same which will save me a lot of $$$$. I frequently get home with a CD only to discover I only like the one song.

I also checked out Learn out Loud. I enjoyed the political podcasts.

Overdriving

I'm glad this was an assignment as I have been meaning to download Overdrive for some time. Since I work with children, I checked out the children's stuff and downloaded Anansi. Denzel Washington narrated the story and it was great fun to listen to. I now feel confident in suggesting Overdrive to our patrons and will use it myself too.

Yum,yum

I've gotten a little behind lately but just finished Delicious. I can see using it with patrons that don't have a computer at home so they don't use all of their time finding sites they enjoy. I have tried to add "good reads" from the Sno-Isle site and will check back later to make sure it worked.

Wiki, Tiki, Tavi

Just finished looking at the Wiki sites. I will probably use Library Success for programming ideas since I work in Children's Services.

I am also an avid reader...so will use Booklovers Wiki.

I would like to set up a Wiki for my co-workers to share their book recommendations too.

Going Tubing

I have seen a few Ytube videos before but really didn't know much about the process. I looked at a couple of the library films but had more fun when I put in the word "librarians". Some funny stuff.

I seem to recall that Sno-Isle planned to do some Ytube stuff too. Whatever happened to that?

The Larger World

I've created a Facebook account much to my chagrin. I'm always afraid I'm sharing too much information with the world at large but I didn't put my social security number on the site (yet). My kids have been using Facebook and MySpace for awhile now and I'm surprised by the amount of personal stuff they post about relationships, work, etc. I guess I'm still one of those who prefers face to face contact so that I can see facial expressions and body language to gauge what's really being said.

;circle time

;circle time
Originally uploaded by birdbasket

Just an example of the fun I get to have while working

Pandora's Box

What a great feature to find! I will be experimenting with a variety of genres to create my playlists. So far my "Dave Matthews" radio is my favorite.

Care and Feeding

I finally managed to add a couple of feeds to my account. I few of my favorite sights did not offer feeds so I chose from the list provided. I can see how feeds could save me time and keep me updated on issues. Libraries could use RSS to tap into what our patrons are interested in.

RRs

I've added a couple of feeds now so am feeling pretty cocky.

Feeding the Birds

I am having problems with the RSS feed but think I've been using the wrong e-mail address. I'll try again later.

Lifelong Learning

I am continually learning new things from my family, friends and especially children. It is nice to look at the world through their eyes occasionally. I am best at being responsible for my own learning. Anyone who has had the misfortune of being in a class with me knows I ask tons of questions and sometimes participate too actively.

I'm not so good at setting measurable goals and writing them down. I'm going to work on that and on checking in with myself to see where I've been and where I should be going.

I read a great kid's book yesterday along these lines,"Who Moved my Cheese? for Kids", by Spencer Johnson. It talks about our attitudes toward change. Check it out. Children's books are not just for kids, you silly rabbits!

Aiming

Just finished practicing IMing my friend Chris. I have used AOL IMs before to talk with my daughter. Can't say I really like the process any more than I like texting. My 34 year old daughter insists on texting my cell phone instead of calling me. This usually neccesitates texting back and forth for a few times before I get fed up and call her. Invariably the first text requires an answer of some sort so our fingers are flying.

I know of kids who IM their roommates when they're each in their own rooms or in the dorm sitting at the next desk!

20 for 2.0

My 24 year old daughter is so proud of me for setting up a blog. She's been a "techi" forever and can't understand why I'm leary of technology. It's fun to learn new things but I am a tactile person and hope that we don't forget to stop and look up every now and then. I hope people still find satisfaction in the feel, smell, and sight of books.

I just finished hosting a puppet show about Winnie the Pooh. It is so rewarding to see the wide eyes and big smiles of the children who attend. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to believe that playing all day with children is my "real" job.