mosaic

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READ Poster Slide show

Mosaic Art

Mosaic Art Slide Show

Thing 10

Wikis-

Great tool for libraries, learning communities, and for personal use. I think it is a bit more work to set one up than I would like to do for a camping trip, but I can see where it would be helpful when planning something big like a class reunion or family reunion. We currently use a Wiki in our library amongst the library staff. It is great for cooridinating schedules, posting reference desk schedules, and organizing projects. I like the ease having the information in one place rather than scanning back over a variety of emails.

As far as professors banning Wikipedia as a source for research... I think Wikipedia is an OK source to get your bearings on a subject and possibly find some quality links to other sites that might be helpful (if you know how to evaluate the credibility of a website). But I have to agree that with the plethora quality of information available at our fingertips, Wikipedia really doesn't need to be included in the list of works cited. There are too many other options available to us. And- in the process of discovering the other information, we discover how to be better researchers.

Thing 9

Collaboration Tools- Once I finally realized what to do for this module, I really appreciated what Google Docs and ZohoWriter can accomplish. That would be so much better than the traditional email attachment. In fact- I can see this as being a great benefit for an editor as well. I am thinking about someone working on a dissertation. They could put the document up on Google Docs for an editor to work on it and then the paper could continually progress without multiple editions floating around. In addition, the dissertation advisor could comment directly on the document as well. I am sure their are a million uses for this "Thing," and that the uses are evolving and being added too daily.

The one thing I didn't care for in this "Thing" was the time it took for me to understand how to access/use the tools. I didn't think the directions for this one were the most clear. I felt like I wasted a lot of time just figuring out what to do.

Thing 8 Post

Thing 8 is a great module. I was unaware of the plethora of communcation tools that were available. The creative minds that come up with these ideas just blow me away. I thoroughly enjoyed playing with all of the picture management tools for Thing 8. I can see many ways to use these in my personal as well as my professional life. At work there are many creative ways that the slide shows could be used to promote the library. I find the voice thread really fascinating. I could see how professors could use this in online or traditional classrooms. For example- in an art class where students would be asked to critique a piece of art. Each student could respond to the prompt and then they could share the critiques in class and generate discussion from that point. The eFolio is great. I had no idea that existed and my husband and I have worked for MnSCU for years. With most resumes being sent in electronic format, the eFolio could certainly give you an edge up on your competition. Great "Thing" perhaps my favorite so far.

Thing 8

Thing 7- Communication Web 2.0 style

I can see where text messaging would be an area for growth since most of the Millennials already own cell phones with text capabilities. From my experience Millennials tend to text more than they converse vocally. This may feel like a familiar and comfortable form of communication for the upcoming generation.

S MS is interesting and looks very convenient, yet you have to be sure that the receiving party has the proper technology to receive messages. It wouldn’t work well for blanket- automated messaging attached to services such as ILL, because you would have to be guaranteed that the receiving party could indeed receive it. At our library, email is still the preferred method of informing students, faculty and staff of library proceedings. We are sure that everyone has an official email account given to them by the university.

However, it would be great to have the option (I have no idea how the logistics would work) to send a SMS text message to patrons who have requested an ILL and are desperate to receive it. They could receive a text message while crossing campus, and then run in and pick up the item without having to go back to their office to check email.

Thing 6-

FitzLib
Originally uploaded by CarolAnn22

The trading cards could be used in numerous ways within the library. I think it would be fun for public libraries to create and print these cards as a promotional give-away to kick off a summer reading program. I could see creating some ot these and then posting them to the library Web site for special events during the year. For example, if it is getting close to Halloween or Banned Books week or if you wanted to create a list of "hot reads" or "new items" etc. you could create several of these to highlight items in your collection that pertain to the theme. In the description field you could give a descripton of the book or why it was banned etc. Then you could add a special link to the library site where it could run like a slide show and people could peruse the latest items you are promoting.

Thing 5-- My creation

My creation
Originally uploaded by CarolAnn22

I love all the unique things you can do with Mash-ups. The possibilities are endless. I can see using these mashups for promotional posters, slide shows, sharing and presenting information from conventions, etc.. One idea I had was to take pictures of librarians, faculty, staff and students with their favorite banned book and then have a running slide show of the pictures in the library during Banned Books week. Then offer for others to have their pictures added. It would be fun to see how many takers we could get.

Thing 4

The Letter Writer
Originally uploaded by rita banerji

This was a moving picture for me. I hope it will move others as well. This woman in India is illiterate. The simple and sometimes quite personal task of writing a letter that we take for granted, requires a trip to a "Letter Writer" for this woman.

This photo is a part of the 50 Million Missing International Campaign. This is a campaign to increase international awareness about the social factors that have led to the elimination of 50 million women from India's population. For more information, click on "The Letter Writer" picture.

Flicker has been enjoyable to use. I think I would use it for personal reasons, but as for right now, I am not sure how I would use it in the library. I would, however; like to begin an Information Literacy Course at this University. If I am successful in implementing such a course, I may integrate Flickr at that time.

Thing 3--RSS Feeds

As with the other "Things" Setting up an RSS feed is quite easy and I can definitely see the benefits of using RSS feeds personally (news and weather feeds) as well as professionally. In an academic library it would be quite useful to show students and faculty how to use an RSS feed to alert them to the latest research published in a particular field.

I can also see how this is similar to getting a new camcorder or digital camera. There are many things I can do with the camera, but I typically just use the basic automatic settings. I noticed when setting up the RSS feed, there were many additional services offered, but I doubt that I will use these options.

Thing 2

Libraries have been evolving since they were created. When libraries first started, people memorized long passages because the ability to mass produce information was non-existent. With the invention of the printing press, this need became less important. Now with the internet at our fingertips, we no longer need to memorize much of anything because we can look it up within seconds. I think we have to recognize Web 2.0 applications as another revolution in the way patrons will use libraries.

When we consider what Web 2.0 is, we have to consider that term encompasses many things. That doesn’t mean that everything Web 2.0 must be used in a library, but we must consider who our users are and what their preferences will be. Many library users today have never known a time when there wasn’t a computer. They have grown up using the Web 2.0 technology some tend to want to dismiss as unnecessary in our field. The reality is, when I take my kids to the library, my six year-old heads to the computer station first to play the latest Arthur game, and my 11 year-old checks out the computer software. Once that desire has been satisfied, they head to the books.

I believe that Web 2.0 technology incorporated into library services will draw in the younger, computer savvy users (who are, or will eventually be, taxpayers and voters). EBSCO’s new 2.0 interface is just one example. It makes research feel less intimidating when it blends a user friendly interface with the functions users expect for research.

Thing 1

Well so far I am on a roll. I have created the blog. I always wondered how blogs were created. Now I know just how easy it really is. For a challenge it would be fun to create my own template- personalize it a bit.