Oh-To-Learn!

Time Machines

2011-08-06T14:05:00.001-07:00

At work I'm helping write book reviews, so when customers click "gimme this" (like Sci Fi Classics) a staff review of that type book will appear. I chose H.G Wells' "The Time Machine to review. Wells published this in 1895, and it is considered a seminal work in the genre.
Right off, I liked the tale's moodiness: how the "well known" dinner guests in the opening pages remain oddly anonymous - while the room they are in is described in meticulous detail. He sets a mood of juxtaposing the normal with the strange. And the "the time traveler" expects his dinner guests (and us) to believe his fantastic story entirely. It's akin to being invited to dinner by a friend who has just returned from an alien abduction.

Anyway, I haven't finished this book, small as it is, yet. When it's done I will write the review.

Imagine - this was written when the only time machines was clocks and watches. Before technology as we currently take it for granted. And before the benefit of years of watching sci fi TV and movies. HG Wells had to make this up out of his own imagination, folks.

Online Tutorial for Blurb's Book Making Software

2010-12-14T22:14:00.003-07:00

Check out this Blurb.com tutorial for their downloadable book making software. Did you ever have a book you wished you could make? I've been busting with ideas for photo books, art books, even funky poetry books...and if I download this, it eliminates my excuses. Not to mention making easier a process I struggled with on my first try. I am also thinking how helpful it would be to recommend a tool like this to library users who are into digital photography. Nothing replaces firsthand experience with a tool. Take a look:

Getting Started with Blurb Booksmart from Blurb Books on Vimeo.

What I'm Reading Today

2010-12-12T23:08:00.000-07:00

Out of the Night That Covers Me by Pat Cunningham Devoto

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

12-year old John McMillan III navigates small-town Alabama after losing his parents. Indifferent or dangerous relatives are offset by a wise local “judge” and an array of other fascinating characters. In this book the wise have plenty of flaws too, as the Civil Rights movement gets underway. I enjoyed the complex ambience, and the way the characters talk to – and about - each other. I'm becoming a fan of Pat Cunningham Devoto. I'll have to read her other books now.

Some have compared this to To Kill a Mockingbird.

View all my reviews

Rosanne Cash: She is just so - Composed

2010-11-26T22:01:00.002-07:00

Rosanne Cash has written a book that I like very much. Her haunting and lovely music has always drawn me. (September When it Comes has the Scottish feel of the Cash heritage.) Her 1996 book "Bodies of Water" made me aware of what a fine thinker and writer she is. She reads from her 2010 memoir ("Composed") on her website. "Mrs L" (aka Rosanne) talks about her life in a way that is pleasing because it feels so ordinary. She seems to me like a person who stands out - and apart - from what you might expect of a child of celebrity. Follow the "About Composed" link beneath the picture of her newest book to hear her read:

http://mrslsmonthly.tumblr.com/

My First Podcast: Bilingual Storybook

2010-11-23T09:09:00.002-07:00

This is my first attempt at podcasting! I love this little story of a family moving from Mexico to the U.S. Text is in both English and Spanish with wonderful illustrations, as you can see. This is page one. Listen in.

Sony Reader Tutorial

2010-11-21T10:54:00.000-07:00

In preparation for practicing with our library's new E-readers, I'm scouring the Internet for hands-on tutorials. This one has its flaws, but the user shows various ports and delivers a running commentary while showing the device. Nothing can replace working with the real thing though.

Practicing with Publisher

2010-10-15T23:26:00.000-07:00

I have been writing some book reviews and formatting them in an old version of Publisher. I don't quite understand how to export it from Publisher to the Internet in Web format, or if it is even possible to post an exported web page to a blog. While I learn if I can, here is a review of a wonderful book, uploaded as a JPEG file. Results below.

Get Low: Get to the Mystery in This Movie

2010-09-26T12:42:00.003-07:00

I saw this film on Saturday, and liked it alot. It's a tale told in images, in the looks that pass between people, in the washed-out 1930's landscape and the haunting music. At its heart lies a secret that is held until the very end of the story. Robert Duvall seems to be an angry wrecked hermit, but just beneath the surface there is life in them old eyes. Sissy Spacek plays cautious, warm-hearted and beautiful: a lady from his past. Lucas Black is wonderful as the young Funeral assistant hired by Duvall to plan his "living funeral." Bill Murray is the slightly sleazy funeral director, who may run off with the goods ... or stage a funeral the community and the deceased will long remember. I stayed till the last credit, just to hear the great bluegrass score .

Print or Pixels? The Debate (Apparently) Rages On

2010-09-21T11:59:00.004-07:00

Came upon this NY Times Article while looking thru my Library Link of the Day. (I really like Library Link because the publications it features are first-rate and even scholarly. Nothing sensational, but things that make you think.)
Like:
Debating the aesthetics of the reading experience: how people like to get their reading "fix." E-readers like the Kindle claim "it produces neither glare in a well-lighted spot nor a glow in the dark." (see link above) Book lovers like the wife in the article counter this defending the smell and feel of real books, and suggest that there is a 'right' way to read.
So far the article has told me several things:
1. It's not strictly a generational split, because one older woman said she liked E-readers for their ability to magnify text.
2. Genuine disagreements occur among family members with strong differences of opinion.
3. Kids are being read to in both formats.
4. Book sellers are offering to sell "bundles" that include both formats.
5. People sold on the new E-form believe others will "get over" the need for the feel of real books.
6. Some folks read ebooks but collect real ones for sentimental reasons.
7. Time will tell.

Joined Goodreads - first review!

2010-09-21T11:05:00.002-07:00

What a Great Idea!: The Key Steps Creative People Take by Charles Thompson

Love, love this book. When ever you think nobody cares about your ideas or that you don't have any to share, read about things like Killer Phrases, who throws them, and how to survive the wet blankets in your creative playpen.

View all my reviews

Evacuees Use Social Media To Keep Up On Boulder Wildfire

2010-09-09T23:06:00.000-07:00

My sister lives in Boulder, where the Fourmile Fire is still burning.

The map below is a special "open collaboration" Google Maps that reflects information on burned areas, safe areas, etc. by icons placed on a map of the city and the adjacent canyon area which is burning.

The Denver Post headline today said:
“Evacuees Use Social Media To Keep Up On Boulder Wildfire Disaster Developments" and
"Tweets Feed Data Need" while the Boulder Camera says:
"Fourmile Fire: How to get help / How to help
The Boulder, Colorado fire is being coordinated on Boulder’s Facebook page

with hourly updates obtained via Twitter and links to sites like the Office of Emergency Management.

Our City is having an Emergency Preparedness focus this month. Would we do as well as Boulder should the need arise?

About Creating an Online Photo Book

2010-09-05T22:45:00.001-07:00

Last spring I took part in Solo Photo Book Month, an online project that encourages people worldwide to create books from their own photos. All photos must have been taken within a 30 day period, (what they call a "fuzzy month") A book due by the end of June could be started anytime in May or June so long as only 30 consecutive days are used in its creation. This deadline and structure is designed to encourage focus and create opportunity for people who take lots of pictures but never really make anything of them. Using the PDF format required for submission, participants can also fancy them up using a variety of hosting sites, like blurb.com. To submit your work, upload it to the "sofobomo" site where it can be viewed by other participants as well as friends and family you may browbeat into looking at your work.
Part of the fun of this project is deciding what your book will be "about." Text is optional, but frankly that's one of the best parts - having your say about something, explaining your photos, or whatever. Here is a link to my 2009 book. The photographs in it were all taken with a Nikon CoolPix L5 digital camera in Phoenix and Scottsdale Arizona, as well as San Francisco and Santa Rosa, California - between May 18 and June 18, 2009.
Next time a fuzzy month comes along, join me.

No Thrill, No B.B King

2010-08-14T22:31:00.000-07:00

Now I need a small music player for my blog. THAT turned out to be an adventure! First I got a free account on Playlist.com, found my favorite BB King song, (the 1969 version of "The Thrill is Gone") and put the player on the sidebar. Way too big and clunky. So out that went. Then I found Muzicons.com, which makes a very small widget. The choice of songs by King does not include my favorite, so I opted instead for a nice bluesy version by a female singer. On the down side also, it is only free for 45 days, and after a 2 week grace period, is deleted.
Oh, well. The search goes on for the perfect music widget.
Nothing's perfect I guess, especially when you want it for free. Sorry B.B.

Picasa Won't Play with Flickr

2010-08-12T10:59:00.001-07:00

DSCN0136
Originally uploaded by margalearningzone

I created a couple of albums on my computer with Picasa and uploaded them to Facebook. I then sent some to Flickr. From there I can blog them, but I guess the only way I can blog them directly from Picasa is by using THEIR own "Web Album" feature. Drat. That means I need to create a web album account in Picasa.
The thing that stalls me with the wonders of technology is having things act noncompatible and refuse to do what I want them to. I'm sure this is getting better, but there are still plenty of functions that remain proprietary to the application that created them.

Motivation and Engagement @ Work

2010-08-03T23:05:00.000-07:00

TED is one of my favorite places. You could spend days there. http://www.ted.com/
This video was posted on TEDTalk Tuesdays July20th. "The surprising truth about what motivates us." Not the usual polished TED experience but well worth watching anyway. I embedded this video by going to the Edit HTML tab in my New Post window. I made sure to leave some room above the code, so when I switched to Compose, there was room at the top for me to type this.

2010-08-01T23:18:00.000-07:00

I was recently asked about embedding gadgets like the "Feed the Koi" so here is an overview:
First, click on the blue link amid the swimming fish to reach abowman at http://abowman.com/google-modules/fish/ and copy the string of code from where it says "embed."

Then go to the Design tab at the top of your blog. Open it:

Click on the top link - "Add a Gadget" and the following box will appear:

Then choose one of the options (or better yet, investigate them all) I added the Koi at the "HTML/JavaScript" option.

This is what you will be pasting in:

Finally, paste it into the large white area, and added a caption up at the top: Save. Then "view blog" and see if it worked. If not, just try again. Getting there is more than half the fun! The first time this worked, I was plagued by delusions of grandeur.

Calculating the Value of Library $ervice$

2010-07-06T08:48:00.004-07:00

While reading the March 2010 issue of Library Journal I saw this device from the Swiss Army Librarian. Here is Brian Herzog's Library Value Calculator mentioned in that article. I thought it was an interesting gadget and tried adding it to the sidebar, but it's too large. Therefore, you must view it here, and through the links below this post. Click on the words "Value of Service" to see how he arrived at these values.

Picasa Picasso

2010-06-27T20:24:00.001-07:00

Picasa? I started by joining Flickr years ago, and just stayed there. Did all my editing in Photoshop Elements before uploading. Time to branch out, since the Library now offers Picasa classes. I was surprised by the ease of use right from the start. When I download Picasa, (to my own computer, not the Library’s) like a little mole it zeroed in on all my photos and busily gathered them up. I chose Picasa as the default to open. Almost immediately I saw how nicely it lets you browse through your stuff. Great big thumbnails – 50% larger than my ancient version of Photoshop Elements. First I zipped through creating a collage of my daughter’s wedding photos. Then I used the “star” tool to select a few dozen photos at random. (Little yellow stars show on the thumbnails, above.) Selections can then be grouped in sets - uploaded to web albums, emailed or blogged, or exported as a HTML document. I would still use Elements if I were editing alot, but maybe Picasa will tempt me with easier methods. I enlarged the toolbar below so you can take a look.

Check out two Picasa sets on my Facebook. (Click badge @ left)

Next: an investigation of the Web Albums feature, and the sharing aspects of Picasa…

Spanish Class and "Digital Nation"

2010-01-31T21:18:00.005-07:00

I recently signed up for a class at the local Jr College: "Speedy Spanish." It's so frustrating understanding some Spanish and speaking a little but being unable to make it useful on the job. We are always scrambling to locate the person-who-speaks-Spanish for a customer. I always feel guilty when that person is not me, and think it should be. (Alas for all the French I took in College.) The class has no prerequisites, so I was hoping to revive and build on what I know. Several years of highschool Spanish and more decades of limping along beside the ambient Latino culture have kept me interested but not very effective.

Last Tuesday was our first class. The instructor greeted each person politely in Spanish as they entered the room. He introduced himself and explained that it would be mostly non-English and that it would be OK. After a short dictation - five sentences we were to write in Spanish as best we could - he spent the remainder of the class using the white board and we the students to demonstrate how one can learn (or re-learn) a language as children do; by paying attention and coming to understand what the teacher means. He wrote, gestured, laughed, nodded, illustrated, demonstrated, acted out, and occasionally explained in English. He invited us to talk to each other. This turned out to be possible. Everyone seemed to enjoy the class and warm up to the style of teaching being used. I was fascinated by how elegantly and painlessly the tools of learning a language can be picked up again.

I can't think of a way to tie this story to learning 2.0 or Emerging Technologies. However, I do have to hurry home from this Tuesday's Spanish class to catch the latest Front Line entitled "Digital Nation."

Welcome to Your e-Reading Place

2010-01-27T21:58:00.003-07:00

One of my colleagues over at the Staff Information Hub posted interestingly about setting up an area or room in one of the libraries dedicated to promoting e-resources and teaching the public how to use them. I remember the days of the old Periodicals Room, a ponderous and serious place full of stacks of newspapers and magazines securely held behind a counter. Staff asked people for their drivers licenses or library cards as collateral when surrendering to them a copy of Barron's or the Wall Street Journal. Other staff policed the public computers with clipboard in hand, making sure people did not abuse their time limits. It was a different world back then!

These days all the periodicals are loose on the shelf, and sometimes issues cannot be found. Sometimes the publisher is less than diligent in getting our copy to us. Or it may be misplaced or even, (heaven forbid) taken from the library. These things happen. With back issues available online and the advent of downloadable materials of all sorts, a location in the library for teaching about their use is just common sense. Lots of people are comfortable with the internet but not so comfortable navigating to specific resources, or checking out a Netbook. With the plethora of devices out there, downloading books can be daunting too. At least the delivery side of the process, (The Greater Phoenix Digital Library) can be made easier to do with a little encouragement.

In that spirit, I located a stock photo and doctored it up a bit in Photoshop. Imagine this on the wall of an e-Reading Room in your local library. Instead of sending the message of the old days, "we don't trust you with our stuff" it welcomes people in to take a look and get comfortable.

Hybrid Reading Experience

2010-01-15T21:37:00.010-07:00

I have been using a hybrid form of reading without realizing it! Hooked on the West Wing series, I watch chunks (chapters) at a sitting, the audio turned low and the English subtitles turned on. I could hear it just fine, but found the technique very relaxing, allowing me to read (and re-read) the dense, well-written dialogue and explore the complicated political, international and personal dynamics. My husband laughed at me, saying he had never seen someone watch TV like that. The fact is, I would probably not have read a book entitled The West Wing. But the story is so well told, so filled with layers of meaning and blends of music, video, and scene transitions, it is excellent storytelling. Library Journal published an article last fall in which Tom Peters said. "Reading is one human activity that is at once both intensely cerebral and lusciously sensory." The article discusses the future of reading in the light of genuine reading hybrids like "Vooks."

Vooks (video books) blend print and video content. Vook.com partnered with Simon & Schuster last fall in this experiment: titles combining text and a dozen or more embedded videos in the text layout . Cost: around $7. The guy who introduced this is Bradley J. Inman, a Silicon Valley entepreneur. The NY Times and Publishers Weekly have informative articles on the print-media hybrid. And were vooks go, Twitter and online communities will surely follow.

Critics say human reading involves “immersion” or “flow”, which is by nature solitary. Also, when a story is augmented with video the imagination is diverted from making its own images. I agree to some extent. Should anyone else decide which "lusciously sensory" imagery is evoked when you or I read? Fiction reading is transportive, and half the fun is letting your mind freewheel and make associations on its own. Maybe hybrid fiction isn’t for everyone. Nonfiction could be pretty interesting though –a biography supplemented with embedded video or speeches? A nonfiction Vook would do the running around for you, mashing together various sources and enriching the content so you don’t have to. There is a certain appeal.

Meanwhile, I still like curling up to read a nice West Wing episode. And if some political or legislative story line confounds me, I hit pause, run to my computer (still no mobile device) and google for background insight into the topic. Am I being weird, or just finally starting to catch up?

"In Mongolia When a Dog Dies...

2010-01-12T19:48:00.004-07:00

...he is buried high in the hills so people will not walk on his grave. The dog's master whispers into his ear his wishes that the dog will return as a man in his next life..." So begins "The Art of Racing in the Rain." Below is a video trailer for the book. I don't believe there is a movie (yet). I actually had to fiddle with HTML a tiny bit, and I don't really speak the language. But I got the video clip embedded, and that's what counts. Voila!

In this book the dog (and author) is Enzo. Don't be mistaken, it's no ordinary cute book pretending to be written by a dog about its master. But be warned, it may make you ponder your existence, yearn for lost love, and even cry. I checked it out on Amazon, and discovered it has 670 customer reviews.

Learning for Learning's Sake

2010-01-09T21:28:00.011-07:00

I'm taking the lead from a post on the "2.1" site and from a coworker's blog to learn something new, if not "every day" than regularly as a matter of life stance. That seems less daunting than "every day" and has a permanent sort of ring to it besides. Today I investigated more places to find full text articles on the open web and snooped around on Magportal.com. I did a search for "Polling companies" from a sample query given in the book I am currently reading: "Conducting the Reference Interview" a 2009 edition of a "How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians". I checked it out a while back and ended by purchasing it because I could not bear to part with it.

Meanwhile, back to Magportal... my search for polling companies was yielding discouraging results until I narrowed the query to either political, commerical, academic, or some other category of polling. That helped but was still focusing on the results of polls. Let's see...the customer query cited in the Reference Interview book was "Do you have anything on polling companies?" Oh - so maybe it's really a question for Refence USA, for just the names of companies who do polls. See, you really do have to ask people to clarify what they really want. I have to remember that. No customer to ask this time though.

I went over to SPL's site for Ref USA but they're doing site maintenance this week so it will have to wait until later.

Concept: The Virtual Book Display

2010-01-07T10:45:00.012-07:00

Still smitten by Hugo Cabret, I got this book for my daughter in law, an elementary school teacher. She saw possibilites for class read-alouds using a projector to show each page as she read. And I, imagining display possiblities for my library, assembled a variety of stuff from around the house. (Click picture for closer look)...a set of keys from an old jewelry box. A wooden artist's hand model. An old pocket watch. The pendulum from a family heirloom clock ... and the back view of the clock itself. Stories enter our minds and stir up all sorts of things, and this book is dandy for stimulating the subconscious and letting you dream. Like sitting in a theater watching a soundless movie, you enter the story. What if you were alone like Hugo? What about the old man and his mysterious past? The reader wants to walk invisibly through this story, seeing it all. Thankfully the reader can. I love this book.

Maybe our library will do virtual displays like this on our website: illustrated book reviews with a bit of whimsey to convey the enjoyment (hopefully contagious) we found in a particular book,

Gave My Heart to Hugo

2009-11-06T08:18:00.009-07:00

I just love the no-longer-new 2007 book The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Read it, please! It's a thick heavy graphic novel featuring artwork reminiscent of Chris Van Allsburg. The story is both very inventive and based on historical fact. There is fictional Hugo, living alone in the walls of a Paris train station, winding twenty-seven clocks every day. Why is he there and how does he live? Who is the mysterious old man in the toy booth? Georges Melies - the old man - is based on historical fact. So really you have is a nice historical-graphic-novel. What I love is how author Brian Selznick morphs from pages of his exquisite narrative drawings to pages of storytelling text. You barely notice the transition from one medium to the other. For this visual feast to become an audiobook would take vast amounts of skilled description. Oh, and don't miss the flash player presentation of the book on their website.

Pavement paintings in Scottsdale

2008-05-21T13:15:00.009-07:00

Pavement paintings to adorn downtown Scottsdale

I recently downloaded the new (to me) Google Toolbar with options such as sending an article to my blog with one click. A red arrow page icon directs you to "send your selection or whole page to Gmail/Blogger." I was hoping the entire article would appear on the page, though. The enclosure link was automatic, for both the title and the subheading. (I cut the headline down by removing several extraneous words.)

Then I had to upload the photo from this article separately. Since it didn't have a photographer by line I'm not sure of the right way to do this.

I am now on the trail of NowPublic.com, a site anyone can join to create and file news articles and news photos. This is heady stuff. Imagine the next generation of journalists getting their start: maybe right at the library. Not everyone is gaming these days. Maybe some library users dream of capturing the attention of UPI or AP!

"Imaging" The Whirl of Information

2008-04-27T14:30:00.000-07:00

Information designer and visualizer Dave Gray's blog, "Communication Nation" has a short video called "THE WHIRL" - He writes and draws while discussing the challenges of the information age. He observes how information that surrounds things can become more important than the things themselves! This is an intriguing idea. (Like being lost in your own tag cloud?) The graphic at right is from the video, and represents the earth surrounded by a swarm of information. People are having trouble deciding what is important amid this whirl of facts and opinions. Who hasn't felt this? Using visual languages can help in understanding and evaluating this onslaught of information. His personal blog at http://www.davegray.info/2008/04/11/the-whirl/ contains this video and others. He also promotes a visual thinking school on Squidoo. Some of his clients: Nokia, British Petroleum, and Microsoft.

I'm intrigued by organizations which employ open - nonlinear - creative communication - as their essential way of doing business. Also the visual means these organizations use. I found this while searching the web for mind maps.

Gray is giving two workshops called Visualizing Information, one on May 2nd in New York and the other on May 7th in Chicago. His co-presenter was Graphics Director for Newsweek until recently, when he left to focus on teaching at Michigan State University.The workshop will focus on information design and information visualization as well as techniques to translate complex information into graphics, diagrams, charts and maps.

Facebook Article: Finding Islamic Community

2008-04-26T13:05:00.004-07:00

This article from the Chicago Tribune introduces an interesting use of Facebook and may be read in its entirety here.
It describes British students using Facebook as a forum to discuss issues of freedom and belief and to conduct ongoing debates on honoring their culture while studying in multicultural settings. The great thing about finding groups in Facebook or MySpace is the sense of community that can be derived. At the same time, it speaks to a kind of isolation too: not having peers close at hand. This dichotomy seems to come up in thinking about the internet in general, but the writers cite Facebook as providing "fast and easy access to the greater Muslim community and freedom to ask religious or cultural questions without fear of embarrassment."

#23: Summing Up

2008-04-07T09:00:00.009-07:00

I had a great time navigating through this class. Now I understand a little what some of our customers find so intriguing. One of my favorite things was finally figuring out how De.lici.ous works and using it. Another high point was making a little search widget to put on the blog that changes and grows as you use it. I can imagine this being a useful library tool.

What I’ve learned is that these things are just tools to use depending on the problem or project at hand. Recently I’ve noticed how they can be used in combination, and that’s pretty neat too. The next step after these lessons is gradually getting used to using them more, and even depending on them for results. I hope the library keep using blogs and wikis to communicate internally. And with the public of course.

How has this program affected my lifelong learning goals? It confirms what I secretly hoped: that you can bring your real self to a challenge and contribute something of value to the effort. And that the ability to learn is a very transferable skill.

I’m a big fan of mind maps, (see my Flickr account under Favorites.) The “idea map” above is one of those things I like to doodle on PostIt’s. Maybe a future class could group material into modules based on interest or experience level. Each polygon could represent a group of features that work best together.

I hope future classes encourage more posting and commenting on the blogs, more collaborating and brainstorming and feedback, Maybe 2 or 3 people could work together to make sure everyone has “gotten” a lesson before moving on. I know not everyone had enough computer time or off-desk time to complete the work, and that some felt isolated and didn’t really get into it. Yes, I’d like more projects like this.

Overdrive, Part II

2008-04-07T08:09:00.000-07:00

I am determined to actually use the Overdrive feature. Since all my other selections are on hold, I checked out and watched a movie instead! (First, I had to upgrade my version of Windows Media Player.) Then I chose the film "75 Degrees in July." Good film but not great: Although I tried to burn it to a dvd, I wasn't able to: probably lacks that option. Next, I checked out "Life of Pi" audio book and downloaded that to a disc. According to the data, I have until the 27th of April before it expires. I'm interested to see whether the disc is usable after that date....does the data simply degrade?

One of the problems I encountered during these downloads: messages from my computer that I was running out of memory. I wonder to what extent this is a problem for library customers as well. Generally speaking, this was useful practice because I knew that even problems I encountered would help me explain Overdrive to someone in the future. It would probably be wise for staff to have more first-hand experience with formats likely to cause frustration during the learning phase. Nothing can really replace actual hands-on experience!

#21 & 22: Podcasts and Overdrive

2008-04-04T11:34:00.018-07:00

Using the directory "Learn Out Loud" I found three interesting podcasts, each unique and with a different focus. Although I'd still like to look for some with a strictly Library focus, each of these is interesting. They are also in "My RSS Feeds" in the Podcasts folder.

1. BigStoryTime: "Big Podcasts Read by Little Storytellers" : Mitchell, Valerie and Megan review the movie "Ice Age: the Meltdown", and share some knock-knock jokes. Later on, small readers share Boynton and Cousins books and even read the beloved "Goodnight Moon." You'll just love their sassy style. There are many more podcasts here for children, read by both kids and by the authors themselves.

2.Humankind: has socially conscious media stories, humanizing healthcare, breaking down ethnic barriers, and lots, lots more. It's not free podcasts, but it is very interesting audio content.

3. Alive in Baghdad: Voices of Iraquis. A weekly video podcast distributed by World News Limited. It delves into the real lives of people, on a level not seen on the evening news, except perhaps Frontline. It employs Iraqui journalists and covers such topics as Iraqui teens working for their families, corruption in the passport office, searching for employment, etc. Other productions come from Syria and Mexico ("Alive in Mexico.") This one would be great enrichment if you were reading a book on Iraq.

Taking Overdrive for a Test Drive

2008-04-04T11:34:00.015-07:00

I attempted to download 3 different selections from Overdrive, all of which now show on hold but are not downloadable at this time. I will try the download process ...tomorrow maybe. Are these titles really in demand and not available I wonder, or is there a delay between choosing them and being able to download them? (Click on the screen captures at right to view larger.) I'm determined to access this particular feature of our catalog, since we want customers to use it and like it. To be fair, perhaps I should also select a print format, some music, and see if video downloads work as well. I mean, why not take it for a real test drive?
Meanwhile, I can report that the browsing went well, selection was easy, and the genres were organized fairly well. I did have trouble finding general nonfiction though; probably just need to enter a keyword as we do in Millenium.

#20 YouTube, TED

2008-04-03T13:02:00.012-07:00

In looking for video it proved hard to decide what direction to choose. I ultimately chose three types: a straight interview, a realistic travel vlog, and a user-friendly informational video from Common Craft. It all just proves the different ways the medium can be used. Watched a review of “Under the Same Moon” with America Ferrera, an example of straight interview on a topic.

Under the Gritty Travel category here is an interesting (but several years old) short documentary of biking in Iran on the 20th Anniversary of the Iran-Iraq war - by Bike2Oz (Iran to Pakistan) CAVEAT: Some explicit language.

Episode 07 Bike2Oz (Iran to Pakistan)
Uploaded by undercurrentsvideo

The last is this in the "chalk-talk tutorial" category. This is one of several Common Craft shows “In Plain English” explaining Blogs, Wikis, RSS, Social Networking, Social Book-marking, and Twitter. They can be accessed thru several different services including YouTube, BlipTV and Teacher Tube. They are wonderful ways to simplify a complex subject and I cannot recommend them enough.

I did check out a few other hosting sites, like Uvouch ("Are you passionate about something? share it at YouVouch." ) Another video host, Daily Motion claimed to be free of explicit content. Teacher Tube also works toward this goal, in order to be approved for classroom uses. But my all-time favorite is TED, whose opening music alone makes me want to suit up and fight for more intelligent and inspiring content. I will try to embed one of my favorites from TED...

#19: Custom Search Portal Appears at Left!

2008-03-31T14:32:00.004-07:00

SWICKI : a custom search portal that you easily design and put on your blog or site. "Swickis" are defined as online applications that can " grow and serve a community of enthusiasts around a particular topic." It is collaborative with others who may be using your search terms, so it grows. And anyone can "grab" it and use it, too. The one at left was made by choosing search terms you see in the tag cloud, related to art, design, and color in libraries. It pulls in all sorts of results, some relevant and surprising, some less so. With a little work I can make it better. With proper input of terms in the first place, I think it could become quite powerful. I like the tag cloud feature and the compact size. One feels that one has really created something!

If you were getting lots of traffic to your site, as the library does, a feature like this could be customized for all sorts of special events (Spring Training for example), or just Winter Visitors Information, Summer travel, School topics at certain times of the year. The Kids or Teens part of the site could have a swicki designed to aid with research, maybe. Would this be oversimplifying the research process? I guess it would depend on the quality of the results, because really good results would do a better job of preparing the student and save them a lot of wasted time flailing around through bad results.

I can see working out a swicki for the Call Center that is programmed, so to speak, to pull in results from trusted sources and also to respond to new sources added by others. . If a really well informed person designed one, a swicki could be a really useful tool to narrow down the number of search results. It is way better than a Pathfinder, but still “only as good as the expert who has designed it.” I can see creating custom swickis for patrons or teaching people how to make their own. Maybe there would be a way to "install" every patron's swicki where they log into "My Account."

2008-03-25T16:58:00.000-07:00

Will Online Tools Change the World?

This Google Doc isn't interactive when I send it to my blog, I notice.

The table I made below asks you to add your favorite cookie to the list, but you have to be in Google Docs to type the data. Since I like playing around with fonts, I am using Comic Sans MS font. The header was 24 pt white text color and green text background. These settings are at about the midpoint of the toolbar above. Below is a separator from the Insert menu.

By inserting a table, I can ask for your input (after I have invited you to collaborate).

1. I can ask for input	5.	9.
2. What is your favorite cookie?	6.	10.
3. Mine: Apricot Walnut Bars	7.	11.
4.	8.	12.

But of course online productivity is about Productivity, not just appearance. In order to produce, I need the input of others, so I will send my document off and see where it lands. If I am successful in inviting others, maybe this table will fill up. If the table isn't the right shape, someone else should be able to resize it too.

Jumped Right In

2008-03-25T15:47:00.002-07:00

Jumped Right In
Originally uploaded by margalearningzone

The little feet in this photo are borrowed from Flickr. Since we were all sent to play in the Sandbox of Wiki 2.0, here’s the link to Favorite Vacation Spots, where I added my own sandbox photo: (See Coastal Escape).
I hope to learn more features, because clearly you can do a lot in the sandbox. But, do they mean anyone can really create an entirely new page?

Onward to Online Productivity.

Getting My Mind Around Wikis

2008-03-18T15:42:00.010-07:00

What is written about the wiki tells me it “allows people with great ideas to be included in the decision-making process.” It is democratic. In a library environment this might seem to fly in the face of “authority control” of processes, nomenclatures or accepted terms and languages. And how does a library help me find “the best mechanic” or Thai food, when the basis for this information may be largely anecdotal or opinion-based? Linking people and information doesn’t tell you what the quality of the information is.

Image information at right:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Linas#Purdy_pictures

But I like the idea of the library catalog having a “wiki functionality” allowing anyone to add a review or keyword or tag to make the catalog more valuable to those who are searching within a particular genre or looking for a new author. And I like the Library Success Best Practices Wiki suggestion of using the wiki idea to link Library patrons, all waiting for the same book, to discuss it online. I wasn’t sure about the suggestion that they pass it among themselves rather than returning it to the library though. I also like the Princeton Public Library Booklover’s Wiki which offers prizes to motivate its customer reviewers. Sometimes just the impetus a reader needs is a word-of-mouth recommendation that someone else liked a book or movie or found an online resource trustworthy.

The Library Success Best Practices Wiki at http://www.libsuccess.org is a veritable feast of information that is inspiring in its scope. It was originally created by Meredith Farkas and is available to attribute and share for noncommercial use under a Creative Commons License. So even though it is rich in content, it is a work in progress, and contains the opinions of many different people.

I checked out http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wiki/ from an ALA conference in Chicago, sharing such things as lodging, dining, city transportation, views, and museums. I can see library patrons similarly adding their information on best places in their library for wifi, or the nearest café, quietest places, most comfy chair, best light, best area for kids to play without disturbing others, etc. On a different level, I can see Community Service organizations in an area having access to the Library’s wiki in order to maintain current information on services, contact numbers, deadlines and special offerings such as testing opportunities, flu shot clinics, bus tickets, etc. In times of crisis, (hurricane, flood, earthquake) these centralized bulletin boards could be relied on as tried and true lines of communication.

Wikis do indeed allow group efforts to be organized. Still, some wikis I have seen sometimes seem very disorganized. Since anyone can edit, point of view and “tone of voice” could mar the collaborative goal, and though the term “neutral point of view” was applauded as a goal by some sources, that doesn’t seem possible or even realistic in some cases. (An internal Staff wiki would necessarily have a very definite point of view.)
With a common goal as the ideal, there would of necessity be a bias toward one point of view at the expense of others, however polite the discussion.

Lastly, I include the link to a Wikipedia discussion among a group of Chemical engineers whose rhetoric becomes less than cordial in their effort to agree on wiki content. The Graphic at the top of this article was accessed via this site also.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Linas/Archive10
There is still a lot to think about here.

#15: From Cloud Cities to Street Libraries

2008-03-13T14:58:00.009-07:00

Where Next?
Originally uploaded by margalearningzone

Having read a little about 2.0 Library Futures, I'd like to mention an OCLC Newsletter article written by Tom Storey that contains a nice step-by-step screencast. This really appeals to my learning style, because it employs visual, auditory AND kinesthetic styles. There really should be more of this kind of tutorial out there. If there were, we would all be zipping through this learning experience. The source is the Santa Monica Library's link to help locate alternate sources for Library items people want. This example shows exactly the process a patron needs to search "all area libraries" for an item in Open Worldcat.
Other 2.0 related articles mention such concepts as shared cyber workspaces, collaboration, connectivity, speed and barrier removal. Such barriers as place, time, and expertise are mentioned, but I don't recall "economic advantage."

Another OCLC article by Wendy Schultz takes readers through multiple generations of possible Library Technology toward a future she describes like part 19th Century Salon, part Zen-like retreat and part health spa; all in a 3-D virtual reality. I reminds me of those fictional cloud-cities in tales where the privileged live lives of intellectual inquiry while the many less-lucky below toil with day to day realities.

This SF Chronicle story from 2000 belongs in the discussion (because I love it) and because I hope the future of technology in libraries doesn't lose sight of this enduring vision. How is the still-present digital divide being addressed? Even among the participants in this learning adventure, there is wide variation in experience, fluency, ease of use, etc. I hope there will always be steps from the low-tech world that remain encouraging, free of intimidation, elitism and a dismissive attitude.

I'm currently reading The Design of Future Things (see my Librarything) but reviews tell me this book (Everyware) is better at conversing about how we will understand ubiquitous computing in the future. I'm finding this part of the discussion interesting: not so much the content that becomes available to people via 2.0 technologies, but how people feel and think about them, interact and are changed by them, and what it really means.

#14: Notes on Exploring Technorati

2008-02-26T21:29:00.008-07:00

Technorati seems to be a very rich way to use all the information out there, and "in here" too. I visited Blogger Central's list of top 100 blogs. If you simply sort this list by number of fans, Boing Boing wins. I don't know anything about Boing Boing yet, but it wins.
Another popular one is LifeHacker which has an amazing array of useful information. Their How-To listings cover "turning your Nokia phone into a WiFi hotspot...", "calming down before a speech," "recover from cooking disasters" and thwarting pesky 800-number calls. I was perusing one of their links, http://800notes.com/ when my phone rang and I was immediately able to type the 800 number into that site and track the caller, learning that this 800 caller ignores attempts to be on a no-call list, and tends to call around 8PM.
A search under Internet Marketing and social media led me to http://www.doshdosh.com/ Very interesting and intelligent material about web content and the importance of “becoming an authority in your niche” helps explain to me one of the most valuable things about social media: really having something worth sharing. Doshdosh also discusses how good content is only really an asset when it is shared. Good point.

I got a bit lost in my meandering, and failing to tag everything in De.lici.ous, can't recall where I found this novel use of Technorati: to track a group of traveling & blogging students, using a prearranged tag to better access the group project. Thus the group organizer back home could access all the posts for retrieval using this unique tag. Ingenious!
I looked up Learning 2.0. in Technorati where a task of this lesson was to compare search results using tags, blog posts and the directory. For some reason, I am not understanding where these features are on the Technorati site. Here is a good reason to ask someone else in the program. When Technology isn't helping, ask a person!
Last and best, I found a video of Helene and Charles, who present the program, wrapping up for a group of over 360 participants in late 2006. How nice to finally meet the face behind the voice of Helene Blowers.

Lesson #13 -Tagging and Del.icio.us

2008-02-21T13:45:00.004-07:00

After my tour of social bookmarking, Del.icio.us, and some related articles, I am somewhat overwhelmed. I have read that the whole point of social bookmarking is to take the overwhelm out of the internet by allowing you to filter, sort, tag and "flatten out" your old style filing heirarchy that's making it so hard to find things. The example of a refrigerator was used. ("Flattening" this heirarchical system is like being able to tell your refrigerator to put all the dairy up front, or everything with onions in it, or anything over 7 days old, on demand.) And to extend the metaphor, since it is "social", anyone opening my refrigerator could do the same.

The reading provided on the "PLCMCL2 favorites" Del.icio.us account has given me many things to consider. Social connectivity by interest, or product, or behavior pattern, is interesting but problematic, expecially in an information culture like a library. Do people want to be identified by a “personal information field” made up of preferences, as tracked by their digital devices? How might this compromise the idea of freedom of information, inquiry, or thought?

The same ability of Amazon or the library to “understand our preferences” and of Live Journal to start running ads derived from words I may write about (which it does) reminds one of “profiling”, as the term is used in a legal sense or “tracking” as applied to school children, both considered undesirable practices.

I read a fascinating article, the “Social Machines” by Wade Roush, from a link of PLCMCL2 favorites: http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/14664/ The writer expresses worry that the technology be so invisible that people forget they are using it, or that it is a path of least resistance in a world that is really more difficult than that. It is interesting to observe the ways in which people find meaning in connecting with each other, however. I admire this, and am curious about it. Look at http://allconsuming.net/ which is a social networking site for sharing not just books, music, and movies but also food or products. There are many others to explore.

After some thought and some reading, I have created a Del.icio.us account, but have not decided yet how to use it. The learning - and the questions - continue.

My-Spacing Out with MySpace

2008-02-21T12:31:00.006-07:00

To start with, let me say that this Arapaho Library site from Colorado is a good example of how social sites can be used to more-or-less seamlessly draw young patrons into libraries. Since the environment is already familiar to them, and navigation is not a problem, this is a good idea. Libraries can certainly establish a presence this way. When I entered, I was asking myself, "where is that music coming from?" until noting the embedded player via http://www.myspace.com/zune That means that now teens on the computer at home might be asked by a parent to please "turn down the music" and respond that they are "at the library." Friends of this site are everyone from Lisa See to His Holiness the Dali Lama (or a site in his honor, perhaps?) The Arapaho library site has even been "friended" by The Library Fairy, a whimsical site replete with Celtic music, Youtube promotion of storytelling-in-libraries prowess, and from there a link to a Maya Angelou Tribute page, where one can hear Maya herself recite (in her glorious voice) "Phenomenal", via the embedded music player. I have yet to decode how I too can embed audio this way, but the link is here - http://www.myflashfetish.com/music-player/ In establishing my own account, there was some trepidation. How does one navigate? What are all these different zones, and why does it seem so chaotic? Like entering a cocktail party in full swing. Attacks of social anxiety followed. Eventually I found Groups (likeminded MySpacers into money, investing, the Arts, Islam, etc) Events (geared to the zipcode you enter as you join, it tells of a Don Quixote event at Symphony Hall in Phoenix, nightlife and events throughout the valley), and Classifieds.
Later I learned that Brooklyn College Library also is on MySpace, with an intriguing link to Nikoli Gogol’s own site “by” him. (Those who have read “The Namesake” know who Gogol is…) This site, by the way, takes you on to a plethora of artists and writers who, though they haven’t written in over a hundred years, lead active lives on myspace, rubbing shoulders democratically with students.

#11: That Library Thing

2008-02-08T12:56:00.000-07:00

Investigating LibraryThing is much more fascinating than I expected. One early find is a link to the "Libraries of Dead Luminaries" where you can browse the bookshelves of people like Tupak Shakur, Sylvia Plath and Susan B. Anthony. (Found this in a post on the LibraryThing Blog.) I really didn't expect this level of ... scholarship? There is a lot of research and enlightenment to be found, besides what I expected -( who reads what I read, and what do they think about it?) I was imagining telling a teen looking for biography information on Shakur "You can browse his bookshelf on Librarything!" The next thing you know, the student has his own online library and is talking about books. Not to mention getting a more personal view of his subject. But do we know the authority behind the Dead Luminary's library; how "authoritative" it really is? (Can we say for sure these were books this person read?)

I successfully installed a Librarything widget at left, showing random covers from my library. I promise you I have read them, some recently. There is much, much more to do before I'm through with this site. I am a fan.

#10:Adding Image Generator Function

2008-02-08T11:49:00.001-07:00

I downloaded an application called "Ad Slogan Generator," which is rather silly but amusing. Visitors to my site can now know the excitement of typing in a word or even a phrase and getting a variety of suggestions of ad slogans. I typed in technology and got "not just nearly technology, but really technology." Many of the results have that gee-whiz quality I associate with old 50's ads, and would be intriguing idea-starters for cards, wedding toasts, co-worker congratulations, etcetera. Unfortunately, quite a few of the slogans make no sense at all, and the layout I have chosen for my page creates a rather strange look to the slogan displayed. Nevertheless, I've accessed and used a generator in the 2.0 sense. One of the other image generators I did like was a tooth fairy letter generator, which would be lots of fun in Youth Services. I also tried to create a "Dummies" book cover, but was having trouble sending it to my Flickr account. No idea whether I am doing it wrong, but will try it again, because Web 2.0's cover made it look like fun, and she said it was easy...On to Librarything!

Always a Classic!

2008-02-01T15:16:00.001-07:00

Book Bags: Always a Classic!
Originally uploaded by margalearningzone

Another look at the Art of the Bag. I don't think this flickr application allows the use of the image for commercial purposes, so perhaps the library could not use this to promote the bags for sale.

Book Bags: True Avant Garde!

2008-02-01T15:13:00.001-07:00

Book Bags: True Avant Garde!
Originally uploaded by margalearningzone

This is one of two mashup applications using the new bright book bags we finally have again. Yay, bookbags are back!

More About Finding RSS

2008-02-01T15:05:00.000-07:00

In addition to setting up an RSS account, I investigated some of the ways to locate feeds by interest, topic, etc. I found Sindic8 to be confusing; not good for a beginner and not user-friendly although for an old hand at RSS it is probably perfectly fine. Topix.net looks like it would be useful for specific news searches or if you need current news on a topic. My search for news on the Arizona Hispanic vote, on Super Tuesday turned up over 3,800 news stories, and I have no idea how one would manage a feed like that. It is still easiest for me to copy feeds directly from sources of interest that I am currently using. I do find Technorati helpful when looking for like-minded blogs on a variety of interests.

Understanding RSS, Right-Brain Style

2008-01-31T13:59:00.000-07:00

If a segment of the Library public is like me, (right-brained) understanding RSS and effectively subscribing and managing it could be a challenge. Signing up for Bloglines was extrememy easy, but grasping the relationships of choosing and managing feeds can be a little abstract. I'm also still learing how you share your RSS without necessarily sharing ALL your feeds with people who visit your blog. The Palinet tutorial mentions using feeds to keep up on where the cheapest gas is being sold. This is one of the most concrete uses of feed that I can imagine, given how much we talk about the price of gas, and how much time we can spend in gas lines when prices are jumping around. Other uses might be less immediately useful. It is so intimately tied to individual interests, and also how urgently you want information and how timely it must be to be satisfactory for you. I guess it would help to know just what percentage of library patrons use and depend on RSS feeds now, what portion of them would love the convenience if they could be encouraged to embrace the concept and how many are absolutely not interested. Also, what would it take to approach a real non-tech-minded patron and interest them in the concept just because we ourselves think it's a wonderful tool. Maybe if staff members were able to describe various real-world conveniences they themselves love, it would be contagious.

Being a visual learner, I love this site devoted to creating visual representations of the Periodic Table of Elements. In school, this was the bane of my existence, but this site simplifies such technical material by linking each element to a visual cue (Tungsten is represented by an image of a wolf with his tongue hanging out). We need something similar to make it more intuitive to use new technologies, if we are in that group who don't instinctively begin to talk in 2.0 lingo the minute we lay eyes on it. In a case like this, being less tech-savvy can be a distinct advantage by putting ourselves squarely in the camp of those who need to take it slow and have some illustratative element to their learning experience. Comments?

On Speaking Terms

2008-01-29T11:32:00.001-07:00

Elusive Inspiration
Originally uploaded by margalearningzone

I've figured out how to give permission for Blogger to show my Flickr pictures. In the past, I was uploading photos to both Blogger and Flickr and just posting the link on my Blogger link list. If I was doing it incorrectly before, this learning program set me straight. I feel like someone who's been picking peaches from a tree, finally going up on the porch and asking the owner for permission and promising to bake him a pie. We are now on speaking terms.

Also experimented with Flickr's SLiDR to make a slideshow or "badge" or something at the top of the blog. I think they let you decide whose or what photos to run there, and one option is to run a show of favorites you have. As soon as I've added some faves in Flickr, I'll try that.

Flickr Mashups and the Tiger

2008-01-26T22:04:00.000-07:00

I’ve been reading a novel in which a riddle is posed to a group of suitors, the man with the correct answer winning the bride. They have to guess what two “opposing forces” are woven into a tale depicted in her tapestry. Somehow, this train of thought led me to wondering about the forces at work as libraries and patrons embrace 2.0 technology. In the above story, the issue was about nomadic peoples of Iran (circa 1900) facing changes to their society and entire way of life. (The suitors guessed such things as “stability and change”, “seen and unseen”, “dark and light”, “tradition” and “departing from tradition.”) The library 2.0 concept addresses 2 forces you could call “real” things and “virtual” things. Investigating Flickr, I was thinking that a real tiger is “real”, and a photo of a tiger could be considered less real. But is a digital photo less real than a paper one, and is that image less “real” because it can be transmitted anywhere in the world instantaneously? If a map link then tells you that the tiger is very likely on a particular mountain, and you can “virtually” go there, what does this mean? All the ways of discussing the tiger and sharing it, cross referencing it, comparing it, are fascinating. They aren’t the tiger but they are ways to know a lot about it.

I've opened a Flickr account, and uploaded a few of my pix of the library. The entry sculpture by Larry Kirkland has always left me in awe. According to Flickr guidelines, I must link back to Flickr my use of it on this blog. As soon as I figure out how, I'll post it. One way to "mash" that photo up would be to choose a watermark for it, which is one option. There are so many others, but figuring out their usefulness? I will keep you posted.
Probably need to do some more research on Flickr mashups.

Underway At Last!

2008-01-22T10:43:00.000-07:00

Although I do blog, doing so in conjunction with a learning program is an entirely new experience. Learning 2.0 says to ponder the hardest of seven (and a half) habits for me. My greatest challenge is "Beginning with the end in mind." I guess I'm not alone in that, judging from several other posts. Envisioning a goal that does not change or vary too widely can take massive concentration. How not to be distracted by all the interesting things you encounter along the way?! Defining a specific end and keeping it small enough and still fascinating enough to keep you engaged - now that's a challenge. One way to keep it meaningful is to "add some art." Did you know you can add art or a photo to your header in just a few clicks?

Easiest: Accepting responsibility for my own learning experience I guess, being naturally curious to try something cool. One immediately thinks of interesting applications of that great new tool! On the other hand artists say the overwhelming urge "not to create today" (aka artist's/writer's block) is so common IT must be considered part of your toolbox too. You have to take the energy of all that resistance to creating and - use it to create.

I like the idea that learning these technologies lets us share more than information. Looking forward to the weeks ahead.