Wednesday, 1 June 2011

Webbed out now....

Well I have come to the end of my 10 sessions and apologise to whom it may concern for my tardiness in finishing. It has been a struggle to get the time to sit and do each module and I think the suggestion that 15 minutes a week would do it was unrealistic at worst, optimistic at best. It took me the best part of an hour to get through most lessons. I got wise half way through and stopped clicking on every little highlighted link, which allowed me to move through a bit more quickly.
Yes, I have learned quite a bit and been introduced to new methods of communication but I am more likely to confine my uses of these new methods to work-based activity. I will still maintain a little activity on my own personal Facebook account, on an adhoc basis, whenever I am alerted to family news/photos etc on there or when I can finally get myself around to posting some new pics for the benefit of extended family and far away friends.
I still cannot work out if I love or loathe Lee Lefevre and his little stick people lessons. Have to admit they are pretty clear and concise and that's how I like to learn (if not to blog -sorry!!).
It has opened my mind to new technologies and to be less fearful of them. I think it should also score me some points with the kids, being able to talk about podcasting and geocaching (if not actively doing much of either!)
Thank you for the opportunity!

Geocaching

I could be wrong but I think I have found something cool and computerised to talk to my 11 year old tech-head son about that he might not already know about!! Yay, for Geocaching (oh no,now I sound like Lee Lefevre and should be waving finger and thumb about)! I suppose it could be used in a fun way to introduce young people to the library. We could let schools know, hide our cache in the library and wait for the invasion! I liked the way the University of Notre Dame (US)used it to get first year students familiar with the campus and libraries. It will appeal to some and not to others but if it gets some people reluctant library users to venture through those doors, it might serve a purpose. The Great Race Mandurah might also introduce participants to other cultural sites around the city.

Wednesday, 25 May 2011

Podcasting potential

Now this one I can see great potential for. How great to have your ipod in your pocket or (if your velcro is not wrecked like mine)nice little arm- carrying pouch and to be able to tune in to that work meeting you missed, while driving along in the car, out walking or (only in dire circumstances) in the bath!! Think of all our guest speakers in the library and how our public could tune in after the event if we let them have access to the podcast, vodcast, libcast or whatever we might call it. That said, we don't want to deter patrons from coming to the live event but nice to know they can catch our author visits or VIP speaker when they cannot attend in person. I liked the 60 minute science podcast. For someone like me for whom time is of the essence, speedy but interesting casts like the one I tuned into on this lesson give enough to act as an appetiser and have you wanting more. Thats how I like my information! Would very much like to be able to tune into radio programmes from the old country via the same method. Multi-tasking methods in the modern age...

Wednesday, 18 May 2011

YouTube

Oh this Information Revolution is mind-boggling (bit like the video on today's lesson which had text changing at a rate of knots and zipping all over the screen)! Can we tempt people into the library who would not normally come here. Would a video of a popular band playing get the hits (sic) and the punchline be 'Borrow this and other albums for free from your local library?' On the otherhand are YouTube users so used to downloading music that they would have no reason to borrow our discs? Sorry for this stream of consciousness stuff but if I don't get it down I'll forget what I wanted to say. Unfortunately the links to the other libraries YouTube pages were not working so I am left wondering just what was on there. Was it some of their cute Rhyme Time participants showing just how much fun they were having on a Tuesday morning or was it the Aged Care group having a sing-song in the meeting room and urging others to come join their group?
Libraries are not all about learning but learning can be cool. Liked this little clip which helps kids to read - not that we needed to be told that reading can be fun!

Wednesday, 11 May 2011

Tantalising Twitter

Ok I did a tweet or 2 and to me it felt a bit frivilous. Yes it could be a great way of breaking news and maybe it's brevity just whets the appetite for more information and stimulates conversation. Perhaps its a good way of getting feedback from our clients? Easy to flick through some quick comments and get a flavour of what They are saying about us. Ok so maybe not all frivilous....
To witness my tweeting follow me at Username: finnfirst@gmail.com

Wednesday, 4 May 2011

FACEBOOK

I suppose the success of facebook is down to the willingness of members to contribute and participate. within a workplace it could be a good way of sharing information of a work nature but I think because of its casual chatty image is it likely to get full of less serious comments, quips, etc. From a networking point of view, particularly within in a large workplace it would have its uses for keeping employees linked to each other and the organisation. Having a presence on Facebook is certainly a must for every company and organisation which needs to keep in with its public. To paraphrase Michael Troiano of Holland-Mark (from the first introduction to Social Networking on today's lesson) it might be the best way to reach those who are reluctant library goers as well as to reach those influential customers who can spread the word for us.

Wednesday, 27 April 2011

Not as Delicious as I had hoped....but nice Thingy at the end!

My delicious link is the first thing to go into this blog so I can at least say I have achieved that today after spending the best part of half an hour trying to login to all the websites I am supposed to be connected to. delicious.com/firstfinn. Feeling a sense of information overload with it all! If it weren't for all my new email accounts, blogs, usernames and passwords, I might actually learn something! at the moment it's all looking a bit 'Cloudy'!
The AskNow use of delicious for referencing seems a very useful tool, although there is a challenge in reviewing sites and avoiding information overload.
I can see why Library Thing has been a hit with other Web 2.0 trainees! Now there's an app that makes sense. I can see the benefit of this - even better than the Wiki for online book clubs (although one will never be without face-to-face interaction I reckon). I love how easy it is to use and will settle in when I have more time to add my personal library at leisure and see how many other people share my often diabolical taste in books. Please note added book is purely for show at the moment - to try and prove that I am a dedicated mother as well as book lover!!

Wednesday, 6 April 2011

Wikis

I can see the benefit of wikis for sharing information but I would have serious concerns about the accuracy and reliability of the content when poeple have free rein to add and edit. My son was doing a project recently on natural disasters and when I came to look over it with him it turned out that most of his information had come from wiki sites. While none of it was earth-shatteringly important stuff I am sure there was little cause for concern but his total belief in Wikipedia as 'gospel' wrorried me a bit.
I am highly suspicious since the day my brother sent me a Widipedia link about our tiny village in Ireland. Clearly he or some of his cronies had edited it to include the 'fact' that Taughmaconnell was the birthplace of 'the famous porn star Joe Bloggs' (for Joe Bloggs read the name of one of his other mates! Naughty stuff! Have not checked in on it lately but if Wikipedia's claim to be hot on information accuracy is true I would hope it is well gone by now!
In the library one would like to think we could trust a wiki to supplement to team meetings for sharing knowledge and information. We are of course all so much more mature than my baby brother - wouldn't you agree Teena, Troy, Beth..........????

Wednesday, 30 March 2011

RSS Feeds

Really Simple huh?! This has taken me a bit of time but I am now hoping I have my five feeds safely in my subscription box or wherever they are supposed to be. It's already information overload and I thought I had enough to do in deleting all my emails!!
What did I subscribe to and why?
The Irish Times newspaper of course to keep me in touch with the happenings back in the old sod.
Mandurah Sustainable home - to prove I have green interests other than blarney and shamrocks and the like.
Unshelved - because I need a little reminder that I am supposed to be doing this for work!
Domain - houses again. This time ones for sale and of course I am not browsing them in my work time, Teena - far too busy tending my wounds inflicted by a male member of staff who shall remain nameless (let's call him 'Troy' for the sake of this blog) keeps mocking my technophobia!
Perth Now - in case I miss out on any local stories while busy doing my Web 2.0 training.

Is that it? Yes, if used correctly this could save a lot of trawling for what I really want but will probably need a fair bit of pruning in itself. See Teena there's probably a limit on how long a blog can be and now I'm getting carried away...

Wednesday, 16 March 2011

Happy St Patrick's Day

For some reason I cannot seem to upload a photo to this blog from FLickr. Just keeps telling me it does not know the url or the link so here's the link copied and pasted and well done if you do make a photo out of it!
link.http://flic.kr/p/HJ91x
Just doing a little sharing of St Patrick's Breastplate of more commonly known as an Irish blessing:
May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always on your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face
and the rain fall soft upon your fields
and til we meet again may God hold you
in the palm of his hand.

La Fheile Padraid daoibh go lear!
(Happy St Patrick's Day to you all)
T

Wednesday, 2 March 2011

Learning 2.0

Think the Learning 2.0 is a great programme (so far!) and challenging to the mind set.  Unfortunately its all to easy in our busy lives to say I don't know how to do something  rather than I could learn how to do that.  I am looking forward to being able to join in the conversations with family members who are technologically savvy!  T

Sunday, 27 February 2011

First one!

Cannot believe I am doing this!  Won't be able to show my face at my next Technophobes Anonymous meeting. T