#23 - Summary

IT IS FINISHED! I DID IT! Wow, I really did. When I first started "23 Things" I was really apprehensive about it all. Yes, I can figure out things on the computer like e-mails, finding a website, Microsoft word, but I am not computer literate. But yes, I decided to give "23 Things" a try. Even through the first 8 things I really wondered if I would make it but must admit it did get easier after that. And I surprised myself that I was actually able to figure things out on my own for the most part.

I think my favorite was "Photo Sharing" just because I see this as being most used by myself. I'm not sure how many of the others I will actually use but now that I'm done I may be able to enjoy some of my "things".

One of the hardest parts of this was the amount of time it took to do. I did most of this at home which was not easy because I have other family members who needed to be on for homework and business work. Not having a computer at my desk was also a problem. I know many spent a lot of time at work doing this, but I felt a little guilty taking time away from my actual work that needed to be done. Sometimes I would spend 2 hours working on just one thing. Towards the end, I did spend some time in the lab working on it. It might have been nice to know how much time we could actually use to spend time at work working on our blogs.

I would love to do a more basic computer learning before doing another "23 type things". I actually did not even know how to copy and paste before this. I think I need to do a discovery exercise that would cover some of the beginner stuff. On the other hand, I learned a lot doing this and maybe all I need are the opportunities to figure it all out and explore all there is in the world of computerland.

#22 - Podcasts

I explored all three sites - Podcast, Podcastalley, and Yahoo Podcasts. I spent a lot of time looking for a podcast that I would be interested in. I actually prefer to listen to music so I think finding something I would listen to was a little difficult. I finally found "Today Show" on Podcast.net and added to my RSS feeds (good thing I have it now).

RSS FEEDS AGAIN

Well I decided to go back to #8 -RSS Feeds and register again. I'm really not sure what happened the first time (everything was lost) and I never heard back after e-mailing them. Anyway, adding RSS feeds this time was much quicker than the first time. Plus, I've probably added ones that I might use more now that I know what I'm doing. I think I should get extra credit for doing this one again!!

#21 - Online Video

Since it is the Christmas season, I decided to check out some Christmas lights videos. Hope you enjoy this one. Merry Christmas!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot-B4V8oqPQ&feature=related

#20 - Special Treat

When you stop to think about it, it really is amazing what you can do on the computer, the information that is available, and all the different ways and places you can explore and search. It's a little mind-boggling and overwhelming. I 'm glad I didn't see this video when I first started my 23 things. I really enjoyed watching the video "A Vision of Students Today". With two kids in college and two in high school, I see a lot of truth in this video. Makes you wonder what will all happen in the future in the world of technology.

#19 - Digital Music

Well if I had a computer at my desk I would for sure customize my own radio station. While I currently have a radio/CD player at my desk, it only tunes into two radio stations which gets a little boring. And if I had my own customized radio station I could pick the songs I like to hear. As far as iTunes, I have not used this yet although my kids have. Maybe once I get my MP3 player I will have to try it out. Over the past weekend I actually did go to some online music stores looking for the song "Joseph's Song" by Michael Card hoping to download some printed music for this song. If I decide to play this song at church, this would be much faster and easier to download versus getting in my car, driving to a music store, searching for the song, etc.

#18 - Social Networking

Because I have 4 children (two in high school and two in college) I am somewhat familiar with MySpace, Xanga, and Facebook. At this time all my kids and many of their friends have Facebook accounts. Facebook is especially popular with the college kids but even popular with the high school. I think this is just another way for people to communicate with each other. Today students and others spend so much time on the computer that communication is much quicker for them to use Facebook, etc. I know there can be concerns with these sites and you need to use your better judgement and make good decisions in what you post and who you allow to "invite" to your site. I myself at this time don't see a need to have a Facebook or MySpace account. I can still use the phone to contact friends. Maybe some day when I have a "social life" (maybe once my kids are out of the house and when I'm old and retired) and am on the computer all the time, I'll have to set up an account with all my friends.

#17 - Wikis

I investigated all the library wikis mentioned in the discovery exercise. I must admit my favorite was the Book Lovers wiki developed by the Princton Public Library. I liked the book reviews and think that would be very helpful in considering a book to read. My other favorite was the SJCPL Subject Guides wiki. A lot of information was available through this wiki. I also checked out the KDL wiki.

#16 - Technorati & Blog Tagging

I started out doing some general exploring in Technorati. Did a keyword search for "Learning 2.0" - 6,718 posts came up, and 659 posts tagged. I did notice that November 5 was the highest date with blog posts mentioning 2.0. I looked into some of the popular blogs and into the DVD, Movie and Sport categories. I did do a search on "Dancing with the Stars" and found a lot of fun information. Marie Osmond's son is now in rehab. Go Jennie Garth! Maybe not the best dancer, but I still like her. And yes, I am voting.

#15 - Tagging

I did do some exploring with del.icio.us and it was interesting to see what people were bookmarking and tagging. At this point, I see no need for me to set up an account since I really have nothing that needs to be bookmarked or tagged. I can see where it might be helpful for others though.

HELP! I'M DROWNING

So today I thought I would go back to some of my sites like RSS Feeds, Rollyo, LibraryThing and see what was happening. So I tried to log into Bloglines to get to my RSS Feeds and it would not let me. First it said I an incorrect name or password. After several attempts, I checked the "forgot password" thinking I had the wrong password. That came up that my e-mail was incorrect. So I confirmed my e-mail with the original e-mail I received when I first registered which was correct. By this time I'm getting really frustrated, so I went to get some help from the expert co-worker who has helped me in the past. She was baffled too, but suggested I e-mail Bloglines for possible help. So I e-mailed them. Waiting now to see if they respond and offer any help. HOPE I CAN BE SAVED!

#14 - Best of Web 2.0

Whoa! I recognized some of those sites (Bloglines, LibraryThing, Zoho, Flikr, Rollyo, Facebook). Can't imagine where I've seen them. Checked out the health award winners and several others just for the fun of it. I think I'll stick to what I've learned on the 23 things before I get into other stuff. I don't think my mind can handle much more at this point.

#13 - Online Productivity

So I did some exploring of Zoho Writer. It looks to be a lot like Microsoft Word and Excel Spreadsheets. I did like some of the templates (the recipe one) and maybe in the future I might use some of the business ones for my husband's own business. But for now he handles all that and uses something else. So for now, since I really don't have a real use for these, I'll stick to Microsoft Word when I do need to use it.

#12 - Customized Search Engines

I didn't get that one. I knew what it wanted me to do, but I couldn't figure out how to do it. After some help, I realized how easy it really was. Anyway, now my Rollyo has some great recipes sites for me to use. I guess that means I'll have to try some recipes out too. Feel free to check out my Rollyo recipe sites.

#11 - LibraryThing

That was fun. I created an account and added more than 5 books. Since I am a big Karen Kingsbury book reader I added to my catalog all of her books that I have read. So if you have not read any of her books, here's your chance to see some of what she's written and how I spend my free time (when I'm not working on my 23 Things). Check out my LibraryThing catalog and enjoy reading some of my favorites.

#10 - Web 2.0 and Libraries

I agree that in today's world, technology must be a focus to succeed in the future. Every day technology is changing and we learn more and more. Every business, school and human needs to know the technology that is available to them. That is why schools are teaching computer classes starting with preschool. At my kid's high school, computer applications is now a required class and is needed to graduate from high school. Technology has changed the way a person thinks. While I think technology is very important, I do wonder if all the technology available makes us think less and less. It is much easier to use a calculator to solve a math problem, use spell check to check on the correct spelling of a word, and facebook, e-mail or text message someone instead of talking to that person face to face, and why think when we can find the information somewhere on- line. I think we need to be careful that technology does not control us. Yet, I do believe that technology is our future and we need it to survive in the world. So, as far as our libraries are concerned, I think we need to keep exploring the latest in technology, but keep the books available and coming for us slow learners.

#9 - Library Blogs

I spent some time exploring the California Wildfires and found some interesting stories and pictures. Because they were simpler and easier to figure out, I liked Blogline and Feedster the best. I can see where you could spend a lot of time exploring the news. You really have no excuse to be "out of the loop". I myself think I would rather just read the newspaper or watch the news on TV.

#8 - RSS Feeds

So that took me about 2 hours to do that but I have an account with Bloglines and I've got 10 feeds posted. I picked ones like A Phrase a Week, Joke of the Day, and Quotes of the Day. I'm not sure how much I'll use this either but it might be kinda fun to check out for a laugh or two. I'm looking forward to things getting easier now.

#7 - Image Generators

Wow! I did it all by myself!! No help from my kids. That was kind of fun. Created this nice flower picture from the Animated Wave generator and created my own M & M guy too. Couldn't get him to post to my blog though. At least I got this to work. And it didn't even take me very long to figure out. I must be making some progress.

#6 Mash-Ups

So I spent way too much time exploring this. I don't think I would use this too much. I would much rather share and use my own pictures. I guess if you had a lot of time it would be fun but I don't have that much time. Anyway, I created this cute trading card of Sophia. She was not a happy camper. It was a long day of camping and she was ready to call it a day.

5-Photo Sharing

Somehow I figured out how to open a Flickr account, upload my pictures and post them to my blog (with my daughter's help).

These are pictures from Ludington State Park. Roasting dough boys, sunset at Lake Michigan, Big Sable Point Lighthouse, and an aerial view of the lighthouse and beach taken from Bert's airplane.

Even though I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with all of this, I'm actually very proud that I figured out how to do this.

#4-Register your blog.

Ok, so I think I'm registered. I'm still trying to figure out how to navigate through all this stuff. So, I can't look too far ahead, but am excited about getting some pictures on my blog.

#3 - 7/12 Habits

The most challenging habit for me would be Habit #7-1/2 - Play. There never seems to be enough time to play and even when there is time I always feel there is more that can and should be done.

The easiest habit would be Habit #1-Begin with the end in mind. If you have a deadline I think it's easier to focus on the goal you have.