Saturday, June 28, 2008

Week 9: Conclusion

So this is it. My final 23 Things activity. I'm glad I participated. It was fun and interesting to see all the different Web 2.0 websites around.

Should PBCLS offer something like this again, I would not hesitate to participate in it. Even though I have been using the tools we learned these past few months frequently before the activity, refreshing my knowledge was helpful. I had read many a blogs but never blogged before. I had seen many a picture on Flikr but had never uploaded an image before. I have added a bunch of RSS feeds on my Firefox and Yahoo pages but did not know a website like Bloglines existed. I have bookmarked Zoho writer for future use and love the Im Cooked website I found in last weeks exercises.

Week 9: Overdrive Audio Books

Some books I recommend. They are very funny in written form but the audio versions are just as good:

Book 1: America by Jon Stewart


"Jon Stewart, host of the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning The Daily Show, and his coterie of patriots, deliver a hilarious look at American government.

American-style democracy is the world's most beloved form of government, which explains why so many other nations are eager for us to impose it on them. But what is American democracy? In America (The Book), Jon Stewart and The Daily Show writing staff offer their insights into our unique system of government, dissecting its institutions, explaining its history and processes, and exploring the reasons why concepts like one man, one vote, government by the people, and every vote counts have become such popular urban myths. Topics include: Ancient Rome: The First Republicans; The Founding Fathers: Young, Gifted, and White; The Media: Can it Be Stopped?; and more!"

Book 2: I Am America and So Can You by Stephen Colbert


"What The Daily Show is to evening news, The Colbert Report is to personality-driven pundit shows. Colbert brings his sarcastic charm to a half-hour report, tackling the important issues of the day and telling his guests why their opinions are just plain wrong. Stephen stands for truthiness and his American right to copyright that word and claim ownership of it. Stephen Colbert describes his audiobook as a simple audiobook from a simple mind--Stephen Colbert. It is one man's attempt to wedge his brain between hardback covers---in this case CD jackets. In plain conversational language, not to mention the occasional grunt and/or whistle, Stephen explains his take on the most pressing concerns of our culture: Faith, Family...Hygene. Why now? Stephen fears America has lost its balls and he hopes to re-ballify us. Even the ladies. Ladies can have balls--lady-balls too. Stephen likes to call those "Thatchers." Stephen will show how he got his mammoth swinging sack, with tales of courage and vital documents from his own life: the Mother's Day card he made at age six, disputed credit card bills, putt-putt score cards--all the major milestones."

Week 9: Podcasting

Podcasts are only as good as the people making them. Some are great and very entertaining and/or informational while others are a waste of time. Some of the podcasts I'm subscribed to are CNN, BBC, and the Leaky Cauldron to keep up with any Harry Potter news that might be happening. I've listened to much more that what I'm subscribed to. I find keeping up with new podcasts is easy using Itunes. They have a while podcasting section in their store. It's very easy to listen to one podcast or subscribe to the whole "publication." Some websites have podcasts that you do not need Itunes to listen. Usually they just use Windows Player or Quicktime.

Week 9: YouTube

Before this exercise, I was very familiar with this website. Even if I have not had the pleasure of utilizing it's features, being a children's librarian, I have seen this site many many times. Our young patrons adore it. They've watched everything from soccer matches to movie trailers to anime cartoons and Family Guy. I really enjoy this website. It helps me keep up with programs and features I might have missed. What I really like best is the subscription feature. You can have Youtube link up videos that fit a certain criteria. It is similar to Google Alerts. Tell Youtube what to look for & it does all of the work.

If this works, below is one of my favorite dances from last years So You Think You Can Dance finale.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Week 8: IM Cooked

This week we were supposed to go check out some award winning Web2.0 sites. The one I selected was IM Cooked. It is described as a video recipe web community. I then looked at the different "channels". The videos were broken up by categories like Vegetarian, beverages, cakes & pies, casseroles, desserts, etc. The site is sort of like a do it your own Food Network. Although I'm not sure the Food Network would ever show somebody baking a chocolate cake serenaded by a Kelly Clarkson song. I really like this site and will bookmark it for the future. I didn't really choose an activity that has any practical library uses. I guess patrons can come in and view the videos and take notes on recipes.

After watching a video, I now know how to make myself a homemade Twinkie (should I be so inclined).

Week 8: Blog about Zoho

So this is Zoho.  Very interesting. This would be very beneficial for all of our on the go word processing needs. Should we ever have on the go word processing needs.....

I think I am going to bookmark this site for all of my future endeavors. You never know when you might need it.  The spellcheck seems easy enough. The adding images seems easy.


Sunday, June 15, 2008

week 7: PBCLS Exploring Web 2.0 wiki

I had fun looking at everybody's favorites. Unfortunately when I was looking at it, not a lot of people filled in what their favorites were. I will probably go back in a week and see what others have added. I added in my favorite animal, favorite movie, and favorite tv-show.