Catching Up: Things 15-19

I'm catching up on things I just kind of blew past in recent weeks. I went back to Thing 15 and re-read the information on the future of libraries. "Away from the Icebergs" and "Advocacy: A Ripple Effect" really address issues that relate so intimately to the work we do here daily...and reinforce the need to continue the efforts to make this a place that serves everyone in our population in a relevant manner. Good information to have top of mind, especially as we head off to "yet-another-meeting"; it keeps one from becoming jaded!
One of the things I have enjoyed most about this entire program has been finding the neat tidbits on the other participant's blogs. Clicking away on interesting links (while time-consuming) has led to some of the best ideas I've found.
Thing 17 - On that note, I was so happy that I had wandered in to "Buried Under Books" on Thing 17 (Sandbox Wiki) and read about Tina's frustration with logging in . I might never have found the key (feels like a kid's video game) if I hadn't read her blog-so I added a comment via pdWiki - thanks, Tina!
Thing 18 - I really liked Zoho Writer and created a test document to share...I'll have to see how it works
Thing 19-So many great sites on the Web 2.0 awards; Lulu was one of my favorites. Hmmm...maybe someday I'll get around to writing a book...

Woohoo!!

Week 9 - another fun week, although week 8 remains my favorite. YouTube was fun and interesting, and I will continue to try to fathom a need for a podcast of my own.
Final thoughts- I learned a great deal about using the internet, especially for things like wikis, blogs and podcasts...all things I had heard of, but did not have even a passing familiarity with. Now I feel like I could at least tackle them if I need to.
I often wished I could devote more time to this; not to get the assignments done, but to delve into all the new and exotic places that opened up at every turn!

Week 8

Ah, finally a week I can sink my teeth into. It appears I have little ability to utilize the internet for anything social, but can sure find great ways to use it for work (may need to work on those priorities a bit). I checked out many of the Web 2.0 award winners...what a great bunch of tools! Since I move around quite a bit, I am discovering the joys of using these web-based utilities; never again will I have to wait to finish a task because "it is on another computer".
I really enjoyed this week!

Weeks 6 & 7

Well, I never got the Avatar loaded, but I did upload that lovely photo of Venice...it lowers my blood pressure just to look at it. I've played with Del.icio.us, explored Technorati & Sandbox, learned about wikis (and used our in-house wiki) and explored many links, but have been a bit frustrated today. Often, because I am using the public computers in the library, the filters won't allow me to do some of the things I am trying to do.
So I explore and read, but don't actually create...however, I feel like I am learning new skills and I am looking forward to applying them.

Week 5

Today I created an Avatar...that was easy and fun. I have not yet figured out how to get it to this page...need a few more minutes for that. Silly me, I want a "download your image here" button to click on (was there one that I missed?), but I don't see anything of the sort. I've always considered myself pretty tech-savvy, but I have come to realize that it is a patience issue. If I can't find it within about five minutes, I do not want to take the time to study it or use precious time in trial and error figuring it out. I'd love to play with my photos on flickr and the other sites, but they are all saved on my home/other office computer and I keep forgetting to email them to myself so I can play with them. A goal for next week...for now I am back to figuring out how to get my Avatar here. Look for it soon (trying to harness the power of positive thinking!).

Week 3

Finally, a block of time to think about 23 Things! My brain is a bit tired...not only am I starting 23 Things, I am learning EVERYTHING in this new job. I've been at it one month, in training the entire time (kudos to CCPL for being the first job to ever train me so completely-everyone has been wonderful)!
So in addition to memorizing user ID's and passwords, procedures and policies, I am exploring all the library-related information and trying to wade through the assignments. Whew!
...Which is not to say it is not fun and interesting, because it is. I hope to find time to get on my home computer and customize my page, because I want it to look a bit more interesting.
7 1/2 Habits - the good news is that I think I am already a lifelong learner. Reading has always been my favorite hobby; it's the last form of "play" that I still manage to make time for.
So the hardest thing will be play, while organizing and disciplining myself to work through the learning contract will also be a challenge.

Time is the enemy!

My biggest challenge is finding time to check out all the links and interesting sites I find along the way...it is too easy to get distracted!