Tuesday, August 21, 2007

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen... goodbye!

The end of the Blog!

Yes, 23 things did teach me a great deal about working with new technologies, keeping UTD on terminology (RSS, blog, Wiki, etc.) and really making myself keep up with the learning that I had set out to do.
I liked the format, but it would have been nice to have a staff program explaining what 23 things is and perhaps going into some of the "things" beforehand so that it would be easy to replicate the task when it was time. Also, because of the time crunch most PGCMLS staff deal with, it might have been great to block off even just 1/2 hour a week for all participating staff to complete their tasks for the week. Just 5ish hours would have really helped to get more people on board. Also, if we had the technology to extend to all staff members, than it would have been easier for everyone to complete.
A big thank you should go out to Albert who set this up. Even if you did not have the time to complete, you learned a great deal. And that is what this project was about. Thanks to 23 Things I will keep on blogging, develop a Wiki for work and keep UTD on trends.

Gutenberg: Nevermore

I looked up "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe on Project Gutenberg. I do find this site to be a mixed blessing, although mostly a blessing. If PGCMLS does not have a title (or in most cases, it is a Classic that is not available and the customer needs it ASAP) and it is available here, than I am always eager to recommend this. However, the idea that books are being read online does not always sit well with me. Sure, I like my PC (and Mac) as much as the next person, but how harmful is it to read a whole book online. And if you printed it up for reading, how wasteful is that in terms of paper. Like I said, a mixed blessing.

Keep on Bloggin'

I was able to check out the Chris Crutcher blog:
http://blogs.ala.org/oif.php?cat=296
I had the chance to actually play with podcasting at ALA. A friend had recieved the unit to record reactions to presentations. To be honest, we had a blast recording our ideas and playing with it. I am not sure if any of our work ever hit the www, but it was fun and easy to do. I could see PGCMLS investing in this technology (which I believe is not much over 200.00) and using it at events, to record customer comments, to relay information to staff and to provide a easy source for communication.

Get up and GO with the Spree!

Love the YouTube! It is one of the first places I go for videos. I am quite envious of the creators of this since it is both fun and useful, not to mention that it has made them very, very wealthy. I decided to go with the Polyphonic Spree clip of a live performance. This is what YT is all about...spur of the moment videos that capture something that was not scripted. It also helps that the band is in favor of this sort of exchange. So watch and enjoy!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=czIhnO9vs3A&mode=related&search=

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Wild Wikis!

I have been a fan of Wikis for a while now. I use the Wikipedia to get a general overview of a subject, keeping in mind that you always must take what you see on this site with a grain of salt.

I found this exercise to be interesting because of the variety of sites that I visited. I normally don't look at library sites so heavily, but this was a great introduction. I can see projects that are currently being worked on benefiting from using wiki. Also, if you are in a group it can be a nice place to stop for information before you have a meeting to attend. If you define a wiki as a electronic communication tool that assists users with updating information that all can see and react to, that is what you get. A wiki is only as good as you make it.