Challenge # 28: Creating a fake magazine cover!

This exercise was kind of frustrating because not all of the image generator sites were user friendly. I finally found one that worked, but I'm not sure that the quality of the photo is very good--here it is!

challenge #27--PHOTOBUCKET

I tried Photobucket today, and uploaded a few of my own photos. I tried the "Find Stuff" tab, browsing for images, and saving them to "My Album". This is a very user-friendly site that offers even more than Flickr. I'm going to continue playing with this site before I move on (check out the image that I placed as a page element here, titled "Buddies").
Let's see if I can add a different image to this post:

It worked!

Challenge # 26--WIDGETS

This was so much fun! I signed in to a "Your Minis" account, created a file of Widgets, and added it to my blog. Widgets are just handy (fun) little programs that offer quick access from your blog--or from your desktop. I didn't think that I would continue past the first 23 challenges, but I'm addicted...

Challenge # 23--FOLLOW-UP

Twenty-three challenges seemed daunting when I began this project, and in truth, completing most of them proved difficult for me. As I chipped away, gaining a whole new vocabulary, I began to understand that this new technology required a whole new mind-set to appreciate. It was like looking through a window at what library experiences of the future will entail, and reminded me that in a changing 2.0 environment, we all need to stay aware and involved in what is happening. I feel now as though I know just enough to know how little I really do know.

Completing this project was a personal accomplishment (I'm not too old to learn something new), as well as professional. I hope to continue to make use of this new information, to share what I can, and to embrace the philosophy of Librarianship 2.0.

Challenge # 22--E-BOOKS

Finally a challenge that I've had some experience with, having been a fan of YPL's OVERDRIVE AUDIO BOOKS selections for quite some time. I recently purchased a second MP3 player with more space, only to drop it on a hard ceramic tile floor! Needless to say, I'm really trying to complete the 23 challenges. OVERDRIVE allows me to reserve audio material to my library account, check out, and download to my personal computer. The next step is transferring the audio to an MP3 player, and I'm on my way to the beach (or maybe just ironing). It's wonderful to be able to record several titles on a device that is small enough to fit into your pocket.

I have never looked into NetLibrary until now, but creating an account was easy, and allowed access to all of YPLs selections in the e-book digital format. I was surprised to see that NetLibrary offers downloadable e-Audiobooks as well, but these are not presently available through YPL. A broad range of topics seemed to be covered by NetLibrary e-books, but most selections seemed to fall into business, technology, and science, as well as classic fiction. Using the Advanced Search page to locate authors of popular fiction did not produce any results.

As a user of the genealogy database Heritage Quest Online, I have had some previous experience with digital e-books, as this site allows its users to search over 20,000 family & local histories in this format.

Challenge #21--LOCATING PODCASTS

Checked out the 3 podcast directories listed and found them to be fairly easy to use. I found a genealogy series that I was able to add to my Bloglines account without too much trouble, and several others that looked interesting. Still checking this out--more later.
This is later, and I have listened to a number of podcasts found in Podcastalley.com and Yahoo Podcasts. I added several more to my Bloglines account that deal with genealogy, and a good one on cooking--now that I'm getting the hang of this, I'm going to look for some that are library-related.
I found a great podcast to add to bloglines that reviews audio books (my favorite pass-time) titled AUDIOPOLIS.

Challenge # 20--DISCOVERING YouTube!

This sounds like it's going to be fun, so here goes. I'll post a blog after I've explored a little.

O-K, so this site just isn't my cup of tea..I spent lots of time searching for video clips, but most of them were very fuzzy and distant. Not that great. Also, I'm having a tough time with posting a video to my blog...

I've finally done it, but it wasn't easy, and I chose the one I did only because I was looking for something colorful. I added the same video as a page element which gives the blog a better appearance. I suppose that this site could be useful as a way to share ideas among libraries, but overall this isn't one of my favorites.http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7126658740991992289

Challenge # 19--WEB 2.0 WINNERS

It doesn't seem possible that this challenge is asking us to review a few of the tools that we've learned about, and to realize just how many more are available. To think that what was so new to many of us just a few short weeks ago has been around for quite some time--and actually been given awards! I'm glad to finally be catching up with the rest of the world. . .Getting back to this challenge, I've explored a number of the winners and found that I liked PANDORA.COM . This music site offers the opportunity to select personal music choices and continues to find songs and/or artists that are similar in style. I've added this site to MY LINKS.

Challenge # 18--WEB-BASED APPLICATIONS

ZOHO WRITER EXPERIENCE
Using this online WEB application has been one of the easiest exercises so far. And had I only known about this, I wouldn't have worried about changing software from WordPerfect to Word, etc., etc. This word processor appears to have every feature that is available on Microsoft Word, and the best part about it is that it is FREE! I was able to type this paragraph in Zoho Writer, and export it to my blog--cool. I could make changes to the document from Zoho or from the blog, but Zoho editor offered way more features.
Creating a free account in Zoho was very simple, and I plan to try out the various other Web-based productivity apps that were listed in this challenge. I have already added one of the web-based free calendars to my PB WIKI--"30 boxes"--and have had fun with the various features that it offers.

Challenge # 17--PLAYING AROUND WITH PBWIKI

Wheh! This wasn't as easy as I've been led to believe. I managed to add my blog to the Favorite Blogs page, but it took several attempts. I did create a PBWIKI, but I've got to go back to see if it is really still there--more later.
The PBWIKI thrives! I have a wiki and a login so I can actually find it again. In keeping with the theme of this blog, it can be found at Bellpuppy.pbwiki.com.

Challenge # 16--SO WHAT'S IN A WIKI

I found information on WIKIs to be interesting as well as full of pros and cons. If I understand correctly that in many cases, anyone can contribute and edit--or even delete a page altogether--then I don't think that public wikis would be valuable for research purposes. They would of course, serve to bring up various points-of-view. I think that within a given group, using a wiki designed for collaborative work is a great idea--saves on using e-mail that members then must save anyway. There is also the fact that every document posted to a wiki doesn't have to be open to editing. Internally, I think that a programming wiki for librarians would be a great thing to get started--lots of creative ideas, discussion, and sharing of links would be very helpful. A public "Community" wiki would also be a great idea for a library to maintain--a place in cyberspace for our patrons to visit to learn and contribute to what's happening in the library and in the Mahoning Valley.

Challenge # 15--LIBRARY 2.0 & WEB 2.0

Reading the 5 perspectives of this OCLC Next Space newsletter came at the perfect point in this set of Learning 2.0 challenges. I have learned so much already, and can see the value of what we are doing throughout these exercises. They seem to me to be designed to stretch our minds around new concepts, to allow us to conceive of the future and of what place libraries will have there. Using baby steps to veer our mindset away from various "icebergs" and into the world of the Librarian 2.0 won't be easy, but participating in this project is certainly challenging and informative. It makes me want to embrace the "Library 2.0" concept, but more importantly, it makes me realized just how advanced our own Library system already is. We are fortunate to have a leader who is a confident trendspotter that involves his staff and his community in planning for the future, insuring that we won't be left behind. If we choose to protest the technological changes that are being implemented, we are simply choosing extinction.

Challenge # 14--TECHNORATI

Technorati seems to be the sight to "google" the world of blogs. After taking the Technorati Tour, I created an account, and claimed my one and only blog. I don't honestly expect to continue to use this site on a regular basis but that may change as I learn more about it. I did a keyword search using the same terms under Blog Posts (66 results), Tags (88 results), and Blog Directories (0 results), so I can see that it does search in 3 different ways. Doing a keyword search for "Learning 2.0" in the Advanced Search mode produced similar reseults: 4,299 posts, 3,734 tags (27,585 if italics are not used), and 520 blogs.