So we've finally reached the end of this crazy adventure. Time flies when you're having fun, I suppose...
So let's recap. Throughout the 23 things n@ training, I've learned about blogs, RSS, social networking, social tagging, video embedding, podcasts, and numerous other things. While I had some experience with different things we learned about, I am now more knowledgeable in general when it comes to technology. Yeah me!
I think I'll leave this blog up for a few weeks and then randomly shut it down one day. Or not. I haven't really decided yet. I'll let you know...or not...
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Let's all cast off in our Pods....
The post title is a failed attempt at humor. Oh well...
So for week 11 we are to look at some podcasts and then subscribe to them. Well, let me just say that is easier said than done. I looked through the suggested podcasts and didn't find anything that appealed to me at first so I did some googling and still didn't find anything. A few days passed and then today I remembered I still needed to do this assignment so I went back to the post and clicked on President Obama's feed. It looked interesting enough, I suppose. So I subscribed to it. It wouldn't let me put it in my Google reader...perhaps because I wasn't logged in to Google reader?!? Or perhaps because it hates me. Anyway, it saved as a favorite feed and I can go back later if I want to. I then re-browsed the suggested podcasts and picked the Library of Congress. They have some from former slaves which looks interesting enough. So I subscribed to it as well...and again was forced to make it a favorite feed, for whatever that's worth.
I don't think I care for this subscribing nonsense.
I enjoy podcasts though...like Shaler's Books and So Much More podcasts (http://booksandsomuchmore.blogspot.com/) and other bits found here and there on the internet. It's much better than downloading content you will only watch once...
So for week 11 we are to look at some podcasts and then subscribe to them. Well, let me just say that is easier said than done. I looked through the suggested podcasts and didn't find anything that appealed to me at first so I did some googling and still didn't find anything. A few days passed and then today I remembered I still needed to do this assignment so I went back to the post and clicked on President Obama's feed. It looked interesting enough, I suppose. So I subscribed to it. It wouldn't let me put it in my Google reader...perhaps because I wasn't logged in to Google reader?!? Or perhaps because it hates me. Anyway, it saved as a favorite feed and I can go back later if I want to. I then re-browsed the suggested podcasts and picked the Library of Congress. They have some from former slaves which looks interesting enough. So I subscribed to it as well...and again was forced to make it a favorite feed, for whatever that's worth.
I don't think I care for this subscribing nonsense.
I enjoy podcasts though...like Shaler's Books and So Much More podcasts (http://booksandsomuchmore.blogspot.com/) and other bits found here and there on the internet. It's much better than downloading content you will only watch once...
Friday, July 10, 2009
Firefox VS. Internet Explorer
For week 10, we were asked to explore and pass judgement on Mozilla Firefox. As a Firefox user, I felt that this would be an easy assignment...and turns out, it was.
I should start by saying that before October 2007, I didn't know what Firefox was. Or, perhaps more accurately, I knew what it was but I didn't understand why you would want to use it over Internet Explorer, or at all. But in October 2007 I got a job as a reference assistant (a title meaning that I was doing a librarians work but getting paid a page's salary) at CMU's Engineering and Science Library. And if you didn't know already, let me just tell you that CMU is in love with Firefox. The staff email is done through Thunderbird (a Mozilla application) and all Internet is found through Firefox. Similar to our system, they have both browsers available but the non-default (in CMU's case IE and in ours Firefox) has no bookmarks and does not register the home page as it should (well at least here...CMU is to techie to not have the homepage be correct). While working there, I not only learned about aspects of science and engineering that I would not have otherwise, but also about the benefits of Firefox.
First off, and perhaps most importantly, is the Google search bar. I love the Google search bar. I cannot say that enough. I LOVE THE GOOGLE SEARCH BAR!! And let me tell you why....when you are searching for something (say directions) and you have one window open with the vitals (in this case the address) you can open another tab (or not) and without going anywhere else you can type in the info in the Google search bar and VIOLA! you have what you were looking for. Internet Explorer has a crappy Live Search bar and I think we all know that Live Search never finds what you are actually looking for. However, Internet Explorer counters this by allowing you to place bookmark links within the browser window. Unfortunately, this takes up more space and requires an extra click to get there first. I suppose an extra click isn't really that bad but if you don't have to, that's nice.
As for the add-ons, the only one I really use and love is the Gmail Notifier. I love the Gmail Notifier. Seriously. It's awesome...and if you have Gmail, I highly recommend you get it. It logs you into your email when you start your computer and lets you know when you get new messages and from who. You can have it tell you throughout the day what mail you have in case you forgot AND you can access you email with a single click. Totally sweet. For this assignment, I also added this map thing on my home computer but I don't think I like it and will most likely delete it. Oh well...I want to check out the themes for my home computer though. Those look sweet...
As for the font size, that's not really a concern for me yet as I can see just fine. But I suppose it's good to know that you can use CTRL+ or CTRL- to make it bigger or smaller, respectfully.
It is important to note that Tab Browsing (which I use everyday...seriously. I'm using it now even!) and the Font sizing features also work in Internet Explorer. So this raises the question...does it really matter how you access the interwebs?
I don't think it does. It's a matter of preference to a degree and also availability. One problem with the two browsers is that some programs work great in one but not at all in the other. Or one might require more downloads (java, adobe, etc) to work correctly. So in the end, I suppose that each serves their purpose at various locations...although I wouldn't complain if the world gave up on Internet Explorer ;-)
I should start by saying that before October 2007, I didn't know what Firefox was. Or, perhaps more accurately, I knew what it was but I didn't understand why you would want to use it over Internet Explorer, or at all. But in October 2007 I got a job as a reference assistant (a title meaning that I was doing a librarians work but getting paid a page's salary) at CMU's Engineering and Science Library. And if you didn't know already, let me just tell you that CMU is in love with Firefox. The staff email is done through Thunderbird (a Mozilla application) and all Internet is found through Firefox. Similar to our system, they have both browsers available but the non-default (in CMU's case IE and in ours Firefox) has no bookmarks and does not register the home page as it should (well at least here...CMU is to techie to not have the homepage be correct). While working there, I not only learned about aspects of science and engineering that I would not have otherwise, but also about the benefits of Firefox.
First off, and perhaps most importantly, is the Google search bar. I love the Google search bar. I cannot say that enough. I LOVE THE GOOGLE SEARCH BAR!! And let me tell you why....when you are searching for something (say directions) and you have one window open with the vitals (in this case the address) you can open another tab (or not) and without going anywhere else you can type in the info in the Google search bar and VIOLA! you have what you were looking for. Internet Explorer has a crappy Live Search bar and I think we all know that Live Search never finds what you are actually looking for. However, Internet Explorer counters this by allowing you to place bookmark links within the browser window. Unfortunately, this takes up more space and requires an extra click to get there first. I suppose an extra click isn't really that bad but if you don't have to, that's nice.
As for the add-ons, the only one I really use and love is the Gmail Notifier. I love the Gmail Notifier. Seriously. It's awesome...and if you have Gmail, I highly recommend you get it. It logs you into your email when you start your computer and lets you know when you get new messages and from who. You can have it tell you throughout the day what mail you have in case you forgot AND you can access you email with a single click. Totally sweet. For this assignment, I also added this map thing on my home computer but I don't think I like it and will most likely delete it. Oh well...I want to check out the themes for my home computer though. Those look sweet...
As for the font size, that's not really a concern for me yet as I can see just fine. But I suppose it's good to know that you can use CTRL+ or CTRL- to make it bigger or smaller, respectfully.
It is important to note that Tab Browsing (which I use everyday...seriously. I'm using it now even!) and the Font sizing features also work in Internet Explorer. So this raises the question...does it really matter how you access the interwebs?
I don't think it does. It's a matter of preference to a degree and also availability. One problem with the two browsers is that some programs work great in one but not at all in the other. Or one might require more downloads (java, adobe, etc) to work correctly. So in the end, I suppose that each serves their purpose at various locations...although I wouldn't complain if the world gave up on Internet Explorer ;-)
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
YouTube?
Rock on! It looks like it worked now! (Although after previewing it says it requires more plug-ins...but I'm hoping that's just this crappy ole work computer)
I'm not sure if the problem was YouTube or Blogger or Internet Explorer but whatever it is, it is now working. (P.S.- I'm operating Blogger in Firefox currently...maybe that had something to do with it!)
Anyway, the video above is of Akrasia at Penn State at a Battle of the Bands. They won that year and all the other years they went (3 total). I filmed this video using a digital camera so I apologize for the shaky-ness. If you listen carefully, you can hear me cheer at the end!
Yeah!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Fallen Behind
So I've fallen behind...last week was too crazy and I just never got around to it. To be honest, I forgot all about the 23 things until I got the email for this week this morning. Opps. Oh well....
So for the week I missed (week 9 apparently), we discussed Flickr and YouTube. So for Flickr, I created an account although I have a feeling I will never use it to upload because 1.) All my pictures are on Facebook already 2.)Bill takes all the pictures anyway. I do enjoy browsing Flickr though...there are some awesome pictures. My friend Paige has an account with some awesome pics (Celeste343). Back in March she shaved her head to raise money for childhood cancer and there is an awesome photo essay on there. 365 Days of Paige - it's a self portrait a day kind of thing. I'm even in one of them with her and my Bill (day 98). He he he...
Anyway, for the picture to upload here I picked on of hers. Here's the link for it: http://www.flickr.com/photos/celeste343/3191643021/in/set-72157594494673820/
And here it is:
So for the week I missed (week 9 apparently), we discussed Flickr and YouTube. So for Flickr, I created an account although I have a feeling I will never use it to upload because 1.) All my pictures are on Facebook already 2.)Bill takes all the pictures anyway. I do enjoy browsing Flickr though...there are some awesome pictures. My friend Paige has an account with some awesome pics (Celeste343). Back in March she shaved her head to raise money for childhood cancer and there is an awesome photo essay on there. 365 Days of Paige - it's a self portrait a day kind of thing. I'm even in one of them with her and my Bill (day 98). He he he...
Anyway, for the picture to upload here I picked on of hers. Here's the link for it: http://www.flickr.com/photos/celeste343/3191643021/in/set-72157594494673820/
And here it is:
There were some pictures from the libraries I work at on the ACLA Flickr account but the rabbits at Sewickley freak me out and so I stopped looking for one there. Sorry.
As for YouTube, whenever I tried to copy the embed link, it only copied half. I can't figure out what it's deal is. I closed YouTub and reopened it. I closed the video and reopened it. I picked a different video even but no luck. WTF?
I'll try again later....if I remember.
Either way, in the mean time, feel free to look up the videos I was going to post. My boyfriend Bill has an awesome band called Akrasia with several live shows, sound checks, and one animated video up on YouTube. I may be partial, but I think it rocks!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Won't you be my friend?
So week 8 brings us to social networking, eh. Well that's easy. I'm already on Facebook (look for Dani Thomas) and on Twitter (danigirl823). I use Facebook regularly...okay, daily. As for Twitter, I could really care less. I check it once every blue moon or when I get a message telling me I'm being followed (creepy stalkers! j/k). I dislike My Space because it's too flashy and superficial. Also, I think I'm too old for it now...
So, yeah, find me on Facebook and I'll be your friend! :-)
So, yeah, find me on Facebook and I'll be your friend! :-)
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Bonnarooooooooo!
I started writing this on Tuesday, June 16th and then got distracted and forgot to finish! So here is my adventures at Bonnaroo in all their glory...
So I got back from Bonnaroo Monday night around 12:30 am and let me just say, I'm exhausted. It was a super intense, super awesome experience but I could use a few days of rest. (Mental note, next time take off Tuesday as well! More sleep would be awesome right about now!) So let's do a brief recap of the last week's experiences, shall we?
We left for Bonnaroo on Wednesday morning. I had thought we were leaving around noon but apparently Mike Buric (my landlord/friend/driver of The Van) wanted to leave at 10 (which was when I woke up). Apparently we had gotten a hotel in Murffersboro (that spelling is totally butchered!) which is only a half hour away from the venue. No one told me there was a hotel! I thought we were sleeping in The Van until they let us in at 7am like Bill and Mike had done in years past...now I had to rethink my packing. Geez.
So we all (me, Bill, Sarah, Greg and Buric) loaded in The Van and drove and drove and drove. We drove through West Virgina. We drove through Ohio. We drove through Kentucky. And finally, we arrived in Tennessee. We arrived in our hotel and stayed up much later than we should watching Man Vs. Food on the Travel channel. That guy should be much fatter than he is.
On Thursday morning we were awakened by a severe thunderstorm. Oh geez. We all showered and packed up. By the time all of us were done, the rain had stopped. We ate a delicious breakfast at Waffle House and headed on our way. We got to Manchester and hit traffic. We stood on an exit ramp for an hour or so, slowly creeping forward. It rained off and on while we were in line. We finally made it inside the camping area around noon-thirty and began to set up camp. It's a race for space, as more people are filing in. Bill and I got our tarp out and began to set up the tent when we noticed that we had the wrong poles! The tent we had required three poles and we had two poles that were three feet too long! Crap. Well, luckily the seats in The Van come out so Bill and I got to sleep in The Van. The Van's seats make lovely make-shift living room furniture as well. Score.
Once everything was set up we sat around for a bit to get our bearings. When we were finally ready, we headed into Centeroo. It's about a mile walk from our camp site in, passing tons of different food and craft and merc vendors along the way. The rain had made it muddy in parts but it was generally a tolerable walk. Once inside, we rode the Ferris wheel to get a view of the whole scene. Pretty awesome...and very large. Camping and people as far as the eye can see. We then set to exploring the rest of Centeroo. There was two large stages (the What (or main) and the Which stage) and three more minor stages (That, This, and The Other Tent). We found a Smoker's tent where they gave out free American Spirits and then we found the Brewer's Tent which had 20 some different types of beer, including Woodchuck Cider, which was my favorite. We wandered around some more and finally decided to head back. A little while after we got back it started to rain. Luckily we were under our make-shift living room canopy. Sweet. We waited out the rain, playing cards and snacking on granola bars. Later in the evening we headed back in to meet up with some of our friends. We never did find them, although we found the Brewer's tent again. We must have had some luck because while we were under that tent, it began to pour again. It was quite a muddy walk back to the camp site.
Friday morning brought back the sunshine. Friday we saw Gomez, followed by Animal Collective, at the Which stage. Then we wandered over to the What stage and saw some of Galactic and then wandered over to hear some of Grizzly Bear. We then went back to the main stage and saw Al Green. He was awesome. He had tons of red roses that he threw out to the crowd and was complaining about how the security people wouldn't let him come groove with us, his people, whom he loved so much. Ha. I missed Ani DiFranco because of time constraints, but hopefully I'll get to see her another time. After Al Green, was the Beastie Boys. They were also super awesome. They played everything you would want them to and then some. Next came Phish, who were okay. I'm not a big Phish fan and there were soo many huge Phish fans that it was still an interesting experience. We left Phish early to catch some of Public Enemy (I can now say I saw Flavor Flav - ha). Girl Talk was supposed to go on at 2:15 but he was late and by 2:30 I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer so Bill and I wandered back to the campsite.
Saturday was also sunny, but now I had a minor sunburn from the day before (70 spf is apparently not good enough). Boo. Luckily I had a few t-shirts I could wear, instead of my fun hippie sundresses that left my shoulders exposed. The day started with Rodigro y Gabriela, which is an awesome sibling guitar playing group. After them, we stayed at the main stage for Wilco. I've seen them before but they are still awesome. After Wilco came Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band who totally rocked the house. They played for 3 1/2 hours straight! No one does that anymore! They had tons of energy and really got the crowd pumped. A totally enjoyable experience! After they finally ended around 12:30 am, we headed over to catch some of Nine Inch Nails final performance. They were so freaking loud...and not necessarily in a good way. We wandered over to try and catch some of Ben Harper and Moe but we couldn't hear either of them because NIN was too loud so we walked back to the campsite. I could still hear NIN inside The Van. Boo NIN.
Sunday was a bit overcast but still warm. Unfortunately as I was still sunburned I had to wear one of Bill's t-shirts with an unfortunate saying on it ("I'm surrounded by jagoffs") - the hippies did not approve but what could I do? On Sunday we caught the end of Citizen Cope and then Andrew Bird, who is amazing btw, and then Snoop Dogg. Snoop seems like a bit of a cheater. He did mostly crowd hype and dancing around (if you can call that dancing...more like bouncing). He did do all the songs I know which is a grand total of three. Still, at least now I can say I saw Snoop Dogg. After Snoop came Phish for the second time. This time we stayed for the whole show. Enjoyable but nothing fantastic. Phish was the last show for the festival so afterwards we wandered back the campsite for the last night of sleeping in The Van.
Monday morning was fun. No, not really. We packed up and loaded The Van and headed home. Buric decided he didn't want to go the way he came because he already saw that route and so let's go through Kentucky and see what they have to see. What Buric didn't realize is that this other route was at least two hours longer. Geez. At least I got to sleep some in The Van although it's hard to sleep while Buric is going around curves way too fast. Oh well...
We all got home around 12:30 on Monday and showered for at least a half hour and then went to bed. It's now the Monday after that and I finally feel like I've caught up on my sleep although my brain is still not fully adjusted. It was an awesome experience that I would totally do again! Can't wait for Bonnaroo 2010!!!
So I got back from Bonnaroo Monday night around 12:30 am and let me just say, I'm exhausted. It was a super intense, super awesome experience but I could use a few days of rest. (Mental note, next time take off Tuesday as well! More sleep would be awesome right about now!) So let's do a brief recap of the last week's experiences, shall we?
We left for Bonnaroo on Wednesday morning. I had thought we were leaving around noon but apparently Mike Buric (my landlord/friend/driver of The Van) wanted to leave at 10 (which was when I woke up). Apparently we had gotten a hotel in Murffersboro (that spelling is totally butchered!) which is only a half hour away from the venue. No one told me there was a hotel! I thought we were sleeping in The Van until they let us in at 7am like Bill and Mike had done in years past...now I had to rethink my packing. Geez.
So we all (me, Bill, Sarah, Greg and Buric) loaded in The Van and drove and drove and drove. We drove through West Virgina. We drove through Ohio. We drove through Kentucky. And finally, we arrived in Tennessee. We arrived in our hotel and stayed up much later than we should watching Man Vs. Food on the Travel channel. That guy should be much fatter than he is.
On Thursday morning we were awakened by a severe thunderstorm. Oh geez. We all showered and packed up. By the time all of us were done, the rain had stopped. We ate a delicious breakfast at Waffle House and headed on our way. We got to Manchester and hit traffic. We stood on an exit ramp for an hour or so, slowly creeping forward. It rained off and on while we were in line. We finally made it inside the camping area around noon-thirty and began to set up camp. It's a race for space, as more people are filing in. Bill and I got our tarp out and began to set up the tent when we noticed that we had the wrong poles! The tent we had required three poles and we had two poles that were three feet too long! Crap. Well, luckily the seats in The Van come out so Bill and I got to sleep in The Van. The Van's seats make lovely make-shift living room furniture as well. Score.
Once everything was set up we sat around for a bit to get our bearings. When we were finally ready, we headed into Centeroo. It's about a mile walk from our camp site in, passing tons of different food and craft and merc vendors along the way. The rain had made it muddy in parts but it was generally a tolerable walk. Once inside, we rode the Ferris wheel to get a view of the whole scene. Pretty awesome...and very large. Camping and people as far as the eye can see. We then set to exploring the rest of Centeroo. There was two large stages (the What (or main) and the Which stage) and three more minor stages (That, This, and The Other Tent). We found a Smoker's tent where they gave out free American Spirits and then we found the Brewer's Tent which had 20 some different types of beer, including Woodchuck Cider, which was my favorite. We wandered around some more and finally decided to head back. A little while after we got back it started to rain. Luckily we were under our make-shift living room canopy. Sweet. We waited out the rain, playing cards and snacking on granola bars. Later in the evening we headed back in to meet up with some of our friends. We never did find them, although we found the Brewer's tent again. We must have had some luck because while we were under that tent, it began to pour again. It was quite a muddy walk back to the camp site.
Friday morning brought back the sunshine. Friday we saw Gomez, followed by Animal Collective, at the Which stage. Then we wandered over to the What stage and saw some of Galactic and then wandered over to hear some of Grizzly Bear. We then went back to the main stage and saw Al Green. He was awesome. He had tons of red roses that he threw out to the crowd and was complaining about how the security people wouldn't let him come groove with us, his people, whom he loved so much. Ha. I missed Ani DiFranco because of time constraints, but hopefully I'll get to see her another time. After Al Green, was the Beastie Boys. They were also super awesome. They played everything you would want them to and then some. Next came Phish, who were okay. I'm not a big Phish fan and there were soo many huge Phish fans that it was still an interesting experience. We left Phish early to catch some of Public Enemy (I can now say I saw Flavor Flav - ha). Girl Talk was supposed to go on at 2:15 but he was late and by 2:30 I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer so Bill and I wandered back to the campsite.
Saturday was also sunny, but now I had a minor sunburn from the day before (70 spf is apparently not good enough). Boo. Luckily I had a few t-shirts I could wear, instead of my fun hippie sundresses that left my shoulders exposed. The day started with Rodigro y Gabriela, which is an awesome sibling guitar playing group. After them, we stayed at the main stage for Wilco. I've seen them before but they are still awesome. After Wilco came Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band who totally rocked the house. They played for 3 1/2 hours straight! No one does that anymore! They had tons of energy and really got the crowd pumped. A totally enjoyable experience! After they finally ended around 12:30 am, we headed over to catch some of Nine Inch Nails final performance. They were so freaking loud...and not necessarily in a good way. We wandered over to try and catch some of Ben Harper and Moe but we couldn't hear either of them because NIN was too loud so we walked back to the campsite. I could still hear NIN inside The Van. Boo NIN.
Sunday was a bit overcast but still warm. Unfortunately as I was still sunburned I had to wear one of Bill's t-shirts with an unfortunate saying on it ("I'm surrounded by jagoffs") - the hippies did not approve but what could I do? On Sunday we caught the end of Citizen Cope and then Andrew Bird, who is amazing btw, and then Snoop Dogg. Snoop seems like a bit of a cheater. He did mostly crowd hype and dancing around (if you can call that dancing...more like bouncing). He did do all the songs I know which is a grand total of three. Still, at least now I can say I saw Snoop Dogg. After Snoop came Phish for the second time. This time we stayed for the whole show. Enjoyable but nothing fantastic. Phish was the last show for the festival so afterwards we wandered back the campsite for the last night of sleeping in The Van.
Monday morning was fun. No, not really. We packed up and loaded The Van and headed home. Buric decided he didn't want to go the way he came because he already saw that route and so let's go through Kentucky and see what they have to see. What Buric didn't realize is that this other route was at least two hours longer. Geez. At least I got to sleep some in The Van although it's hard to sleep while Buric is going around curves way too fast. Oh well...
We all got home around 12:30 on Monday and showered for at least a half hour and then went to bed. It's now the Monday after that and I finally feel like I've caught up on my sleep although my brain is still not fully adjusted. It was an awesome experience that I would totally do again! Can't wait for Bonnaroo 2010!!!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Databases yo!
So week 6 brings us to databases. Yippee. I did some extensive work with databases at Pitt (anyone who ever took Elizabeth Mahoney's Reference Resources class can attest to that!) and so I feel pretty comfortable with most any database I come across. For this week's exercise, we needed to look at three different databases and form some sort of opinion all the while looking for Library 2.0 features.
As I am a children's librarian, I decided to look at some kid's databases. I looked at EBSCOhost Animals, Facts for Learning, and Searchasauras. I found Facts for Learning and Searchasauras to be enjoyable and easy to navigate. They had kid-friendly interfaces and plenty of good information. I especially liked that Searchasuaras incorporated lots of dinosaurs in its graphics. Neat. Don't even get me started about EBSCOhost though. It's interface is boring and bland. It's not intuitive at all. It's interesting to note that Searchasaurs is actually made by EBSCOhost. You'd think they would make all their sites awesome and fun like Searchasauras. Guess not...
As for Library 2.0 features, none of the databases I had any blatant Library 2.0 stuff but the two I liked were fairly high-tech and flashy. Which is fun...especially for kids!
And so for other, non-library news. I'm super stoked about Bonnaroo! We leave on Wednesday and return sometime on Monday. I can't wait!!!!! I still need to buy a few things like raincoats, a tarp, hand sanitizer and a few other assorted goodies. Yeah shopping. Did I mention I'm super excited?!? Woot! Woot! Bonnaroo here we come!!!!!
As I am a children's librarian, I decided to look at some kid's databases. I looked at EBSCOhost Animals, Facts for Learning, and Searchasauras. I found Facts for Learning and Searchasauras to be enjoyable and easy to navigate. They had kid-friendly interfaces and plenty of good information. I especially liked that Searchasuaras incorporated lots of dinosaurs in its graphics. Neat. Don't even get me started about EBSCOhost though. It's interface is boring and bland. It's not intuitive at all. It's interesting to note that Searchasaurs is actually made by EBSCOhost. You'd think they would make all their sites awesome and fun like Searchasauras. Guess not...
As for Library 2.0 features, none of the databases I had any blatant Library 2.0 stuff but the two I liked were fairly high-tech and flashy. Which is fun...especially for kids!
And so for other, non-library news. I'm super stoked about Bonnaroo! We leave on Wednesday and return sometime on Monday. I can't wait!!!!! I still need to buy a few things like raincoats, a tarp, hand sanitizer and a few other assorted goodies. Yeah shopping. Did I mention I'm super excited?!? Woot! Woot! Bonnaroo here we come!!!!!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
We Are Living In A Digital World
Week 5 brings us into the wonderful world of digital downloads (Ebooks, Eaudio, Evideo, Eeverything). And while I'm not a fan of reading online (it gives me a headache after a while), I'm more than capable/familiar with the concept. While I was in Library School at Pitt, a friend and I worked on a marketing project for the very thing we're learning about this week. It was a fictitious assignment that went nowhere, but it covered the how-tos of digital downloading through the Carnegie Libraries. So needless to say, I feel very well prepared for this week's assignment.
For this week, we were asked to pick something from the catalog and download it and share our feelings. I decided to search for Tennessee as I'm going to Bonnaroo next week, which is in Tennessee. I did an advanced keyword search and limited the material type to ebooks, eaudio, and evideo. I was hoping I wouldn't have to download any software, as I'm at work and that can be a pain. And guess what? I didn't have to. I found a netlibrary ebook entitled Natural Wonders of Tennessee and viewed it with no problems whatsoever. It's got all kinds of goodies included like a dictionary, index, and extra educational tools. Sweet.
Before working in a public library, I worked for CMU's Engineering and Science Library. And let me tell you, they use a lot of ebooks there. Half of their reference collection is digital. I got real comfortable searching and reading ebooks through their catalog and databases. I must say that the Carnegie catalog makes it much easier to locate than CMU's. Go us! Woot!
For this week, we were asked to pick something from the catalog and download it and share our feelings. I decided to search for Tennessee as I'm going to Bonnaroo next week, which is in Tennessee. I did an advanced keyword search and limited the material type to ebooks, eaudio, and evideo. I was hoping I wouldn't have to download any software, as I'm at work and that can be a pain. And guess what? I didn't have to. I found a netlibrary ebook entitled Natural Wonders of Tennessee and viewed it with no problems whatsoever. It's got all kinds of goodies included like a dictionary, index, and extra educational tools. Sweet.
Before working in a public library, I worked for CMU's Engineering and Science Library. And let me tell you, they use a lot of ebooks there. Half of their reference collection is digital. I got real comfortable searching and reading ebooks through their catalog and databases. I must say that the Carnegie catalog makes it much easier to locate than CMU's. Go us! Woot!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Wiki, what?!?
It's been quite a week/weekend. I feel like I simply can't get enough sleep. And there is so much left to do (tackling the laundry monster, taking Jacob to the vet again, getting my car titled and tagged, getting Bill's car inspected, getting my car inspected, buying Laura a graduation gift and a birthday gift, buying the necessary supplies for Bonnaroo, planning all of my summer reading programs at Shaler and Sewickley...I could go on forever) so going to bed early is out of the question. Well, honestly, even if there was nothing to do, I still wouldn't go to bed early. Oh well...
I digress...
For week 4, we explored wikis. They are fun enough, I suppose. They could be useful in the right situation so I'm glad I know how to use them now. I had one set up for an assignment in college but it was rather like busywork. It was not to complete a project but was rather it's own project. A waste of my time if you ask me but then again I suppose it wasn't a complete wash, I at least knew what a wiki was because of it even if I didn't quite understand how to use it. Anyway, in terms of this experience, I enjoyed learning about and playing around with the wiki.
Good stuff.
I digress...
For week 4, we explored wikis. They are fun enough, I suppose. They could be useful in the right situation so I'm glad I know how to use them now. I had one set up for an assignment in college but it was rather like busywork. It was not to complete a project but was rather it's own project. A waste of my time if you ask me but then again I suppose it wasn't a complete wash, I at least knew what a wiki was because of it even if I didn't quite understand how to use it. Anyway, in terms of this experience, I enjoyed learning about and playing around with the wiki.
Good stuff.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Mixed Feelings
So I finally conqured delicious and I'm still of mixed feelings. It was nice that I was able to delete some broken urls from the work favorites (as I did this at work...on a much calmer day, I might add) which helps unclutter them a bit...but not much.
As for the reader, I haven't used it since Monday but at least I know it exists.
As for the reader, I haven't used it since Monday but at least I know it exists.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Oh bother...
Well, I haven't been doing what I should. I made this blog and then promptly began to ignore it. There are simply too many other things to worry/think about than a silly blog. And there are simply too many other things to do than post/check on my blog. Oh well...
Anyway, this week has us looking at RSS feeds and delicious accounts. And to be honest, I think both are a waste of time. Well, perhaps that's a bit harsh. Maybe I just don't have a use for either feature. Personally, I enjoy checking different sites to see if they've been updated. I think that having a reader do it for me takes the fun out of it AND more importantly, without this ability, how can I waste five minutes when I need a mental break? Hmmm?
And as for delicious, I understand it's purpose and I suppose it could be very helpful but I found it to be frustrating. Perhaps it's just that it's new to me or perhaps it's because I only have a handful of sites bookmarked and the almost all have easy to remember addresses (ex. www.digg.com www.weather.com www.pnc.com etc.) or perhaps it's that it feels like more work...I dunno. Either way, I shall try it again later. After my 20+ minute exploration I need a break and some serious chocolate...
Perhaps Monday's aren't good days to explore new technology...
Anyway, this week has us looking at RSS feeds and delicious accounts. And to be honest, I think both are a waste of time. Well, perhaps that's a bit harsh. Maybe I just don't have a use for either feature. Personally, I enjoy checking different sites to see if they've been updated. I think that having a reader do it for me takes the fun out of it AND more importantly, without this ability, how can I waste five minutes when I need a mental break? Hmmm?
And as for delicious, I understand it's purpose and I suppose it could be very helpful but I found it to be frustrating. Perhaps it's just that it's new to me or perhaps it's because I only have a handful of sites bookmarked and the almost all have easy to remember addresses (ex. www.digg.com www.weather.com www.pnc.com etc.) or perhaps it's that it feels like more work...I dunno. Either way, I shall try it again later. After my 20+ minute exploration I need a break and some serious chocolate...
Perhaps Monday's aren't good days to explore new technology...
Monday, May 11, 2009
And so it begins...
Although I consider myself rather technology savvy already, there is always more to learn and explore and that is why, my friends, I am participating in this lovely 23 things adventure. So far it's been smooth sailing with no challenges presented (well, it has been a bit difficult to find time away from the desk to listen/watch the slide shows included on the 23 n@ website but that doesn't really count as a challenger per se) but I anticipate that changing as the weeks wear on.
As for blogs, this is my first personal blog although I have created several for work purposes. I have created a handful of booklist blogs for Shaler Library, including:
http://snhlclassroomreadalouds.blogspot.com/
http://snhladventurefictionbooklist.blogspot.com/
http://snhlreadtogetherbooklist.blogspot.com/
http://snhlthirdgradebooklist.blogspot.com/
http://snhldinosaursbooklist.blogspot.com/
http://snhlghostfictionbooklist.blogspot.com/
I also created a Battle of the Books booklist blog (wow, that's a lot of "b" words) for Sewickley. It has since been taken down as Battle is finished for the year.
Upon reading the Wikipedia article on blogging, I discovered just how many different types of blogs there are. I had no idea! While I enjoy a handful of blogs for either humor (http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/) or work purposes, I never fully realized the potential the blog format holds. Good to know, I suppose...
As for blogs, this is my first personal blog although I have created several for work purposes. I have created a handful of booklist blogs for Shaler Library, including:
http://snhlclassroomreadalouds.blogspot.com/
http://snhladventurefictionbooklist.blogspot.com/
http://snhlreadtogetherbooklist.blogspot.com/
http://snhlthirdgradebooklist.blogspot.com/
http://snhldinosaursbooklist.blogspot.com/
http://snhlghostfictionbooklist.blogspot.com/
I also created a Battle of the Books booklist blog (wow, that's a lot of "b" words) for Sewickley. It has since been taken down as Battle is finished for the year.
Upon reading the Wikipedia article on blogging, I discovered just how many different types of blogs there are. I had no idea! While I enjoy a handful of blogs for either humor (http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/) or work purposes, I never fully realized the potential the blog format holds. Good to know, I suppose...
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