How Libraries are using some of the 23 things

Week Four: Photos and Images (Flickr)
Flickr group for Libraries and Librarians
Lackman Library hosts a Virtual Tour
Westmont Public Library promotes new books (click on the books!)
Library of Congress

Week Five: Podcasts, Downloadable Audio
Overdrive is a popular vendor for downloadable materials. Here are some libraries:
Cleveland Public Library
Oregon Digital Library Consortium

Netlibrary is another vendor, including New Canaan's:
Denver Public Library
University of Michigan

YouTube and Libraries:
Take a tour of the library at Harper College Library
Fairfield University's Choose your Own Adventure movie
(while not on YouTube, a great example of how libraries are using video)

Week Six: Play Week
Twitter
NYPL
See a list of libraries and librarians on Twitter (add yourself!)

LibraryThing

LibraryThing for Libraries
See a list of 159 Libraries who are using LTFL, including Norwalk and Danbury

Wikis
Wikis
Library Success Wiki
ALA has been using wikis from the Emerging Leaders program to YALSA booklists for teens

Week Eight: Tagging and Folksonomies
Delicious


Week Ten: Social Networks and Gaming
Facebook

Second Life

The 23 Things

week one | week two | week three | week four | week five| week six | week seven | week eight | week nine | week ten

Week One: Welcome to Learning 2.0 April 13-April 19

1. Read this blog and learn all about the New Canaan Learning 2.0 program.

Week Two: Get started with Blogging April 20-April 26
2. Set up your own blog and write your first post.

3. Email Maura your blog address to make sure you get credit for all the Things. Your blog will be added to a list of all participants.
deedy[dot]maura[at] gmail[dot]com

Week Three: RSS and Newsreaders April 27-May 3
4. Learn about RSS feeds and set up a feed reader account.
5. Locate some useful blogs or news feeds, and subscribe to them.

Week Four: Photos and Images May 4-May 10
6. Discover Flickr and learn about this popular image hosting site.
7. Explore Flickr mashups and 3^rd party sites

8. Create a blog post about anything technology related that interests you this week. (Perhaps something from one of your news feeds!)

Week Five: Podcasts, Downloadable Audio May 11-May 17
9. Take a look at our collection of audiobooks in NetLibrary, and learn how to download an audiobook.
10. Using some of the helpful search tools to locate podcasts.
11. Discover YouTube and other sites that allow users to upload and share videos.

Week Six: Play Week May 18- May 24
12. Create your own Twitter account.
13. Take a look at LibraryThing and catalog some of your own books.
14. Read about the impact of Web 2.0 on libraries and post a blog entry with your thoughts.

Week Seven: Wikis - June 15 - June 21
15. Explore wikis and discover some of the innovative ways libraries are using them.
16. Contribute to the New Canaan Learning 2.0 wiki.

Week Eight: Tagging and Folksonomies - June 22 - June 28
17. Explore delicious, and learn about tagging and social bookmarking.
18. Explore Technorati and learn how tags work with blog posts.

Week Nine: Online Applications and Tools
19. Take a look at free online productivity tools.
20. Explore the Web 2.0 award winners, and write a blog post about your findings.

Week Ten: Social Networks and Gaming
21. Check out some social networking sites like Facebook or LinkedIn. Set up a profile, explore and blog about your thoughts.
22. Explore Second Life, and check out some of the organizations that are creating presences.

23. Summarize your thoughts and experiences with this program on your blog.

#23! The end is here!!

Congratulations!! You have reached the 23rd thing!! Amazing! Please give yourself a pat on the back completing the program. Your reward for completing this journey before the deadline is a useful and handy flash drive! But before sending you off into the world, I ask for one last discovery post.

I ask that for your last and final exercise for this program, reflect on your learning journey and post a few thoughts. Here are some questions to prompt you if you’re drawing a blank …

• What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
• How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
• Were there any take-aways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
• What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?And last but not least…
• If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you again chose to participate?

I want to thank you each and every one of you for going on this journey with me. I have learned so much from each of you, and have been impressed with your thoughts, insights, and accomplishments. I hope that this isn’t the end of our learning journey, but rather the start of something amazing, collaborative and fun!

#22 Get a Second Life!

Computer and video games have always been popular among teenagers. Role playing games can be an especially effective learning tool regarding community, relationships, and decision making. Second Life is a very popular online game rendered in 3-D, imagined and created by the residents.

Second Life was developed by Linden Research, and in echoing the “real world” or “first life”, you are able to own land, trade goods and services, engage in commerce, participate in education activities, and much more.

Residents of Second Life are represented through avatars, or a users representation of themselves. Avatars can be human in appearance, can be of either sex, and have a variety of humanoid forms. Communication in Second Life is through a chat or instant messaging. Second Life also has a growing economy, where residents can exchange currency for the Linden dollar, the currency of Second Life. Some entrepreneurs are doing a brisk business in Second Life, creating stores, designing buildings, and offering services and making real money in doing so.

Public and academic libraries are building libraries in Second Life. The Info Island Community is

Discovery Resources

Second Life: Take a look through the website, look at the exchange data, and learn more about the pricing for this community
Introduction to Second Life: a short YouTube video
Libraries in Second Life
What is the fuss on Second Life?
Teen Second Life: PLCMC (the same one that created Learning 2.0)

Discovery Exercise

1. Take a look at the Discovey Resources. If you are feeling adventurous, sign up for an account with Second Life and explore the islands. (Make sure your computer can handle the software requirements.)
2. Write a blog post about your findings and thoughts on Second Life. Is there a role for Second Life in libraries?

#21 Social Networking

Social networking sites have exploded all over the internet in the last few years. The first big site to gain attention was MySpace, which revolutionized the ways people in online environments form and maintain relationships. Facebook is another of the most popular social networking sites and gained a lot of popularity when they opened their network up to everyone. Originally, this site was developed for college and high school students. Since opening up the site to everyone in Sept 2006 the number of users has grown. Facebook as a social networking tool helps facilitate the sharing of information through a users real world social network. While MySpace allowed people to cultivate a personality, Facebook is about the relationships one has in real life and outside the digital realm. Facebook has over 54 million registered users and active users double every six months.

Facebook introduced some innovated concepts in the past year, opening up their code to developers to create applications. (Think how Microsoft Word is an application that runs on a Windows operating system or platform. Facebook is the platform.)

Wary that social networking might not be for you? Consider joining LinkedIn, a social networking site for professionals. Think of this site as a way of networking with business contacts, colleagues and former clients.

Discovery Resources:

Facebook Site Tour: Learn about the site, how to set up a profile and security features
12 Ways to use Facebook Professionally
About LinkedIn

Discovery Exercise:

1. Register for an account at FaceBook or LinkedIn.
2. Create a profile and search for friends, family members or colleagues. Take a look at the privacy settings. Find
3. Blog about your findings. What applications do you like? How do you think you can use these tools?

#20 Discovering Web 2.0 tools

The end is in site! The end is in site!

Throughout the course of this Learning 2.0 program, we have explored a small sampling of these new internet technologies and websites that are empowering users with the ability to create and share content. Estimates place the number of Web 2.0 tools somewhere between 300 and 500, with only a handful emerging as market dominators. Time will tell which of these new collaborative, social networking and information tools will remains on top, come and go, one thing that is for sure, these tools are here to stay.

For this discovery exercise, participants are asked to select any site from this of Web 2.0 nominees and winners explore it. With so many to choose from, it might be handy to first select a category that interests you, or jump right to the list of the winners. Be careful to select a tool that is Free and that doesn’t require a plug-in or download. The majority of these are free, so this shouldn’t be a problem.

Discovery Exercise:

1. Select any tool/site from the list of Web 2.0 Awards nominees or winners.
2. Explore the site you selected.
3. Create a post about your discover. What did you like or dislike about the tool? What were the site’s useful features? Could you see any applications for its use in a library setting?

There is SO much to explore in Web 2.0, so just start with one!

#19 Web-based Applications: Go beyond the desktop!

The availability and use of online productivity web-based applications (think word processing and spreadsheets) has exploded over the past few years and with great reasons! These powerful application provide users with the ability to create and share documents over the internet without installed desktop applications. Some experts have speculated that this emerging trend may mean the death of Microsoft Office and other software-based productivity tools, while some think these tools have their place, just not in the office.

One of the benefits to web-based applications is that they eliminate the need to worry about different software versions or file types as you email documents or move them from computer to computer. Another bonus is that collaboration features are built in, making it easy for multiple users to edit the same file (with versioning) and provide users the ability to easily save and convert documents as multiples file types. You can even use many of these tools such as Zoho Writer and Google Docs to author and publish posts to your blog. It’s this type of integration with other web 2.0 tools that also makes web-based apps so appealing.

For this discovery exercise, participants are asked to take a look at the web-based word processing tool, Google Docs, create a simple document, and then write about your discoveries in your blog.

Discovery Resources:

A short list of web-based productivity applications.

Discovery Exercise:

1. Create a free account for yourself in Google Documents. (If you are using Blogger, you should be able to login with the same username and password as your Blogger blog.)
2. Explore the site and create a few test documents. Try the spreadsheet capabilities or the presentation software.
3. Create a blog post about your discoveries.

Optional: If you’re up for the challenge, try using Google Doc’s “publish” options to post to your blog.

* Note: You can also explore Zoho Writer by creating a free account.

#18 Exploring the depths of the blogsphere with Technorati

You’ve been blogging for about 6 weeks now, exploring the blogs of the other participants and perhaps outside the Ferguson community. And as the blogs seems endless, perhaps you have wondered, just how big is the blogsphere? Is there an end? According to Technorati, the leading authority and search tool for blogs, 1.4 blogs are created every second, and they are currently tracking over 70 million blogs!

These numbers are truly astounding, but you have already seem for yourselves just how easy blogging can be. Many industries are taking advantage of the publishing tools to communicate their messages and ideas, including libraries!

So how do you get your blog listed as part of the blogosphere and tag your posts with keywords to make them more findable through a Technorati search? Since you are using Blogger, the most popular blogging too, changes are your blog is already being captured by Technorati. But you want more? To have your blog listed on Technorati and take advantage of the watchlist and other features, you will need to claim you blog yourself. As for tagging posts with Technorati tags, piece of cake! All you need to do is add a little bit of HTML code to the bottom of your post (see my example below) and Technorati will pick up these tags when it spiders (or web crawls) your site.

There are a lot of new features that have been added to Technorati this past summer, including new ways to search for blogs. You can search for keywords in blog posts, search for entire blog posts that have been tagged with a certain keyword, or search for blogs that have been registered and tagged as whole blogs about a certain subject (like photography or libraries).

Discovery Resources:
Technorati Tour – videocast of new features & new look
Technorati Discover & Popular features

Discovery Exercises:

1. Take a look at Technorati and try doing a keyword search for “Learning 2.0” in Blog posts, in tags and in the Blog Directory. Are the results different?
2. Explore popular blog, searches and tags. Is anything interesting or surprising in your results?
3. Create a blog post about your discoveries on this site.
   
   OPTIONAL: If you’re up for a challenge, learn how to tag your posts by with Technorati tags so they can join tag searches. Create a post about something. It can be anything you want and add the HTML code to the bottom to tag it as “fergusonlibrary”. You may also want to consider claiming your blog and creating a watchlist.NOTE: When adding HTML code, you’ll want to make sure you’re in Blogger’s Edit HTML window.

There’s a lot to explore.

Technorati: newcanaanlibrary

#17 Folksomonies, tagging and social bookmarking in Del.icio.us

Tagging is an informal and open method of categorizing that allows users to associate keywords with online content. Library subject heading follow a strict set of guidelines for their use. Tagging is unstructured and freeform, allowing users to create connections between data anyway they want and in ways that are meaningful to them (and possibly others).

Flickr and LibraryThing are two of the many sites that allow users to take advantage of tagging. This week, in addition to exploring Technorati tagging, we want to also explore the popular social bookmarking site called delicious (which is found at http://delicious.com).

Delicious is a social bookmarking manager which allows you to bookmark a web page and add tags to categorize our bookmarks.

As a web 2.0 tool, many users find the value of delicious in the social network aspect, which allows you to see how others have tagged similar links and discover other websites that may be of interest to you. You can think of it as peering into another user’s filing cabinet or bookmarks, but with this tool each user’s filing cabinet helps build an expansive network of knowledge.

For this discovery exercise, you are asked to take a look at delicious and learn about this popular bookmarking tool.

(Delicious recently was known as del.icio.us, which is why you may see it on some of the older posts.)

Discovery Resources:

• Otter Group Del.icio.us tutorial (8 min video) - Highly recommended!!!
• Us.ef.ul: A beginners guide to Del.icio.us
• Several Habits of wildly successful Del.icio.us users

Discovery Exercise:

1. View this 8 minute tutorial on del.icio.us to get a good overview of the features.
2. Take a look around delicious using the New Canaan Library Learning 2.0 account that was created for this exercise. http://del.icio.us/NCL2 (NCL2/learning2009) (Click sign in in the upper right hand corner)
   
3. Explore the site options and try clicking on a bookmark that has also been bookmarked by many other users. Can you see the comments they added about this bookmark or the tags that they used to categorize this reference?
4. Create a blog post about your experience and thoughts about this tool.
   Can you see the potential for this tool for research assistance? Of just as an easy way to create bookmarks that can be accessed for anywhere?

OPTIONAL: If you’re up to the challenge, create a Delicious account for yourself and discover how this useful bookmarking tool can replace your traditional browser bookmark list. You might even want to explore Delicious’ latest addition, a network badge. (Psst! see it over there at the end of the navigation sidebar)

Note: If you do setup a Delicious account, here’s a quick word about the Delicious Buttons. On PCs that have the toolbars locked down, these will install as options in your browser bookmarks. Use the “Post to my Delicious” link to add the current webpage to your account (you may need to log in). Use the “My Delicious” link to view your online account.

#12 All a twitter about Twitter

What is Twitter? A tweet?

Twitter is a small social networking site that was started in March 2006 as a way for users to send out quick short messages on the internet and to their followers.

The premise is very simple. A user will send out a short tweet, of 140 characters max. However, like any social network, this won't work in a vacuum. So, user will locate people or news sources to follow. This means when you sign into your account you will see tweets of the people you are following. Tweet interesting and witty things, and you may find your followers growing. Same idea as followers, the people who are following you will see your tweets on their account?
Pretty simple right? All you need is an email address!

Discovery Resources:

• About Twitter
• Twitter in Plain English
  

Discovery Exercise:

1. Visit Twitter and set up an account.
   (If you don't want to set up and account, you may used an account I set up. I will send the login and password to you through email.
   
2. Tweet your first message, and look for some people to follow. You can import your contacts from Yahoo/Gmail/Hotmail.
   (You can follow me @mauradeedy)
3. Here is a list of libraries on Twitter
4. Write a blog post about your thoughts on Twitter. What were your impressions about the site? What do you think this tool could be used for?
   

#16 Let’s jump into a wiki!

“Sandbox” is the term that wikis often use to describe the area of the website that should be used for pure play. (That’s right… pure play!) For this discovery and exploration exercise, we’ve set a whole Learning 2.0 favorites wiki, that is nothing but pure play!!

For this discover, explore and play with wikis exercise, you are asked to add an entry to two to the PBwiki Learning 2.0 wiki. The theme of this wiki is simply Favorites: Favorite books, favorite vacation spots, favorite restaurants, favorite anything… all you need to do is play and add your thoughts. To mark your adventure on this site, add your blog to the Favorites Blog pages.

Discovery Resources:

• PBWiki Video Gallery - Short videos of PBwiki features
• PB Wiki Tips

Discovery Exercise:

1. Access the New Canaan Library wiki.
   Click on the Edit Page button.
2. Add your blog to the Favorite Blogs page. That’s how we’ll know that you’ve been there. It is very easy to do.
   Click on the “Edit Page” button, and you will see a text editor appear (which slightly resembles Blogger and Microsoft Word).
   Enter your blog name, highlight the text and press the Link button, and a edit box will appear. Under link type, choose URL if you are linking to a page outside the wiki.
3. OPTIONAL: Add a favorite or two to a few other pages (Favorite books, favorite vacation spot, etc). And, if you feel up to the challenge, you might even want to create a separate page for book review or short travel essay and link up to that.
4. Create a post in your blog about the experience.

* NOTE: The New Canaan Learning 2.0 wiki was created using the free version of PBWorks, a tool that lets you create webpages that anyone can edit.

#15 What exactly is a wiki….

Wiki! Wiki! Wiki! A fun simple word that is fun to say fast and over and over again.

A wiki is a collaborative website and authoring toll that allows users to easily add, remove and edit content. Wikipedia, the online open encyclopedia that anyone can update, is the largest and perhaps most well known of these knowledge sharing tools. With the benefits that wikis provide, the use and popularity of these tools are expanding.

Some of the benefits include:

• Anyone can add, edit or delete content. (Users can be registered, unregistered, unrestricted and restricted. Many layers to ensure the right people are editing the wiki.)
• Tracking tools within wikis allow users to easily keep up on what has been changed and by whom.
• Earlier versions of a page are archived, and can be restored if needed.
• Users do not need to know HTML in order to apply styles to text or add and edit content. A simple syntax structure is used, (and very easy to learn!)

As the use of wikis has grown over the last few years, libraries all over the country have begun to use them to collaborate and share knowledge. Among their applications are pathfinder or subject guide wikis, book review wikis, conference wikis and best practice wikis.

Discovery Resources:
Use these resources to learn more about wikis.

• Wikis’: A beginner’s look - an excellent short slide presentation that offers a short introduction and examples
• What is a Wiki? - Library Success wiki presentation
• Using Wikis to Create Online Communities - a good overview of what a wiki is and how it can be used in libraries

Discovery Exercise:

1. For this discover exercise, you are asked to take a look at some library wikis and blog about your findings and thoughts. Here’s a handful of wikis to get you started:
   • SJCPL Subject Guides - a pathfinder wiki developed by the St. Joseph County Public Library system
   • Book Lovers Wiki - developed by the Princeton Public
   • 2008 Midwinter ALA Meeting Wiki
   • Library Success Wiki
   • The Bull Run Library wiki
   • Other library wiki examples
2. Create a blog post about your findings. What did you find interesting? What types of applications within libraries might work well with a wiki?

So, what’s in a wiki? Find out by exploring and discovering this knowledge management tool!!

#14 On Library 2.0 and Web 2.0

Library 2.0 is a term used to describe a new set of concepts for developing and delivering library services. The name is an extension of Web 2.0 and shares many of the same philosophies and concepts included including utilizing the user in both design and implementation of services, embracing constant change as a development cycle over the traditional notion of updates, and reworking library services to meet the users in their space, as opposed to ours (the library).

The term is not without controversy. Many argue that the notion of Library 2.0 is more than just at terms used to describe concepts that merely revolved around the use of technology; it is also a term that can be used to describe the physical and mindset changes that are occurring within libraries to make our spaces and services more user-centric and inviting. Others within the profession that libraries have always been 2.0: collaborative, customer friendly and welcoming. However, no matter what side of the debate you fall on, we all can agree that libraries of tomorrow, and those years down the road will look substantially different from libraries today.

Discovery Resources:

OCLC Next Space Newsletter: Web 2.0- Where will the next generation Web take libraries?

Five Perspectives:

• Away from Icebergs
• Into a new world of librarianship
• To more powerful ways to cooperate
• To better bibliographic services
• To a temporary place in time

Wikipedia - Library 2.0
Library 2.0 Discussions (list of great references from Wikipedia)
Discovery Resource:

1. Read two or three of the perspectives on Library 2.0 from the list above.
2. Create a blog post about your thoughts on any one of these perspectives. Library 2.0 is many things to many people. What does it mean to you? How do you think this might impact librarianship and the future of libraries?

#13 The Thing about LibraryThing

#13 The Thing about LibraryThing

Is your home library organized by subject or author? Do you enjoy reconnecting with books you forgot you owned? If so, LibraryThing just might be the tool for you! Developed for booklovers, this online application helps your create an online catalog of your own, and it connects you with others who have similar libraries and reading tastes. And the best part, it is so easy to add books: just enter the title (or ISBN). No MARC training needed! There are lots of ways to use LibraryThing as well. You can display your books on a virtual bookshelf, add a widget (see my blog) to display titles your library owns, or even install a LT search box on your blog.

So, let’s join the ranks and create your own library online. With over 280,000 registered users and 19 million books cataloged you are bound to discover something new. And by the way, LibraryThing also have a group forum for librarians.

(Fun Fact about LibraryThing: They have LibraryThing for Libraries! Danbury Public Library was the first library to use this application. Check out their catalog and try a search for Bridget Jones.)

Discovery Resources:

• About LibraryThing
• Library Thing tour
• LibraryThing blog (updates & news)

Discovery Exercise:

1. Take a look around LibraryThing and create an account.
2. Add at least 5 books to your library.
3. Blog about your findings and be sure to link to you LibraryThing catalog.

#11 WhoTube? YouTube!

Just about two years ago, Google bought a fairly new social networking site called YouTube for $1.65 billion dollars. Yep, $1.65 billion. Online video hosting websites have exploded in the past year allowed users to easily upload and share videos. YouTube is definitely the top dog in the video area, with users playing more than 100 million videos a day! (Holy cow!) YouTube also allows users to embed clips easily into their own sites.

Do some searching around YouTube and see what you can find. Be forewarned: it can be addicitive! You will find everything from 1970s commercials to library workout videos to Jonathan and his appreciation for turtles. Of course, like most of the internet you will also come across things that just aren’t worth watching. But still explore and discover what YouTube has to offer!

Discovery Exercise:

1. Explore YouTube and find a video worth sharing as an entry on your blog.
2. Create a blog post about your experience. What did you like or dislike about the site and why did you choose the video that you did? Do you have many ideas about how these features might be interesting if they were applied to library websites?

   OPTIONAL: Try placing the video inside your blog using the copy and past code for the “Emdebbable player: Note: You will need to use Blogger’s Edit HTML tab when pasting this code.

#10 Podcasts, Smodcasts!!

In 2005, the New Oxford American Dictionary named “podcast” the word of the year. The word podcast refers to a non-musical audio or video broadcast that is distributed over the Internet. What differentiates a podcast from regular streaming audio or video is that the delivery method for podcast is often done automatically through RSS. (And we all know and love what RSS is!)

Podcasts can take many forms, from short 1-15 minute commentaries, shows, and snippets of information to much longer interviews, panel discussions, or shows. There’s a podcast out there for just about every interest area and the best part about this technology is that you do not need an iPod or MP3 player to access them. Since Podcasts use the MP3 file format, a popular compressed format for audio files, all you need is a personal computer, or a portal device, with headphones or a speaker.

iTunes, one of the most popular online music stores and a free downloadable application created by Apple is the directory finding service most associated with podcasts, but if you don’t have iTunes installed there are still plenty of options available. (Also: download iTunes! It is fun and free!)

For this discovery exercise play with some popular podcast directory tools. Do some exploring on your own and locate a podcast that is of interest to you. And now that we have a Bloglines account, you can easily add the RSS feed and you will be automatically notified of new podcasts! (Neat, right?)

Discovery Resources:

• Podcast Tutorial by Common Craft
• There are many podcast finding tools and directories available. These are some of the more popular tools, and unlike iTunes, don’t require a software download.
  
  • Podcastalley.com
  • PodFeed
    
• So, you want to learn to be a podcaster too?
  (Optional resources for those who want to learn to create podcasts and want a challenge!)
  • Beginner’s guide to Podcasts & Creating Podcasts
  • How to podcast tutorial

Discovery Exercises:

1. Take a look at one or two of the podcast directories listed above and see if you can find a podcast that interests you. Can you find some interesting library related podcasts here like book review podcasts or library news.
2. Add the RSS feed for a podcast to your Bloglines account
3. Create a blog post about your discovery process. Did you find anything useful here?

#9 AudioBooks!!

It’s time to take a look around at NetLibrary, and the media available for download.

For this discovery exercise, you merely need to familiarize yourself a bit with the structure of NetLibrary, and get an ideas of the types of titles you can find there. Take a look around and locate a few titles of interests, both in ebook and audiobook. Downloadable materials is a fast growing service offered by libraries, with some vendors releasing titles that are compatible with the ubiquitous iPod. With growing interest from the public, you definitely have a real reason to try out this popular library services.

Discovery Resources:

Create a Free Account with NetLibrary: This tutorial was created by North Metro Technical College Library, so the look of the site might be a little different, but the concepts are the same.

Discovery Exercise:

1. NetLibrary:
   • Establish a Netlibrary account for yourself by accessing NetLibrary through the New Canaan Library site. Note: Your not a member of the Ferguson Library staff or don’t have a New Cannan library card, full access to NetLibrary may not be available.
   • Once you have an account created, you can access NetLibrary directly at http://netlibrary.com
   • Click on the eAudiobooks link and explore some titles.
     OPTIONAL: Try downloading a title. You don’t need the MP3 player to listen to an audiobook. You can play it off your computer.
2. Create a blog post about your findings. Did you find any titles that you wanted to download once you have your player?
   

#8: Blogging about Technology!

Hello New Cannan Library Learning 2.0 participants!

How's everyone doing? Learning? Having fun?

For Thing 8, please write a blog entry on anything technology related ! That’s right, anything! Just share a few thoughts in your blog post. You could write about something you find in your feed or a recent news article about technology, a cool site you learned about recently. Anything!

Since online communities are about communication and connecting, be sure to take a look at The Participants page. Check out what your colleagues are blogging about and make at least one comment.

#7 More Flickr Fun

Part of the Web 2.0 philosophy encourages users to build their own applications using the data and information from a particular site. Flickr has encouraged others to build their own applications using images found on the site. Through the use of APIs (application programming interfaces), many people have created third party tools and mashups that use Flickr images. Here are just a sampling of a few…

• Flickr Colr Pickr - lets you find public photos in Flickr that match a specific color.
• Montagr - create a photo mosaic from photos found on Flickr.
• 
  

Discover more mashups, web apps, and Flickr tools.

Discovery Exercise:

1. Explore some of the fun Flickr mashups and 3rd party tools that are out there.
2. Create a blog post about one that intrigues you.

So have some fun discovering and exploring some neat little apps. And if you’re up to the challenge while you’re at it, why not create a trading card of your own.

* Mashup note: Wikipedia offers some great articles that explain mashups. Basically they are hybrid web applications that take features from one application (like Flickr) and mash it up with another (like a map).

# 6: Discover Flickr

Photosharing websites have been around since the 90s, but it look a small startup called Flickr to move the idea of sharing into a full blown online community. Within the past few years, Flickr has become the fastest growing photo sharing site on the web, and is also known as one of the first websites to use “tags”. Tags are keywords to create associations and connection between photos and users of the site.

For this discovery exercise, you are asked to take a tour of Flick and discover what this site has to offer. Explore how tags work, what groups are for, and all the fun things people and libraries are using Flickr for.

Discovery Resources:

• Flickr Magical Feature Tour (six steps)
• Flickr: Popular Tags
  Interestingness- Last 7 Days
• Flickr Services (3rd party applications and mashup)
• Libraries on Flickr

Discovery Exercise:

1. 1. Take a good look around Flickr, and discover an interesting image that you want to blog about. Either include a link to the image, or if you create a Flickr account, you can use Flickr’s blogging tool to add the image in your post. Another option you have for including images in your post is to use Blogger’s photo upload tool.

   –OR–

2. If you are up to an easy challenge… create a free account in Flickr and upload a few images to your Flickr account. Tag at least one of the images “newcanaanlibrary” and mark it public. Then create a post in your blog about your photo and experience. Be sure to include the image in your post. Once you have a Flickr account, you have two options for doing this: through Flickr’s blogging tool or using Blogger’s photo upload feature.

So, explore and discover Flickr, and have some photo fun. If you are interested in exploring some other photo hosting sites, checkout Picasa or Photobucket. This Wired article reviews and compares some of the photosharing sites available.

PS. A quick word about photo posting etiquette- When posting identifiable photos of other people (especially minors) it is advisable to get the person’s permission before posting their photo in a publicity accessible place like Flickr. Never upload pictures that were not taken by you, unless you have permission from the photographer, and always give credit when including other’s photos in you blog.

Photo from Paris2e on Flickr.

#5 Locating Useful Feeds

Congrats! You have mastered the hardest discovery exercise. Now that you have a Bloglines account, you can start adding other newsfeeds that interest you. There are a few ways you can locate newsfeeds:

• When you are visiting your favorite website, for for the news feed icons that indicate the website provides it. Often a feed icon will be displayed somewhere on the navigation bar of the site. (Not seeing it? Check the bottom of the page, most blogs will display on the right or left.)
• Use Blogline’s Search tool - Bloglines search allows you to search for news feeds, as well as posts, citations and the web. Use the Search for Feeds option to locate RSS feeds you might be interested in.
• Other Seach tool that can help you find feeds:
  
  • Technorati - Technorati is a popular blog finding tool that lets you search for blogs. Since RSS feeds are inherent to all blogging tools, Technorati Blog Search can help you find RSS feeds for topic specific blogs you may be interest in.

Discovery Exercise:

1. Explore some of the search tools listed above that will assist you locate some news feeds.
2. Create a blog post about your experience. Not sure what to blog about? Here are some things to think about…
   • Which method of finding feeds did you find easiest to use?
     
   • Which Search tool was the easiest for you?
   • What was more confusing?
   • What kind of useful feeds did you find in your travels?
     
   • Or what kind of unusual ones did you find?
     
   • What other tools or ways did you find to locate newsfeeds?

#4: All about RSS Feeds!

You’ve heard of RSS? You’ve seen those small funny tags on websites? You’ve heard co-workers and acquaintances swear by it, but still have no idea what RSS is? Well, fear not, according to a recent survey you are still in the majority, but this is changing. In the information world, RSS is not only revolutionizing the way news, media and content creators share information, but it is also swiftly changing the way everyday users are consuming information.

RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication” and it is a file format for delivering regularly updated information over the web.

Just think about the websites and news information sources you visit every day. It takes time to visit those sites and scour the ad-filled and image-heavy pages for for the text you want to read, doesn’t it? Now imagine if you could visit all those information sources and websites in just one place and all at the same time… without being bombarded with advertising… without having to search for new information on the page you’d already seen or read before… and without having to consume a lot of time visiting each site individually. Would that be valuable to you?? Well, it is reality, and available to you through a newsreader and RSS.

This week’s discovery exercises focus on learning about RSS news feeds and setting up a Bloglines account (a free online newsreader) for yourself to bring your feeds together. (*Google also has a feed reader product if you already have a gmail address.)

Discovery Resources:

• CNET Video: Rss - Feel the Need for Feeds (3:32) - a good overview of what RSS is and the benefits to users.
• Feed Me: a gentle introduction to Internet feeds: a good tutorial from Palinet, a library cooperative
• Using Bloglines Tutorial (how to keep up with dozens of blogs everyday) - This online tutorial walks you through how to setup a Bloglines account and add newsfeeds. Follow Steps 1 to 3 to set up your Bloglines account. Steps 4-9 are optional and cover how to subscribe different types of feeds (podcasts, Flickr albums, etc)
  *This one is very comprehensive with screen shots.
• RSS in Plain English: This is a great short tutorial that goes over what RSS is and how to subscribe to feeds.
• Adding RSS Feeds to Bloglines- A short tutorial created by Emily Alling from UMass
• Your co-workers - tap into their knowledge or work through your discovery process together. Several New Canaan Library staff members are already using RSS feeds.

Discovery Exercise:

1. Follow the discovery resources above the learn more about RSS and newsreaders.
   
   
2. Create a free online Bloglines account for yourself and subscribe to at least 10 newsfeeds to your reader. See Using Bloglines Tutorial steps 1-3 instructions.
   Newsfeeds:
   • Learning 2.0 participant blog feeds- Subscribe to several of your co-workers’ feeds. This is as easy as typing the blog URL into the subscribe field in Bloglines. It is super easy!
   • Then try adding a few other types of news feeds from news sources and even some of the Ferguson Library Blogs. Select at least 3 from the list below to subscribe to:
     • The New Canaan Library learning 2.0 blog
     • Unshelved - a library cartoon blog
     • ALA Tech Source news
     • LibrarianInBlack (great posts about technology and libraries!)
     
     
3. Create a post in your blog about this exercise.
   Don’t know what to blog about? Think about these questions:
   • What do you like about RSS and news readers?
   • How do you think you might be able to use this technology in your work or personal life?
   • How can libraries use RSS or take advantage of this new technology?

Optional: if you are up to the challenge, you can provide the URL address to your public bloglines account (find where to find this below)

How to find your public Blogines URL:

1. 1. Scroll down the right screen pane and locate the public URL
   2. Click on the share link
   3. Be sure to add this as part of your post to demonstrate your completion of this activity.

In Conclusion… Here is a link to my public Bloglines account:
http://www.bloglines.com/public/mdeedy

Why have a public account? To share blog rolls with others, of course.

PS. Give yourself a round of applause!! Bravo!! This is the most challenging discovery exercise of the whole game.

About Learning 2.0 @ New Canaan Library

This blog has been set-up as part of Learning 2.0 @ New Canaan Library to encourage staff to explore, discover, and play with the new and emerging technologies that are reshaping the context of information on the Internet today. The objectives of this program are to:

• encourage exploration of Web 2.0 and new technologies by New Canaan Library staff
• provide staff with new tools (that are freely available on the Internet) to better support New Canaan Library’s values: Embracing technology that delivers cutting-edge resources for the 21 st century
• reward staff for taking the initiative to complete 23 self-discovery exercises

The Learning 2.0 program was originally designed by Helene Blowers, PLCMC Technology Director. Many libraries have adopted this program and modified it to meet their individual needs.

Frequently Asked Questions:

• How does this online learning program work?
  This is a self-discovery program which encourages staff to take control of their own learning and to utilize their lifelong learning skills through exploration and PLAY. There will be no classes or workshops offered to support this program. Instead, staff are encouraged to work together and share with each other their discoveries, techniques and “how to’s” both in person and through their blogs.
  
  
• Is this program open to all New Canaan Library staff or just some?
  This program is open to ALL New Canaan Library staff regardless of position and status (full and part time). If you are not a member of the New Canaan Library staff, you are welcome to follow along, however the library cannot award you any staff prizes for completion.
  
  
• How long do I have to complete the program?
  The program kicks off April 13 and will run for ten weeks until June 21 and officially wraps up on TBA. All blog entries should be posted by that time.
  

• How do I track my progress for each of the 23 Things?
  Each staff member that chooses to participate in this program will be required to keep a blog to track their progress. Program coordinator, Maura Deedy, will keep track of your blog posts.
  
  
• If I’m not a New Canaan Library staff member, can I still participate?
  Yes, by all means. However, New Canaan Library cannot award you any incentives or prizes for completion.
  
  
• Will there be any training classes offered to show staff how to do this?
  No, this is a self-directed learning program. If you feel you need assistance with an item, you are encouraged to be resourceful and to find a co-worker or another staff member who can help. Reading other staff member’s blogs can help, too.

• What if I need help - who can I call?
  Since this program is self-directed and is being completed by many staff members throughout the system simultaneously, you are encouraged to work with colleagues along your discovery journey. One of the goals of the program is to encourage collaboration and learning, so working together in groups or pairs is encouraged. To find a list of staff participating see The Participants.

• I’ve seen the list of 23 Things on the website, but how do I know what to do with them?
  Each week, two or three posts will be added to the Learning 2.0 with details about the discovery exercises for that week. The reason for this staggered approach is to allow participants the ability to focus each week on a different area without feeling overwhelmed.
  
  
• Can I work ahead through the list of items on my own?
  Yes, of course. You are encouraged to self-direct your discovery process, especially by working ahead on your own!! However, if you do work ahead on some items, be sure to check back on the exercise details for each item once they are posted so you can be sure to receive full credit for its completion.
  
  
  
  
• I would like to earn the flash drive but don’t feel comfortable with my co-workers reading my blog, can I participate anonymously?
  Yes & No. Since you control all the information that you share on your blog, you can choose to use a screen name to identify yourself to keep yourself anonymous. However, in order to receive the flash drive player, you will need to identify yourself to the Program Coordinator to ensure you are fulfilling the requirements.
  

Don’t find your question answered here? Then enter it is as comment below.

#3 Get credit and register your blog!

If you have made it here, you have already completed two things, congrats! You have completed two of the twenty three in order to win an MP3 player!

In order to qualify, you will register your blog with Maura, and she'll record your progress on each of the 23 Things. To do this email her at deedymaura[at]gmail[dot]com.

Remember- it's okay to blog anonymously, but in order to receive credit to receive an MP3, you'll have to let Maura know!

If you’re not New Canaan Library staff member, we are glad you are here! Please follow along as you like. I can not include you in any of the incentives, but I hope the learning process is enough of a reward for you

#2: Get yourself a blog in 3 easy steps!

Now that you have had some time to explore this website, and take a look at some other libraries programs, it’s time to setup your very own personal blog to record your thoughts, discoveries and exercises. For this program, I recommend that you use Blogger*. Blogger is a popular free online blog service that is very easy to use.
(* Use of Blogger is only a recommendation. if there is another blog hosting that you are more comfortable with, please feel free to use it)

You can create a blog using Blogger in three steps:

1. Create an account.
2. If you have a gmail account sign in with your account, if not fill out the required information.
   
   
   
3. Select your template
   
   .
4. Write a blog post and publish it!
   
   
   
   

Once you’ve created your blog, here are two important things to know:

• To add posts: The maintenance interface that you will use to add posts, edit or change the step-up your blog is accessed online at http://www.blogger.com . Be sure to write down your name and login, so you don’t forget.
• To view your blog: you blog address with be
  http://BLOGNAME.blogspot.com
  BLOGNAME being the unique identifier you entered in Step 2. Be sure to also write down your blog address.

If you run into problems, or would like more information about blogs and Blogger, here are some discovery resources you can use:

• Blogs in Plain English
  
• Blogger’s Quick Tutorial

Okay!! Now, it is your turn…

Discovery Exercise:

1. Setup a blog for yourself through Blogger.
2. Add a test post or two.
   Note: You can use one of your test posts to create an entry on your feelings and what you hope to learn from this program.
3. Have fun!!!

IMPORTANT NOTE: How you choose to identify yourself on your blog is entirely your choice. You can blog under a screen name, anonymously, or as yourself. However, in order to qualify for the incentives, you will need to register your blog with Maura.

Thing #1: Exploration and discovery are fun!

Welcome to the New Canaan Library’s Learning 2.0 program and blog.

Chances are you found you way here because:

1. you are a New Canaan Library Staff member who’s participating in the Learning 2.0 Challenge
2. interesting in learning and playing around with some of the new web 2.0 tools that will help you expand your information literacy toolbox
   or
3. you are just interested in earning the incentive prize!

Regardless of your reasons, we are so glad you are here!

Learning 2.0 is a program that was started by Helene Blowers at the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County. This program was developed to encourage staff to learn about emerging technologies on the web, and how they are changing the way people, society, and libraries access information and communicate with each other.

Over the next 10 weeks, this website will be your entry point for completing the 23 Thing and discovery exercises to help us become familiar with blogging, RSS news feeds, tagging, wikis, downloadable audio, image hosting sites, and online applications.

To familiarize yourself with this project, please read the About Page. The FAQs should answer most of your questions about this program. If not, please add your questions to the FAQ page as a comment.

So, ready to explore, discover and play? Grab your mouse and get ready for an online discovery adventure. Remember: it is OK to play in the library and have fun!

The Participants

Here are others who are doing the program. Add them to your RSS feed and leave comments on their posts!

• Alice
  
• Among Leaves and Petals
• Blahg Blahg Bhalg (Paula)
• Blogging with Indu
  
• Curious Busy Bee
  
• Donna
  
• FirstGenTrekkie (Sharon)
• Heard at the Library (Barbara)
  
• Jeff's Blog
• Laurie
  
• Maura
• On the 2.0 Journey with Lauren
  
• On The Loose with L2.0
• Phebe
  
• Susan 2.0
• Sylvia
  
• Tea & Coffee (Penny)
• Weekly Quibbler