#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