Week 9 Thing 23

Well, here are my comments on the Maryland 23 Things Project:

1. I feel it was definitely worth doing, since it gave me the chance (push) to check out Web applications that I would not have checked out on my own. Even if I do not use some of them again, I at least have a better understanding of them and how they are used. It is nice to now understand what someone is talking about when discussing some of these applications.

2. I got a sense of satisfaction after completing some of the activities. Though they were at times confusing and I still may not have understood everything about certain applications, I was able to do the basics.

3. The program gave me the chance to ask my colleagues for help when I was confused about a Web site. It was nice to work together, and have someone who had already done a Thing, that I was working on, be able to help me understand better.

4. I had fun on a number of the 23 Things.


Yeaaa, I think I have completed the 23 Things.

Week 9 Thing 22

I checked out Overdrive mostly since that is the one we have at BCPL. I tried to look up some old titles, but they were not available. That is a little disappointing, but I realize they can't do every title, so it makes sense to concentrate on the newer and more popular.


I think it is wonderful service. In this time of great technology it is good to see that the computer can be used to obtain books. I wish they could be transferred to an ipod. I was surprised that it does include video now. It would be even more useful. I don't know that I would use the service all that much, but it is great to know it is there if I needed it.

Week 9 Think 21

The search for podcasts was interesting. I was a little confused by what they really were about, and how to figure out how some work. I did search though for one and ended up, with the help of a colleague, getting into one about music called The World Cafe. I have listened on the radio to this program, and I am not so sure if the podcast is different or if it is just a way to listen to the show on the computer.

I added it to my bloglines feed list, so I guess I will find out more about how it works. I think I may be a little confused by podcasts, but now I know how to search for them.

Week 9 Thing 20

I checked out YouTube, and it was just what I thought, I had trouble stopping. I found some old music videos of musicians I like that I thought I would never be able to see again, and found some new ones. I can see why so many people like YouTube, and why so many go to the site everyday.

I also realized, how besides just being fun and entertaining, it could also be used for teaching when a visual would be so helpful. I checked out some home improvement how to videos, and another thing that came to mind, since my son loves to pitch in baseball, would be video instruction on how to throw certain types of pitches. I think the uses could be endless. So, then I checked for some, and there are some on YouTube. The one I watched was how to throw a curve ball. It worked well, and did give a good lesson on how to throw a curve ball and best locations to throwthe ball. There were other videos that I did not watch, but it appears that instructional videos are available and work well, at least for the subjects I checked out. I think this would be one way they could be very helpful for libraries. Even if it is just to let customers know of the possibilities available from videos on the Internet.


This was a really fun activity and I will probably go back to YouTube when I have a chance, but I must not get too addicted, I can see how it could take over all my spare time if I am not careful.

And here is one of the videos I found that I like - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPk11AugG4c

Week 8 Thing 19

I checked out Pandora, since I love to listen to music so much. I entered info on a certain musician I like. It did work, but I was not completely satisfied with their selections. Another librarian told me that you can kind of train it to play more of what you would like by telling it when you do not like something they selected. She said it than works really well.

I am amazed how you can just get music free this way and kind of set up your own radio station. I am not sure how or if I really will use it much, but I feel it is a great program and can broaden your horizons in music without taking it too far away from your likes.

Week 8 Thing 18

Well, I decided to use Google Docs to create a document. I found it very nice, and I went into detail on the document about what I think of this online word processing.

I decided to add a table to get an idea of how that works and imported a graphic from this blog. I had to try a number of times before I got it right and got use to how it works, but I persevered and got it to look the way I wanted it to look. And best of all I learned some things about Google Docs.

This exercise was very practical, and one of my favorites since it showed me something very helpful and useful that I may not have ever found on my own.

Here is the text of what I think about Google Docs:

"This is my test document for the "23 Things Project." I am so excited by this ability to create documents online. It sure solves many problems. I was looking into buying a new computer, but most of the reasonable priced do not come with MS Word etc. But now I will not have to have Word to create documents. And it is so nice that if you have the Internet you can access your documents. I hope I can get used to it so I can maybe use it in place of Word."

Week 7 Thing 17

I set up a Wiki through Sandbox, and I put a link to my Blog on the Favorites page. I got some help from a fellow 23 Thinger, when adding my Blog. Boy, some people can figure this stuff out so much better than me.

And that brings me to my Wiki I set up. I decided that a Wiki page about home improvement (not the show, the real thing) would be helpful. I figure that you could get the knowledge and help from others that have tackled a certain project. There could be a subject, and others could add their thoughts and opinions, or explain how they did something.

I feel a Wiki would be a good method for home improvement, because things change regularly and you want the most up to date information. It is also good to get the experience from others , and this is a way to do that easily. This Wiki would than be helpful to others working on the home.

This Thing was not too hard, but as with others it took some exploring, trying, and getting help. Just like most of the 23 Things. But that is the way we learn, isn't it.

Week 7 Thing 16

I find the idea of Wikis interesting. It certainly can save great amounts of time if anyone can add to a document (website), or can impart their knowledge on a subject. It would make group projects that much easier.

Controls is the first thing that came to mind when I thought about Wikis. Someway to keep things from getting out of hand. It appears that most Wikis do have that control in place with someone checking on content and cleaning it up if they must.

I think in the library Wikis could be used to get content or ideas about any subject that is currently being discussed in Administrative Council, MOB, MACO , etc. It could make it open to anyone on the library staff to add their thoughts, without needing to go through another person. Some may not speak up, but they may write about something.

They could also be used to generate ideas for an infinite subjects. A branch may ask for ideas from other branches and departments.

I feel as if it is a way to brainstorm in a broader and easier way. If two minds are better than one, many minds are even that much better. Wikis make that work and in an easy format. That can be very powerful.

Week 6 Thing 15

My first thought on these articles in general is that we are in the beginning stages of all of this technology in regard to how the library will use it and adapt to all this Web technology. I agree as, one article stated, we should not wait to investigate how libraries fit into the technology, but I wonder if things may change and maybe we will just need to change our strategy.

I also wonder how many people are as Web savvy as the articles seem to feel they are. I am not saying I don't think they are, but I just wonder how many are. I can not go by my own level since I am not to with it when it comes to all the possibilities on the Web.

I do hope we are not heading into even less socializing than we already have. My fear is that all this technology is allowing people to remain in a kind of vacuum and not needing to depend on others in person. We can get so much from the Internet without talking to a person face to face.

Finally, I am always concerned with authority. Who is really putting out this information. Are they really knowledgeable on the subject. Where are they obtaining their information etc.

Week 6 Thing 14

I am really confused by this one. I was not sure how to get Technorati to search for blog, posts etc. I was surprised by the more popular Blogs, but then I do not know what many of them are about or what content is on them.

Week 6 Thing 13

Explored Del.icio.us and was a little confused at first but then got the hang of how to save some sites in bookmarks. I did all music sites I like to visit to try it out. Am looking forward to accessing them from any PC. And here is my list:

http://del.icio.us/jcurreri

Week 5 Thing 12

Rollyo took some getting use to for me. I was a little confused by how to find sites, since I only knew of a few, but I figured it out with help from my very helpful colleagues.

I used home improvement as my subject. I enjoy home improvement and it would be nice to search within just sites dedicated to that subject alone. So I put some together, mostly from others that have a Rollyo for home improvement. My problem though is that I just keep wanting to know of the absolute best sites to add. I know this is probably a matter of preference and just exploring to find the best. I keep thinking I may miss that one site that will help with a particular project. Oh well that is just how life with the internet is. I think through use and seeing others I may be able to hone it to just what I need. And here is my Searchroll:

http://rollyo.com/jcurreri/home_help/

Week 5 Thing 11

Well, LibraryThing sure will be useful in our jobs. I think it is great how you can connect to others that read like you. It was also interesting to see how many others in the database read a particular title. I have some titles that I thought sure there would not be anyone else that had read the title, but more than I expected had.

It did take me a little while to learn how to navigate around in LibraryThing, but that is how it usually is with all these new databases, web sites, etc. I always need to just explore to get an idea of how they are set up and how to use them in the best or most helpful way.

I need to explore LibraryThing a little more but I like what I have seen so far, and here is my catalog:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog/jcurreri

Week 5 Thing 10

Well I checked out the image generators and did have some fun. Put two items on my blog. The surfer dude and the M & M guy. I am not really a surfer, but, as it says underneath, I do love summer and like the beach. I have never even tried surfing, but I did like creating this character. I do need a wet suite when getting in the ocean since I am always so cold. I don't think anything would keep me warm, but I have been told a wet suite really would.

I had a good time with this thing. It was easy and was fun to add some different, graphic, elements to my blog to make it a little more interesting.

I looked at the Meez but the look of the characters you can make creeped me out, so I decided to pass on that one.

Week 4 Thing 9

Once I got the hang of setting up news feeds and started viewing them I realized how this technology was more useful than I originally thought. It is nice to keep up on some news and even on sites that are not just "news" oriented.

I found most through the suggestions in Bloglines. I did not have too much success searching for any by subject. I feel that would be something that would really be helpful. That way I could just get an idea of any in a particular subject. Maybe this is possible and I missed it or do not understand how it works.

Anyway I am enjoying checking my feeds and hope to continue to use this technology.

Week 4 Thing 8

Well I set up my blogline. It went okay. I did not have too much trouble and found it easier than the Flickr exercise. I did not think it would be of that much interest to me, until the next step.

Week 3 Thing 7

For me it is not anything specific about technology that I can think of, but just that it always is amazing me. Two areas that are interesting to me are movie technology (special affects) and technology that makes things work better or more efficient.

It is kind of funny with the special effects part because I am not a huge special effects person. In other words, I do not go to a movie or rent one just because it has great special effects. But I am amazed by the ones I do see such as those by Pixar. I just can't believe what they can do now, and how real it looks. It is funny how it is really like magic or illusion.

Making something better or more efficient is amazing to me because of how sometimes things that took so long or so many steps can now be accomplished in few steps, quickly, and with little effort. One example I can think of is something I read from a musician who once wanted to have one song on an album (yes album, it was that long ago) seamlessly segue into the next one. He said it took so many moves on the sound board and had to be done so fast to make it work that it was difficult. He said that now a computer can do it with almost no effort.

It is also amazing when one task can be merged into another, such as the tools and programs that are on Flickr.

And then there is the uses in medicine. Which may be the greatest uses. Boy, on and on it goes.

Week 3 Thing 6

Well I finally got something on Flickr to work. I used Retrievr. This allows you to draw, in color, and then it retrieves the photos on Flickr that are close to what you drew. The photos that are retrieved are similar to your drawing in shape and color. It did work pretty well. I think it would be most useful if you are trying to get a photo with certain colors. I was trying to get a sunset and was sort of successful, but not as much came up as I hoped. I think with a little more exploration it may become easier, and you could probably be more exact. It was fun to use, but I don't see what I could use it for at this time, but maybe something will come to me or I will find a need for Retrievr in the future.

Week 3 Thing 5

I have explored Flickr a number of times now and I am still a little confused about certain aspects of it. I realize it is great for doing many things with photos, but I find it very hard to navigate around in it and understand how to use all the different aspects it has to offer.

I am frustrated by this. It could be just me, but I feel I need very logical step by step instructions for Flickr which I can't seem to find. Again it may be just me.

I wish I could figure it out and be able to use it better, since it seems like a great site with wonderful potential. Well maybe I will catch on in the future. I know I can ask others, but I am not even sure what to ask and I have this desire to figure it out on my own. I know that is not a good method and I may miss out on things if I use that approach.

Week 2 Thing 4 - I Think I Am Registered

I think I have registered my blog correctly since it appears on the 23 things page with all the others, and I have had 1 comment posted on the blog. I am trying to practice with my blog to get better at navigating around and understanding how to view posts, do new posts etc. I feel more comfortable each time I go on my blog.



And that is what I feel makes any learning process or new procedure easier and how you really get better at it and it becomes second nature. In other words "Experience is the best teacher". So I hope I can get into the blog and 23 things more often. We shall see.

Week 2 Thing 3 The Blog

Well I guess I was successful at this part since I have this Blog and have made some postings. It has been a long time since my last posting. I am feeling a little overwhelmed by the whole 23 things. It has been hard to keep up and find time to work on it.

I am not going to give up though. I will try to press on and hopefully get caught up soon.

Week 1 Thing 2

7.5 Habits of Life Long Learner

I think the 7.5 habits help you to think about the process of learning and help you realize the things that can effect the process.

Hardest/Easiest Habits

View Problems as a Challenge - This will be the hardest habit for me since, though I wish it were not true, I am a negative thinker at times. I will do my best to stop the negative thought and look at the problem as a learning experience, which it is.


Accept Responsibility - I realize it is up to me to get the most out of this program and will be as good as I can make it and will worth what I put into it. I feel this will be the easiest habit for me.


I thought at first Play would be the obvious easy habit, but sometimes play makes me think I am not being productive. However I am looking forward to playing and finally feeling that I am a little more aware of these new modern web activities, so I feel less like an old geezer and more hip, like that is really possible, but I can at least fake it a little better. I am glad there is now this learning activity to push me to get hip.

Week 1 Thing 1

I listened to the podcast and read the blog about the Maryland 23 Things Project. I think I am ready to begin.