Flickr

Finally I have come to a lesson that I understand. This Flickr project was lots of fun! I looked at some amazing photos. I have visited China and found viewing the photos others have taken while in China to bring back wonderful memories and show some awesome places. After traveling the world, I downloaded some photos I have taken of my bathroom remodel (in progress as we speak). (Since they said "1 1/2 weeks for the job" when it started, I am hoping now for somewhat more than 1 1/2 months and am going crazy.) I thought that taking photos might keep me amused so that I didn't kill anyone. After I put the photos into the computer, I used Flickr to store them and then invited my parents in Ohio to view them. I'll report next time about their reaction to Flickr (--that is, if I can get my dad to actually open a Flickr account). It was fun to be able to send a whole batch (15)of photos without doing the attachment thing over and over again. I don't have any other similar site to compare Flickr to, but was pleased with what I saw on Flickr. If you haven't tried it, do it. I found it a lot less confusing than some of the processes we have already done. And the photos are great!

Podcasts

Deeper and deeper I get into this computer thing. I haven't done any viewing, but I listened to several book talks by authors that were done by Fairfax County Libraries. It's fun to have access to these materials when I have the time to listen AND the urge to hear info on a certain topic. Hearing the author speak about his/her own book adds an additional dimension to book talks. I think I'll use this saved podcast site. I'm sure more sites will be added as I wander through all the choices.

RSS

Well, I've hit the end of feeling very confident about these computer lessons. (Was it just an illusion?) I've struggled and struggled. I now have a list of saved sites to look in on when I have a free moment. But with all this work on learning, I don't seem to have any free moments. This is taking me a LOT longer than I think it's supposed to. I am at the point where I can't remember which thing blogger.com does, or bloglines.com, etc. They are all mixed up.
I guess what you're hearing is frustration with myself. All these issues may be sorted out by Valentine's Day. BUT I WANT IT NOW!

RSS may be useful to me. I already have practiced 2 new words on Word Of The Day dictionary sites. It will be quick to review new info on krl2pt0, too.

Social Bookmarking

Social bookmarking is a great idea for connecting with the young people in our library community. Tagging gives meaning to the organization of information. "Young people" means those who are computer savvy, regardless of age. People who have grown up with computers can use tagging to identify materials in KRL (whether or not they are adept at using the library catalog), avoiding repeated contact with the less user-friendly system.
I love the Port Orchard Reference del.icio.us account! Information used often is literally right at one's fingertips.

Week 2

"The 7 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners" was a good beginning to my adventures in krl2pt0. I had never seen a pod-cast, or even a moving object on my computer. So I have moved forward already. Because I am trained as a teacher, the structure of "The 7 1/2 Habits" makes sense to me. I followed along, writing down my goals, obstacles, toolbox items, etc. This process is a great way to make a serious commitment to making a change. I am becoming more excited about the challenges of learning new computer technologies. "20 Reasons Why Learning Emerging Technologies Is Part of Every Librarian's Job" certainly makes a good case for our implimenting our krl2pt0 program. And, to conclude, the krl2pt0 program has eased me into the process of learning by making the steps simple and clear.