CuppaSludge

Thing #24 - Refresh Your Blog

2009-02-13T14:00:00.000-08:00

Well, my blog is refreshed. I had some frustrating attempts to update my avatar. Originally, I added it as a picture, so when I made the changes on Yahoo! it didn't automatically update to my Blog - whilst my friends' blogs updated almost immediately. After figuring that out, I was quite pleased and had fun creating my 'Waiting for Spring' avatar. It was good practice and forced me to play with my blog more, which is not something I would necessarily choose to do. I read other blogs on occassion, but rarely comment. Most of the blogs I read are 'subject' interests, but even then, they kind of bug me sometimes.

Thing #23

2008-12-11T10:25:00.000-08:00

Have things changed? Yes. I have a much broader knowledge of what is going on 'out there'. I may not be super skilled in handling some of the web 2.0 tools, but I know what they are...My favorite Things: hmmm...I'd have to say podcasting because I was very curious about it, but had never sat down and made the attempt to subscribe to one. I feel like that really opened some doors for me. Unexpected outcome? Never thought I'd join a social networking site! I will definitely participate in any upcoming training on web 2.0. One word: expansive.

Thing #22

2008-12-11T10:08:00.000-08:00

I vow to spend 15 minutes a day working on or updating my new found skills. I will also update my blog once a week. I'm excited for the next set of Things!

Thing #21

2008-12-09T14:47:00.000-08:00

Well, I checked out Ning and registered for the Open Course food networking site. I think these tools can really be a good thing for those that have the time for them. There's just so much out there!

Thing #20

2008-12-09T10:00:00.000-08:00

Thing 20 is done! Of course, I by-passed some earlier Things a couple of months ago, since all of my friends and co-workers were doing Facebook, I had to as well. I spent a little time just now, trying to get to know my way around Facebook a little more. I've been checking it about once a week, but haven't really had the time to 'play' with it. I think I'm getting the hang of it. I appreciate all of it's 'good points', but it seems weird to me that all of that 'stuff' is out there for everyone to look at. I don't necessarily want to see when Person A has commented on Person B's photo. It seems kind of invasive to me. It does have it's fun points and I can totally understand why youngsters would love it. I read the article on 12 Things to Use Facebook for at Work. I thought it made a REALLY good point that you shouldn't put anything on there that you wouldn't have on your desk at work.

Thing #19

2008-12-06T14:44:00.000-08:00

Yikes! Hard to believe I'm finally on Thing 19 and I'm listening and subscribing to podcasts. I feel so very technologically adept. OK, well, not adept, but something good and special. I think I could really get into the podcasting thing because I like listening to the radio, but miss a lot of the shows that I like. Now I am capable of listening to stuff when I want to! Yippeee! I looked at a couple of the podcast directories, but mainly used the MPR one, since I'm a bit of an MPR junkie. I used Google Reader to subscribe to the Splendid Table podcast from American Public Radio. And I downloaded it onto an MP-3 player. Now if I can just figure out how to use that....

Thing #18

2008-11-25T13:11:00.000-08:00

Thing #16

2008-11-15T09:49:00.000-08:00

If only I had this when I was in college! This is a great resource for students and teachers. I would definitely recommend it. As a matter of fact, I'm going to try to adapt the Research Project Calculator for a work project myself. We're redesigning some of the spaces and the workflow at my library, but it's a rather daunting task. There are many elements, phases and considerations to take into account. So I'm going to attempt to create a timeline and step by step process for completing the project. I'm very excited about this tool. If only I had more students ask me for help with research projects....

Thing #15

2008-11-15T09:06:00.000-08:00

I think it's great that there are free online games, especially for kids who don't have a Nintendo or Wii at home. I know there's been a lot of controversy surrounding gaming in the library, which I won't get into here. But I will say that, even though some adult patrons may get annoyed watching kids playing games on the Internet computers, I feel good knowing that the library allows kids, who may not otherwise have the opportunity, to use the computer. I played around with the Pirate games briefly and had a good time. I'm not very good with puzzles so it might be a good idea for me to play around with this some more. If I had time, I might take advantage of more online games. I don't really have much more to say on the subject.

Thing #14

2008-10-31T14:46:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it! I actually did it! Sweet. Now I really wanna play with this blog thing. No time though...gotta go home and trick or treat with Beelzebub and a Spider Witch (don't ask). I think I need to play around with LibraryThing a little more. I really like the idea of getting recommendations. And being able to read other peoples reviews. This Thing has a lot of potential...

Thing #13

2008-10-25T14:15:00.000-07:00

Being an organizing junkie, I had a little fun with this one. I liked playing around with Google Calendars. It's very clean and easy to use. I'd like to do more with it when I have time. However, I don't know if I could use this all the time, as I need to have my calendar with me at all times. I already used iGoogle, but I did some more customization on my homepage. As far as the lists go...well, I happen to be a list-freak and have about three little notebooks on my person at all times. (It's sort of scary really. I knew it was getting to be a problem when my 9-year old made a numbered list on our white-board at home...for her Slumber Party...detailing what events would occur in what order. ) Anyways, I don't really feel that I've got the time or inclination to make an online list as well, esp. when I can just whip the notepad out of my back pocket. Just to try it (and because I liked the name), I did create an account on 'Don't forget the milk', but it just can't beat my old-fashioned way of doing things...

Thing #12 - Social Media

2008-10-17T14:18:00.000-07:00

I like the idea of the Social Media sites. It seems very democratic somehow. In that, your average every day citizen can note what is important to them, as opposed to the media determining what is important. Personally, I can see using one of them for a quick news blip. If you're really busy, but want to know what 'people' are talking about or what they think is important, this would be a way to do it. I'm curious if a certain type or group of people tend to use certain Social Media sites though. I wonder if there would be a way to use the same idea for recommending books, movies and music on the library's website? As my dad always says...'people are sheep'...they want to read and watch what other people are reading and watching. So, I guess there's two ways to look at it: democratic or sheep-ish. I think I liked Digg the best. It was the most straightforward. I sent an article from the New York Times, which had already been sent. So I 'dugg' it. Apparently, a lot of people dugg it before me, so I guess I'm one of the flock....

Thing #11

2008-09-11T13:37:00.000-07:00

Well, I can see the appeal of Del.icio.us, but who has the time? It could be a useful tool for students that are working at different locations, but I can't imagine creating another account just to manage and share my favorite websites. I kind of had fun looking through the boookmarked pages and tags; It would be an interesting sociological study... I searched for ramsey county library in Del.icio.us thinking I would get other librarian's favorite/bookmarked sites. I got a few hits, but they looked more like patron accounts. I guess it's a good sign that people are bookmarking our site.

Thing #10

2008-09-11T12:23:00.001-07:00

Wikis are one of the few things I've already had some experience with. I have to admit that I use Wikipedia quite frequently. It comes in handy at the reference desk when there is a concept or person I am completely unfamilar with. I can do a quick scan of the Wikipedia article and usually get enough information to proceed with the answering the question. I thought the idea of using a Wiki for planning a camping trip was a great idea. In fact, I would have liked to have used it for my Boundary Waters trip planning this summer. I can see how Wikis could become very useful, but so far, it doesn't seem like our Reference Wiki has gotten much use.

Thing #9

2008-09-08T16:09:00.000-07:00

Well, I think I've learned how to get there (Google Docs and Zoho Writer) and read other people's edited comments. I emailed 23 Things for my invitation. We'll see if I get one. I had actually used Google Docs before, but not as a collaborative effort. This would have worked well in Library School and I can see how it would be a useful professional application. Especially for procedural manual drafts etc. On to #10 (and maybe back again).

Thing #8

2008-07-22T14:41:00.000-07:00

After a little trial and error I figured this one out. I created a picture mosaic, of one of my favorite television shows characters, on the Mosaic Maker. It was fairly easy to make and upload on to my blog. I could see the library using this to publicize. It might be fun to do a mosiac of each librarians favorite book covers or something along those lines.

Thing #7

2008-07-16T12:13:00.000-07:00

I've used most of the stuff on Thing #7, so I really didn't learn anything I would find too useful. I've done Minitex before, so thought I'd try OPAL, which doesn't have a session right now. Will have to get back to that later. Although, I will say that, as a format, I don't really like webinars. They seem convenient, but I feel highly unmotivated to sit down to a computer and watch a training session for some reason. I think we could probably use some other Web 2.0 Communication Tools if we wanted too, however, I don't know how much something like text messaging or Instant Messaging would get used as a Reference Tool. It doesn't even seem like we get that much email reference. I really like having IM as an option for communicating with staff at other branches. Seems more convenient, at times, than composing an email. I use it quite frequently.

Thing #6

2008-07-14T14:55:00.002-07:00

Well, that was the quickest thing I've done yet. Being that I lack the creativity, I probably wouldn't use this at work...but you never know.... Volunteer Trading Cards perhaps????

Kaylie J.

2008-07-14T14:55:00.001-07:00

Kaylie J.
Originally uploaded by CarrieWatts

Thing #5

2008-07-11T08:58:00.000-07:00

Call me a dork, but that was the most entertaining thing I've done for 23 Things yet. It was also surprisingly easy for this inept Web 2.0er. I only lost the poster once. I can see using this personally for fun, but it could/would be fun to use it to make funny and interesting posters for the library. Over and out and on to #6.

Sophia's first Hollywood Poster

2008-07-11T08:57:00.001-07:00

Sophia's first Hollywood Poster
Originally uploaded by CarrieWatts

Miley Cirus has a hot shot dad to get her to the Big Time; Sophia Watts has star quality and the attitude to boot....and that's all she needs.

Flickr

2008-06-07T14:18:00.001-07:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Thing #4

2008-06-05T08:08:00.000-07:00

Well, I've finally gotten around to Thing #4 and I feel like I've completed a marathon. Yes, I know how pathetic that is....For some reason every technology-related task seems to take me twice as long as the average citizen. It's not that I don't want to do it or don't want to know these things. It's just that none of it comes naturally to me. At least I'm trying. Right? Anyways, I set up a Flikr account, uploaded some pictures and put one on my blog. I've been pretty envious of other peoples sweet blogs, with all the pictures. Now I can do it myself. Just don't be surprised if you see a few upside down....

My Fella

2008-06-05T07:47:00.000-07:00

This is piece from an exhibition, "Arts of Japan: The John C. Weber Collection", that was showing at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. They call it 'Hotei' and attribute it to Kano Masanubo (15th-16th century). I call it 'My Fella' because I fell in love with him at first sight. I attribute that to his cheerful disposition and rub-able belly.

Guess what???

2008-04-07T14:49:00.000-07:00

I'm on thing #3!!! I'm kind of excited about the RSS Feeds. Maybe I'll be able to keep on top of stuff I'm interested in, now that I know how to do this. I only have 2 right now: Dictionary.com Word of the Day and Confessions of a Pioneer Woman, which won Best Food Blog of 2008. I'm using Bloglines, due to my co-workers recommendations. There's lots of stuff I'm interested in, but I don't want to go overboard and have a million things to read when I look at it. So, I'm just starting with a couple and will see how that goes. I really wish I had more time to play around with this new tool, but I must get on to #4!

Thing #2

2008-02-28T08:46:00.001-08:00

Ok. I watched the Stephen Abram video again, not because I was so enthralled, but because I originally viewed it so long ago. It reminded me that finding the time to develop myself personally and professionally is a choice. It's a matter of prioritizing. Yes, I am busy, but taken in increments, I can probably get a lot further than procrastinating and doing nothing. Mr. Abram also talks about the importance of experiential learning, one of the reasons I was and still am very excited about 23 Things. It's almosts "forces" me into actually using these new technologies, instead of just knowing what they are. Finally, I think that Mr. Abram's obvious zeal for learning and technology is contagious and one of the 'unintended consequences' generated by the 23 Things is that the enthusiasm is infectious.

This is my blog

2008-02-13T09:45:00.000-08:00

This is my blog.
I've come out of the fog.
To run pell-cell,
into the smell
of technology.

It was quite a feat,
but the smell is sweet.
I shall come back
to have a snack
on the feast of Web 2.0