End of the Road a New 2.0 Beginning?

The tools are truly amazing, but to be useful in the workplace, they must be used and used fairly regularly. If I don't use something regularly technologically speaking, I forget it even exists, and if I happen to remember it exists, I forget the hows and whys of using it in the first place. That is why I hope I can use some of what I have learned on an ongoing, regular basis. If I build a wiki space, I think that I would keep up with that 2.0 tool. Blogging, I suppose, could be part of that. Youtube is available when needed, and not at all difficult to use. That should stick with me. I am not sure flickr will be something I keep up with, nor delicious. But I will not say never, and if I give myself 15 min. a day, I may be able to re-visit and keep on top of things. The other thing that keeps happening is the speed with which these tools evolve. I find that both discouraging and encouraging at the same time--discouraged that what I just learned may be obsolete by the next time I use it, and encouraged that the ease and usefulness of these services will just keep improving.

Delicious Bookmarks

I think this will take me more time to get the hang of using this tool. I can see the use of the service for my own bookmarking, but the social aspect has me wondering if I would have time or take the time to fully utilize the potential for sharing and viewing other people's tags, etc. I tend to use what I need on the Internet, and do not find myself looking for new things or browsing as much as I should. I do plan to get a delicious account and try it out, however. Even if it just keeps my favorites more organized, I guess it would be worth a try!

Wikis vs Website

I was interested in seeing the different uses for wikis, and how useful they can be for a variety of uses. For me, I am especially interested in setting one up for a public viewing in place of a website. Our library uses our county website which is not convenient to update since it is managed elsewhere. I like the idea of being able to control, along with the staff, the content in a very user friendly, non-technical manner. I think our school is also planning to utilize wikis for parents/students to have an up-to-date place to view school happenings. Our website is not able to keep up with the changing events, but I think with the ability for all to edit within the school, we could keep things very current.

Google Docs Rocks!

Google has done it again--produced something that is simple to use but a powerful, useful tool for so many applications. I can see how this would help tremendously with committee work, because of the editing capabilities. Much easier than e-mailing information, waiting for responses, and then doing the editing myself! I liked the sharing link that allows people to edit without signing in. Many of the people that I would be working with probably would not have accounts, so this way they could still be in the loop.

Youtube Treasures

I was surprised to see how many library/libraries/librarian videos have been posted on YouTube! I had never looked specifically for this topic, and I was not surprised to see some informative, serious clips, others not so. I was also surprised to see so much resistance by members on Flickr to the addition of video--some resistance was down right nasty! I suppose those who prefer still photography feel overwhelmed by those who would rather work with video--the latter would win most popularity constests, I would presume. I know YouTube as excellent educational possibilities, and library applications would be no exception. Assigning the students to produce a short video clip on some library aspect, post it to Youtube, and then watch each other's work would, I think, be fun for the students as well as educational. A bit like sugar-coated cereal--at least they will eat it and derive some nutritional benefit.

Podcast Pleasure!

Hey, I could get excited about this application--the topics seemed just about endless, and the possibilities without limits! I didn't realize podcasts were 1. so easy to find and 2. diverse and interesting. I am wondering if I need a portable device now to take advantage--I have always preferred radio to TV, and this reminds me of being able to have a personal radio station, playing only those things I decide I want to listen to. I did an RSS feed on Nancy Pearl's book reviews (she is so hot, professionally speaking). I look forward to this and other gems I will no doubt find along the way. I wonder where I have been, why I didn't look into this sooner. Better late than never, I guess! Wouldn't it be fun to make podcast book reviews at school--the kids might enjoy doing this, and actually want to do a book review instead of resisting with every ounce of their being.

Jigsaw Magic

Wow, what fun--making custom jigsaw puzzles seems like a way cool app that I might use just for. I am having difficulty exploring some of these mashups--I think Web 2.0 must work best with the newest computers, as I am being shut out at random moments, which I attribute to my ME Windows and a slow machine! Probably time for me to update.