Monday, May 21, 2012
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Tagxedo
I did not have much success with "word clouds" during the semester, but recently came across the Tagxedo site. Either Tagxedo is much easier to use than the other sites I've tried, or I am getting a little more intuitive :). The Tagxedo site has a gallery of word cloud examples. They are primarily the work of the site's creator, Hardy Leung, very creative and inspiring.
I created my first successful word cloud about a week ago on Tagxedo. It was a heart shape, using the content of this website (my blog). It took me a while to muddle through the process as I don't see any step-by-step instructions on the Tagxedo site and I am not all that intuitive!. I was so excited that I ordered a mouse pad with my design on it! I was able to upload my Tagxedo word cloud to Facebook to show it off.
Today, I revisted the Tagxedo site, hoping that I could successfully create another word cloud and learn a bit more about the functionality of this site. There are a variety of word cloud shapes already built into the site from which the user can select, but it seems you can also download your own shapes to create word clouds. I have not gotten that proficient yet! However, by using one of the shapes from the site, copying the Gettysburg Address from Wikipedia and pasting this into the creation page on Tagxedo, I was able to produce a word cloud that I am hoping to share here ... one way or another!
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Protopage
As I got a little more familiar with the site, I was able to add my Twitter feed onto the site, as well as another feed for "employee engagement" postings. Today I was able to add in some other useful tools, a clock and a calendar onto which personal notes can be entered. I am having some difficulty adding in my Facebook feed, but will revisit that at some point.
I found an online post about enhancing a Protopage site and plan to dig a little deeper into this article to further enhance my Protopage site.
http://oedb.org/blogs/ilibrarian/2012/create-your-own-library-social-media-monitoring-dashboard/
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Flickr Tag Browser
Came across this Flickr tool while I was on StumbleUpon. I haven't really investigted Flickr much, but this is definitely awesome.
http://www.airtightinteractive.com/projects/related_tag_browser/app/
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
StumbleUpon
Last night I was finally able to log into StumbleUpon! Turned out it was the security settings on my laptop preventing access to the website. I'm definitely happy now that I was not able to get into this website while working on my class work - it is as addictive as Pinterest. I really like how you can select from pre-specified topics, but also incorporate your own personal topics of interest. Although my relationship with StumbleUpon is only 24 hours old, it appears that the sites you "stumble" into are a lot more expansive than the sites you "pin" on Pinterest.
StumbleUpon brings you to some very unique places. I'm not that familiar with this site yet, so my impressions may be incorrect, but it seems that although you select your own topics of interest and "surf through" various sites by selecting the "stumble" button, you do not save your favorites on your own personal boards. I have pinned some favorites to Pinterest and scooped others onto Scoop-it in order to save them.
That's it for now - I'm off to investigate StumbleUpon a little more...will probably still be sitting here at midnight again telling myself this is the last one...
Saturday, May 5, 2012
I am addicted to Pinterest. I'd never heard of Pinterest until it was mentioned in my Social Media class about 2 months ago. That isn't so surprising, since I was pretty oblivious to social media in general and really didn't think it was all that important or interesting. Now I can't seem to get enough of it and Pinterest has me hooked.
What is so appealing about this site??? I'll tell you what is NOT appealing...that is when someone just pins a photo and it isn't a link to anything else, or even worse when it brings you to a marketing site. So, I guess that gives me a clue about what IS so addictive about the Pinterest.
- It is very visual, but not just on the surface. A click will bring you places. I found the Etsy website today. Love it!
- You can look back (like a scrapbook) at a board that has all things that YOU like. Just love to go into one of my pages and feel the sense of awe -- like "Beautiful Places" or "Gardening" -- as I love every photo, or into a Board where I had pinned articles that were of interest to me.
- You interact with other people who have similar interests and get GREAT ideas from them. Looking at other peoples' boards gives you a sense of their personality. It is socially satisfying to follow someone who has repinned a pin.
http://pinterest.com/lilole/
Monday, April 30, 2012
Friday, April 27, 2012
"The Good, The Bad and the Ugly..."
So, I get up this morning, take my shower, go to my Yahoo e-mails on my i-phone and find this in my inbox from a blog that I subscribed to about "How we Learn"
http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/jp/good-read-how-free-range-learners-hunt-for-educational-content-online/
First thought after reading this article...this is so applicable to the assignment for this week...librarians pay attention;
Second thought after reading this article (on my iphone, no less)...this is 180 degree turn from the way I have obtained information in the past;
Third thought after reading this article...I need to share this!
Thanks for a great class :)
http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/jp/good-read-how-free-range-learners-hunt-for-educational-content-online/
First thought after reading this article...this is so applicable to the assignment for this week...librarians pay attention;
Second thought after reading this article (on my iphone, no less)...this is 180 degree turn from the way I have obtained information in the past;
Third thought after reading this article...I need to share this!
Thanks for a great class :)
Thursday, April 26, 2012
My vision: The future of social media and the library
A recent article “scooped” from the American
Library Association’s website discusses various social media currently being
used by libraries. The article is based upon the results of a survey conducted
by South Carolina State Library. 548 of the participants who began this survey
completed it (73%). Below is a table that provides statistics on the types of
activities these libraries are currently using Web 2.0 for. Interestingly, these are primarily for
promotional/marketing activities.
Way that libraries use Web 2.0 tool |
2010
| 2011 |
Promoting general library services |
83%
|
88%
|
Marketing specific adult programs and/or services
|
70%
|
72%
|
Providing quick updates to users
|
66%
|
75%
|
Reaching a new audience of potential users
|
51%
| 54% |
The survey also included an open-ended question. In spite of the positive numbers reported in the table above, there were some less than positive comments concerning the use of Web 2.0 tools in libraries:
· “Many school libraries do not permit the use of Web 2.0 tools because of their content filters. This is the case at my school for most tools. It is unfortunate because these tools could really help promote our library and learning.”
· “I think social networking has been way oversold. I don’t know of a single library that relies on these gimmicks to achieve their core mission. Mostly a waste of time that would be better spent providing direct service to customers.”
· “Non-library administrators are too afraid of ‘bad press’ to even let us try to use social media of any type! It is extremely frustrating to be stuck in basically a pre-Internet age. We only have online video tutorials accessible from our webpage. <sigh>”
· “I don’t believe the average public library patron is acutely aware of Web 2.0 technologies and what they can do for/with them.”
· In a press release, study author Curtis R. Rogers added his own insight about the open ended comments: “It was…interesting to see that some libraries are still not employing these free tools, especially in such tough economic times.”
These open-ended responses raise concerns about the perceived safety and awareness of using Web 2.0 tools. The second response is particularly surprising in that the responder states Web 2.0 tools are “mostly a waste of time.” I feel that these attitudes present a unique opportunity for libraries in the future: educating the public about the features, benefits and risks of using Web 2.0 tools.
I presume that most people use the Web for entertainment and believe that they possess the skills to conduct research on the internet, but realistically there is a need for education and skill development. Libraries have an opportunity to play a leadership role in promoting information literacy in the digital future.
As we have seen in this course there are a multitude of Web 2.0 tools, with a wide variety of functions. In my recent conversations (since I have now gained enough knowledge to at least ask questions about social media…) those I have spoken with outside of librarians really do not think about how information is changing, the skills needed to find good information, or the concept of authority. I believe that authority plays a much more important role in the search for information than it has in the past, because of the internet. The internet has made it so much easier to publish. With that, the authority of the information being published comes into question on a global basis, more so than when only the most educated people published. Critical thinking skills play a much more important role today. Again, these are skills that need to be taught. Libraries can partner with schools and help to facilitate critical thinking and understanding authority. As we have read, Web 2.0 games help to improve strategic thinking skills.
In summary, as the volume of information increases exponentially and the format of information evolves from print into the virtual arena, people will have to be educated on how to find information and to assess its validity. I see the library continuing to play a leadership role in information literacy, and Web 2.0 tools will play a significant role in the way information is accessed and taught.
"Social
Networking", American Library Association, April 7, 2012.
http://www.ala.org/news/mediapresscenter/americaslibraries/soal2012/social-networking
(Accessed April 25, 2012) Document ID:
53c33d07-d1ad-a0d4-6d9b-b51ea3c6318f
Sunday, April 22, 2012
My friend Travis
Trying out Colleen's tip. Hopefully a picture of my friend Travis will be posted from my iPhone.
Great Wiki
The 21st Century Learners and Learning page is particularly applicable to this week's topic
Reverse Instruction, Democratizing Education & Libraries
Is "Reverse Instruction" the future of education?
http://www.emergingedtech.com/2012/02/reverse-instruction-tools-and-techniques-part-1/
If so, what role can libraries play to help insure that all students have equal access?
The articles we read this week discussed the role of libraries in learning facilitation through technology and e-games. I have never played on-line games, so for me this was a new and intesting concept. I have a husband, children and grandchildren who play on-line and love the interactive, competitive aspects. To me it just seemed like a lot of violence and a waste of time. I see now that I haven't really given this on-line venue a fair chance. The articles we read this week have provided a new insight and I plan to look closely at some of the specific games discussed, because I can see now that the potential is there for e-games to make a difference in education.
On a personal note, my husband who has played handheld games off and on through the years recently had a series of surgeries and has been relegated to the recliner for many months. He has never been one to use the internet for anything. While his physical activity has been restricted, he began to expand his game playing to internet games and then to interactive, competitive on-line games. However, he still resisted the idea of using the internet for anything beyond this. Within the past couple of weeks, this has changed. Because he was told something that he did not agree with, he began using the internet to research laws and found that his opinion was correct and was then able to proceed with something that he wanted to do. I am hoping that the next step could be an on-line course as a step toward rehab and new profession. This may not seem like a huge step for some people, but for him this is monumental.
Well back to the topic at hand --
As the articles this week point out, video games are not going away, they could become a significant methodolgy for teaching skills, knowledge and literacies in the near future. As the experiment conducted at Champlain College shows, on-line games can enhance information literacy by honing students' information seeking skills - a valuable end-result. However, not all students will have equal access to technology. I particularly the section "What is the purpose of the library anyway?" in Suellen's article . She states that one of the three purposes is "democratizing". The Schafer (2005) article made the statement, "School is increasingly seen as irrelevant by many students who are past the primary grades." (p. 110) Perhaps e-games is just what we need to "level the playing field" (Adams, p. 199) and to help students understand that learning is relevant. Also, if "reverse instruction" is to become a prominent teaching method in the future, libraries have the opportunity to position themselves and play an important role in overcoming all of these challenges.
http://www.emergingedtech.com/2012/02/reverse-instruction-tools-and-techniques-part-1/
If so, what role can libraries play to help insure that all students have equal access?
The articles we read this week discussed the role of libraries in learning facilitation through technology and e-games. I have never played on-line games, so for me this was a new and intesting concept. I have a husband, children and grandchildren who play on-line and love the interactive, competitive aspects. To me it just seemed like a lot of violence and a waste of time. I see now that I haven't really given this on-line venue a fair chance. The articles we read this week have provided a new insight and I plan to look closely at some of the specific games discussed, because I can see now that the potential is there for e-games to make a difference in education.
On a personal note, my husband who has played handheld games off and on through the years recently had a series of surgeries and has been relegated to the recliner for many months. He has never been one to use the internet for anything. While his physical activity has been restricted, he began to expand his game playing to internet games and then to interactive, competitive on-line games. However, he still resisted the idea of using the internet for anything beyond this. Within the past couple of weeks, this has changed. Because he was told something that he did not agree with, he began using the internet to research laws and found that his opinion was correct and was then able to proceed with something that he wanted to do. I am hoping that the next step could be an on-line course as a step toward rehab and new profession. This may not seem like a huge step for some people, but for him this is monumental.
Well back to the topic at hand --
As the articles this week point out, video games are not going away, they could become a significant methodolgy for teaching skills, knowledge and literacies in the near future. As the experiment conducted at Champlain College shows, on-line games can enhance information literacy by honing students' information seeking skills - a valuable end-result. However, not all students will have equal access to technology. I particularly the section "What is the purpose of the library anyway?" in Suellen's article . She states that one of the three purposes is "democratizing". The Schafer (2005) article made the statement, "School is increasingly seen as irrelevant by many students who are past the primary grades." (p. 110) Perhaps e-games is just what we need to "level the playing field" (Adams, p. 199) and to help students understand that learning is relevant. Also, if "reverse instruction" is to become a prominent teaching method in the future, libraries have the opportunity to position themselves and play an important role in overcoming all of these challenges.
Information Literacy in the Virtual World
From another of Lucy's Tweets -
http://www.netvibes.com/sheilawebber#Using_virtual_worlds
Here is the page creator's welcome:
"Welcome to this page produced for the "Information Literacy with Web 2.0 " virtual event (June/July 2009). I am Sheila Webber, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Information Studies, University of sheffield, UK. In Second Life I am Sheila Yoshikawa, and own our SL island, Infolit iSchool. This page has two short PowerPoints put together for the event, and links/embeddings of other resources. The focus is on virtual worlds, specifically Second Life. In part 1 I give an introduction to uses of virtual worlds, including my own experience, and in Part 2 (in the right hand column towards the end of the page) I focus on Information Literacy & Second Life.
**Please read the web "post-it notes"** in particular the PINK ones which are the "headers" for the items. I hope you find it interesting ;-)"
retrieved 04/22/2012 from "Social Networking and Web 2.0" http://www.netvibes.com/sheilawebber#Home
http://www.netvibes.com/sheilawebber#Using_virtual_worlds
Here is the page creator's welcome:
"Welcome to this page produced for the "Information Literacy with Web 2.0 " virtual event (June/July 2009). I am Sheila Webber, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Information Studies, University of sheffield, UK. In Second Life I am Sheila Yoshikawa, and own our SL island, Infolit iSchool. This page has two short PowerPoints put together for the event, and links/embeddings of other resources. The focus is on virtual worlds, specifically Second Life. In part 1 I give an introduction to uses of virtual worlds, including my own experience, and in Part 2 (in the right hand column towards the end of the page) I focus on Information Literacy & Second Life.
**Please read the web "post-it notes"** in particular the PINK ones which are the "headers" for the items. I hope you find it interesting ;-)"
retrieved 04/22/2012 from "Social Networking and Web 2.0" http://www.netvibes.com/sheilawebber#Home
"Reading in a Whole New Way"
This article came from looking at at Lucy's Twitter feed (the link to the Smithonian's 40th anniversary) It is very applicable to this week's topic about the benefits of "gaming".
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/specialsections/40th-anniversary/Reading-in-a-Whole-New-Way.html?c=y&page=1
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/specialsections/40th-anniversary/Reading-in-a-Whole-New-Way.html?c=y&page=1
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
The Gamification of Education
The ed tech company Knewton has created an excellent infographic illustrating The Gamification of Education. This graphic displays the potential and progression of using game design elements in educational contexts. via Stephen’s Lighthouse
http://www.knewton.com/gamification-education/
Retrieved from: http://oedb.org/blogs/ilibrarian/2012/the-gamification-of-education-infographic/ 04/18/12
http://www.knewton.com/gamification-education/
Retrieved from: http://oedb.org/blogs/ilibrarian/2012/the-gamification-of-education-infographic/ 04/18/12
Speaking of Piracy....
The Web 2.0 Internet – are we all guilty of plagiarism?
Not sure where this link came from ... was it from one of my nightly adventures into social media land, or maybe a reference from a classmate? If so, I apologize for re-posting without credit!
Not sure where this link came from ... was it from one of my nightly adventures into social media land, or maybe a reference from a classmate? If so, I apologize for re-posting without credit!
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Thoughts on Privacy & Piracy
THOUGHTS ON PIRACY -- Even without popcorn, the talk by
Elizabeth Stark was quite enjoyable. She was able to make a somewhat, dare I
say? ... boring topic, interesting. It
remains a confusing subject though, at least for me, and the digital realm has
only made it more complex. Elizabeth’s comment that "the norms are out of
touch with the law" is a reflection that “the law” is having a difficult
time keeping up with the changes taking place because of technology. I took 7 pages of notes and really can’t get
my head around the concept of copyright in the digital arena. After experiencing the speed with which one
jumps from place to place on these social media sites…the number of places one can go in a
matter of minutes…I am not sure how copyright can easily be attributed or
claimed unless one is talking about a “significant” piece of work. The concepts
of Fair Use and Creative Commons give latitude, but who monitors this? The
court case around the Obama poster is … I can’t even find a word to describe
it. I work in human resources and every day live on the edge of legal
interpretation. Couldn’t help but draw some analogies while watching this
video.
THOUGHTS ON PRIVACY – Another confusing topic . By the time
I got to page 4 of this article I was writing notes in the column “This is a
vicious circle!” Fernandez has a valid point about the need for librarians to
be concerned about the patrons’ personal information being accessible to social
media sites through the SM sites of the library. When he originally mentioned
that some libraries give access to their catalog through Facebook, I thought it
sounded like a good idea. Not so much by the time I finished the article. Found
this applicable post on the LibraryLaw Blog: http://blog.librarylaw.com/librarylaw/privacy/
All these shades of gray….
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Is there an SMS-anonymous ???
As if I wasn't already spending way too much time absorbed in social media ... now comes the assignment from heaven to look at other sites beyond the ones we have focused on each week. Ok, Ok, this assignment helps me to justify turning on the laptop at 6:00am to squeeze in a few minutes of SMS before getting ready for work, reviewing mobile updates during breaks and lunch, sitting with my laptop going from one site to another from 7pm to midnight until I can't keep my eyes open...
PINTEREST
Among the social media I investigated this week was Pinterest. There seemed to be a lot of enthusiasm about this site from many of my classmates over the past few weeks. I tried several times (unsuccessfully) to get onto this site after being invited in, but finally this week after really working at it, I was able to complete my login. Haven't completely figured the site out yet, but I've pinned a couple photos on my site. Surprisingly, I now have a whole page of beautiful flowers!! Not sure how that happened or if I want to pin anything else - they are beautiful. Perhaps Pinterest could be used in the libraries for book discussions?
I came across this interesting website "Social Media Today" and there are some good comments about Pinterest.
http://socialmediatoday.com/all/24784?ref=linkbar
FLICKR
Created a Flickr account this past week and uploaded a couple of my own pictures (more flowers!), tried to link Flickr to this blog. I think that last step was successful - going to try and bring a photo into my blog... I think it is somewhere here - Flickr said to go and look at my blog. Guess I'll find out if it worked once I publish this post. Can the pictures on Flickr be uploaded to anyone's website, FB or blog? If so, this site provides a great resource for images for the libraries SMS's.
YOU TUBE
Kudo's to everyone in class who created a You Tube video for your book review! You all did such a good job. I don't have the courage to put myself out there like that. You Tube is amazing, however I generally just watch videos that are embedded into something else I am looking at. Going into the You Tube site is a bit overwhelming for me. It is like being a kid in a candy store, so to speak...not sure what to look at first! I came across the SchoolTube.com site during my travels. This seems like a safe idea to me and one that might be more appropriate for use in the libraries. What about a Librarytube?
http://www.schooltube.com/video/ac50748d07755603ba34/
OTHER SITES
I've tried a few other sites, mostly without success at this point. Among them GoAnimate, StumbleUpon, LibraryThing, LinkedIn, Prototype, ReadItLater, Evernote. Plan to revisit these and to continue improving my social media skills! It will be beneficial for librarians to become familiar with these various sites and to be a leader in promoting their use.
Among the social media I investigated this week was Pinterest. There seemed to be a lot of enthusiasm about this site from many of my classmates over the past few weeks. I tried several times (unsuccessfully) to get onto this site after being invited in, but finally this week after really working at it, I was able to complete my login. Haven't completely figured the site out yet, but I've pinned a couple photos on my site. Surprisingly, I now have a whole page of beautiful flowers!! Not sure how that happened or if I want to pin anything else - they are beautiful. Perhaps Pinterest could be used in the libraries for book discussions?
I came across this interesting website "Social Media Today" and there are some good comments about Pinterest.
http://socialmediatoday.com/all/24784?ref=linkbar
FLICKR
Created a Flickr account this past week and uploaded a couple of my own pictures (more flowers!), tried to link Flickr to this blog. I think that last step was successful - going to try and bring a photo into my blog... I think it is somewhere here - Flickr said to go and look at my blog. Guess I'll find out if it worked once I publish this post. Can the pictures on Flickr be uploaded to anyone's website, FB or blog? If so, this site provides a great resource for images for the libraries SMS's.
YOU TUBE
Kudo's to everyone in class who created a You Tube video for your book review! You all did such a good job. I don't have the courage to put myself out there like that. You Tube is amazing, however I generally just watch videos that are embedded into something else I am looking at. Going into the You Tube site is a bit overwhelming for me. It is like being a kid in a candy store, so to speak...not sure what to look at first! I came across the SchoolTube.com site during my travels. This seems like a safe idea to me and one that might be more appropriate for use in the libraries. What about a Librarytube?
http://www.schooltube.com/video/ac50748d07755603ba34/
OTHER SITES
I've tried a few other sites, mostly without success at this point. Among them GoAnimate, StumbleUpon, LibraryThing, LinkedIn, Prototype, ReadItLater, Evernote. Plan to revisit these and to continue improving my social media skills! It will be beneficial for librarians to become familiar with these various sites and to be a leader in promoting their use.
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