#20 Relax & Reflect (Completion)

To Infinity & Beyond!!!

Wow! Congratulations!! You’ve reached the 20th thing!

Be sure to give yourself a pat on the back for completing the program.

For your last and final exercise for this program please reflect on your learning journey and post a few thoughts.

Here are some questions to prompt you if you’re drawing a blank …

• What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
• How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
• Were there any take-aways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
• What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?

And last but not least…

• If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you again chose to participate?

Finally, here’s a note from Jonalyn:

Thank you to all of you who dove into the world of Web 2.0.  We now have a fleet of bloggers and instant messengers on staff ready to help us move forward with new technologies and services.

It is an exciting time for Sno-Isle Libraries and a big thank you for your enthusiasm.

jwi

#19 Gaming

What’s it all about?

Yes, this is gaming week.  But you won’t be slaying dragons or fighting space invaders this week.  Rather, we’ll be looking at the whole idea of gaming.  You’ll learn more about gamers as future employees, find out where to look for games for people of all ages, and the world of online gaming.

First of all, this is gaming, not gambling.  We’re not talking about online poker or blackjack.  And gaming has been an important component in the growth and development of an entire generation.  Their whole approach to work and school is similar to what they’ve learned playing video or computer games:

1. There is always a goal.  It could be as simple as solving a puzzle or as complex as rescuing the jewel board from your archenemy.
2. To reach that goal, you’ll go through many challenges and trials. But you’ll also be given the tools and gain the knowledge necessary to move along.
3. Each time you succeed, you’re able to move on to the next level or challenge.
4. If you fail, you’re given an opportunity to try again.  In fact, you might have several opportunities that you can use before you’re forced to start all over again.
5. When you do something especially great, you’re rewarded in some fashion (extra points, special privileges).
6. When you reach your goal, even if it’s an intermediary one, you are acknowledged in some way.

Do you see any implications for our workforce?  This might be a good comment for your blog.

Try it out!

The average teenager who comes into our community libraries to play Runescape really doesn’t need your knowledge or expertise.  But parents, new computer users, and others might need to find starting points.  Probably the best “mega-site” out there is Yahoo! Games

They’ve done a great job amassing games (both free and fee-based) on this site.   Do a little exploring and you’ll find that many games will let you have a one hour trial before you have to commit to a purchase.  The trial does require a download, so if you’re really interested, this is something that you’ll want to explore at home on your personal computer.

But let’s actually play something.  Go down the page to Yahoo! Daily Games:

These are five minute games that most adults would enjoy.  Before you choose one, be sure to turn the volume down on your computer! No downloads should be required.  And yes, the games usually last about five minutes.  When the game begins, click anywhere in the game area to activate the control.  You will probably be moving a puzzle piece, typing in squares, or selecting something.  Give it a try!

Now that you’ve mastered a quick game, take a look at the other free games available on Yahoo! Games

Most of these games don’t require downloads or logins and some of them are actually a lot of fun.  Try one.

Parents are often looking for games for their children to play.  There are plenty of websites that host educational games:

Funbrain

Primary Games

Gamers talk and share what they’ve learned about their games.  Nearly every online game has a blog or chatroom associated with it.  And many of the gaming websites have cheats (deliberately circumventing the rules) or hints to help you along.

What did you think?

Talk about your gaming experience.  Was it more complicated than you thought?  Easier?  Did you try anything that interested you?

Next Week:  #20  Relax and reflect

#18 Maps and Geotagging

What’s it all about?

Maps on the internet have become incredibly sophisticated. While years ago, it was possible to ask for driving directions from New York to London and get instructions such as:

Swim across the Atlantic Ocean          3462 mi

this just doesn’t happen as often. Although you should always do a sanity check on any driving directions, it is possible to get fairly exact maps and instructions.

http://earth.google.com/

Google Earth combines the power of Google Search with satellite imagery, maps, terrain and 3D buildings to put the world’s geographic information at your fingertips.

• Fly to your house. Just type in an address, press Search, and you’ll zoom right in.
• Search for schools, parks, restaurants, and hotels. Get driving directions.
• Tilt and rotate the view to see 3D terrain and buildings, or look up to explore the sky
• Save and share your searches and favorites.
• And if you’re planning a trip to Disney World, the entire park is there, down to the bench by the fountain!

Try it out!

First, you’re going to find out if someone’s already downloaded and installed Google Earth. Click on the Start Menu and look at Programs. Google Earth will be there if it’s installed on this computer.

If it’s not there, you’re going to download Google Earth http://earth.go And yes, IT says that this is ok!

You’ll get a little beep from your computer and a message across the top of the screen.

Click that top bar and select download file.

And select RUN from this message.

Once Google Earth is loaded, it will stay on that computer until someone uninstalls it.

Investigating

Start Google Earth (START>PROGRAMS>GOOGLE EARTH)

Take the tour or use the Tutorial: http://earth.google.com/intl/en/userguide/v4/tutorials/navigating.html

Fly to: type in an address (your home address or any other) click on the magnifying glass or press enter.

What’s really wonderful in Google Earth is that the mapping understands our ferry system!  It knows that to go from Mukilteo to Clinton, you cross the water.

Other mapping programs would have you drive around and cross Deception Pass!

 

Or try finding places: click on Mt. St. Helens (or any other location) in the list of places.

You’ll navigate on the maps by choosing to move North/South/East/West (Up/Down/Right/Left) using the compass on the right hand side.  You can zoom in and out using the + and - signs.

If you’re a map lover, you’ve now found your new playground.  Explore, look around, try things.

Geotagging means that you’re assigning a geographic location (usually by longitutde/latitude) to a website, image, or even an RSS feed.  You can explore geotagging in many of the photoservice websites, such as Flickr or Picasa.

What did you think?

Google Earth is more than just an maplover’s playground.  It’s a great reference tool for maps, directions, or vacation planning.

Write a post to your blog and talk about your Google Earth experience?  Did you find what you were looking for?  What surprised you about the program?

Next week:  # 19 Gaming (and yes, we MEAN gaming!)

#17 Avatars & Second Life

What’s It All About?

Avatars are icons or representations of users in a shared virtual reality, like Second Life. Within online virtual communities and Internet forums, avatars are pictures that users display alongside their contributions to represent themselves. Avatars have also become popular in instant messaging where they are also referred to as buddy icons.

Second Life is an Internet-based virtual world which came to international attention via mainstream news in late 2006. A downloadable client program, called the Second Life Viewer, enables its users, called “Residents”, to interact with each other through motional 3-D avatars. Residents can explore, meet other Residents, socialize, participate in individual and group activities, create and trade items and services from one another.

Libraries and Avatars

Sno-Isle Libraries

• If you haven’t already, see if you can recognize our Teen Librarians by their avatars.

Microsoft LiveSearch

• Microsoft has created a “librarian” avatar, Ms.Dewey, to provide support to LiveSearch. You can experience her unique personality here.

Second Life

• Libraries all over the country have a presence in Second Life on InfoIsland. There is enough activity to populate an entire Internet site about the Second Life Library.  The Online Education Database has created a guide specifically for library staff about Second Life.
• In fact, many librarians are now practicing their profession for Second Life residents through institutions with presences both in this world and in Second Life. A four-week course about Virtual World Librarianship is available in Second Life from the Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  When you become a resident of Second Life, you create an avatar as a virtual representation of yourself. Of course, this is an opportunity for residents to look somewhat different than they do in real life.

Try It Out!

1. Experiment with creating an avatar at DoppelMe.com (no sign in is necessary). Or build one at Tektek.

2. Watch videos of the Second Life world.

What did you think?

Are you ready to share your avatar with us?  Write a post to your blog including your avatar’s image.  In your post tell us what you think about our virtual selves vs. our “real” selves.

Answer these questions in your post as well.

• Do you already live in Second Life?
• If you don’t already live in SL, would you like to live in Second Life?
• Why or why not?

Next Week: No. 18 Maps and Geotagging

Quicker than a ray of light

Check out the St. Joseph’s County Public Library video for their staff day. Viewed more than 46,000 times!

#16 Online Applications & Tools

What’s It All About?

The availability and use of free web-based applications or apps for short (word processing, spreadsheets, calendars, presentations, project management, and web conferencing) has exploded over the past few years. And with good reason, these powerful applications provide users with the ability to create and share documents over the internet without the need to install applications on their computers. Oh, and by the way–they’re FREE.

Some experts speculate that that this emerging trend may mean the death of Microsoft Office and other software-based productivity tools, while others think that web-based applications have their place, but not in the office. No matter which side of the fence you stand on, both sides seem to agree that web-based applications have their place.

One large benefit to web-based applications is that they eliminate the need to worry about different applications or software versions people have on their local computers. Another bonus of web-apps is that they also easily accomodate collaborative work by multiple users because everyone can:

• edit the same file using the “share” feature
• the ability to roll back to a previous version
• and easily save and convert documents as multiple file types (including .doc, .pdf, and .html).

And you can even use many of these tools, such as Zoho Writer and Google Docs to author and publish posts to your blog. It’s this type of integration with other Web 2.0 tools that also make web-based applications so appealing.

Try It Out!

Google Docs

1. Take their quick tour to learn more about Google docs.
2. At the end of the tour, click on ‘try it out.’
3. Login with the Google account you’ve used for previous Sno-Isle 20 for 2.0 exercises(or if you’re already logged in, skip to the next step).
4. Create a document of your choice (word processing or spreadsheet).
5. Add some quick text and save your document ( there’s a big ’save’ buttoin in the top right corner of the screen).
6. Take a look at the collaborate options (notice the ‘RSS feed of document changes’ link?) and whatever else interests you.
7. Take a deep breath and move on to Zoho .

Zoho

1. Head over to Zoho and take note of the wider range of software they offer.
2. Try the same type of software you used in Google Docs - click on the ‘Try Now’ link.
3. Sign in with your Google account, or if necessary create an account.
4. Add some quick text and save your document (there’s a ’save’ button similar to what you see in Microsoft Word).
5. Take a look at some of the options (share, history, etc) located just above your text.

What did you think?

Write a post in your blog about these online applications and tools.

Next Week: #17 Avatars and Second Life

#15 Search Engines

What’s It All About?

Google, Yahoo, & Ask.com are the Big 3 of Search Engines. Take a second literally, and try to think of the differences between these search engines. Perhaps you came up with some and perhaps not but no matter because University of California at

Berkeley has created an excellent description of the Big 3 Search Engines here.

Take a moment and peruse the UC Berkeley search engine page (and bookmark it either in delicious or your favorites for future use!).

So, let’s talk about Google. Admit it, you often turn to Google as your first step in answering a question. It’s certainly changed the way that people search for information in the 21st CenturyBut we can learn to use Google for more efficient, specific searches by taking a look at this page describing the essentials of Google search.

What’s out there that might be worth noting?

Rollyo

Are you tired of wading though thousands of irrelevant search results to get to the information you want? Ever wish you could narrow your search to sites you already know and trust? With Rollyo, you can easily create your own custom search engines - we call them Searchrolls - and explore, save, and personalize those created by others.

Mamma

Mamma.com is a “smart” metasearch engine — every time you type in a query Mamma simultaneously searches a variety of engines, directories, and deep content sites, properly formats the words and syntax for each, compiles their results in a virtual database, eliminates duplicates, and displays them in a uniform manner according to relevance. It’s like using multiple search engines, all at the same time.

Dogpile

Dogpile metasearch brings together the best results from the Internet’s top search engines, including Google, Yahoo! Search, Live Search, Ask.com, About, MIVA, LookSmart, and more.

Try It Out!

Explore the search engines we’ve learned about by performing a similar search in each. In your blog post write about whether you prefer any of the metasearch engines over another. Did anything surprise you about the results you received for your searches?

Next week:#16 Online Applications and Tools

Look us up on Facebook

Did you choose Facebook back in Week 8 for your social networking tool? If so stop on by, and say hello on the wall or, maybe even become a fan. Cheers!

#14 Podcasting: something for everyone

What’s It All About?

The word podcast refers to a non-musical audio broadcast that is distributed over the Internet. What differentiates a podcast from any other mp3 audio file on the Web is its method of distribution: our new friend RSS. To put it simply, mp3 + RSS = podcast. Podcasts can take many forms and can last anywhere from one minute to one hour (and beyond). Some parallels exist between podcasts and talk radio, but podcasts can cover any topic. From university lectures to weekly reality TV recaps, there are podcasts out there for any interest, no matter how obscure.

Despite the word podcast’s derivation from Apple’s iPod, you don’t need an iPod to listen to podcasts. Since podcasts use the mp3 file format, a popular compressed format for audio files, you really just need a PC with headphones or speakers.

Subscribing to and downloading podcasts can be done in two ways. The first method, which is described in our DO exercise here, is to subscribe to a podcast in your feed reader, just as you would do with any other news site. When a new podcast is available, you can then choose to listen to it on your PC or download for transfer to an mp3 player.

The second, and more common, method is to use a podcatcher, an application that downloads your podcasts automatically for you. iTunes is the service most associated with finding and subscribing to podcasts, but if you don’t have iTunes installed, there are plenty of other options. Penn State University has a succinct list of choices.

Now that you’re more familiar with how podcasts work, it’s time to discover some that you want to hear!

Many libraries and institutions of higher education are now using this technology as a method of distributing promotional and educational content. The Library Success Wiki has an extensive list of public libraries, academic libraries, and affiliated organizations that are podcasting. Keep this list in mind for our Try It Out! exercise.

Engage in lifelong learning with Learn Out Loud educational podcasts. Browse the “Podcast Directory” on the left hand side. You can also see the most popular podcasts as you scroll down to the bottom of the page.

Podcast Alley is one fine example of a podcast directory.

Explore one of these podcast directories to find a podcast to suit your personal interests.

Try It Out!

1. Take a look at two or three of the podcast directories listed abouve and see if you can find a podcast that interests you. Aim for two library related podcasts and one for your personal interest.
2. Sign into your Google Reader account. Add the RSS feed for your selected podcasts to your Reader by clicking “Add Subscription” and pasting in the URL of the podcast.
3. You should now have new items appearing in your Reader. To listen to your new podcasts, click the “Play” button within each new podcast..
4. Share your podcast experience with your co-workers.

Create a blog post about your discoveries answering the following questions:

• Which library podcasts did you listen to?
• Do you see podcasting as a useful tool for Sno-Isle Libraries?
• Any ideas about which topics our patrons might be interested in hearing?
• Do you have any experience with listening to, or creating podcasts?

Next up: Search Engines

#13 Playtime with Online Image Generators

What It’s All About

Now that you’ve learned about photos and images, let’s see some of the fun things that you can do with them. Online Image Generators are tools that let you play with both images and your photos. You can add frames, captions, and text to an uploaded photo. You can create funny magazine or book covers with your photos. And you can add your own text or image to many familiar images, such as playing cards and comics. And of course, you can eventually become so proficient that you can manipulate photographs to your heart’s content!

Try It Out!

Let’s start at http://www.customsigngenerator.com/

This is a free, user-supported, hodge-podge of image generators. An easy one to begin with is the Monopoly Card Generator.

http://monolpoly.game.cards.txt2png.com/
This is a wonderful example of taking an image and adding your own text.
Click on the radio button next to a card.

Then add your text. Something fun, like “get out of doing dishes today!”

Click on the button that says Customize Game Card! and you’ll be taken to a page that shows the card and your text. To save the card, mouse over the card and click the right mouse button. Save with your file name. You can now import it into a document and print. These images are not designed to be enlarged, so you are limited to the pre-determined size.

More To Explore

From this point, you can move onto taking a photograph and adding frames, text, or even another image to it.

http://www.fakemagazinecover.com/
http://www.scrapbookgenerator.com/
http://www.customizemagnets.com/ecards/love.asp