Thing 11: Library Thing

Library Thing is my favorite "Thing" so far. Easy to use, and I could see lots of uses for it. Creating an account, and starting to build my "library" was a fun exercise. The idea that each book you add connects you with other people who've added the same book is very interesting to me- how tools like Library Thing connect people and make the world so much smaller. I could also see small libraries finding Library Thing to be a great resource for their cataloging information.

While some of the "Things" I've learned about in "23 Things" are interesting, I may never use them again, but as a librarian, cataloger, reader, and book-lover, I'm sure to revisit Library Thing, and here's the url for my fledgling "library":

http://www.librarything.com/catalog/lifelongcataloger (catalog)

Thing 10: Play around with an online image generator

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Meez was great fun to play with, and I imagine that if more time were available, Meez could be endlessly entertaining! The options available were so numerous, that after a while, I felt that I had to just pick a few basic options and let it go at that. My image is looking at a map, and is a little lost, which is how I felt at times, especially when I tried to export my image into my blog! That was a bit of a struggle, but I consulted one of my more experienced co-workers (thank you Joan!) and my image was rescued at last!

Thing 8 and Thing 9: RSS feeds, and MERLIN

I successfully set up my Bloglines account, and then set about finding a few RSS feeds that I wanted to subscribe to. This experience was amazing- there is just so much information on SO many topics! If you have many interests, it strikes me that you could quickly be overwhelmed by TOO much information. In that respect, I found Feedster a very helpful tool in choosing a few feeds. I fear that I may have chosen too many, and then will be drowning in information, but I'll see how it goes. I can always go in to my Bloglines account and revise things if I find that I'm getting far too much information. One that looks especially cool is "Cookies in Motion"- a site/blog dedicated to baking cookies and exchanging relevant tips and recipes. I hope to share the "benefits" of this subscription with my willing co-workers.

Exploring MERLIN and a few other library-related blogs was interesting. I knew about MERLIN, but had not yet taken the time to look it over, so I'm glad that Thing 9 encouraged me to do that. MERLIN seems to have a lot of great information, all of it so relevant to us library people here in Maryland. I especially like the idea of getting information on library training and workshops in Maryland, as well as the opportunity to see what other Maryland libraries are doing. Blogs like MERLIN will truly make our world much smaller, and the chances for sharing information much greater!

Thing 6 and Thing 7: Flickr 3rd party sites & Mashups, and Anything Technology Related

I spent some time exploring Flickr 3rd party sites and mashups, and most enjoyed Trip Planner. It was so easy to use, and I found lots of practical information and possible touring schedules, as well as some fantastic photographs. Actually, the touring schedules looked like Trip Planner's best feature- and the information couldn't have been more up-to-date. One of the trips I was looking at had just been posted within the hour! I think I will be returning to Trip Planner before my next vacation.

As far as blogging about something technology-related, I would have to say how impressed I am at the technology of the MP3 player that we received as part of our 23 Things training. The size of the player (tiny) as well as the capacity (huge) are truly impressive. When I look at the player, all I can think of is how far technology has advanced in such a very short time. It also makes me wonder what technological advances are still to come, and I'm hoping I can keep up!

Thing 5: Explore Flickr

Flickr is quite fascinating, and it seems like it can be used in an endless variety of ways. I was amazed at the fact that you can search almost any topic, and you'll find that someone (or in some cases, MANY people) have posted photos related to that topic. An example of this can be seen in the photo below, which was found when I searched for: Belgian Sheepdog's eyes. Now that I know about it and have a Flickr account, I think it will be fun to explore the website in more detail, from my home computer.

Maddie's Eyes- Belgian Sheepdog

Maddie's Eyes- Belgian Sheepdog, originally uploaded by Aphelion Art.

Love these amazing eyes!

Thing 3 and Thing 4 : Create a Blog, and Register a Blog

I am surprised at how simple it was to create my very first blog! Playing with the layout and colors was fun, too. It is an interesting new way to share and communicate, and I think I will enjoy reading others' blogs to get a new perspective on our learning journeys.

Thing 1 and Thing 2 : Starting My Journey, and 7 1/2 Habits of Lifelong Learners

Regarding the 7 1/2 habits tutorial: I found it most interesting that there are so many ways we learn- many ways that are beyond the traditional confines of a classroom or a book. That is something I need to focus on a little more. I have never considered that we can learn just as much from playing, or socializing just as well as sitting in a classroom.

I am looking forward to moving on to the next of the 23 things, and seeing what learning experiences await me there!