I think the concept of You Tube is very clever. A one-stop-shop for online videos of all kinds is genius. People like visuals, so I can see the draw to this site. In doing some research on the site I found a lot of useless videos. Some good for a chuckle and others just down right dumb.
Something else I found interesting about this site is that there were a lot of How To videos. Everything from How to change sparkpugs to How to make meatloaf. I can see how practical things like this can be useful in video format.
One of the things that I dislike about You Tube is that most of videos are of poor quality. Better quality videos would suit this site well.
Here are a few of my favorites:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1GIeeyiVKc&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZbkE5bGn9k
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Online Productivity Tools
Wow! I really enjoyed learning about some of the online productivity tools out there. I have had some experience with Google Docs. As I recall there was some confusion on how to set up all users who would be editing. We ran into a few snags but in the end we got it to work.
ThinkFree was a site that I found very interesting. This is one I can definitely see using at work as a means to communicate on projects. I'd be interested in hearing from people who have used it before. Do you find it more useful that Google Docs? It sounds like a nice alternative to Google Docs.
Some of my other favorites were Basecamp, Snipshot, and 30 Boxes. Basecamp is one that I'm definitely going to use. I'm looking forward getting myself set up and organizing my personal and professional projects. I thought Snipshot was a neat tool simply because you don't have to download any software. It's a nice tool to have for quick and simple editing. 30 Boxes was also a neat tool. I can definitely see the usefulness of all of these resources.
This has to be one of my favorite sections of this course. I learned a lot! I had no idea there were so many neat tools online that are useful and free!
ThinkFree was a site that I found very interesting. This is one I can definitely see using at work as a means to communicate on projects. I'd be interested in hearing from people who have used it before. Do you find it more useful that Google Docs? It sounds like a nice alternative to Google Docs.
Some of my other favorites were Basecamp, Snipshot, and 30 Boxes. Basecamp is one that I'm definitely going to use. I'm looking forward getting myself set up and organizing my personal and professional projects. I thought Snipshot was a neat tool simply because you don't have to download any software. It's a nice tool to have for quick and simple editing. 30 Boxes was also a neat tool. I can definitely see the usefulness of all of these resources.
This has to be one of my favorite sections of this course. I learned a lot! I had no idea there were so many neat tools online that are useful and free!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Wikis
I'll be the first to admit I've never really understood the purpose of wikis. To me a wiki seemed like a project that could easily become a disaster. BUT after looking at some of the wiki's out on the web I realized that there are certain types of wikis that can be very useful.
While researching various wikis I was pleasantly surprised at how many health and medical related wikis there are out there. Some for professional audiences and others for patients. I like the fact that there are a lot of wikis about a variety of different topics. I can see them being useful to a number of different audiences. My biggest concern with wikis is the accuracy of the information they present. Since wikis are out on the web it seems like anyone can put one up with false information. I think people need to be cautious when looking for wikis and understand the nature of wikis before they join or follow them.
That being said, I discovered a wiki of particular interest while reading an article for another class. The wiki was created by Kelly Smith at Eastern Kentucky University Libraries as a means to track perpetual access to electronic resources. I am a collection resources librarian so this wiki had a lot of useful information for me. If anyone is interested in checking it out here is the link: http://preservingelectronicresources.pbwiki.com/
After doing a little more research on wikis I think I have softened my feelings toward them a bit. I can definitely see the benefit of using them with collaborative projects at work. This is something that I would like to investigate further.
I do have a question though, does anyone know if can you load documents on to wikis, like Word or Excel documents and edit them through a wiki?
While researching various wikis I was pleasantly surprised at how many health and medical related wikis there are out there. Some for professional audiences and others for patients. I like the fact that there are a lot of wikis about a variety of different topics. I can see them being useful to a number of different audiences. My biggest concern with wikis is the accuracy of the information they present. Since wikis are out on the web it seems like anyone can put one up with false information. I think people need to be cautious when looking for wikis and understand the nature of wikis before they join or follow them.
That being said, I discovered a wiki of particular interest while reading an article for another class. The wiki was created by Kelly Smith at Eastern Kentucky University Libraries as a means to track perpetual access to electronic resources. I am a collection resources librarian so this wiki had a lot of useful information for me. If anyone is interested in checking it out here is the link: http://preservingelectronicresources.pbwiki.com/
After doing a little more research on wikis I think I have softened my feelings toward them a bit. I can definitely see the benefit of using them with collaborative projects at work. This is something that I would like to investigate further.
I do have a question though, does anyone know if can you load documents on to wikis, like Word or Excel documents and edit them through a wiki?
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Flickr
Flickr wasn't as user friendly as I'd hoped it would be. Instructions weren't as readily available and overall the set up was a little confusing. Nonetheless, I was able to figure it out.
Even though I had some trouble setting up Flickr, I think I will probably use it in the future. Especially to share pics with my friends and family.
I chose this particular picture to blog about because I am crazy about Golden Retrievers. I thought this pictrure really captured the personality of this particular Golden. Her name is Neko and she's a beauty!
Even though I had some trouble setting up Flickr, I think I will probably use it in the future. Especially to share pics with my friends and family.
I chose this particular picture to blog about because I am crazy about Golden Retrievers. I thought this pictrure really captured the personality of this particular Golden. Her name is Neko and she's a beauty!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
del.icio.us rocks!
I have used del.icio.us before and I really like it. I think it works well as a shared resource as well as a personal resource. I first started using del.icio.us a few months ago. My husband and I lead a church youth group. I use del.icio.us a lot when trying to find ideas for lesson illustrations and activities. It has also helped me organize websites that I use frequently.
As for the Becker Library, I think some other ways they could use del.icio.us is for online study resources, and perhaps maybe for consumer health resources.
As for the Becker Library, I think some other ways they could use del.icio.us is for online study resources, and perhaps maybe for consumer health resources.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Lifelong Learning
Where would we be without the opportunity to engage in lifelong learning activities? Probably propped in front of the tv, hovered over a bag of potato chips watching the latest reality show. Thankfully there are opportunities for lifelong learning in just about every area of life. Lifelong learning is something I've always dedicated my time and energy to. I enjoy a good challenge and learning something new adds some spice to my life.
I found the 7.5 Habits of Successful Lifelong learning to be a very useful tool. I think it's a wonderful way to organize any learning activity and helps ensure a successful finish. For me, the easiest habit will likely be Habit #2 Accepting Responsibility for my own Learning. I learned early on in life that knowledge is not something that is given, but rather it is something that you must work hard to attain. This has been my mind-set when taking on any new task. The hardest habit for me will likely be Habit #7.5 which is to Play! I'll admit, that I don't play enough when it comes to learning new things. I think I get so focused on the goal that I forget to have some fun with my new found knowledge. So this is something I will definitley work on in this class.
I look forward to hearing everyone's thoughts about lifelong learning!
Andrea
I found the 7.5 Habits of Successful Lifelong learning to be a very useful tool. I think it's a wonderful way to organize any learning activity and helps ensure a successful finish. For me, the easiest habit will likely be Habit #2 Accepting Responsibility for my own Learning. I learned early on in life that knowledge is not something that is given, but rather it is something that you must work hard to attain. This has been my mind-set when taking on any new task. The hardest habit for me will likely be Habit #7.5 which is to Play! I'll admit, that I don't play enough when it comes to learning new things. I think I get so focused on the goal that I forget to have some fun with my new found knowledge. So this is something I will definitley work on in this class.
I look forward to hearing everyone's thoughts about lifelong learning!
Andrea
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