I already subscribe to 36 feeds on my Google Reader (22 of which are library or literature-related), so I wasn't sure I'd be able to find three more I'd be interested in. I should've known better...
First up: Dinosaur Comics
The near-daily adventures of T-Rex, Utahraptor, and Dromiceiomimus. The dialog changes, but the pictures remain the same. And it's always hilarious. I have no idea why this wasn't already in the feed...
Next: Life Tips Vegetarian Tip of the Day
Last: The Huffington Post and Tree Hugger, both recommended on that Time magazine list of blogs.
I told you I should've known it wouldn't be a problem to find three.
I don't have much to say about the last three since I've just subscribed to them, but they seem interesting. We'll see how long they last!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Thing 6: The Monster Mashup
I promise I did poke around Flickr and look at several of the mash-ups, but two of my favorites were linked right from the CTLS 23 Things blog. I just think Spell with Flickr is fun (but why isn't it Spellr, I wonder) and I think Mappr is not only fun, but also a great way to organize photos and create connections (and isn't that what this 2.0 business is all about?). I enjoyed searching for my hometown and seeing several photos of hot air balloons, a pleasant reminder of our annual hot air balloon festival. I haven't been able to make it to the festival in nine years, but I have really fond memories of it and hot air balloons always make me think of home.
Thing 5: Flickr
Here's a photo I found on Flickr when I searched "Pflugerville." (from: http://flickr.com/photos/txkimmers/3157796/) The whole "love written in grass" thing is a little contrived for me, but I like the style of the photograph and I love the bright orange flip-flops near the bright green grass on the concrete gray background.I took a couple of pictures of the Pflugerville Community Library, but opted not to sign up for Flickr after all. I already share photos through Shutterfly (for sharing with family because it's what some of them were already using); Kodak (for sharing with friends for the same reason); and Facebook. I'm also wary of signing up for anything else online. Just for the heck of it, I recently made a list of all of the online tools I use and my username for each one (don't worry--I shredded it!). There were around 60 things and just while typing this paragraph I've thought of two more I forgot! I've got an Amazon account, a Facebook page, three e-mail addresses, a LiveJournal, etc. and so on and so forth. It's becoming unmanageable and I am a bit concerned about security.
Extra Credit: Compare Picasa and Flickr
Picasa and Flickr seem to have a lot of the same features: photo editing, sharing, organizing functions, etc. Flickr seems more user friendly and yet, if I were to use either, it would probably be Picasa because I already have a Google account and I wouldn't have to add anything to my list of usernames!
Friday, November 21, 2008
Thing 2: Teh Google
I already had an iGoogle account, but I hadn't logged into it in quite some time (whoa, only 204 days until my wedding?! When did that happen??). I am not sure why, because I'm a major Google devotee. I use Google Docs for school assignments and for wedding-related spreadsheets tracking our guest list and budget; Google Maps to get directions (I'm always getting lost!); Google Reader to keep up with all the pop culture, news, and library blogs I follow; and gmail and Google Chat to keep in touch with friends and family.Some new features I hadn't been aware of were the ability to add an artist theme and to view my gmail and Google Reader feed through iGoogle. It's great to be able to view everything in one window. I also added some new gadgets while I was logged in, including the UT Libraries catalog widget and the Dictionary.com and Wikipedia search box.
Photo from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/joesuspense/29237776/.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Thing 1: 7 1/2 Habits...
...of Highly-Successful Lifelong Learners
One thing I have learned early in my career as a librarian (which hasn't technically begun, I suppose, since I'm still in library school) is that to be successful in the field, I will have to embrace my role as a lifelong learner. Information and the ways we access it evolve so rapidly that it clearly won't suffice to rest on my laurels after graduation. I've already taken advantage of several CTLS and TLA "continuing" education opportunities and they've been incredibly beneficial; I know they will become increasingly more so after I graduate.
Of the 7 1/2 habits, creating my own learning toolbox is the easiest for me and teaching/mentoring is that hardest. I already utilize tools outside of the classroom for my library-related education: friends, a mentor, library blogs, etc. I think teaching/mentoring is something that could come with time, but because I have so little experience teaching I don't feel as confident as I'd like to.
Photo from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/joesuspense/29237751/in/set-603814/.
One thing I have learned early in my career as a librarian (which hasn't technically begun, I suppose, since I'm still in library school) is that to be successful in the field, I will have to embrace my role as a lifelong learner. Information and the ways we access it evolve so rapidly that it clearly won't suffice to rest on my laurels after graduation. I've already taken advantage of several CTLS and TLA "continuing" education opportunities and they've been incredibly beneficial; I know they will become increasingly more so after I graduate.
Of the 7 1/2 habits, creating my own learning toolbox is the easiest for me and teaching/mentoring is that hardest. I already utilize tools outside of the classroom for my library-related education: friends, a mentor, library blogs, etc. I think teaching/mentoring is something that could come with time, but because I have so little experience teaching I don't feel as confident as I'd like to.
Photo from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/joesuspense/29237751/in/set-603814/.
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