Maya: My Avatar

Week 5, Thing 12: Rollyo

This was an interesting activity. Creating your own search roll is definitely useful, both for personal uses and for working on the Info. Desk. My topic was "Bird Watching". I selected 6 sites that looked good on this subject. Check out my link and see what you think!
http://www.rollyo.com/search.html?q=bird+watching&site=birdingguide.com&sid=298740

Week 5, Thing 11: Library Thing

I was really amazed by this online site! It is very easy to use: just set up an account, and then list your favorite books in the search box. They are searched through Amazon. You can do so much with Library Thing. When you put in a title, it will give you tags to describe the book, recommendations of other titles you may like, member reviews and ratings, and a picture of the author and other books the author has written. The book recommendations are wonderful! They will come in very handy for reader's advisory. I will definitely be using this site, and recommending it to others who haven't heard of it. Here is the link to my catalog:
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/mstack

What

What
Originally uploaded by whoa_dude

I just can't face another Monday!

Week 5, Thing 10: Playing with an online generator

This was a very fun activity! I got hooked on the site "Image Chef" (the tattoo image was too cool to pass up!) And I loved the moving waves. I didn't have any trouble transferring these images onto my blog, but I did have to join the Image Chef account. You definitely do need to keep tract of all of these accounts!

Dixie Dawg the snoring Beagle Princess

Dixie Dawg the snoring Beagle Princess
Originally uploaded by kokopeli_belly

"Work exhausts me!"

Dixie Dawg the Beagle Princess-jpg

Dixie Dawg the Beagle Princess-jpg
Originally uploaded by kokopeli_belly

"I think I'll just rest today."

Week 4, Thing 9: Exploring Merlin and News Feeds

This was a very interesting and fun activity. I can't believe there is a whole world out there of news feeds and blogs that I never knew about! I explored Merlin: a very informative library-related site. Then I tried some of the search tools for finding other news feeds. I really found most of them very easy to use. Feedster gives you lots of ideas to try, as well as a search box. When I saw the celebrity heading, I had to see if some of my favorite reality shows have news feeds, and they do. I subscribed to "Hell's Kitchen"," American Idol," and "So You Think You Can Dance?" (I know: I an a reality tv junkie!)

I also tried Technorati.com, and found an interesting blog-finding tool. I found a blog I was interested in entitled,"Talking Animals", and I subscribed to it. That should be very entertaining. I was also impressed with Blogsearch.google.com. That is also a very easy site to use. I will now have alot of cool blogs and news feeds to read and laugh about.!

Week 4, Thing 8: Bloglines Newsreader Account

This has been the most difficult task for me so far! It didn't take me long to set up the account, but it did take me a while to figure out how to add the news feeds. I now have it set up with the type of news I am interested in, and also some url's from participants in the program. This is such a learning experience! I am proud of the fact that I now understand what the little RSS means on so many websites.

Beagle Princess Dixie Dawg

Beagle Princess Dixie Dawg
Originally uploaded by kokopeli_belly

Oh, what I wouldn't give for a Pupperoni beef riblet!

"Why must a beagle endure such inanity," thinks the birthday boy.

"Why must a beagle endure such inanity," thinks the birthday boy.
Originally uploaded by Lynda Sandoval

Week 3, Thing 7: Interesting Technology

I am just fascinated by the new iphones scheduled to come out the end of this month. I have read that they combine 3 products into one incredible mobile phone: the cool phone itself, a widescreen iPod with touch controls, and an internet communications device with desktop-class email, maps, web browsing, and searching capabilities. It will all be packaged into a lightweight, handheld phone. They will have a brand-new type of touch screen user interface based on a large multi-touch display. You will be able to control everything with the touch of your fingers. I can't wait to see them when they come out. I may have to break down and get one eventually, although they will probably be pricey. Very cool, though!

Week 3, Thing 6: Flickr mashups & 3rd party sites

I had never heard before about a "mashup", so this was interesting! Wikipedia says a mashup is a website or application that combines content from more than one source into an integrated experience. The flickr toys are amazing! I was especially intrigued by trading cards, movie posters, billboard, and magazine covers. To create a magazine cover, all you need is a good photo from your digital camera, or a photo on Flickr. You can design the whole cover, including layout, tagline, pub date, price, etc., to make it look like a real cover. Amazing!

Week 3, Thing 5: Flickr Fun

This activiity was eye-opening and alot of fun! I always wondered how people posted all of these images on blogs, and now I know too: and it is pretty easy once you get the hang of it. This opens up a whole new world to me of posting images and personalizing my blog: very cool!

Nap Time Beagle with Clifford

Nap Time Beagle with Clifford
Originally uploaded by carrera911e

Okay: who can resist such a cute beagle taking a nap with his best friend? I am a total sucker for beagles, and this one is adorable!

7 1/2 Habits

1. Begin with the end in mind. You need to set a goal from the beggining and stick with it. 2. Accept responsibility for your own learning. Probably the easiest habit for me. If you don't make an agreement with yourself to do this, no one else will. 3. View problems as challenges. Most things can be worked out with diligence. 4. Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner. Probably the hardest habit for me. I tend to think I can't do something if I can't figure it out right away. I will have to work on this one. 5. Create your own learning toolbox. List resources you need to help you through to your goal. 6. Use technology to your advantage.7. Teach/mentor others. It is a big help to others to share your knowledge. 7 1/2. Play: very important! Have fun and practice your new skills.

Week 2, Thing 4: Register Your Blog

I did have a hard time figuring out where to register my blog, but I think I am finally registered and on track. Some of the directions are confusing, and not listed in sequence. I wonder if some other people are having trouble with sections of this? The section about recording your permalink and filling it in on your tracking log seems very confusing to me: like it assumes you know how to do this when some of us do not. Hope the rest of the program is explained better. Here is my blog address: http://learn23program6.blogspot.com

Week 2, Thing 3: Set Up Your Own Blog

This was not too difficult, but it took longer than I anticipated. After I finally decided on a password and a name for my blog, the rest was not bad.

Week 1, Thing 2: Pointers From Lifelong Learners

Good points presented: It's never too late to learn. Learning occurs thoughout your lifetime.
You can learn through many different ways. And, especially important: attitude is everything.
I liked that the 7 1/2 habit was to play!

Week 1, Thing 1 : About This Program

The program sounds like it will be interesting. I have very little experience with blogs and no experience with RSS feeds, flickr, and some of the other topics mentioned. It will be a true learning experience.

Lifelong Learning Habits

I think the easiest habit of lifelong learning is accepting responsibility for your own learning. If I want to learn how to set up an RSS feed, I know that I have to take action to learn this new subject: no one else can learn it for me. The hardest habit for me is having enough confidence in myself as a competent, effective learner, to know that I can achieve that goal. I am excited to have the chance, through this program, to set my goals and try to build my confidence so that I can achieve them.