NING!!

I decided to explore a social networking site that I've never used before.  Through personal use and Web 2.0 training programs I've explored (and thoroughly become addicted to) Myspace, Facebook, wikis, blogging, Bloglines, YouTube, Flickr.  I even had a brief stint where I came home everyday from work and wasted away hours on Second Life.  I had to stop that!

I heard about Ning while reading YA author Maureen Johnson's blog and she mentioned that she set up a social networking site on this Ning.com called YA for Obama.  That's when I saw how cool and useful the idea for Ning was.

As part of this communication project, I created I site on Ning for USF SLIS students: www.usfslis.ning.com  

Please join and add to it!

I'm also working on a site for my sister's dance team at UF.  They found the Ning platform to be much easier to update and communicate with than their UF website and Facebook: www.extremedancecompany.ning.com

I enjoyed developing a site on Ning - it has a super easy, customizable format.

But its popularity hasn't totally caught on yet.  Not to mention, the site has a lot of technical difficulties and shuts down.  This is why this project took me so long.

But I believe that it has a lot of potential, especially for libraries and educators!

Let your voice be heard!

This project was my absolute favorite. I’m addicted to podcasts. Since I drive a lot I’m always downloading podcasts from NPR, stories, new music, podcasts about my fave shows (like Battlestar Galactica … I admit, totally nerdy). Little did I know how easy it is to make a podcast – and it's fun!

Fortunately, I have a Mac and it has GarageBand on it. This program is awesome. Macs are intuitive and I found GarageBand to be totally user friendly. I will admit that I was nervous at first, but after Prof. Austin reviewed what we would be doing I had more confidence.

My computer has a built-in microphone so recording was a piece of cake. I decided to read a short fable. But I realized it’s important to practice what you’re saying a few times so not to flub it up. Once it’s recorded, it’s just adding on extras to you get what you want. I was able to record an intro and add that in before the fable, add some music, and customize the timing. Like most projects in this class, you have your basic idea and then you tailor your project as much as you want.

Actually, the most difficult part of podcasting was reformatting the wav file into a MP3. That took some research and trial & error! Then figuring out how to post it on my website was an interesting process also. But, after some time it all came together. I knew I had to be patient learning all of this!

This project only took a few hours to complete and now that I’m more comfortable with the software and process -- I am confident that I could produce a podcast more quickly. Actually, when I was driving home from class all these ideas were running through my head of what I could use podcasting for! I can’t believe I never realized this before! I especially believe that teens would get a kick out of making podcasts.

Even better – I would like to learn how to vodcast next! I was an avid fan of vodcasters/ vloggers John & Hank Green Brotherhood 2.0 and now they host Nerdfighters - they have a hysterical vodcast program.

My Own Print Shop - Upgraded!

Working with Microsoft Publisher brought back memories of all the hours I spent using Print Shop for projects. In Elementary/Middle/ High School, this was the coolest program to use for posters and brochures for class. Not to mention, you could make nifty, personalized greeting cards on it also (the concept seemed super high-tech then).

Now, using Publisher is a total upgrade! I thought I was a Print Shop pro, and I realized that many of the concepts from that program were carried over into Publisher. So, I found it very easy to use. These programs are most useful for me when I have to use them to complete a task, and then learn by trial and error.

For my publication project, I decided to take a format used last summer for a flyer advertising a Battle of the Books system-wide program for youth. I changed the look in Publisher, made it into a brochure format, and updated the information to reflect the dates and books for Summer ’09. I’m not sure if the county will approve the use of this document (explanation below), but it was fun creating it! I tried to create something with a more exciting look that would provoke interest in the program and books.

The templates and opportunities available using publisher are extensive! I could think of dozens of ways that libraries could use this software. However, all the libraries I have worked with so far, have been a part of a large system. Therefore, all documents (book lists, publicity, brochures, posters, signs, bookmarks) MUST be designed by our graphic design/PR department. We give them the information we would like on the publication and from there on they have creative authority. I understand that the system wants a cohesive look to their printed materials and a centralized way of getting them done where they have control over everything that is displayed or given to the public. But I do wish that we had the opportunity to design our own publications without going through the long process of having another department complete the project for us.

I hope to use the skills I gained in this program to design my own publications, when needed, and attempt to collaborate with the graphic design/PR department. Ultimately, the staff that works with the public knows what the users want and the formats the information can best be delivered in. Otherwise, at least I can be a pro at making my own business cards and exploring other functions of Publisher for personal use!

Power to the point

I thought I was totally awesome at PowerPoint. I had made heaps of presentations at my last library job. Little did I know I was just scratching the surface of all the capabilities that this program offers.

First, I had neglected to realize that all the book covers that I was using as images on previous presentations were possible copyright violations. Whoops! I never even considered the implications before ... I thought "we own the books, so it's no problem." Copyright issues are something that I will always have to be mindful of in the future.

I'm totally impressed with being able to link to websites and back and forth between slides. I was always using PowerPoint at it's most basic level and now I know that it can do so much more ... even photo editing. I'd like to add a video clip also, but I haven't figured out that yet.





Speaking of photo editing - I was so impressed with the Picasa photo editing program, but then I was so depressed when I realized that it's not compatible with a Mac. I post all my pics to Picasa and use a nifty photo uploader. Yet, I can't believe they don't offer a cross platform application. For goodness sake - it's Google we're talking about here! They continue to offer everything under the sun, but ignore the Mac users. It's a shame. Otherwise, I use the Image Tricks program for Macs for basic photo editing. It pales in comparison to what Picasa offers.

Found this site: http://www.techsmith.com/camtasia.asp

This program goes beyond the typical screen shot used in PowerPoint. Camtasia Studio is a video screen recorder, complete with the ability to add audio tracks. So, you can create a video presentation showing patrons how to apply for an E-card, guiding through the process with both video and an audio track describing the process.

Adventures in patience and web sites

When I decided to take this course, I figured that what I learned in it would be applicable when I enter the job field of librarianship. I've always been interested in marketing the library, it's resources, and programming. Since, my only experience in libraries so far has been with children and teens, I've realized that they best way to reach them, regarding the use of instructional media, is digitally! But ... oh! the strange world of the Internet ... at times I feellike I could never live without it ... and at other times I feel like it is total chaos and I can never fully grasp its potential!

So I enter this class with the hopes of increasing my knowledge beyond knowing how to navigate through MySpace,Facebook, and Flickr ….. and being able to utilize these resources (and more!) in a library setting. I also would like to teach information literacy to children in innovative ways. It's awesome to actually see children able to find resources that they need and not view the library as a building ruled by evil trolls.

However, as I work on the first assignment I am starting to realize how much time goes into the construction of a website. All we are doing is building a basic homepage and I can't believe the intricacies involved in this simple task! It's definitely a learning process, based on trial and error, and then shouting "woohooo!!" when you finally get everything right. I admit that I have total respect for web designers, especially those that work on library websites and have to deal with the design processes of the OPAC and keeping up with a large library system. I especially admire those libraries that are taking the extra steps to integrate Web 2.0 applications on their library homepages.

If anything this class will force me to step outside the safety of this little technology box I'm in right now. I'm thankful that we are granted a certain amount of creative freedom to incorporate any ideas we have into our portfolio projects. Currently, I'm working on dedicating more time to the assignments in this class. I'm realizing that it's more time-consuming than expected. But, I feel like it's worth it, because I was already able to introduce a co-worker to some of the WYSIWYG sites we explored. And I'm so thrilled that I have an awesome friend in class who knows way more about these assisgnments than he thinks, and is extremely patient when helping me.