Welcome to the TCCL New Technology Committee’s "23 Things" blog. Odds are you’re here because you are interested in learning about and playing with (yes, playing is allowed in the library) some Web 2.0 tools that will help you expand your information literacy “toolbox.”
"23 Things" is an online program that encourages staff to learn more about Web 2.0 technologies that are changing the way people, societies and libraries access information and communicate with each other. Here are a couple of videos to help explain the concept of Web 2.0:
[Note: For all videos throughout the course of this program, you will need headphones or speakers]
Over the course of the next 12 weeks, this blog will highlight "23 Things" of technology and conduct discovery exercises to help staff become familiar with blogging, RSS feeds, tagging, wikis, podcasting, online applications, and video hosting sites just to name a few.
This program is designed to be informational and enjoyable. Although you will complete most of the tasks on your own, we encourage you to pair up with a partner or partners and to work together, comparing your progress, asking questions and encouraging each other along this journey. Along the way, you'll each setup a blog to write about your experiences, share your blog with each other and (hopefully) comment on each others blogs.
So fasten your seat belts, grab your mouse and get ready for a discovery adventure… and remember, it's OK to play in the library and have fun!
Estimated time to complete this step: 15-20 minutes
Note: A big thanks to the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County for letting us adapt this program.
Monday, January 12, 2009
#2: Lifelong Learning
Lifelong learning is one of the core values of librarianship. Before we embark on this journey of online learning and discovery, we should review some habits that can assist in creating lifelong learners.
These habits, which we’ve called the 7½ Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners, will provide you with some information on what it means to be a lifelong learner.
Discovery Exercise:
Estimated time to complete this step: 15 minutes
These habits, which we’ve called the 7½ Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners, will provide you with some information on what it means to be a lifelong learner.
Discovery Exercise:
- Make sure you have headphones or speakers attached to your computer.
- Watch the 7½ Habits presentation.
- As you watch the tutorial, think about which habit among the 7½ is the easiest for you and which is the hardest. You will use your blog, which you will set up in the next step, to post your thoughts about lifelong learning.
Estimated time to complete this step: 15 minutes
#3: Setup a blog in 3 easy steps
It's time to setup your very own weblog, or “blog,” to begin recording your thoughts, discoveries, exercises, and anything else you wish to write about. First, watch this video explaining what a blog is:
Now that you have watched the video, it’s time to setup your blog. For this step, we recommend that you use Blogger, a popular, free, and easy to use blog hosting service.
Creating a blog with Blogger takes just three steps: Creating a Google account, naming your blog and selecting your blog’s template, i.e. its “look.” Here is a great video tutorial (choose Flash or Windows Media) from Freevlog to walk you through the processing of setting up a blog with Blogger. For a text tutorial, visit Blogger’s Quick Tutorial.
After you have created your blog, be sure to remember two important items:
Discovery Exercise:
Estimated time to complete this step: 30-45 minutes
Now that you have watched the video, it’s time to setup your blog. For this step, we recommend that you use Blogger, a popular, free, and easy to use blog hosting service.
Creating a blog with Blogger takes just three steps: Creating a Google account, naming your blog and selecting your blog’s template, i.e. its “look.” Here is a great video tutorial (choose Flash or Windows Media) from Freevlog to walk you through the processing of setting up a blog with Blogger. For a text tutorial, visit Blogger’s Quick Tutorial.
After you have created your blog, be sure to remember two important items:
- To add posts: The “dashboard” (see screenshot below), which you will use to add posts and make changes to your blog, is accessible at http://www.blogger.com. Be sure to remember your username and password so you won’t get locked out of your own blog!
- To view your blog: Your blog address is http://(xxxx).blogspot.com with (xxxx) being the blog name you created in step 2 of setting up your blog.
Discovery Exercise:
- Setup a blog for yourself using Blogger.
- Once your blog is setup, write a couple of posts stating such information as why you have created your blog or what you hope to accomplish with it. Remember to use one of your example posts to create an entry detailing which of the 7½ Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners is easiest for you and which is the hardest and why.
- Have fun!
Estimated time to complete this step: 30-45 minutes
#4: Register your blog & let the conversation begin!
The Staff Forums will be used for 23 Things participants to share their blogs with each other, to track their progress and to post any questions for the New Technology Committee that you may have while completing this course. Think of it as tech support (sans Muzak) for 23 Things. Ready to go?
To register your blog, please register for and login to the Staff Forum message boards. (Note: Use of the message boards is restricted to computers within the library).
A. Instructions for Staff Forums
1. Right-click on the link above, select "Open in a new tab," then (if you have not registered previously) click the “Register” link at the top of the page.
2. After clicking on Register, you will need to read and agree to the Forum rules.
3. When creating your username and password, you will also be asked for your email address. Use your TCCL email username and address (see the screenshot below). You may choose your own password, but pick something easy to remember.
4. Choose whether or not you want to receive emails from Administrators or Other Members, then click “Complete Registration.”
Once registration for the forums is complete and you are logged in, go to the Log Your Progress forum.
Click the
button (not HERE on the left but in the Staff Forums) then click on the "Insert Link" button (see screenshot below) and enter your blog's address:
As more participants register their blog addresses, you will be able to follow along with their blog posts and even make comments. If you would like to be automatically emailed (instantly, daily, or weekly) when new posts are made to the Staff Forums, you may subscribe to the Staff Forums.
B. Subscribing to Staff Forums
Subscribing to a forum allows you to receive daily or weekly email notifications for new posts a forum.
1. Right-click on the link above and select "Open in a new tab." Click on the forum (e.g. "Log Your Progress" or "Help with 23 Things") to which you wish to subscribe. Once you're in the chosen forum, click on the down arrow next to “Forum Tools.”
2. Click on “Subscribe to this forum.”
3. Choose whether you want daily or weekly updates by email and click “Add Subscription.”
C. Subscribing to threads
Subscribing to a thread allows you to receive instant, daily or weekly email notifications for responses to a particular thread.
1. Right-click on the link above and select "Open in a new tab." Click on the name of the forum (e.g. "Log Your Progress" or "Help with 23 Things"), click on thread within that forum (e.g. "Steps 1-6" or "Instructions for posting your progress"), then click on the down arrow next to “Thread Tools.”
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2. Click on “Subscribe to this thread.”
3. Choose whether you want instant notification, daily or weekly updates by email and click “Add Subscription.”
In the User CP, it is possible to organize, remove or change notification preferences at any time.
Now that you've made it through one of the longest "Things," take time to read the blogs of other participants to keep track of their stumbles and successes along the way. Comment on their blogs, sharing your experiences and any solution(s) you discovered, and encourage each other to stay motivated and stay connected!
Estimated time to complete this step: 20-30 minutes
To register your blog, please register for and login to the Staff Forum message boards. (Note: Use of the message boards is restricted to computers within the library).
A. Instructions for Staff Forums
1. Right-click on the link above, select "Open in a new tab," then (if you have not registered previously) click the “Register” link at the top of the page.
2. After clicking on Register, you will need to read and agree to the Forum rules.
3. When creating your username and password, you will also be asked for your email address. Use your TCCL email username and address (see the screenshot below). You may choose your own password, but pick something easy to remember.
4. Choose whether or not you want to receive emails from Administrators or Other Members, then click “Complete Registration.”
Once registration for the forums is complete and you are logged in, go to the Log Your Progress forum.
Click the
button (not HERE on the left but in the Staff Forums) then click on the "Insert Link" button (see screenshot below) and enter your blog's address:
As more participants register their blog addresses, you will be able to follow along with their blog posts and even make comments. If you would like to be automatically emailed (instantly, daily, or weekly) when new posts are made to the Staff Forums, you may subscribe to the Staff Forums.
B. Subscribing to Staff Forums
Subscribing to a forum allows you to receive daily or weekly email notifications for new posts a forum.
1. Right-click on the link above and select "Open in a new tab." Click on the forum (e.g. "Log Your Progress" or "Help with 23 Things") to which you wish to subscribe. Once you're in the chosen forum, click on the down arrow next to “Forum Tools.”
2. Click on “Subscribe to this forum.”
3. Choose whether you want daily or weekly updates by email and click “Add Subscription.”
C. Subscribing to threads
Subscribing to a thread allows you to receive instant, daily or weekly email notifications for responses to a particular thread.
1. Right-click on the link above and select "Open in a new tab." Click on the name of the forum (e.g. "Log Your Progress" or "Help with 23 Things"), click on thread within that forum (e.g. "Steps 1-6" or "Instructions for posting your progress"), then click on the down arrow next to “Thread Tools.”
>2. Click on “Subscribe to this thread.”
3. Choose whether you want instant notification, daily or weekly updates by email and click “Add Subscription.”
In the User CP, it is possible to organize, remove or change notification preferences at any time.
Now that you've made it through one of the longest "Things," take time to read the blogs of other participants to keep track of their stumbles and successes along the way. Comment on their blogs, sharing your experiences and any solution(s) you discovered, and encourage each other to stay motivated and stay connected!
Estimated time to complete this step: 20-30 minutes
#5: Discovering & sharing online photos
(Note: Although this video uses Flickr as its example of online photo sharing, the concepts of tagging, sharing and commenting on photos are universal to online photo sharing.)
Photo sharing websites have been around since the '90s and Picasa Web Albums is just one of these kinds of sites that can be found online. Picasa allows users to freely upload and store photos online to share with anyone or just a select few, like family and friends. With Picasa Web Albums, users are given 1 GB of free online storage, enough space to store about 4,000 standard resolution photos. If you find photos you like while searching Picasa Web Albums, you can download them, email them to others, and even order them as prints. You can also create a slideshow of your photos to embed within your blog.
Picasa allows users to “tag” photos with keywords that describe the photos. As the video below shows, users can search for other photos that share the same tags as their own or they can sort their photos using one or more tags. Users can "geotag" a photos, inserting latitude and longitude coordinates of where the photo was taken, in order to show the photo's location on a map. Picasa users can also use "name tags" to tag the people that are in their photos:
Tagging photos allow users from all over the world to share, explore and comment on other photos and is a prime example of how technology has intensified the bonds of connection and communication with each other.
For this discovery exercise, simply explore about Picasa Web Albums and discover what this site has to offer. Find out how tags work, how to geotag a photo and how to use Picasa Web Albums with Blogger.
Discovery Resources:
*Learn about features of Picasa Web Albums
*See "What's new" in Picasa Web Albums
If you're interested in exploring other photo hosting sites, check out Microsoft Live Photos, Photobucket, Flickr* or Zoomr.
A word about photo posting etiquette: When posting identifiable photos of people (especially minors), is it advisable to get the person's permission before posting their photo in a publicly accessible place like Picasa Web Albums. Never upload pictures that you did not take, unless you have the photographer's consent, and always give credit when you include photos in your blog that were taken by someone else.
*Flickr is blocked by the library's filter.
Estimated time to complete this step: 30-45 minutes
#6: Picking through Picasa
Explore Picasa Web Albums to discover an interesting image or images to write about on your blog. Be sure to include a link to the image(s) in your blog post. Look at some of the popular tags and locations that users are associating with their photos and see if you can find anything that interests you.
For a little extra fun, play "Where in the World?" and drag the map around to try and guess where the specified photo was taken.
To receive your 1 hour of ConEd credit: fill out the Summary of Continuing Education form and submit it to HR.
Estimated time to complete this step: 15-30 minutes
For a little extra fun, play "Where in the World?" and drag the map around to try and guess where the specified photo was taken.
To receive your 1 hour of ConEd credit: fill out the Summary of Continuing Education form and submit it to HR.
Estimated time to complete this step: 15-30 minutes
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