Thing 22

Wow! I can't believe that I've completed these "things". I can say that at moments this has been fun, sometimes challenging, but very necessary I believe. For Librarians and Information Professionals,there's no doubt that Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 skills are not only beneficial but necessary to compete, assist, and provide leadership in this informational age. So, I'm grateful for the opportunity to participate in this project. However, I also know that this is just an introduction for me. I need so much more exposure, practice, and knowledge in this ever changing environment. But, more importantly, this project has taken some of the fear out of and maybe has even removed my reluctance to seek the skills necessary in feeling comfortable teaching and helping others gain or maintain these skills.

So, as I continue, I'll like to thank my friends and co-workers for their assistance and for their future assistance to questons that might appear obvious to those more knowledgeable. Thanks Guys!

Thing 21

After exploring Assignment Calculator and Research Project Calculator, I must admit that I'm not at all sure that this resource will work for or appeal to college and high school students.

But as a Librarian or an Information Professional, the job is to put the information out there and let the public decide what is useful or what will satisfy their informational needs.

As an IP, involved in community outreach, this would be a resource that I could definitely introduce to potential college students. They could decide if this was somethng that would benefit them.

Thing 20

This thing takes time, but it's well worth the effort.

To begin with, I read the article Literary Debate:Online RU Really Reading .

Among other issues, this article discusses how the internet affects reading skills. For example, Nicholas Carr,a teen who was interviewed for this article states that "what the net seems to be doing is chipping away my capacity for concentration and contemplation" and "he finds it difficult to read long books". However,the article also points out that there are those who believe that some students benefit from their internet use. For example,Elizabeth Birr-Moje, a professor at the University of Michigan who lead a study on teens and internet use, says that "on the internet students are developing new reading skills that are neither taught or evaluated in school", and she goes on to say that "giving home internet access to low-income students appeared to improve standardized reading test scores and school grades". The article states that "these are the kids who would typically not be reading in their free time."

I think I agree with professor Donna E. Alvermann, a professor of language and literary education at the University of Georgia who says that "books aren't out of the picture, but they're only one way of experiencing information in the world".

I also watched the video promoting Kindle 2/wireless rading device. According to this video, this device holds 1,500 titles.I think this is great and personally love the device. However, the average book for purchase will cost around $350. And, I could never afford such a luxury.

In addition, I also explored the resources listed below books on your phone, reader's advisory, online book community, book group, audio books, book rental, and book swaps.

There was so much to explore and most of it was so new to me. I'm glad I now have these resources for future use.

Thing 19

It was great exploring alternative social networks. Of the three networks suggested (WebJunction,Ning, and Gather), I found Ning the most interesting. This site offers an opportunity to join a number of network communities. For example, there's : Fitness star network, Digital making pace:professional and continuing education group, and Jobs in social media, just to name a few.

I also read the articles: MySpace for Books and WebJunction Article: Building a social networking envirionment at the library.

MySpace for Books:

The author(Rachel Deahl..Publisher's Weekly, 12/12/2005)of this article states that Gather.com "has the potential to do for books what mySpace did for music". As many already now, MySpace is a place/space where record labels can "prerelease buzz for new albums". This article suggests that Gather has the potential to "promote writers in the same way". This site gives users and opportunity to "publish their own content and then rate that of other members".

WebJunction article:

I find this article not only interesting but very informative. First, it points out the importance of creating a social networking environment at the library. The author(Steve Campion)states that "social networking has the potential of connecting programs,catalogs, and websites and taking patron interaction to a new demension".
The author goes on to say that "the challenge lies in convincing the doubters".

The author also lists several steps in becoming an "interactive" library.

First:Education/Social Web Literacy
Second: Education+Imagination/create: library blog,record and edit podcasts,launch a library flickr page, create a MySpace account, start a wiki.
Third:Convince key people in the organization to consider integrating social networking into existing library activities.

Thing 18

I joined the Facebook community over six months ago. I really like it. It's such a great way of keeping in touch with family members and friends. Over the months I've become a member of Equality is Gainesville Business, Wild Iris Books, American Library Association, and the Florida Library Association.

I checked out Jacksonville Public Library and Pasco Library MySpace Pages, there was an abundance of information about programs, up coming events, info for teens,videos, and general info about their libraries and collections. Great way to promote and advocate the importance of libraries.

Thing 17

For this excercise, I first listened to an interview and reading by Toni Morrison from her new book A Mercy that I easly found on Podcast.com.

I also explored Yahoo Podcasts and the Educational Podcast Directory. From Yahoo Podcasts, I downloaded excerpts from The Giver by Lois Lowry, Before We Were Free, by Julia Alverez, and The Miracle Boys, by Jacqueline Woodson.

In addition, I downloaded and listened to a performance entitled The Roaring 20's that I found on The Education Podcast Network. This podcast was created by a group of 10th grade English students living on the outskirts of Atlanta,GA

Thing 16

It was fun exploring YouTube! It's always fun exploring YouTube! I decided to post a music video by Tracy Chapman. This is one on my favorite Tracy Chapman songs.