Thing 6

Waaaay too many ways to spend time online. :)

I tried to create a poster/magazine cover to use for School Library Media Month, but couldn't find a way to shrink the logo to the size it needed to be. And, a trading card for those of us who are rockhounds!

Too many choices! I need limits. :)

Thing 5

'Nuff said, I think.

(But just in case it's not.... Really! Who has time to sit and play with things like this? I'd LOVE to, but I just can't. Work, grad school, laundry--too much to do! No wonder my students aren't getting their homework done at home! They're using Flickr mashups!)

Thing 4

This picture reminds me of those beautiful mornings walking to class as an undergrad at Bemidji State. These shots are horribly deceiving, though: this could mean 20 degrees, or 80 degrees!
Thanks, MWP-42 for the image! (http://flickr.com/photos/54861896@N00/316031821)

Using stranger's images for "my own" use doesn't seem right. I like to be able to say that I took the picture, or I was there when it was taken, so it relates to me. I know that sometimes you need that perfect picture and you just didn't take it when you had the chance, so you might need to borrow from someone else. But I had to look for a long time to find this picture! The tag "bemidji state university" didn't work; I had to use "bemidji" and sort through the 1500 hits. Talk about time consuming!

So. Flickr is a neat idea. There's a very slim chance that you'd ever lose photos--computer crashes, fires, or other disasters wouldn't harm your pics. But I'm still old-fashioned for someone under 30; I'd rather have the picture in print, in an album, in my hands. The options with digital photos are great--editing your own pictures, sharing online, all kinds of things. But I still like the old way better. I'm going to Europe this summer, taking a photography class--and can't decide if I want to take my "old" film camera (which is only 6 years old!) or our new digital camera, which I haven't taken the time to familiarize myself with. Film does have its hang-ups in the digital age: editing a photo--scan, open in Photoshop, edit. Or emailing to a friend--yeah. Problem.

Maybe it comes down to the physical manipulation of a film camera--something I can't afford in a digital camera. Kind of like books--I've got to have it in my hand to enjoy it. Reading off of a computer screen just isn't the same. It's gotta be in my hands.

Thing 3

I really, really like the idea of using an RSS aggregator. It seems like a quicker, better way to check websites that I read regularly--friends' blogs, the weather channel, the Star Tribune.

I did find it frustrating that I can't put an easy link to Google Reader in my Firefox toolbar--a couple of different spots in the 23 things blog said I could, but I couldn't figure out how. Maybe I'm misunderstanding the point--maybe it's not something for my Firefox toolbar. I don't have the time to figure it out right now...I've already spent over an hour setting up my Google reader!

Right now, for me, Google Reader will be a time-saving device. I'm the lone staff person in a media center serving 550+ students & staff, so I don't have spare time for *anything*. (I'm doing 23 things at home, when I should be doing grad school work!) I will keep an eye out for the RSS link, though, when I'm looking at other web sites, to see if I can save myself a little more time. Now, if only I could remember my Google password by heart! :)

Thing 2--Library 2.0

I think that there are a lot of great possibilities for my school library with Library 2.0 tools. But some building blocks need to be put in place first--my school is quite a few years behind where I think we should be, technologically. First we'd need enough computers to handle a class of 25 students. Taking baby steps, we could activate the part of our circulation system that allows students to view their accounts, place holds, renew books on their own. Then allow students access to Web sites like Facebook, Flickr, and Second Life, which are all currently blocked.

I know that my school library needs to be more user-centric. Right now, the administrators and some teachers emphasize the difference between school computer use and home computer use. I think that this is important, but we need to make our students comfortable with the resources we have in the media center. That could start with computer use. If students know that they can come to the media center to check in with friends in a different school through MySpace or FaceBook, they might be more comfortable staying to read a book or magazine, and eventually working on a research project--because they've taken the small steps necessary to become comfortable in the media center.

Thing 1

Creating the blog was easier than I expected, though I should have expected it to be easy, I think. With the number of people who blog now, and Google's ease-of-use in general, of course Blogger is going to be user-friendly!

The avatar-creating was interesting. How much time could be wasted looking at all of the different accessories & options???