Re-cap and feelings

Yay! 23things is over and it was a fun, fun time. Ironically my favorite thing about the whole experience was the webinar and listening to other librarians share what they liked and some of the applications they have used for their library! I really did enjoy learning things I didn't use, like screen casting and video sharing, and things I have used like facebook and IM. I was going to make a really cool glog (which is like a sharing site where you can make posters and videos, etc.) since it was something we didn't learn about and its a newer tool, but I kept running out of time and knew I really needed to re-cap.

I sure hope things like 23things continue and I can learn more, and hopefully lend a hand in teaching. I would love to volunteer for something so useful! Thanks!!!!

P.S: I do not know what we are supposed to do to show we attended the webinar, but I was front row center (with a faulty mic) on the Thursday at seven session.:)

Wikis

I am sooooo mad at myself! I made it every week getting the assignment done on time until the last week! That would only happen to me. I have been super stressed and overloaded with school assignments since the semester is wrapping up. Anywho...I did the wiki assignments and had some fun with them. I had already created a wiki for a previous week (I would have to go back and look at what it was for) so I explored the in's and out's then. I made some changes to my personal wiki page, but did not edit any others because I did not really have anything to add!(Don't want to cause any confusion...) I did my wet paint assignment too and shared some of the frustration I feel at fouling up the last week! But here we are at the finish line...I was just lagging a bit because it has been a hard, long race... (whatever it takes to make me feel better, right?)


Wet Paint thread:
I really enjoyed everything. It was fun playing with tools I had used, used and forgotten or never even seen. I would have to say the most FRUSTRATING thing about 23 things was that I did the assignment every week, on time...until now. The last assignment and I didn't get it done in time. Hope that is still counts:)

Shelfari and Goodreads

I originally created my Goodreads account last summer and while I used it often at first, I do not seem to go to it too much anymore. I created a Shelfari account a month or so ago for school and found I did the same thing. This week was a great motivation to go back to these sites and look at some of the stuff I can do with them. It was more then just catching up on books I've read and what I want to read, but explored the shelves of friends and looked at reviews and suggestions. I have logged back on daily this past week and will continue to use these accounts:)

Delicious

My 23 things slide show! I cheated and used a presentation I had already made for class. And on a subject we have already done! Oops. The hardest part for me was actually posting my response on the 23things site. It would not publish anything I was submitting. I was terrified I would look so strange when like, ten of these responses pop up...beginning with my trying to be witty, then confused, then annoyed... Hm, well- Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Delicious

View more presentations from Cafemojo.

Week 12

Ah! I am really hitting the deadline with this one! I have been so busy with work, school and Easter activities that I almost forgot about this week's assignment...oops! But do not fear, I downloaded Jing and recorded my screen-cast. The following is a captured screen-cast, without audio, of my boyfriend showing me how he constructs a house on Google's 3-d modeling program called, "Sketch-Up." Enjoy (haha) and Happy Easter to all:)


My screen cast

Week 10... va...va...videos!

I have made videos in the past...usually using my digital camera or my cell phone. None of them are of great quality but I do have some video editing software on my computer. It is not something that I have found that I need to use very often, but it is always nice to know how if the time arises!

Since I could not find the connection cable for my camera to upload a personal video and the videos from my phone are very blurry...I chose to include a video from one of my favorite singers about one of my favorite books off You Tube! (Plus I have been told I dance like Kate Bush after a glass or two of wine... some may laugh, but I appreciate her blithe and carefree demeanor:) )

Send me an IM, I'll be your friend

This week really took me back. I have used small amounts of IM over the past couple years, on facebook or through my old AIM account...but everything pales in comparison to how much I IM' d in high school. IM is to teenagers 6 years ago what text messaging is now. I would stay up late into the night talking with no less then 8 people at a time. Ah, those days. I even STILL have saved on some old, old hard-drives (and I am sure floppy disks) conversations I have with people-mainly cute boys- that I wanted to save and read back through. Wow. a lot has changed! I used it this week to talk with some friends and fellow-library mates about some of the current trends in the field. And about Alice and Wonderland the movie:) It has been nice truly connecting once more with IM...but I am not ready yet to fully abandon my texting.

IM me!
On facebook
or
meebo-cafemojo
AIM- hekickedmefirst
Google-erickabrunson
Yahoo-erickabrunson

Omg & btw (hcif....) happy IM'ing, lol.

Cloud Computing

Merry week 8, fellow 23ians. I cannot express how much time I have spent this year trying to understand the concept of "Cloud Computing." First for grad school, then at work and now for 23 Things! I finally have a pretty good grasp on the idea, I think I have just been thinking TOO much into the concept. This week's activity has helped me in conceptualizing the idea and to visualize the workings of a 'cloud'. For my assignment I chose to start a wiki at wikispaces.com. Drilling my mind for an idea that would apply to all participants I almost had to chuckle when I settled on a wiki page on (get this...) 23 Things Kansas. Imagine! So I invite all to come and edit OUR page! I sent an invitation to a couple 23 things users and to a co-worker also using 23 things but I welcome everyone!

Our wikispaces.com page: 23ThingsKansas

Fellow Tweeps: Welcome to the Twitosphere!

Well, hello there! Let us indulge in the joy of micro-blogging by first reviewing some Twitter Terms, shall we?

Tweet-speak - The vernacular for Tweeple! (Don't start worrying until your computer recognizes these terms as being spelled correctly. Yipes!)

Ah, so here we are in week seven and have arrived at the infamous Twitter! I first invested in a Twitter account because I was informed that I may have been "overusing" my update status on facebook. But low and behold I found an instant networking site! As a writer I am able to get updates on contests for journals and submission opportunities, as a reader I get press releases for amazing new reads and as a Librarian I get updates of the happenings and trends of fellow colleagues and librarys. I was hooked.

I admit that I do not use my account as much as I should, but I am trying to incorporate it more into my everyday web use. I am thrilled to be able to contribute and learn in the Twitterness.

That's it for now, tweethearts!

Ah, the day in the life of a librarian

I have been library quote-y lately. (Probably because I have been reading, This Book is Overdue: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All! I have had friends look at me in awe (let me interpret their looks as I wish, thank you...) and say something along the lines, but do not quote me verbatim, of "Why, Ericka...how well versed you have become in the wisdom of those who have searched before you." And it is true. I have become a walking quote-book of useless, but entertaining, library quotes.

Two of my favorite

"...It's azaming, as hard as we work at making ourselves popular with these people, we still have them come in and stand diffidently at our desk and say, "Well, I dont want to interrupt, but..." To which I reply, 'If you don't interrupt me I dont have a job.' "- quoted from' a special librarian' in an article by Robert. S. Taylor

"As a librarian I don't know everything but I know how to find out anything." - Anonymous but I think is going on my next, and first, home-made library t-shirt.

23 Things- Week Six

This week was simply delicious. I originally created a delicious account awhile ago but after switching computers never thought to access it on my new computer (or from any other computer, for that matter.) I am so glad that I started using it again because I forgot what a joy it is to have everything in one spot, especially those sites that I refer to daily! From watching some of the videos I also learned a few new things! For example, I learned about bundling and bulk categories. I had seen those options before but didn't pay too much attention to what they did. They are fabulous! Thank you for refreshing me in such a great 2.0 tool!

If anyone was curious (ya know, for all my millions of blogging fans out there....) the website I chose to share was: Overdue Laughs:Library Humor Resources

RSS Feeds

Wow! It only took me five days to get this done (and completely understand it....thanks to my boss:) ) So, I chose to go with Option number one and I subscribed to the good ole' Google Reader. I did this last Monday, so imagine my dismay when I realized there were ADDITIONAL steps. I subscribed to multiple feeds, but a few were: The New Yorker, Annoyed Librarian Blog, and the Library Journal. I chose these because they are sites I frequent often and it will be such a relief to get updates all in one convenient place:) It is weeks like these that I am very grateful for 23 things. Even though I was brought up with technology at my fingertips and I consider myself at least decently skilled with web tools, there is always something that I can learn. I have seen and read RSS feeds everyday....but didn't know I truly did not understand them until after this assignment. Thank you 23 things! (I don't know if I will be so thankful during Cloud Computing week...uh oh!)

23 Things: My Flickr Account

23 Things
Originally uploaded by PeepMyPics

I had a little trouble this week. I had a flickr account a very long time ago but did not remember what it was called. Making a new one was simple, but a lot has changed and I a had a tough time navigating my way around the site. Watching the slide show helped me a bit, but it was still a challenge. I decided to make a flickr account to upload some of the bulletin boards I have worked on in my time as a Children's Librarian. All pictures were taken by me, and I made all the bulletin boards. My most recent bulletin board on display at the Dorothy Bramlage Public Library is the Kansas Day one, but that is about to be changed:)

The photo I shared is from a bulletin board at Manhattan Public Library. The board was titled "steal time for reading". It featured this furry little guy but to see the rest you will have to visit my account!

Week 3- Webinars

I watched the following SirsiDynix archived webinar:
Teen Second Life: Library Services in a 3D world
Hosted by: Kelly Czarnecki
Date: May 22, 2007

This webinar addressed the question: What is "second life"? Kelly talked about the different types of popular online virtual realities and communities of social software of the time such as Gaia, Runescape, Teen Second Life, and The Sims.
She addressed the different attraction features such as the ability to create your own avatar, the ability to IM, to use gestures....etc. Some of the positives she discussed addressed was that this kind of software application allowed a very open space for teens to explore even though the structure may look or feel game-like. Another attraction is that the avatars may be linked to Myspace or other teen-frequented sites. Second Life gives teens an outlet to create& share and helps build developmental needs through hands on activity.

Watch Here for an example video made by the host on YouTube.

This webinar was very informative because I was unaware of the term "Second Life" given to these virtual reality software. I know that these programs are still very popular with teens in the library and have expanded even further since this '07 webinar. These online meetings tools are not only a great way to connect and learn about current library issues, but also offer a great place to refer back to archived materials if you are wanting to learn more about a subject with which you may be unfamiliar. I believe that Webinars and Online Meeting sites will only continue to progress and expand in the next ten years!

Face to face on facebook!

Week 2!
Since I had an existing facebook already I took this time to review the introduction and social networking video as if I were a novice. I also checked out some of the alternative communities to see what they were all about. I had never even heard of Ning before, so I spent a bit of time looking it over. It was fun looking through my fellow 23-things peers' blogs and finding new friends and colleagues on facebook:) I can only hope that they find me as interesting! I left a comment on the wall of a friend but am still waiting to be accepted by another. I am excited to meet new friends on the world wide web.

My personal thoughts on social networking:
I cannot recall exactly how I discovered facebook but it was my Sophomore Year of College in '04 and I watched how far and how quickly it escalated. Soon after, I got a MySpace account. It was interesting to see how different the two sites were and the crowd to which they appealed. Originally, I felt my information was more secure on facebook since I knew that you had to be a college student to use it. Even now I feel comfortable using and controlling my privacy accounts and knowing my information is being viewed solely under my discretion. At its start I felt Myspace seemed to appeal more to the high school crowd. It seemed like an expanded version of an AIM profile or a chatroom....a space where people (primarily younger) would over share information in hopes to meet people or express their feelings. Eventually I had to shut my Myspace account down do to how uncomfortable I felt with what people were using the site for. I am glad, however, to see that good things have emerged from it, such as the discovery of musicians, artists and writers. Overall, I feel that if used correctly social networking sites can be an effective tool in communication.

Excuse me a moment whilst I introduce myself...

My name is Ericka Brunson, but my friends call me amazing. I am 24 years young and live in Manhattan, KS. I am the Outreach Services Coordinator and YP librarian at the Dorothy Bramlage Public Library. I love what I do and absolutely adore all the children I work with... and the ones in my storytimes, too ;) I graduated from K-State in 2007 with a BA in English. I am currently going back to school to acquire my Masters in Library Science from ESU. I cannot envision myself outside of the wonderful profession of librarianship. I wish I could say that I am new to this whole blogging thing, but I have years and years of experience embarrassing myself through online blogs. (See: horrible high school rantings about how life is so unfair...via Xanga or Live Journal) I think 23 things is a fantastic idea. I am participating because I want to encourage everyone to keep up with current trends and social networking and communication resources. I am excited for whatever challenges are thrown my way. But please don't judge me if you come back to my blog and find me crying.