Thing 17

Last year when Linda (my director) showed me how ELM works and what it consisted of, I was amazed at what you could find searching the databases, Proquest, WorldCat and E-books. I think Linda uses it for ILL and I look forward to learning that complete process more in depth. These are creditable sources of information for students and teachers.

Thing 16

University of MN Assignment Calculator, for undergraduate students and Research Project Calculator, for secondary students and teachers (funded jointly by Minitex and MnLink) are valuable tools for research, reports and procrastinators. They offer step by step outlines according to your start and completion dates and even email reminders to keep you on track. Wish I had this when I was in school.

Thing 15

I was looking forward to playing games so I went to directly to Puzzle Pirates and did the bilging, learned to sail and carpentry and left with 241 gold pieces. A fine day's pirating, indeed!
Briefly checked out Info Island and Second Life, like Puzzle Pirates, they take up quit a bit of time and slowed down my computer a lot. They look interesting but I already have a busy and crazy life and do not have time for another. Maybe when I retire I will have more time to play.

Thing 14

Library Thing is a great way to keep track of the books you have read or plan to read. You can also see what others are reading and get their opinion, join a group on specific topics, and add the widget to your blog. This is a great way to promote new and or popular books for a reading program.

Thing 13

I have been using the productivity tools over the last few months and currently use iGoogle. I like it because I can add or delete what works for me. Currently I'm using the To Do list and a count down to Sept. 15, the end of 23 Things, I need to keep on plugging away...10 more things.
Backpack is a very versatile tool and would be great in an office where everyone needs to work together.

Thing 12

I am a news junkie therefore enjoyed checking out Digg, Reddit, Newsvine and Mixx. While they all were similar, I liked Newsvine the best, easier to scan and view an article of interest. Being aware of these tools will most likely not change the way I look for news. I like going directly to my favorite news channels.

Thing 11

Thing 11 is about tagging. I've created a Del.icio.us account and like the idea being able to access my bookmarks from any computer and can follow other peoples tags . I also have a Flickr account and have tagged pictures there and I'm reviewing my blogs and tagging there to. I plan on getting more familiar with the whole concept of tagging, which is another tool to stay connected with the world.

Thing 10

I watched the Common Craft Video on Wikis. They make learning and understanding the topic interesting. Wikis can be very informational but at the same time it makes me wonder how much is fact and how much is fiction.
This is the Wiki I added on 23 Things:
Thing 10...Wiki!

After just finishing Thing 9 and working with Google Docs I see many similarities with Wikis. The difference is with Google Docs you have to be invited to collaborate and with a Wiki you are just out there for anyone in the world to edit or add information. Exciting and scary at the same time.

Thing 9

I think online collaboration programs are great. Another freebie at that! Nothing to download, and you can access your document from any computer with an internet connection. If you want to collaborate on a project, multiple people can view and make changes at the same time. With an on-screen chat window you can see who makes changes and when.
After reading some of uses people are doing with Google Docs I am amazed. Like tracking how many calories they consume or up to the minute with personal finances or how about taking orders to order out for lunch? You can also choose not to share your document.
With Zoho I had to register and before I even had a chance to confirm my registration I forgot my password. Duh! Google Docs seems easier to access, and work with. Google Docs gets my vote!

Thing 8

I made a "going away" book for a person moving to a different job using trading cards/name badges from Big Huge Lab. Everyone loved it and thought it was very creative. AND...I had a blast making it.
With a little imagination programs like Big Huge Lab, Wordle (I used our mission/vision statement) could be used to honor a top reader or to show off the best of books/magazines or events happening at the library.
PictureTrail was used to display camping with the grandchildren. Such enjoyment!

Camping 08

Thing 7

Communication is what makes the world go round and so much smaller. Email is great, sure beats telephone tag and twitter...I'm still a "new" user but find it often to busy to post to. I can definitely see the pros to twitter with short and to the point statements in 140 or less characters as to what is on your mind. Tried out instant messaging also, pretty neat but not something I would use much right now.

Thing 6

The pictures are worth a thousand words...

It's amazing what can be done with photos, videos (I'm working on that) and an idea.
The possibilities are endless and I plan on checking out as many as I can.

This trading card is a picture of Lake Dora, Florida.

Nothing beats sitting on a beach when it is
-20 back home in Minnesota.

Florida sunset
Originally uploaded by j.pam23

Thing 5

Round two, yea!
Thank you for repeating Web 2.0 tools. As you can see, I didn't get very far the first time around. I really have that time management thing going on. Maybe that is why I was asked if I would like to attend a Time Management Workshop at the Fond du Lac Community College on June 27th. And...Yes...I am definitely going.

I've been working on getting more familiar with Flickr, even signed up for a pro account. Having a place to store my pictures, (although I haven't even come close to uploading all of them) and now videos, excites me. I've mapped a couple locations in Florida that we visited in Jan. What a great way to learn geography and personalize it at the same time. I think this will interest my grandchildren.

So I've been getting ahead of myself and experimenting with the thousands of tools out there and not keeping up with my blog, but I will work on that too!