23 Things Thoughts

Well, I have come to the end of my 23 Things journey as my last day working for TCPL is tomorrow and I have very much enjoyed the 23 Things project. At first I thought it might be boring and that I would have already done all these things before, but there were a number of these modules that I had never tried before, and some I had never even heard about. I think my favorite new discover was Goodreads for the virtual book shelve module. That is something that I will use for years to come and I am so happy I found out about it and got the chance to utilize it. I also really liked the Book Trailer module, even though it was one I thought I would opt to not do, but I am sure glad I decided to do that one as well. Of course there were ones I had used for years before and have used everyday such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube so those weren't anything special for me, but I still enjoyed working on them!

Screencasting ADVANCED Exercise

I did a screencast on how to use TIPCAT. I didn't use voice or anything, but I recorded my motions and what not to show people how to use it and the different options they had. I hope others can find this useful. Obviously, we all know how to use it!! And I finally figured out how to embed my video on here instead of just posting the link. Ironically, I watched a screencast on YouTube about how to do it, which actually helped me!

Skype ADVANCED exercise

For the Skype advanced exercise we were asked to send a file to a contact. I have done this numerous times and actually just sent one this Friday so I could blog about it on here. I sent a family member in another state information about my sister's upcoming wedding. Directions, a picture of the building she is getting married in so they knew what it looked like, etc. I was still able to talk to the relative while I was doing this so it was easy to explain to them what it was I was sending them and easy for them to have a hard copy in front of them while I was explaining everything to them at the same time. This is a great feature to have in cases like this. I am sure there are many other reasons why this would be useful, but for me this is what it was most useful for.

Facebook ADVANCED exercise

For the Facebook advanced exercise we were asked to create a photo album and to ask a question to our followers. I already have albums on my account that you can look at of family, pets and concerts. I also posted a question on there today that polled my followers asking them their favorite colors. I added a couple options but also left it open for people to add their own options.

Book Trailer!

This is the book trailer for one of my favorite books/movies, Where The Heart Is. I hope you enjoy it!! This was my first time making a trailer/video of any kind really so it was a learning experience and took some time, but it was pretty fun! I am glad I decided to do it!

Module #14 Google Docs ADVANCED EXERCISE

I just finished the advanced exercise for the Google Docs module. I decided to make a presentation on Google Docs of some of my favorite movies. I listed 4 of my favorites and told a little about them and added a picture of the movie cover. I hope everyone likes this and maybe finds a new movie to watch soon. I own all 4 of the movies I listed and watch them on a regular basis and they never get old! I will add my link on here so you can go check out the presentation. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1kZDE_2UO6oG5Jk3I0wfLK-Qp3L4w7883YKF8cnEOFfA/edit

Module 16 Wikis ADVANCED exercise!!

I did the Wiki module advanced exercise where I was asked to create a page on the TCPL23THINGS wiki about my favorite animal. I chose to do my page on Penguins because I think they are just the most adorable looking animals on the Earth!!! I have loved Penguins forever and would love to own one someday, which I know is pretty impossible! Go take a look at my page on the 23things wiki and look at the adorable pictures of the little Penguins I posted!

http://tcpl23things.pbworks.com/w/page/52266859/Penguins

Module #7 Twitter ADVANCED exercises

The instructions for the advanced exercises in the Twitter module were things that I have already done on my personal Twitter page, which I used for the 23 Things Project. I have a couple pictures already uploaded via my Blackberry using TwitPics. I have also posted links numerous times, but for the sake of this module and the advanced exercises I will post a link relevant to the library and a picture relevant to the library. I posted the link to the library's home page! Like I said, Twitter is something I use on a daily basis so I do these things pretty regularly and had no trouble doing these exercises. My Twitter name is Kayla_Diane23.

Module #10 YouTube/Video Sharing ADVANCED exercises

I just finished the advanced exercise for YouTube which involves embedding a video into this blog post. I wanted to put in a video by Jenna Marbles because she is hilarious, however, they are not really that appropriate for this project. I don't want anyone to be offended obviously, but if you aren't offended easily and don't mind some foul language then I suggest you look her up on YouTube. I did find a more appropriate funny video though, enjoy!!


<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/EchHZXfDICE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Module #13 Social Bookmarking ADVANCED exercise

I just completed the advanced exercise for the Social Bookmarking module on the Delicious website. I created a stack using the 5 bookmarks I had previously found about web 2.0. I started following the tcpl23things delicious account so that they could see my account. I created a stack and allowed tcpl23things to see it and follow it. I think that social bookmarking is a great way to get information out there to people you know about things that they may be interested in. It is also great for a library like TCPL to have a social bookmarking account like the one on Delicious because it would give patrons and employees alike the opportunity to see what news is being talked about in the library and what is going on in general at the library.

Module #15 Google Calendar ADVANCED exercise

I decided to do this quick and easy advanced exercise for the Google Calendar Module. I was comfortable enough to send my general calendar to the 23 Things Committee email address for them to see. My general calendar has a few events on it for this month which include St. Patrick's Day on March 17, my sister's bridal shower and my BIRTHDAY on March 23!!! It will be a good month obviously! I think being able to share your calendars with other can be very beneficial, especially if you need someone to know your schedule and events so that they can plan their own schedule and events.

Module #6 ADVANCED exercises Pixlr

So, I just completed the advanced exercise for the image editing module. The advanced exercise had us use Pixlr to edit some photos which I had never used before. I had used Picnik a tad bit, but not too much so using something different was kind of neat. I went in a played around with the editing and effects tools and found it to be fairly easy to use and fun at the same time. I edited a picture of some pandas because, well, they are just too cute! I used the vintage, retro photo effects to create a neat looking image. I have listed a couple below. I feel like there are so many ways you could change photos, not only for work, but for personal uses as well. I know sometimes we don't all look great in pictures and changing the color or fixing a blemish on the picture can make a world of difference. I also chose to add a bulldog puppy photo as well since that is the kind of dog we have at our home

RSS Feeds ADVANCED Exercises

So, I went back into my Google Reader account and messed around with the RSS feeds I had in there. I organized them and it made the feeds so much easier to find and go through. I actually found the TCPL Book Clique review/recommendation site. It was so neat and I didn't even know we had this until Stacey told me about it yesterday, then I get on my RSS feeds today and find it. I hope to start adding my recommendations to it soon and look forward to reading more recommendations from the other staff. As far as making folders and organizing goes, I love having all my stuff organized. I have been this way all my life and probably always will be. No order in life makes me crazy!!!

Module #11 Image Generators ADVANCED Exercise

I think I already did the advanced exercise for the Image Generators in my initial blog, but I figured I would do it here also just in case. So here are some of my image generator pictures.

"http://cdn-img1.imagechef.com/w/111222/samp2baa576b8056c5ff.jpg"

http://cdn-img1.imagechef.com/w/111222/16425cdb7339d4c1.gif

http://cdn-img1.imagechef.com/w/111222/anm8af94b473e82b084.gif

Module #9 Goodreads ADVANCED Exercises

When I did module 9 to begin with I did all of the advanced exercises and didn't even realize it. Below I will link my account so others can see what lists and books I have on my Goodreads. I think out of all the modules and exercises I have done that Virtual Bookshelves had to be my favorite. It is useful and fun to use. It was one that I had never even heard of and have come to use a great deal since beginning 23 Things.

http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6990369-kayla-brown

I was browsing listopia and saw one that was the Best Books of the 20th Century so I decided to take a look at that one. There are over 3000 books on the list and I have not even made a dent in how many off of it that I have read. I have read a handful of them mostly in High School as part of our required reading. The following is a list of the books from the list that I have never read but would really like to read someday soon!

1. The Catcher in the Rye
2. Animal Farm
3. Gone with the Wind
4. East of Eden
5. A Clockwork Orange

There are many more on the list that I would love to read but those 5 are ones that I have heard great things about and have always wanted to read but have never got around to reading. Hopefully soon I will read them, heck maybe I will read them for summer reading club this year!

Module #18 Skype

   Skype, probably not my favorite module or technology out there. I don't know why but I am not a big fan of video chatting. I prefer my instant messaging 100% more than video chatting. I know you don't get that personal face to face communication that you get when you use skype, but I still prefer IM. I know it does instant messaging too and many other things like calling and what not, but it's just not my cup of tea.
   I have used it a couple times and I just never really got into it. I am also the kind of person who doesn't like talking on the phone either so this program just all around does nothing for me. I went home the other night and gave it a try again after reading the module and still nothing, but I figured for work I would give it a try and see if my opinion had changed in the last year, but nope!
   I can totally see why a great deal of people would love this program. If you have relatives and friends spread out over the country or the world then this would benefit you a lot more. For me my entire family for the most part is in Indiana and I see them on a regular basis along with my friends. I think possibly in the future if I were to move out of Indiana then I may find more use and satisfaction with using Skype but until then I don't think I will be using all that much if at all. 

Module #19 ScreenCasting

   I was not planning on doing the Screencasting module because I just didn't know what it was and was kind of not into it. However, I got to really looking at the module and reading about it tonight and I realized it was something I had actually used in the past!! See, this is why this whole 23 things is a good thing, you realize you have used more things than you thought! I actually just used screencasting a month ago. I had a laptop that had a broken light in the screen so I had to get a new one. I wanted to wipe my old one clean by plugging it into my tv and seeing the screen from my computer on my tv since I couldn't see it on the laptop screen. I used my new laptop to find a video on it and it helped me. It wasn't until just now that I realized it was a screencast that I was watching at the time.
   I looked for some screencasts that would interest me and I didn't really find any, but I did watch one on how to use the iPad because I am looking into getting one in the future. It showed step by step how to use the browsers and apps on the iPad and had a voice over telling everything that they were doing in the video. I think these screencasts could be very helpful to many people. With technology changing and new gadgets coming out every five seconds, screencasting can help people better understand how to use this new technology in a more hands on and visual way, which I think is the best and most efficient way people tend to want and like to learn. 

Module #21: Podcasting

   Podcasting is not one my favorite Web 2.0 items. I have a couple PodCasts on my iPod, but they are ones that I was able to get for free and that interested me at the time. I looked for a couple on google and didn't find the ones that I had wanted to listen to so I went onto my iPod and listened to a couple I had downloaded, but hadn't yet listened to.
   The podcasts that I have on my iPod have to do with Professional Wresting, one of my guilty pleasures to watch and read about. One of them is kind of a news podcast with recent and updating news on the Professional Wrestling world and WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment in particular. The other podcast is called a Shoot Podcast. What this contains are interviews with Professional Wrestlers from WWE and TNA.  The interviews are done out of character, that being that they aren't acting like their wrestling "character" if you will, but giving an interview and being truthful and what not about everything.
   Like I said, Podcasts aren't my favorite, but having found these Podcast on something that interests me made it easier to give them a chance and listen to them every once in a while.

Module #20: WebJunction

This is the first time I have heard about and explored WebJunction Indiana. I think the reason I had never heard of it or gone on the site is because I am not going for my MLS or anything and alot of people who use it are or are working in a library in a higher position I feel. I did have fun exploring it and looking at the different courses to see if any popped out at me or that I found interesting. I found a few courses that I thought looked interesting or that caught my eye.
The Center For Inner Quality has a course called Turn Up the Power of Communication which I think would be a great course to take because communication in every aspect of life is very important. The next course that I found is called Booklist Online. Now, this course didn't say what it was about or anything, but I can probably infer from context that it is about Booklists, haha. I love book-lists and think that they are useful when working in a library and in your personal life when you are trying to find something interesting to read. Finally I found a course called Gadgets and Tools and Apps, Oh My! I just loved the title of this course and if the course is what I think it is then it would be very informative. Gadgets are taking over our lives it seems, so learning about them and they things that go along with them, such as Apps, could be very beneficial personally and at work.

Module 16: Wikis

    Yet another module that I had heard about and kind of used but never really worked with myself. I think everyone in the world uses Wikipedia at some point or another and I am one of those people. However, I have/had never edited a wiki before we started doing it for shelf reading hear in Circulation and now for 23 things.
    I checked out a couple of the Wikis that were listed in the module. The one called Foodista was neat because it incorporated pop culture and current things into the subject of food. For example when I opened the page I saw a story about Rhianna, the singer, and I was like, "Why is she on here this is a food wiki?!" Then i read on and saw that it was about the cake that she served at her recent birthday party.
    Another one that I looked at was the Wiki How site. This is one that I have seen and I believe used before for personal use, but I can not for the life of me remember what for. I think it can be very useful, however, it shouldn't be used too seriously I don't think. Pretty much anybody can change and edit a wiki and all the information may not be completely accurate.

Module 17: Instant Messaging

I have been using Instant Messaging since High School. Before we had Facebook and Twitter it was a great way to keep in contact with friends while you weren't at school. Now, for me, it is a way to keep in contact with old high school friend who no longer live in the same town as me. My best friend moved to Muncie when we graduated and went to college there. She now is graduated, married and just had her first baby! I have kept in contact with her through AOL IM for the last 5 years. We usually chat at least once a week and catch up on what is going on in our lives.
I haven't really used Instant Messaging for work ever. To me it is something not work related, unless maybe you need information quickly and that is the only way to get it so it obviously hasn't changed the way I work at all.

Module 15: Google Calendars

This was another module that I had heard about but never used. I have always been a very organized person so I am surprised I had never used this. I think Google Calendars would be something that I would use in my future jobs perhaps. Trying to keep track of appointments, work meetings, schedule and what not can get crazy and using Google Calendar would be a great way to keep it all together. I think this would also be something to use if you were a parent of kids because usually you have one child who has to go here and another who has to go there at a certain time and keeping track can be hard. This would definitely help.

Google Doc Module 14

I had never used Google Docs before today. I think it could be a very useful piece of technology for people to use. One thing that came to mind was for group presentations in school that this would be a great tool for them to use. I know I have been in groups and we don't always have schedules that sync up. This would have been great to use for us all to contribute to the projects Power Points. I think if I go back to college in the future that I would keep this in mind to use for group projects.

I added a slide to the 23 Things Google Doc about my favorite book, Where the Heart Is.

Here is the link to the Google Doc for anyone who wants to view it or who hasn't done this  module yet!


https://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0AbnX4EpP_KxUZGdwcHF0Z21fMHMyamIzM2Nx&pli=1