Week 4, Thing 8 - RSS feeds

What a pleasant surprise! It was actually pretty easy to set up my own Bloglines newsreader account. I liked the discovery resource: RSS in Plain English. Although, I had to watch it a couple of times because it moved a bit too quick for me as I was taking notes! Fortunately, I've been able to subscribe to several feeds. This has been a very enjoyable learning experience and something that I'm going to continue to use! Thanks to those who have shared their public account...may give that a whirl in the future.

Libraries can use this in many ways. Librarians have an additional way to provide excellent service to patrons because they quickly have access to many online updated news resources. Plus, within BCPL, maybe we could use the "Really Simple Syndication" concept by categorizing different topics which apply to the organization and are frequently updated... current book releases and reviews, news about authors, rennovation/new building updates, BCPL in the News, BCPL events, meetings, staff development workshops, staff association events etc. It could be a great way to communicate up to the minute BCPL news!

I was tagged on July 6th!

2 kids 2 dogs 2 tired (love the name!) tagged me and explained that I should visit the blog to see what it's all about. Sooo, I visited the blog and found out that this is how it works:

1. Each player is to list 8 facts/habits about themselves.

2. The rules of the game should be posted at the beginning before facts/habits are listed.

3. At the end of the post, the player tags 8 people and posts their names.

4. Then the players goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment letting them know that they've been tagged and asking them to read the tagger's blog to find out how it works.

Here are 8 facts/habits about me...

1. I try to live life with an "attitude of gratitude." Been through some challenging times and have learned the more I "appreciate," the happier I am!

2. I'm a morning person and love to pop out of bed at the crack of dawn (or earlier) and get the day started! But, by midnight I can barely keep my eyes open and can be quite grumpy.

3. My heart still melts whenever I see my daugher smile...and she's almost 21!

4. When possible, I really enjoy delicious dinners for breakfast. My favorite - Thanksgiving leftovers including all the trimmings and dessert - pumpkin pie and whip cream, of course! While most are hitting the stores on Black Friday, I'm reheating and eating!!

5. One of my favorite pastimes is taking a long, long walk on a beautiful day while listening to my old-fashioned headphones blast random songs.

6. Speaking of songs, I love music so much that I've volunteered and worked at a radio station. (WTMD - 89.7FM - check it out!) But now, in addition to listening, I really want to do some dancing and learn how to SALSA!

7. I treasure time spent socially with family, friends, and co-workers. But, I absolutely need "space" - very quiet solitude - to think, plan, and organize ideas and goals.

8. I love hearts and flowers, rainbows and butterflies, peace signs and smiley faces and still believe..."All you need is LOVE." Oh, and I still listen to The Beatles.

Here's who I am tagging: let them eat chocolate, 23 Swain things, Granny's Girls, funandgames, Why not?, Wine Knot, YellowPoplar, View from the Picadilly Tree.

Week 3 - Post comments and OOOPS...

I was TAGGED about a week ago!! I realized it when I decided to look back and read my old posts to see if I had any comments and voila...I discovered 2kids 2dogs 2tired tagged me!! This activity sounds fun... a nice project to fit in next week when possible!

Week 3, Thing 7 - anything tech related

For music lovers, please check out...

http://wtmd.blogspot.com/

Also visit the WTMD home page http://wtmd.org to learn how your attention is needed if you listen to online music.

Week 3, Thing 6 - Mashups & 3rd party tools

Well, I've spent a decent amount of time flickr"ing." Being a lover of color, I enjoyed checking out Flickr Color Pickr. Also, sometime in the future, when I'm dreaming about my next vacation, I just may use Trip Planner by Yahoo!

Week 3, Thing 5: HOPE Abounding

HOPE Abounding
Originally uploaded by Windy Angels

Had to do another test to make sure I really, really, have a flickr account...and this image represented exactly how I feel!!

Week 3, Thing 5 - an image

jc3164.JPG
Originally uploaded by painet

Well, I believe I've created a Flickr account and should now be able to post images. Let's see if it worked!!

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Week Three, Thing # 5 - Explore Flicker

Here's one more image I really loved:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/seanhogan/708140586/


I've always appreciated the beauty of color and it actually helps me learn! Multi-colored highlighters, flags, pens etc. seem to brighten whatever the challenge may be. I'll try to apply that strategy as I continue the learning process. Also, thank goodness for understanding co-workers who are also trying their best with the Maryland 23 challenges!

Week 3, Thing 5 - Explore Flicker

I've had some fun with Flickr and saw several images I would like to blog about! Here's one:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8764678@N06/728875010/in/photostream/

This represents true tranquility and peace. I wish I could magically be there. I'm going to visualize this as I take a little time to try and "attempt" to learn how to post the actual pic. I figure it will keep me calm in case frustration starts to set in.

Week 2, Thing 4 - Register your blog & track progress

Well, I almost fainted when I realized that I really did register my blog. For me, this is an accomplishment in itself...even though I was kind of surprised to realize my blog name was different than what I thought is was going to be. Then, I was surprised that I had created 2 accounts. Whatever the case may be...I'm happy to be registered whatever my blog name/ address is!!! : )

Week 2, Thing 3 - Set up your own blog and add 1st post

Well, I did it! But...really I somehow set up 2 blog accounts and actually was going to use a different blog name other than the one that I am using. Also... I do not know how I managed to have a red background? All I remember was clicking something and before I knew it, I must have changed the template.

But I guess the most important thing about these "things" is that I'm trying and accomplishing something.

I do believe when it comes to learning, "attitude" is the most important thing. A sense of humor comes in handy also! Soo, I'm going to try and continue this learning journey!

Week 1, Thing 2 - Lifelong Learning

For me, the easiest habit is Habit 2: Accept responsibility for your own learning. I believe if you really have the desire to learn something, it is possible...but you must depend upon yourself to make it happen.

The most difficult habit for me is Habit 6: Use technology to your advantage. That's why this activity is a huge challenge!

I must admit that according to the study, "A Typology of Information and Communication Technology Users" (which was recently published by The Pew Internet and American Life project) I was considered Connected but Hassled! Which is so true. But, I've decided...I'm really going to try...

In case you'd like to take the quiz and find out your type: http://www.pewinternet.org/quiz/ Thanks to Info Services for a very interesting Reference Update : )