Learning 2.0 Sandbox--Thing 17

I finally got my book review of Eden's Outcasts up on "favorites," on the Sandbox. It took me awhile to get the sequence of steps and to import a picture of the book. I'll have to go back and look at some of the other favorites someday. Ach, so much to read superficially and without more than a fleeting thought for any of it, yet so much more to read and write for the nanosecond, definitely not for the ages.

Wikis and Social Networks-- Thing 16

I can see the potential for wikis in a variety of projects and appreciate the instanteousness and spontaneity of such sites. The open-endedness of all these projects makes you think differently, more collaboratively. The wikis seem especially useful for lists, increments of information, or brief analyses (such as short book reviews). I liked the Princeton Library site and will visit it again, I think, for "late breaking" reviews! Wikis seem to advocate democratic participation which leads to a lot of mediocre or inaccurate and opinionated content, such as you hear on C-Span or find on Wikipedia. Many of the wikis do not seem so open-ended and democratic--they filter what they accept

Library 2.0: Brave New Library

I'm dubious whether I'll find myself swimming through the blogosphere with ease. Somewhere on the way to libraries of the future I find myself checking out the latest star gossip (what'sup with Lindsay in the last 5 minutes?), then suddenly gagging. The articles on Library 2.0, building on Web 2.0 , were fascinating, as they focused on the morphing of libraries into user-centered, more technically friendly gathering places. Yea, we will be both a place of information and a conduit for information. Meanwhile, we spend much time on recommending and acquiring books for bookclubs, talking about books, reading books and reviews of books, helping our favorite older customers find and enjoy books, setting up displays of books, placing dazzling books in the hands of our youngest customers, attending workshops about books, and shifting books around. I love thinking about technorati and de.licio.us and the brave new library of the future: information strategically organized by the techno-librarian for the "Starbucks"-caffeinated customer. Where'd I put my progressives?

Del.icio.us and moi

After several tries and much fumbling around, I finally got this bookmarking tool to work for me. I hope I will remember to add to it with a few tags: libraries, literature, books. I expect I'll diversify my tags (money, money, money, rich, wealthy, retirement...along those lines). What initially seems such a complicated process, suddenly becomes quite obvious and logical.

Thing 10: Avatars--let the good times roll!

They're fun if you have a lot of time to play with them, but not so fun if you're pressed for time. Some of the ones staff generated were really cute, and I did my best to generate a cute meez but then got a little impatient with the options. I'm glad I know about these things, because I won't be so clueless when someone asks me to help them export their avatar (it'll really come in handy).I found this dancing penguin Avatar and put him onto some Alpine trail. It doesn't look much like me, but I do like his attitude. I've tried several times to import my Meez, cause it's really funky, but something goes haywire with my computer each time. Maybe I need a new computer?

Thing 8:RSS Feeds and Clutter

I'm fascinated and a little dazed by all the sources of information available through these feeds. I subscribed to four or five literature and wordsmithing feeds I found through bloglines and also added Merlin, which should prove interesting ( and, hey,there was our own Beth Tribe!). Since I've done a whirlwind tour of RSS feeds--what they are, how to add them to my list, what some of them have to offer--I almost don't remember any stuff I learned from the feeds, themselves. I hope over the next few weeks I'll be able to take my broom to the clutter of information drifting through, and find a few fun and pertinent sources. This process is a little frenetic and time-consuming, but I'm glad I know about some of these feeds.

Thing 4: Wivenhoe UK

Wivenhoe
Originally uploaded by ginny.leslie

On Flickr, I found my favorite place of the decade, Wivenhoe, England, a small village just north of London with a bakery, a bookstore, restaurants, and a few pubs. Near the quay, we sit and have a pint and watch the sun set. We have a small garden with an apple tree, a swing, roses and a rosemary bush, and a handsome brick garden shed once used as an outhouse. From the second floor of Folly Cottage we can see the quay, where the tide rises and falls with the sun. Just 20 years ago the village had a huge shipyard where the boatmaking industry flourished.

Thing 2: Lifelong Learning and openess

I think the trait I'd most link to lifelong learning is creativity, which means openess to experience. People hold onto rigid "flat earth" perspectives, because they just aren't comfortable thinking about another point of view or changing their way of doing things. And the other point about learning and staying open is that no one has to be a pro at every task. We can play the piano with one hand or be less than a gourmet cook and still have fun. That's my take on lifelong learning.

Thing 1: Embarking on 23 Things

I'm late to this blogging game but am also game to try it out. I kind of like the idea of it being a game, a folly, not too scientific, a little bit messy. I have a lot of catch-up to do but can do some of my "things" at home. And my goal? I want to find out what looks most worth visiting in the vast old blogosphere.