MCL Learning 2.0

a place for Multnomah County Library staff to explore web 2.0 tools and technologies


How to Use this Site

All information can be found by scrolling down through the home page, but for easier access to the information you'll probably want to use the "Categories" tabs found at the top of each page.

Activities -- Each week's learning activities and how to complete them

FAQ -- Troubleshooting and technical information on how to use the site 

About -- General Information about MCL's Learning 2.0 Program 

Learning 2.1 -- Suggested web 2.0 tools and activities for continued learning


Troubleshooting

 
If you are having trouble completing any of the self-directed learning activities, please look at the list of frequently encountered issues listed here (below). If you don't find your answer, then please feel free to contact one of our Learning 2.0 Guides.

For equipment-related issues regarding MCL PCs, or to reset your blog password, please contact the HelpDesk (passwords will be reset through tickets sent to the Central Web Team, x84357 internally, or call 503-988-HELP if accessing these materials from your home PC).

A calendar showing times and locations where computer labs have been reserved for staff to work on completing Learning 2.0 activities can be viewed through EventFinder.

Video doesn't play
On PCs where both Internet Explorer and Firefox are installed, you will need to view the video using whichever one is designated as your default browser. If the one you are using now does not work, please try the other.  It may also be that you are experiencing an error with the QuickTime player or need Flash Player 9 installed.  In this case you will need to contact the HelpDesk.

Can't hear audio track on videos or podcasts
If you're sure your headphones or speakers are connected and functioning properly, try increasing the volume on your PC (not just through the audio control that accompanies the video). If you've got a little speaker icon in your task bar (lower right corner of your screen) then click it and adjust the control. Otherwise, from your start menu go to Start > Settings > Control Panel > Sounds and Audio Devices. Then move the bar to change your device volume, click Apply, and then OK.

How do I log in to my blog?

The first time you try to access your blog, you must click on the Login button, found under Navigation in the right sidebar of the main Learning 2.0 project blog.  You cannot access your blog through a search engine or through the Roller login associated with the Reference blog.


I get a 404 error when I try to view my blog.

This error affected people who attempted to customize your theme on January 8th.  Early on January 9, a fix was put in so that this error should no longer occur.  If you receive this error:

  1. login to your blog
  2. click on preferences
  3. click on themes
  4. choose a theme from the list (do not choose custom)
  5. click on save
  6. go back to the public view of your blog- the error message should have disappeared

The Theme I selected when I set up my blog is gone!  What happened?

Unfortunately, the fix (see above entry) that allowed advanced users (those with knowledge of html) to customize their themes, also wiped out themes people selected on January 8.  You can select another theme by following the steps listed above.  This time it should stick.

The screen jumps around when I am in the editor trying to make an entry to my blog

Try maximizing the editor by clicking on the little green "arrow in a box" symbol in the upper left hand corner of the Content window.  Then, when you're done editing, minimize it again so that you can Post to Weblog.

How do I locate or view my blog when I want to go back into it?

Whenever you log in from the main project blog, you will be logged in to your personal blog (on the New Entry page).  From here you can view your blog as it appears to others by clicking Main Menu, then the Link that appears under your blog's name.  Alternatively, you can look for your blog's name in the list of links in the right sidebar of the main page.  However, you will need to view your blog at least once in order for it to show up on the list.  Just posting your first entry won't make it appear.

You may find it most convenient to bookmark your blog or add a shortcut to it from your desktop.

The links to employee blogs in the right sidebar don't seem to be in any logical order

The employee blog list is sorted by the number of times the page has been viewed.  The more often a blog gets viewed, the higher up on the list it will appear. 

 
Should I use my work email to sign up for Learning 2.0 web-based services?

Some sites you will access in completing this program, such as LiveMocha, require you provide them with an email address.  If you plan to use this site only in the context of this program, you may use your work email.  If you might want to access the site or service from home on your own time, or if you are concerned about unwanted messages populating your inbox and/or spam filter, you may want to establish an email account through Gmail, Yahoo, or one of the other public services, and use the email address they provide for you.

 
 


Weekly Self-Directed Learning Activities

List of Self-Directed Learning Activities (click link below or scroll down to find)

Week 1:  Blogging

Week 2:  Tagging and Social Bookmarking

Week 3:  Managing and Sharing Photos/Images

Week 4:  RSS/Alerts

Week 5:  Social Networks

Week 6:  Fun

Week 7:  Language translation and practice

Week 8:  Podcasts

Week 9:  Wikis

Week 10:  Online applications

Week 11:  Library and book-related

Week 12:  Make up / Catch up or Suggest Your Own 

 

Week 1. Blogging

You’ve heard about blogs (the name comes from weblog). Most of you have read a blog. Some of you even have your own blog. But no matter your current state of acquaintance with the blogosphere, every MCL employee who wants to get credit for completing this program will have to create a blog where they can post information relating to each week’s learning activities.

Creating a blog is easy, and in most cases, free. There are a number of different tools available to help you do this. The most popular ones are Blogger and WordPress. You are free to use those, or another tool, to create a personal blog if you wish. For the purposes of this project however, your blog has already been created for you using Roller, the open source application favored by County IT (and the one that lets us automatically track your progress).

Discovery Exercise (Your Assignment):

1.  Login to Roller.  You can do this by clicking on the link at the bottom of the Navigation section in the sidebar at the right of this page.  Your username should be the same as your network username.

2.  Change your password.  When you first log in your password is set as "password".

3.  Give your blog a name (non-offensive only, please).

Click the player in the box below to see a video demonstration of how to log in to Roller, change your password, and name your blog.  When the first video is completed you will see a menu listing other Roller-related tutorials on how to make a blog entry, edit entries, and change your blog's theme.  You may view these as you wish by clicking on them, or you may click on the thumbnails below the main display to be linked to each video separately.

 

Add MCL Learning 2.0 to your page

 

 

4.  Find at least two library-related blogs, and read a few of their most current entries. [Note: If you don't know of any, type "Library blog" into Google or another search engine and hunt around until you find one you like.] For convenience and comparison, here are a few of the most popular ones (but don't confine your research to just these):

5. Post your reactions to this assignment in your newly created Learning 2.0 project blog (please address the following questions)

- Was signing up for and creating your blog easy or difficult? What made it easy/difficult?
- Did you learn anything from this process or from the library-related blogs you read? What did you learn? Is this something you might use?.
- Of the library-related blogs you read, would you like to go back and read this blog again in the future? Why or why not?

For more information consult the Wikipedia article on Blogs.

Optional Advanced Exercise:

For those of you already very familiar with blogging, or for those feeling a bit adventurous, take a few minutes to learn about microblogging. Some people post and read very short text updates, usually multiple times each day, for a wide variety of purposes. Many, but not all, microbloggers primarily use their cell phones to create or read new entries. Microblogging has become a hot topic on the web since 2006 when Twitter, the most popular microblogging tool, was introduced.

  1. Sign up for Twitter, Jaiku, or another microblogging tool.
  2. Read and post a few quick entries.
  3. Write about the experience in your Learning 2.0 project blog. Do you see a way this might be useful to you or to the Library? How?

 

Week 2. Tagging and Social Bookmarking


Tagging is an open and informal method of categorizing that allows users to associate keywords with online content (web pages, pictures & posts) in a process known as social bookmarking. Unlike traditional library subject cataloging, which follows a strict set of guidelines (e.g., Library of Congress subject headings), tagging is completely unstructured and free-form, allowing users to create connections between data in any way they want.

Why social bookmarking? Well, have you checked your list of favorites or bookmarks on your Internet browser lately? If you’re like me, your favorites list may need some pruning or organization. Or, if you don’t happen to be on your regular computer, how do you even remember all the sites you’ve bookmarked?

Del.icio.us is a social bookmarking manager which allows you to bookmark a web page and add tags to categorize your bookmarks.

Many users find that real power of del.icio.us is in the social networking aspect, which allows you to see how other users have tagged similar links and also discover other websites that may be of interest to you. You can think of it as peering into another user's filing cabinet, but with this powerful bookmarking tool each user's filing cabinet helps to build an expansive knowledge network. For this discovery exercise, take a look at del.icio.us and learn about this popular bookmarking tool.

Discovery Resources:

  1. Us.ef.ul: A beginner's guide to to del.icio.us

Discovery Exercise:

  1. View the 3.5 minute explanatory video of Del.icio.us to get a good overview of its features.
  2. Take a look around del.icio.us using the MCL account that was created for this exercise. Note: In this account you will find lots of resources that have been highlighted or used throughout the course of the Learning 2.0 program.
  3. Explore the site options and try clicking on a bookmark that has also been bookmarked by a lot of other users. Can you see the comments they added about this bookmark or the tags that they used to categorize this reference?
  4. Create a blog post about your experience and thoughts about this tool.
  5. Can you see the potential of this tool for research assistance? Or just as an easy way to create bookmarks that can be accessed from anywhere?

Optional Advanced Exercise:

If you’re up to the challenge, create a del.icio.us account for yourself and discover how this useful bookmarking tool can replace your traditional browser bookmark list.

Note: If you do setup a Del.icio.us account, here’s a quick word about the del.icio.us buttons. On PCs that have the toolbars locked down, these will install as options in your browser bookmarks. Use the “Post to my Del.icio.us” link to add the current webpage to your account (you may need to log in). Use the “My Del.icio.us” link to view your online account.

A tag cloud (or weighted list in visual design) as shown on del.ciou.us is a visual depiction of user-generated tags. Here is an example of a cloud using Learning 2.0 words. Tags are typically listed alphabetically, and tag frequency is shown with font size or color. Thus both finding a tag by alphabet and by popularity is possible. The tags are usually hyperlinks that lead to a collection of items that are associated with a tag.

Additional Optional Exercise: Tag clouds are fun and cool looking. Wikipedia has links to several tag cloud generators at the end of its Tag Cloud article. Try this one and make up a cloud of your favorite links.

 

Week 3. Managing and Sharing Photos / Images

 

Photo sharing websites have been around since the 90's, but it took a small startup site called Flickr to catapult the idea of “sharing” into a full blown online community. Within the past year, Flickr has become the fastest growing photo sharing site on the web and is known as one of the first websites to use keyword “tags” to create associations and connections between photos and users of the site. You learned about tagging in week 2, and Flickr is a great place to practice some more!

 

Discovery Exercise:

1.  For this discovery exercise, take the Flickr tour and see what this site has to offer. Find out how tags work, what groups are, and all the neat things that people and other libraries are using Flickr for.

2.  Take a good look around Flickr and discover an interesting image that you want to blog about. Or look for some Multnomah County Library photos! Be sure to include either a link to the image or, if you create a free Flickr account, you can use Flickr's blogging tool to add the image into your post (warning: this can be a little bit complicated). Flickr is currently owned by Yahoo. If you already have a Yahoo account, you can use this. If not, you can register for one.

  • click here for a short (2 min. 20 sec.) video on how to register for a Yahoo account.
  • click here for instructions (from Michael Spicer's blog) on how to use Flickr's blogging tool.
  • click here for general instructions on how to upload images into your Roller blog without using Flickr's blogging tool.

3.  Create a blog entry about your Flickr experience. Things to think about: How could I use Flickr at my location? Would this be helpful in my position or not?

Optional Advanced Exercise:

If you're up to an easy challenge ... create a free account in Flickr and use your location's digital camera, if available, to capture a few pictures of something work-related at your location. Upload these to your Flickr account and tag at least one of the images “mcl20” and mark it public. Then create a post in your blog about your photo and experience. Be sure to include the image in your post with Flickr's blogging tool.

Try one of these free photo editors if you want to edit your photo:

Photo posting etiquette: You should always ask before you use someone else’s pictures, unless they have a Creative Commons license that specifies allowable usage. When posting identifiable photos of other people (especially minors) it is advisable to get the person’s permission before posting their photo in a publicly accessible place. Never upload pictures that weren’t taken by you (unless you have the photographer’s consent) and always give credit when you include photos taken by someone else in your blog. Stock.xchng and morgueFile are two sites where you can find a wide variety of stock photos where consent for public use has already been granted.

Here are some more photosharing sites if you want to keep exploring. These are broadly similar to Flickr, but each has its own individual twist and may better meet your needs:

As a further optional assignment, write an entry in your blog on which photosharing site is your favorite and why.

 


Week 4. RSS / Alerts

This week’s focus is on learning about RSS news feeds and setting up a Bloglines account (a free online newsreader) for yourself to bring your feeds together.  RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication” and is a file format for delivering regularly updated information over the web. RSS is not only revolutionizing the way news, media and content creators share information, but it also is swiftly changing the way everyday users are consuming information.

Here is a good RSS tutorial from Palinet, a library cooperative in Philadelphia:

Discovery Exercise:

1. Set up a Bloglines account for yourself and subscribe to at least 10 newsfeeds for your reader. If you didn't catch the "how to's" above, click here for a tutorial that makes it super easy.

Caution Note.  Some of the blogs contained on this site could contain malware (hidden viruses, etc.)
that has the potential to damage your computer (see article here).  To keep safe, don't click on the "Next Blog" feature which is more likely to uncover these disreputable sites.

2. Answer the following questions in your blog:

  • What do you like about RSS and newsreaders?
  • How do you think you might be able to use this technology in your work (or personal life)?
  • How can MCL use RSS or take advantage of this new technology?

3. Subscribe to feeds from several of your co-workers' blogs. (You can either ask them for their blog URL or just pick a random one from the list in the right hand column of this page.) Subscribing is as easy as typing the blog URL into the subscribe field in Bloglines. Try it; it's easy!

Optional Advanced Exercise:

None for this week.

 

Week 5. Social Networks

 

Social networks have been around forever. A social network is simply a group of people who are connected in some way. Wikipedia explains that "social networks operate on many levels, from families up to the level of nations, and play a critical role in determining the way problems are solved, organizations are run, and the degree to which individuals succeed in achieving their goals."

Online, social network sites are an important way people are connecting, interacting and sharing information. Among other things, social network sites are responsible for the word "friend" becoming a verb. When you join one of these sites, you create a profile with some amount of information about yourself and your interests. When you link yourself to someone else, it's called "friending." Some of these sites -- notably MySpace -- have gotten bad press because of fears that young users are friending predatory adults. But most users of social network sites, regardless of age, reinforce their offline, "real-world" connections by friending people they already know, though you can also friend bands, actors, TV shows, movies, etc.

MySpace began as a way for musicians to promote their music and appearances. Facebook began as a college site where students could find information about other students. Both have since opened up for anyone to create profiles. Libraries have used both MySpace and Facebook, among other social network sites, to connect with their users. You'll often hear the phrase "meet them where they are" in relation to this idea of online outreach. Just as not everyone walks through the doors of our library buildings, not everyone online visits the library's website. But if we can extend library services into other online "spaces," we're likely to reach patrons who may never have thought of the library as relevant to their lives.

And in addition to the most well-known social network sites, there are also what are known as "niche" social network sites where people connect around just about any hobby or pastime you can imagine: Catster and Dogster for pet owners, Takkle for high school athletes, Ravelry for knitting and crochet enthusiasts, Group Recipes and Food Candy for foodies, Club Penguin for kids. If you can't find a social network site for your particular passion, go to Ning, a site where you can create your own.

Discovery Exercise:

1. Explore MCL's MySpace page and blog about your reactions. What did you like about it? What would you change? Can you think of other ways the library could use its MySpace presence?

2. Browse the profiles linked from the Social Networking page of the LibSuccess Wiki. Explore at least one Facebook profile. Do you think MCL should create a Facebook profile? Why or why not?

3. Explore a social network site for a topic you're interested in and blog about your reactions. Can you see ways the library could connect to users of the site?

Optional Advanced Exercise:

Join Ning and create your own social network. Put a description of and link to it on your blog.

 

Week 6. Fun (various image generators, other generators, music sites, video sites, etc.)

 

This is the fun part. We all know that in addition to being home to a thousand ways to increase your productivity, there are just as many sites on the web that are just plain fun. We hope that these suggestions are at least a good starting point. Let's have some fun!

For the purpose of this assignment we've narrowed the definition of fun to a handful of activities... for example:

1. Image generators.

Image Generators are programs that allow you to enter parameters to guide the automatic creation of an image you can put on your blog, webpage or social networking site, etc. There are literally thousands of these websites. Perhaps the king of all generator sites is the Generator Blog. Here you can find links to create hundreds of things that are both amusing, and sometimes useful too, from your name as a blues singer to avatar versions of you, nifty image tricks, and more.

If you've already become familiar with flickr you might like to experiment with making your own flickr badge. With a badge, you can create a slideshow of your pictures and post them on blogs and websites.

2. music related sites

There are a lot of social networking sites related to music and one of the things that launched MySpace ahead of some of its competitors was its ability to allow musicians to post demos of their work for others to listen to. There have since been a lot of others that focus more exclusively on music such as last. fm , MOG, SoundPedia and TuneDNA, as well as many others.

Pandora is a website that allows you to stream audio from thousands of titles and tries to create a playlist for you. Based on your requests, it will try to find similarly tagged music... It's not always right, but you're able to rate whether you like Pandora's selections or not. The hope is that it will refine its playlist, and you'll eventually end up with your own streaming broadcast of music you'll enjoy.

There are a variety of online instruments. These vary from sound toys to more complex music sequencers. Here are a few you might like to try:

  1. Super Mario Brothers Super Synthesyzer Plays sounds from the original nintendo game.
  2. I Know Where Bruce Lee Lives! Play Bruce Lee movie sound bites with the keyboard. Record them and play them back!
  3. The J. Otto Siebold Mixulator Play crazy samples and animations with the keyboard.

3. Video Related Sites

By now, chances are pretty good that you're familiar with YouTube. Also there's Metacafe and Google Video. Each of these operates in a similar way. Enter a video subject you're looking for in the search bar and see what comes up.

4. Games

Can't really have a section on fun without mentioning games. There are hundreds to choose from. Here are a few challenging titles you might want to try.

  1. Bloxorz An addictive puzzle game.
  2. Entrapment A geometric puzzle game.
  3. Jigzone A site featuring many online jigsaw puzzles.

Discovery Exercise:

Pick two of the above categories and explore. If you generate an image, post it on your blog. If you find a video you like, embed it in your blog. Write about your experience.

Optional Advanced Exercise:

Tell us about some sites that are fun for you. What do you like about them?

 

Week 7. Language translation and practice

 

Welcome...Bienvenido...Bienvenue...Willkommen...svAgata...??!

Have you ever wanted to learn a new language but found that you couldn't, or perhaps wouldn't, because of these stumbling blocks?

  • "I never have the time to get to a classroom or even listen to cd's in the car..."
  • "I'm not disciplined enough to do the homework..."
  • "I can never practice what I learn in a book, CD or classroom with fluent speakers. I prefer complete immersion..."
  • "It costs way too much to take a language course..."
  • "I want to learn conversational German, but I'm just not very good at speaking foreign languages..."
  • "Learning a new language is hard! I get embarrassed when I have to speak..."

Let's face it, most of us are adults who are seemingly just too busy or occupied with daily habits that make it hard for us to even consider learning a new language, let alone take the steps to get started.

Though there are a handful of online tutorials and websites that cater to language learning, finding one that is user-friendly as well as productive can prove challenging. However, if you have access to a computer, the Internet, and anywhere from ten minutes to unlimited free time, then LiveMocha is the gateway that will have you speaking in tongues overnight.

LiveMocha is an online language-learning website that provides education, practice and community for ANY LANGUAGE YOU WISH TO LEARN! Take an online course, submit written, video or audio samples for native speakers to give feedback on, or chat with someone on the other side of the world for practice!

Beginner? Intermediate? Advanced? Native speaker? Tutor?

LiveMocha brings all of these skill levels together for FREE! And you learn at your own pace, whenever you wish, for as long as you wish. No classrooms to travel to, no grades to get stressed about, and no feeling like you're stuck at the Olive Garden while your classmates mangiano in Rome! Think of it as MySpace...for language learners.

Although LiveMocha is in its infancy, it is extremely organized and easy to navigate, so don't feel overwhelmed! Currently, on the LEARN section of the site, you can enroll in one of four levels of online instruction offered in the world's six most popular languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Hindi, and Mandarin Chinese.

Curricula in other languages are forthcoming, but with the PRACTICE and SHARE sections of LiveMocha, you can communicate in any language with anyone in the world!

Discovery Exercise:

  1. Log on to LiveMocha and click Get Started or Register to set up your account. You will need to activate your account via the e-mail address you specify.

  2. Feel free to navigate your own preferred areas of the site, depending on your skill level, but for now, on the home page, click either link that reads PRACTICE.

  3. Click on the tab WRITING.

  4. For this assignment we will be using the default English language selection, but if you are bilingual or want to practice one of the other five core languages, go for it! Otherwise, click on the first entry "Brief Introduction."

  5. Answer the questions as completely as you prefer, then post them to your blog after you submit them to LiveMocha.

  6. Do the same with the next question on the list, "Favorite Meal," only this time choose a language other than English and, using an accurate online translator such as Word Reference or Langenberg, answer the question(s) in the language you have chosen.

  7. Post them to your blog in the language you just learned.

If you find that LiveMocha may be too much for you, try these other sites that help you converse with people from all over the world: Palabea and Skype.

The hardest part now is choosing the language you want to learn!

Buona fortuna!

Optional Advanced Exercise: none for this week's activity.

 

Week 8. Podcasts (listening and subscribing)

By now, chances are that you've heard of podcasts. According to the School Library Learning 2.0 blog, in 2005 the word podcast was named Word of the Year by the New Oxford American Dictionary. If you've never heard of podcasts before, don't worry. In this exercise we'll learn a little about podcasts and where to find some online.

So, what are podcasts? Basically, podcasts are media files, either audio or video, that just about anyone can create and post to the Internet on any subject imaginable. They can be relatively short in length, one to three minute news reports, or they can last two or more hours, long enough to capture a band's entire live show. And while podcasts can be created by any individual with the tech know-how, many radio and television stations and other media outlets now offer free video and audio podcasts to meet the information needs of customers in the 2.0 environment. What distinguishes podcasts from streaming audio and video files is that they are available for subscription, much in the same way that RSS feeds are.

Given the ease of podcasting, it can be assumed that there's a podcast out there for everyone (to learn more about podcasts and how they are created, visit this Wikipedia entry). Your assignment is to find a podcast about something you enjoy following the steps below.

Discovery Exercise:

1. Go to one of the following podcast directories and find a podcast that interests you:

Tip: If you don't find anything of interest, try a Google search like "birding podcast," but replace "birding" with your area of interest. More than likely, a link to your desired podcast will follow.

2. Listen to or view your podcast.

3. If your podcast requires a subscription prior to listening, use your Bloglines account info from Week #4, subscribe to your podcast, then open your Bloglines account and listen to your podcast.

4. Create a blog entry about your podcast experience. Can you see ways that podcasts could benefit or support your position? Could podcasts enhance workgroup communication? Can you see ways that podcasting could benefit the library's services to the public?

Optional Advanced Exercise: none for this week's activity.


Week 9. Wikis

So what's a wiki?

A wiki is a collaborative website and authoring tool that allows users to easily add, remove and edit content. Wikipedia, the online open-community encyclopedia, is the largest and perhaps the most well known of these knowledge sharing tools. With the benefits that wikis provide the use and popularity of these tools is exploding.

  • Anyone (registered or unregistered, if unrestricted) can add, edit or delete content.
  • Tracking tools within wikis allow you to easily keep up on what has been changed and by whom.
  • Earlier versions of a page can be viewed and reinstated when needed.
  • Users do not need to know HTML in order to apply styles to text or add and edit content. In most cases, simple syntax structure is used.

As the use of wikis has grown over the last few years, libraries all over the country have begun to use them to collaborate and share knowledge. Among their applications are pathfinder or subject guide wikis, book review wikis, ALA conference wikis and even library best practices wikis.

Discovery Resources:

Use these resources to learn more about wikis:

Discovery Exercise:

1. So what is in a wiki? For this discovery exercise, you are asked to take a look at some wikis and blog about your findings. Here are a few library-related examples to investigate, but feel free to search for others that interest you as well:

2. Reflect about your findings in your blog. What did you find interesting? Are there local wikis that you think the library should link to? What applications within libraries might work well with a wiki?

3. Help out on Wikipedia as an editor, respond to comments or work on a task. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Community_Portal#Todo

Optional Exercises:

Now that you know what they are, create your own wiki using one of the following tools:

 

Week 10. Online Applications

One major benefit to web-based applications is that they eliminate the need to worry about different software versions or file types as you e-mail documents or move from PC to PC.

Another bonus is that they easily accommodate collaboration by allowing multiple users to edit the same file. They also provide users the ability to easily save and convert documents as multiple file types.

It’s this type of integration that makes web-based apps so appealing. For this week’s exploration, you are asked to take a look at a web-based word processing tool.

You’ll create a simple document, try out various fonts and colors, spell check it, and then document your discoveries in your blog. If you are up to the challenge, you might even export your document as a .pdf or web file. You can even publish it directly to your blog.

For more information, watch the short video from Common Craft.

Discovery Exercise:

  1. Create a free account for yourself in Zoho Writer or Google Docs.
  2. Explore the site and create a test document or two.
  3. Try out Zoho or Google's other features, including spreadsheets and presentation options.
  4. Write in your blog about your experience. Are there things you like better than in Microsoft Word? What things are still lacking in this type of program?
  5. Do you see a use for this in the public library? Do you think our customers could use these tools? Could this replace users needing to bring disks or USB drives?

Optional Advanced Exercise:

  1. Collaborate! Start a new document and write the first line of a funny haiku.
  2. Share your document with a co-worker and ask her to write the second line.
  3. Continue sharing until the haiku is finished.
  4. Publish your haiku masterpiece on your blogs.



Week 11. Library and Book-related Tools

Are you a book lover or cataloger at heart? Or do you enjoy finding lost and forgotten gems on the shelf to read? Then social cataloging may be for you. Social cataloging applications allow users to share their catalogs with others and interact with others based upon shared items. This week, we will discover some of the more popular social cataloging sites and see how readers are connecting to each other in whole new ways. While exploring these social cataloging sites you will see how libraries are incorporating these services into their own catalogs.

Discovery Resources:

LibraryThing - Developed for booklovers, this online tool allows you to easily create an online catalog of your own and also allows you to connect with other people who have similar libraries and reading tastes. Add a book to your catalog by just entering the title, author, ISBN, LLC -- It’s so easy that you don’t even need MARC record training to do it! LibrayThing offers a variety of features including a virtual shelf, tagging, book reviews and suggestions based on your catalog. The site also features an UnSuggester that shows books that you would dislike based on your list. So why not join the ranks and create your own library online. With over 65,000 registered and over 20 million books cataloged, LibraryThing is a bibliophile’s dream come true.

Shelfari - Shelfari is an interactive social media site for book lovers. Using Shelfari, you can create a personal shelf of your books, see what your friends are reading, get and give recommendations for what to read next, create book lists, and even share your opinion on a book with friends or the growing Shelfari community.

Anobii - is a social networking site targeted to worldwide booklovers. The idea behind aNobii is simple: create an online platform for avid-readers to share reviews, recommendations, and most important of all, find other similar-taste booklovers.

Gurulib - GuruLib is a free web service to organize your home library. Catalog your books, DVDs, music CDs, games and software online using a book shelf metaphor.

Bookswellread - is designed for all readers in mind -- readers of all types of books, of all ages, interests and backgrounds. It's a place for you to keep an online book journal, learn about books and connect with a community of readers.

Discovery Exercise:

1. Explore the Social Cataloging sites listed above or find one on your own and create a free account.
2. Catalog at least five books on your account and add a link in your blog to your catalog.
3. Blog about your experiences with social cataloging. Did you find it a useful resource? Can you see yourself using this application? Which features of the catalog did you like the most/least?

Optional Advanced Exercise:

Take the LibraryThing for Libraries tour and see how libraries are using 2.0 technologies to enhance their catalogs with book recommendations, tag clouds, ratings and reviews. Explore other libraries that have already added the LibraryThing widgets to their catalog and blog about your findings.

Danbury Library
Bedford Public Library
Deschutes Public Library

 

Week 12. Make-up/Catch-up week or Suggest Your Own or Pick from a List for Advanced Users

If you've made it this far, congratulations, you're almost at the finish line!

You've had a lot to do and learn in just a few short weeks, and you may have fallen behind in your assignments. It happens. This is catch-up week! Go back to whichever week's assignment you may not have completed and finish what you started. But be sure you finish the first 11 weekly assignments by 11:59 p.m. on March 29, 2008, if you want to remain eligible for the tech tools.

But what if you're all caught up? What if you've already completed the assignments for weeks 1-11 and you've got some time to do a little more? YOU ROCK -- and, here's an (optional) discovery exercise for you:

  1. Suggest a Web 2.0 application that wasn't on our list that you think is very worthwhile and would benefit others if only they knew about it.
  2. Write it up in your project blog, summarizing what the application does and why you think people should use it.
  3. If you're really gung ho about your idea, don't just post it on your blog, send it to Mike Larsen (michaell@multcolib.org) so it can be considered for inclusion on a possible Learning 2.1 program to follow this one.


Learning 2.1? What might that be?


By Learning 2.1, we simply mean a list of resources and activities for staff (or anyone) to complete self-paced, on their own time as they find the opportunity. Here are some suggested tools/sites you might want to check out that could become a part of your Learning 2.1:

Video Sharing
Video is popping up all over the web. Everyone knows about YouTube, but there are a host of other sites that either attempt to broadly copy YouTube's functionality, or to recreate it with a specific niche focus. Here's a diverse select sampling of the hundreds of sites out there:

  • Animoto - users create music videos based on their uploaded photos.
  • Asterpix - make online videos interactive by adding hyperlinks
  • Bebo - a fast-growing social network for video, music, and books.
  • Coull - lets users add interactive elements to videos.
  • Findinternettv - a central portal for watching commercial television over the Internet.
  • Joost - popular site for new tv shows, old tv shows, and sharing them with others.
  • Jumpcut- uploading and sharing, but also free online editing.
  • Kaltura - multiple users can upload to build and edit videos collaboratively.
  • Sclipo - specializing in how-to videos.
  • VCASMO - lets you display video integrated side-by-side with PowerPoint, PDFs, images, etc.
  • Veotag - lets users add clickable text to an audio or video file.
  • Vimeo - high definition videos, also allows private network sharing.
  • Yahoo Video - Yahoo's version of YouTube

Video Streaming and "Lifecasting"

Yes, there are people with webcams broadcasting their lives 24/7, but there are also sites that allow you to communicate with live video, via the web and VoIP technology, with anyone else on the globe who is similarly equipped and logged in.

  • Justin.tv - live video, both streaming and recorded.
  • Mogulus - webcasting both amateur and semi-professional.
  • ooVoo - free video conferencing (requires download).
  • Qik - cell phone video streamed live over the internet.
  • Stickam - live streaming video and chat
  • Ustream - user-generated video both live and recorded

Aggregators

Once you've set up a reader and subscribed to a few RSS feeds, you quickly find yourself needing to better organize and manage all the information you've got flowing in. These sites help you do that. Either they are edited, with someone selecting the information on a given topic that might be most worthy, or they use software to cull that information from all the other people using the web.

  • 9 Rules - user sets up rules to filter information, social sharing too.
  • BoingBoing - edited selection of highlights from the web.
  • Buzzfeed - pop culture and news, as edited and voted by users.
  • DailyMe - user picks news, sources, method, and time of delivery, including sent directly to your printer.
  • Digg - web highlights as rated by users.
  • Etavitom - editor-selected media for positive motivation.
  • Mashable - editor-selected social networking news and more.
  • Technorati - popular blog posts, as measured by how often linked.

Music sites

Sharing downloaded files of songs you like was one of the "killer apps" that helped to fuel the first big internet boom. Illegal downloading has (mostly) been reined in, but music fans can still find plenty of reasons to spendtime online. Many sites offer legal, free dowloads, along with information about songs, bands, tour dates, and what others with similar tastes seem to like.

  • iLike - discover new music, share, get news, andfree MP3s
  • Kompoz - record and upload your music track, then combine and collaboratively create with others.
  • kSolo - online karaoke. Sing, record, and send to friends.
  • last.fm - plays songs you like, suggests similar, also videos, news about bands, tours, local events.

Travel and Mapping

Yes, you can find a map of where you're going and directions to help you get there. You can also get these maps integrated with things like restaurant recommendations, stores that sell the item you want, etc. You can even create your own custom-tailored map mashup.

  • CommunityWalk - create community and personal maps.
  • FindByClick - find restaurants, businesses, etc., near your location.
  • Google Maps - the basis for most mashups. Many, many features.
  • Mailbox Map - find the closes USPS mailbox, anywhere in U.S.
  • Wikimapia - user-added maps, based on Google.

Phone tools

The power of the web is coming to your cell phone. Learn more about how to take advantage with these tools.

  • DialDirections - free directions to an address, business, or event, sent as a text message directly to your cell phone.
  • Fring - free calls over your cell phone (requires download, and either 3G or WiFi connection for phone).
  • JahJah - free local VoIP calls, long distance at local rates.
  • Jott - your voice translated into email and text messages.
  • Phonevite - voice messages sent automatically to multiple numbers.
  • TalkShoe - record phone or VoIP calls, publish as podcasts.
  • Talkster - free, ad-supported long distance calling.
  • ToneMine - mix and download free ringtones.

Web-based home pages (sometimes called "webtops")

As email, word processing, spreadsheet applications, and file storage are becoming available online to anyone, anywhere, anytime, on any computer that's got a broadband connection, many people are taking advantage of this to also create a similar central home page that travels with them and can help them organize and access their files and online workspaces.

  • iGoogle - Google's entry into this space.
  • NetVibes - user-defined home page. Lots of features.
  • Sputtr - icon-based home page.
  • symbaloo - simple, graphically attractive, user-expandable.

Organizers

Online tools to help you organize not just your files, but also your work life, even your personal life. These range from simple reminder notes to complex project management tools.

  • 30 Boxes - calendar with tagging, sharing, and much more.
  • Remember the Milk - task manager with automatic reminders and more.
  • Rememble - your text, pics, vids, and audio clips on a timeline.
  • Smartsheet - project management and event planning. Basic service is free.
  • Tada - to-do list maker.
  • TeamworkPM - online project management tool. Basic service is free.
  • Yugma - cross-platform team collaboration tool.

Widgets

A widget is a small chunk of software code (the code may be invisible to the user) that can be added to a blog or wiki to perform a task that might be useful, from a simple countdown clock, to a connection to a video, explanation, or display enhancement tool.

  • LabPixies - a free online directory for web gadgets. Billed as the "coolest on the web."
  • Pipes - As much aggregator as widget. Sort of a build-your-own RSS feed. from Yahoo.
  • SpringWidgets - a collection of popular widgets, rated by users.
  • YourMinis - more user-rated widgets, a C-Net top 100 award winner.

File Conversion

When working with multiple web pages, downloads, multimedia objects, etc., sooner or later you willneed to convert a file into a type recognized by some other software. These are tools to help you do that.

  • List of 80+ conversion tools - convert images, code, html, pdf, etc. From Mashable.com.
  • MediaConvert - free online conversion of multiple formats, including ringtones.
  • VectorMagic - converts bitmap images to vector images, useful in scaling images up without blurring or pixilating. Through Stanford University.
  • Zamzar - free online file conversion of multiple format docs, images, music, and video.

 

Diagramming and Mind Mapping

Like organizers, but more graphical. These are tools to help you draw things online. You can both represent physical objects and convert ideas into images.

  • Bubbl.us - a sharable brainstorming tool.
  • Gliffy - draw and share flow charts, diagrams, and more online.
  • Mind42 - add links and images to free online-created mind maps.
  • MindMeister - collaborative online mind-mapping.
  • Scenecaster - create 3D objects and spaces. Similar to Google Sketchup.

Other (Miscellaneous)

These are other tools that defy the above categorizations, but still seem potentially worthwhile and/or productivity-enhancing.
 

  • BookVideos - author and book videos and more. Sponsored by a group of publishers.
  • GenFavicon - free online favicon (little favorites icon) generator.
  • Hipcast - create video (and audio) podcasts.
  • reddit - social news website where users can post links to content on the web. Other users vote the posted links up or down, causing them to appear more or less prominently on the reddit home page.
  • Screencast-O-Matic - create a video recording of your PC screen (.mov format), upload, and share it.  All for free from your browser with no install.
  • Slideshare - upload slide shows and share with others.
  • Snapvine - voice comments added to your blog.
  • Spokeo - find and track your friends updated blogs and photos.
  • VoiceThread - audio clips added to docs, images, and videos. Sharable.
  • ZCubes - bills itself as the first Web 3.0 site where you can "do it all."


About This Program

What is the MCL Learning 2.0 Program?

You are invited to spend 12 weeks trying out different programs, websites and tools designed to broadly expose you to a variety of social networking experiences.  Click here to see a video of Library Director Molly Raphael's remarks on the Learning 2.0 program.

Acknowledgements
This program is based on the "23 things" program developed by Helene Blowers at the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County (PLCMC), and since copied by libraries worldwide. Without their trailblazing example, none of this would be possible.

Who can participate?
This program is open to any employee of the Multnomah County Library who works at least 20 hrs/week. On-call employees, those who work less than 20 hrs/week, volunteers, and others are free to participate, but they won’t be eligible for the tech tools.

Do I have to participate?

No. Participation is strictly voluntary.

 
Can I work on this program at home?

Yes.  You may complete any or all of these activities from home, on your own time, if you choose to.

Tech Tools? What's that?
Any employee who completes all 11 learning activities by March 29, 2008 will get a 1 GB USB flash drive 


and be eligible to have their name entered into a drawing for one of 50 Sansa Clip MP3 players 

 

to be awarded at MCL Staff Day on April 3, 2008.  Many thanks to the Friends of the Library for making this possible.

How will my progress be tracked?
We will track the entries you make to the Learning 2.0 Project blog you created in Roller.  After completing each week’s self-directed learning activity, you will be required to make an entry on your blog stating your critique of the activity, what you have learned, how it might be applied in the library (either on your job or for others) etc.

All Learning 2.0 blog contents will be public and accessible to anyone from the main project blog page. Please confine content on your project blog to the learning activities only. Non work-related content should not be posted on work-related project blogs.

Can I work ahead, or do I have to complete only one activity each week?
If you want to work ahead, and you can do it in your allotted time period, or at home on your own time, then go for it!

Do I have to complete the learning activities in order?

No.   You'll probably want to set up your blog first, so that your participation can be tracked, but after that you may complete the activities in any order you like.  However, if you do complete them in order, you are much more likely to have friends working on the same thing at the same time whom you can talk to about what you are doing.

Why should I participate in this program?

The Library's core business is linking information and people.  You will learn new and better ways to help us do that.  Many of these emerging technologies can help you become more productive.  Also, you will find that many of these tools are actually fun to use, and can help you in your life outside of work too! 

Who is responsible for the Learning 2.0 Program?

The Learning 2.0 Committee:  Abigail Elder, Martha Flotten, Mike Larsen, John Church, Tara Hughes, Nick Kalastro, Shannon Long, Michael Spicer, Chris Phillips, Bess Pinon, Sara Ryan, and Arden Shelton.  Click here to see the AA memo initiating this effort.

 


 

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