Summary for This Learning Journey

Finally, I reached the end of this learning journey. I think that spending couple of time every week to learn some technologies and view some websites is very rewarding thing to enrich my knowledge and improve my ability to offer better services to library patrons in this rapidly developing information ago. I am very enjoy this self-learning program and hope that SPPL could offer more such training in the future.
My favorite parts in this Learning 2.0 are Wikis, LibraryThing, Image Generator, YouTube, Podcast, and Flickr. Especially, Library Wikis are great communities that offer information to allow me continue on self-learning journey in my life;-)
Thanks for the contribution of SPPL training team! I am appreciate this great oppotunity.

Web 2.0 - City Guides & Review Winner

Yelp is a cool place to share your favorite places for eating, playing, shopping, and other local services to other "hunters". Also, you may interest some cool stuffs that others have reviewed and recommended. And this community is free for signing up. I think that I'd like to recommended some of my favorite Chinese restaurants and their specialities on this web when I get time to do this after Christmas.

(This document is created from Zoho Writer.)

Technorati Tags Zoho,Yelp

Wikis

I know how to use Wikipedia soon after I learn how to use google to search information online. Usually, the address of Wikipedia website shows up on the top of the first page and it does offer some useful information that I wanted. However, in school, some of my teachers do not like the students quote articles from Wikipedia in classes because they doubt the credibility of Wikipedia. Therefore, I have never quoted any article to my paper in school. On the contrary, my husband likes Wikipedia and uses it to find history or science information everyday. He thinks Wikipedia is very useful and the content is generally accurate. It can be used as the first step to search information and we can always search other sources if any doubts arise. In this Learning 2.0, I have learned more about what Wiki is and how it beneifts its community and users. By reading Discovery Resources, I was amazed how Wiki efficiently works in the field of library information science. I like Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki. Because I'd like to learn more technologies and services about library to improve my ability as a qualified library staff, library wikis are wonderful communities that could enrich my knowledge and share others' successful experience and stories. However, I had not tried to edit on any Wiki before, so SPPL Learning 2.0 sandbox wiki became my first experience to edit. I put my Blog on Favorite Blog and add a book on Favorate Book, too. It's a fun and simple way to communicate with groups.

What would the future of libraries be like?

In the article To a Temporary Place in Time by Dr. Wendy Schultz, she points out the topic "what are libraries?" She says," Libraries are not just collections of documents and books, they are conversations, they are convocations of people, ideas, and artifacts in dynamic exchange. Libraries are not merely in communities, they are communities: they preserve and promote community memories; they provide mentors not only for the exploration of stored memory, but also for the creation of new artifacts of memory." The past of library was called Library 1.0 began with Alexandria era. After the emergence of computer, Internet was widely used in library, and modern library was updated to Library 2.0 - "library is everywhere, barrier-free, and participatory. Collaborate with Amazon; provide digital downloads of books; create a global, and globally accessible, catalog; invite readers to tag and comment." In my belief, one of the reasons for library to still exist in our society is that people need such function to enrich their life and to make learning enjoyable. In nowadays, people could easily google information and read books online. Why do they still go to library? How can library survive in this rapidly changable information age? Dr. Schultz's article brings unique insight to my question that library should adapt to modern society by focusing on user-centric services to its partons by changing its vision and massion. Also, the roles of librarianship have to be changed to meet the new mission of library. The six most important traits of librarian 2.0 are listed in another article Into a New World of Librarianship by Michael Stephens. It says, "Librarians 2.0 plans for their users; Librarian 2.0 embraces Web 2.0 tools; Librarian 2.0 controls technolust; Librarian 2.0 makes good, yet fast decisions; Librarian 2.0 gets content." Librarians 2.0 does not seem to be a easy job especially when the library doesn't have enough budget to offer training to everyone and librarians have to self-train themselves in many other ways. On the other hand, it is not realistic to offer detailed training to every staff to promote the skills of Librarian 2.0. How a librarian can train his/her self to reach the high standard of librarian 2.0 is still interesting and unsolved issue. Maybe keeping 7 1/2 habits and becoming lifelong learner is the first step to achieve this goal as we have discussed in the beginning of this training.

My Technorati Link

http://www.technorati.com/people/technorati/Wmei

LibraryThing, Rollyo, and Image Generator.

I use LibraryThing track the books that I have read recently. To people who loves reading, LibraryThing is very useful web because you own your library, track the books, share the book review with other readers, and learn how people love or hate this book.
Rollyo doesn't make sense to me. I don't like it. I open an account and put some favorite young adult literature review webs in it, the results from this search engine makes me confused.
I have a lot fun time when working on different image generator webs. As you could see, I have already created two images in this Blog. I think maybe Online Image Generators could be used on storytime or other activities in library. I am surprised how people find so many different online image generators. Could someone tell me how to find them through search engine?

Bloglines

I like this new way read information online.

My public Bloglines Link:

http://www.bloglines.com/public/Meiblogline

Podcast and NetLibrary

It's fun to use Podcast directories finding some interesting topics. I even downloaded some favorate audio on CDs, then I could listen when I am driving. :)

I browsed NetLibrary through St. Paul Public Library website and pre-listened some eaudiobooks, but I am disappointed that there are so little titles available, especially children's.

Chinese Music from YouTube - "Dream Pursuer"

Chinese Cartoon with English substitles - "Moon of Qin Dynasty"

Flickr - part 3

I put this photo on Flickr and taged it as "stpaulpubliclibrary". At first, I thought it would show up immediately on the public domain as soon as I use tag searching it. However, I wait for three days until today I find it on Flickr today. It proves Flickr does censor all photos before putting them in the public domain.

I think Flickr is a good "tool" that I could share photoes with my family members. Especially, it has a version of Chinese language, so without language barrier, all my relatives and friends in China would like share their photoes with me. I am so appreciate the rapid development of high technology make life become easier and less boundary. I talk and see my parents every Saturday morning through Internet, so even they live in China - a half earth away from me, I still feel they consort with me. I can't imagine how new immigrant suffered the pain of family separation in the past time without these kinds of new technologies.

Flickr - part 2 (Trading Card)

Finally, I figured out how to make a trading card.

However, a lot of technological terminoloy still confused me, I'll check them out later.

Flickr - part 1

This is my first time try Flickr. I opened a new free account and added some photoes.
The pictures were shot in the first winter when I came to Minnesota. It was the first time I saw such beautiful snow because I came from a place almost with no snow. Here is the link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/16012016@N08/

Lifelong learning - 7 1/2 habits

I think lifelong learning is an enjoyful thing to do in my life. I couldn't stop learning unless I am dying. I think everything I've learned is so benefit my life. For example, I am learning second language. I found it is so boring from A to Z, from vowel to consonant at first, then words began making a little sense to me, now I have ability to read lots books. The new language becomes one of my new "skills" to start new life adventure, isn't it fun?
The 7 1/2 habits is easy to say, but hard to obey sometimes. To make new rules become part of life habits would take time and patience, even sacrifice "old habits" to achieve the goal. One of challenges of lifelong learning to me is how to keep the studing time regularlly and balance the conflict between study and play time. You know, sometimes hanging out with family members or friends is more attractive. However, I console myself that every "sacrifice" would win its rewards, and it is true.