Saturday, May 19, 2007
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Chapter 24: In which the Pirates view the future!
Well, the end has come. And much like those movies where, at the end, we're shown where all of the characters go in the future (see: Mallrats), its time to look into the future of Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 and see whats out there.
One of the technologies we didn't review, possibly because its not really available yet, is Google's much-attacked attempt to make books and articles available online. Like eBooks for academia, Google's been scanning college libraries into their system in the hopes of offering them online for everyone to use. The project keeps getting held back due to Copyright issues, but in time I think we'll see a large portion of the reference books currently kept by institutions available to the general public. Whats so good about that? As an example, Doogie Howser was not a very believable show, in part because its hard to believe a kid of his age had access to all the medical reference books he needed to get his MD. But with this sort of technology, who knows? The next great Tom Swift may be a kid who learned engineering at home on the web.
Games are another aspect of Web 2.0 we didn't explore. I realize not everyone would think of video games as being an important part of web culture, but statistics show increasing numbers of people are playing video games every year. With gaming consoles like the Wii, X-Box 360, and Playstation3 offering online content, and Flash and Java continuing to provide some wonderful single- and multi-player games through your web browser, the Community aspect of Web 2.0 is becoming more and more an important factor of a game's success. World of Warcraft, arguably one of the most popular video games available, is all about Community. Monthly contests are run for online comics. Fan sites, forums, scripting communities, wikis, and databases related to the game spring up regularly! Runescape is a free, Java-based MMORPG with a player-base that claims to beat World of Warcraft. Because its free, and due to how the game is run, its very popular with young teens and tweens. Much like WoW, it exemplifies the Community aspect of gaming by promoting teamwork as opposed to soloing.
Second Life was mentioned briefly back in Lesson #9, but the focus was on MySpace. One could argue that Second Life addresses my point about gaming, but Second Life is more about creating a 'world' in which people can live everyday lives online. Games like Runescape and World of Warcraft, on the other hand, are games in a much more traditional sense. There are quests go to on, players and enemies to interact with, and rewards for progression. Second Life, as a simulated 'real' world (hence the name) doesn't offer these kinds of things, because its not really a game.
I do think KCLS has done a great job with our 27 Things project, and even if neither of my recommendations make it into a similar sort of curiculum at any point, I'm happy to have been a part of it.
One of the technologies we didn't review, possibly because its not really available yet, is Google's much-attacked attempt to make books and articles available online. Like eBooks for academia, Google's been scanning college libraries into their system in the hopes of offering them online for everyone to use. The project keeps getting held back due to Copyright issues, but in time I think we'll see a large portion of the reference books currently kept by institutions available to the general public. Whats so good about that? As an example, Doogie Howser was not a very believable show, in part because its hard to believe a kid of his age had access to all the medical reference books he needed to get his MD. But with this sort of technology, who knows? The next great Tom Swift may be a kid who learned engineering at home on the web.
Games are another aspect of Web 2.0 we didn't explore. I realize not everyone would think of video games as being an important part of web culture, but statistics show increasing numbers of people are playing video games every year. With gaming consoles like the Wii, X-Box 360, and Playstation3 offering online content, and Flash and Java continuing to provide some wonderful single- and multi-player games through your web browser, the Community aspect of Web 2.0 is becoming more and more an important factor of a game's success. World of Warcraft, arguably one of the most popular video games available, is all about Community. Monthly contests are run for online comics. Fan sites, forums, scripting communities, wikis, and databases related to the game spring up regularly! Runescape is a free, Java-based MMORPG with a player-base that claims to beat World of Warcraft. Because its free, and due to how the game is run, its very popular with young teens and tweens. Much like WoW, it exemplifies the Community aspect of gaming by promoting teamwork as opposed to soloing.
Second Life was mentioned briefly back in Lesson #9, but the focus was on MySpace. One could argue that Second Life addresses my point about gaming, but Second Life is more about creating a 'world' in which people can live everyday lives online. Games like Runescape and World of Warcraft, on the other hand, are games in a much more traditional sense. There are quests go to on, players and enemies to interact with, and rewards for progression. Second Life, as a simulated 'real' world (hence the name) doesn't offer these kinds of things, because its not really a game.
I do think KCLS has done a great job with our 27 Things project, and even if neither of my recommendations make it into a similar sort of curiculum at any point, I'm happy to have been a part of it.
Monday, May 7, 2007
Chapter 23: In which the Pirates wax reflective
This is it, the home stretch! Today we think back on everything we've learned, tomorrow we have punch and pie (or at least I hope we do. Mmmm pie). So while we're supposed to reflect on few general ideas, let me first speak of the most general question of them all: What did I think about the Learning 2.0 Project?
On the whole, I liked it. While I had some fairly negative posts (see MySpace and YouTube), looking at the project overall, I think it was a great experience. It was a great way to take those that didn't know much about Web 2.0 (and, to be honest, that doesn't really include me) and show them around, while making it relevant and entertaining. And thats the most important part, that the project took some abstract concepts like Favorites sharing, and made it into something a library staff member can relate to and understand. For the most part, I think it was handled and presented very well, too. There were a few rough spots, but much of that had to do with the lack of usability for a specific site, not through fault of the project.
I've been a computer user for long enough, it was hard for me to be 'surprised' by anything we did for Learning 2.0, or for me to be completely won over by any of the sites we were introduced to. However, blogging in general has become much more interesting to me. Through this blog, and reading several other blogs regularly, I have come to appreciate a good blog. Granted, there are plenty of bad blogs out there, and personal journals like LiveJournal have always seemed pretty pointless to me. But a blog that doesn't dwell on deep inner feelings and instead focuses on interesting events and experiences, or is based around a particular theme such as a tech blog, can be enjoyable to read and participate in. Even before this project began, I began feeling like becoming a blogger, even just for fun, could be an interesting way to participate in a community I've enjoyed for so long. Learning 2.0 has only helped to promote that interest, and made me consider continuing on with this blog once Learning 2.0 is finished. I haven't decided on a theme yet, or if there will be one beyond 'what new and interesting thing did I do this week?', but we'll see.
As to whether or not I'd like to see this sort of training offered for future technologies, I'm not entirely certain there will be enough out there in the not-too-distant future to offer something like this. However, were there to be more technology and concepts developed in the coming years to offer such a project, I would certainly like to be involved with it again. As an advocate, Learning 2.0 was a great experience and I would be happy to reprise that roll sometime in the future.
On the whole, I liked it. While I had some fairly negative posts (see MySpace and YouTube), looking at the project overall, I think it was a great experience. It was a great way to take those that didn't know much about Web 2.0 (and, to be honest, that doesn't really include me) and show them around, while making it relevant and entertaining. And thats the most important part, that the project took some abstract concepts like Favorites sharing, and made it into something a library staff member can relate to and understand. For the most part, I think it was handled and presented very well, too. There were a few rough spots, but much of that had to do with the lack of usability for a specific site, not through fault of the project.
I've been a computer user for long enough, it was hard for me to be 'surprised' by anything we did for Learning 2.0, or for me to be completely won over by any of the sites we were introduced to. However, blogging in general has become much more interesting to me. Through this blog, and reading several other blogs regularly, I have come to appreciate a good blog. Granted, there are plenty of bad blogs out there, and personal journals like LiveJournal have always seemed pretty pointless to me. But a blog that doesn't dwell on deep inner feelings and instead focuses on interesting events and experiences, or is based around a particular theme such as a tech blog, can be enjoyable to read and participate in. Even before this project began, I began feeling like becoming a blogger, even just for fun, could be an interesting way to participate in a community I've enjoyed for so long. Learning 2.0 has only helped to promote that interest, and made me consider continuing on with this blog once Learning 2.0 is finished. I haven't decided on a theme yet, or if there will be one beyond 'what new and interesting thing did I do this week?', but we'll see.
As to whether or not I'd like to see this sort of training offered for future technologies, I'm not entirely certain there will be enough out there in the not-too-distant future to offer something like this. However, were there to be more technology and concepts developed in the coming years to offer such a project, I would certainly like to be involved with it again. As an advocate, Learning 2.0 was a great experience and I would be happy to reprise that roll sometime in the future.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Chapter 22: In which the Pirates go into Overdrive!
So apparently land is in sight, and we have one week left in our Learning 2.0 project! It really hasn't felt like we've been going that long. We've explored so many things, some of which I liked and some I didn't. But overall, I've been pretty impressed at the positive reactions the staff has had towards the project, and how well most everyone is taking to all this new information!
Our last task this week was to explore Overdrive!, an audiobook site KCLS has subscribed to for a while now. And I have to say, I really like Overdrive! I think the layout is great, I think the selection is pretty impressive, and I think the idea is a wonderful extension of an already very popular way of enjoying literature!
I don't listen to audiobooks, if I'm honest. I love to read, and I don't do enough traveling (either in the car, on an airplane, or any of the other modes of transportation upon which you may eat green eggs and ham) to necessitate listening to books instead of reading them. However, I certainly see the benefit of them! My dad DOES do a lot of traveling, and audiobooks are great for him. With Overdrive, he can download books onto his MP3 player and take them across the country on a piece of hardware smaller than a cassette tape. How great is that?!
I wasn't able to find all of my favorite authors through Overdrive, but more and more publishers are making their books available through eBook downloads. The longer we support Overdrive, the better this system is going to become.
Our last task this week was to explore Overdrive!, an audiobook site KCLS has subscribed to for a while now. And I have to say, I really like Overdrive! I think the layout is great, I think the selection is pretty impressive, and I think the idea is a wonderful extension of an already very popular way of enjoying literature!
I don't listen to audiobooks, if I'm honest. I love to read, and I don't do enough traveling (either in the car, on an airplane, or any of the other modes of transportation upon which you may eat green eggs and ham) to necessitate listening to books instead of reading them. However, I certainly see the benefit of them! My dad DOES do a lot of traveling, and audiobooks are great for him. With Overdrive, he can download books onto his MP3 player and take them across the country on a piece of hardware smaller than a cassette tape. How great is that?!
I wasn't able to find all of my favorite authors through Overdrive, but more and more publishers are making their books available through eBook downloads. The longer we support Overdrive, the better this system is going to become.
Chapter 21: In which the Pirates check out Podcasting
I'll be honest with you, I didn't listen to any of the podcasts I explored. I see very little point behind your average podcast. Like YouTube's video blogs, most of the podcasts out there are little more than blogs being read to you by the author. I did, however, do some searches for interesting Library-related podcasts, and came up with LibVibe. From the desciption of each 'episode', there was some good stuff being discussed on their podcast... I just would rather read about it than listen to someone talk about it.
Don't get me wrong, podcasts do have their uses! I feel more classes, especially online classes, should provide podcasts of each days' lesson so that students that missed a day, or would like to revisit a topic discussed that day, have access to the lecture. But when it comes to an interview with the 08-09 ALA president, I'd rather read about it than listen to it. Maybe because if I disagree with the person, yelling at a typed paragraph on a website looks slightly less silly than arguing with a pre-recorded voice (as if I would EVER do that...).
So did I see any podcast ideas worth trying? No. And even if I did, why bother? Studies suggest podcasts aren't nearly as popular as blogs, yet in this case they'd address the same issues. Podcasts are also more expensive, as they require additional bandwidth to host. Its not like a Story Time with Mr. Jim podcast would be nearly as impressive as seeing it live. Nor do I feel like the Bill Board needs to be read to me by Bill himself. So save some time and money and blog about library-related issues, but don't bother recording them. Not many people are listening. I know I'm not.
Don't get me wrong, podcasts do have their uses! I feel more classes, especially online classes, should provide podcasts of each days' lesson so that students that missed a day, or would like to revisit a topic discussed that day, have access to the lecture. But when it comes to an interview with the 08-09 ALA president, I'd rather read about it than listen to it. Maybe because if I disagree with the person, yelling at a typed paragraph on a website looks slightly less silly than arguing with a pre-recorded voice (as if I would EVER do that...).
So did I see any podcast ideas worth trying? No. And even if I did, why bother? Studies suggest podcasts aren't nearly as popular as blogs, yet in this case they'd address the same issues. Podcasts are also more expensive, as they require additional bandwidth to host. Its not like a Story Time with Mr. Jim podcast would be nearly as impressive as seeing it live. Nor do I feel like the Bill Board needs to be read to me by Bill himself. So save some time and money and blog about library-related issues, but don't bother recording them. Not many people are listening. I know I'm not.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Chapter 20: In which the Pirates go slumming
If you think of the Internet like a city, its easy to picture the city in terms of districts. News and business sites are 'downtown', personal websites and DIYs are the residential district, and eCommerce is obviously the marketplace. And like most cities, the Internet has its red light district. Unfortunately for the Internet though, this city also has slum. An area so bad even the red light district stays away. Here in Seattle I think of Burien, White Center, Boulevard Park, and West Seattle. On the Internet, its YouTube.
Now, like Burien and West Seattle, YouTube certainly has some good things. Burien has (or had?) a great sub shop attached to their Fred Meyer, and Boulevard Park has a nice beach (nevermind that my car was broken into there). YouTube has plenty of gems, too. Videos like Adventure Time, which I posted about a long while back, and the PG-rated 300 Trailer. Rob Paravonian, a musical comedian from the east coast, has a bunch of clips on YouTube and they're brilliant! And when the BBC doesn't have them taken down, as they often do, there's more than enough Top Gear clips to whet your appetite. But thats not what YouTube is really about. YouTube is about social networking, much like many of our previous Web 2.0 sites have been, and thats where the true Renton-ness of YouTube shines through.
Blogs like this one, and the millions of others out there, are often about sharing your thoughts and opinions with anyone out there that can track you down. But due to the nature of the Internet, and the many different blog sites out there, most of the time what you post on your blog is yours and yours alone. It isn't splashed on the front page of many different websites, enticing their users to read what you said. And rarely does anyone bother to 'steal' your blog post and use it as their own. But YouTube and many sites like it, tend to glorify random video blogs by posting them all over the front page. The social networking aspect of tags also means some of the most random videos you've ever seen will show up as related links to an amusing video you found. This means more and more people, mostly teenagers whose legal rights and privacy in these instances are in question as it is, are competing to be on the front page. So you've got plenty of guys and girls treating YouTube as their own personal strip show. You've got people so in need of attention that they advertise their cell phone number just to see how many people will call them. And you've got people posting video of their 'friends' at their most vulnerable, probably without concent. Its attention whoring at its worst, and the format is only becoming more popular as time goes on.
So how does this relate to Library 2.0? To be honest, it doesn't. Online video streaming does, but YouTube and its ilk do not. So lets talk about Streaming video content! As mentioned in today's Learning 2.0 description, streaming video has improved greatly over the past few years. So much in fact that most major TV networks now offer their regular TV content through their website as well! And in some cases, it actually looks better. HD broadcasts on a non-HD TV don't look any better than a non-HD broadcast. But an HD broadcast on a good computer monitor will look spectacular. And with this improvement comes the ability to distribute content to more and more people! Content like KCLS's own Story Time with Dewey and Sketch are a perfect example of how local content can be distributed globally. Through streaming video, many of the Dewey and Sketch story times are available for free, without a library card, straight through our website.
The same kind of approach can be taken with many of our events. Book talks, author visits, and seminars that are hosted at our local libraries can be recorded and shared through our website. This is also a wonderful way for local teens to become involved! Invite them to give book talks for their favorite books. YouTube proves just how much teens enjoy recording their thoughts for the Internet to see, why not harness that enthusiasm?
Now, like Burien and West Seattle, YouTube certainly has some good things. Burien has (or had?) a great sub shop attached to their Fred Meyer, and Boulevard Park has a nice beach (nevermind that my car was broken into there). YouTube has plenty of gems, too. Videos like Adventure Time, which I posted about a long while back, and the PG-rated 300 Trailer. Rob Paravonian, a musical comedian from the east coast, has a bunch of clips on YouTube and they're brilliant! And when the BBC doesn't have them taken down, as they often do, there's more than enough Top Gear clips to whet your appetite. But thats not what YouTube is really about. YouTube is about social networking, much like many of our previous Web 2.0 sites have been, and thats where the true Renton-ness of YouTube shines through.
Blogs like this one, and the millions of others out there, are often about sharing your thoughts and opinions with anyone out there that can track you down. But due to the nature of the Internet, and the many different blog sites out there, most of the time what you post on your blog is yours and yours alone. It isn't splashed on the front page of many different websites, enticing their users to read what you said. And rarely does anyone bother to 'steal' your blog post and use it as their own. But YouTube and many sites like it, tend to glorify random video blogs by posting them all over the front page. The social networking aspect of tags also means some of the most random videos you've ever seen will show up as related links to an amusing video you found. This means more and more people, mostly teenagers whose legal rights and privacy in these instances are in question as it is, are competing to be on the front page. So you've got plenty of guys and girls treating YouTube as their own personal strip show. You've got people so in need of attention that they advertise their cell phone number just to see how many people will call them. And you've got people posting video of their 'friends' at their most vulnerable, probably without concent. Its attention whoring at its worst, and the format is only becoming more popular as time goes on.
So how does this relate to Library 2.0? To be honest, it doesn't. Online video streaming does, but YouTube and its ilk do not. So lets talk about Streaming video content! As mentioned in today's Learning 2.0 description, streaming video has improved greatly over the past few years. So much in fact that most major TV networks now offer their regular TV content through their website as well! And in some cases, it actually looks better. HD broadcasts on a non-HD TV don't look any better than a non-HD broadcast. But an HD broadcast on a good computer monitor will look spectacular. And with this improvement comes the ability to distribute content to more and more people! Content like KCLS's own Story Time with Dewey and Sketch are a perfect example of how local content can be distributed globally. Through streaming video, many of the Dewey and Sketch story times are available for free, without a library card, straight through our website.
The same kind of approach can be taken with many of our events. Book talks, author visits, and seminars that are hosted at our local libraries can be recorded and shared through our website. This is also a wonderful way for local teens to become involved! Invite them to give book talks for their favorite books. YouTube proves just how much teens enjoy recording their thoughts for the Internet to see, why not harness that enthusiasm?
Friday, April 27, 2007
Chapter 19: In which the Pirates explore the unknown!
The final task this week is to explore the aspects of Web 2.0 that we haven't already discovered, and wouldn't be without this opportunity. By browsing through the Web 2.0 Awards list, we were asked to find an interesting site or two to blog about, especially in relation to Library 2.0.
While we've been doing Learning 2.0, I usually struggle in the beginning to see how these Web 2.0 apps would affect or help libraries. With many of them, I've been able to figure it out in the end, but in a few instances I still don't see the point. So this exercise was a little difficult, because its hard to look at brief descriptions of web apps and be able to find one that is both interesting and relevant to libraries! Some of the sites listed would be interesting to point patrons toward through our website, but that doesn't really benefit the library in the way some of our Web 2.0 sites have.
One interesting site I saw, but didn't explore, was Last.fm, a custom streaming 'station'. My first thought was that, through a website like this, libraries could provide samples of the music available through their catalog, or give library patrons something to listen to while they browse the other available services in the system. At present, however, there are probably a thousand different reasons you can trace back to the RIAA as to why this wouldn't work. I could see the headlines now: "Library System gives kids free pirating tools, everything but a boat". As if Pirating is a bad thing!
Continuing through the list, the only other site I saw that I felt might benefit the library system is a site I'm already familiar with: Threadless, a shirt design site thats been around for a long time. Featuring such classics as The Loch Ness Imposter, Pandamonium, The Diabolical Hot Dog, You Are What You Eat (my personal favorite), and The Communist Party, the site is all about user submission and participation. Artists submit an idea for a shirt, and users can vote on it. If a design gets a high enough score, its submitted to be made into a shirt! Users can also comment on designs, voicing approval or disapproval, asking for revisions, or just generally commenting. Over the years the site has become more and more popular, and popular fashion trends tend to show up early on the site. If you want to look hip and cool, the latest shirts on Threadless are a great place to go.
How would Threadless help out libraries? How many aspiring artists out there wouldn't love to have a say in what their Summer Reading Program artwork looks like? How about those plastic bags we hand out that are actually pretty popular (well, they are!)? Why not give patrons a chance to design what our bags look like? Threadless even has a few 'competitions' going on through their site. Entitled "Loves Threadless", many groups (such as bands, movie studios, and websites) sponsor design competitions. Usually involving some sort of prize, each group asks for designs around a particular theme. How cool would it be to see "KCLS Loves Threadless"? It would be yet another way for patrons to contribute to their library system and get something back.
Perhaps this way I can get my STUF THIS SI LIBARY
shirt!
While we've been doing Learning 2.0, I usually struggle in the beginning to see how these Web 2.0 apps would affect or help libraries. With many of them, I've been able to figure it out in the end, but in a few instances I still don't see the point. So this exercise was a little difficult, because its hard to look at brief descriptions of web apps and be able to find one that is both interesting and relevant to libraries! Some of the sites listed would be interesting to point patrons toward through our website, but that doesn't really benefit the library in the way some of our Web 2.0 sites have.
One interesting site I saw, but didn't explore, was Last.fm, a custom streaming 'station'. My first thought was that, through a website like this, libraries could provide samples of the music available through their catalog, or give library patrons something to listen to while they browse the other available services in the system. At present, however, there are probably a thousand different reasons you can trace back to the RIAA as to why this wouldn't work. I could see the headlines now: "Library System gives kids free pirating tools, everything but a boat". As if Pirating is a bad thing!
Continuing through the list, the only other site I saw that I felt might benefit the library system is a site I'm already familiar with: Threadless, a shirt design site thats been around for a long time. Featuring such classics as The Loch Ness Imposter, Pandamonium, The Diabolical Hot Dog, You Are What You Eat (my personal favorite), and The Communist Party, the site is all about user submission and participation. Artists submit an idea for a shirt, and users can vote on it. If a design gets a high enough score, its submitted to be made into a shirt! Users can also comment on designs, voicing approval or disapproval, asking for revisions, or just generally commenting. Over the years the site has become more and more popular, and popular fashion trends tend to show up early on the site. If you want to look hip and cool, the latest shirts on Threadless are a great place to go.
How would Threadless help out libraries? How many aspiring artists out there wouldn't love to have a say in what their Summer Reading Program artwork looks like? How about those plastic bags we hand out that are actually pretty popular (well, they are!)? Why not give patrons a chance to design what our bags look like? Threadless even has a few 'competitions' going on through their site. Entitled "Loves Threadless", many groups (such as bands, movie studios, and websites) sponsor design competitions. Usually involving some sort of prize, each group asks for designs around a particular theme. How cool would it be to see "KCLS Loves Threadless"? It would be yet another way for patrons to contribute to their library system and get something back.
Perhaps this way I can get my STUF THIS SI LIBARY
shirt!
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