Vermont’s 23 Things

It is with great sadness that I acknowledge this last week of Vermont’s 23 Things. On a lighter note, we get to guiltlessly watch videos on Youtube and listen to podcasts.

For those of you who would like continuing education credit for your participation, please e-mail me.

For those of you who aren’t up to Week 11 yet, have no fear, the website isn’t going anywhere and you have plenty of time to finish.

And for all of you, thank you so very much for participating. Your enthusiasm is inspiring.

Way back in my first e-mail about Vermont’s 23 Things, I referred to it as a winter learning opportunity. My vision certainly didn’t include entering Week 10 with the snow still flying.

So, to take our mind off of the still increasing snow banks, let’s sit down with some hot chocolate and look at free web-based online productivity applications (word processing, spreadsheets, calendars, presentations, project management, and web conferencing) and the most recent Web 2.0 Awards list.

Welcome to the wonderful world of wikis! This week we’ll be turning our attention to a great web-based tool for multiple-participant projects. Plus we get to see another Common Craft video!

For this week:

17. Learn about wikis and discover some innovative ways that libraries are using them.
18. Create a wiki or add an entry to a Vermont’s 23 Things sandbox wiki.

This week, we’ll be looking more closely at del.icio.us and Technorati, two Web 2.0 applications that take serious advantage of tagging (we’ve already looked at a few -Flickr, LibraryThing, and blogs all use tags). Tagging allows you to associate keywords with online content - webpages, pictures, posts, etc. It is considered a folksonomy - an unstructured categorization scheme. We’ll also be reading and blogging about a few perspectives on Library 2.0.

Hello all you followers of Vermont’s 23 Things!

I hope you are feeling refreshed after the Catch-up Week.

Did you enjoy playing with photos and images in Week 3? Then you’ll enjoy this week’s exploration of more image-related tools with Thing 12: Play around with an online image generator.

Do you love books? Thing 13: Take a look at LibraryThing and catalog some of your books. Don’t forget to take a look at http://www.librarything.com/wiki.index.php/Help_in_Haiku

For those of you who have just stumbled on this blog: it’s still not too late to participate. Spend some time with the first few things, create a blog to record your
Vermont’s 23 Things thoughts and adventures, and send me (mara.siegel@mail.dol.state.vt.us) the link to have it added to the still growing list on the Participant Blog page.

So, I’ve taken the liberty of adding a week to the program. I hope you don’t mind. Week 6 is now Catch-up Week. Take some time and breathe a little. Catch-up, revisit an old 2.0 friend you didn’t have enough time with, discover a new one.

It’s Week 5 and we’re exploring social networks, including Facebook and MySpace. Thing 11 has you setting up a Facebook or MySpace account. For those of you who would prefer not to, there is an alternate exercise. There have also been several questions about creating pseudonymous identities. If that makes you more comfortable, who are we to stand in your way? Enjoy the week!

This week is all about RSS. The lesson is filled with jargon and tech talk and depending on your preferred learning style, you might like watch the videos, jump in and try out an RSS reader (or two), and read about it afterwards. Looking over other 23 Things Programs, this seems to be one of the harder ‘things’ to conquer. Some have also said it’s the biggest thrill. Judging from your blogs, you will take on Week 4 with curiosity and perseverance!

Well, it’s halfway through Week 1 and participant blog URLS are tumbling in. I can’t wait to see what happens during the blog week!

Welcome to Vermont’s 23 Things!

Vermont’s 23 Things is a hands-on, learning program that provides an opportunity to explore Web 2.0 tools and the impact these tools are having on libraries & library service. All participants are encouraged to use the program as an opportunity to check out 2.0 technologies and think about ways in which our libraries can use these tools to deliver innovative library services.

Why Do This?
Web 2.0 is a phrase that was coined in 2004. It refers to the fact that the Internet is now an interactive medium rather than a ‘place’ to go to get information. Since people are flocking to these Web 2.0 sites, it is important that those of us who work in libraries should be up-to-date with the latest trends in technology and learn how they can be used in our libraries.

Here’s how it works:
Each week you will have an assignment with 2 or 3 tasks that will introduce you to a new tool. You will be asked to create a blog (which can be anonymous) to document your exploration.

Some other details:
1. Upon completion you will receive 10 credits towards the technology requirement for CE certification.
2. There is no ‘right’ way to do these tasks. The purpose is to learn, play, and share with your colleagues in your library and around the state.
4. Consider having every member of your library participate. Friends, library volunteers, and trustees are invited to take part.
6. Have fun!

Questions about Vermont’s 23 Things? Please contact Mara Siegel. e-mail: mara.siegel@mail.dol.state.vt.us phone: 828-3261 or your regional consultant.

Ready to start? Click on THE 23 THINGS at the top of this page.