Vermont’s 23 Things

It’s Week 3 of Vermont’s 23 Things

Lesson 3 is all about photos and images. You’ll explore Flickr and find some tools to spice up your blog, make posters and trading cards, and see what other exciting things you can do with photos!

For all who would like credit for Vermont’s 23 Things but don’t quite know how to proceed, here’s what you might like to know:

After completing ALL of the things:

If you’re a public librarian, e-mail me (mara.siegel@mail.dol.state.vt.us) and I will add 10 technology hours to your continuing education record.

If you’re a school librarian, e-mail me (mara.siegel@mail.dol.state.vt.us) and I will send you a certificate similar to those you pick up at Materials Review sessions. There will be a place on the certificate for you to fill in the number of hours you’ve spent on the program.

Hey everyone!

It’s Week 2 of Vermont’s 23 Things! If you’re moving on to Lesson 2, this week’s adventure is Blogging. Set up your blog and send me (mara.siegel@mail.dol.state.vt.us) the link to have it added to the growing list on the Participant Blogs page.

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:
Every week or two weeks, 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.

Hey!

There’s one week left till the launch of the summer session of Vermont’s 23 Things. Get your garden planted and join us on June 23rd!

For those of you who are still working on the winter session of Vermont’s 23 Things, I will be turning off the links on The 23 Things page on Wednesday, June 18th for construction and turning the first few back on June 23rd. I will then unveil the rest of the weeks a few at a time. (If this causes any problems for anyone, please let me know ASAP.)

For those of you who intend to participate, you will register for the program when you do Thing 4 (Register your blog.)

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Vermont’s 23 Things…

If you’ve ever been curious about blogs, wikis, flickr, RSS, MySpace, and YouTube, but haven’t gone beyond looking up their definitions, Vermont’s 23 Things is a chance to explore those tools (and more!)

Vermont’s 23 Things is a self-directed online learning program that will introduce you to many Web 2.0 tools. It will encourage you to play with them and see how they can be useful in your library (or personally).

To see more, click on Vermont’s 23 Things or cut and paste vermontlibrarieslearn.wordpress.com into your browser window.

If you have any questions about Vermont’s 23 Things, please contact Mara Siegel.
e-mail: mara.siegel@mail.dol.state.vt.us
phone: 828-3261

It is with great sadness that I acknowledge this last week ofVermont’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.

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.

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!