23 Things:Workbook
A Technology Familiarity Project
Objective:
To increase CCPLS staff familiarity with all things technology, in response to our stated mission to anticipate and meet evolving needs of the public.Method:
- To satisfy every person's work plan continuing education requirement for the year, all CCPLS employees will complete the 23 Things project over the course of 12 months (May 2011-2012)—see the schedule at the end of the workbook.
- All activity is expected to be conducted during work hours! There is NO expectation of employees completing this project on their own time. Supervisors will work with employees on scheduling time to accomplish 23 Things.
- Employees will demonstrate progress and completion on each person's personal blog. Blog URL's may be turned into their supervisor and the director as soon as it is established.
- Technical support and assistance will be provided in monthly staff meetings as well as one on one by the Director and Technology Librarian. Employees are encouraged to support one another and collaborate on any part of the project as needed.
- Employees are expected to progress throughout the year, rather than cramming it into a short span of time.
- Easy things are interspersed with harder things, so don't be discouraged.
- Item 16 involves scheduling the whole staff with the Nook—review 16 and start signing up with Jordan today!
History of 23 Things:
Begun by Helene Blowers in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2006, the 23 Things project took off in the library community to better equip library staff to evolve with the web. The projects are all referred to as Web 2.0 tools. The original site can be accessed here:http://plcmcl2-about.blogspot.com/2006/08/about-learning-20-project.html#contact
You will see that CCPLS's 23 Things differ in that many of the web 2.0 tools listed here are ALREADY old hat to most of you! Yet, many new tools have been developed since then.
The First Things: Blogs
Short for web logs, "blogs" are used for many different purposes, from rants to education, to information. There are many useful blogs, there are many weird blogs, certainly there are inappropriate blogs. Just like any form of the written word, they are subjective. Blogs are also NOT reliable sources of information, but an expression of the "bloggers" opinion. Nonetheless, they are with us for good, just like the editorial pages of newspapers.
So here we go:
1. Become familiar with Blogs:
a. Google "blogs" and see the variety of results. Click around in a few.
b. Visit www.blog.com and click around a bit, read a few blogs.
2. Technorati:
a. Read this article about Technorati:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technorati
b. Visit http://technorati.com/ and click around, reading some of the blogs and lists you find there.
3. Create your own blog! Do this by June 15, coming and going as you need to to get your blog up to speed. You can contribute to your blog as often or as little as you like, as long as you fulfill the requirements of the 23 Things. The point of your blog is to create a place to record your 23 Things project progress. Your first blog entry should be to describe your experience in item 1.
Go to www.blogspot.com. If you do not already have a Google account, you will need to create one. Once you've logged in, click on the "create a blog" on the right side of the "dashboard." It will hold your hand through the creation of your blog. Remember, you can put as little or as much of your personal information. In fact, you could create a fictitious character if you so choose—that's the point—it's all up to you! Remember, the same is true of all bloggers, which is why blogs are not considered reliable sources of information.
4. Follow someone's blog: After June 15, find one (or as many as you want!) of your colleagues "to follow!" We can share blog URL's at the staff meeting or you can simply ask your colleagues for their URL. The only way for people to find your blog is through your URL—it will take a while for search engines to find you and if you don't use your real name, googling won't reveal your blog. Also, you can edit your account settings to keep your blog private to only those you allow in. Here is more information about blog visibility:
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?tid=536e556493460d29&hl=en
Following a blog is like reading a long letter from a friend, keeping you posted of what's happening with them. Here is blogspot's help page on following, what it is and what it means, and how to accomplish it!
http://www.google.com/support/blogger/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=104226
Following other people's blogs will also provide you support and ideas as you continue on this journey. It's a great place to leave comments/questions for each other as a means of support, help and encouragement! Lastly, it's also a great place to get to know your colleagues at other branches a little better.
Next Things: Learning
The next things are (some are easier, some are harder) experiences you should blog about—this demonstrates that you have completed that item as well as offers you content for your blog.
5. Discover the Deep Web:
a. read this article from U.C. Berkeley, as well as article from Wikipedia (shocking!) that it refers to.http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/InvisibleWeb.html
b. Use http://infomine.ucr.edu/ to search a topic of interest to you.
Now you know a little more about what is out there that Google can't find (but who can? You the library staff—another reason that libraries are important resources!).
6. Lifelong learning on the web:
a. Visit http://www.ted.com/ and find a topic of interest to you. Watch one or more videos suggested here.
b. share it in on your blog by clicking the blogspot key under the video.
7. Web Reference Service:
a. Visit http://www.ipl.org/ The Internet Public Library. Yes, it's real. Click around and see how their information is organized.
b. Ask the IPL2 librarians a reference question (see button, top right). The questions are answered by Library School graduate students from Drexel University, Univ. of Michigan, and Univ. of Florida and several other library science programs. Nan and Jordan were both IPL2 volunteer s during grad school and Nan continued for quite some time after she finished. The librarians are highly trained in research but also sharing how they got there with you as a teaching moment.
8. Wikis:
a. Watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dnL00TdmLY
b. find 3 or 4 colleagues to create a wiki to accomplish #8 & 9. (Ok, read those now too)
c. Use any of the sites the video suggests to create this wiki (don't forget to ask for help if you need it!
Next Things: Connecting with Others
9. Staying connected via Skype:
a. Read about Skype: http://about.skype.com/ and create an account at http://www.skype.com/ .
b. Use your wiki to communicate with your group about when you would like to Skype with whom. You will have to do this individually because Group Skype requires a paid subscription.
C. Once you have determined your schedule, check out a laptop from Jordan. There will be a webcam at each library, with instructions on how to hook it up. Skype will have been downloaded on the laptops. You will just log in at http://www.skype.com/intl/en-us/home and begin your session.
10. Creating Video
a. Use your wiki to coordinate your group to make a video about something. You don't have to "act" in the video—it could be a tour of your library or a how to, whatever.
b. Check out a Flip Video camera from your branch and a laptop from Jordan.
c. Produce your video and upload it to your blog (see the "add video" icon –looks like a piece of film—when you open a "new post" screen.
11. Google Chat
a. Use your wiki to coordinate "chat sessions" with one of the other members-you'll need their gmail address.
b. Go to google.com, log in with your Google user name.
c. In the chat box, put in your colleagues gmail address. Click on chat and begin your session.
12. Facebook
a. If you don't already have a Facebook account, create one.
b. Use FB to chat "live" with one of your friends.
c. use Search to find a FB group to join
d. Use Search to find a long lost friend or family member
13. Twitter: Watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddO9idmax0o
Next Things: Pictures!
14. Digital Photo Management/Manipulation
a. if you don't have a digital camera, borrow one from your branch. Take photos of whatever interests you.
b. Connect with the provided cable and save them to your USB drive.
c. Upload them to your Blog.
d. Upload them to your Wiki.
e. Email them to a colleague.
f. Burn them to a cd.
15. Web 2.0 Photo Tools (this is an easy one, I promise!)
a. Visit http://www.flickr.com/ and take the tour (blue button at bottom center of screen)
b. Visit http://picasa.google.com/ and watch the video introduction
Next Things: Library
16. eBooks : check out the staff Nook from Jordan, check out an eBook from our collection and read it on the Nook.
17. LibraryElf: Visit http://www.libraryelf.com/ and click around to see what it is/has to offer.
18. Library Thing: Visit http://www.librarything.com/ and take the "tour" – button in the left hand column.
19. Goodreads: Visit http://www.goodreads.com/ and on top right banner, click "tour". This is easily missed, it's right beside the "register" button.
Next Things: Organizing Your Web Interests & Your Life
20. A. Delicious: Visit http://www.delicious.com/ and click on the "learn more" tab; click around.
B. RSS Feeds:
a. Watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0klgLsSxGsU
b. If you have a computer that you use exclusively, you do NOT need to use Google Reader to subscribe to RSS feeds—you can do it in Internet Explorer. You will find it with your Favorites bar. This will be demonstrated in a staff meeting.
c. Surely by now you have found a blog, news page, or website that has caught your interest. Subscribe to their RSS feed! Here are a few library favorites:
Visit the site and play a little—you can do this directly from you smart phone as well.
Next Things: Miscellaneous
22. Tiny URL: This is a particularly useful tool to use when you are sending patrons long web addresses that might break if not copied and pasted exactly correctly. If it's a web address that is full of long number sets instead of words, you also might forget what it is. Tiny URL is a free application that translates a long url into a tiny one (thus the name) that you can even pick.
a. Visit http://tinyurl.com/ and learn about the service.
b. Create a tiny url to the destination of your choice and put it on your blog.
And drum roll please…..
The LAST Thing:
23. Survey Monkey:
a. Visit http://www.surveymonkey.com/ and take the tour (link right under the title at the top).
b. Create a survey and add it to your blog.
c. Take a survey about this project. The link will be sent to you or placed on your blog in April 2012.
Suggested Schedule:
**note Item 16 needs to be scheduled throughout the year, with Jordan! Begin scheduling right away!June 2011: January 2012:
Read linked history of 23 Things Items 14-15
July 2011: February 2012: (item 16 should've been scheduled by now!
Items 1-2 Items 17-19
August 2011: March 2012:
Items 3-4 Items 20-22
September 2011: April 2012:
Items 5-7 Item 23!!!
October 2011: May 2012:
Item 8 Visit other staff's blogs for review!
November 2011:
Items 9-10
December:
Items 11-13
CONGRATULATIONS!
YOU FINISHED 23 THINGS!
Now what?
If someone hits you up with some web 2.0 tool that you are unfamiliar with, you can look it up at Go 2 Web 2.0 for a crash course in applications, uses, and how –to'shttp://www.go2web20.net/
