Thing 16

I think these tools would be very useful for someone teaching students how to write a paper, essay, etc. I can't think of anyway that we could find these useful in a public library. By the time we see kids in the library their teachers have already discussed how to do a project, what the teacher's expectations are for the project, what sources can be used. Sometimes kids do come in & don't have a clue but as a librarian doing reference in a public library, but there just is not enough time to spend teaching kids how to organize their paper--it's too time consuming. It's sometimes a fine line between helping a kid find info & doing his work for him.

Thing 15

I just read the "8 myths about video games debunked" that's on the PBS website. Hmm, not what I've read about gaming & violence in the past. I think that the verdict is still out on how much, if at all, gaming encourages violence. I personally don't like violent movies, TV show, etc. As I've gotten older I like it less & less. I have avoided some of the most popular movies in the last few years because I don't want to watch that high a level of blood & guts. Even after reading the PBS site I feel that violence has desensitized our society & has led people to devalue others. I know not all games are violent, but a number of them are.



I think I'm on the wrong side of the tech divide on gaming because I have zero interest in it right now. I do know that more senior citizens are starting gaming & things like virtual bowling are becoming popular. And I have friends (my age) who enjoy the games that encourage thinking skills. Maybe there's hope for me yet. I know that the kids & teens who use our public access computers at the library play games all the time. We allow them to do it but everyone is limited to 1 hr. per day so there aren't any game hogs on the public computers.



I did participate in a game on the Web lately. My grand niece introduced me to Webkinzs & showed my how she was creating a world for her "creatures". She is having a blast on the website & she can't even read yet! It was humbling for me & a thrill for her. This company has found a very profitable way to appeal to kids natural interest in games.

Thing 14

I signed up for an account at Library Thing & added several books. Think I'm going to like using this. It'll be a good way to remember what I have read & to find new books I might want to read. Although I don't know that I can trust the recommendations--my favorite authors are only rating 3s! I looked the MLA LT & can see that my favorite authors rate higher there so will use that group more. I'd like to see this used on our Library website & will see if we can add it. Think our patrons will use it alot, probably more than NovelList.

Thing 13

I just made an iGoogle page & I love it! There were so many things to pick from to add to my page. I had a hard time picking. I added the weather so now I don't have to go to another site to read what's ahead. (Prediction is for more snow so I am bummed--April & we are getting major amounts of snow. It's depressing!!) I set up a calendar at Google & filled in a few days worth of events. This would be more useful if I was online thru my cell phone or laptop. Since I'm not that tech tied yet, guess I'll keep my pocket calendar where I write things down with a pen. How archaic now that I know about online calendars! I tried to make a countdown timer but was foiled--this blog couldn't accept it. Think it has to do with shockwave flash not being downloaded. I also looked at the to do lists but decided not to sign up. I'm getting tired of signing up for things I know I won't use while I'm doing the Things & decided to skip to do lists. At least I now know what they are.

Thing 12

I have spent time looking at Digg, Reddit, Newsvine, & Mixx, read articles, FAQs, & homepages & I can't personally see why I'd join any of them. I'm not sure how we'd use in the Library either. Guess I'm not impressed with social media sites! If I had joined one, it would have been Newsvine--it seems most to my tastes.

Thing 11

Now that I've learned how to add labels I'm going back into all of my Things & adding them. It will be easier to see what the topics are. I'm a cataloguer so I'm used to structured subject headings. I can see the value of tagging or labels though; you can use any tag that makes sense to you--not subject headings that LC or Sears have made up. On the other hand, if there's no consistence to the tags you'll end up with a whole bunch of tags that aren't organized or won't retrieve what they are meant to retrieve. Maybe there's room for both methods of organizing. Following labels others have used will bring up useful sites or will overwhelm you with tmi--too much information.

I can see using del.icio.us often--I work at several computers during the day & am constantly missing my bookmarks when I'm not on my main computer. With del.icio.us I'll be able to access them anywhere. I've signed up for a del.icio.us account & am going to start using it immediately. Glad I found out about this site.

Thing 10

Wikis!--Good & bad as I see them. Or maybe it depends on how & what it is being used for. I like that others can add to a wiki because we get the wisdom of other ideas. I also don't like that others can add to a wiki because not everyone is honest, moral, or decent. They can be a double-edeg sword. I have seen wikis where posters have written inflamitory remarks, things that are hurtful, or given what appears to be intentionally wrong info. So, I guess I think anyone editing a wiki should be required to sign up in order to do so. I like the idea of controlled access for most wikis. I can see why some teachers don't allow students to use wikis as a reference. Without knowing how a wiki is run, who can edit, etc., a teacher won't know if it's a valid site & if it's accurate. Teachers encourage students to learn how to evaluate what they read & develope critical thinking processes.



I love the idea of a community wiki & wish we had one in my town. It would be wonderful to see what info others added to it about new businesses, events, classes, etc. Maybe my library can add one to our website.

I just added to the 23 Things wiki & it was easy to do. I'm please to see that so many of the stuff on the Things is easy to do & doesn't take long to learn. The Internet is getting more user friendly all the time!