Well this week was another fun one, as I love to play. My family has accessed online games for a while now. We have played online crosswords, Soduko etc.; the kids play games on treehouse.ca and discoverykids.ca and my husband, being an avid poker player, has played online poker. His comment about the online poker is that it certainly doesn't take the place of the real thing (don't get the same interaction with the players) it is great for testing and improving your skills.
I tried various of the free online arcade style games (I love frogger- does that show my age?? lol). I attended the gaming session that Kelly gave, which was great! Seeing WoW in action showed me that I could really get into playing the game (I used to play dungeons and dragons in University) just to find the time... Being such a wall flower (yeah right) I was the first one to jump up and have a go on DDR. I had danced on the mat at a party in the past and found it quite hilarious and lots of fun!!
I am a part of Second Life as one of the participants in the virtual reference pilot over the summer. I am really enjoying SL and having fun exploring all the different aspects of the world. The kids are always asking me to go onto Second Life and play. They of course find it amusing when my avatar crashes from flying or bumps into walls (but I'm getting better). My avatar is Isobella Sands. If you are in world, look for me, we can do coffee!
I believe that gaming and virtual worlds have a part in learning and the library. Looking at Second Life, obviously the library is there for virtual reference. There are possibly some other benefits as well that can be explored- meetings, library sessions in world, classes, etc. We just have to open our minds and explore all possibilities. Some games require a lot of strategy in order to play the game, not unlike the strategy needed for research and study. Could these skills be improved by playing games? Something to ponder!
Apr 27, 2007
Apr 13, 2007
Online Social Networks
Well this was an easy week for me! I'm a Facebook veteran (so to speak) at this point. I've been on Facebook for quite a well now. I love it!! I've hooked up with some great friends (old and new), my cousins are on, and I've invited some karate friends to join. I've joined a variety of different groups and I've created a group of my own for my karate club. I'm hooked on it and find that I'm on there quite a lot just to see what's happening. Uploading pictures is an easy process and it's fun to share some photos with friends. I like that you can set your privacy to whatever you want so that not everyone can view your info.
I had explored myspace in the past but didn't really like it so much. I find Facebook much more user friendly and easy to navigate through. LinkedIn looks interesting and I may explore it in the future, but right now I'm quite happy in Facebook.
I had explored myspace in the past but didn't really like it so much. I find Facebook much more user friendly and easy to navigate through. LinkedIn looks interesting and I may explore it in the future, but right now I'm quite happy in Facebook.
Apr 10, 2007
Online Applications and Tools
I had a blast with this stuff! So many cool and fun things to play with. With spending so much time on the computer doing work, it's nice to be able to spend some time just playing. I particularly liked Snipshot and RedKid.net. I've used LastFM in the past but prefer to listen to my own music. The flickr Toys looks really cool and I'll have to spend some more time with it and play around.
My avatar from RedKid.net is on the right of my blog. I also created signposts and other fun stuff. I can see using this for some family fun as well.
Here's another thing I did in RedKid.net using my favourite saying:
Life is so much fun!!!
My avatar from RedKid.net is on the right of my blog. I also created signposts and other fun stuff. I can see using this for some family fun as well.
Here's another thing I did in RedKid.net using my favourite saying:
Life is so much fun!!!
Apr 4, 2007
Raise a Little Hell
I was reading an article in today's edition of the Hamilton Spectator that made me think about some people that I come across in life. The article can be found here.
I am a firm believer in trying to live every day to the fullest, get something out of it and be optimistic. Certainly we are all faced with challenges, but it's the way that we handle the challenge that will determine the outcome for us. I try to find the positive in any given situation. If something is troublesome, I look to see if I can do something about it to change the situation. Instead of just sitting and complaining about something, I try to find out what it is that is bothering me about it. Once I've figured out what that thing is, I see whether I can do something about it to change it. If I can, then I try to do it! I find that too many people don't do this. These people are 'happy' to sit and complain. If you can do something, then DO it, if not, then stop complaining, suck it up and move on! You are only a victim of life, if you choose to be!
A great song from past years was on the radio coming to work yesterday- Trooper's 'Raise a Little Hell'. The lyrics in the song sums it all up for me:
If you don't like
What you got
Why don't you change it
If your world is all screwed up
Rearrange it
Raise a little Hell ...
If you don't like what you see
Why don't you fight it
If you know there's something wrong
Why don't you right it
Raise a little Hell ...
In the end it comes down to your thinking
And there's really nobody to blame
When it feels like your ship is sinking
And you're too tired to play the game
Nobody's going to help you
You've just got to stand up alone
And dig in your heels
And see how it feels
To raise a little Hell of your own
I am a firm believer in trying to live every day to the fullest, get something out of it and be optimistic. Certainly we are all faced with challenges, but it's the way that we handle the challenge that will determine the outcome for us. I try to find the positive in any given situation. If something is troublesome, I look to see if I can do something about it to change the situation. Instead of just sitting and complaining about something, I try to find out what it is that is bothering me about it. Once I've figured out what that thing is, I see whether I can do something about it to change it. If I can, then I try to do it! I find that too many people don't do this. These people are 'happy' to sit and complain. If you can do something, then DO it, if not, then stop complaining, suck it up and move on! You are only a victim of life, if you choose to be!
A great song from past years was on the radio coming to work yesterday- Trooper's 'Raise a Little Hell'. The lyrics in the song sums it all up for me:
If you don't like
What you got
Why don't you change it
If your world is all screwed up
Rearrange it
Raise a little Hell ...
If you don't like what you see
Why don't you fight it
If you know there's something wrong
Why don't you right it
Raise a little Hell ...
In the end it comes down to your thinking
And there's really nobody to blame
When it feels like your ship is sinking
And you're too tired to play the game
Nobody's going to help you
You've just got to stand up alone
And dig in your heels
And see how it feels
To raise a little Hell of your own
Mar 20, 2007
Social Bookmarking & Tagging
Well I've found this stuff very interesting indeed. I was amazed at the differences I was coming up with searching my topics in del.icio.us and Google.
I have searched for martial arts information on the web in the past and have found some good information but I've also come up with a large amount of irrelevant information as well- a lot of sites selling equipment or schools teaching martial arts, but not necessarily information on martial arts.
Using del.icio.us, I was quite impressed at how accurate the information was that I was getting. I hit on exactly the types of information I was interested in. When I hit upon a particular site that interested me, I looked at the tags and used them to further refine my search or pull up something that I hadn't fully thought of as a term or tag.
I have created an account in del.icio.us and have been actively adding some great content. I've added some tags and I've also added the del.icio.us buttons on my toolbar for quick access. I can certainly see using this on an ongoing basis. I also love that I can view it on any computer, so I can see my bookmarks at my desk and at home or whereever else I am accessing a computer.
I was so excited about del.icio.us and enjoyed the functionality of it, that I went home and showed my husband. He has a small home business where he winds custom made guitar pickups. He has a website and a blog, so I showed him how useful del.icio.us was for his information. He has already set up an account and is actively setting tags on various things. Another web 2.0 recruit!!
I went onto flickr and got lost in the sea of photos. I love photography and could spend many a day just swimming through the photos on flickr. One particular area that I enjoyed looking at was the photos of the Grand Canyon and the Southwest. I love Ansel Adams photography and the landscape of this area. I certainly hope one day to make it to the Grand Canyon to view it in person, but for now I can enjoy the photos in flickr!! Here is link to one picture (sunrise over the grand canyon) that I particularly love.
I have searched for martial arts information on the web in the past and have found some good information but I've also come up with a large amount of irrelevant information as well- a lot of sites selling equipment or schools teaching martial arts, but not necessarily information on martial arts.
Using del.icio.us, I was quite impressed at how accurate the information was that I was getting. I hit on exactly the types of information I was interested in. When I hit upon a particular site that interested me, I looked at the tags and used them to further refine my search or pull up something that I hadn't fully thought of as a term or tag.
I have created an account in del.icio.us and have been actively adding some great content. I've added some tags and I've also added the del.icio.us buttons on my toolbar for quick access. I can certainly see using this on an ongoing basis. I also love that I can view it on any computer, so I can see my bookmarks at my desk and at home or whereever else I am accessing a computer.
I was so excited about del.icio.us and enjoyed the functionality of it, that I went home and showed my husband. He has a small home business where he winds custom made guitar pickups. He has a website and a blog, so I showed him how useful del.icio.us was for his information. He has already set up an account and is actively setting tags on various things. Another web 2.0 recruit!!
I went onto flickr and got lost in the sea of photos. I love photography and could spend many a day just swimming through the photos on flickr. One particular area that I enjoyed looking at was the photos of the Grand Canyon and the Southwest. I love Ansel Adams photography and the landscape of this area. I certainly hope one day to make it to the Grand Canyon to view it in person, but for now I can enjoy the photos in flickr!! Here is link to one picture (sunrise over the grand canyon) that I particularly love.
Mar 8, 2007
Wikis - week 4
In the past I've experimented with the digital reference shelf wiki using wetpaint, so I ventured into the other test wiki. Using PBWiki for adding my picks (Karate Mummy's picks) was very straight forward and simple. The toughest thing was adding my link to the sidebar, but I quickly figured that out through trial and error (I can be stubborn and if one thing doesn't work, I'll keep trying until something else does).
I can see how useful a wiki might be for organizing lists or keeping information of a similar topic together. I'm thinking of creating one for my group at karate where we can all add our fav. links to karate info. I am planning on using wikispaces as a different option (I like experimenting with different things) for the wiki. I'll document how that goes... stay tuned!
I can see how useful a wiki might be for organizing lists or keeping information of a similar topic together. I'm thinking of creating one for my group at karate where we can all add our fav. links to karate info. I am planning on using wikispaces as a different option (I like experimenting with different things) for the wiki. I'll document how that goes... stay tuned!
Mar 2, 2007
RSS Feeds
As I sit at home today (with pink eye) I decided to spend some time reading all the various blogs out there. I'm quite impressed with the variety of blogs that the libary staff have created! Some are basic, some of very creative and colourful, some are quite comedic. All are great!
This week's assignment was learning about the world of RSS feeds. I've used Bloglines as an aggregator for quite a while now, so I decided to give Google Reader a try. I must say, I like the different options for viewing and the set up of Google Reader much better than Bloglines. It does come down to personal taste, but I do think that I am going to import the blogs I have on Bloglines into Google Reader. It is more the display I think, over anything else, that I like better. It also has a great search feature.
As with Bloglines, Google Reader has a 'button' that can be added into the favourites menu, so all you have to do is click on the button when you are in a blog that you wish to subscribe to. This way you don't have to go through the dance of copy and pasting and hoping it has worked properly.
I've been enjoying this whole experience so far. It's taking what I already knew and is expanded on it. The best part of course is the playing!!
This week's assignment was learning about the world of RSS feeds. I've used Bloglines as an aggregator for quite a while now, so I decided to give Google Reader a try. I must say, I like the different options for viewing and the set up of Google Reader much better than Bloglines. It does come down to personal taste, but I do think that I am going to import the blogs I have on Bloglines into Google Reader. It is more the display I think, over anything else, that I like better. It also has a great search feature.
As with Bloglines, Google Reader has a 'button' that can be added into the favourites menu, so all you have to do is click on the button when you are in a blog that you wish to subscribe to. This way you don't have to go through the dance of copy and pasting and hoping it has worked properly.
I've been enjoying this whole experience so far. It's taking what I already knew and is expanded on it. The best part of course is the playing!!
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