lorrie's bookmark

Martin Luther Kings Birthday

2009-01-20T07:54:00.006+11:00

Today I have a day off work. We are celebrating Martin Luther King's Birthday. It feels very special and significant because of the inauguration of Barack Obama tomorrow. Yesterday I went with Judy to Washington to listen to Barack speak and watch the concert. We parked at Judys brother's home and got a lift downtown with her nephew. Judy, her brother Danny, sister-in-law Julia, their friend Susan, and I waited in line for and hour and three quarters to get into the park through the security entrance. Even though it was freezing cold and I started to worry about frostbite to my feet- there was a great atmosphere. People are so excited about idealism returning to America. People around us in line had come from as far as Maine and North Carolina - travelling from before dawn. The volunteers helping with the lines had little or no communication each other or with the security personnel ( from what I could see) and as we approached the 19th street entrance it was closed (reportedly by the decision of the secret service). The line proceeded and merged with the 17th street entrance and just as we reached that entrance it also was closed. So at that point we gave up and headed back home to watch it at Danny's on their big screen TV. Danny had recorded it and although we weren't immersed in the wonderful crowd atmosphere- the upside was we were warm, comfortable sipping on red wine (tea for me) and 3 gorgeous cheeses and crackers. Even though we couldn't get in to the actual concert it really felt good to have joined the crowd and had a touch of the wonderful atmosphere. It was also nice to be able to share it with Judys mother who hadn't felt up to heading downtown. It was a really great emotional day.
Today I have my first snow here. It is beautiful!

2009-01-05T12:14:00.001+11:00

I got help from my new friends here looking for a car. I had wanted something with good gas millage, because my commute is about 45 minutes. However Lisa talked me into a small Suburu all wheel drive. She said because I don't have experience with driving in the snow that AWD would be safer for me. The petrol here is $1.45 a gallon - which is .40 cents a litre. So I am spending much less on petrol here anyway. I have also invested in a GPS because it was really nerve wracking driving home in the dark here- cause the roads are not lit. The first day I was driving home from work I pulled over to check the map and I hit a curb- which dented the rim and nicked tire ( ruined both it turned out). I thought I was in the middle of nowhere but there was a housing development- thus curbs.
So despite the expense I have decided to get comprehensive insurance. My car coverage is about $1,800 per year because they do not recognise my previous driving/insurance record in Australia. I decided I need to view it as an expense of the trip and mentally deduct it from my salary here. That helps me swallow it! My new workmates are great- they recommended a mechanic near work and drove down with me to drop the car off.
The work at my new branch is starting off very much lighter than Werribee. There is a lot more money allocated to personnel, and it looks like less of the budget focused on fittings and collections. One thing that is really great is their resource story boxes. Each season (Spring ,Summer ect) the 3 of us in our department make up 2 preschool and 2 baby storytime boxes. Each box has about 10-12 books on a theme, songs, a CD (like Alison makes up- burned from favourites) rhymes, about 6 felt board sets, and 1 or 2 puppets. They have about 30 great Folkmanis puppets at each branch. Each box then rotates to the different branches. It is really easy to do storytime with so many great books , props and ideas! They also run about 7 storytimes a week ( we each do about 2 and one on Saturday) and one of my colleagues also does science activities for homeschoolers a couple of times a month. Because we do so many there is never more than 25 people attending. We will probably look at changing the programing a bit because some of the sessions are really under attended. I really don't think there is a demand for 2 back to back storytime sessions in the mornings which is what they have been doing. I would like to see what we could develop for youth. They have Wii games so I will be interested to see how well attended those are! Next week they are running a session with young adults to get input for the Cd collection.
So far I have found some of the things we seem to do better (collections, cataloguing) and some of the things they do better here (programs, programming resources). Next week I am going to the monthly childrens meeting with all the branches. I am going to request permission to post things on the wiki. One easy thing I thought I could do is take a photo of the story box contents every week!
I went up to my brothers for Christmas and got the snow I wished for. I must say I am not so keen to drive in it down here in Maryland - so thankfully we haven't had much so far! New Years eve I spent with my friends Judy Lisa, Cindy and their partners. Judy is the woman I live with, Lisa is her best friend who helped me get this job and Cindy was the branch manager who selected me after the interview. Lisa has subsequently been promoted to assistant library director and Cindy transfered to branch manager of Lisas old branch. I really like my new branch manager too.
Last night Judy had a dinner party for some of her family so it was great to meet them. Lisa has fireplaces in the kitchen , dining room and lounge room- so we spend alot of time feeding and enjoying the fire.

More Baltimore

2008-03-16T22:58:00.002+11:00

Finally I am making time to record the notes from my visit here.
One of the most memorable and helpful experiences I had was observing a marketing meeting at BCPL. It was really inspiring to observe the range ideas for promoting reading.

Staff recommendation bookmarks inserted into displayed books with the specific staff member's name attached. Slips are collected as the books are issued. Each slip collected goes in the drawing for a prize (examples of prizes include an extra long lunch break)
Librarything- staff add items they really love

Baltimore County Public Library

2008-03-16T05:56:00.002+11:00

I can not believe the generosity shown to me by Baltimore! I have not only gathered some great ideas- but I have made some wonderful friendships. Assistant Library Director Deborah Wheeler picked me up at the downtown Youth Hostel where I was staying every day I was there. I had not realized but this library system covers 600 square miles! Debbie chauffeur me many miles over the course of a whole week I spent with them. I shared many great meals and warm moments with some wonderful people. Hopefully some of my new friends will make it to Australia one day.

Highlights from New York, Connecticut and New Jersey

2008-03-16T05:10:00.005+11:00

I have see many great libraries and been received with such generosity. Unfortunately I really had limited time or access to the internet to report in detail on each of them. I did take lots and lots of photos though!
Middle Country Public Library in Long Island stands out (among other things) for its great partnerships. Check out Family Place Libraries
Darien Public Library is just a beautiful library as you can see from the photos. I especially liked the periodical room- which has great display for magazines and newspapers. They are building a new branch so it was interesting to see that they are incorporating a bookstore model for the ground floor- with a cafe, seating tables and lots of display for new and popular items. I had a great talk with their web page designer. He was previously involved in designing the award winning site for Ann Arbour Public Library- using an open source content management system. He recommended a couple of systems for me to look at.
Louise Berry (Library Director) was so welcoming and helpful. I was able to attend an evening program : Meet the Author: Lee Siegel, author of "Against the Machine: Being Human in the Age of the Electronic Mob." I met Louise's husband John Berry a former editor for Library Journal ( I feel like I am touching base with all the celebrities of the library world). They very kindly dropped me at the train station at the end of the night so that I could return to NYC. I don't have access to the detailed notes I took today so I will add more details later.
From Darien I was given the lead to check out Princeton Public library
Once again Princeton was gorgeous! Check out the photos- especially the fireplace. Although it was going while I was there- they do regularly have it going when it is cold. It is gas but looks like log burning.
Montclair Public Library was also a lovely branch and I could see many of the design features were similar to Princeton.
I went there with my 7 year old nephew and I was so proud of the way he found his way around.
While I was busy taking photos, he had found a recommended book list on the children's information desk, looked up a title and gone to the book summary. Its amazing to see how young some kids can take advantage of resources.

New York Public Library

2008-03-02T03:09:00.002+11:00

I didn't set up anything formal with NYPL. But dropped in on a few recommended branches (thank you to Roger at Hudson Park Branch).
Bloomingdales 100th Street Branch had a beautiful recently renovated upstairs space for children . Nice lighting and colours, Low shelving. and interesting foam seating made this an attractive space. Interestingly the librarian warned me that the foam seating was a little too fun. After school kids like to throw it around , stack it up and jump on it - so sometimes it has to be put away. Reminded me of our beautiful seating at Hoppers Crossing for the kids- we have to put it away at story time.
Mullberry Street Branch in Chinatown was easily my favorite space. It was newly renovated. I took lots of photos. I sat in on Rhyme time. Most libraries I have visited have a seperate space for programs . They run 2 1/2 hr sessions of about 20 participants back to back. Seating is set in a semi-circle. A table at the back has a selection of board books for participants to use. After the session they have some toys available for a short play session. I also loved her use of bubbles to start and finish the session.
Donnell Branch (across from MOMA) has a teachers resources collection as part of its childrens section. Rebecca Schosha (Childrens Librarian) recomended this as quite sucessful. I guess our equiviant is our Parenting Resources section. We discussed different branches and renovations to Childrens areas. Her view is that a minamalist approach is the most flexible and adaptable and stands the test of time. Lots of light wood with red highlights is a strong high quality look. I agree.
An interesting aspect of service at NYPL is that pubic internet access is limited to one session per day at any branch. I tried to book a second session at another branch and I was barred. Sessions are 15 , 30 or 45 minute. They do have wireless however if you had your own computer. I was envious of my French room-mates who went out and got themselves a $520 laptop to use at the Youth Hostel. I guess I have gotten a bit addicted to my internet!

Queens Public Library

2008-03-02T01:29:00.003+11:00

Queens really put out the welcome mat for me- I was overwhelmed by their generosity! Carol Sheffer (ADM) Kathy Degyanski (Programs Co-ordinator) and Rosanne Cerny (Children's Services) gave me an overview of Queens Library). The also sent me the powerpoint presentation afterwards- so I have notes.
I believe that the circulation statistics for Queens are the highest in the country. Over 47% of Queens population is foreign born. They are driven by customer needs focus and emphasise service quality and innovation. Programs such as" New Americans Program" are designed to assist new (and not so new) arrivals in the aquisition of education and coping skills neccessary for adaption to a new country. In addition to providing programs themselves they work in partnership to host other agencies and provide referrals to other agencies.
Another need in this community is after-school activities. "BOOST-Best out of School Time" is a program which commits the library as an.."active community partner in the education of youth." The quality of this commitment was challenged by a massive funding cuts following 9/11. The library made the decision that the reliance of the community on the afternoon activities for young people meant that it was not an option to respond to the cuts by reducing days of service. They made cutbacks in other areas to ensure that young people could continue to access the library 6 days per week.
Another standard that reflects community access priority is that no one in Queens should be more than a mile (or a 20 minute walk) from a local branch. There are 62 community branches.
They also have a fantastic use of partnerships and volunteerism. They have 800 volunteers to a ratio of 1200 full time workers and 600 part-time workers. Volunteers and partners are critical to the success of the 22,000 free educational, cultural and literary programs they run each year.
This is something I think that we could definitely take on board at Wyndham. An example is getting youth to plan and implement afterschool activities for children. At Flushing I observed teens playing board games with young children. What a great alternative to shelving for them!
At Flushing they were also running an afterschool gaming session. They had Xbox and Playstation as well as chess and board games. The librarian had a spreadsheet with 10 minute slots for 2- 4 players (depending on the game) and kids signed up for a slot. This seemed to work very well to enforce fair turn taking.
At Queens Central Ken Kugler and Christian gave me some leads for setting up anime clubs :
www.operationanime.com and recommended reading faq on the website : http://www.operationanime.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=main.faq.
This company is called Funimation. You can also Google for other companies that do this if you want to show lots of Anime you can sign up for multiple companies.
Also an article from VOYA about how to bring anime to the library:
http://pdfs.voya.com/VO/YA2/VOYA200504AnimetedLibrary.pdf
Christian said popular Manga programs can be very simple. Just provideing a meeting place for fans to share entusiasms. A few books on drawing manga and pencils and paper can work well. Ken also gave me an example of computer generated reediting of manga script. See:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=kingdom+hearts+blah&search_type=
I will definitely be following up on this as it would be very popular at Hoppers Crossing and maybe it could be used to draw youth to Werribee. Another great program they run is "Read off your Fines" Borrowing privileges are terminated when fines exceed $10. Kids are given the opportunity to re activate their card by paying it off with "Library Currency" issued $1 per 1/2 hour of reading in the library. The Children's and Youth section have librarians on desk to oversee this. The idea originated in Columbus Ohio PL. Many youth are drawn to the library for internet usage. Only49% have access from home.
Check out the Exit Project video produced by the library on youtube.
Another great idea is the use on video conferencing to produce programs. Requirements:

T1 or better Broadband
Projecor
Space
Parterships such as Melbourne Zoo which provided a program to Queens
Another great program they ran was with Cleveland Institute of Music- Dalcroze Eurhythmics

Other great suggestions for partnerships include:

Banks (programs on financil planning, careers, budgeting
Health Services
Arts
Museums

The Childrens area at Queens central Branch included interactive displays inspired by a visit to Experimedia in San Francisco. I will plan to stop there on my way home.
http://www.exploratorium.edu/

US Library tour (on a shoestring)

2008-02-13T15:22:00.009+11:00

After a gap of 6 months- I finally have a reason to dust off the old blog.My plan is to report on my visits on my blog and link it to my Flickr account so that I can take alot of photos as well. I know that this kind of a blog can sometimes be boring for other people - but its a good way for me to record it all for myself. I also thought people I visit might be interested in seeing the other places I visit. I hope you don't mind all the detail but I am writing it here -but I want to remember everything.
I got here fine. Lots of beautiful snow and more coming tonight.
This afternoon I had my first library visit. Saratoga Springs Public Library. I spoke with the new Director (who has only just steped into this role) Ike Pulver. I was so impressed! He mentioned that he had been to the Melbourne City library. I said " How did you happen to go there?" "With my good friend Nancy Pearl, who was on a speaking tour there." I said " I went to that talk- she's a icon over in Australia!!!" He traveled with her to New Zealand and Australia. He also said he had served on the ALA Advisory Commitee. So I was way impressed- but in addition to that he was very casual and very very helpful. He recomended a number of libraries to visit on my route. More importantly he confirmed some of the libraries I don't need to bother with (Perfectly adequate - but not particularly innovative). That kind of information is priceless.

The Childrens Librarian (Mr Karge) explained to me that the funding of libraries varies extemely depending on the local community. Saratoga Springs is quite affluent- so the library is very well funded. I took alot of photos.
About 2:30 pm (just afterschool here) Mr Karge started ringing his bell- and all the kids followed him into the storytime room. I joined them to observe his story time. They had a stack of pillows in the corner and each kid sat on one. He started off with " Put on your listening ears, zip up your mouth, pop your eyballs in (so they don't fall out), sit on your log ( the pillows looked like a slice of log, the room had a woods theme) do up your seatbelt, legs are crossed apple sauce". He did two stories then they stood up to do their exercises-(hands up hands out, hands to the side, hands down)repeated -fast slow super slow. He finnished off with another 2 stories and then invited the parents in who were waiting outside the room. The kids were then invited to pick books from those on dispay on the tables at the back of the room. Each kid had a name tag in the shape of an animal. I asked him about it afterwards. He showed me the machine that cuts the shapes out of paper. It came with about 50-60 different templates to cut different shapes. He said it was a very pricey piece of equipment . When I commented that it must be (it was one of those things you could see was well made and designed and would last forever)he said that their budget was amazing. They spend about $3,000 on prizes for the summer holiday programs alone. This library has 102 staff- and one of the things Ike is introducing is an inhouse facebook for staff so that everyone knows what everyone looks like and a little bit about each person. I checked out their book sale room that is set up like a bookstore to sell withdrawn stock. It is run by Friends of the Library group. Sitting here writting this I just remembered- I asked the bookstore to hold on to a "DK Eyewitness guide to New York" I was going to come back for it when I got change for $100 in their cafe. I got so excited about all the great info I was getting I forgot to go back.
Their website is worth a look:
http://www.sspl.org/
These are the photos I took:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lorriesbookmark/sets/72157603901984134/

#23 Yeah!!! I did it!

2007-09-03T15:41:00.000+10:00

I was so thrilled to take part in this program. As well as getting some new skills and discovering some fantastic tools - the greatest outcome is an increase in confidence. I also feel now very linked in with some fantastic library services. I now have the attitude that there is no reason that I can't use many of these tools to match some of the great innovations that are going on out there, around the world. I have also been able to use many of my new skills in a practical way in my work and personal life. Flickr has been a great tool for sharing family history and adding my own images to things I am doing at work like PowerPoint presentations. YouTube, Wikis, Technorati are great for finding fantastic ideas and inspiration. All the signing up has helped me overcome a phobia about signing up for anything online. I figure with all these librarians encouraging me to do it -then its got to be safe. Right???
I guess the main thing for me is that I have always felt that I needed technical assistance to implement any online innovation. These tools give people with great ideas or creativity to have a shot at making things happen.
I thank PLCMC and hope they keep the page up for people to return to as a refresher. It has forged some great links with Australian Libraries.

#22 Net library and downloadable books

2007-09-03T11:27:00.000+10:00

This looks fantastic for someone like me that loves audio books and is running out of titles at my library. I am hoping that all this interest in Library 2.0 in Victoria this year might create a demand for the inclusion of net library in the Gulliver core next year. Is that possible? I also had a look at World Public Library which is probably something I could afford to subscribe to myself. I am thinking it over.
http://worldpubliclibrary.org/

#19 Podcasts

2007-09-03T08:28:00.000+10:00

I was lucky to attend a training session a few months ago at Brighton to learn how to download and subscribe to podcasts- which was also a great introduction to RSS feeds. I feel very fortunate to be given the training opportunities that I have had at Bayside. Returning to this again is a refresher for my interest in accessing podcasts. After my initial session I loaded a couple of "Life Matters" episopes on to my player. But I have been meaning to get into a regular routine of refreshing the content. It is great to have something diferent to listen to when out walking.

#20 Youtube- I cant stop : there are so many!

2007-09-02T22:20:00.000+10:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_Hl62ChuKo

Story time at the Monroe Free Library

2007-09-02T21:48:00.001+10:00

I just realized there is also all these great videos of library storytimes!!!

Youtube, Librarians, and Me

2007-09-02T21:32:00.001+10:00

Although this is totally facinating I love the way we explains how easy this vedeo making can be online. It is a really good example of what this whole 23 things is about.

Another great library video!

2007-09-02T21:27:00.001+10:00

Gale contest- NJ loves their libraries!

2007-09-02T21:23:00.001+10:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxgA8M8D1vg Ilove this!

#17 Playing around with PBWiki

2007-09-02T20:22:00.000+10:00

I have added my bog to the Favorite blogs page of the plcmc learning 2.0 wiki. It was gratifying to see that I am not the only new blogger struggling to come to grips with html. I could see many of the additions were not perfectly done- but that is OK we are all on a learning journey. The site looks like it could be helpful for me if and when I ever decide to set up a wiki.

Flickr badge

2007-09-02T17:24:00.000+10:00

I wanted this as a sidebar.. But when I tried to put it there I suddenly got a whole lot of white space at the top of the sidebar.

www.flickr.com

# 16 Wikis

2007-09-02T15:19:00.000+10:00

A couple of tools I would like to return to:
Cool librarian http://coollibrarianblog.blogspot.com/

Library success : a best practice wiki http://www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Main_Page

#16 Wikis

2007-09-02T14:48:00.000+10:00

I loved the idea of recording and saving your study notes on a wiki. For years my partner and I struggled with the problem of what to do with out old study notes. And now my sons study notes from uni are cluttering up our hallway.http://blog.pbwiki.com/?p=266

#15 What does library 2.0 mean to me?

2007-09-02T12:26:00.000+10:00

I think initially libraries were physical places for sharing physical resources. I think library 2.0 is all about taking this outside the limitation of one geographic physical location and sharing ideas and resources across the world using new technologies that allow us to transcend physical limitations. I think it is also about trying new things and taking risks. Its also about connections, partnerships, trust and inclusiveness.
Most of all I think it is about the excitement of sharing ideas and passions.

#15 Library 2.0 and the future of libraries

2007-09-02T11:05:00.000+10:00

I had a look at the world catalog. It is a quite ambitious undertaking and I can see it is in its teething stages.I see that the National Library of Australia is working as part of this iniative (http://www.oclc.org/news/releases/200664.htm). I tried out the search with an item that my son has been looking for "Son of the morning star". On the world cat is was unable to find the item at Bendigo Library or Oakleigh Public library where they do hold a copy. On the National library search they wrongly identified Bayside library as having a copy. This did not come up on the world catalog though. It will be good if Liblink comes on board with it as I find this is much more reliable.
It is great how the Bayside website has links to these other websites so the patrons can look elsewhere for the item.
Try looking for something we don't hold on the world cat search box below. I really don't think it is working for Australia yet- from the searches I have done. But it looks like it has the basic mechanisms set up. You can enter your postcode and it knows where you are. I guess it is because National Library Australia is only just getting on board and even then many libraries in Australia are not on board with Libraries Australia

More thoughts on Technorati

2007-09-02T09:56:00.000+10:00

When I was a public library patron at St Kilda Library(before I started working at a public library and now bring all my books home from work) I used to rely heavily on the shelving trolleys full of recently returned books. I figured they were full of the popular items - so I rarely went past them to the shelved items.
I can see how I can use Technorati a bit like that. At first sight I thought -this is just a bit too much trouble. But when I started looking at popular items I realized it can be a way of finding the cream of the crop- great ideas that other people have searched out for me. People far more obsessive that myself and therefore well suited to this task. I guess that is why so far I am far more interested in finding other peoples tags than I am in tagging my own stuff. Really I view my blog as really a personal exercise rather than something I am putting out there for the benefit of others.

#14 Technorati

2007-09-02T09:29:00.000+10:00

The trick with all of this is playing around til you discover something that tickles your fancy.I discovered this in Popular items in Technorati.http://www.profilepitstop.com/myspace_graphics/category/Funny+Myspace+Pictures
I am having trouble inserting links as you can see. I go to insert link.But I end up with just the address- not a direct link. If anyone can suggest what I am doing wrong I would be grateful.

#12. Rollyo

2007-09-01T18:38:00.000+10:00

#12
This tool did not immediately appeal to me. On reflection though I can see that it could be a time saver when preparing storytime activities. Although I got the basics of how you set it up and add it to your blog, I need to spend more time working out the useful sites I would like to include on it for the search.
My rollyo for finding storytime activities is on the sidebar- if you want to check it out.

2007-08-28T14:35:00.000+10:00

I was impressed with Librarythings ability to find a 20 year old "Explore Australia" that I had bought at the op shop. I even got a cover image!
I tried to think of an application I might find useful- so I thought I might try to do a list of new talking books at Bayside. When I put the ISBN in my searches did not finding anything. I thought maybe I would try another type of item - so I tried the same thing with new board books at Sandringham. That did not work either using the ISBN . However when I used the title and author I was sucsessful and I got great cover images too.
I thinking it would be a great way to showcase new items.

Web 2.0 awards

2007-08-21T21:04:00.000+10:00

#19 Last night I had a look at some of these award winning sites. I was thrilled tonight when I had a chance to use one of them when a patron asked us how he might be able to buy book that we held but that we couldn't seem to find in Global Books in Print. I remembered one of the award winner- Biblio to..."Search for out-of-print books from independent booksellers and buy them through Biblio's user-friendly site." It took about 2 minutes to locate the book he wanted online and also give him contact information for the shop that had it locally.
When I can find a practical use for some of these applications I really do feel impressed! I also felt a sense of trust in the safety of a site that had been recomended in this way. I was also able to point out to the patron that although I couldn't personally vouch for the reliability of the site - I could give him information about the shop so that he could follow through with it by phone.
http:// www.biblio.com

RSS feeds

2007-08-19T16:25:00.000+10:00

I think my biggest use for this would be to let me know about new comments on my blog or my Flickr posting. I have subscribed before to newsfeeds from sites I have an interest in such as the Librarians Internet Index. It just becomes something that is still a chore to look at. Equally I don't think I would find time to check my bloglines account.

#8,9

Flickr mash ups

2007-08-19T13:22:00.000+10:00

2007-08-19T12:03:00.000+10:00

Working at Wyndham Library Service- I am involved with a working group to develop an improved website for the library. We are using Google docs to allow everyone to add ideas and comments to a spreadsheet. The great thing about this for me is it allows me to work on this from home. Often this kind of work is hard to fit into my time at work as I am part time.
Like Delicious- the online spreadsheets idea did not really excite me until I had the opportunity to use it in a practical way.
#18

Delicious

2007-08-19T11:49:00.000+10:00

After returning from the inspirational talk from Helene Blowers at the SLV I was very charged up to have a look at some of the ways other libraries are using the Learning 2.0 applications.

At this point I could see the value in Delicious which is a site that helps you manage and keep track of all your great discoveries.
#13

IMAGE0037

2007-08-19T09:33:00.001+10:00

IMAGE0037
Originally uploaded by lorriesbookmark

The reason I haven't gotten too much further with the 23 things is that I got so excited about Flickr. I scanned 388 of my old family photos and uploaded on to the site. I gave my relatives in America the web address and have received some comments that have allowed me to add additional information. Most of the photos still need me to go back and add information and I am planning to do that. This is a photo of my fathers 7th birthday party. My mother and her twin sister are seated in the foreground. My father is standing in the centre with a toy gun in his hands.

Keeping up with posts on my Flickr page

2007-08-05T13:56:00.000+10:00

http://api.flickr.com/services/feeds/activity.gne?user_id=7775207@N08&lang=en-us&format=rss_200

I have put my old family photos on a flickr page and have invited comment and content from my relatives overseas. I can use this link for checking for new comments.
#8

Lap tops

2007-04-12T09:55:00.001+10:00

I am a bit tempted to go out and buy a lap top. If anyone has any suggestions for specifications I should consider in buying a lap top please let me know.

Word for the day

2007-04-09T19:58:00.001+10:00

http://www.bloglines.com/myblogs_display?sub=49024257&site=2429

Blogglines Cool tools

2007-04-09T19:52:00.000+10:00

http://www.bloglines.com/myblogs_display?sub=49024256&site=28834

Lifelong learning

2007-04-09T19:04:00.000+10:00

#1 & #2
I skipped steps 1& 2 in getting started with this because I didn't have access to headphones or speakers during the times I initially tried to sneak this into my schedule.
It was very interesting to go back to the points made in the tutorial about developing habits which will contribute to my sucess with this.
Goals- I think my primary goal is to increase my confidence, competence and sense of acheivement and mastery. Really that goal is not just specific to new technologies- but with all these tools and aids at my disposal this is a wonderfull opportunity to move toward my goal
Obstacles-Time, priorities and computer access.
Toolbox- Draw up a schedule for myself. Mondays , Tuesdays are ideal times for me to overcome my obstacles.
Resources-The online input I am getting from comments posted on my Blog have been a big support. Although I am often not at my workplace (as a casual) this input makes me feel that I am part of a community of learners and I have gotten a lot of helpful input by comments to my blog as well as checking out other peoples blogs to see what has excited them or caused them to struggle.
Path to goal- My path has not always been a to z. I have jumped around a bit and I was encouraged to see some others did the same. I think sometimes I jump to something that looks appealing or easy- but as my confidence improves I am more likely to revisit steps that were not initially easy. Likewise I sometimes have a play with something before I check out the instructions. But I think the more exposure I get the better- and playing around with it is part of that. You tend to stumble upon useful things as you go. ( For instance I just noticed the spell check I can access from the edit post function. I didn't see that before).
Checking in- I'm not sure what kind of a pace I need to set for myself yet- so I guess I will come back to this in a week or two. I have gotten alot done in this long week-end though. It has made me feel quite enthusiastic about the whole thing. I am quite keen to share my enthusiasm with family members.

Motivator-image generator

2007-04-09T08:35:00.001+10:00

I am so excited about this tool. I could see myself getting alot of use from it for developing promotional material for the childrens and youth area .
http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/motivator.php#
#10

Jethro making splashie

2007-04-08T21:57:00.001+10:00

Jethro making splashie
Originally uploaded by neat_no_ice.

I used to bond with my local community at the primary school drop off. These days I meet the other dog owners at the local park or the beach.

St Kilda

2007-04-08T21:43:00.001+10:00

# 5

St Kilda
Originally uploaded by s_d_anthony.

The beach is always so clean and quiet in the morning. It is amazing how many working people you see out on a regular basis in the mornings.

St. Kilda, Australia

2007-04-08T21:32:00.001+10:00

St. Kilda, Australia
Originally uploaded by KLSnyc805.

My morning walk- if I am being good.

Flickr

2007-04-08T21:30:00.001+10:00

#5 This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Cyberspace clutter

2007-04-08T20:14:00.000+10:00

#3, #4 After giving up on ever getting back on to this blog- suddenly I am back on it. I dont know what I did right. I actually went to start a new blog and I now see I have created 3 blogs. Cyberspace must be jammed with rubbish- and I am doing my bit to clutter it up.