Week 11: Twitter

I have looked at Twitter several times in the past and haven't signed up yet. It's really a time thing. I had a look at the various CPL tweets, and see it as a great way to quickly advertise events, or promote services. I also found another user from CPL just called CalgaryLibrary. It is fun to follow, as this tweeter (3rd floor perhaps?) tells us about programs happening at Central, and recommends titles. I guess the trick is to reach the people who you want to promote to. Having links to these Twitter accounts on the website makes sense, like in our TeenZone. I think we'll see more and more of this quick information sharing....great way to reach the 'connected generation'.

Week 10: Library Thing

Love Library Thing! Perfect place for people who love reading. I first did find it a bit difficult to manoeuver around in, since I didn't have my own book lists added. I looked at recommendations, and particularly liked it as a What To Read Next-type tool. I searched a title I liked, and was given lots of choices for similar books. I was pleased to see I had read most of them. I can see getting quite hooked on this spot!

Week 9: Online productivity

I played around with Google calendar, and found it to be really useful. Will it replace Outlook, or other software? Well, probably not. If a person only had a stationary computer at home, so didn't have the mobility of a laptop or Blackberry to take along, I can see this being fantastic. Wherever that person travelled, they could access a public computer, access the Internet, and see their calendar, update it, etc. The reality seems to be that we are so connected with our own mobile devices that we do have access to our calendar, our email, our documents from anywhere. I like the fact that it can be sync'd with Outlook.

Good to know this exists....I played abit with Google documents too. I had never used it before!

Week 8: Flickr and Youtube

Using Flickr was knew for me, so I was happy to explore it. I had a look at various communities, places and popular tags. The Take a Tour was very easy to follow and gave lots of info. I have found that throughout most of these 2.0 intro's...once you get into the site, they are quite user friendly. I can see this would be fantastic for sharing family/ friend photos for those far away.

I am familiar with Youtube. I use it often to see and hear a band or musician I am interested in, and have found all sorts of interesting hits. I use it also to hear the tune of songs we use in Library programming. Of course, once in a while you come across something hilarious...one of my favorites is called Hotel Survival; shows a guy making a full cooked meal in a swanky hotel, using the iron, hairdryer, little kettle, etc. Wonderful!

Week 7: RSS

Signing up for a Bloglines account was easy and straightforward. I picked some threads of interest, and got quite a few sites and blogs to follow. I do like this, but will have to play with it some more. My one concern is the time it takes to read through the various posts. Like Facebook, I can see this could turning into quite a time-taker.

Week 6: Google Universe

Well...there are certainly tons of Google products! I really wanted to have another look at Google Earth, but I needed Administrative permission to download it to my computer here at the Library, so I couldn't play with it. Google mail is awesome, and I have been using it as my personal account for sometime. I would recommend it....easily accessible and can store tons of info. I had a look at Google books too. They have established an agreement regarding copyright, so to read most of the 7 million titles they have, you need to pay. (which makes sense)

Onward in my 2.0 journey!

Week 4: Facebook: CPL 2.0

Well, I've had a Facebook account for a year or two. I don't log into it daily, but it is fun to see what people I know are up to. I started the account because I have 2 daughters who use it, and are in their early 20's. It is a fun way to communicate, share links, and see what they're up to. We were just talking about this the other day, and agree it is fantastic for long-distance friends and relatives to see each other's new photos, acitivities, etc.

Week 3: Wikipedia CPL 2.0

Wikipedia is one of the 2.0 products I am quite familiar with. I was surprised to see how easy it was to edit...a good reminder to check articles carefully for content. I made a small change on the 'Community Garden' page, adding the fact that Community Associations also organize and spearhead community gardening.

Week Two CPL 2.0 Delicious

This was my first time on delicious, so I had fun exploring. I started on the site itself, beofre going into Best Websites. After playing around a bit, I ended up in the 'food' area...no surprise, since it's late afternoon and I'm thinking of my stomach!

I can see that there are advantages to using this....it saves one from searching endlessly through the Internet looking for a particular subject. Useful as well, that it can be accessed from anywhere. In terms of Best Web sites, I did find some good useful tips from other CPL bloggers....folks who use it more than I do on a regular basis.

Time for more exploring!

What do you hope to learn from CPL 2.0?

This is my reflection for Week One. It's a fact that technology always changes. As it does, it effects the way we communicate. I want to stay current so I am part of that communication. There are some aspects of 2.0 I am familiar with. In terms of this week's exercise, I have never created a blog before, although I have read and commented on them in the past. It was easier than I expected!

Welcome to the Growing Readers blog

Hi! If you are reading this, you must be interested in encouraging young children to acquire skills that will help them when they learn to read. This is certainly my interest, and I will be including tips and ideas that parents and caregivers can use with their children right from birth.

Did you know that by the age of three, a child's brain is twice as active as an adult's brain? The things children experience in the first few years affects how their brain is 'wired'.

It might sound overwhelming, but the most important thing a parents can do is establish and warm reponsive relationship with their baby; one that includes holding, touching, talking and playing.