Friday, October 31, 2008

Thing 4: Wikis (Week of 12/15)

This week's topic is wikis.

A wiki is a website that multiple people can edit easily. It's great for working together on documents, projects, and so on. For a simple explanation, see this video, Wikis in Plain English: http://www.commoncraft.com/video-wikis-plain-english.



Where did the word "wiki" come from? According to Wikipedia, Ward Cunningham created the first wiki in 1995. His "WikiWikiWeb" lets software developers create a library of "software patterns." The name "Wiki" was inspired by the Hawaiian word wiki or wiki-wiki, which means "quick" and is often used as a term for taxis and airport shuttles.


The most well-known example of a wiki is in fact the Wikipedia. It's an online version of an encyclopedia, where anyone (and everyone) can post and edit information. There's a great explanation of wikis in general and Wikipedia in specific at http://computer.howstuffworks.com/wiki.htm.

Sample Wikis in the Library Field
Libraries have started to use wikis for all sorts of topics. Here are a few examples you might want to check out.

http://www.libsuccess.org/ (Best Practices in Libraries)
http://wikis.ala.org/readwriteconnect/index.php/ALA_wikis
http://www.publicpbwikis.com/Library/Public_Library/ (Public Library wikis)

This Week's TechPlay Exercise
  1. Take a look at some of the wikis listed above.

  2. Try your hand at posting to a wiki. Don't worry, we've already created a sample for you to try. At lgpl.pbwiki.com, we've created a Staff Wiki.

  3. This week, you should receive (if you haven't already) an e-mail from do-not-reply@pbwiki.com, called "Invitation to Join lgpl." Click on the link to join.

  4. Set up your account by creating a name and a password.

  5. On the next screen, click on lgpl.pbwiki.com.

  6. You are now at the Front Page of our wiki. We've created two pages for you to edit, one on staff resources, and one for nametags. Click on each link to get to the page and read the instructions. You can edit each page and add your own information by clicking the "Edit" tab at the top.

  7. Post a message to your blog about this week's exercise. Did you like wikis better than Google Docs for collaborating with others?

Challenge:
Want a challenge? Try creating your own wiki. We used PBWiki, a really simple, free wiki tool. At http://pbwiki.com, you can click on the green button to create a wiki. You have already created an account, and PBWiki will walk you through the process of choosing a name, color scheme, and so on.

Thing 3. Online Applications (Week of 12/8)

This week's topic is online applications.

An online application is a software program that is accessible over a network such as the Internet. The program is not saved on the user's computer, but it is remotely saved. The best example is email. If you use gmail, Yahoo!, AOL, or Hotmail, you're using an online application. You can access it from any computer without using any email program. Ever play
Sudoku online? Ever browsed, bid, or bought something from eBay? You've used an online application.

You can check out a huge list of online applications at
The Unofficial Web Applications List. Google Docs is an incredible online application that allows users to create documents (similar to Microsoft Word), spreadsheets (similar to Microsoft Excel), presentations (similar Microsoft PowerPoint), and forms (templates). It is free and all you need is a Google account. This online application allows you to share whatever you create with anyone you choose. And the best part is that multiple people can be editing a document at the same time and see the changes being made. Watch this video, Google Docs in Plain English, for a more specific explanation.












This can be a great tool for working on a Christmas letter with someone else. Maybe you want to include messages from your children or grandchildren in the letter. Share the document with them and they can go in and add to the letter.


For this week's TechPlay exercise:

  1. Go to: http://docs.google.com and login using the Google account you created during Thing 1.
  2. Click "New" and then click "Document".
  3. Type a quick message like "I love technology!"
  4. Click "Save" (it's on the top right).
  5. Click "Share" (also on the top right), then click "Share with others".
  6. In the white box under "Invite People", type sieversb@lagrangelibrary.org. You're inviting Brooke Sievers to view your document. . . you can also write lots of nice things about Technical Services.
  7. Click "Invite Collaborators"
  8. A box will pop up where you have the option to send a message along with the invitation. You can use this box to send your name so we'll know who it's from.
  9. Click "Send" Now the recipient of the invitation has access to the document. As the creator, you have the power to end anyone's ability to view or edit documents. The recipient can only view and edit the document you invited them to so they'll never be able to see other ones you wish to keep private.
  10. Don't forget to post a message to your blog about this week's experiences! Will you use this tool in your personal life?

Challenge: Find a friend at the library who is also working on GoogleDocs. Invite them to view the document you created in this exercise. Both of you sign into your Google accounts and edit the same document at the same time.

Thing 2: RSS Feeds (Week of 11/24)

This week's topic is RSS Feeds.

Last week, we looked at blogs. Maybe you found some blogs that you'd like to read on a regular basis. But the problem is, how do you know when that blog has been updated? Do you have to go to all your favorite blogs every day to see if there is a new post?

Enter RSS. It technically stands for Really Simple Syndication, but some people find it easier to think of it as Really Simple Subscription. Sometimes known as an RSS Feed, RSS is a way for you to subscribe to your favorite blogs, and be notified when they are updated. Rather than notifying you by e-mail, instead you log in to something called an RSS Reader or Feed Reader. An RSS Reade
r will check all your blogs and let you know how many new posts are available since you last checked. You can then read them right there in the RSS Reader, or go to the blogs. Examples of RSS Readers include Bloglines, My Yahoo, and Google Reader.

To view a simple explanation of RSS, view the video RSS in Plain English:



The great thing is, RSS doesn't just apply to blogs. Many websites allow you to subscribe to their RSS feed, to be notified when the webpage is updated. Online calendars will also let you subscribe, to be notified when a new event is added to the calendar.

Wondering if a site has an RSS feed? You can usually tell by looking toward the bottom of the page (or along a sidebar) for an icon like this
or like this .

Sample RSS Feeds Lots of online newspapers offer RSS Feeds. The New York Times has a wide range of RSS feeds; you can see them all at http://www.nytimes.com/services/xml/rss/.
Locally, you can get RSS feeds for The Doings (http://www.pioneerlocal.com/hinsdale/rss/) or Suburban Life (http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/lagrange/feeds). Two local bloggers blog about La Grange events. Thom Rae has a blog called LaGrange Today (http://everythinglagrange.typepad.com/). OnLaGrange.com is a new "online newspaper" with a number of blogs on news, sports, and more. (http://onlagrange.com/index.php?mod=blogs).

Libraries Using RSS
Lansing Public Library has an RSS Feed of upcoming events: http://engagedpatrons.org/Events.cfm?SiteID=9548. Brookfield Public Library has an RSS Feed of news: http://www.brookfieldpubliclibrary.info/news.

And here at LGPL, Noel Zethmayr's blog, Teenscape LaGrange, has an RSS feed:
http://www.lagrangeblogs.com/teenscape/. With our recent upgrade of our eVanced Calendar software, patrons can even subscribe to an RSS feed of our events and programs (http://events.lagrangelibrary.org/evanced/lib/eventcalendar.asp).

This Week's TechPlay Exercise:
Today we'll create a Google Reader account (using the Google Account you set up last week). We'll add some RSS feeds for some blogs to your account.
  1. Open another window or tab and go to Google Reader (http://www.google.com/reader/).
  2. Login using the e-mail address and password you set up last week.
  3. Using the "Add subscription" link about halfway down on the lefthand side, we will add the RSS Feed for this TechPlay blog. Click on "Add subscription."
  4. Go back to this window and click on the Posts link on the top left (you may have to scroll up). Choose "Add to Google." On the next screen, choose "Add to Google Reader."
  5. Great! You did it! Now we'll add some additional blogs to your account. There are two ways to do this:
    • Using the "Add subscription" link, type in some keywords to find some blogs. Choices will appear on the right. Choose one and click on "subscribe." OR
    • If you know of a specific blog you want to subscribe to, open the blog in another window. Find the RSS link to subscribe. When you click on the RSS link, it will open a new page. Copy the URL from the top of your browser, then go back to Google Reader and paste it in the "Add subscription" box.

  6. As a final step, post a message to your own blog (that you created last week) talking about your experiences. Was this easy, or hard?

If you're having trouble, you might want to watch the video above again. And don't forget to ask for help from your TechPlay Team: Brooke, Nancy K, Debbie, Noel, Bridget, and Jeannie.

Thing 1. Blogs and Blogging (Week of 11/17)

This week's topic is blogs.

A blog, short for weblog, is simply a way to post your thoughts, writings, interests, and rants for all the world to see. And read. You can link to other sites on your blog, and add pictures, too. The first part of this lesson will give you a glimpse of what other people have done with their blogs, especially with regard to libraries and books. In the second part of the lesson, you'll set up a Google account, which will allow you to do the third part of the lesson -- create your own blog.

This Week's TechPlay Exercise:

Step 1. Open your browser (the library uses either Firefox or Internet Explorer), and in the address bar, type ricklibrarian.blogspot.com. This is the blog maintained by Rick Roche, the Head of Reference Services at Thomas Ford Memorial Library. As you can see, he has information about himself, including photos. Along the right side of the screen, you can click on "Library news and reviews" to find out more about a variety of subjects, as well as links to other blogs. You can also see his blog entries archived by date. Take a look at some entries, and feel free to post a comment.

Step 2. Now go to bookbitch.com. This site, also devoted to books, is maintained by a circulation clerk at a public library in southern Florida. Click around on the different tabs (at the top of the webpage), such as "win books" and "virgins" (which highlights new authors). As you can see, this site is a rich source of book reviews.

Step 3. Now that you've seen some examples of blogs, it's time to create your own! Start by going to blogger.com. (Google.com owns Blogger.com, so this will be your Google account.) In the upper right-hand corner of the screen, click on the "sign in" button. On the next screen, the lower blue box on the right-hand side says "Don't have a Google Account? Create an account now." Click on this blue box. This takes you to a new page, where you'll set up your account. Fill out each of the boxes:
A. In the first box, enter your library email address (e.g. zethmayrn@lagrangelibrary.org).
B. In the second, re-type your address.
C. I
n the third box, choose a password (this should be a combination of letters and numbers that YOU will remember), and type it in.
D. in the fourth box, type the password again.
E. In the fifth box, choose a display name.
This is your signature for your blog posts.Type it in.
F. In the seventh box, type in the twisty letters you see. This is called "word verification," and it cuts down on spamming by insuring that you are a living human being, not a web-bot. If the letters are too weird and you make a mistake, another twisty word will be shown. Try that one.
G.
Click to agree to the terms of use, then click "continue."

Step 4. Go back to blogger.com. The computer should now recognize you, and you should see your email address in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. If not, in the upper right corner, enter your username (which is your email address) and password. Click "sign in."

Step 5. Name your blog. First you'll be asked to provide a blog title. This is the name of your blog. Next, choose a blog address, and type it in. (You'll probably have to try a couple of addresses before you find a free one.) This is the address people will use to find your blog.

Step 6. Choose a template. Using the scrollwheel on your mouse, or by clicking and dragging the scrollbar on the right side of the screen, scroll down the list of templates and choose your favorite. If you don't like it, you can always change it later. You can see what the template will look like fullscreen by clicking on "preview template." Click in the circle below the template to choose it. Click "continue."

Step 8. Start blogging! Type in a title for your first blog post (like "Books I'm reading now"), then move to the large text box and type your first post. Click on "publish post" at the bottom of the screen to make your posts "go live" on the web.

Step 9. Click on "view blog" at the top of the screen. Now you can see your blog! Congratulations! You will be posting to this blog throughout the course. It is intended to be a place for you to comment on the coursework (courseplay?), as well as a place to share your thoughts in general. Please e-mail the URL (website address) of your blog (it will look like this: http://[your blog name here].blogspot.com/) to us at techplay@lagrangelibrary.org. (We will not share the address with anyone.)

FYI -- What you've just done has scratched the surface of your blog's possibilities. You can do much more with your blog, especially as you learn new tools during this course.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Handy List of the 15 Things

Here's a handy list of the 15 Things. As the Things are posted, we'll add links to this page to make it easier for you to find them.

Introduction to TechPlay

Welcome to TechPlay@La Grange Public Library!

How many times have you heard or read of a new computer term -- like
wiki, podcast, RSS feed, or blog -- and wondered "What is that thing?"

Have you ever listened to a newscast and heard a reference to
YouTube or Twitter and thought -- "I've heard of that, but what is it?"

You are about to embark on a learning journey, one that will not only answer your questions, but will introduce you to some fun -- and free -- new computer tools that you may want to use in your personal lives.

There is no pressure to become an expert, but you will perform some tasks to help you become familiar with these tools.
We've called these tools Things, and have set up a self-paced, 19-week tutorial for you to follow. Each lesson should take approximately 30 minutes, and can be done at work. We encourage sharing and collaboration -- it's not cheating, it's group learning! -- and questions are more than welcomed.

We realize that learning new things can be a daunting prospect (but exhilarating, too!), so we've sweetened the deal: Every staff member who completes the 15 Things will be rewarded with a $5 gift card to a local merchant, and will be entered in a drawing to win a prize worth $50. But the real reward will come from being able to answer your questions, and patrons' questions, about Web 2.0 tools.

So don't be
scared. If you're stuck, or confused, or frustrated, just ask for some help. You can ask any member of the TechPlay Team: Bridget, Brooke, Debbie, Nancy K, Noel, and Jeannie. Or e-mail us at techplay@lagrangelibrary.org. We've been just as stuck, confused, and frustrated while we created the tutorial, so we really understand. And above all...have fun!

We'll begin with our first lesson, blogs!