Photo from Polly

My personally select top ten from the links I shared on Twitter 10/29/2010 through 11/4/2010. The best of the best and/or the most important stuff I tweeted last week.

1. Great post! RT @ValentineLuLu: Blogged: The enthusiasm gap and transliteracy #intlib10 I met Jamie at Internet Librarian, I really wish we’d had more time to talk, I’m impressed with her work. Jamie has some good suggestions for bridging the enthusiasm gap  and I love her approach – focus on the people, the need, not the tools

When discussing and marketing tech training stop talking about the tools and start talking about the benefits. Don’t say “Learn to use Facebook” try “Tips and tools for keeping in touch with distant loved ones” and show them facebook, skype, IM, etc. Teach to the needs of our community members by letting tech play the role in was intended for: a tool”

2. The Social Physical Library: fostering connections & giving patrons a reason to come inside When Emily Lloyd isn’t drawing witty cartoon’s she’s writing thoughtful blog posts like this one. Seriously awesome idea, wish I had a prize to offer the first library that implements it,and shares how with the rest of us

One way libraries strive to build community is by offering programs–lectures, YouTube viewing nights, open mic poetry readings. Folks come together and hang out with their neighbors with similar interests (if only passively, while  listening to a lecture in the same room together). The thing with events, though, is that people have to a)hear about them, usually in advance b)remember to come to them (if they’re still in the mood), etc. They also c)usually require a significant amount of planning on the part of library staff, and perhaps even some money.

What if (in addition to these events) there were neat, social, community-building opportunities for patrons to engage in whenever they happened to step foot in the library? That didn’t require planning on the library’s part, or remembering on the patrons’ part? That were targeted to their own individual interests? That fostered connections between them and their neighbors? That made stopping by the library just to see what’s up in the building worthwhile, as opposed to only using the digital branch? That helped people to learn and to better use our resources and our spaces?

Here’s what I’m thinking: a living, updated-in-real-time site (somewhat like Twitter or Foursquare in the way it works–and it would need IM capabilities built-in), ideally displayed prominently on a large screen in the lobby/entrance, but workable even if it was just on the web via a link on the library’s home page (that automatically loads when you use the library computers, and that wireless users can choose to load).

3. Thoughtful piece looking at future and emergent technologies and their implications for learning and teaching

Rather than focus on technology alone, it is more useful to examine the possible social effects of technologies – the socio-technical trends.

4. great guide to understanding #broadband What is Broadband? A brief and informative breakdown of broadband and the benefits.

5. If you only read one blog post today make it this one RT @theREALwikiman: The Echo Chamber Live #echolib I have been following Ned’s thoughts on the Echo Chamber since he first began blogging and tweeting about it (#echolib) and I’ve really taken it to heart. I have made a concerted effort to connect with non-library related folk on Twitter and read blogs by people outside of libraryland. Lately I’ve noticed more and more librarians discussing the echo chamber and looking to get outside of their bubble.  You should also check out this post Escaping the Echo Chamber – presentation

6. HOW TO: Build Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn I think this is more for me than everyone else. I’m on Linkedin, my profile is complete, I have connections, heck I even have recommendations, but I still feel like I’m not using it to its full potential.

7. AWESOME! RT @theREALwikiman: Sweet LORD, I shouldn’t be as excited by this icon-finder site as I am via @PhilBradley I have to agree with Ned, the site is awesome and my excitement might be a little over the top. Really check it out.

8. Staff Development on a Budget My post over at ALA Learning, I share some great, FREE resources for staff development.

9. Writer, technologist, futurist (and father) Cory Doctorow shares his own concerns about child safety and the Internet - Doctorow shares how he incorporates a computer screen into time with his daughter, a must read.

10. read it. then read it again. even if you aren’t “famous” How to be “famous” (wink wink, nudge nudge) I came across this old post by Karen Schneider through the magic of Twitter and the Internet last week. There is some really good advice in there.  Everyone should read this, thanks to the Internet everyone will be famous to 15 people. Similar Posts:

• Top Ten Links Week 5
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This post has been rolling around in my head for a while and after reading Stephen Abram’s response to  Emily Lloyd’s strip about 23 Things I’m putting fingers to keyboard to get it out.

My reaction to Emily’s post is different from Stephen’s. What I see is how important it is to keep learning.  23 Things was, and still is, great. But let’s not forget lesson 2 was on life long learning. The purpose of 23 Things was to get your feet wet, a place to start, test the water, so you could jump in and swim, not continue to sit on the dock.

We have this idea that once we’ve memorized all the dates, learned the facts and pass the test we are done.  I think it starts in school. You learn something, you take a test, write an essay and check! you’re done learning about that on to the next thing. There is no focus on ongoing learning.  I talk about this when I talk about transliteracy, you are no longer done learning. You can not learn Flickr, or Twitter or how to use your current phone and declare yourself transliterate, it is a journey, a process. There is no end.

Which brings me to my rant (I have a birthday coming up I suspect I’m becoming old and cranky).

I hear over and over from people – I don’t have time to learn all those new things, how do you keep up with everything, I don’t have time for that.  Guess what? You do. Turn off the tv, put down the gossip magazine, quit watching cute cat videos on YouTube and start learning.  You do have time, you are just choosing to spend it doing something else. When you say you don’t have time what you are saying is that it is not a priority. That’s fine, we all have different priorities. But stop telling me you don’t have time, you do.

Stop complaining that no one gives you time to learn these new fangled things like Twitter at work.  Why should they? (yes I can think of numerous reasons why they should) But if they aren’t or wont, take some initiative! Continual learning makes you a better person, a better employee and a more informed citizen. Stop waiting for someone to hold your hand and show you the way.  Figure out how to use an iTouch on your own, hear about a new site or online service on the news or from a friend? Check it out! You’re smart, you have common sense, you don’t need me there telling you not to post your home address or publish those pictures of you from that vacation you took at the nude beach. Really. You can do it!Similar Posts:

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CC image used courtesy of holeymoon on flickr

My personally selected top 10 from the links I shared on Twitter from 1/29/2010 thru 2/4/2010

1. about dismantling the echo-chamber… more on the echo chamber
2. Content Creators & Consumers (& the iPad) – an interesting post on who the audience of the iPad is. I know its not me, but I’ve had conversations with enough people who are just waiting to get one that I know there is an audience no matter what the techies feel its lacking.
3. Facebook Is Working On A Foursquare-Killer
4. Why Smart People Don’t Learn from Failures – its ok to fail, just be sure you learn something from it.
5. President’s budget freezes library funding, omits school libraries from education increase if you haven’t heard or read about this you need to and read Buffy Hamilton’s response An Indecent Proposal
6. Don’t feed the trolls, unless you’re feeding them tranquilizers – great article on how to handle blog comments, including how to handle trolls
7. 10 Steps to Promote Learning in Your Conference Presentation
8. Information and services should be equal
9. But, I Like My Loser Friends! great post from Mary Schmidt at Lip-Sticking in response to The Most Important Success Tip:Stop Lying Down with Dogs, Already from Copyblogger
10. ALA Learning -5 Tips for Trainers to Prevent TechFail

Similar Posts:

• Top Ten Links – Week 3
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The fabulous Gretchen Caserotti and staff in the Childrens Department at the Darien Libray are kicking off a learning 2.0 class for parents. From the website:

You are raising kids in a digital world. Facebook, Twitter and a growing number of websites and social tools are becoming increasingly important in most aspects of our 21^st Century world. Information Literacy is crucial to your children’s success in school and technology is now completely integrated into your child’s life. Today’s students want web 2.0 tools to be a part of their learning lives because these are the tools that enable them to connect, collaborate, create and engage in learning that is relevant, contextual and experiential.

Why should they have all the fun? Join us through 12 weeks of learning through engagement in online technology in 21 simple activities that you can do on your own time, at your own pace. This program is designed to help you learn about, and how to use, web 2.0 technologies so that you may better support, guide and parent your digital native kids safely and confidently through both the perils and the possibilities that this brave new digital world offers.

Kids don’t just learn in school. You are your children’s first and forever teachers.

So, join in the fun – come play and learn with us!

The official kick-off party is February 2nd and the program runs 12 weeks. I can’t wait to see the lessons and hear how it turns out!Similar Posts:

• 23 Things Online Summit
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Last week I read this post on Seth Godin’s blog and loved it. I tweeted it hoping other people would pick it up. After reading Stephen Abrams post – What is Cloud Computing where he states

I’ve given a few talks lately and I was surprised to get a few questions about “what is cloud computing?” I guess I really do live in the bubble. Then again I have had my share of what is YouTube? eBay? iTunes? questions lately too.

I decided to devote a blog post to Eternal September, its the idea that every fall new freshmen show up and you need to teach them the ropes, rules, guidelines, etiquette all over again.  New people show up on the internet everyday.  People who don’t understand how blogs work or what Twitter is or why they would use an aggregator & RSS.  It can be easy when talking amongst your cohorts to get caught in a bubble, when most of the people you interact with know what the cloud is and use Twitter everyday (or almost every day) you can forget that the majority of people don’t.  If you’re like me, you like (or even love) the web and all the awesome things it can do.  You probably want other people to do them too.  It can be easy to forget how much you’ve learned, how far you’ve come and how much you know that others don’t.  What you take for granted can be amazing, intimidating, daunting, foreign or just plain scary to new people.  When you’re talking about the web, stop and explain The Cloud or Twitter, even if you think everyone already knows what it is and how to use it.  People often feel dumb for asking.  Do it with patience and understanding.  Don’t just say how awesome it is, explain it in terms that matter to them, how they can use it, how it will save them time, how it will make their life better.

If you’re a leader or an expert or a presenter or even just a blogger you need to be prepared to teach the freshmen.   They are looking to you for explanations and guidance.  After all you are a senior. Similar Posts:

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The first Online Picture Sharing class was last week and the second is this week, we only have 15 laptops for the patrons to use so we have to have multiple sessions.  I choose to focus on Flickr vs one of the many other online picture sharing sites inpart because MRRL has a Flickr account and because of the Social aspects of Flickr. 

I’ve started working on the next set of classes, one of them being Online Safety, this is a hard one for me because it’s important to me to teach people to be safe without making them feel like the internet is full of dangers.   Any suggestions?Similar Posts:

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Meredith Farkas led off this two part session with great information about her Five Weeks to a Social Library program. This was the first, free, grass roots, completely online program designed to teach Librarians about social software. It was almost completely done with open source, free software tools such as Drupal, Mediawiki and BlipTV. Her tips to help you (and me) steal this idea:

• tools can not be a barrier
• be flexible
• provide ways for people to have many different conversations
• perpetual beta

Helene Blowers presented the second half of the session.  I’d talked to her the day before, but it was just wonderful to hear her speak.  I’ve been following her for over a year and coping her Learning 2.0 program is what led to my new positions and fancy title

Most importantly dont worry about being an expert, we need to think of ourselves as players.  It’s great to hear someone like her say this!

To become a knowledge player:

• Take 15 mins a day
• Read 5 blogs a day
• create a play box – use del.icio.us
• give yourself and other permission to play

Become a discovery guide:

• its about learning, not training
• removed the classroom
• remember exposure is the first step towards learning
• learners have as much right to share as guides
• focus on fun

You can see her slides here.Similar Posts:

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