here’s the link to my blog- lizpafrank@wordpress.com

i just started!!

liza

Nothing interesting to read there yet - I am trying to get up-to-date with this program!

What are the aims of this program?

Expose librarians and library staff to Web 2.0 technologies, which are increasingly being used around the world in all business, education and recreational facets of life!

Encourage exploration of Web 2.0 and new technologies by everyone.

Share our discoveries and findings using Web 2.0 technologies in an open and collaborative way. That way everybody benefits.

Basic Concepts

You will do it, not just read about it! The topics listed here are all interactive and require your participation.

There are ‘23 Things’ (or small activities) that you can do on the Web to explore and expand your knowledge of the Internet and Web 2.0. As Stephen Abrams says, “the basic concept … is that people have known for years that making a list of goals is the best way to achieve them. Why is that? First, getting your goals in writing can help you clarify what you really want to do… Learning is incremental and you can grow a little bit at a time and suddenly realize that you’re competent in something new.” (Abrams, 2006) 1.1

The ‘Learning 2.0? program is an opportunity to work together as a community of learners, over a set period of time. Help each other, encourage each other, learn and accomplish together. We will start with an introductory workshop, and then take a few weeks to work through these 23 topics to become familiar and comfortable with 2.0 technologies and opportunities.

These topics are always available to you online, so use them and explore at times that suit you. During the next few weeks you will be able to read, watch or listen, add your opinions, try out new software, and participate in our ‘community of learners’. Participate, enjoy, have FUN!

What do I have to do today?

1. Log in.
2. Take the Survey.
3. Read this “thing”.

Take this anonymous (one page) Learning 2.0 survey. All collated responses will be available to everyone.

So what are you waiting for, click the button….

That was easy!!!

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Welcome to the ILN Web 2.0 Introductory workshops: 22 & 23 November 2008

Is this an online program or a workshop? Why are we meeting?

1. Review the objectives for the whole “learning 2.0″ program
2. Understand the basic concepts of the ‘learning 2.0″ program
3. Have an opportunity to discuss the program
4. Sign up, log in and say hi to everyone.

These workshops are an opportunity to meet face-to-face, to see what others are doing now, and to understand how this program will work. Web 2.0 is all about participation and involvement - not a one-way transmission of information, so contribute as much as you can!

This workshop is planned as an introduction to a weekly learning program all about Web 2.0 and libraries tailored to our ILN community in the Gulf. The program will be available online to ILN participants, and can be worked through either individually or as a “community of learners” over the following 2-3 months. This conference workshop is really NOT designed to be a stand-alone session after which you will know all about Web 2.0 applications, so perhaps reconsider your registration for these sessions if this is your goal.

Both the workshop and the ongoing program are designed to be practical, interactive, collaborative and fun, where everyone can experiment with the many Web 2.0 applications relevant for libraries, such as blogs, wikis, RSS and newsreaders, podcasts, tagging, social networking and Google Apps.

This Web resource will be used in the ongoing program, will be available 24/7, and will ideally be engaged with by participants in a semi-structured weekly program so that everyone can learn, try out applications in a supportive environment, and contribute to the overall Web 2.0 knowledge of the library community in the region.

For those planning to attend this Web 2.0 workshop, please bring a charged-up wireless laptop if you have one.

Workshop plans

Facilitators for these workshops are Janet Martin, Stephanie Schmitt and Karen Joc. Unfortunately Step is shortly moving back to the US, but Janet and Karen will be available to assist throughout the program.

Everyone in the program should see themselves as facilitators however - each “Thing” is designed to enable posts to be viewed for everyone to respond to and share their knowledge, experiments and experiences.

… to “do” is to understand, but to “teach” is to really get it!

Outline for the Workshops:

1. Introduction to our changing world

2. Introduction to Web 2.0 - Why would Librarians bother to learn this stuff?

PowerPoint from Janet re: Web 2.0 and the need to learn

3. Introduction to Library 2.0 - What is this all about? What are libraries actually doing out there?

PowerPoint from Karen re: Examples of what libraries are doing with Web 2.0

PowerPoint from Step re: Library integration of Web 2.0 into a variety of services

4. Practical exercise: Using RSS as a powerful and simple library tool

5. Let’s get started: Creating blogs (if the IT environment will support this)

6. Talking about our “community of learners” - the plan for the next few months

Outline for the “Community of learners”

1. Weekly plan - programplan1

2. Regional groups and facilitators

3. Philosophies

What do I have to do?

1. Participate in the workshops. Read, listen, watch, click, ask, answer, post and have FUN

2. Engage with the first few sections - “Thing 1″ to “Thing 5″ will give everyone a good background in what we’re talking about, and why we’re talking.

3. Complete the anonymous survey in the “Introduction” thing. The collated responses will be available for everyone.

4. Post a comment at the bottom of this page - what have you learned so far? Are you excited to learn more?

5. Plan to set aside some time each week over the next period in which you will become involved in this “community of ILN learners”.

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What will I learn?

1. Appreciate some of the changes that have happened in the World Wide Web in recent years

2. Appreciate some of the characteristics and preferences of the ‘millennial’ student of today

3. Appreciate the variety and quantity of resources available surrounding these new technologies.

Watch this

Click here to view the embedded video.
Information r/evolution - This is a quick and excellent movie about information and the new world order

and this

Click here to view the embedded video.

A Vision of Students Today - a short video summarizing some of the most important characteristics of students today

Read this

Interesting recent research findings include the Pew Internet research project “Teens and Social Media” (2007) 3.1, which found that:

- 64% of online teenagers ages 12 to 17 engage in at least one type of content creation
- 28% of online teens have blogs
- 41% of teens using social network sites (such as MySpace or Facebook) send messages to friends via those sites every day

and this

In another recent report, the “College students’ preceptions of Libraries and Information Resources” (2005) 3.2 found that:

- 89% of students start an information search with a search engine, and only 4% start with a library web site or database

- 53% of students considered there to be no difference between trustworthiness of information from search engines and from libraries.

So … while research needs to define characteristics of Emirati millennial students, it appears that students use and trust the internet more than ‘traditional’ libraries, and that teenagers are using web 2.0 applications at an increasing rate.

What do I have to do?

1. Search YouTube and Google for, ‘web 2.0‘, ‘millennial students‘, ‘1.0 vs 2.0‘ or any other topical search terms, relating to Learning 2.0.

(Don’t forget Google can search for images, news, video, books, products, patents, groups, scholary papers, blogs and even knols, (A knol is an authoritative article about a specific topic.)

2. When you find something that interests you, Post a Comment below, containing the link and a small description. Then click Submit Comment.

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What will I learn?

1. An understanding of what web 2.0 is all about.
2. What kind of web 2.0 sites are out there.
3. How web 2.0 could help you at work, home or study

Watch this

Click here to view the embedded video.

The machine is us/ing us (4:31) - An excellent overview that is fun to watch

and this

Click here to view the embedded video.

Understanding Web 2.0 (5:18) - Good informative video for beginners

Read this

1. What is 2.0 all about?

A good place to start, of course, is Wikipedia: Web 2.0 basically refers to the use of software applications which enable participation and interactivity by all users of the Web. The different software enable content exchange, collaboration and communication not previously available, in a variety of formats for information delivery (e.g. textual, audio, visual). It is heralded as a ‘harnessing of collective intelligence‘, or the real ‘democratisation of information exchange‘ that was envisaged when the Internet was first developed.

Look at this

Explore this

Which Web 2.0 applications have you heard about?

Look through the Complete Web 2.0 Directory - there are over 2735 Web 2.0 sites listed (with links) and tagged with 400 keywords. These tags can help you search through the many different Web 2.0 applications, such as blogs, games, podcasts, social networking or videos.

OR … Look through the Web 2.0 Awards 2008 site - there are over 200 Web 2.0 sites listed (with links) in 41 Award categories. These categories can assist in seeing the diversity of types of applications, such as blogs, games, podcasts, social networking or videos.

Have fun!

Now, what do I have to do?

Post a comment

After exploring the Web 2.0 directory or the Web 2.0 Awards 2008 site, post a comment below about the web 2.0 sites you explored. This could include:

• The names of sites that looked interesting or boring
• Sites that you would like to try out
• Sites that you use already
• The strangest site you found

To post a comment just enter it below and click Submit Comment

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1. What library 2.0 is all about
2. Explore examples of things that libraries around the world are doing with Web 2.0

Read this

So what is ’Library 2.0’?

The concept of Library 2.0 stems from the Web 2.0 and Business 2.0 movements.

Library 2.0 seeks to connect users with information and activities wherever they may be, it assists in
breaking down the barriers of space, time and outdated policy. Library 2.0 is a user-centered paradigm focusing on understanding, experience, knowledge, and collaboration, in the creation of new content and encouraging the mind.

John Blyberg Blyberg.net provides us a with a simple yet easy to understand definition:

Library 2.0 = (books ‘n stuff + people + radical trust) x participation

If you would like to read further, the LIS Wiki is a great encyclopedia by librarians, for librarians and it has an entry on Library 2.0 which is always being updated and serves as a good primer for those new to the term Library 2.0 and all its various meanings.

Watch this

Click here to view the embedded video.

Building Academic Library 2.0, by Academic Library 2.0 Keynote Speaker, Meredith Farkas
(This video (over 1 hour long) is an excellent overview of how something as ’small’ as tagging capability changes the interest and engagement of your students and our readers.)

Read More

Some General Principles of Library 2.0 include:

• Library collections are enhanced and opened up through personalising interacting services which encourage content creating and editing including, taging, reviewing, commenting, rating, recommending, bookmarking, and sharing by users.
• Libraries provide users with some measure of control.
• Librarians are conversant about many of the information tool favoured by users.

What do I have to do?

1. Follow the following links to check out several library 2.0 examples:

• Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenberg County
  - They use RSS feeds to promote their various programs, and they also have feeds for their various branches. They are also building a Teen Library in Second Life!
• Ann Arbor District Library
  -Their entire site is built using blogging software!
• Denver Public Library Podcasts
  - The DPL has a lot of content in podcast form, from stories to interviews to news. It’s a cool site, but try and find a link to them on their home page!
• Seattle Public Library
  - They are doing a lot with RSS feeds as a way to keep people informed about what’s new at the library. They also have a MySpace Teen Center page

2. Post your comment below - Would your library benefit from any of these examples being implemented? What barriers, if any, can you foresee in your library to implementing similar Web 2.0 applications? Can you suggest ways to overcome any barriers you perceive that you could share?

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1. What is a Blog?
2. Where can I find good blogs?

Watch this

Click here to view the embedded video.
Blogs In Plain English (2:58)

Read more

Let’s start with a quick Wikipedia definition.

Blogs are a type of web site able to be edited by one or more users. They work on a system of ‘posting’ - the input of contributors and organizing this content with categories and tag words. Blogs are easy to create and work with - you are using one now! Excellent language has built up around Blogs, including words such as ‘blogging’, ‘citizen journalists’, ‘trackbacks’ and ‘blogosphere’. (want to know more? read the Wordpress view of, “What is a blog“)

Software for blogging is freely available. The two major free companies providing blogging software and services are Blogger and Wordpress.

Look at this

from What is a Blog? on the Daily Blog Tips

Example of a blog:

Information Literacy Weblog (Example Blog)

Explore this

Top 20 Blogs about Blogging

Weblogs: a History and Perspective, by Rebecca Blood

What do I have to do?

1. Visit the Top 100 blogs and look through the different types
2. Search the Google Blog search for your favorite hobby or interest.
3. Post a link in the comments section (see below) to a blog you have found and enjoyed. Please include a short description about the blog

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What will I learn?

1. Why I need a blog for the Learning 2.0 program?
2. Where do I find blog space?
3. How to create my on blog and become a part of the Learning 2.0 community?

Watch this

Click here to view the embedded video.
Blogger: How to start a blog (1:59)

Read this

Why do I need a blog?

To help organize your activities throughout this Learning 2.0 program, you will create a blog to keep your findings in one place. This is a great example of using a 2.0 technology to build your own personal knowledge base.

Where do I find blog space?

Software for blogging is freely available. The two major companies providing blogging software are Blogger and Wordpress.

Look at this

Starting a blog using Blogger

Starting a Blog using Wordpress

What do I have to do?

1. Choose a home for your blog
   • Wordpress, (recommended)
   • Blogger
2. Go to your chosen blog home and click the ‘Sign up Now‘ or ‘Create your own Blog‘ button
3. Follow the onscreen instructions.
4. TIP: You will have to choose a username and password to create the blog. Think of one which you can use for all your Learning 2.0 registrations. It will be easier to remember.
5. When you have completed your sign up, post the name of and the link to your blog in the comments section below.

(TIP: Wordpress has a great introduction page here)

Glossary for blogging

Posting - Part of the 2.0 way of doing things is that you contribute to the collective knowledge of the group and a simple way of doing that is to blog. Posting to blog is as easy as writing an email and allows you to choose who can read it, from a single friend to the whole world.

Sharing - Opening your thoughts and ideas through a blog can create new and un-expected links to ideas you may not have considered. Why work alone, when you can share, collaborate and build with a community of like minded friends.

Commenting - Creating dialogue and discussion online can be exciting and is a perfect way for those with a quiet voice to be heard equally.

Tagging and Categorizing - Help people discover your content by describing it with Tag words or by putting it into Categories. Why not tag the work of others and help organize the worlds knowldege. (more of this later in Thing 10)

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What will I learn?

1. How do people blog?
2. Understand how to find and organize blogs that may interest you.

Watch and Read this

Technorati has now turned 3 years old, and is a great resource for finding blogs the world over, and for helping you to organize your own blogs. Today, Technorati is tracking about 50 million blogs and is increasingly including other forms of citizen media, including photos and video.
Check out this Technorati page, and watch the video to see how it works.

Read this

Beginning to Blog and Who is Blogging and What are they Blogging about?

There are blogs on every topic under the sun. Blogging is a forum, a method, a tool, a resource. You might teach someone, learn something, or just express yourself by blogging.

Who is blogging?

Your kids, your mom, your teacher, your students. Politicians and preachers. Pundits and prisoners. Why not you?

Technorati maintains a site about the State of the Blogosphere. They have compiled statistics about blogging. Here is a summary of there findings in 2008:

Technorati Blogging Statistics 2008

The principles about blogging, the actual ‘doing’ of it, are simple:

1) Have a blog space.
2) Create posts on any topic you wish
3) Write and update your blog regularly

What are People Blogging About?

How Do You Choose What to Blog About? by Lorelle VanFossen is an interesting article about how people decide what to blog.

Explore this

You may find blogs many ways. The most simple way is to google your subject interest and add the word ‘blog’ to your search.

Technorati has an excellent search facility covering millions of blogsites - Take a look at Technorati and try doing a keyword search for “Learning 2.0” in the Blog Directory.

Google has a Blog Search feature that you can use to find blogs on subjects that interest you.

Blogs themselves are good sources for finding other blogs. Look for the Links section of a blog. Or search the blog for posts about other blogs. How to begin? Start reading!

For Example: The Information Literacy Weblog has a recent page post listing other information literacy related blogs.

Learn about other blogs and blogging for education from the Weblogg-ed site.

What do I have to do?

1. Think of topics that you enjoy in your personal life. These may be related to your work or to you personal life. Examples include cooking, teaching, music, web 2.0 and information literacy.
2. Add a comment to this post about your intentions for blogging. Tell your colleagues what you plan to blog about.
3. Post to your blog a short statement about what your blog is all about.
4. Search Technorati or the Google Blog Search to find blogs about the topics that you are interested in.
5. Post to your blog links to blogs that are related to your own interests.

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