Monday, May 25, 2009

Wiki war

Me again - at least if I keep launching blogs I wont forget how to do it. Use it or lose it as they say.

Spent this afternoon looking at Wikis....mmmm...had really only used Wikipedia prior to this afternoons License to Test Drive session. Being a librarian I actually quite like it - using the links to other references and bibliographies which can be wonderful starting points for ongoing research. Yeah, yeah, I know that any Tom, Dick and Harry can get in and add data, but where on earth has common sense gone? Seems like teachers and other educators aren't supporters of Wikipedia, at least judging by the comments from student clients on AskNow. I live in hope that over time educators will be able to work with us to teach students to be more discerning, rather than putting a blanket ban on access.

As for the homework request - check out 3 sites. Well I did that and the results are in. Mint Museum - great data - but am still trying to work out whether I accessed their website or their wiki. If if wasn't their wiki I am still looking for it! Note to self though, go back and look at some of their educational programs. Wookieepedia - fun if you like big furry people. As for Book Lovers Wiki - I got all excited until I saw it was last updated in 2006. Lesson to be learnt there I think....bye for now!

Youth of today

Had to laugh today during a discussion with a Year 7 student. When asked what his favourite library item from discussions in the "Up Close and Personal" session was - he responded "Diaries and Journals....today we would SMS!" Needless to say it made for a very interesting discussion!

Monday, May 18, 2009

Trial by error!

Due to other commitments - client service to be precise - I missed our Lesson 3 hand holding session. You know what that means don't you. I will be undertaking the battle of the Wikis alone and unaided. Be afraid....be very afraid.

On another note, am going to add some details to my profile - and have just seen that "my blog photos have their own presence on Picasa. Note to self. Check it out another time. Over and out!

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

A monster is created.

Well it's official - this non "flickr" user has been bitten by the bug. I have to say I am pleasantly surprised by the quality of the images availabe on the site, and being a librarian, love the ability to tag. When was the lesson on signing on to and using Flickr? Will look forward to that one....or maybe that's the whole idea??? We go in and sign on for ourselves. Mmm, will have a think about it. Might even dust off the camera and find the cable for it. Smiles.

Oops - she did it again.

Well, now that I know I was meant to "blog" about issues related to the Test Drive Project I will refocus and see how I go.

So, the bit about Nathan stands - it is always easier having a human talk you through issues, and with this in mind we are now having a support session weekly within our team to talk through issues and encourage us to complete tasks within the project.

So, how did I find opening a gmail account, selecting names and pass words - or should I say selecting names and pass words that were not already in use? Well, quite frankly, it was long, non intuitive and frustrating. That said, I can see that for some things producing and understanding blogs would be beneficial. So, for a techno dummy like me it is worth perservering. Lets face it I need all the help I can get. This is the girl whose home is still a technology free zone - except for the mobile phone - and no, I don't use all its features! The dog chewed up all of the remote control units, so you can probably work out the rest.

The suggested sideline elements to visit, and suggestions for search terms were great - and contrary to some comments I actually like some of the side line tracks you can take, and yes still find these useful learning tools, but agree that keeping an eye on time dedicated to the project is worthwhile. Serendipity can be a great thing.

As far as learning a new skill I need a few how to's or step by step directions to get going. Based on that I found downloading an image challenging. Have to say I find the instructions a little lacking - searched for ages for how to insert images. Nathan pointed to the icon needed in a nano second. Yep - I blinked and missed it. Anyway finally got my head around it - hence the beautiful mosaic cat image. No I didn't have any library shots to hand. I have lost the cable that connects my digital camera to the computer, so am limited to other options. I guess once you are comfortable downloading images the commonalities in process are evident. For me, I do these things so rarely that I tend to "forget" in between sessions. That is one of the good things about these project based sessions...means I will keep at it.

Anyway, from a girl who SMS's longhand this was never goingto be short - so thanks for hanging in there. Assuming someone out in the eather reads this.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Billy the Cat!


This is Billy - he now lives in New Zealand, but I thought he was a good example of where my mosaic work has been heading lately. The first work in the cat profile series was quite simple as it actually developed from a basic concept design proposed by my nephew Samson. Four cats later and the glass tesserae are being colour matched to produce a life like rendition of "real" cats, complete with copper wire whiskers. Earlier versions were more stylised and didn't have quite the same character....anyone for fish! Photo taken by my friends in IPU.

Biting the bullet!

Well, it's official. I have "signed on" for the License to Test Drive Project - thanks to the encouragement of Nathan who decided to hold our hands and get us up and running. Whew!

Whilst I am sure that I could talk under water, using the written word is another thing entirely. Time will tell - is it guff or is it good? Then again, maybe some people like guff. For me the visual image has always spoken louder than text so all going well, and following Lesson 2, I may inundate my blog with images. So, here goes with the new blog - stay tuned.