Thing 9: Image Generators

Ever wanted to be on a magazine cover or want to see what you'd look like as a Warhol painting? Need to create your own personalized motivational poster?

Don't know how to use Photoshop, though?

Don't worry--by just uploading a picture and filling in a form, you can create any of the above items and manipulate photos.

Some popular sites for you to play around with are:
FD'S Flickr Toys where you can make a business card, put yourself on a magazine cover, or Warholize yourself.
Dumpr is a site that lets you see what your photos would look like if they were hanging in a museum...and more.
The Generator Blog updates with links to all sorts of generators, including non-image ones.

For this exercise, have fun!

1. Find a few fun image or text generators to play around with.
   
2. Write a post in your blog about one of your favorites and display the result. Often adding the image you mocked up to your blog is as simple as copying and pasting code that the page provides. If not, you may just need to right click on the image and then save it to your hard drive before using Blogger’s image button to add it to your post. If you’re having difficulty getting your image added to a post in your blog, ask a colleague for help.

Thing 8: Mashups

Have fun with mashups and third-party tools. Mashups are applications created by third parties that work in collaboration with sites like Flickr and Google, taking elements of two different concepts and blending them together. The key thing about mashups is that these are customized services, created by the users themselves!

Like many web 2.0 sites, Flickr has encouraged other people to build their own online applications using images found on the site. Through the use of APIs (application programming interfaces), many people have created third party tools and mashups* that use Flickr images.

Here is just a sampling of a few …
Mappr - allows you to take Flickr images and paste them on a map
Flickr Color Pickr - lets you find public photos in Flickr that match a specific color.
Montagr – create a photo mosaic from photos found on Flickr.
Some mashup sites to explore:
Mashup Directory: A listing of mashups on the web.
Mashup Awards: The best mashups on the web.
Delivr: Search for the type of image you want and create a digital postcard to email to friends!
Google Mashup Editor: Lets you create your own Mashup!
To finish Thing #8:
1. Explore some of the fun Flickr mashups and 3rd party tools that are out there.
2. Create a blog post about one that intrigues you.

PS: Learning 2.0 image created by Spell with Flickr.

Thing 7: Exploring Flickr

For Thing #7, we'll be looking at Flickr, an online image and video hosting website. There are many online photo-sharing sites: Snapfish, Picasa, Photobucket to name just a few. Flickr was one of the first websites to use tagging to help identify concepts and subjects. For instance, if you share a picture of your new car and tag it "Shelby", it will be classified with all the other pictures of "Shelbys" on Flickr, allowing users to easily find pictures that interest them.

First, take a good look at Flickr and discover what this site has to offer.
Try out Flickr's Tour, Search, and Explore features.

To complete Thing #7, you have to do two activities (each one has three parts):
1. Learn About Flickr
a) Take a good look around Flickr and discover an interesting image that you want to blog about. What did you search for to find it?
b) Create a blog post about this experience. Be sure to include a link to the image that you want to blog about. Check the Creative Commons license for the photo: many people allow you to use their pictures as long as you give them clear credit!
c) Find out what tags, groups, and interestingness are. A good place to start is the Explore page.

2. Your Own Flickr Account
a) For an easy challenge, create a free account in Flickr.
b) Take some photos in the library where you work that could be used in promotional material, though if there are people in the photos be sure to get signed talent releases! Upload some digital pictures to your Flickr account and tag at least one of the images “Nhulunbuy Community Library” (in quotes) and mark it public.
c) Create a post in your blog about your photo and experience. Be sure to include the image in your post. Once you have a Flickr account, you have two options for doing this: through Flickr's blogging tool or using Blogger's photo upload feature.

Thing 6: Finding More Feeds!

Try finding other RSS feeds that interest you and add them to your Google Reader account.

Check out some of these resources...

• Use the search tool on Google Reader.
• Look for the RSS icon on your favorite websites. If you don't see it, it's possible they use a slightly different version of the symbol. (above)

To complete Things #5 and #6, you must:
Reflect on both exercises in your blog and answer some of the following questions:

• How does RSS affect the way you find information on the Internet?
• Which method of finding feeds do you like the most?
• How can libraries use this?
• What's your favorite feed?
• The weirdest?

Thing 5: RSS Feeds

What exactly does this symbol stand for? It's one of the universal icons for an RSS feed, which is a file that automatically and regularly delivers updates from websites. RSS stands for "Real Simple Syndication" and can help you keep up with your favorite blogs, websites, and news sites by creating a central page where you can check all of the new information in one place. That's pretty convenient, isn't it?

To use the RSS feed, you have to sign up with a type of Reader or Aggregator. With the Google account you set up to create your blog, you can easily access their Google Reader. These links are a great way to find out more about RSS Feeds:

• PaliNet Tutorial, a quick intro to feeds, created by a cooperative of Mid-Atlantic libraries.
• Google Reader Tutorial, by LifeHack.org
• CNet RSS Introduction, video (3:32) explaining what RSS can do for you.

To complete Thing #5:
Set up your own Google Reader account
Add some subscriptions to other Nhulunbuy Library Learning blogs. A list of other Nhulunbuy Library Learners' blogs can be found on this page.

Thing 4: Registering Your Blog

Register your blog by emailing Shirley at shirley.shepherd@nt.gov.au. Registering will allow you to get recognition for documenting your progress and to post anonymously if you so wish. To participate fully, you must create a blog post that reflects your experiences with each exercise. Use each other as resources and to check in on others' progress. And be sure to make some comments! Some guidelines for your blogs:

• Weekly responses to the 23 Things should be substantial and constructive. 125 words is an appropriate length to show your view of each exercise. Tell us what you learned, enjoyed, or didn't like--but please explain your perspectives.
• How you choose to identify yourself on your blog is your choice. You can blog under a screen name, anonymously, or as yourself. However, you will need to email Shirley with your name and blog address.
• Since these blogs will be public, please express yourself in a dignified manner and refrain from any content or language that you would not want family to see.

Thing 3: Create Your Own Blog

Thing #3 is to set up your own blog where you will record your experience with each exercise. There are a few blog applications, but for this exercise we suggest you use Blogger. Follow these steps for getting started:
Create an account (Click here to see an image of this)
Name your blog (Image)
Select a template (Image)
For additional help see Blogger's Tour and Blogger's Help pages.
Once you've set up these items, you'll be taken to Blogger's Dashboard screen. Your blog will be listed along with the option for "New Post." Click on that link and you'll be taken to a screen that allows you to type up and format your post.

The controls are similar to Microsoft's Word or other word processing programs. You can change the font and color, add lists, pictures, and more. Blogger automatically saves your drafts every couple minutes in case of a computer error.

Add a test post or two. Use one of your test posts to create an entry about the habits that are easiest and hardest for you among the 7 and 1/2 lifelong learning habits. Record your responses to Week One's exercises.

When you've finished composing your post, click on the orange "Publish Post" button. To view it, your blog can be seen at http://(yourchosenblogname).blogspot.com/!

Thing 2: Lifelong Learning

Congratulations! You've already done Thing #1 by reading this blog post.

To complete your second of the 23 Things, take a look at the 7 1/2 Habits of Lifelong Learners created by PLCMC for the original 23 Things.
Two things to note are:

1. The learning contract - we encourage you to fill out the learning contract as a promise to yourself, however it is not required as part of the 23 Things. Alternatively you can go to the 43 Things website and make a list of things you want to accomplish.
2. The feedback link - PLEASE DO NOT USE! As it is a creation of the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, feedback will go to them, so please don't email PLCMC.
   
   Think about your own learning habits:
   

• Which habit do you think would be easiest for you?
• Which ones do you employ as you learn?
• Which do you think would be the most difficult?
  

Ponder these questions and be ready to share your thoughts next week when we tackle Thing #3 and set up your own blog! Remember: there are no right answers, nor are there many ways to really mess things up.

Thing 1: Introduction

Hello Nhulunbuy Community Library staff members!

Welcome to our new discovery and exploration training based on the original Learning 2.0 experience created by Helene Blowers, formerly of the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County (PLCMC).

During the next nine weeks, you'll be able to familiarize yourself with new technologies that are changing the way people interact and how information is delivered. From blogs to YouTube and from podcasts to online bookmarking, these 23 exercises are designed to cover a wide range of web applications and to allow everyone to explore at their own pace. Not only will this training be a fun way to dive headfirst into the world of lifelong learning, but it will also give you a chance to look at ways for our libraries to become more relevant to our users.