Thing 23 vs. the Survey

Howdy Catch 23'ers!

Remember that you need to complete everything by Monday in order to be eligible for the drawing for the iPod Nano. We will have the drawing at 1:45 (at the end of the party).

Remember that you don't have to finish by the party in order to get the flash drive/MP3 player. Those that are finished will receive one (or their extra entries), and those that still have a "thing or two" to do will get the player when they finish.

Be sure and check the checklist on the wiki to make sure we have all your "things" marked. Green means that you're ready to go! Send out emails, smoke signals, or primal screams if we're missing something.

However.....do remember that Thing 23 and the survey are different critters! Yes, they ask some of the same questions. Please understand, however, that the survey is anonymous: we don't see your name or your blog name. So we need to see your blog post so we can add that last X.


Thanks,

Walter

Week 10 Coaching Session

The coaching session for Week 10 will be Tuesday, May 27, at 11am. It will be in the training room. This will be the last coaching session for Catch 23!!

See you then!

Week 10! YouTube and Podcasts

Thing 21: YouTube is website with millions of videos available for viewing, but you can also upload your own videos. It is really amazing what you can find on YouTube.

Thing 22: Podcasts are audio or video files that you can download to your computer or mobile device. Often you can subscribe to a series of podcasts that will automatically.

Week 9 Coaching Session

The coaching session for Week 9 will be Monday, May 19, at 2pm. It will be in the Training Room.

Week 9: Google Toys

Week 9 is all about Google Docs and other Google applications. We hope you enjoy these tools.

Don't forget to post on your blog about your experiences this week!

We're not alone!

We're not the only library doing 23 Things:

http://shelfcheck.blogspot.com/2008/05/shelf-check-219.html

Week 8 Coaching Session

This week's coaching session, about wikis, will be Monday, May 12, at 11am. It will be in the library training room.

See you there!

Week 8: Wikis!

This week we'll be learning all about wikis. Wikis are a great way for people to collaborate on online documents and websites. You'll even make a page on the Catch 23 Wiki!

Welcome to the world of wikis!

Week 7 Coaching Session

The Week 7 coaching session will be Monday, May 5, at 2pm. It will be in the Training Room.

See you then!

Week 7: Tagging!

Tagging is a just associating a keyword with a website or other online content. For example, a few good tags for this blog post might be "Tagging," "Web 2.0," and "Technorati."

This week, we'll use three online tools that use tagging in different ways. Del.icio.us is a website that allows you to bookmark (and tag) your favorite websites and share them with others. You can also discover new websites as recommended and tagged by others.

Technorati is a blog search engine which allows you to find blogs on various topics. It also searches other online content, too, such as videos.

LibraryThing is all about cataloging and organizing your favorite books. You can share your book list with friends and find out what others are reading.

Welcome to the world of tagging!

Partcipation Checklist

Be sure to look at the new entry on the wiki's sidebar -- the participation checklist. Make sure that we've checked off all the "things" that you've done. Write a post if you think we missed something!

Walter

Week 6 Coaching Session

The coaching session for Week 6 will be Wednesday, April 30, at 10am, in the Training Room. See you there!

Week 6

Week 6 will be a really fun week as we look at Flickr and at image generators. Flickr makes it easier to store and share your online photos. An image generator is a fun little tool that allows you to make your own images (like the church-sign images you might have seen.) Visit the wiki to learn more about this weeks "Things!"

Don't forget that you will want to blog about each "Thing" that you explore. By making a post about the Things that you explore or play with, it lets the committee members know what you have done....and that makes you eligible for the prizes! :)

Week 5 coaching session

The coaching session for Week 5 is Tuesday, April 22, at 2pm.

We'll be going over LibWorm and Digg. See you there!

Week 5: LibWorm and Digg

LibWorm is a site that collects feeds from library-related blogs and news sites. You can read the entries from the various feeds on the LibWorm site or use it to search for feeds of interest and add them to your own aggregator or feedreader.

Digg is a social news site. The content, from news items to podcasts to blogs to images and beyond, is submitted and voted on by Digg readers. The items with more votes get ranked higher, and the items with the most votes are visible on the front page of the site. If you create a Digg account, you can customize which types of items you see.

Hope you enjoy these Web 2.0 tools this week!

Catch-up session today

Did you get a little behind on Catch 23? Do you just want a little more coaching help?

Well, here is your chance. Thursday, April 17, at noon, there will be a catch-up coaching session.

This will be in the training room. See you then!

Facebook was Fun!

The session on Facebook and Instant Messenging was great! Don't forget to post your thoughts & experiences on your personal blog each week. Look at your friends' blogs and make comments. Finally, remember that cool news aggregator, Bloglines, to read all of the blogs.

A Little Facebook reminder

We had a great session today on using Facebook and instant messaging. There was a lot of information to absorb in such a short time, so please don't feel overwhelmed! Facebook, although not difficult, does take some time to get used to, so don't be discouraged.

Just remember to take care of your personal information - please take a look at your Facebook profile and be sure that you've hidden your birthday and other things you don't want everyone to know, like your address. You can take care of this from "Profile ->edit" and from "Privacy." Also, as you look through your friends' profiles, if you notice they have volunteered too much information, be kind and let them know.

Don't give up! You're doing GREAT! :)

Thing 8--Instant Messenger

Instant Messaging (IM) is a great tool to communicate quickly with others. You can type messages back and forth with friends or colleagues, in the same room or across the world!

This week, you'll set up an IM account and send your first messages.

Have fun with IM this week!

Thing 7--Facebook

This week, you'll set up and "play" with your new Facebook account. Facebook is a great social networking tool. With facebook, you can communicate with your friends, join Facebook interest groups, store photos for others to see, and play with all the bells and whistles that are available.

Welcome to Facebook!

Week 4 Coaching Session

The coaching session for week 4 will be in the Training Room, at 2pm on Monday, April 7.

See you then.

Things 5 and 6--Aggregators

This week, you'll be learning to use an aggregator, or blog reader. Come to the coaching session and read the Wiki to learn more.

Using a blog reader such as bloglines will allow you to read all the blogs you want (including your fellow Catch 23 particpants' blogs) using only one website!

Enjoy!

Week 3 Coaching Session

The coaching session for Week 3 will be on Monday, March 31, at 2:00 pm.

It will be in the Training Room.

See you then!

Week 2 Meeting

20 of us are meeting in the Training room -- having fun creating blogs, posting on our friends blogs, trying to guess each other's identities!

A Thought on Setting Up Your Blog

Most people seem to have gotten their blogs up and running. I have sensed some frustration from a few, however, and I really hope that people understand that it's okay if you don't understand everything from the beginning of the week - learning is a process that can take time. It's also perfectly acceptable to ask for help and/or wait for the coaching session each week. We're all learning new things together, and I really think the initial act of setting up a blog and getting started is the most difficult part of this experience, so there's no need for frustration.

Happy blogging, everyone!

Blog Roll

The list of Catch23 blogs is now available on the wiki -- click the Blog Roll link. Visit and comment! Remember, Web2.0 is all about dialogue!

Lecture Series @ LC

The Library of Congress is sponsoring a 4 part lecture series on Digitial Natives. The first lecture willbe webcast live at www.loc.gov.

"Distinguished scholar and child-development expert Edith Ackerman will present "The Anthropology of Digital Natives" at 4 p.m. on Monday, April 7, in the Montpelier Room on the sixth floor of the James Madison Building."

Other lectures will include "Internet, the Private Mind" by Steven Berlin Johnson, "The Anthropology of YouTube" by Michael Wesch (producer of many of our Catch 23 videos!), and "Open Source Reality" by Douglas Rushkoff.

http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2008/08-057.html

Anyone interested?

Here are answers for some questions that have been asked:

Q: What are the URLs for the blog and the wiki?

A: The blog is at http://tcucatch23.blogspot.com/ and the wiki is at http://catch23.pbwiki.com/

Q: Blogger (blogspot.com) requires a Google ID. Do I have to create a Gmail account? I don’t really need another email address.

A: If you use Blogger you will need to have a Google ID. You don’t have to use your Gmail account. You can also use other blogging sites if you wish.

Please understand that through the course of this “Experience” you will need to create a variety of accounts. You will need your Google ID as well as a Yahoo ID. There is no risk in creating these accounts—just remember that you do not have to provide all the information that each service requests. Required responses are typically marked with an asterisk.

Q: Can I get a copy of the powerpoint that was shown during the introductory session?

A: Yes. It is posted on the N: drive, in the Betts folder.

Q: My screen name is already taken on Blogger! What do I do?

A: You can use a derivative—add numbers, etc. to your screen name. You can then use your base name to create your other accounts as needed.

At this time, Walter will need your blog URL, more than your screen name.


Reminders:

• Read our blog!
• Read the wiki!
• Find a buddy to work with!
• We’ve started Week 2 (Things 3 & 4). Be ready to post your comments on your new blog! And, don’t forget to send Walter the URL for your blog.
• Contact Walter if you didn't get a copy of this post via email.

Things 3 & 4--Creating your blog

It is time to create your blog. You can use Blogger (which is the service this blog is hosted on) or, if you prefer, use another blogging service.

The Wiki has more details on setting up your blog.

When you're done setting it up, send the web address of your blog to Walter at w.betts@tcu.edu.

You'll want to post your thoughts about Things 1-4 on your blog this week.

Happy blogging!

Week 2 Coaching Session

The coaching session for Week 2 will be Thursday, March 27, at 10am. It will in the Training Room.

See you then.

Thing 2--Discovery Exercise

If you haven't already, be sure to visit the Wiki. There, you will find a list of all of the 23 "Things."

While you are there, click on Thing 2. You'll see the things that you need to do to complete Thing 2, including watching the online tutorial created by PLCMC.

Take a moment to collect your thoughts about what you've done so far. You'll want to write about these thoughts in your new blog you'll be creating next week.

You're off to a great start!

Thing 1--Reading this blog

Wow! Just by reading this blog, you've accomplished Thing 1. That was easy. We hope that this won't be the only time you read this blog, though. Please come back often and see new posts.

Sometime this week, please turn in your agreement form to Walter Betts. Don't forget to have your supervisor's approval.

Some of you are working ahead, and that is great. Almost all of the "things" can be accomplished ahead of time if you want. One exception is the work on the Wiki in week 8. You'll need a special password or "key" to be announced by the steering committee when that time gets closer.

It was great to see so many of you at the Catch 23 meetings this week!

Getting Started

To get started in the Catch 23 program, just get your supervisor to sign the agreement form, then turn it into Walter Betts.

Then, plan on coming to one of the two "intro" sessions:
Monday, March 17, 1:00pm
Wednesday, March 19, 11:00am.

Check this blog and our Wiki regularly. New updates will be posted every week on this blog.

Get ready to play and learn!

Welcome to Catch 23: A License to Play!!

This is a 12-week opportunity for you to explore the fun side of the internet. You know…the new widgets, gadgets and social thingamabobs you hear about on the news. These tools are handy, fun and when used the right way can be a great source of communication and reconnection to professional acquaintances, family and friends. This is a chance to dip your toes into Web 2.0 instead of jumping off the deep end. You will explore how these technologies impact our library world and you are encouraged to play. We will teach you how to use them safely in a stress-free and fun environment.

What Will I Be Learning?
You will learn about blogging, social networks, photo sharing, wikis and other fun tools. If you don’t know what any of those words meant or you know just enough to be dangerous, you are perfect for this program! If you are an expert, we need you to be a “buddy” to our more inexperienced learners!

Units in this “experience” are not structured. They will start with a brief introduction and tutorial. From there you (by yourself or with a friend) are invited to play with each tool. Each week systems personnel and other topical experts will be available as coaches during a scheduled session in the training room, but you are also free to explore on your own. You will learn by doing, and we will track your progress.

What’s In It For Me?
Beyond knowledge and confidence in your internet abilities? How about some really neat prizes? Those who complete the entire10 week course will get a flash-drive/mp3 player, and have their names entered into a drawing for an iPod Nano. Participans may return the flash-drive/mp3 player for two additional chances for the iPod.

Welcome, and enjoy the program!