I have finally acheived the gold star!

Just in time for Christmas it seems I have a gold star and a full complement of grey elephants.

And so to all a very joyful and safe Christmas.

Hanging out for the gold star and my final elephant

We’re particularly interested in:

• How could you draw on what you have learned in 23 Things to help you in your work?

From my point of view, it was not a particularly useful exercise because I have already browsed these tools and many other besides and chosen what works for me. I didn’t find anything new in the 23 Things.

I can on the other hand see how the exercise would be useful for someone with little or no experience with the internet.  I spent a goodly amount of time reading the material that you referenced and playing with the toys, but there was nothing there that if I was not already using it – that I felt I had to instantly go and download or use.

• How could the library use the technologies featured in 23 Things to improve its service?

The best use of the new technologies is as a form of communication. Lecturers and departments write blog and wonder why nobody reads them or participates. Our students I think are into instant gratification – send a SMS or similar and you will get an instant and probably unintelligable response but a response never the less.

I study with a bunch of 19 -20 year olds and one of the topics we covered was the difference between age groups. There are differences but to assume that every 20 year old you come across is going to want the same thing is a gross generalisation. This is a mistake that sadly too many people and committees make.

I am also working with a group of late teens on a mentoring project and these and my fellow students are not so very different to me when I was their age (maybe less respectful, more noisy, more promiscuous, less attentive etc.) Sound just like my folks now don’t I?

Anyway I t seems to me that we are trying to fit everybody into the same shaped mould and not everyone fits. Same goes for web 2.0. There are some good quality tools out there but equally there is a lot that are not.

I never thought that SMS to students would be very valuable – but I have since had a serious rethink – given my recent experience.  A lot of information could be transmitted this way and be more likely to be read than an email to their student email account.

Sharing bookmarks and a library community is also a great idea and if you could integrate with the wider library community – it might even be better.

• How do you think the 23 Things program could be improved in the future?

Let people find and recommend resources, tools ect that they think could make a difference. Incorporate or add these into any future 23 Things.

• Do you think you’ll keep blogging or keep using any of the other tools you learned about?

I shall keep this blog live until Christmas I guess and then I will delete it. I have not added anything of value to the bloggersphere so I don’t want to keep it. I may well repurpose this blog though, and add it to my growing list of existing blogs.

As for the tools yes, there are one or two things that I have been reminded about that I will probably go back and investigate further.

• We hope that you have enjoyed the 23 Things, and that you have found at least one useful tool that you didn’t know about before.

I think the 23 things was a good idea especially for those who have had little exposure – putting time limit on it was good too because it gave people a deadline to work towards. I of course missed it. Hope I’m not staring a trend here. So having completed each of the 23 things I am now entitled to get a gold star.

I’d also like to point out that item 19 – put a picture of your pet on Wiki – please refer to my post   Elephant Stamp 19 which is where I posted a sketch of my ex-cat Molly.

Also note  The penultimate post for 23 things. that fullfills 23 Things number 22. And course the effort today that complete the exercise.

I did have fun and got mucho distracted. Back to workagain.

The penultimate post for 23 things.

I’ve been through the list of 23 thingies and while a couple of elephant stamps haven’t made it to the spreadsheet, I am now on item 22. But first I am going to share a video that myself and a colleague at the Australian Academy of Design made for our final Communication project.

It is called “Love is a Thief”. The music is by Ian Bland and performed by Ian Bland and the Lamington Drive Orchestra. Fellow student Hoi Ling and her boyfriend Rudolf tried desperately not to laugh during the heart rending bits. Filmed by yours truly, editing and post production also by me with assitance from my padawan learner Hoi Ling.

This was my first attempt with Adobe After Effects and I found it a complete hoot. Loved every minute of it. So without further chatter, here it is : “Love Is A Theif”

Enough of the twitters and onto Instant Messaging and VOIP.  Recently I needed to contact Telstra (yeh, yeh, slit my wrists now) on behalf of my parents.  After several attempts to talk to a human being by phone, I battled my way through their system only to left on hold listening to a voice describing a bunch of services that I would never be able to find out about because nobody at Telstra actually would talk to me.

As a last resort I used the instant messaging service provided n their website. Preparing for another lengthy wait I was connected to a service operator after a short wait. My typing is not fast and neither it transpired was his. There followed a protracted exchange which I though was resonabley successful if you don’t count the interminable stretches between question and response. The problem of translating my father’s explanation of the problem into something that I could easily type. No mean feat. So a month later with the arrival of the next Telstra bill I discovered that the exercise had been for naught. That’s right; nothing had changed.

I’ve looked at Meebo a few times and yep it is convenient but again if I wanted instant messaging I wwould have it by now.

So I had a look at the google messaging and lo nobody was home. Just like picking up the telephone or sending an email. It is another methd of communication but at the speed I type it is not a workable option.

Skype on the other hand is something I have dabbled in, mainly because it saves money. This makes it a tool worth using. I set up an account for my father a couple of years back so that he could talk to his friends overseas.

I’ve also got it on my laptop – but the inbuilt video camera in the laptop has ceased working – so it is sound only. I don’t use it very often though – perhaps when I have my laptop repaired – or upgrade it – I’m looking at another notebook or subnotebook size.  Currently I have a small Sony Vaio which is small, light, runs for hours on one charge and lets me use photoshop on it.

So that fullfills 23 Things number 22 and gives my my penultimate elehant stamp. Thanks.