Discovering Web 2.0 online tools

For Lesson 19 we have been asked to explore some of the useful web tools available. There was a great selection and I recognised many of them as we have explored them in previous lessons. I had a look at the 3 listed below:

Yahoo! Answers.com
This is a useful site. I am going to be one of the "Any Questions?" operators in the New Year so this site will be added to "My favourites" for future reference. I like the layout of the site with subject categories listed on the left hand side for ready reference. However, when I aked a question regarding New Zealand's new Prime Minister they did not have the correct answer! Some-one submitted "Michael Cullen" as a suggestion and then there were other older comments about Helen Clark!

ROLLYO
Here are some useful Reference Search Engines for future access:http://www.rollyo.com/index.html

iFoods.TV
This is a great site as you get to view videos of how to make a variety of diffent dishes from iFoods.TV or from members like me!

I like the table where you can click on a "main ingredient" and it will provide 3 iFood recipes e.g for "Tomatoes" I got the following useful recipes - Guacomole and Tomato salsa, Tomato and pepper bread and Tomato soup.

On the site you can also view the iFoods blog or other food blogs, you can enter competitions and their are other related links for interest. An interesing feature of this site is the League Table. How does the league work? The league table is updated daily but the competition lasts over one month where a member of iFoods can add one sizzling recipe per day per blog and the other members get to vote on the recipes. You get to see a snippet of the members blog on the left hand side, their ranking and members comments about the recipe.

Go on... why don't you have a look! I know those digestive juices are starting to flow..... Perhaps you're short of recipe ideas for Christmas? Check this great site out!

Well, it's time for me to sign out. I have enjoyed this task and I have some good sites to access over the coming months....and some good recipes to try out for all those yoummy summer B.B.Q's!

Catch you later....

Jesus Freak

King of Kings Church on YouTube

Our church is on YouTube!
http://nz.youtube.com/watch?v=vqYpbjjWd_g

Thought you might be interested in viewing some of the great times we have as a church enjoying the presence of God! Have a look at the great video that Jo (one of our church drummers) put together with many of my special friends! Our service times are Sunday 10 am and 6 pm.

Blessings!

Jesus Freak

Building Progress

We are still proceeding with the option to lease the second floor of the old post office building on Great South Road, Manurewa. The landlords have to put in a lift so they meet council and fire regulation requirements, but things are pushing ahead and it now looks like we may be able to move in at the end of January. It has been a rather drawn out affair but we know that God's timing is perfect and delays can be for reasons unknown to us at the time. Initially we were planning to be in before Christmas. As a result of this delay we will be able to save more money that will be useful for any painting and decorating that needs to be done e.t.c

We are looking forward to being able to meet in the buiding 24/7 rather than just on a Sunday - which has been the case for the last 10 years. It will also be fun to hold conferences as a church.

That's all for now....


Jesus Freak

Zoho Writer - Online Word Processor

Zoho Writer - Online Word Processor

Zoho - Christmas Recipes

Dear Friends

I decided that I would have a go at using Zoho for publishing a document with some tasty Christmas morsels that I can make this Christmas. I sent this document to my e-mail address and I also copied the URL so you can see a couple of these recipes on the following link:

http://writer.zoho.com/index.do#


The Zoho Templates are also a useful feature of this programme for librarians, with it's resume and cover letter and speech outline templates, which can be found at :

zohowriter.com/templates.im

I have not yet mastered how to insert a picture so that the text goes around it, which I am able to do in MS Word.

I think a "quick tour" around the site would be helpful, so I can better master some of these formatting techniques.

Signing off now so I can begin to explore "Google Docs."

Jesus Freak

ZOHO Writer and Google Docs - Here I come!

Well - here I am again after a few months. I apologise for leaving you all out in the cold! Lots of things have happened since September 22nd! I had all these wonderful intentions of getting my Web 2.0 training complted by the deadline - but the deadline came and went.... :(
With some further encouragement, via the draw to get some passes to the movies if I get this finished by the end of the month, I have once again "put my hand to the plough." I do want to be in the first bunch of librarians at our branch to complete this Web 2.0 training. It has actually been an enjoyable process and I have learnt alot about the features/programmes/tools "out there" that are available on the web- which is amazing!

ZOHO Writer - I like this programme! I think that it provides a good balance of the features we all enjoy on MSWord or MSPublisher with the functionality of the internet so you can "doctor up" all those dull messages with a bit of "presonal flair!" The person(s) who put all this together was certainly "thinking ahead!" I like the fact that you can view, as well as edit your latest 25 documents offline. It can be easy to loose track of where you save your documents, if you aren't accessing your computer frequently. It would be a good programme to promote to our regular learn.net users who don't have a computer at home. Changes made during offline editing are automatically updated once you're back online is also an excellent feature.

I am looking forward to having a go at publisinh a document utilising as many of these features as possible and posting it on my blog.

Watch this space!

Jesus Freak

Library 2.0 & Web 2.0 - Lesson 16

I recall a recent conversation with a patron and she made the comment, "I thought libraries were meant to be quiet places?" She had not been to the library for a while and from her accent I concluded that she was either from America or Canada. I also perceived that she didn't really approve of the changes she was observing, hence the comment. I told her that we had recently had an inspirational Librarian, Rivkah Sass, from Omaha library who informed us that their philosophy and direction for the year 2020 and beyond was to incorporate IT in their libraries to meet the needs of the new generation of library users.

It was at this talk that I first heard the terminlogy "Web 2.0" and "Library Thing." My ears pricked up and when I heard that we were going to get training in Web 2.0 I was excited. I agree with the concept of Library 2.0 because I believe that if we don't keep up with technology and provide what our community needs in terms of e-mail and internet access, then our libraries may become relics of a bygone era. The internet has changed the way the world communicates, whether we like it or not. I support the notion that libraries need to "keep up" with IT rather than "opt out." Just as the education sector has had to adjust the way it teaches to incorporate technology, so libraries also have to "add value" to is traditional services, so that we can continue to be a place of learning - through the provision of hard material (books/C.D's/D.V.D's) and e-resources. I am pleased to see that in the recent re-design of our Website that under the teen section we now have electronic databases available for stundets to access. See attached link:

http://www.manukau-libraries.govt.nz/e-resources/

According to Wikipaedia, the concept of Library 2.0 comes from the underlying philosophies from that of Business 2.0 and Web 2.0, and includes online services such as the use of OPAC systems. With Library 2.0, library services are constantly updated and reevaluated to best serve library users. Library 2.0 also attempts to harness the library user in the design and implementation of library services by encouraging feedback and participation. Proponents of this concept expect that ultimately the Library 2.0 model for service will replace traditional, one-directional service offerings that have characterized libraries for centuries. Basically it springboards libraries into the modern IT age.

Jesus Freak

What I did this week...

Well, it is a busy month.... I have got to get Web 2.0 completed so I can be in to win! Deadlines, even though most of us don't like them, are good for us all because if we didn't have deadlines, we would not achieve half of the worthwhile things we should get done and need to get done so we can maximise the opportunites that are available! If you fall behind you are busy thinking about "trying to catch up." I like the phrase "Carpe Diem" which was explored in the movie, "Dead Poets Society," which means "sieze the day." It's a powerful statement and a good "mission statement" to adopt, because every day has new challenges and new opportunities to learn something new or meet someone new! As a librarian, there are opportunities everyday to support our customers so they can achieve their goals, meet their deadlines or assist them in the challenges they are facing in life. It is a rewarding experience when you have a successful Reader's Advisory transaction, for example! You leave a positive impression with that customer and, hopefully, they will tell others that libraries are a great place to go and the staff are fantastic!

On another tangent, I have been conducting some staff PDR's and each time I have asked, "How is your Web 2.o training going?" Sad to say, there are a few that have fallen behind, with one thing and another. We have re-set the timeframe for them for end of December!

I am still trying to find some people on the social networking sites that I can communicate with. It's a little difficult on some of the sites as they have to see you as a "friend." If they don't know that you "want to be their friend, then you can't communicate with them? I guess it's like e-mail, unless your "friend" gives you their e-mail address you can communicate with them either, unless they have listed their e-mail address in the white pages or it is published somewhere in the public domain.

My focus for the next month will be preparing for "Best Sellers" training. In Lesson 4 we explore the excellent e-resources that are available to assist library staff with Readers Advisory transactions. We have looked at "Library Thing" with our Web 2.0 training but there are lots of other excellent sites too, apart from "Fabulous Fiction" or GALE "What do I read next" that most librarians may currently refer to. I can't share too much, because you will discover these great websites when you undertake your training in the next 12 months!

Well, I'd better sign off now so I can move on to the next challenge!

Jesus Freak

Week 7 - Social Networking

I had a look at the bebo page set up at Auckland City Libraries. I particularly like the comments shares about a dream library:
I reckon, my dream library would have a cafe and loads of books and magazines for browsing, and music stations... (and I would have a hand-held e-book reader connected to the internet with games and blogs and books and music!) All this is really not so far, far away, you know... Libraries are changing and we do need to hear what our customers would like their libraries to offer so we can provide the services that continue to serve our customers in the year 2020 AD and beyond.

Apparently in New Zealand Bebo is the social networking tool of choice for teenagers, but Facebook is fast closing in on its popularity. If this is the case, then it makes sense that libraians need to be aware of this resource, comfortable in negotiating themselves around the site, aware of it's potential and using the site to communicate library services, and literary events to this "captive" market. I know that some libraries in Amercia are doing just that e.g Iowa and Brooklyn Public libaries are using Facebook to communicate to their patrons. Check out Brooklyn Public Libraries Home page below:


http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brooklyn-NY/Brooklyn-Public-Library/

Jesus Freak

Del.icio.us and all that.....

Delicious is a social networking tool so I am told. I clicked on to the http to explore this new world of "Social networking." According to "The Shifted Librarian on PCMCL2, "It is a social bookmarking service that allows you to save bookmarks to an account on a web site, so that they are accessible from anywhere with a browser and Internet access, but also lets you share your bookmarks through tagging, just like Flickr. Very convenient! On the front page I noticed under the tag "Popular tags - Education" a cool site entitled "Online libraries."

http://educhoices.org/articles/Online_Libraries_-%20_25_Places_to_Read_Free_Books_Online.html

Alongside this article they provide a useful "related links" option and I noticed there some excellent material for teaching and learning, amongst other titles. When I continued on the teaching link I came across "Teachertube" which had a video about 21st Century learning. It proports that "a 21st century learner is defined not simply by their use of new technology, but by their ability to learn autonomously." I agree!

I'm off now to discover more about Badges....




Jesus Freak

Technorati thoughts.....

From what I can gather at looking at the Technoratti website is that it is a website all about blogg.ng features and other related technological "add-ons" e.g IPhone. I was interested in one article about this new phone which sounded rather scarry:

Huge iPhone Security Flaw Puts All Private Information at Risk [Iphone]
There's a huge security problem in the latest iPhone 2.0.2: if you have your JesusPhone password protected, using a very simple trick gives anyone full access to your cellphone private information in Mail, SMS, Contacts, and even Safari.

While these technological advancements that come at the push of a button may appear to have it's advantages and convenience, there are pitfalls to be aware of and keeping up with these "pitfalls" caould take an enormous amount of energy! With the computer we can rely on the likes of "Norton" or "McAffee" to keep out viruses and scam, I am not sure what is out there for the Iphone generation. Perhaps this is why "Technorati" will come into it's own as a noticeboard/alert for us "less savvy" consumers?

Under the category of "Rising Itemds in Technology" further down the front page, I was interested in how Google Earth helped an Olympic athlete win a gold medal. Read about it on the following link:

http://www.technorati.com/posts/JiTK%2FCgSdc99Ot69d30cD1DOucHebhBkuyE2OyacN8s%3D

Technorati has been in existence for 3 years and has registered over 50 million blogs! Wow! According to the article on Web 2.0, the blogosphere is doubling in size every 200 days, or about once every 6 and a half months. That is a staggering rate of growth and shows that everybody everywhere is scrambling to keep up with "blogging" phenomenon! I am grateful for the challenge of doing these exercises as it is "encouraging" me to stay relevant with our library consumers who are also embracing this new technology in smaller or larger bursts of enthusiasm!

In the discovery section I had a go at searching for Learning 2.0 in Technorati and there wee 11,986 entries on the subject!

In scrolling down the first couple of pages I didn't find too much that related to what I considered relevant to our Web 2.0 learning, but I did come across the blog about the first Web 2.0 Conference that is going to be held in New York and this help me understand really where Web 2.0 is heading and who , in particular, would benefit from attending this Conference.

http://www.technorati.com/posts/ZntYa9tGkTMiWFRl8mOJXHGSscIF3Wsnb7EaU37VucE%3D

Jesus Freak

Technology Matters....

Technology is advancing in leaps and bounds. Doing the various WEB 2.0 exercises has certainly opened up a "mine-field" of opportunities and possibilities to computer users. There is a lot of technology to help us create wonderful websites and blogs and wiki's to name but a few.... I can see that there will be much to catch up on when retire (a few years from now, I hasten to add!) I say that because I haven't really had the time to expore these aspects further apart from a quick glance to try "something" new that has been suggested for me to read or look at!

I am an avid user of e-mail (as we all have to be), but I wonder whether we use it at the expense of picking up the phone. A sad case recently occurred where a person sent an e-mail to my husband and I and when we tried to ring her, as it was a very important matter warranting further discussion, she wouldn't answer the phone. She choose to use e-mail to communicate but clearly she didn't want the communication to be a two-way process, unless it was e-mail only. The difficulty with this approach to communication is that you can't really soften the tone" of the words you write OR show empathy and understanding (unless you are prepared to write a novel!). You don't have the opportunity to respond in an appropriate way as youcan't hear the tone of their voice....

E-mail has it's uses in that it is quick, but it will never replace the benefit of seeing and hearing somebody, "face to face," which is perhaps the reason behind "face-book" and social networking tool that I have not yet sampled, but I undestand that in a few weeks time, I will be able to comment in a much more informed manner.

Until then.....

Jesus Freak

pbwiki exercise

It was good to have a go at adding a few entries on to a wiki. I enjoyed reading what others had said, especially the ones whose blog names I knew!

See below for my entries!

https://manukaulearn.pbwiki.com/Favourite-Numbers

https://manukaulearn.pbwiki.com/Favourite-Books

https://manukaulearn.pbwiki.com/Favourite-Music

https://manukaulearn.pbwiki.com/Fahttps://manukaulearn.pbwiki.com/Favourite-Television-Shows vourite-Television-Shows

https://manukaulearn.pbwiki.chttps://manukaulearn.pbwiki.com/Favourite-Holiday-Destinations om/Favourite-Holiday-Destinations

https://manukaulearn.pbwiki.com/Favourithttps://manukaulearn.pbwiki.com/Favourite-Recipese-Recipes

Web 2.0 Learning Update

Well - It has taken me a little longer to get back to this new world of web discovery. In this session, so far, I have learnt a lot about the value of wiki's and in my review of some suggested links to look at I came across a great site about Youth programming for libraries. From the front page: A wiki is a collaborative website and authoring tool that allows users to easily add, remove and edit content.

Wikipedia, the online open-community encyclopedia, is the largest and perhaps the most well known of these knowledge sharing tools. With the benefits that wikis provide, the use and popularity of these tools is exploding.

Going through the lesson I came across this interesting site and explored the various links and one that I was interested in, due to my specific librarian responsibilities was this one below:

http://libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Prhttp://libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Programs_for_Young_Adults ograms_for_Young_Adults

I also discovered another useful site which recommends great teen titles which I will explore in more detail when I am next rostered on the Learn.net!

http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/booklhttp://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/booklistsawards/booklistsbook.cfm istsawards/booklistsbook.cfm

Scrolling down on the "Libsuccess site", I found it interesting to see a list of new vocabulary that I need to get "up to speed with" if I am to speak the correct "lingo" with many of our younger, computer-savy library patrons. You may also find it interesting to peruse to see if you have heard these terms such as "meez", "whyville" and "There." I bet you're curious now! Go on and have a look for yourself!

http://libsuccess.org/index.php?tithttp://libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Virtual_Worlds_for_teens le=Virtual_Worlds_for_teens


I'll sign off now and continue my comments in the not too distant future!

Jesus Freak

Walk Through the Bible - The New Testament

This coming Sunday we have some special meetings with Robert Siakimotu (Open Air Campaigners). He is going to teach our congregation the main features of the New Testament through actions. It requires a lot of energy to memorise all the actions but it is a great way to gain a full picture of the highlights of the New Testament writers ranging from the disciples of Jesus through to the apostle Paul, Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Jude. We did the Old Testament books earlier in the year and the sessions were well received by all members.

Flickr Lesson - August 4th

I had some fun with Flickr this week. I have downloaded some photos from the past few years of some special times and achievements that we have celebrated as a family. You can view these on the following link. I also created a badge using flickr which was pretty cool too!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29261069@N06/

http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/badge.php

Library Thing - Lesson

Had some fun yesterday, Sunday 27th July, selecting books for display on my blogsite. It was very easily to use this programme to create your own library, or in my case, choose some great titles for people to select for their own purposes.

Check out some of the titles I chose, ranging from parenting to soups, to teeangers e.t.c There are some great titles out there!

http://www.librarything.com/profile/sfmunro

Blogging Efforts

Today, I had an online Web 2.0 lesson where I exlored useful web tools such as RSS Feeds and Newsreaders. I opened a blogline account and posted a blog about the experience. I also had a go at making a Munro coat of Arms which I will add to this blog once I suss out how to do it properly! I found this programme on the Generator Blog which comverts photos into black and white "old time" photo's. I thought that this would be great to use on some snaps we took on our family holiday to the Gold Coast (see links below). There is a lot of amazing stuff to explore on the world-wide web. I have a lot to learn still, but I am valuing the experience to upskill my self in these "modern" technologies so I can keep up with the current generation and get a taste of of these marvellous tools that many people are using today to communicate with one-another.

http://labs.wanokoto.jp/olds
http://labs.wanokoto.jp/olds
http://labs.wanokoto.jp/olds


http://www.bloglines.com/myblogs?mode=2gs?mode=2

Jesus Freak

Bloglines | My Feeds (86)

Bloglines My Feeds (86)

His Amazing Glory meetings

On Tuesday July 22nd, we are holding a Women's Meeting at Clendon Community Centre @ 7.45 pm. Joye Johnson is our guest speaker. Joye and her husband Ian used to pastor the Papatoete Elim church and are now itinerating around New Zealand and iverseas. They have been involved in missions work in India and have experienced some amazing encounters with the Holy Spirit in recent years. Joye is currently working part-time as a teacher at Tuakau College. She grew up in a penticostal family and her father was the Superintendant of the Assemblies of God denomination in the 1930's.

We look forward to an inspiring time together on Tuesday evening and on Sunday, July 27th Ps Ian Johnson will be ministering at both services.

Jesus Freak

Double Decker Discovery Tour

Well - Sunday was certainly a great experience for those who joined us for the Revival in Rotorua. We left about 8.45 am and didn't get into Rotorua until lunch-time, after a brief stop in Waharoa. W were relieved to arrive at the church and joined the Rotorua Christian Life Centre for some great praise and worship, followed by some solid Holy Ghost preaching from Judith Gardner. We saw many demonstrations of the power of the Holy Ghost as she selected different individuals and encouraged them to wait on the Holy Ghost and then step out in faith to see the power of God touch others in the meeting. It was an incredible time. Digital photos were taken during this time and there were supernatural orbs floating in the atmosphere above the congregation and I will post these on this blog for you to see for yourself. Amazing! What was really special to me was shen Judith asked for the children to come forward for prayer. She led them in a prayer to go for a visit to heaven. My son went to heaven and he heard the grass singing like a recorder. Another young girl rode on a lion and a tiger with Jesus. A little boy about 3 years old saw a bright light and said that he saw God. We were observing all this and it was very apparent that many of these children had gone into another realm.

We had a fabulous time in the prescence of God and we could hae stayed there much longer - tme just seemed to fly by. We hopped on the bus about 6.30pm and arrived back in Auckland about 9 am exhausted, but stirred up in the Spiritman to seek after God's presence and power in a greater way.

Jesus Freak

ROTORUA REVIVAL

We are very excited to be going to travel to Rotorua with our church on a double decker bus! We are going to join the Rotorua Christian Life Centre Church to hear Australian speaker, Judith Gardiner. We will be leaving from Clendon around 8.30 am and if all goes according to plan, we will arrive in Rotorua at 11 am for the start of the service. It will be a fantastic time, for sure! Some families are travelling by car so they can stay and savour some of the marvellous attractions that Rotorua has to offer. I'll keep you posted as to how it all went next week!
Jesus Freak

Greetings

Awesome things are happening! Every week new people are responding to the Gospel message and accepting Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, which is very exciting! We have seen many prayers answered too! We believe that God hears and answers prayers and regularly we see people healed as we unite in prayer and believe in faith for God to touch and heal their bodies.

This coming month we are looking forward to the ministry of Ps Sonny Ooi from Malaysia. He is recognised in Christian circles as a "modern-day" prophet and ministers throughout the world. He will be speaking next Sunday evening @ 6 pm, July 6th at Clendon Recreation Centre and Library, 17 Palmers Road, Clendon.

Everyone is warmly welcome to attend.

Blessings

Ps Craig