WEDnesDAY peOple

Google Docs with Blue 2.0

2008-03-05T15:03:00.002-05:00

At first, I really didn't see any good reason to use Google Docs. I used it once last year to make a spreadsheet of my class schedule, but that seemed just as easy as making one with Excel on my own computer.

But now that I am working in a place where I can spend an entire day sitting at a front desk computer, I've found Google Docs to be quite useful for creating files I can access no matter where I am. And I can then access them at home, which can't be said for my work email (since the company where I work has no off-site email logon). For example, I found a great cookie recipe on-line one day and saved it to Google docs so I could then access it at home later. (The cookies didn't turn out as I had hoped, but I ate them anyway!)

One of the most useful things I've found is creating files to share with my husband, who also has a Gmail account. This week we started meeting with pediatricians, and it was nice to work collaboratively on a list of questions to ask before meeting up to talk to the doctor. I am now creating a spreadsheet comparing the cost of different UK healthplans and daycares that I will then share with him (if I can get it to make sense to someone other than me!).

del.icio.us with Blue 2.0

2008-02-14T12:46:00.001-05:00

Well, that was easy!

My del.icio.us bookmarks can be seen at http://del.icio.us/kimacho.

Wikis with Blue 2.0

2008-02-10T21:27:00.000-05:00

It took me forever to decide on a purpose for my wiki, but I finally made one at http://lexmarklibrary.pbwiki.com/. I decided that a wiki would be a fabulous place to instruct people on how to do my job while I am away on maternity leave. I have about 2 months from now to get it all done, so it currently is just a bunch of linked pages, broken down into the different things I do. I know, it sounds kinda boring, but I hope that it will clarify stuff for whoever is doing my job while I am away.

RSS Feeds with Blue 2.0

2008-02-07T13:34:00.000-05:00

Signing up for a Bloglines account was pretty simple, although there seem to be alot of extra bells and whistles that I could get into at a later date. I think I used some kind of aggregator a couple of years ago when I was taking a Reference class and had to read the daily news from about 10 papers each day. Having the articles sent to one place really helped me keep up with things as they were posted, instead of having to check each site for new news.

One of my favorite feeds is from udandi & the craft of money, a blog created and maintained by one of my fellow classmates in the LIS program. She puts alot of thought (and pretty pictures!) into telling people about good deals, easy craft ideas, and ways to save money. I'm always impressed by not only what she posts but how often she posts. I mean, she does have a full time job and a life!

I also like Chef John's video recipe blog Food Wishes. John is a chef in the San Fransciso Bay area and also works as the guide to American Food on About.com. Not only is Chef John unpretentious when it comes to food, even when instructing us how to make something as complex as Pork Confit, he is friendly, humorous, and relaxed in his approach to eating. Just check out his entry on Christopher Walken's cooking video, entitled The Sincerest Form of Flattery? Quite scary, really.

Chatting with Blue 2.0

2008-02-07T12:21:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned on my post to the Blue 2.0 blog, I decided to go with Meebo and use the existing accounts I had instead of creating an AIM account. Part of this was due to a desire for simplicity and part due to my dislike of AOL (since AIM stands for AOL Instant Messenger).

Originally, I though that I could just register one of my accounts (say, my Yahoo name) and be able to converse with others on MSN, Google, or AOL. However, I soon discovered that while Meebo allows you to use all of these different messengers, you must have an MSN account to chat with MSN users, an AIM account to chat with other AIM users, and so on. So I had to add all of my various accounts to my Meebo profile and am limited to chat with only those who use the same services. A little disappointed, but still better than having to use AIM.

I've actually had jobs in the past where we used inter-office instant messaging to communicate from our desks. Although it was nice to get an answer without getting up from my desk, the air was always full of the sound of rapid typing, as most people just used the IM system to gossip or vent about their job with others. You could always distinguish between the sound of "work typing" and "IM typing," which was often followed by giggles or gasps. Instead of having to go to the water cooler, every person had a little water cooler right at their desks.

Blogging with Blue 2.0

2008-02-07T10:43:00.000-05:00

As mentioned in my very first blog entry, Welcome To This World..., I created my blog in order to share ideas that otherwise were not found on the big ol' web. I also wanted to highlight some underrepresented person whom I felt was important to the world.

The name was a no brainer, as I have wanted to be the lead singer in a band called Wednesday People (pronounced wed-ness-day pee AH pull) since high school.

One good use I have found for my blog is as a kind of bulletin board of various web sources. Like if I want to direct family and friends to multiple items on the web of a common theme, I just write about them in either a list or a paragraph and create hyperlinks to the original sites throughout. For an example, check out Resources for Creating CyberSeniors, created as part of an Instructional Learning tutorial.

UK Authors Write Three of the Top Books of 2006

2007-01-03T11:33:00.000-05:00

http://news.uky.edu/news/display_article.php?artid=1863

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 4, 2007) Some of the best books of 2006 came from the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, according to national and regional media. Kim Edwards, Erik Reece, and Susan Segerstrom all topped bestseller lists with their works.

USA Today has named Kim Edwards' novel The Memory Keeper's Daughter as its "Book of the Year" for 2006. Edwards and Reece, who wrote Lost Mountain, a chronicle of the damage wreaked on Appalachia by strip mining, saw their works named among the Top 10 of 2006 by the Louisville Courier-Journal. And Segerstrom's book, Breaking Murphy's Law, hit the New York Times bestseller list in a big way.

USA Today noted, "(W)e've done something unusual by choosing a novel that was published last year as our Book of the Year. The Memory Keeper's Daughter became a phenomenon this year when it was released in paperback."

The newspaper pointed out that the book by Edwards, a University of Kentucky creative writing assistant professor, has 2.5 million paperback copies in print, compared with its hardback run of 55,000 copies. The book reached the top position on USA Today's bestseller list and remained in the top 10 for months.

Our LIS 625 Blogs

2006-12-06T17:56:00.001-05:00

Here's a list of ALL of our blogs. I thought it might be nice to have them all in one place so that 1) we don't forget to post a comment and b) for good ol' posterity sake.

Joe - Teaching Portfolios
Amy - Instructional Peer Review
Sarah - Academic Libraries & the International Student
Me - Creating CyberSeniors

Andrew - Humor in Library Instruction
Adam - Asking Good Questions
Stephen - The Blind Leading The Blind
Reiley - Technology in the Classroom

Eva - Marketing Instructional Services
Kathryne - Professional Development & You
Lyndsey - Considerations for Gender Differences in Library Instruction and Information Literacy
Jennifer - Planning a Program at the Public Library

Let me know if you'd like a copy of the html for your own site. (If you don't want your name on here, send me a message and I'll take it off.)

Thinking About CyberSeniors

2006-11-22T11:14:00.000-05:00

Take a look at the list of resources below.

1. Pick one and explain how it might be useful in designing a class for seniors. Consider the appearance of the site as well as the information contained in it. Would this site be appropriate for seniors to visit during a class? Or would it only help with the development of the class?

2. Then do your own investigation on the Internet and find one other good source that I don't have here. Explain why it is valuable. If it rocks, I'll add it to my list!

(Feel free to click on any of the ads above, however irrelevant they may be.)

Resources for Creating CyberSeniors

2006-11-22T09:00:00.000-05:00

Access America for Seniors www.seniors.gov
This site is maintained by the Social Security Administration and is designed to offer the public access to government services and information over the Internet. It provides information on legislation, legislative updates, research, and government services. In addition to links to other federal agencies, it provides links to information on various topics, including consumer protection, education and training, health, retirement planning, seniors and computers, tax assistance, travel and leisure, work, and volunteering as well as links to technology news sites. Of particular relevance are the resources provided under "computer education and training resources.

Administration on Aging www.aoa.dhhs.gov
AoA is a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The site offers a wide range of information available in a variety of formats; especially valuable for links to consumer health information sites. Information is available for older adults, caregivers, families, and researchers. You can find information here about Older Americans Month (May) and obtain support materials free of charge. Numerous fact sheets on issues of importance to older adults are available.

American Association of Retired Persons www.aarp.org
This is the Web page of the nation's "leading organization for people age 50 and older." It provides lots of good, easily accessible information on a variety of topics, but especially good for keeping up with political issues. Under the learning heading on the left side of the home page, click on "Expedition Internet" (www.aarp.org/expedition) for six great tutorials, from 'Introduction to Email" to "Designing a Personal Web Page."

Area Agency on Aging www.n4a.org
The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) is the umbrella organization for the 655 area agencies on aging (AAAs) and more than 230 Title VI Native American aging programs in the U.S. Through its presence in Washington, D.C., n4a advocates on behalf of the local aging agencies to ensure that needed resources and support services are available to older Americans. The fundamental mission of the AAAs and Title VI programs is to provide services which make it possible for older individuals to remain in their home, thereby preserving their independence and dignity.These agencies coordinate and support a wide range of home- and community-based services, including information and referral, home-delivered and congregate meals, transportation, employment services, senior centers, adult day care and a long-term care ombudsman program.

Computers and the Internet Made Easy for Seniors www.csuchico.edu/~csu/seniors/computing2.html
This a nonprofit Web site created with a grant by a professor at Chlico State University. Its easy to use, cleverly, designed, and fun! There are links to free Intemet tutorials, associations. and information sources on the Web.

ElderWeb www.elderweb.com
This award-winning site is designed for both professionals and families researching elder- and long-term care. The site's library features articles, reports, news, and events. More than 6,000 reviewed links lead to legal,financial medical, and housing information as well as policy and statistical data.

National Council on the Aging www.ncoa.org
NCOA, a private, nonprofit association, is "dedicated to promoting the dignity, self-determination, well-being, and continuin contributions of older persons." Their site is a great resource for aging issues and legislative updates. NCOA also produces special studies that are available online.

SeniorNet Home Page www.seniornet.org
SeniorNet is a nonprofit membership organization providing computer access and education to adults age fifty and older, Their site includes information on educational programs, special features, and extensive online discussion forums.

Web Accessibility for Older Adults cob.fit.edu/facultysites/abecker/Accessibility/main.html
Based on work supported by the National Science Foundation, this site was created by faculty at the Florida Institute of Technology. Although it is no longer updated due to a lack of funding, the site still houses a great number of resources, including the Aging Vision Simulator Tool, the Dottie tool for evaluating a Web page for compliance with the National Institute on Aging guidelines for making senior-friendly Web sites, and a Valuable Links page.

Computers for Seniors www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAsgkXmTxEE
Here's a short film about a program in Brockville, Canada, to teach senior citizens how to use computers and the internet to help them stay connected.

US Census www.census.gov
In particular, check out the Census Bureau's report on the 65+ population and Elderly Web site. The U.S. Census Bureau produces annual age data for the nation, states, and counties showing the U.S. population at all ages. The American FactFinder provides data from the American Community Survey and the 1990 and 2000 Censuses on social and economic characteristics (e.g., age, sex, race, ethnicity, and educational attainment) of the older population for most levels of geography. Census 2000 Briefs and Special Reports provide analytical reports on the older population. Note that age is a variable that commonly occurs in various kinds of demographic and socioeconomic data so you should check specific topics such as income or disability for data on the elderly or other population groups. Finally, the International Data Base provides age data for 227 countries and areas of the world.