Just some thoughts on Technology ...S554 Blog post 3

I really do not have a lot to share this week on technology because I had a hectic week! But one thing that did fascinate me while I was back and forth to the hospital to visit my mom while she was there for a week is how connected people are now. I remember when hardly anyone had cell phones and now I walk around seeing kids as young as 10 with cell phones texting to their little hearts' desires! Perhaps I was also thinking about this because I had to work on webpages for my Information Architecture class and I am learning about the different formats for different things and one of them includes formats for cell phones.

I am the first to admit I am addicted to my Blackberry which I have nicknamed my red crackberry but I never really stopped to consider the design aspect in creating every single page to be viewable on that little gadget. I am someone who constantly checks her Facebook through her phone, but I guess now I understand what goes into making that site work. I think technology can be so amazing but yet at the same time I have to ask are we going to get to a point where it will be overkill?

I hope not because for me I will always get excited at any new technology. I love that libraries are always on the verge for the newest and latest technology. Right now at my library we are starting to create things like Wikis and Blogs and I was asked to help out with implementing that. I think anything I learn from class is going to help so I look forward to working on this wiki project because it will help me with my current job. I will be able to teach some of my coworkers.

Dealing with changes...(S554 blog post 2)

Having class through Adobe Connect last week was such an interesting experience for me. I have used it once before in a class but I was never able to participate in the actual class because the meeting time was when I was working. So the only experience I had was being able to view slides and listen to what was discussed during the time slot because it had been recorded as a file. This was an all new experience to use it live so I was definitely excited to use the software.

Out of the entire session, the part that captured my eye was the whiteboard because I see that this could be used to take notes for meetings. I think this will be a great tool for when we are in the teams for this course, especially for students who live far away from each other and have to work on the projects together. I see this software's benefits.

The downside, the inability to see a person's facial expressions if they do not have a web camera. While people can use the microphones, I think you would still not be able to fully capture their reactions to things being said.

The discussion regarding integrated systems was an eye opener for me because while I have used the software Sirsi Dynix, I did not know exactly what was going on when I was a library assistant in the Circulation department at IU Northwest. Being able to look at it from the inside out in our discussion, helped me to realized what I had been doing all those years I worked at the Circulation Desk during my undergraduate years at the library.

I also learned just what exactly OPAC was. So many times I would hear people say "OPAC" this and "OPAC" that but I just never really knew what it was. To be quite honest I believed it was a database and not the entrance for the database. To find out that it was not an actual database was also an eye opener for me during our class discussion.

With regards to blogs and RSS, I used the feature before but seeing the actual coding for it, I did realize that the setup is that of a webpage. In the past when I used RSS, I was not sure if I was mistaken so reading that it is just that, my confidence was raised in that I guess all those years of making pages for the Electronic Reserves paid off a bit.

For me that is the stuff that sparks my interest. I wouldn't mind knowing more about coding because I like learning the backbones to how things work online. I like being able to see how if I add something, what is the finished product, you know? Call me a geek, but that is what I have always liked.

After reading a bit of the Oncourse assignment I realized that I am comfortable with change to an extent. I like change when I see that implementing a new method or technology makes my life easier. If something has more steps, I will admit I will put up a bit of a fight in accepting the change that is beginning at work.