PVLD Learning 2.0

Welcome to the PVLD Learning 2.0 Project

2007-02-05T11:13:00.000-08:00

This blog has been set up as part of PVLD's Learning 2.0 project to encourage staff to:

Explore some of the new technologies that are reshaping how people use the Internet to access information and interact with one another.

Think about how these new technologies could be used to support PVLD's Vision of "...being an innovative leader and community partner in providing outstanding library services that connect people, information, and ideas."

Reward staff who take the initiative to complete the self-discovery exercises
Who can participate? All PVLD employees (full and part-time) are eligible to participate.

What do I need to do? Complete all of The Tasks described in this blog by the deadline of April 20th, 2007. What's my reward? Every employee who completes all of the tasks by April 20th will receive a 1 gigabyte MP3 player and will be entered into a drawing for one of four major prizes:

A digital camera (We are still looking for a good model)

A Nintendo Wii video game system

A Microsoft Zune

An Ipod Nano

The Learning 2.0 project is loosely modeled on similar programs at other libraries, most notably the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenberg County (http://www.plcmc.org/). The PVLD Learning 2.0 project was designed by a team of employees that includes Laurie Anderson, David Cambell, Kathy Gould, Eve Wittenmyer, John Jakobsen, Cindy Miller, Dallas Millican, Justin Sabol, Jan Wierzbicki, and Ali Orr.

More information can be found on the blog. Be sure to check the Frequently Asked Questions section!

First Six Finishers Celebration

2007-02-05T10:00:00.000-08:00

Kick Off Party Pictures

2007-02-04T16:02:00.000-08:00

Completion Reward

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Here is the reward for completing the PVLD Learning 2.0 program, a SanDisk c140 1GB MP3 player!

Some of the features include:

1GB of storage space (up to 10-15 hours of music)
FM tuner and recorder
Voice recorder
Supports subscription music stores
Color screen

Click here for more information.

The Tasks

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Task 1 - Set up a free webmail account.

Task 2 - Create a blog.

Task 3 - Use RSS.

Task 4 - Take a digital photo.

Task 5 - Explore Flickr.com.

Task 6 - Instant Messaging.

Task 7 - Explore Wikipedia.org.

Task 8 - Explore YouTube.com.

Task 9 - Explore online office tools.

Task 10 - Explore Myspace.com.

Final Task - Summary.

Final Task - Summary

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Summarize your experiences during the Learning 2.0 Project.

Please address the following questions:
- What was the most important thing that you learned? Why?
- What was most challenging? Why?
- How can PVLD use these technologies to deliver or improve library services?
- How successful was the “self-directed” learning model? Is this a useful way of encouraging staff development?

Post the report to your blog.

Task 10 - Explore MySpace.com

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1. Go to http://www.myspace.com/

2. Create a profile and upload a picture. Any picture is fine, it doesn't have to be a photo of yourself.

3. Use the Browse and Search tools to locate a friend, favorite author, musician or Library.

4. Add them to your friends list.

5. After exploring the MySpace world, link your MySpace webpage address to the blog you created in Task #2.

What are the benefits and pitfalls of MySpace.com? Why is Myspace.com so popular?

Task 9 - Explore online office tools

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1. Check out Google Docs & Spreadsheets

2. If you do not have a Google account, sign up for one and login.

3. Create a new document and type a brief explanation of how this tool might be used by library customers.

4. Use the collaborate tab to give viewing rights to David Campbell, info@pvld.org. Send the document to David to review.

5. Write a blog posting about Google Docs & Spreadsheets.

Task 8 - Explore Youtube.com

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1. Go to http://www.youtube.com/

2. Create an account.

3. Find a video on the YouTube website.

4. View the video.

5. Post a comment about the video on YouTube.

6. On your blog, post your YouTube username.

7. On your blog, also post the URL of the video you viewed. Additionally, describe your experience using YouTube. Why do you think YouTube is so popular? Can you think of any ways the library can use Youtube?

YouTube has a great help section that can answer any of your questions. Please go to the following link to view the YouTube help section.

http://www.youtube.com/t/help_center

Task 7 - Explore Wikipedia

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Wikipedia is a wiki. A wiki is a website or similar online resource which allows users to add and edit content collectively.

Find the PVLD entry on Wikipedia. Add more information to the PVLD entry.

1. Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/

2. Create an account.

3. Once you are logged in, find the entry for Palos Verdes Library District.

4. Edit the page.

5. Save the changes.

6. On your blog, post your Wikipedia username.

7. On your blog, report your experience using and editing Wikipedia. Why is it important to know about Wikipedia and understand how it works?

Task 6 - Instant Messaging

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1. Go to www.aim.com/aimexpress.adp or search Google for AIM Express.
2. Sign up for an AIM Screen Name.
3. Log into the AIM Express service using your new Screen Name.
4. Learn what the Buddy List does and how it can be useful.
5. Add the screen name PVLD2007 to your buddy list.
6. Send an instant message to PVLD2007
7. You will receive an auto reply.
8. Copy and paste the auto reply and post it in your blog. Post why the Buddy List is significant in your blog

You may have trouble with AIM Express getting blocked by a pop-up blocker. Do the following steps to add AIM Express to your allowed pop-ups:

1. Select Tools from the menu.
2. Select Pop-up Blocker then Pop-up Blocker Settings.
3. Enter http://aimexpress.aim.com into the exceptions box and click Add.
4. Close the Pop-up Blocker Settings window.
5. You will have to Refresh the window to reload the webpage and allow AIM Express to start.

Task 5 - Explore Flickr.com

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1. Go to http://www.flickr.com/ and learn about this popular image hosting site.
2. Create a Flickr account.
2. Have some Flickr fun and discover some Flickr Services.
3. Post a photo, and link it to your blog.
4. Why is tagging so important?
5. What is your favoirte feature on Flickr?
6. Check out the user groups... what is an online community?

Task 4 - Take a digital photo

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Using a digital camera or cell phone camera, take a digital photo. A digital camera at Peninsula Center can be checked out from John in IT using a checkout sheet. The digital camera at the branches can be checked out from Laurie or Eve with the same checkout sheet. You are welcome to use your own digital camera or cell phone camera.

Using the digital camera, hook it up to the computers designated. Use the graphics workstation at Peninsula Center. The branch computers are the third circulation desk computer at Malaga Cove or the office computer at Miraleste. Instructions for how to upload the digital camera to the computer and how to transfer the photo file are shown on a document under Public Folders > Palos Verdes Library District > All Staff > Computer Training > Transferring Pictures from the Digital Camera.

If you use your cell phone camera, generally, you can send a photo to your email, transfer it to your desktop, and attach it to your blog.

Once your phot is saved, post it to your blog. While in your blog account, you create a new post, and click on the add image icon to upload your photo.

Task 3 - Use RSS

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Each participant in the PVLD Learning 2.0 project is required to set up an account with an RSS feed service. RSS is a way to be automatically updated about information from blogs and websites. (RSS Explained) Bloglines is a free web-based service that is very easy to use.

To create an account, go to http://www.bloglines.com/ and click on “register” in the upper right corner of the page. Check out Bloglines Help to find out what it does and how it works: http://www.bloglines.com/help/faq.

The next step is to go to a search engine and look for blogs or web sites that are interesting to you and offer RSS feeds.

Once you find some interesting sites, copy their URLs and add them to your Bloglines account. (When you add a feed to Bloglines, don’t worry about all the “options” available; just accept the defaults and it will work fine.)

On your blog, list the RSS feeds you subscribed to and report about your experience using Bloglines.

About the Project/FAQ

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1. I hate you. Why are you doing this to me?
The next generation of web services, called Web 2.0, is already upon us.
Completing these tasks will bring you up to date with the most popular services. Besides, participation in Learning 2.0 is voluntary!

2. Who is eligible to participate in the Learning 2.0 program?
All part-time and full-time employees of PVLD. Volunteers, interns, and contractors are not eligible.

3. Will I be allowed work time to participate?
Employees will be allowed to work on the Learning 2.0 program at work as long as their normal duties and performance do not suffer. You may find that you need to spend some time outside of work as well.

4. What should I do if I need help?
Collaborate with your colleagues.

5. Do I have to finish all the tasks to receive a prize?
Yes.

6. Is my participation in the Learning 2.0 Project private?
No! Everyone can read your blog, this is the nature of blogs in general. You can remain anonymous by choosing a Generic Name for the blog and hiding your user profile. Please make sure all posts are appropriate and use discretion in mentioning names/places etc. Copyright issues and intellectual content also apply to blogs.

7. How long do I have to complete the program?
The program begins on February 6 and ends on April 20.

8. Does PVLD have a digital camera I can use?
Yes, there is a camera at Peninsula Center and another shared by Malaga Cove and Miraleste. Please see John Jakobsen at Peninsula Center or Laurie Anderson or Eve Wittenmyer at the branches to borrow the digital cameras.

9. Why do I have to create a free webmail account?
We want you to use a webmail account (i.e. ilovebooks2007@gmail.com) when you register on the sites we ask you to visit (Blogger, MySpace, YouTube, Wikipedia, etc.). This way, your PVLD e-mail won’t receive any spam e-mails.

10. How do I track my progress?
Each staff member that chooses to participate will be required to keep a blog to track their own progress. You will make regular posts to your blog about what you learn, what you like, dislike, etc.

11. How does the Learning 2.0 Project work?
This is a self-discovery program which encourages staff to take control of their own learning and to utilize their lifelong learning skills through exploration and PLAY. There will be no classes or workshops offered to support this program. Instead, staff are encouraged to work together and share with each other their discoveries, techniques and "how to's" both in person and through their blogs.

12. If I didn’t complete a task correctly, can I fix it?
Yes. You will be given a chance to redo the task.

13. Will there be any training classes offered to show staff how to do this?
No, this is a self-directed learning program. If you feel you need assistance with an item, you are encouraged to be resourceful and to find a co-worker or another staff member who can help. Many of the websites you will work on during this project have excellent online help and tutorials. Reading other staff members blogs can help, too.

14. Who do I contact if I have further questions?
Email David Campbell or Dallas Millican. They will get an answer and also ensure that these FAQs are updated.

Task 1 - Set up a free webmail account

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Each participate in the PVLD Learning 2.0 project will be required to use a free email account from a commercial service provider such as Yahoo Mail or Google’s Gmail. This account will be used to register for the various web services required by this project.

It is recommended that you set up a new webmail account specifically for this project, although you may use an existing account if you prefer.

You will be creating several accounts on different websites during this project. Click here to download and print a form you can use to keep track of your usernames and passwords.

Note: Do not use your PVLD email account for this learning program.

To set up an account with Yahoo go to http://www.yahoo.com/ and click on the Sign Up link next to “Free Mail” in the upper right hand portion of the page.

Why is this important? Your free email account will allow you to use PVLD's computer network to complete your Learning 2.0 tasks without introducing spam or viruses to the network. Free email accounts such as Yahoo Mail also allow you to check your email from any computer, so they are great for library customers who use our public computers.

Task 2 - Create a Blog

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Each participant in the PVLD Learning 2.0 project is required to set up a Blog using http://www.blogger.com/ . Your blog will be the way you record your progress and will enable the Project Team to monitor your progress and verify completion of each task. Blogger is a free service that makes creating and maintaining a blog very easy.

To create your personal Learning 2.0 Blog go to http://www.blogger.com/ . The easiest way to get started is to click on the blue oval “Take a Quick Tour” button about ½ way down the page. The tour will guide you through the following steps:

1. Create an account. Remember to write down your login and password!

2. Name your blog. Your blog name will appear in your blog’s unique Internet address like this: http://yourblogname.blogspot.com/ (yourblogname = the unique blog identifier you selected when you set up your account). Remember to write down your blog address!

Important Note: How you choose to identify yourself on your blog is your choice. You can blog under your real name, or create a screen name. However, in order to qualify for the Learning 2.0 prizes you will need to register both your blog name and your real name with Dallas Millican and David Campbell.

3. Select your template. This allows you to pick a color scheme and design for your blog.

If you run into trouble you can click on “Help” at the bottom of the Blogger screen (or go to http://help.blogger.com/ ).

Create your first blog posts. Create a “test” post to see how it works. Post an entry about why you decided to participate in the Learning 2.0 project and how you think participation will enhance your ability to contribute to the success of PVLD.

Register your blog with the Learning 2.0 Project Send an email containing your name and your blog’s Internet address from your Internet email account (e.g. Yahoo Mail, Gmail, etc) to Dallas Millican and David Campbell.

Why am I doing this? Your blog will be the way your successful completion of the Learning 2.0 tasks will be recorded and verified. Blogs are an increasingly popular means of "publishing" information and opionions. Many libraries use them to share information about library programs and services with their customers, and many people read blogs as an important source of news and information.