Wrapping it Up!

It has been like pulling teeth to complete this last blog. I don’t mean to be negligible but blogging is just not my favorite pastime. I even know what I want to talk about, so I forced myself to sit down and do it. As the semester comes to an end, I can now fully reflect on the purpose of keeping this blog.
From the beginning:
The purpose of keeping this blog is to discuss my feelings about working with technology. What is it like to try something new? How does technology make me feel? How does it make me feel to not know what I should be doing? Share my experience working with a team. The goal is to have me develop a better understanding of how library patrons or staff may feel when encountering new technologies.

I have tried many different technologies in this class over the semester. I remember thinking that I needed to learn this stuff while I was in school. I am glad I took the class, because it did stretch me. I put myself in a position where I knew I would be uncomfortable, and by doing so I learned about cutting edge technology. I admit it was a roller coaster ride. There were times when I felt good, and times when I had no idea what was going on. A reoccurring question for me during the semester was: how do I learn to use the new software or new technology? For example, I downloaded CamStudio to my computer to use for training material. I was constantly going back to the “instructions” to find out how to do it. So, to answer my question I learn by reading about how to do it, then trying to do it on my own. When our class decided to use Wikispaces as the platform for our project, I found it easy enough to just jump in and try it. I only read the instructions a couple of times. The rest of what I learned about Wikispaces I learned from others in the class. I should mention here that my classmates and my teacher were very supportive. I also learned about widgets and podcasts. I now feel more confident about learning new technology, of course it helps when there are people who can answer my questions.

Blasted Copier!!

I had a struggle with technology yesterday at work. This is really a two part issue. To begin, the managing partner came to me in the library and requested copies of 10+ cases. He wanted the cases copied out of the books. He does want copies from Lexis Nexis our online database. Now because this is a corporate library and he is the managing partner, he gets what he wants. I have no problem with that. However, it goes against my desire to complete a task the most efficient way. I want to be productive without wasting time or resources. It would have taken me far less time to print from the computer, than to photocopy each page. Now for the second part, the copying machine was not working properly. I programmed the copier to print two book pages onto one letter size page. It would work the first time, but failed to do the same for the following pages. I refused to program the copier for every copy – it would be over 100 copies! I have used several different copy machines over the years, and in my mind this was an unacceptable problem. Making photocopies of books is a main function in our library and I was ready to fix this problem. But of course, there was no manual with the machine nor was there a customer service number to call. I went to the division of the firm that handles our copiers (IKON). The people there were not able to help. In the end, I copied each page and a day later I still do not have an answer. My question is this: does advanced technology make our lives easier? Are my expectations too high? My high expectations have left me vulnerable to disappointment and frustration. I wonder about other library patrons. What are their expectations? Are they often disappointed? Do they have someone to ask for help?

Training materials

When I thought about submitting a blog posting this week I was at a loss for content. I decided to reflect on my recent exposure to new technology in this class. Our introductions to podcasts and screen capture software are to be used when designing training materials. (Just mentioning this prompted me to download CamStudio. It is now on my computer and I did a test run.) In my past experience creating training material has always taken longer than expected. We are now entering into the end of the semester so it is crunch time. Still I have so many questions. How many tutorials should we have? How do we get the tutorials uploaded to the wiki? Where on the wiki should we have our training materials? We designed a FAQ page on the Butler wiki, but I am not sure how the format will look. I have to admit using CamStudio without audio takes away a lot of the extra preparation of trying to figure out what to say. With CamStudio the person can watch how it is done on the computer. This is a better way for me to learn something new – if I can see how it is done.
When learning new technology I always wish there was someone next to me. I feel like I learn more by talking with others. When I am by myself I sometimes feel lost. I can waste so much time trying to figure out the answer to my question. If there was someone I could ask then I wouldn’t waste so much time. But it seems like this is a pipe dream in the real world. Wait – maybe I should count my blessings. When I am at work I can pick up the phone and call IT at any time. They always help me out. Also, when I am at work I can call LexisNexis at any time when I need help with a search. Usually they are a lifesaver! But as I sit here and fumble around with CamStudio there is no one to answer my questions. Guess it will have to wait for class.

Podcasts and Handouts

I wanted to wait until today to post my blog entry because I knew we were going to work on podcasts last night in class. It is a new technology experience for me and I wanted to reflect in my blog. To begin I was happy that we were given the tools and told to make a podcast. I am the type of person who has to be pushed to try something new with technology. If we had just been shown how to do it, I would never have been able to do it again on my own. The class environment is such that I felt comfortable asking questions. As usual if seemed as though I was just a few clicks away, but I still needed guidance. My classmate sitting next to me was very helpful. She chimed in at just the right time to keep me going. After downloading all the necessary software I actually created two 45 second podcasts. Once the software and the tools are in place it requires no more than talking into a microphone. After finding the files on my computer we inserted the podcasts into our wiki. I was happy with my overall experience. I am still pondering the value of a podcast as a training tool? For me personally, I need to SEE how to do it on a computer. Just listening to a voice tell me how to do it could be frustrating. What if I don't click the right button? What if I get behind and the voice goes on? Perhaps I need some exposure to a few well done training podcasts.
Just a quick note about handouts. Last night we were given two handouts explaining the steps to create a podcast. Creating a handout really is a tough thing to do. You have to make it clear and you have to put in all the steps. Many questions come up like, to include pictures or not, how much space between steps, how long should it be? Last night I caught myself skipping steps on the handout. Once I was lost I referred to the handout only to find out I had to go back and complete a step I had missed. When I am at work I often ponder if it would be helpful to create a handout for completing a task, but it ends up at the bottom of the priority list. I did take one SLIS class that required a handout and I remember it took more time than I had hoped. Handouts are wonderful to have as a reference guide, but a nightmare to put together!

Unable to concentrate

I feel that our project is coming along. It is amazing to see product online that I created. I feel like our group has gotten along well. At this point it feels like we are ready to meet with the client again. Some feedback would be helpful.

I must diverge. On a personal level I am 8 weeks into the semester and I am starting to feel the pressure. I have a project due Friday in another class. I underestimated how long it would take me. But my issue is this – I am having a hard time concentrating on school. Several events over the last week have sent me on a quest to learn about reincarnation.

I can barely concentrate on anything else. I had a dream where I saw my uncle. I was happy about this. I have been recording and interrupting my dreams for over the last 5 years. Basically I interrupted it to mean I am searching to find out what I believe happens when we die. I have an opportunity to move from one consciousness to another – my unconscious mind is trying to activate the answer from inside me.

So, what does this mean in the real world? I cannot concentrate. I have a project due Friday and lots to do for class Wednesday night, but I only want to explore everything about reincarnation. I am sitting in the IUPUI library after work even! I am here to work on my project, but I have only looked at books to checkout. (For the record I did shift gears and work on my project. I checked out the books so I could look at them another time.)

I am fascinated by all the literature available about world religions. What happens when we die is not a new question. People have been asking for thousands of years. And some religions have been built on those beliefs. Experiencing three deaths in my family in recent months has caused me to ponder this very big question. I am interested in reading all points of view, because I believe my intuition will guide me to what is right for me.

Organizing Content

This week I faced the challenge of how to organize a whole bunch of information. It is no easy task. It was my responsibility to develop the wiki for the college of education. It took me awhile to figure out how I wanted it to look on the computer. It took me even longer to edit and add content to the wiki. I really like how easy it is to use Wikispaces. I don’t know much about web design or html, but it is not necessary. I can easily make the wiki page look the way I want. It does take time to set up links and new pages. I tried to make it simple and clear – easy to navigate.

I think I have gained this skill in library school. I have learned how to think about organizing information. We even had to do a flowchart in this class. Do other people think like this? This is why I ask. I work in a law library at a law firm. I am guessing that our little library has over ½ million dollars worth of material, but there is very little organization of the material. It is difficult to find what you need, basically you have to ask the librarian for help. It drives me crazy! I think the materials in a library should be organized and easy to find. Do others in the firm think like me? Do other people ponder how to organize materials?

Delightfully Surprised.

I am delightfully surprised at how easy it is to develop the wiki in Wikispaces. I am thrilled that we decided as a class to go with the most user friendly platform. I have figured out how to add content to the page. What you see is what you get. Simple and straightforward is my motto. Make it clear and easy to navigate. The edit box in Wikispaces gives me the feeling that I am editing in MS Word, which is very easy for me to understand because I have been using MS Word for a long time. As I said earlier simple is my motto, but the edit box seems friendly enough to me to allow for creativity. I am curious to see the creative ideas of my group members. I am beginning to understand the many ways we can use the wiki platform. But the design is different to fulfill different needs. For example, the college of education wiki page will look different than the college of fine arts.

There is one glitch. I have run into a problem when importing information from the other class. The internal links have to be set in our wiki. I hope to get to the bottom of this by talking with others in the class.

We are entering into the middle of the semester and it still feels like we have so much to do! I think group dynamics take some time to develop, but we have limited time because our deadline for this project is in December. I think we should focus on making decisions within our group and work to develop the content of our project.