Friday, November 28, 2008
Week 13 Muddiest Point
Is social tagging really a good idea? It seems like it has great potential to be a big jumble of terms that only a handful of people use, with a million different ways to say one thing.
Week 13 Readings
I don't have much to say about this weeks readings, other than CREEPY! While we're all aware that today's technologies make spying on everyday folks super easy, I'd really rather not know that it's going on... but I guess that's just the world we live in, huh?
In a way, I find it interesting that the YouTube video was taken down for copyright reason. Again, one of those "it supposedly happens, but I've never encountered it" moments.
In a way, I find it interesting that the YouTube video was taken down for copyright reason. Again, one of those "it supposedly happens, but I've never encountered it" moments.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
Week 12 Muddiest Point
Is Wikipedia becoming more accepted by teachers, etc, the longer it "lasts"? I still have middle and high school students saying that they need "real" websites, or books, for their assignments because the teacher says no Wikipedia.
Week 12 Readings
Weblogs:
Even though the article was old-ish (by technology standards) I liked the definitions it gave for frequently heard terms.
Using a Wiki to manage a library instruction program:
Much less time consuming than sending things around in those "routing" envelopes! It was nice to see a real world example in the ETSU paragraph.
Creating the academic folksonomy:
Another good article, especially the examples given. And at the end, wondering if librarians are ready to give up the reins to allow folksonomies to actually exist.
Wikipedia:
I watched this after dinner at my parents' house, and my dad and brother in law actually stopped watching thier tv show about how safety goggles are made (whooo...) to watch/listen to this. What I thought was a little weird is how he pretty much called himself the "King of Wikipedia" and that it seems like he (even though the Wikipedians pretend that he doesn't) has total comtrol over the venture.
Even though the article was old-ish (by technology standards) I liked the definitions it gave for frequently heard terms.
Using a Wiki to manage a library instruction program:
Much less time consuming than sending things around in those "routing" envelopes! It was nice to see a real world example in the ETSU paragraph.
Creating the academic folksonomy:
Another good article, especially the examples given. And at the end, wondering if librarians are ready to give up the reins to allow folksonomies to actually exist.
Wikipedia:
I watched this after dinner at my parents' house, and my dad and brother in law actually stopped watching thier tv show about how safety goggles are made (whooo...) to watch/listen to this. What I thought was a little weird is how he pretty much called himself the "King of Wikipedia" and that it seems like he (even though the Wikipedians pretend that he doesn't) has total comtrol over the venture.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
Week 11 Muddy Point
Institutional repositories seem like a good idea. Why are more Universities not jumping on the bandwagon?
Week 11 Readings
Digital Libraries:
I'd never considered the difference between digital a "digital library collection" and "digital library services". I mean, I guess I just figured that without digital library services, digital library collections would be kind of useless.
Dewey Meets Turing:
I must have missed in all the Google readings and learning that we've done, that Google has its roots in a federally funded program. Besides that, I wonder if more could have been accomplished in a pertnership between computer scientists and librarians had the WWW crashed the party...
Institutional Repositories:
Great idea! Especially in having student done research and writings as accessible as that done by faculty.
I'd never considered the difference between digital a "digital library collection" and "digital library services". I mean, I guess I just figured that without digital library services, digital library collections would be kind of useless.
Dewey Meets Turing:
I must have missed in all the Google readings and learning that we've done, that Google has its roots in a federally funded program. Besides that, I wonder if more could have been accomplished in a pertnership between computer scientists and librarians had the WWW crashed the party...
Institutional Repositories:
Great idea! Especially in having student done research and writings as accessible as that done by faculty.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Friday, November 7, 2008
Muddiest Point Week 10
Why is the world so Google-centric? If other search engines produce good results, why did Google take over as the ultimate search engine? I feel bad for the other guys...
Week 10 Readings
Web Search Engines, Parts 1 & 2:
I like that these articles gave a fairly detailed "overview" of search engines without focusing on Google, as much of what we've dealt with in terms of searching has been Google-related. I found them easy to read and understand for the most part.
I like that these articles gave a fairly detailed "overview" of search engines without focusing on Google, as much of what we've dealt with in terms of searching has been Google-related. I found them easy to read and understand for the most part.
Current developments and future trends for the OAI protocol for metadata harvesting:
Too many acronyms for me! I got lost about halfway through the article, but the open language archives community and the sheet music consortium seem like neat projects. I will try to reread the article. Wish me luck!
The Deep Web:
I attended a workshop a few years ago called "The Invisible Web," which I'm thinking is a more marketable term for Deep Web. I wonder where I stashed the CDs I brought home from that workshop... I want to play around with this...
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Muddiest Point 9
Is this week 8 or week 9? I am confused about that since we had no class last week.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Week 9 Readings
Introduction to the Extensible Markup Language (XML):
The article gave me an ok understanding of XML. It seems like a great idea to have an easy way to make data transferable to a variety of hardware and software hardware.
Survey of XML Standards:
I am glad this article provided more details than the first one, but it wasn't easy for me to follow.
Extending Your Markup:
Great (and very extensive) article! It was easy to read, and the big purple box with additional references is helpful. While the article was easier to read than the previous one, it was still difficult to read about rather than "do."
XML Tutorial:
Yippee! I had to read the section about DTD, but overall, I am a big fan of these tutorials.
The article gave me an ok understanding of XML. It seems like a great idea to have an easy way to make data transferable to a variety of hardware and software hardware.
Survey of XML Standards:
I am glad this article provided more details than the first one, but it wasn't easy for me to follow.
Extending Your Markup:
Great (and very extensive) article! It was easy to read, and the big purple box with additional references is helpful. While the article was easier to read than the previous one, it was still difficult to read about rather than "do."
XML Tutorial:
Yippee! I had to read the section about DTD, but overall, I am a big fan of these tutorials.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Friday, October 10, 2008
Muddiest Point- Week 8
Is one or the other, HTML or CSS, "better" to use, or is it a matter of personal preference?
Week 8 Readings
HTML Tutorial:
Great tool! (But at first, I wanted to be annoyed at how much time it was going to take me to look at it.) It was fun to play around with HTML though, as I've always wondered exactly what it is. When I have some free time, I plan to play with it some more.
HTML Cheat Sheet:
Very handy for if I ever become proficient enough in using HTML... otherwise I will meed the whole list 'o instructions...
CSS Tutorial:
Same goes for this as for the HTML Tutorial. I like the CSS a little bit better, but I can't put my finger on why. Oh, wait, it's easier to understand and use than the HTML... (for me, anyway.)
Beyond HTML:
I found it interesting that a university library would allow a hodgepodge of pages of information on its website, like it seemed that the HTML pages were. Maybe I'm missing something. But seeing the real world use of both HTML and CSS was helpful. I also wonder why librarians would be given the task of creating the pages, if they had absolutely no training in how to. It seems like once the university decided to migrate from HTML, much more training was given in the new comtent management.
Great tool! (But at first, I wanted to be annoyed at how much time it was going to take me to look at it.) It was fun to play around with HTML though, as I've always wondered exactly what it is. When I have some free time, I plan to play with it some more.
HTML Cheat Sheet:
Very handy for if I ever become proficient enough in using HTML... otherwise I will meed the whole list 'o instructions...
CSS Tutorial:
Same goes for this as for the HTML Tutorial. I like the CSS a little bit better, but I can't put my finger on why. Oh, wait, it's easier to understand and use than the HTML... (for me, anyway.)
Beyond HTML:
I found it interesting that a university library would allow a hodgepodge of pages of information on its website, like it seemed that the HTML pages were. Maybe I'm missing something. But seeing the real world use of both HTML and CSS was helpful. I also wonder why librarians would be given the task of creating the pages, if they had absolutely no training in how to. It seems like once the university decided to migrate from HTML, much more training was given in the new comtent management.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Week 7 Comments
I commented on...
Melanija's blog:
http://melanijasblog.blogspot.com/2008/10/week-7-readings.html?showComment=1223342460000#c1187810312120485225
Mazy's blog (muddiest point):
http://mazysischool.blogspot.com/2008/10/week-7-muddiest-point.html?showComment=1223342820000#c1699255241906918465
Maggie's blog:
http://mhsyoung.blogspot.com/2008/10/week-7-readings-and-muddiest-point.html?showComment=1223343300000#c6571388726761311225
Melanija's blog:
http://melanijasblog.blogspot.com/2008/10/week-7-readings.html?showComment=1223342460000#c1187810312120485225
Mazy's blog (muddiest point):
http://mazysischool.blogspot.com/2008/10/week-7-muddiest-point.html?showComment=1223342820000#c1699255241906918465
Maggie's blog:
http://mhsyoung.blogspot.com/2008/10/week-7-readings-and-muddiest-point.html?showComment=1223343300000#c6571388726761311225
Jing-a-ling-ling! Assignment 4
My semi-educational just for fun tutorial:
http://www.screencast.com/users/alb206/folders/Jing/media/3e142f19-948d-499d-821f-8c1f7922a704
Fotos from Flickr- Start at the top and work your way down the list.
http://flickr.com/photos/28929621@N07/2920460852/sizes/o/in/dateposted/
http://flickr.com/photos/28929621@N07/2919625171/sizes/o/in/dateposted/
http://flickr.com/photos/28929621@N07/2919635011/sizes/o/in/dateposted/
http://flickr.com/photos/28929621@N07/2919641747/sizes/o/in/dateposted/
http://flickr.com/photos/28929621@N07/2919651335/sizes/o/in/dateposted/
http://flickr.com/photos/28929621@N07/2920504570/sizes/o/in/dateposted/
http://www.screencast.com/users/alb206/folders/Jing/media/3e142f19-948d-499d-821f-8c1f7922a704
Fotos from Flickr- Start at the top and work your way down the list.
http://flickr.com/photos/28929621@N07/2920460852/sizes/o/in/dateposted/
http://flickr.com/photos/28929621@N07/2919625171/sizes/o/in/dateposted/
http://flickr.com/photos/28929621@N07/2919635011/sizes/o/in/dateposted/
http://flickr.com/photos/28929621@N07/2919641747/sizes/o/in/dateposted/
http://flickr.com/photos/28929621@N07/2919651335/sizes/o/in/dateposted/
http://flickr.com/photos/28929621@N07/2920504570/sizes/o/in/dateposted/
Friday, October 3, 2008
Week 7 Readings
Internet Infrastructure
I didn't realize that anything like the Internet Society existed to lend a bit of order to the Web. Interesting... the behind the scenes look at IP adresses was kind of interesting. I had assumed that IP addresses were just randomly assigned numbers, but in reality, they hold tond of information!
Dismantling ILS
At first I thought this article sounded like a sales pitch coming from all the ILS companies, but toward the end, suggesting dismantling systems to try to solve compatibility problems, it sounded less "corporate."
Google Video
The world with lights representing searches was neat. You could really see a difference between developed countries and less developed parts of the world. I really think that allowing emplloyees 20% of their work time to work on their own creative ideas is a fantastic way to keep employees motivated, especially if they are compensated for ideas that the company actually implements. It's also nice to hear that Google is willing to try new ideas, even though the probability of failure might be high.
I didn't realize that anything like the Internet Society existed to lend a bit of order to the Web. Interesting... the behind the scenes look at IP adresses was kind of interesting. I had assumed that IP addresses were just randomly assigned numbers, but in reality, they hold tond of information!
Dismantling ILS
At first I thought this article sounded like a sales pitch coming from all the ILS companies, but toward the end, suggesting dismantling systems to try to solve compatibility problems, it sounded less "corporate."
Google Video
The world with lights representing searches was neat. You could really see a difference between developed countries and less developed parts of the world. I really think that allowing emplloyees 20% of their work time to work on their own creative ideas is a fantastic way to keep employees motivated, especially if they are compensated for ideas that the company actually implements. It's also nice to hear that Google is willing to try new ideas, even though the probability of failure might be high.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
Muddiest Point - Week 6
Whether it would be helpful (or make my head explode) to look at all the links that wikipedia provides throught out the articles.
Week 6 Readings & Watchings
This week, I found the articles and videos informative and fairly easy to comprehend. As I read the Wikipedia articles, I caught myself singing "WLANs and PLANs and Lans, Oh my!" (Lions and igers and bears... get it?)
After last week's Libraries and Youtube article, it's nice to see other more informational, less entertainment stuff on there.
After last week's Libraries and Youtube article, it's nice to see other more informational, less entertainment stuff on there.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Week 5 Comments
I commented on Melissa's blog:
http://suburbanbarnyard.blogspot.com/2008/09/week-5-readings-data-compression-you.html?showComment=1222129020000#c3529551548555041951
And Domenic's blog:
http://dgs18.blogspot.com/2008/09/week-5.html?showComment=1222129800000#c3848490642043576015
And Jenny's blog:
http://jzlis2600blog.blogspot.com/2008/09/week-5-reading-note-entries.html?showComment=1222131660000#c1037037381974069557
http://suburbanbarnyard.blogspot.com/2008/09/week-5-readings-data-compression-you.html?showComment=1222129020000#c3529551548555041951
And Domenic's blog:
http://dgs18.blogspot.com/2008/09/week-5.html?showComment=1222129800000#c3848490642043576015
And Jenny's blog:
http://jzlis2600blog.blogspot.com/2008/09/week-5-reading-note-entries.html?showComment=1222131660000#c1037037381974069557
Friday, September 19, 2008
Muddiest Point- Week 5
In regards to data compression, why is lossless compression called "lossless" when it (in my understanding) produces results that are not as good as "lossy" compression, which sounds like the end (compressed) product would be of lower quality...?
Week 5 Readings
Wikipedia:
I read this first, and was slightly lost in the world of data compression. Some of the terms were familiar, but overall, I felt like I definitely wasn't able to discuss data compression to anyone!
Data Compression Basics:
Usually I do much complaining as I do about the technical nature of the articles we read for this course, however, this article was fantastic! My brother-in-law is an animator (computer, of course) and he once tried to explain how compression works in terms of videos. I walked away from that conversation with a headache, but after reading this article, much of what my brother-in-law tried to teach me finally sunk in! I also learned that what he'd told me about different kinds of compression (lossless vs. lossy) was wrong. He told me that when a picture is compressed as a jpeg file, it will lose a lot of it's quality. I understood this article to say that lossy compression (which is what jpeg is?) doesn't necessarily mean loss of quality. Hmmm...
The Transformers reference in there cracked me up!
YouTube and Libraries:
I know of a library in Central PA that has several videos on YouTube... I believe the videos are performances by their Book Cart Drill Team, which is absplutely fantastic! Using YouTube for instructional purposes as well as just library fun makes sense, too.
Imagining Pittsburgh:
It was nice to read about "close to home" experience with creating a database such as this, and to have a tie-in between this week's readings and last weeks, with the Dublin Core stuff being used in this project. Hopefully this weekend I will have time to check out some of the hard work that went into creating this online resource.
I read this first, and was slightly lost in the world of data compression. Some of the terms were familiar, but overall, I felt like I definitely wasn't able to discuss data compression to anyone!
Data Compression Basics:
Usually I do much complaining as I do about the technical nature of the articles we read for this course, however, this article was fantastic! My brother-in-law is an animator (computer, of course) and he once tried to explain how compression works in terms of videos. I walked away from that conversation with a headache, but after reading this article, much of what my brother-in-law tried to teach me finally sunk in! I also learned that what he'd told me about different kinds of compression (lossless vs. lossy) was wrong. He told me that when a picture is compressed as a jpeg file, it will lose a lot of it's quality. I understood this article to say that lossy compression (which is what jpeg is?) doesn't necessarily mean loss of quality. Hmmm...
The Transformers reference in there cracked me up!
YouTube and Libraries:
I know of a library in Central PA that has several videos on YouTube... I believe the videos are performances by their Book Cart Drill Team, which is absplutely fantastic! Using YouTube for instructional purposes as well as just library fun makes sense, too.
Imagining Pittsburgh:
It was nice to read about "close to home" experience with creating a database such as this, and to have a tie-in between this week's readings and last weeks, with the Dublin Core stuff being used in this project. Hopefully this weekend I will have time to check out some of the hard work that went into creating this online resource.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Week 4 Comments
I commented on:
Monica's blog
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=108107720927400752&postID=5552127673531761524
Samantha's blog
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3134494378228652121&postID=2267894209648036377
Megan's blog
http://thealleyview-1.blogspot.com/2008/09/class-4.html?showComment=1221435120000#c4774796575814969140
Monica's blog
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=108107720927400752&postID=5552127673531761524
Samantha's blog
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3134494378228652121&postID=2267894209648036377
Megan's blog
http://thealleyview-1.blogspot.com/2008/09/class-4.html?showComment=1221435120000#c4774796575814969140
Friday, September 12, 2008
Muddiest Point- Week 4
While I understand that this is a course about information technology, I find it frustrating that in order to understand the articles I am to be reading, I must first research nearly every technical term I encounter, because I do not have a background in computer programming, computer parts, or anything technology related. Usually the Wikipedia articles are fairly easy on less technology minded folks, but this one was not. I apologize for my tiny temper tantrum!
Week 4 Readings
Wikipedia Article:
I have taken databases for granted! I knew that databases are super complex creations, but I didn't realize there were so many models. The heirarchical model was the easiest for me to understand, but apparently is more cumbersome than the relational model, which is was the most confusing to read about, but apparently works well in practice. Reading about how databases process transactions was interesting, but I had to read that section several times to understand it even a tiny bit.
Metadata:
I love this word! It sounds fun, and even more fun when you say "data data," because metadata is data about data. I've heard the term many times, had an idea of what meatadata was, but this article taught me enough to make my head spin. I have great respect for catalogers, archivists, whoever else has to create information about information.
The Dublin Core Data Model:
Way too technical for me! But I tried really hard to grasp what the author was trying to tell me, and I think it's telling me that the Dublin Core Data Model is trying to standardize descriotions of something in something for something.
I have taken databases for granted! I knew that databases are super complex creations, but I didn't realize there were so many models. The heirarchical model was the easiest for me to understand, but apparently is more cumbersome than the relational model, which is was the most confusing to read about, but apparently works well in practice. Reading about how databases process transactions was interesting, but I had to read that section several times to understand it even a tiny bit.
Metadata:
I love this word! It sounds fun, and even more fun when you say "data data," because metadata is data about data. I've heard the term many times, had an idea of what meatadata was, but this article taught me enough to make my head spin. I have great respect for catalogers, archivists, whoever else has to create information about information.
The Dublin Core Data Model:
Way too technical for me! But I tried really hard to grasp what the author was trying to tell me, and I think it's telling me that the Dublin Core Data Model is trying to standardize descriotions of something in something for something.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Muddiest Point from Week 3
How much of this technical terminology, etc. must I retain? My head hurts...
Week 3 Readings
Linux:
My one and only Linux experience was years ago, when I was working in a Public Library in Memphis. Our one and only male librarian brought in his Linux machhine( is that what it's called?) to display. Patrons were fascinated by it, and if I remember correctly, a little penguin kept popping up on the screen... This article made me want to cry. I am not tech-y at all! What I wonder is that no matter how great Linux is because of its customizability, will it ever be super widely used because of its technical-ness? It seems like tons of work to use. Then again, many folks find work like that entertaining.
Mac OSX:
Up until now, Mac anything was a mystery to me. I actually want to get my hands on one and learn how to use it...
Windows:
What I learned from this article is that I'm glad I didn't jump on the Vista bandwagon when it first rolled by. Hopefully many of the bugs have been worked out, because my new laptop will be running it. I was a bit disappointed by this article in that it wasn't anywhere near as technical as the other two. (Don't tell anyone I said that!)
My one and only Linux experience was years ago, when I was working in a Public Library in Memphis. Our one and only male librarian brought in his Linux machhine( is that what it's called?) to display. Patrons were fascinated by it, and if I remember correctly, a little penguin kept popping up on the screen... This article made me want to cry. I am not tech-y at all! What I wonder is that no matter how great Linux is because of its customizability, will it ever be super widely used because of its technical-ness? It seems like tons of work to use. Then again, many folks find work like that entertaining.
Mac OSX:
Up until now, Mac anything was a mystery to me. I actually want to get my hands on one and learn how to use it...
Windows:
What I learned from this article is that I'm glad I didn't jump on the Vista bandwagon when it first rolled by. Hopefully many of the bugs have been worked out, because my new laptop will be running it. I was a bit disappointed by this article in that it wasn't anywhere near as technical as the other two. (Don't tell anyone I said that!)
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Week One Readings
The Vaughn Article
The library sounds fantastic, with all it's technological bells and whistles, and short term sustainability of it all seems possible, but what about long term? I know nothing about funding, etc. for academic libraries, so maybe the financial sustainability isn't a problem. But with changing technologies, companies merging, going under, plain old newer and better coming along, to keep up the current level of services appeaers to be a ginormous undertaking.
OCLC Report
Coming from a background in public libraries, I identify with the bits of information being demanded by consumers. Kids need information for an assignment, but when you offer a plethora of information related to what they need, they remind you that they "only need to know about _______." On the ringtones, wallpaper, snippets of entertainment, even the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus has a ringtone you can download, and you can watch snippets of the circus on their website.
Lynch Essay
I think being Information Literate without being having basic Information Technology Literacy skills is next to impossible. On the other hand, I wonder if those who are IT Literate need to be Information Literate?
I Commented on...
http://michellesintrotoit.blogspot.com/2008/08/reading-notes-for-week-1.html
The library sounds fantastic, with all it's technological bells and whistles, and short term sustainability of it all seems possible, but what about long term? I know nothing about funding, etc. for academic libraries, so maybe the financial sustainability isn't a problem. But with changing technologies, companies merging, going under, plain old newer and better coming along, to keep up the current level of services appeaers to be a ginormous undertaking.
OCLC Report
Coming from a background in public libraries, I identify with the bits of information being demanded by consumers. Kids need information for an assignment, but when you offer a plethora of information related to what they need, they remind you that they "only need to know about _______." On the ringtones, wallpaper, snippets of entertainment, even the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus has a ringtone you can download, and you can watch snippets of the circus on their website.
Lynch Essay
I think being Information Literate without being having basic Information Technology Literacy skills is next to impossible. On the other hand, I wonder if those who are IT Literate need to be Information Literate?
I Commented on...
http://michellesintrotoit.blogspot.com/2008/08/reading-notes-for-week-1.html
Mud-Mud-Muddiest Point #1
What is due when, and how to make sure what is completed is posted in the correct place in order for it to be counted...
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Week 2 Readings
Computer Hardware:
Reminds me of how little I know about the inner workings of computers, and how thankful I am that I don't need to commit that information to memory. That's what my favorites are for! I read that floppy disks are outdated... my sister still uses them...
Moore's Law:
Is fascinating (I try to find patterns in everything from carpet squares to the digits in my cell phone number) and explains why my brother, who is very tech-savvy, is always telling me to wait a little while before buying the latest gadget. The paper folding example in the video didn't seem to do a very good job of illustrating its point. I didn't think so, anyway...
Computer History Museum:
I want to visit! I still haven't explored every inch of the website, but that they have samples of the museum's holdings on the website is great! The museums special projects (oral history recordings, etc, are neat.)
Reminds me of how little I know about the inner workings of computers, and how thankful I am that I don't need to commit that information to memory. That's what my favorites are for! I read that floppy disks are outdated... my sister still uses them...
Moore's Law:
Is fascinating (I try to find patterns in everything from carpet squares to the digits in my cell phone number) and explains why my brother, who is very tech-savvy, is always telling me to wait a little while before buying the latest gadget. The paper folding example in the video didn't seem to do a very good job of illustrating its point. I didn't think so, anyway...
Computer History Museum:
I want to visit! I still haven't explored every inch of the website, but that they have samples of the museum's holdings on the website is great! The museums special projects (oral history recordings, etc, are neat.)
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