Thing #10 - Virtual Worlds

#1 - Anything with this many directions is usually something I choose to do without!

#2 - I'm anti-social, in any world.

#3 - If I wanted to fly I'd be a gymnast or a pilot not a librarian.

OK, got that out of my system.

I think it will be like learning to enjoy reading fantasy. The first time I HAD to read one, Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey, I put it down after 2 pages because I didn't want to learn new words, new rules, etc. It takes work. Since I didn't have a choice, I picked it up again later and plowed through it and eventually was able to enjoy it and many more since.

After even more reading of directions (I mentioned I was a librarian...), Cool Cat Whitman instructed that I not go in alone so I won't. In RL, I will teleporting to IAH and I will get SL with a friend. More later. (Photo by Rhaaga - used through Flickr CC)

New Leaf

I was reading in the January 2008 children’s magazine Odyssey, about Second Life, mashups, etc. It mentioned that while multitasking, which we all do out of necessity, our brains are not retaining information in the section that lets us hold on to the information. I knew this of course but I did a quick search and found a few blogs, studies and information. Even a discussion on Flickr!

This is so obviously my problem. I am constantly multitasking. There is probably not a minute of my day (or night) that I am not doing more than one thing that requires complete and unrelated attention (Watching a Web 2.0 training video and listening to my 4 year old and cooking dinner.) Learning this Web 2.0 info or even playing with it really requires doing nothing else simultaneously. You’re doing enough multitasking just playing with mashups and photo albums.

I realized that I was getting very frustrated by the technology and was not enjoying the journey so I made a resolution (it's still January!) to slow down, try to find the enjoyment factor, and just obtain the knowledge that these things are out there even if I can't make it work for me. On the plus side, I'm trying to keep up with my Google Reader though it seems to work differently each time I open it on a different computer. I am using the Google Notebook to keep info from the Google Reader that I might want to revisit when I have the time. No guarantee that the time will appear but we all have "To Read" piles. And I am eager to look at the Comic Book Creator, etc. that others have already posted about. I said my hardest habit was play!

But I will carry on, I will just allow myself not to GET IT all the time.

Thing #9

I'm feeling the limitation of online professional development. I want to TALK TO SOMEONE. I want someone to EXPLAIN things to me when I DON'T GET IT. I didn't get the shared thing. I tried but I'm not much of a sharer so the computer must sense that. I tried to share a video, it told me how to share the video from the Common Craft Show but it didn't work the way they told me to do it. Then, I couldn't get the blogger page elements to share it the way I thought I could do it. So once again, I have to come in through the backdoor or down the chimney or something. I think I am destined to be a dabbler, no proficiency. I think I am ok with that.

And then, once I've vented publicly, it seems to work! Anyway, it seemed that some of us weren't feeling the Flickr thing as much as others and I thought this presented a new reason or two. I'll try to find something different ot share and see if I can keep it working. I may need a nap first.

Thing 7 -2 = 5

As I was exploring Picasa as part of Thing 7 I came across a photo of Flat Stanley in Vancouver. This made me wonder if I could search Flickr for the same. Did you know there are over 7,000 photos with Flat Stanley on Flickr? Now, if the kids can't send Flat Stanley around the world maybe they could map him using the Flickr photos (or Picasa). Ok, back to Google.

Thing #5

I'm not sure I understand all the rules of Flickr (or how to spell it). I get that you can upload your personal photos, and your family can see them without trying to send them through email. I read about Creative Commons and saw the different levels but still am not clear about being able to use the photos. (Maybe it just feels too much like stealing) I did enjoy looking up my hometown on the map and seeing photos taken there and I even put in an old camp name and saw a few faces from 15-20 years ago. Maybe part of my problem is that most of my photos these days are of people -my daughter, teachers and students. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with posting any of these on the web and some I don't have the right to post. Trying to look at it from an educational view - if students can take and use the photos for projects (weather, animals, etc) then there are plenty of possibilities. I think I have to look around it some more and perhaps at an earlier hour. I'm definitely a nine pm pumpkin turner these days. More to come I'm sure.