Things 2&3

Bloglines just escapes me, for some reason, so I've chosen Google Reader as my aggregator. I've also used Snarfer in the past, but I use Google for lots of other tasks, so it's more convenient for me. Whatever reader you choose, we'll be posting instructions on how to import the OPML file of all the St. Paul MILI feeds as soon as the last few folks get their blogs registered, so keep an eye out!

One of the suggestions for Thing 2 was to upload a picture, so I found one from my vacation in 2006 when we went to visit my home state of Washington. This is one of the picturesque little lakes on Mt. Baker, in northwest Washington. I grew up about an hour's drive from here. I still miss having easy access to the mountains, forests and salt water...



So there's my blog for the week. Not terribly inspired, but my brain is mostly focused on helping to get this year's MILI up and running, as well as my "other" job (MEMO), where we're gearing up for our big conference next week.

Don't forget to write a blog entry every week so you'll be entered in the drawing at next month's meeting! Ann has been adding to the prize pile, so don't miss out!

Moo-vin' on to Year 2

Wow, Ann was right - naming your blog is the hardest part. (Other than technology that doesn't cooperate.) This one came to me at 2:45 a.m. when I couldn't sleep, but I'm pretty happy with it.

I'm excited about the "23+1 Things" aspect of this year's Metronet Information Literacy Initiative. My work doesn't often lend itself to keeping up with the latest and greatest technology trends, so I usually find myself learning things in a hurry as needed (i.e. teaching myself CSS, RSS, etc. while doing web design). This project will give me a more structured opportunity to pursue my interest in things out there that I may not necessarily otherwise explore. I also look forward to hearing what other folks find and what they think. I know most (if not all) of us feel overwhelmed between work, family, and all the other commitments of a busy life, but I hope "23+1" will feel more like a chance for personal and professional development and not just another chore.

Personally I think I fall somewhere in the middle of the technology spectrum. I have and use the usual tools (cell phone, mp3 player, tv, dvd, etc.), and I love computers and am pretty savvy both with learning new software and tinkering around with hardware when I need to. I enjoy surfing the web, although I haven't gotten caught up in blogging and tagging and that sort of thing yet. But yes, I do play a MMOG (massively multiplayer online game). :) Any other WoW-ers out there?

"Do you see a curriculum/classroom use for blogs?"
I'm not a teacher, but the first thing that comes to mind is that blogs would be a great tool for the shyer kids in a class. I think it might feel less risky to post their thoughts rather than to share them in class where it might feel like everyone is looking at them and might laugh. (You might be surprised at what the quiet kid has to say!) I'll be curious to see if any of the MILP participants choose to integrate a blog into their classroom.