Wikis

Although wikis sometimes get a bad rap, I now understand how they could be useful for gathering and organizing information. I think I'll be more adventurous with wikis in an effort to understand the full nature of their possibilities.

Delicious

However difficult it may be, I try to keep my history as current and as organized as possible - it can get out of control very quickly! I've never even heard of Delicious, much less explored its possibilities. Upon initial screening, I realized how useful the site could be in terms of organizing sites and resources, and sharing information with family, friends, and colleagues. I think that I can easily utilized Delicious as a means of managing work information and websites.

Facebook

I've been on Facebook for awhile now and have come to appreciate the capacity of Facebook as a social networking site. Not only can you stay up-to-date with news from your family and friends, but you can also communicate in a quick and snappy way, and share photos. Being involved with groups is also great way to stay in touch with former college friends and colleagues. Facebook makes social networking fun and is easy for people of all ages to use.

Google Docs

I like how user friendly Google Docs is. I can see how this would be an great tool to use when creating simple documents that need to be shared among colleagues. There is nothing worse than receiving a file that you can't open because it was created in a version that is not compatible with your computer...Ugh! I do feel, however, that Google Docs is somewhat limited when it comes to creating complex documents that require special spacing and formatting. All in all, I give Google Docs two thumbs up!

Ode to YouTube

Is YouTube ever not fun? I'm so glad that I was able to learn how to embed a video in my blog - my blogging skills are growing out of control! It takes a little time to figure out how to do exactly what you want to do, but once you know how, the process becomes quite simple.

Podcasts

I've always been curious about podcasts. Knowing what they are and not knowing how to integrate or make use of them. My previous thoughts on podcasts were notions of yet another media outlet vying for my time and attention, which was really not appealing to me. However, upon searching for the perfect podcast to connect with, I realized that podcast are available in many more subject areas than I had previously thought. I was thrilled when I found a podcast for the Museum of Modern Art - now I can stay up-to-date with current exhibits and what's new in the world of modern art by use of a simple and quick tool.

Here's Riley's trading card...

There's more to Flickr than meets the eye

Tweaking photos is right up my ally, and these new photo applications make blogging photos all the more enjoyable! I can foresee some of these apps having functional purposes as well as the ability to enhance the aesthetics of a blog.

FLICKR

I've never understood the Flickr craze; however, when blogging, it comes in handy. Having the ability to add pictures to a blog opens up numerous possibilities. It magnifies your ability to tell your story. You know the old saying, "A picture is worth a thousand words." On the negative side, I feel that Flickr has a clumsy website. Instead of being able to flip through an album, it was almost as if you were confined to one picture at a time, with a link to another picture, with yet another link to another picture. I'm sure that once I get used to the site, I'll be able to maneuver it with ease.

airdale terrier

airdale terrier, originally uploaded by colbyfanable.

Blogging photos is contagious...

A Rainbow Sunset

A Rainbow Sunset, originally uploaded by Senrab4.

Life is good, and so is knowing how to add photos to your blog!

Rock N' Feed Reader

Feed reader is a huge time saver! I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to become familiar with this tool. Although I don't follow too many blogs, I think that it will be quite useful in staying up-to-date on information, as well as my favorite websites. I found the easiest way to find feeds was to search out the sites and blogs that I visit often; otherwise, I could easily see becoming overwhelmed with all the options out there. What a wonderful tool to add to my box!

Hooray For Lifelong Learning!

I have determine that I'm a lifelong learner - although this did not come as a surprise. I have a lot of corky knowledge and random facts stowed away in my brain. Almost all of the 7 1/2 habits of highly successful lifelong learning come naturally to me, but I think that visualizing the process and the end result is, by far, my strength. I am, by nature, a visual person, so envisioning the outcome comforts me in the learning process. From there, I'm able to take the necessary steps toward my end goal and create a personalized toolbox that will simplify the process.

Life is defined by a series of "tasks" and it seems that a majority of these "tasks" can be categorized as either problems or a challenges - it's all about perspective...

I must admit that I have a difficult time approaching problems as challenges, but I've been working on it. A person can take so much more from a situation if one views it as a challenge rather than a problem.