Wednesday, June 6, 2012

cpd23 - Thing 5: Reflective Practice

Hmmm....
I have to admit, I'm a bit muddled by this week's "thing". Reflect on what I've already learned? That's kind of what I do in my blog already. So I guess the key for this assignment is to go back and find something that stands out, and then maybe reflect (further) upon that?

As this is only Thing 5, and I just wrapped up Thing 4 moments ago, I'm focusing on the first three "things". Of those three, the one I want to focus on is Thing 2: Investigate Other Blogs.

I'm finding I do this a lot.... Not only with regard to cpd23 or even Library topics, but with things I find interesting, in general. I'll admit, a small number of the blogs I follow are solely for entering sweepstakes or for collecting new recipes; however, the majority of my subscriptions do tend to follow various individuals' current trains of thought. I think it's fascinating that there are many of us out there who feel the need to jot down our thoughts and then share them with whoever might be interested. Is that exhibitionism? And the fact that we tend to be the same people who go and read other's writings? Does that make us voyeurs?

cpd23 - Thing 4: Current Awareness - Twitter, RSS, and Storify


Well, I actually did this "thing" a week and a half ago, just never got around to writing about it! Woops!

I've been on Twitter for a little over two years, but since I don't have a smart phone, and I don't allow myself internet access on the phone I do have (hubby and I are, um, frugal), I don't ever get on Twitter via my phone. I do go onto the site from my PC now and then--mostly during shows I'm watching. My favorites are The Celebrity Apprentice and MTV Real World/Road Rules Challenges. During those shows, a lot of times, I'll log on to see what people are Tweeting, and I'll occasionally Tweet as well. Mostly, though, I don't get much use out of my account at this point. I am following 172 'people' and I have 22 followers, but it's not a very useful tool for me at this time....

Now, RSS feeds are a different story completely! I've been using Google's RSS Reader for a year an a half, but I've subscribed to various blogs for a while longer... I learned about Reader in my Teaching and Learning in a Digital Environment class, and I have to say, that was one of the most valuable lessons for me! I love having all the posts to blogs I'm following in one spot. In fact, signing up for Reader (which is super easy if you're already using another member of the Google family, like Gmail, etc.) made me see how simple it would be to follow more blogs. Through trial and error, I've separated my blogs by subject (i.e. Library stuff, Cooking and Cleaning, Knit and Crochet, Family and Friends, etc.), and I only get updates when there's a new post. I log onto Reader via Google Chrome, and I've got it pinned as an app tab, so it's always there for me when I open the browser. Whenever there are updates to any blogs I'm following, the Reader tab will "shimmer" to let me know I've got something new to read. (I have my Gmail as an app tab in Chrome, too, and it also "shimmers" when I've got new mail.) I actually posted on my personal blog about RSS feeds and Reader about six months ago. I love that I can add or drop feeds as I like--I've got 28 subscriptions as of today. Love my RSS Feeds!

I had never heard of Storify before, which is cool. I do love trying new things! I made up a storify about the new face of heroines in literature. I did have fun making it, but at this time, I don't really see a use for it, personally. I'm not currently employed, and I'm not longer a student. I think it would be a great tool for a book talk at school, or perhaps some sort of promo or report for work. I suppose, if I come across some subject that I feel really passionate about and I need to make it known to my circle of friends, I could use Storify to do that... But with Pinterest, Facebook, and Blogger as my main outlets right now, Storify seems to be a bit redundant. I'll keep it in mind, though, for future reference!
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