Well if for no other reason (which I'm sure there will be many) Google calendar was worth doing cpd23 for! It's great, and when I've got time I'm going to populate it with everything I need to remember for work and home. I love that you can set it to remind you of events by SMS, that's probably the best add on it has for me. So I'm completely sold on it and will use it from now on without fail.
Evernote is a great idea, and I can see the beauty of being able to document everything all in one place, but I don't think I have a use for it at the moment. If you're studying, or working towards Chartership I should imagine it would be invaluable. The web clipper's a good idea too, and the Evernote logo is brilliant with the elephants head and turned down ear. Aren't design agencies clever when they get it so right!
I know I've whistled through my posts about the last 4 Things, but I've caught up, yay! I shall be able to do the next set of things in the right week for a change...procrastinating, me? I don't think so!
Friday 29 July 2011
Things 6 & 7
I've used Facebook for a while and find it useful for keeping in touch with distant friends. I have a few pages that I've "Liked" which have more professional content, but I don't think I would use Facebook for CPD necessarily. I don't use LinkedIn, although I've had a look at it and can see the benefit for professionals looking to social network throughout their careers. This doesn't really apply to, or interest me very much at the moment.
I have been a member of CILIP on and off for a number of years, but I'm not currently as it's become quite expensive for paraprofessionals. However I do recognise the benefits of membership, I've attended some really good courses held at Ridgmount Street, and would obviously rejoin if I was to work towards Chartership in the future.
I have been a member of CILIP on and off for a number of years, but I'm not currently as it's become quite expensive for paraprofessionals. However I do recognise the benefits of membership, I've attended some really good courses held at Ridgmount Street, and would obviously rejoin if I was to work towards Chartership in the future.
Friday 22 July 2011
Thing 5 (Part 2) Actual reflection...I'm trying!
Well now that I've got that off my chest...
My initial thoughts about this programme, how I'd likely procrastinate and get left behind, haven't quite happened (I'm only one week of "Things" adrift) so I'm pleased about that. However, it is my aim to keep more on top of my posts and not be repeatedly stalled by my fear that what I'm writing will in some way not measure up. It's not that I'm ignoring the tasks, it's that I'm failing to write about them in a timely way. I think this is because I have felt quite overawed by the easy style and wit of some of the Bloggers that I follow, so instead of being intimidated I'm going to try and be inspired and enthused. I need to comment on other's posts more often too, otherwise I will remain in a social network of one!
Of the tools we've covered so far I'm finding I use Twitter the most as I can link all my content on other networks like Flickr and Facebook through there, particularly the upload of my photos on Instagram. I'm a bit unsure about whether it's appropriate to have used an account I set up purely for a social purpose as a CPD tool though. Perhaps I should have opened a new account when I started this blog, although I fear it's a bit late for that now.
And finally...the Thing that I am finding the most difficult (as you've probably already guessed) is blogging. But I do understand the need, and do recognise what a valuable tool it will be for reflection and recall, so I will try very hard to be less cowed and more buoyed by the process!
My initial thoughts about this programme, how I'd likely procrastinate and get left behind, haven't quite happened (I'm only one week of "Things" adrift) so I'm pleased about that. However, it is my aim to keep more on top of my posts and not be repeatedly stalled by my fear that what I'm writing will in some way not measure up. It's not that I'm ignoring the tasks, it's that I'm failing to write about them in a timely way. I think this is because I have felt quite overawed by the easy style and wit of some of the Bloggers that I follow, so instead of being intimidated I'm going to try and be inspired and enthused. I need to comment on other's posts more often too, otherwise I will remain in a social network of one!
Of the tools we've covered so far I'm finding I use Twitter the most as I can link all my content on other networks like Flickr and Facebook through there, particularly the upload of my photos on Instagram. I'm a bit unsure about whether it's appropriate to have used an account I set up purely for a social purpose as a CPD tool though. Perhaps I should have opened a new account when I started this blog, although I fear it's a bit late for that now.
And finally...the Thing that I am finding the most difficult (as you've probably already guessed) is blogging. But I do understand the need, and do recognise what a valuable tool it will be for reflection and recall, so I will try very hard to be less cowed and more buoyed by the process!
Thursday 21 July 2011
Thing 5 (Part 1) Reflection...it's all about ME!
Right, I've put this off for long enough...
Reflective practice is not my favourite topic and I agree with the sentiments expressed by Library Wanderer and admire the approach Lib Gloss has taken. I know this isn't supposed to be a post about reflection, rather what you've reflected upon, but I feel I must write down my thoughts on the constant need as I see it to justify and document why we do things the way we do them. It's not perhaps reflection that I have an objection to (after all there's no getting away from it) but the documentary evidence to prove the process. In my work I feel that getting to the end of my day having performed efficiently in locating users what they need shows that I can do the job. I shouldn't have to write it all down and analyse it in order to prove that. To me reflection is just a process we go through from the day we are born...we cry, we get attention, we cry again...but if it doesn't work we try something else which does. It's a sub-concious process where in it's simplest form we learn from our mistakes/triumphs. I don't feel the need to write an analysis of why I do or don't like an experience in my personal life, I just remember it and if it was enjoyable I repeat it. Those things I might reflect on don't necessarily have a conclusion that can be worked out either in my opinion, even if I did write down my thoughts. Perhaps I'm missing the point but in short the act of writing an analysis of my experiences makes me feel self-conscious not empowered, but perhaps that's just a mind-set. However, I do recognise that I will have to start to comply with the process if I want to achieve a professional qualification as they all seem to depend pretty heavily on this sort of self analysis. And there in lies my problem...do I want, at my age to meet that challenge? Do I want that qualification enough? Well that's something I've been reflecting on for several years now and I still haven't come to a conclusion...perhaps I should write it all down!
Reflective practice is not my favourite topic and I agree with the sentiments expressed by Library Wanderer and admire the approach Lib Gloss has taken. I know this isn't supposed to be a post about reflection, rather what you've reflected upon, but I feel I must write down my thoughts on the constant need as I see it to justify and document why we do things the way we do them. It's not perhaps reflection that I have an objection to (after all there's no getting away from it) but the documentary evidence to prove the process. In my work I feel that getting to the end of my day having performed efficiently in locating users what they need shows that I can do the job. I shouldn't have to write it all down and analyse it in order to prove that. To me reflection is just a process we go through from the day we are born...we cry, we get attention, we cry again...but if it doesn't work we try something else which does. It's a sub-concious process where in it's simplest form we learn from our mistakes/triumphs. I don't feel the need to write an analysis of why I do or don't like an experience in my personal life, I just remember it and if it was enjoyable I repeat it. Those things I might reflect on don't necessarily have a conclusion that can be worked out either in my opinion, even if I did write down my thoughts. Perhaps I'm missing the point but in short the act of writing an analysis of my experiences makes me feel self-conscious not empowered, but perhaps that's just a mind-set. However, I do recognise that I will have to start to comply with the process if I want to achieve a professional qualification as they all seem to depend pretty heavily on this sort of self analysis. And there in lies my problem...do I want, at my age to meet that challenge? Do I want that qualification enough? Well that's something I've been reflecting on for several years now and I still haven't come to a conclusion...perhaps I should write it all down!
Thursday 14 July 2011
Thing 4
Think this will be brief as I'm lagging behind a bit!
Twitter:
I've had a Twitter account since 2009 (quite proud to be one of the first 22 Million!), but used it very little until recently. I feel, as with all on-line social networking, you need to persevere in order to build up a following, or even an interesting set of people to follow...who don't Tweet too much! I hate it when my timeline fills up with one person's ramblings (that's why I stopped following Stephen Fry who ordinarily I think is great)! So I will continue to read about the lives of the people I follow, pick up on interesting developments professionally, and hope that others will be entertained or informed by my tweets occasionally.
RSS feeds:
Never really been interested in news feeds personally, although I did include a few on our Library Intranet pages. Now I'm wondering how I could have got on without a Google Reader! It's great to be able to view all the bloggers I follow together for one thing, and I suspect that I will add more feeds progressively. I'm not too keen on the look of the Readers pages, they're very busy, a bit boring visually and quite untidy, but it's good to be able to scroll through a timeline of your favourite blogs. I like that it "marks as read" as you scroll through.
Pushnote:
Well I've opened an account...and that I suspect is as far as it will go! I can see the value, but aren't there already lots of ways of sharing on-line stuff that you like. I'm not sure that adding a star rating is enough of an inducement for me to use it much, but we shall see...
Twitter:
I've had a Twitter account since 2009 (quite proud to be one of the first 22 Million!), but used it very little until recently. I feel, as with all on-line social networking, you need to persevere in order to build up a following, or even an interesting set of people to follow...who don't Tweet too much! I hate it when my timeline fills up with one person's ramblings (that's why I stopped following Stephen Fry who ordinarily I think is great)! So I will continue to read about the lives of the people I follow, pick up on interesting developments professionally, and hope that others will be entertained or informed by my tweets occasionally.
RSS feeds:
Never really been interested in news feeds personally, although I did include a few on our Library Intranet pages. Now I'm wondering how I could have got on without a Google Reader! It's great to be able to view all the bloggers I follow together for one thing, and I suspect that I will add more feeds progressively. I'm not too keen on the look of the Readers pages, they're very busy, a bit boring visually and quite untidy, but it's good to be able to scroll through a timeline of your favourite blogs. I like that it "marks as read" as you scroll through.
Pushnote:
Well I've opened an account...and that I suspect is as far as it will go! I can see the value, but aren't there already lots of ways of sharing on-line stuff that you like. I'm not sure that adding a star rating is enough of an inducement for me to use it much, but we shall see...
Tuesday 12 July 2011
Thing 3 - Update...
...I looked into standardising my moniker and avatar, as being a fairly neat and tidy sort of person this was appealing. The later is easy to do if you can find the right representative image, but the former? Impossible if you're doing everything retrospectively because someone's bound to have already used your chosen name, as I found. Very frustrating! I wanted to change all my profiles to the title of this Blogg (AngleD) but someone on Twitter had already used that name. I had to stop myself from Tweeting her to ask if she'd give it up...now that is perhaps a step too far in pursuit of the perfect personal brand!
Wednesday 6 July 2011
Thing 3
Now I know this will look like I've started to procrastinate already (!), but I was on leave last week and have only just got back to work to have a go at Thing 3. Interestingly I didn't think I'd ever really considered how I would be seen as a brand, but realise that I am pretty fussy about what image I portray on those social networks I belong to, so must have been doing this subconsciously. It took me a long time to be happy with how this blog looked for example, but perhaps that's just my very particular aesthetic view of everything presenting itself, rather than a need to portray myself professionally. I haven't got a cohesive, single image linking everything together I've realised, such as the same background image or name across my profiles, so perhaps that's one of the things I could address to strengthen my "brand".
I already have Flickr, Twitter and Facebook profiles, and have always been quite particular about how I portray who I am on these, thinking carefully about what I do and don't post in terms of news about, and images of, myself, family and friends. However, I've done this from a personal viewpoint as I've not needed to portray a professional image up until now, but perhaps this blog will prove to be the beginning of a new professionally branded "Me"!
I "Google'd" myself as Angie2501 (which I use a lot as my moniker), and wasn't too concerned by what was presented as me. The hit list contained a lot of my photos from Flickr (which seem to be mainly of the dog at the moment!) and references to my Twitter profile. If I use my full name a more professional me appears with my work contact details etc., but only on the second page of results. This is fine at the moment bearing in mind that my public image is more personal than professional to date.
I'm hopeful that as I am so careful about what I post, the image of who I am and what interests me is appropriate, accurate and in my control. Although it would be interesting to hear what anyone who reads this thinks...
I already have Flickr, Twitter and Facebook profiles, and have always been quite particular about how I portray who I am on these, thinking carefully about what I do and don't post in terms of news about, and images of, myself, family and friends. However, I've done this from a personal viewpoint as I've not needed to portray a professional image up until now, but perhaps this blog will prove to be the beginning of a new professionally branded "Me"!
I "Google'd" myself as Angie2501 (which I use a lot as my moniker), and wasn't too concerned by what was presented as me. The hit list contained a lot of my photos from Flickr (which seem to be mainly of the dog at the moment!) and references to my Twitter profile. If I use my full name a more professional me appears with my work contact details etc., but only on the second page of results. This is fine at the moment bearing in mind that my public image is more personal than professional to date.
I'm hopeful that as I am so careful about what I post, the image of who I am and what interests me is appropriate, accurate and in my control. Although it would be interesting to hear what anyone who reads this thinks...
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