Draft Project Plans

Draft Project Plans
Thinking and working on project plans.  I have drafts of the way the 2 first projects might go and have set these down in a general way, not too detailed.
I converted the word document into a Google Doc, just to try and get an idea of how it all works and how it can be shared, edited, etc.  I am learning how it all works together as I do it!
Now off to a student-organised rally to protest against the cuts to TAFE in the recent state budget:  1230 hrs in the Student Lounge in Building 94, Level 3 (if anyone else is interested).
I may be able to link the blog to the Google Docs draft project plans, but will work on that when I return from the rally.
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Good for the TAFE students for getting together to DO SOMETHING about opposing the demolition of their futures.  It isn't just the students, TAFE and university, that should be showing their concern, though.  These terrible cuts to the TAFE sector will affect every one of us in future. Think about it: there is already a skill shortage in Victoria, this will make it immeasurably worse.  If you run a business, where will you get your potential employees?  If you are looking for a skilled tradesperson, how on earth will you ever find one in future if the cuts go through? It's hard enough now! And in the regional areas, the TAFE college is about the only possibility for country kids to get an education, or for adults to upgrade skills and qualifications. The regional areas will be devastated.

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Now I have transformed my draft project plans into Google Docs, so I will try and provide the links here:
Project plan: Textbooks
Project plan:  Training/Toolbox

I welcome your comments on either or both of these documents.

Renewing my acquaintance with blogging!

Almost 4 years since I posted here!!  I've been reading a variety of other people's blog posts, but somehow my contribution to this blog just dried up.
Now I'm coming back to it because I think (hope) it may be useful in my new role at the library as Special Projects Librarian.
I am hoping that I will be able to find some helpful discussions in blogs that deal with the sorts of problems that I will be dealing with in these projects. I'm continuing to search, but so far have not been able to find much in the literature.
The first problem I'm investigating is the ordering of textbooks and how to improve that process.
Another matter I'm exploring is the idea of a Toolbox for Library Resources & Access staff containing the applications everyone needs to do their work well, and figuring out some way to determine a standard skill level that everyone needs to achieve.
Interesting problems, so I will be VERY interested to see if anyone has looked into either of these issues, and just where it has taken them.
There must be a way that one can search through all the blogs "out there" using keywords/tags...

Just photos

This picture was taken at the beginning of June. She still looks like a puppy. And those big feet!

These photos were taken at the end of June. What a difference in just a few weeks! She already looks more adult (but still behaves like a puppy)!

More puppy images

I will post some recent photos of the 'puppy' here on the blog. She will be 6 months old at the end of this month! When I get to the module on sharing photos, Flikr, etc, I should post them there, instead, or as well. I think there are opportunities to share photos on other social networking sites, so when I get to the next module on Facebook and social bookmarking, del.icio.us, etc, I should share the photos with you from there. I have been very busy with other work recently -- it is journal renewal time -- so I am preoccupied with that and I don't have much time for 21 lunges.

Wiki -- a different way to think about creating something

Wikis have great potential for encouraging participation in the creation of something, but as the wiki module says, this technology-enabled process of participatory creation 'radically changes the meaning of 'authorship', 'ownership' and even 'plagiarism'.' Think about it. Everyone can make a contribution; you don't have to be an 'expert'.
I have heard the phrase 'radical trust' used in relation to wikis. The more recent addition of restrictions, and allowing pages to be 'locked-down' defeats the original purpose of the wiki.
Like wikipedia, readers need to be able to edit every part of the document at hand in order to retain the spirit of the wiki. As all changes are tracked anyway, if changes are made that are not appropriate, or if documents are deleted, earlier manifestations can be easily reinstated.
However, restricting the open-ness of a wiki has a purpose. The creation of a document can be limited to a specific working group that has responsibility for implementing recommendations or procedures, etc. Provided that everyone in the group actively contributes to the creation of the document, procedures, standards, etc. it may mean that the group's commitment to the final document is strengthened through this exercise in cooperative creation.
I have added a few things to the 21 lunges wiki, and looked with great interest at the changes made by others.

More on Podcasts

July already! How the time flies! I have come to the conclusion that the reason I cannot get a satisfactory podcast subscription result at home is due to the fact that we have a dial-up rather than a broadband connection. When I tried to download the latest audio file for a podcast I subscribed to at home that is only half an hour long it took over 2 hours! And the download was not successful because the connection cut out at the last moment. Disappointing. Since we are unable to put our mp3 player software on work computers I can't do the subscribing at work.
I've decided then, that for the purposes the 21 lunges programme, that listening to past audio files, and subscribing to programmes as RSS feeds will have to suffice.

Podcasts -- still working on it...

I realise it's been a long-ish time since I last put thoughts here.
Well, it's a new month and so it is with new resolve that I am trying to tackle podcasts.
(Why do so many of the words created to describe new Web 2.0 things sound so ugly: blog, podcast, vodcast, voip -- or is it just me?)
But, I digress.
There are many programs on the ABC radio AM band that I enjoy. My MP3 player broadcasts only the FM band, so I can't listen to these programs on the go, unless I am in the car, and then any listening is usually interrupted. I have tried the streaming audio, which is good, but then I have to listen sitting next to the computer. But to be able to store these programs on my MP3 player and listen to them while I wait for a tram, or while on the tram -- this would be rewarding! I have some instructions in front of me regarding how to download the audio files to the computer and then to my MP3 player, but so far I have not been able to master it. I will report back when I have had some success.