Method 3

My first reaction to cloud computing is concern about the “diffusion of resources”… documents and services scattered in various places without compatible or interchangeable standards for the infrastructure, security and accessibility. My personal feeling is a loss of control when there is a lack of centralization. Who is responsible for the infrastructure? Who is responsible for security? Will the organization who pledges that my privacy is of great importance to them have a loophole for selling me out? Do I have enough skill to outwit the legions that are looking at me as a dollar sign? Last week, I googled the color “sea foam” to check out some bedding, paint colors, ideas, etc. As if by magic, my web mail reader is now showing me all manner of products in “sea foam”. The custom ads about “sea foam” have followed me all week from Amazon to Zappos long after my interest!
The Blue Squirrel Blog mentions some interesting tools that are new to me. I like the idea of Google gears to check email offline. I am ready to pop open Mozy and SmugMug just to satisfy my curiosity and add to my “tool belt”.
Tame the Web Blog also had some great tips…I agree that banning the cell phone in the library is probably a lost cause…it may be better to focus on cell phone etiquette. The cell phone is an information source, just not traditional and in most cases the librarian is not part of it. The author refers to his “tiny tone” when his iphone notifies him of an email. My experience as a campus librarian in a small library space is that tones run the gamut of heavy metal, hip hop, classical, strange voices and once, an Elvis song. It can be quite a racket in a small space!
I appreciated Jenny Levine’s (The Shifted Librarian) We are Not All Ready for the Cloud Yet post about teaching users the implications of the technologies they use, privacy issues, multiple options, and especially how to recover and/or backup their documents and files. Many a student has placed way too much trust in typing in a template (i.e. course management system) for an important assignment or resume only to discover for one reason or another, the action failed and they did not create or save the document in an alternate place.
While I like the idea of Cloud Computing (specifically, something free) I am always reminded of the adage, “…you get what you pay for... “

Methods 1 and 2

Steven Abrams made some excellent points about time management in learning new skills.

I find the equipment for learning sometimes a challenge. Ipods, Blackberry, Palms, tablets, etc. Purchase of these digital doodads and their support may not be provided in our libraries, especially smaller or state libraries. We may find our own personal equipment out of date to support the latest versions of the software. In some cases, certain web technologies may be blocked from our campuses due to security issues. For example, Meebo and Flick’r were banned from a previous campus where I worked.

But what I have found is that if I explore about 3 technologies at a time, it is more manageable for me. Using them for a personal application helps with motivation to gain skill and to contemplate additional applications perhaps with my colleagues, campus or students. For example using an Ipod Touch with iTunes allows me to explore the use of uploading and managing my photos (want to see photos of my son’s wedding?); downloading music for my choir rehearsal; checking my email while out at lunch in a place that offers free WIFI.
In some cases, the web based technology was too time-consuming or difficult to follow. I found the Sakai Wiki too hard to master. There are so many types of wikis, I just looked for another that met my needs and skill level.