Laura's Blog Spot

Wrap Up & Reflection

2008-10-06T18:28:38Z

This has been an interesting journey for me. I usually consider myself technically literate - but this course had forced me to go out and find lots of things and tools that I have never used before. Hopefully I can use this as a launching point to keep exploring these things.

I enjoyed being able to actually create and manage my own blog space - never thought I woud do that. I also enjoyed learning work related ways to use tools that I considered for fun or personal use only. Who would have thought that social networking could be used for work too!?

I look forward to Amy's next challenge!

Web Conferencing & UM Connect

2008-10-03T14:56:39Z

I did go into UMConnect and set up a private meeting with myself. I did experiment with the different layouts in the program. I was difficult for me to take advantage of the audio protion or videa - because being in a county office - we do not have that technology.

I would like to see this technology used in a way that producers owning small ruminants could get together once a month for a short educational series. In order for this to work - the technology would need to be in place at a variety of county offices so that producers could come to those locations to use the software. This would be difficult for someone with dial up service.

Another Photo

2008-09-23T20:53:16Z

We (my husband & I) occassionally get requests to bring kids (baby goats) to elementary schools in the spring. This is a photo that was taken this spring with some week old babies and the students. I think you could say that they had a good time and learned a lot.

Twitter

2008-09-23T20:48:36Z

Twitter is very interesting to me. I think it could be really handy during our trip to Brazil. For example - when my husband and I took our trip to New Zealand we took our laptop with us. Every few days we would send a lengthy email to a huge email list of family and friends. Sometimes we would include a few photos. With twitter - you could send one short message - or a web link to an online journal or blog with all of that information.

Oh what fun!

Uploading Photos

2008-09-23T20:39:58Z

Just wanted to try my hand at uploading photos to my blog. These were a few heifers that were part of a research study I did while in graduate school. It will be neat to do this while we are in Brazil in November.

Social Networking

2008-09-23T20:33:20Z

I have to say that I am part of the minority it seems - I do not have a social networking page. I guess I always thought that type of thing was for "fun" uses only. I have had friends & family send me messages saying they have created a facebook page, but I have not joined in the fun. I never thought about using something like that for work or actual networking, go figure! I will really have to stretch my brain a little to think about how to use this type of site within Extension work. Maybe it would take the place of list serves. Just a thought.

Productivity Tools

2008-09-15T15:37:25Z

When it comes to these types on online items, I seem quite comfortable. I have a gmail/google account for personal things, and I can sure see the benefit of having some items saved through Gogle Docs so that my husband and I could access them at various locations.

The "remember the milk" site is very interesting. I am constantly calling individuals to remind them of things, and then forget things myself! One can only maintain a certain number of little sticky notes, before one of them gets lost and the whole system breaks down. This may help to remedy that situation. I wonder if you can send other people reminders through this service?

I have also worked with Net Files as part of the small farms team within Extension. It is a nice way to have things shared, although it is a bit cumbersome to get into at first. The same comments could be said about UM Cal. Being in a county position, I have to maintain a number of calendars including the web version of UM Cal - this maked it a bit more of a chore.

Wikis

2008-09-15T15:22:05Z

Okay, I will be the first to admit it - wiki's scare me! I am the type of person that is looking for hard facts. To know that people/potential Extension clients may be getting information from wikis that may not be entirely factual - oh my!

I cna definately see the benefit to having a platform of information that can be worked on by so many different sources, but I still have big concerns over the sources for that information and their credability. I see that as the biggest issue for Extension right now and into the future in all areas, not just the web.

PodCasts & Audio

2008-08-28T18:58:42Z

Hi there,
So I took some time today to experiment with Pod Nova. Interesting - I think that sums it up. I think I have found that absolutely anyone can do a "podcast" about anything! This makes me wonder as people are using the internet to gather information - how do they determine the credability of the source? This will be something that the University and Extension will have to grapple with.

I added the Farm Network to my bloglines account. I plan on doing a little bit more investigating to see what other interesting tidbits I can find. I did try to search for the MN state fair - thinking that tv and radio stations might do smaller stories. All I found was one particular person who had done a number. Since I didn't find him that interesting - I decided against adding it. Ah - the power of choice and technology in one!

I can see this being a great tool with a family member at a distance or deployed. Being able to hear a familiar voice is comforting.

Thanks,
Laura

Images & Video

2008-08-18T16:06:38Z

I have used google, picasa, shutterfly and winflash to share photos, but have never tried flickr. I have used sites like that to keep in touch with friends and family - as well as sharing the latest "happenings" on our farm. www.fourseasonsfarm.shutterfly.com We also used the same site to share photos from out reip to New Zealand. www.kiesernztrip.shutterfly.com

In regards to Flickr - I think it's neat that a person can leave a note about a particular part of a photo - even more fun to see the same photo after a number of people have commented about it. I wish there was a way to decide which one of these sites was the best - maybe a checklist of their features would be useful.

Thanks!
Laura

RSS Feeds

2008-08-12T18:06:19Z

Howdy,
So I tried my hand at RSS feeds today. It seems simple enough to subscribe to these. I added the Star Tribune South and Ag Buzz. Although I am still confused about a few things.

1. Are these feeds supposed to be connected to my blog somehow?
2. Do they appear in my email, or do I need to go to Blog Lines to look at them?

If you are an expert at RSS feeds, feel free to leave me a bit of advice! I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,
Laura

First Post!

2008-08-12T15:32:22Z

I can't beleive it - I am blogging! I have seen blogs posted on the web, and often wondered how to get started.

I think this course will be a fantastic way to learn about alternative ways to communicate with folks within Extension as well as reaching a whole new audience that might not be aware of Extension and all of the wonderful programs we offer.

I look forward to learning how to make a blog exciting - and how to make it a place that people want to check out on a regular basis.

Thanks!
Laura