About the RULA Learning 2.0 Project

The Library's Learning 2.0 initiative is a hands-on opportunity for staff to learn about Web 2.0 tools and services and to see how these tools are impacting libraries. This is an online self-discovery programme that encourages staff to explore Web 2.0 through a series of weekly exercises.

Objectives

• To encourage staff exploration of Web 2.0 and new technologies
• To familiarize staff with Web 2.0 tools that can assist us in fulfilling our mission

How Does this Programme Work?

This is a self-discovery programme that will take place over 13 weeks. For each week there will be activities to give participants and opportunity to explore the topic (Eg. blogs, podcasting, social bookmarking) and consider ways in which these topics impact libraries.

Participants will track their progress by making entries in blogs set up for this purpose. There will be no workshops offered to support this programme; participants will be encouraged to work together in person or via their blogs. Each participants will be assigned to a team which will provide a smaller community in which group members can explore, ask questions, discuss, etc. Currently the group leaders include: Brian, Naomi, Weina, Sally, Graham, Sonny, Kelly D and Fangmin. Any other staff members who are interested in helping are most welcome. Please send an email to rula2009@gmail.com to volunteer.

Staff Prizes and Incentives

Each staff member who completes (by posting relevant comments or links on their Learning 2.0 blog) all 13 weeks will receive their choice of a USB Flash Drive or small MP3 Player. In addition, the names of all participants who complete the 13 weeks, will be entered into a draw for a mini laptop and an iPod Touch.

Who is Eligible to Participate

All library employees with the exception of casual staff (part-time shelvers and short-term contract students) are eligible. All eligible staff are encouraged to participate. If you are not an eligible member of the Ryerson University Library staff, you are welcome to follow along, however the Library cannot award you any staff prizes for completion.

Time Commitments

This programme will require that participants spend some time each day viewing materials and completing the exercises. It is anticipated that participant time spent on this initiative will average about 15 minutes per day.

Timeline

Three introductory sessions were held in December (Dec. 4 from 2-3, Dec. 9 from 11-12 and Dec. 17 11-12) to explain the programme to staff. Don't worry if you missed these sessions; you are still welcome to join. The actual RULA Learning 2.0 programme will run from January 13 until April 10, 2009. A graduation ceremony will take place shortly after the completion of the programme; successful participants will receive certificates, their incentives and be entered for the draw.

The 23 Things

Week 1 - Blogs (Jan. 12)
1. Set up your personal blog
2. Post to a blog.
Week 2 - RSS Feeds (Jan. 19)
3. Learn about RSS Feeds
4. Set up an RSS account and subscribe to some feeds
Week 3 - Wikis (Jan. 26)
5. Create a wiki account
6. Post or edit an wiki article
Week 4 - Photo Sharing (Feb. 2)
7. Explore Flickr and learn about this site
8. Have some Flickr mashup fun
Week 5 - Social Bookmarking and Tagging (Feb. 9)
9. Learn about tagging and delicious
10. Create some social bookmarks
11. Contribute tags to a public site
Week 6 - LibraryThing (Feb. 16)
12. Try out LibraryThing
Week 7 - Play Week (Feb. 23)
13. Visit a Technology Petting Zoo
Week 8 - Online Applications and Other Google Services (Mar. 2)
14. Create a Collaborative Document
15. Find yourself on a map
16. Get Personal with Google
Week 9 - Social Networks (Mar. 9)
17. Join a Social Network
18. Find someone online
Week 10 - Browser Tools (Mar. 16)
19. Make your browser more useful
Week 11 - Podcasts and Audio Files (Mar. 23)
20. Listen to a podcast
21. Hear a book
Week 12 - Videos (Mar. 30)
22. Discover YouTube and other sites that let you upload video
Week 13 - Catch up and Reflect (Apr. 6)
23. Explore some sites from the Web 2.0 Awards List

Evaluation

At the end of the programme participants will be asked to complete an evaluation to provide feedback about what did and didn't work and to suggest ideas for future projects.

How to Get Started

To sign up for RULA Learning 2.0 send an email to rula2009@gmail.com. This will allow you to be placed in a group with a mentor and ensure that your hard work is recognized. More information will be sent via a ryelib email early in the new year.

Acknowledgements

The first Learning 2.0 programme was developed by Helene Blowers of the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County. RULA Learning 2.0 is an based on that original programme and countless other adaptations of that programme.

Questions

If you have questions that aren't answered here, please post a comment below or send email to rula2009@gmail.com.