Unit 11

When I began this course, I had never even heard of Linux or a command-line interface. I have to admit that I felt fairly out of my depth, but I am enthusiastic about learning new things and technology is an area where I would especially like to strengthen my knowledge. I have also genuinely enjoyed learning about these topics, and it has been exciting to have those moments when something finally "clicks."

I have worked hard at the concepts and feel that I now have at least a basic grasp of the command-line interface as well as how it differs from a graphical user interface, what Linux is and how it differs from other operating systems, what a web server is, how to create a web page with HTML, what XML is and what it is and isn't used for, how to develop a database, as well as a myriad of other technical information. I particularly enjoyed learning HTML and MySQL, perhaps because it was fun to see the immediate outcome of using them.

On a deeper level, I now understand so much more about why these different technologies are used and how they fit together in order to build a complex digital collection. It has changed my perception of digital collections being things that I could only hope to work with as an end-user, to seeing that I could learn how to work with them at a deeper level. It was helpful to be able to see the inner workings of a digital database. I am very grateful that I took this course and am really looking forward to 675 next semester. I can't believe how much I have learned in the last couple of months and how far my technical knowledge in general has grown.

Unit 10

This week's assignments were very intense for me, and took me a very long time to get my head wrapped around (thus the slightly late post). At the same time, it was one of my favorite topics of the course. The most difficult concept for me to understand was the queries, especially the left join/right join. However, having to come up with my own for the weekly dropbox assignment really forced me to look at it closely and mull over the differences between the different joins, and I am happy to say that I now understand them (at least on a basic level).

At first the MySQL syntax was a little but overwhelming to me, but the more I do it the easier and more intuitive it becomes. I really look forward to creating a couple of my own databases and playing around with them. I would like to create one for my home book collection, as well as one for my small art business. I found myself liking MySQL for laying out database and table structure, then using Webmin as a way to add values to the database tables. It seems like a simple way of adding information. There were a couple of times this week where I felt overwhelmed by all of the new information, but in the end I feel like I learned a lot of extremely useful information.

Unit 9

This week we learned about data modeling and proposed a simple database based on our previously created XML document. I really enjoyed learning about this; I felt that the basic concepts were accessible and very immediately useful. I had learned a little bit about entity relationship diagrams in IRLS 515, but felt that I was able to get a deeper understanding of it this time around.

I felt that I gained a good understanding of the crow's foot notation after spending some time on it, as well as a pretty good understanding of the differences between entities and attributes. The thing I am still having a hard time with is how everything goes together in the diagram when you have several or many entities/attributes. I also was only able to grasp a basic understanding of database normalization. I really look forward to learning more about this topic; I have a small business of my own that I would like to create a database for, so that gives me extra motivation to try to understand these topics.

Unit 8

This week we did a lot of reading about technology plans for libraries. I was not aware of technology plans and found it to be quite interesting and helpful to learn about. I noticed some common advice in the readings about what a good technology plan should consider and include:

• the plan should be based upon the organization's overall mission
• users should be the main focus
• the plan should have top management involvement and support
• involve as many stakeholders and end users as possible
• recognize that technology is a means to an end, not an end in itself
• the plan should be a living document and updated often

I looked closely at two technology plans from Connecticut libraries, one from the Avon Free Public Library and one from the West Hartford Public Library. I thought that they were both quite good and were very similar in structure: they each included a technology vision statement, a description of the current technology environment in their libraries as well as their specific needs, their goals with the technology, as well as general plans for staff training and evaluation. I felt that they were thorough yet concise.

I do believe that any networking will be valuable to me in assisting in technology planning in my future career. I believe that a technology plan would be useful to any organization, and having a background knowledge in technology would help in assessing the needs of the organization, as well as how those needs relate to its the goals and mission.

Unit 7

This week we learned some XML, which was really interesting. Luckily I had learned a little bit about it in IRLS 515 last semester, so I had some idea of what it was. However, it was nice to get a refresher on it and to learn more about it. I decided to primarily learn it through the w3schools tutorial, as I like the way these allow you to learn through reading, demonstration, and doing (such as the XML validator, which came in handy). I feel as though I got a good feel for what it is, although I am still a little bit confused as to how it interacts with HTML and JavaScript. These are all pretty new concepts to me, so I think the knowledge will come with time and more experience.

I also went through the JavaScript tutorial since I was unfamiliar with it, and looked at the XML Namespaces module. XML seems to be very important in the current and upcoming web and in the information sciences in general, so I look forward to learning more about it.

Unit 6

I was very excited to learn some HTML this week, as I felt a little behind in that my 504 class last fall did not include the customary HTML section. I decided to use w3schools, as I had good luck with this resource in 515. I thought it was very effective in teaching me the basics, and I generally found it to be easy to follow and understand. Even being a total beginner, I was having fun with it and even decided to add a background color to my website. I also took a look at Codecademy as it was recommended by a classmate in the forums, and it looks like a really great resource for beginners. I plan to go through more of the tutorials, and have bookmarked it for future use. HTML seems to me to be very simple in concept, yet something that can be extremely complex in practice. I look forward to learning more about it, as it is obviously an extremely useful skill to have.

Unit 5

This week we learned about networks. This information was all new to me and was a lot to digest, but it is a very interesting topic. I did find the variety of presentations for this material to be helpful to varying degrees. I like being able to look at a link with a Wikipedia entry so that I can grasp the basic definition of a term before moving on--I usually wait until the second reading of the material to read the entry past the first paragraph, otherwise I can trip myself up by forgetting the basic concept as I continue with the lecture.

I really enjoy videos, especially ones like "Warriors of the Net" where there are helpful visuals rather than just somebody talking. I think that I tend to be a more reflective learner, and prefer to work by myself for the most part. However, as the article mentioned, everybody uses different learning styles sometimes, and a lot of the material in this course is much more understandable to me by being active with it. I think for me it depends upon the nature of the material and my level of comfort with it. I had a harder time determining what other specific learning styles I use, such as visual vs. verbal. Again, I think that I use a mix and it depends upon the material. Sometimes visual aids are extremely helpful to me, while other times they confuse me (I tend to have a hard time with graphs). I appreciate the mix of methods used in this class.

Unit 4

This week we used four different methods of adding users: the command-line interface, the graphical user interface, Gnome, and Webmin. I ran into a small problem while installing Webmin, as I couldn't get the IP address to open up properly in my browser, but luckily I had done a screenshot before I began, and decided to start fresh. The second time, it worked fine. I think I must have made a small mistake in typing out one of the command lines.

Adding users with the different tools went smoothly, as I made sure to follow the directions carefully. I confess that I didn't understand everything that was going on with the CLI, and I had to reference the readings quite a bit to get any idea, but I hope that knowledge will come with more practice. I can see why some prefer the CLI once you have knowledge of what you are doing with it; it seems like a clean and straightforward way of doing things, and I can see there being fewer surprises than you could get with the GLI, since you are in control of exactly what is going on.

The GLI was very simple and intuitive, and is the way I add users on my own computer. This is fine for my everyday needs, but I could see why you would need a more complex tool for many situations. I really liked Gnome, as you can either keep it really simple or add extra user features/permissions if you need to. It was also very user-friendly. Webmin was a little overwhelming to me. It was not very intuitive to use, at least at first, but I could see it being very useful for an organization with complex user and group needs, without having to go directly to CLI. I was able to add a user with no problems by following the directions. I found this to be an interesting exercise in showing the differences between these different tools, and where one could be more useful than others in certain situations. They all seemed to have their virtues depending upon the user's technical level and needs.

Unit 3

This week we installed the Ubuntu server on our virtual machines, experimented with the vi/vim text editor, and also did some file configuration. I found the vi/vim tutorial to be very helpful, and I liked the emphasis on learning by repetition rather than memorization. The commands themselves seem to be simple, but I know it will take a lot more practice for me to get used to using it.

I also used this week to practice using commands in the terminal, and am finally beginning to understand the basic file structure of Linux. I have mostly been working on mastering the basic commands such as pwd, cd, ls less and file. I had a more difficult time understanding the configuration commands, but I am confident that the knowledge will come as I continue to practice and do the readings.

Unit 2

This week we installed Linux (Ubuntu) on a virtual machine in order to start working with it and to learn about using a command-line interface. I have to admit that I felt overwhelmed at first, as this is all brand-new to me. I have only ever used a Windows graphical user interface, so it is quite a learning curve.

 However, the more I read about it and do the tutorials, the more sense it is making. It was actually quite fun to play with the different commands, although I don't quite get the hang of it yet. It has helped to go back and watch the video tutorials and have the printed out tutorials in front of me as I practice. I watched and read the tutorials first to get an idea, but of course they did not make much sense until I started using the Terminal app to input commands.The reading, video and hands-on practice seem to be a good combination to use. I have a lot to figure out, but  I intend to keep going over these materials and to practice. Being able to use a command-line interface seems like a good skill to have, and I am excited to learn more about it.

I am also really enjoying the reading "In the Beginning was the Command Line" by Neal Stephenson--he approaches the topic in an accessible way which is helping me gain a deeper understanding of the differences between the two types of interfaces, as well as a better understanding of operating systems in general.

Unit 1

Hi, welcome to my blog for IRLS 672, Introduction to Applied Technology. This first week we have been learning about Linux and visited the Ubuntu Forums. Exploring the Absolute Beginners Section, I was interested in the variety of topics brought up, as well as the variety of technological exprience of those asking questions. It was reassuring to know that people with all levels of experience were present in the forum, and the answers seemed to be civil and genuinely helpful.

One interesting thread that I came across regarded word processors in Ubuntu. The user had recently switched from Windows Vista to Ubuntu, and as a student was thrown off by no longer having the use of Microsoft Office, particularly Word. After trying out LibreOffice, the user did not think it met their needs and  had not been able to find a word processor that they liked. They received many helpful suggestions, including the fact that it may be possible to run Microsoft Office in Ubuntu. Several people suggested that the user revisit LibreOffice, and a forum moderator also contributed a lot of advice on how to make LibreOffice work for the user's needs. I had never heard of LibreOffice and am now curious to try it out. Overall, it seems that the Beginners forum will be a very helpful resource as I learn more about Ubuntu.