Imagine having one of these!

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2010/09/04/science/1248068965210/robots-at-work.html

Flip Cam me a Tutorial!

Here at Keshen Goodman we have a lot of seniors. I often teach them computer basics. Some things are harder than others… such as computer terms. They often get confused between desktop, trashcan, file, program, browser and taskbar. It can be overwhelming. It’s practically like a new language for them to learn. As I was teaching one day, I had a random idea. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a youtube video explaining some of the basics… but instead of a tutorial on the computer, using real world items to create it?

It may sound a little out there, but I wanted to take a video from above looking down onto a desk, have a little trash can, files, folders, and do a skit about, say, writing a document, and saving and dropping and draging it into a file in a folder. It sounds a little complicated, but I really think it would be neat to explain the terms like that! Some people might benefit from a different perspective of how a computer desktop works. I’m still not sure of how I’d pull this off, but think with a little help it would be a really neat idea!

Lots going on!

There's been quite a lot going on at the ROC C@P Site lately! I am excited to finally get things rolling. Upcoming events include Valentine's Day Crafts, a movie night and a second Facebook workshop. I recently had a young boy come in and ask me when the next game night is going to be so I think I will have to look into that for him! The winter months are slow here at the ROC, and since we have changed our hours, people don't realize we're open half the time so I think I will have to do a little more promoting of our new hours! I would love to see more people around!

Challenge Response

A flip cam would be a wonderful resource for the Veith House CAP site. The best reason for this that I can think of, would be to capture all the amazing stories that pass through here.

To provide a bit of background information, Veith House was the Halifax Protestant Orphanage beginning in 1867. It was destroyed in 1917 in the Halifax explosion, where all of the orphans and staff lost their lives. The orphanage was rebuilt and continued to operate as an orphanage until 1969, when it was renamed the Veith House Community Centre.

Since 1969, Veith House has provided a wonderful resource to the community of North End Halifax. On top of hosting a CAP site, it also provides a preschool, counselling, in-home parenting and advocacy services. On the third floor, it also hosts the Veith Street Gallery.

This building is beautiful and possesses a very rich history. The sense of community that can be felt within these walls is indescribable. People come here for all sorts of different reasons; all from unique backgrounds but still sharing a profound connection to the area.

A building that brings people together in such a way should be recognized and celebrated for the impact it has on the lives of families and community members. Many people are unaware of the existence of Veith House and the wonderful resources it provides. I've been lucky enough to have worked here for two years now, and each and every person I've met has had a story to tell that's affected me in some way.

As a CAP intern, I feel responsible to communicate everything Veith House has to offer to the public, via internet. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to do it much justice given the resources we have. If we had a flip cam, I could begin to actually show people exactly what this historic building means to the community.

As I've learned, there are many here who are interested in commenting on the building and the different ways in which they use it. This would be perfect for making short documentaries about community centres and the enormous effects they have on the people who use them. There are a number of things that go on at Veith House that could be filmed - community events, support group sessions, preschool trips and concerts. As well, there are a number of individuals who use the CAP site that would love to share their stories on why the site is important to them.

I'm sure we can all agree that showing is better than telling - and, as I mentioned, the real atmosphere of this building is something that can't be described.

Flying Cars in 40 Years?

A full week of one-on-one computer training sessions has really opened my eyes to some of the issues facing older demographics. A lot of people I am seeing tell me they have no desire to learn any new technologies (Facebook, email, internet, computers), but feel forced to do so to 'fit in'. As one patron described it, he doesn't want to be a 'caveman'. Many of these technologies require previous knowledge that some may not have. For example, to use Facebook you have to know what the internet is. To find the internet you have to know what a program is and where to find them. To open a program you have to learn how to use a mouse etc,. I feel that technology is evolving very rapidly and that if you are not following the latest in the technology world, you will quickly get swept up and left behind; something many of my senior clients are experiencing.

I often find myself thinking about what technologies are going to be out there in 40 years and whether I'll be able to keep up with them, or if I'll be swept behind. Any thoughts?

Facebook Workshop

Our first Facebook workshop here at the Terence Bay ROC was a success we have 4 people show up for the tutorial and after it was over they wanted to come back, so a second facebook workshop will be happening soon, here at the ROC.
Hope too see everyone here again :)

Valentines Crafts Day !

Here at the Terence Bay ROC were putting on a special crafts day for the kids, on February 12th. It is going to be a Valentines Day themed crafts day. The kids will be able to make their own valentines day cards to hand out to their family and friends, and to make something special for their parents, plus much more :)

Flippidy-do-da!

I thought the title was clever...

So what would my C@P Site do with a flip cam? Well, in the words of that woman from the Simpsons, "won't somebody please think of the children!". Right on, voice actress, one of the things that I'd like to do would be to use it with the kids. Particularly during the February/Canada Games Break, I'll have some time with the kids, and I'd like to do some sort of group project involving the whole "lights, camera, action!" thing. My thought was something sports/Canada related that the kids could be given at the end of the week.

Secondly, one thing that would not necessarily be during my season, but rather the next season (the summer). As some of you may know, we do kids day camps during the summer (in fact, all summer). We often have people come in (such as the reptile guy from an earlier post) and the domino man that we'd love to have footage of. We give DVDs out to the kids during Claymation camp, and it would be easy and fun to put those on as well.

Tying in with the last point is the other day camps that are done in Cole Harbour Place, such as the dance camp, which do performances that could be recorded and shared, would be particularly fun! One idea I had for this would be to pick a camper to be the "camera guy/gal" and let them be the one to actually take the video, or to take turns, so that they get the experience out of it.

There are also some less kid-oriented things which we could use the camera for, particularly in that we currently don't have a functioning digital camera! Although the flip doesn't (as far as I know), take stills, it is possible using the camera to take stills from a video, which would likely be all we needed.

One final thought that I'd like to do would be to create a sort of 360 degree view of our C@P Site for the website. I think it would be really cool and useful!

Those are a few things I'd like to do with it given the opportunity, but I'm sure there's a lot more out there to do!

Blog Stats

Something kind of cool to check out: Our blog stats! We've got nearly 4,000 hits - many international!




I'll post them again in March - let's see what we can do to get even more !

Challenge # 2.6: "Flip-Cam-CAP-Comp"

Okay, last week's response to the Challenge was overwhelming!

Differing points of view, equally informed and articulate. I have no choice but to offer all 5 of you: Lyndsay, Laura, Julie, Matt, and Shona a win for this one! Congrats all, this is the kind of stuff we like to see!

This week's challenge will hopefully garner just as much (or more) interest.

Could your CAP site benefit from a flip-cam?

(If you aren't familiar with flip-cams, they are super-cool, HD, semi-affordable technology that allows you to easily film and upload video footage. For a general idea, check em' out here: http://www.theflip.com/en-ca/)



I think the resounding answer is likely YES PLEASE. However, there can only be one lucky CAP-site recipient of one of these gems.

So... make your case! Why does your site deserve a cam? What will you do as an intern this season to see that it is put to great use? What kind of ideas do you have for having a cam?

This time around, We are looking for a super-creative, well-argued response. This challenge offers a reward in itself, plus the Intern's win still goes towards the final end-of-March blogger prize.

So tell us! (pictures, video, links, citations, quotations... etc. All more than welcome to help prove your case)!

You have until next TUESDAY. Can't wait :)

Some things

So, I've got two things to talk about today, one is something I've been up to, the other is just a cool article that I find pretty interesting.

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So, first up, is something I've been helping two patrons with over the last couple days. Anyone wanna guess what? Well, its websites!

First up is the S.A.I.L. group, which I am helping develop their very first website, http://www.sailgrouphalifax.com, which although is still in its infancy (ie, lacking any content!) will be filling up shortly.

The second is with a lady named Selina who has been in the C@P Site before for classes, and has recently been complaining that her site is too hard to update. We decided that I will implement a Joomla system (if you haven't heard me talk about it before, it is my favourite thing!) in order for her to be able to update easily (http://www.joomla.org). Her original website can be seen here, and the new version can be seen here. They look the same, sure, but underneath is a system that she can edit, post to, etc. all by herself.

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Second topic is something that I think any cellphone user, techy or otherwise, can appreciate, what the heck is 3G/3G+/LTE/WiMax/4G/other funky acronyms. It can be found on Engadget here. I found it pretty darn interesting, I think (at least some of) you will agree!

Thats it for me!

E - Readers

E - Readers

Hey guys,

I have to create a presentation about e-readers and don't really have much experience with them. I'm just trying to compile some resources and I was just wondering if any of you had some advice, experiences, links or info on them. Anything would be great!

Lynds

blogging help 101

Hey guys,

Anyone know if it's possible to "attach a Word doc. file" to the blog? I'm sure there's an easy way...I just can't get it! If anyone has any clue, please let me know!

Thanks,

Julie

Dartmouth-Cole Harbour Weekly

Our one-on-one computer training sessions have just started here at Woodlawn. I did one this morning helping a lady get audiobooks from the library onto her iPod. They're pretty popular so far - I have 7 sessions scheduled for next week. To generate some advertising for the sessions we have contacted the Dartmouth-Cole Harbour Weekly News and they're gonna come do a story on the training. I'm pretty sure it's the newspaper that comes with all the flyers so for those in the Dartmouth-Cole Harbour area, keep a look out for us in there!

Keshen Goodman Library

Hi Everyone,

My name is Lyndsay and I've been hired as the C@P Intern at the Keshen Goodman Library in Clayton Park. I'm really excited to be working here.

The Keshen Goodman Library is beautiful. We are equiped with 9 computers and have printing available as well. The libray holds regular computer classes which I will be assisting. On Friday I assisted Ron in a Computer Baiscs Class. It consisted of 7 seniors with a wide range of computer skills. We mostly focused on mouse and keyboarding skills as most needed practice with that.

We offer other programs such as Beyond the Basics, Word processing Basics, Email Basics, Advanced Email, How to navigate the Internet, and Internet Searching Made Easy. These classes are taught by full time staff, but I will be assisting when possible.

Along with assisting computer classes I will offer basic One on One Computer help. Sessions will run an hour and patrons can book a time with me at the Reference Desk. I have also been assigned to develop and create an e-book information session starting in March. It will cover the basics of e-books and give descriptions of e-readers.

Here are some pictures of the C@P Site:

Some photos

Hey all, just wanted to share some photos of this summer's camps!

We had a reptile man in!

I was attacked!

Computer work...

Robotics work!

Hope you enjoyed a look at what we do during the summer months!

What's Happening at the ROC

The next couple months will be very busy at the ROC! We are holding a Social Networking Workshop next Tuesday, a movie night next Friday and we are currently planning for an upcoming craft day. We offer homework help and computer assistance to anyone that visits the ROC. We have also been asked to work at the PRCC on the 29th to assist throughout the duration of a board meeting.

Aspotogan Heritage Trust

So many C@P sites in oh-so-pretty places...
Starting next week I'm going to document a little tour of the C@P sites around the Hubbards area. Some of them are in such beautiful, unique places that they are just itching to be blogged about.
I'm thinking that I'll take some pretty pictures of, and do a little write up on the sites in Hubbard's, Blandford and Chester.
Anyhow, check it out next week.
For this week I've enclosed some pictures of the lovely Aspotogan Heritage Trust. It's so beautiful here! It's really an incredible asset to this community and the surrounding area. If you're ever in the neighborhood, be sure to stop in, have a look around and check your email, Facebook, bank account...

Media Literacy and Seniors, 2009

I made this video in the Summer of 2009 when I worked as an intern in Beaver Bank. This group of Seniors is absolutely amazing, and they were a huge part of making my every day-to-day work an awesome time. Many of them belong to the Beaver Bank Kinsac Keeners Association, an active community group.

The theme that Summer for the province was 'Media Literacy' so I decided to get an older generation's perspective on what exactly that means.

I hope you enjoy the video, and remember that projects like this are a great way to spend your time if you're ever looking for something to do! I just used the camera on my Mac, and programs to edit. Quite simple, and fun! Just write me a little proposal and I can help you with any supplies, questions, creative ideas, etc. that you need!

(The video isn't entirely finished - it's a bit choppy and a few more edits could have been made, but the message still comes across, I think!)

** If enough of you are interested, let me know and we can have a little video competition, I can think up some techie themes ***

Veith House C@p Site!

Hey everyone,
Here' are some pictures of our C@p site over at Veith House. Our computers and equipment are slightly older, but the site has a comfortable, cozy feel to it. It's got character!






















We also have special computers in our site for younger children, as part of our 'preschool mice' program. The preschool kids have had fun using them this week - some even learned how to turn them on and off!

Woodlawn Public Library C@P Site

Since this library is relatively new we have a lot of great stuff here!

These are our main public use computers. In this section are 11 Lenovo All-In-One computers featuring 20” screens, Windows 7, Intel Core 2 Duo Processor @ 2.10Ghz, and 4GB of ram. This section also includes a scanner.

These computers contain a variety of software applications including GIMP Photo Editor, Office 2003, Skype, OverDrive Media, Adobe Digital Editions, Mobipocket Reader, and various teaching and learning software.










































Off to the side of this section is an accessible computer that is defaulted to large font sizes on screen and includes a keyboard that feature larger characters on the keys. This computer also includes a scanner.














The Media Centre has three Sony VAIO All-In-One computers featuring a 24” Touch Screen, and a Blu-Ray player capable of 1080p HD. It launches Windows Media Centre upon Startup in which patrons can view photos, videos, and play movies.














The Teen section contains 10 Lenovo computers. Also in this section are two 20” screens each hooked up to a PS3.

Day in the life of a "C@PPER"

Hey guys! Hope everyone's doing well.
This really is quite a great and unique job, isn't it?
I was just wondering what a "typical" day is like for interns at other sites.
Do you teach a lot of classes? Do you consider yourself "advanced" regarding computers? Do many people frequent your site for daily computer use? Are you working on any different projects? What about the upcoming kids's winter breaks?
I'd love to hear what you have to say!

Thanks,

Julie

Allow Me To Re-Introduction Myself...

Hey, how's it going everyone, fellow C@P friends, anonymous web surfer. My name is Tristan but most of my friends call me TK and no I don't have any affilation(s) with the infamous carpet store in Dartmouth. I'm also a DJ (Plaeboi), web blogger (Viral Mixtape), closet computer nerd, and probably the coolest guy ever - just saying!

I've taken up the new Radio Producer / Production Coordinator / Spokenword Archivist job at CKDU. Thus far its been great. I like the staff and volunteers here: very friendly, easy going, laid back.

As of now my job has consisted of organizing over 900 spokenword reels which I have to encode, and assign meta-tags for each recording to be imported into a database which programmers can use from the MCR during their radio show(s). I believe I'm the first person to start this digitizing of media at this station, so I look to myself as a sort of "trendsetter", lol. Most radio stations (commercial) have their media on a database which is accessable by computer - I'm glad CKDU has started to do this.

Anyhoo, I'm going to sign off. Hope everyone who reads this has a great weekend!

PS: If you havent heard the TK's Carpets ad, it's in the video below along with some other classic Halifax commercials.

Facebook workshop

There will be a facebook workshop taking place here at the Terence Bay C@P SITE on Tuesday January 18th, from 6pm-7pm.
Come on down and learn how to use the social networking site, its a good way to keep in contact with friends who live away, and to just communicate with family and friends.
You will learn how to post pictures, update your status and profile, also search for your friends. (you can sign up for facebook when you arrive at the Terence Bay C@PSITE if you do not already have an account)

Greetings from the Nova Scotia Archives

I love history! The project that I am currently working on at Nova Scotia Archives and Records Management, therefore, has me pretty excited. As part of a larger initiative to make archival records widely available for viewing on the internet, I have been scanning, editing and entering data on some of the earliest land documents in Nova Scotia. These documents contain some fascinating stories and tidbits of the personal lives of Nova Scotians from as early as the 1760's. I am always tempted to do more reading than scanning!

This project is also proving to be a great opportunity for me to learn some new computer programs and brush up on some technology related skills. I am getting comfortable with some basic picture editing in Photoshop, as well as data entry and database management in Microsoft Access. I have also learned a lot about creating digital images; choosing a resolution, merging multiple images into one, and preparing images for display on the web.

Below is one of the images I have created as part of this project (Nova Scotia Archives and Records Management Land Papers Series "A", Vol. 1 - Wheelock, Abel).




Enjoy the snow everyone!

Jessie @ NSARM

This is where all the action happens

The Spencer House C@P site is located in the back of the Seniors' Centre.

Here we have the bulletin board, a computer, and even a paper shredder

There are 5 of these Dell computers (with laser pointer mice)

And one mac. I am trying to avoid being a mac salesperson, 

but this computer has everything you'll ever need...

Classes for the masses

I don't know if this is new or not, but St. Mary's University is offering a free university class at the Library. It's a part of a program called "University Classes for the Masses" that is starting this Thursday. Thought some might be interested in checking it out:

Adult Programs - University Classes for the Masses
Media Psychology

with Jonathan White
PSYC 4845.2 DT
People in the Western world now spend more time interacting with, or through media, than with each other. This course applies psychology to media in examining our interaction, for better or worse, with the web, television, movies, video games, books, mobile devices and advertising. Students will learn how we construct stories and other media to be compelling and how they affect us; how Facebook and other new media are changing the media landscape, and how media can be used positively.

Spring Garden Rd. Memorial Public Library
Thursday, January 13/12:00 pm

Challenge # 2.4: Meet our C@ppers

This Challenge could produce some great submissions. C@P is all about the people we are helping to connect in our communities, so let's hear a little bit more about them!

Your challenge is to write and conduct a short (think 5-10 minutes) with a C@P patron at your site.
-Have written release permission for the interview and any accompanying material- i.e. video/audio/photos if you so choose (I will be sending out the form)
-Think about choosing a person who is a 'regular'
-Make interesting questions regarding why they visit, when they started, how they heard about us, etc.
-Give some feedback of your own if you so choose (maybe how this person brightens your work day, something they've taught you, etc.)




This challenge is definitely more outward-reaching than many of our others. It can be daunting to approach someone and ask for an interview, but I think that the results for you, and your audience, will be very-well worth it! Post here by next Monday!

*Please use direct quotes only as paraphrasing can often lead to miscommunication. To ensure that the whole interview is accurately recorded, you may want to use an audio-recording program on a computer, or type as-you-go.

Challenge Winners 2.2 & 2.3

Drumroll...

Congratulations to....

Shona Bracken for submitting the winning poster for our Challenge 2.2 ! Joanne from NSCAP and I are meeting today to discuss further plans for the Cognitive Edge Project and the use of your poster in cooperating Sites!

Matt Chamberlain for your wonderful 2011 Cap-O-Lution Haiku!

Both of you are now in running for the final term-end prize!

Challenge 2.3 New Year's Resolution - Outreach

One area I'd like to work on is outreach.

I'd like to double the usage of our C@P Site. It's still a bit of a hidden gem here. I have been thinking of planning events that might draw people to the site for the first time. I am thinking of ways to make it more accessible to people who aren't familiar with using a computer.

I would like to design some flashy materials with good pitches to the right audiences. I have been brainstorming a list of places where I could advertise the C@P site: The local branch library, The Wired Monk coffee shop nearby, the local computer repair store, the busy Second Cup, the magazine store.

If anyone else has any ideas on how I could make our centre more visible, let me know.

Shona

Challenge 2.3

The digital world is a wondrous place...
Antiquated scrolls once found in royal halls,
now hold commonplace on each and every mouse.
Breaking news from long ago,
resonated through peasant ears seven dawns thereafter.
Today, the click of a button, the tap of a key,
brings breaking news in but just a hearts beat.
Long ago the birds they did twitter,
Ringing musical notes through ancient air.
This millennium humankind will twit and twitter,
while iTunes musically fills the air.
Some time ago, one may not have known.
Wonder was inspired from the limited close at hand.
In our time here today, we may share, share and share.
Share our knowledge, share our insight, share our wonder and inspire potentially all.
Join in groups or speak to the perceived emptiness of cyberspace.
Open to the new globally accessible world and explore its borderless nuances.

So that's my little poem! (I've happily ruled out English as a major.)

Basically I'd really like to become a more technologically open person, taking advantage of the resources that are available to us today. Blogging, becoming more efficient with my computer, staying up to date with certain journals...
For the C@P program, I'd like to teach more classes and work on organizing some awesome children's camps!

Challenge 2.3 Response: A Series of Haiku.

Organisation,
It is very important,
I must work on it.

Where is my paper?

In this scary mound of them?

It cannot be found.

In a computer,

They will be placed for keeping,

Reading and changing.

We will be better,

Able to find all our things,

No more confusion.

When we have no sheets,

Then I will be sure of this,

Organised, we'll be.

Challenge #2.3: New Year's Cap-O-Lution

If you don't get my pun (I don't blame you!)... basically this Challenge involves making a New Year's Resolution regarding your duties with C@P. It's 2011, time for a little change!

Think of something you'd like to do more often in your work (i.e recruiting more lessons?), or be more consistent at (i.e. not forgetting weekly reports?... doing Challenges?) and tell us about it.



Set a goal for yourself that you can report on when asked (there will be another post about this!) and reply in a post about
-What your goal is
-Why you chose this goal
-How you plan to track your progress
-The expected positive effects of achieving your goal

The more creative the response (i.e you could tell us in a poem, or with diagrams!), the better.

You have until next Monday to reply!