MySQL, not Yours (IRLS672-Unit 9)

This week was pretty ok. I had used MySQL previously, but needed to look a bunch of stuff up as I was working. I really like the W3 schools tutorials and the UACBT videos were ok (but a bit slow at first). I know that we were supposed to make a real project, but I still feel like the Gender & Sexuality Resource database I made is a bit hypothetical. It would be cool to work on a real-life project, get the actual experience, and get to know some of the advanced functions. Too bad I don't have time to do an internship or something. I think I will go through some of the MySQL community forums and tutorials though because it's people who use this everyday and have insight far beyond my mediocre capabilities.

Planning Ahead (IRLS672-Unit 8)

I thought the Bertot article on funding was very important. One of the main arguments I hear about why library technology isn't better is that they can't afford it. I like the suggestion they made about streamlining the application process because applications themselves can be a huge time commitment that many libraries cannot handle. I also appreciated the importance of sustainability. In any sort of philanthropic program, local people need the tools to maintain, repair, and upgrade any new technologies they may have received from a funder or else the whole project breaks down. This sustainability factor is an important part of technology plans as well. If I'm looking to fund or participate in a project, I want to know that people are in it for the long haul and that the project will go on long after I'm around. This is what I'm currently trying to get my job to look at: what are we trying to accomplish with these new technologies and how will they continue to be sustainable in the future?

XXXML (IRLS672-Unit 7)

This week we learned some XML and I had a pretty similar experience that I had when learning HTML. I relied mostly on the tutorial from W3 Schools. I found that even though it is text-based, it is very step-by-step and interactive because you can try things in the safety of their embedded programs so there's no fear of messing anything up. I also looked at the UACBT videos, but I found that I like the faster pace of being able to read instead of waiting for them to get to the information I need. I watched part of Just Enough XML to Survive, but the monotone voice left me wandering off...

A Creation Story (IRLS672-Unit 6)

This week we were charged with learning some basic HTML and creating a simple web page. I had already learned some super basic HTML in SIRLS Bootcamp and then spent a lot of last fall going over the w3schools online tutorials. So, instead of reading over everything again, I just skimmed for a refresher. Most everything was covered in the main page I made for SIRLS, except for the doctype! command and page title, which I had to look up. I used mostly basic HTML, but added centering and a background color (purple!). I had to create a subdirectory so that I didn't accidentally overwrite my original page, so the new page I made is available at http://www.u.arizona.edu/~seprzy/digin/digin.index.html. Enjoy!

Learning with Style (IRLS672-Unit 5)

This week we read about different learning styles. I think this is a useful topic to touch on in all classes, since it really defines what tasks we are going to relate to best and what way we should structure our learning. I'm definitely a fan of more interactive materials (videos, podcasts, etc), but I also find written material very useful, especially as a brief overview of a topic. I'm a total fan of wikipedia entries when I am exploring new territory. I know that it is not scholarly research and that there may be some factual errors, but I've found them to be a good way to wrap my head around a subject before delving into the details. I think that this reflects my personal learning style...

Active versus Reflective:

I think that I'm more of a reflective learner than an active learner because I like to soak everything in before giving my opinion and I prefer working alone. However, I've become a bit more active since being in the SIRLS program because the online format necessitates that we interact frequently since we never see each others' faces.

Sensing versus Intuitive:

I think I am more of an intuitive learner than a sensing learner because I can easily grasp the "big ideas," and hate getting bogged down by memorizing dates and numbers and such. However, I think that I'm also sensing some of the time because I like things (like class) to have a defined structure.

Visual versus verbal:

Like noted earlier with respect to the class materials, I think I am mostly visual, but also verbal. In fact, when I am trying to remember things I read, I often try to picture the page I read it on to recall the facts.

Sequential versus Global:

This is the hardest thing for me to decide. I like the order & structure of sequential, but I like to see the big picture and understand why I'm doing things instead of just doing them. So, maybe I'm a mix of both?

So many users, so little time... (IRLS672-Unit 4)

So this week we tried out 3 different ways to add users: command line, gnome, and webmin. I actually found command line to be the quickest since you just have to type the commands and don't have to click through a bunch of menus. However, if I didn't have the instructions in front of me, it would have probably taken me longer to look up the proper commands. Gnome was the worst, I think, since it takes some exploring to find the user/group management area. However, I did accidentally add a user before I added the group and it automatically added the group for me, so that was cool. Webmin was really user-friendly, but I had to leave the command line to do it. Overall, I think I just need to focus on remembering command line terms instead of trying to GUI myself around it.

Linux is Texty (IRLS672-Unit 3)

The text element has been very interesting for me in this course so far. Since it's summer and I want to have some fun, I got a PC copy of Final Fantasy VII to play. I had previously played this game on a Playstation 2, but I didn't yet have a game controller for PC, so at the same time I'm learning all of these new linux commands, I've also been gaming using keyboard commands. While I now have a game controller (since it's a lot easier and I can sit further away from the screen), I believe this helped me pick up some of the typing skills needed to navigate. Nano isn't too bad, but Vim has lot of commands to remember and the screen navigation uses the h,j,k, and l keys instead of the regular directional keys. That was a bit hard to get used to, but not as difficult as if I had not been playing FF7 recently =;-)

In terms of configuration, I don't recall doing a lot of configuring with my laptop. A lot of stuff comes pre-packaged and is set up for automatic updates. I'm excited to get into how stuff actually works behind the scenes.