Welcome to North Texas 23, a Web 2.0 learning experience for librarians in North Texas!

***NOTE: REGISTRATION IS CLOSED FOR THIS PROGRAM.***

Tell me about North Texas 23
North Texas 23 is all about trying out or “playing” with new Web 2.0 technology. This is a great opportunity for both personal and professional development, as you learn new technology tools. You will learn by “doing,” and by getting help from peers at your library and from other library staff around north Texas.

How it works
One exciting aspect of North Texas 23 is that you will guide your own learning. You get to decide when and for how long you will play with each new technology. Maybe you will do this while at work, maybe at home, or a combination of each! Each week, on this blog, a few new “Things” will be announced, with an activity for you to do, but you can choose to do the Things in any order you choose, any time (except Thing #1).

You will want to read this blog each week to find out about each new Thing. 2 or 3 new Things will be announced each week. Some tips will be included to help you get started, and many Things will be easy to complete without help. For others, you are encouraged to ask friends, co-workers, or your 14-year old nephew for help! Find a “buddy” or team up with participants to support each other. You can also, of course, email the leaders of the program for help.

Who can participate?
--All library staff and library staff retirees, from all libraries of all types (academic, public, school, special) in the 20-county area served by the North Texas Regional Library System, also known as Texas Library Association District 7

--Members of advisory boards, governing boards, foundation boards, and Friends boards, from libraries in District 7

--Library school students and faculty from Texas Woman's University and the University of North Texas

--All persons in attendance at the TechNet Conference in May, or the Children's and Youth Librarians Conference (CYC Conference) in August. CYC attendees outside of District 7 must be registered for CYC and fully paid by June 1 to be eligible for North Texas 23.

Prizes!
All persons who register by June 1, and complete this program by August 15 will be eligible for a random drawing for the prizes. Every person who completes all of the 23 Things by September 1 will get a certificate of accomplishment.

The prizes are (and will be drawn for in this order):

--iPod Shuffle, provided by North Texas Library Partners;
--Motorola Hands-free headset (for a mobile phone), provided by North Texas Library Partners;
--3 software games, provided by http://www.nothingbutsoftware.com/.

How do I register?
***NOTE: REGISTRATION IS CLOSED FOR THIS PROGRAM.***
You will register as part of Thing 1. Thing 1 will be revealed on May 4. To register, send your name, the name of the library where you work, and the URL of the blog you create in Thing 1, to the North Texas 23 Leadership Team. Our email address is NorthTexas23@yahoogroups.com. You will not get an email confirmation, but do check this list. Please allow one week for your blog URL to be posted to the list. Your name will not be posted; only the blog URL. If your blog does not appear in the list after one week, please email again.

How will you know that I have completed all 23 Things?
After you complete each Thing, you will post your thoughts and experiences to your blog. The leadership team will be periodically looking at your blog to see which items you have completed.