Thing 2-How?

How has the Internet and the vast resource it can be affected your use of time at work and/or at home?
At work, in the school library media center, I use the internet to find information, activities for my classes, pictures. Although I still love my story about the classroom teacher who wanted to find out how many cities in the USA were named "Gainesville." I overheard her talking about this in the library and I went to the geographical dictionary, looked it up, and had the answer for her in just a minute. She was frustrated because she had spent several days on the internet trying to find the answer. So, I was proud of my library training and understanding that you have to know your resources.
Sometimes, I get frustrated searching the internet because it is not set up like the old card catalog. You have to get the term you are searching for dead-on or it can be difficult to find. And, I never understood "Ask Jeeves". Who asks the butler for reference information? Well, I suppose some very rich people might (do you think Paris Hilton asks her butler how many cities are named Gainesville?) but the vast majority of us do not have butlers. I have always thought it should have been "Ask Marion" because we all have free access to librarians!
I do use the internet at work and at home. I have shared web-sites with other teachers or demonstrated how to do searches. I can get caught up in the internet and loose track of time. I have been late to lunch, missed my chance to go to the bathroom, worked late until the principal makes me go home because I was on the internet searching for information or activities for my classes. I have been very pleased with some of the access I have to things. An example of something coming up: Monday is Groundhog Day. Instead of just reading a book about it, I can pull up the Punsxatawny Phil website, and show my students pictures of a groundhog, the celebration surrounding him and his prediction for this year. In November, I got a SMART Board so I will be able to do this on a big screen that everyone can see. What fun!!
At home, I have used the internet to find info on my interests - cross-stitch and needlework, lighthouses, Mark Lindsay (former lead singer for Paul Revere and the Raiders), storytelling, puppets. I have also been able to answer questions for my mom and pull up information about her interests. The other use I have made of the internet is to search for medical information -- for myself and my family members. Again, I can get caught up in the internet and loose track of time.