Thing 23 - The End .... The Beginning

(Pat on the back.) he! he! I did it! Woo Hoo!

Okay, let me answer some questions.

* What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?

I really enjoyed blogging. It made me feel so "hip." During the course of completing Web 2.0, I even created a second blog for a select group of guinea pigs called LAPS (Large Ample Pigs Society.) I volunteered my Hamlet to be the secretary of LAPS so now he keeps an updated register of the members of LAPS using Blogger (wink ;-). Web 2.0 also affected my husband's website, Saturnfans.com. He saw how much fun I was having creating the two blogs and decided to create his own blog using Drupal. It's not as user-friendly as Blogger but that's my husband for you - he's technically savvy.

I also enjoyed using Bloglines. I didn't know what RSS feeds were until learning about it on Web 2.0. Frankly, the term RSS had scared me since learning that Loudoun County had RSS feeds. I'm no longer scared and am subscribed to numerous RSS feeds, even Loudoun County's feed.

Another favorite exercise of mine was using Image Generators. There was such a variety of generators to choose from online and it seemed like every staff member chose a different one. I enjoyed viewing their blogs. That was a learning experience all on it's own.

* How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?

Completing Web 2.0 has helped me realize that I can accomplish my goals if I really want to achieve the end result. I really wanted an MP3 player for my husband; therefore I completed all 23 exercises. I still haven't learned to sew nor have I learned to speak Spanish. I also haven't sent out any applications to colleges offering a Library Science degree; although I have looked at this option more seriously. I know that I will tackle these goals when I'm ready. Right now, I want to focus on my family, my guinea pig community and becoming a better Library Aide.

* Were there any take-aways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

I thought learning Web 2.0 would be an individual learning process but I learned a lot from my coworkers. It's interesting how one learning objective can be given so many different perspectives.

I think another surprise was the availability of web-based applications. I thought Microsoft had dominated that market. It's nice to see other alternatives.

* What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?

I still think every staff member should be required to learn Web 2.0. I think it would help us serve our patrons better.

Learning Web 2.0 was a great experience. I learned so much! I am truly grateful for this opportunity. We need to get started on Web 3.0 soon. Think about all of the technology that we still don't know about.

* If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you again chose to participate?

Absolutely! Where do I sign up?

Thing 22 - NetLibrary

I had set up an account with NetLibrary quite a while ago but had never downloaded an audiobook for my own personal use. I decided to download Lisa Jackson's Deep Freeze. Within the first five minutes, I had made a mental task list of things to do for tomorrow. As I mentioned in the last post, I'm a traditional read-a-book kind of girl. My mind tends to wander when I listen to audio books. So while I think it is a neat feature, I probably won't use it in the future. Maybe I'm better suited for e-books. Isn't it great that the county offers so many options!

On a professional level, I can attest that there are many patrons who love listening to audio books. They live such busy lifestyles that they are only able to enjoy books by listening to them. Many of them listen while gardening, performing housework, painting, or commuting. E-audiobooks allows these patrons to be even more mobile. Now they can "get out there" (stolen ad phrase from Royal Caribbean.) There are several limitations to e-audiobooks. There aren't as many title choices as there are on books on CD. I searched for some of the current bestsellers and they aren't available. Plus, the program doesn't allow patrons to download these books to Ipods or Macs. Ipods have almost become a household name since so many people own one. This automatically eliminates a huge percentage of patrons from using NetLibrary.

Thing 21 - Podcasts

Hmmm.... I'm not a big fan of podcasts. I prefer reading. It's much more effective and efficient. Yep, I'm one of those library patrons who cannot listen to audiobooks.

I tried using all three of the podcast directories. I found the Yahoo directory the most user-friendly. It had better descriptions of the podcasts and a Fiction Connection-like map of popular tags. Even though podcasting is not my preferred style of information gathering, I still managed to subscribe to a number of podcasts using all three directories. (he! he! - I'm like kid in a candy store.) In my Bloglines account, you'll see that I subscribed to the Z100 Morning Zoo's Phone Scams, NPR's Book Reviews, NBC4's News Updates, Vegan News and Disney Insider Updates. Other than NPR's podcast, I didn't find many interesting book related podcasts. Many of them were about Sci-Fi or Comic books. Moreover, several of the podcasts had not been updated for quite a while, a year or longer in some cases.

I do think podcasts could be very helpful in certain situations even for us individuals who prefer visual learning. For example, Doug could offer a monthly State of the Library address. Even though information is efficiently disseminated to all the branches, it would be neat to have a podcast from our President of Library Services.

Thing 20 - YouTube

YouTube has revolutionized the web. It has given amateur filmmakers free publicity. Friends and family are able to share their videos with one another without overloading e-mail in-boxes. Internet users can view popular events that they have missed or would like to see again. For instance, I missed Adam Sandler hosting the David Letterman show on Tuesday night but I've found portions of the show on YouTube.

How could YouTube be implemented in our library system? New technologies could be demonstrated via YouTube. Videos of the some of wonderful programs scheduled at the libraries could be uploaded as well.

While exploring YouTube, I found several creative videos. One that I would like to share is called Tasty Choices @ Your Library. It's a short ad highlighting the variety of items that you can find at your library.



Another video that I want to share stars a guinea pig named Bing. The tune is catchy and it teaches you a lot about guinea pigs - it is all about them. :-)

Thing 19 - Discovering Etsy, A Web 2.0 Tool

After browsing some of the winning Web 2.0 tools, the one that I found most captivating (aside from the tools that were explored in previous lessons) was Etsy. Etsy is a website that brings together sellers and buyers of handcrafted items. Wikipedia describes Etsy most accurately by equating it to an online craft fair.

There are many ways to search for items on Etsy: by category, tag, recently listed, seller's favorite, seller's location and color. I found searching by tag and category most worthwhile. One of the items that I found was the painting shown above. It is a gouache painting entitled Summer Reading that is listed for $80. I least liked searching by color. My searches tended to yield bizarre results. For example, when I clicked on yellow, I was recommended a pair of batman earrings.

How could this tool be implemented in the library? We probably couldn't use this tool professionally but we could always recommend it to our creative patrons who are looking for a way to sell their crafts. I already have a person in mind: a coworker that crafts beautifully beaded jewelry.

Look at one of the gems that I found during my search. It is an ornament that can be personalized. I'm thinking of getting two for my guinea pigs. Too bad the seller doesn't offer personalized ornaments for German Shepherds. I hope my dog doesn't get jealous.

Thing 18 - Web-based Applications

Using Zoho to Report on New Technology

For the past couple of days, I've been searching the news for an interesting story to write about using Zoho. Well, on the way to the library this morning, I heard a story worth sharing. I learned that TiVo customers will soon be able to purchase movies from Amazon and download them to their TiVos. Nifty!  Now, I just need to convince my husband to buy a TiVo.

About Zoho

Wow! Web-based applications are very useful. I can create and view a document, spreadsheet or presentation practically anywhere. It unties me from one computer or network. The only downside seems to be that these web-based applications aren't as versatile as Microsoft's products. For instance, I can customize the font in Microsoft Word whereas Zoho has set font sizes. Also, neither Zoho Writer nor Zoho Show has clip art. Both are features that I frequently use. So, I think Microsoft is safe, for now.

* I'm using Zoho's publish feature to post this onto my blog.  I tried to make the format consistent to the rest of my blog posts.  After many tries, I think it looks very similar.

Thing 17 - Playing Around with PBWiki

I'm surprised how easy it is to add text to a Wiki page. It's scary, really. I noticed that under the Favorite Animals section, someone had manipulated the number for horses. I can definitely see the benefit of limiting editing rights. I added comments to My Favorite Blogs, Animals, TV Show, Stores and Websites.