Summary

In Summary...

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

Discovering bloglines - I can just go to one site from virtually anywhere and view all my feeds.

Playing around with an online image generator - now I can use that to be more creative in design flyers, handouts, etc. and helping with my kids projects.

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

No, this has not changed me or affected me in my pursuit of being a lifelong learner. This just enhanced it in the technological category. Thank you for giving us the opportunity and the tools to do this.

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

By letting us do this individually, it gave me the chance to learn new things that I haven't done before. I was aware of most things out there and knew what it was about, but I didn't experience it firsthand. I was actually able to finish the project and did some of the challenges.

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

I don't think you could improve the format or concept. Unfortunately, there are people that don't want to do it, are afraid of change, or just don't care.

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

Yes, most definitely!

Audiobooks and the Digital Collection

The system was simple. Everyone understood it. Books were for burning, along with the houses in which they were hidden. Guy Montag was a fireman whose job it was to start fires, and he enjoys his job. He had been a fireman for ten years, and never questioned the pleasure of the midnight runs nor the joy of watching pages consumed by flames. He never questioned anything until he met a seventeen-year-old girl who told him of a past when people were not afraid and a professor who told him of a future in which people could think. Guy Montag suddenly realized what he had to do.

On a side note, I would love to win that MP3 player so that I can download all those books that are available to us!!

Podcasts

I have added Lansing Public Library Adult Dept. Podcast from Podcast Alley to my Bloglines (http://www.bloglines.com/blog/aguilars23things). I have also added the RSS feed here. They have several podcasts - adult, youth, teen, and IT.

When browsing from Podcast Alley for library, it pulled a list of 142. Of those, several were repeats. Many were posted by universities. There were few public libraries. Some were so old that it didn't have any podcasts once you went into that particular site.

About YouTube

Look at the video I selected from YouTube (Mr Bean - Library). We can always use a good laugh working in a library. As you are watching, you can probably think of a patron or two (or more, now that's scary) that comes to mind. Enjoy!

YouTube is easy to use if you know what you are looking for. Yes, there are many uploads every day - it can be a daunting experience. My boys watch their favorite gaming characters become alive with special animation effects and today's popular music. It is very amusing.

Yes, YouTube can be used in a library. We can place commercials (think Summer Reading program) on it. Also, we can videotape children's reading programs and place them on our site as well. A lot of working parents cannot bring their child to the actual reading, but if it was on our site, then they can watch it and read it together in the comfort of their home, anytime.

Discovering Web 2.0 Tools

For this exercise, I chose to discover Google Maps, which came in first place for Maps. There is a new feature called Street View. I had seen a news clip about it on the telly last week.

The pic above is of Main. Once you click on it, it opens up with tools to see the street view, a 360 degree view using your mouse.
You can go to http://www.palmbeachpost.com/search/content/local_news/epaper/2008/06/12/m1a_google_west_palm_0613.html to read the whole article about it. It's neat how Google did it and I wonder if anybody else will do that.

Go to Google Maps and see if your house is on Street View. If you live in a gated community, chances are you won't be able to see it in Street View.

This could be a good mapping site for patrons who are from out of town or don't know the area they will be going to, or just to see some landmarks from the comfort of being indoors.

About Zoho Writer

Blogging About Online Applications and Tools

Zoho Writer looks easy to use. You can always refer to the Welcome document for a review of its features. Google Docs also looks easy to use. Most online application systems are very similar in features. Another one out there is Microsoft Office Live Workspace.

The real test will be if I can publish this to my blog.

Online applications can be useful if used properly. Yes, there is that collaboration thing again. But what about all the other Web 2.0 things out there for us to use for collaboration? Is this just another thing we need to remember to check, not to mention to keep track of our login information?

For company documents, I would not use this because of fear of "theft" or hacking. This is not on our server where it is secure and backed up regularly. Yes, pretty much everything we do is up for public review since we are a public entity, but there are things that the public is not privy to see. This is more so the case for private companies. These types of online applications would be great on a personal level versus on a professional level.

Favorites at PBCLS wiki

I added my favorite flower, a white rose, and a picture of it. I also listed my favorite TV shows - Bones, House, Hell's Kitchen, So You Think You Can Dance, and Lost. I always watch them and my boys know not to bother me at those times.

It was fun to play in the sandbox and it was so easy to use. The discovery resources are helpful in case you get stuck.