#23 Is this really the end? Or just the beginning ...

What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
I think creating the actual blog and realising how easy this was to do was for me the greatest discovery. Also that a blog has a lot of similarities to a website but without all the difficult html formatting necessary to create it. Very user friendly.


How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
For me the program acquainted me with a lot of new technologies I would not other wise have familiarised myself with. Its provided me with a greater awareness of what is out there currently.

Were there any take-aways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
The program has provided me with an insight into the various ways these technologies are being used, particularly how they can be utilised in a library setting. I especially found valuable the real life examples of how other library services were utilising the blog on their homepages to provide book reviews and inform patrons of upcoming programs at their local branch.


What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
Initially I found it a bit of a struggle doing all the technology side of things on my own but once I got into the swing of it found it a real learning experience discovering things for myself. I think the useful hints was most useful but sometimes this appeared too late for me. One week I was having problems uploading the pictures and this was due to unclear instructions which were remedied the week after in the useful hints section.

I had a great time and feel the program introduced me to lots of new technology and now I don't feel so in the dark with it all. Thanks a lot for this.

#22 Audiobooks (or "The end is in sight ")

This is a great resource with such a huge range of books available and especiallylike all the free ebooks on offer. Downloading them mp3 player's seems the way to go - no more damaged cd's being rtnd.

#21 Podcasts, Smodcasts!

I used Podcast Alley but didn't fine it too easy to bring up book reviews for certain books I was looking for. I can see how it would be great to utilise these podcasts of book reviews - would be a great resource to tap into.

#20 You too can YouTube

I think YouTube is great as it allows you access to so many interesting video clips which are quite obscure and thus would be hard to source otherwise. I recently saw a great cabaret act from New York at the Meat Market which was part of the Melbourne International Festival and when I entered the name of the act into YouTube I was pleasantly surprised to find a number of their clips available. I haven't added any Kiki and Herb clips to my library blog as the humour would be too extreme for some people to find funny but I think they are hilarious - so refreshing to be shocked by something for a change in this safe world.

#19 Discovering Web 2.0 tools

What did you like or dislike about the tool?

I like http://youtube.com/ because of the wide array of video clips you can access. The only problem is I seem to have problems using it in the library (maybe its been blocked?) and maybe the amount of space it takes up on the pc could pose a problem

What were the site’s useful features?
Creating your own playlists is great for easy access whenever you want


Could you see any applications for its use in a library setting?
Would be great for library blogs to create an added depth and interest to the site - moving image is always an interesting feature and a great mode of communication

#18 Web-based Apps: They're not just for desktops

I can see how these on-line applications would lend themselves to things such as emailing off resumes and cover letters and I can really see how they could easily replace the microsoft office suite especially as they seem to perform all the same functions when I tried out a couple of them.

#17 Playing around with PBWiki

Added my blog to the favourite blogs page - very easy to do. Interesting to note that every time the wiki is changed and edited you are emailed re these changes.

#16 So what’s in a wiki?

What did you find interesting? I think the library resource best practices wiki is a great resource pool for librarians to share their ideas and knowledge

What types of applications within libraries might work well with a wiki? I think the subject guides along with posts with reading recommendations is really useful on a library blog. It caters for library users wondering what to read next - an on-line readings adviser!

#15 On Library 2.0 & Web 2.0 ...

To better bibliographic services by John Riemer was a very interesting article and I think his view that it will lead to an expansion of delivery of services along with libraries collaborating on cataloguing and sharing their information so as to avoid duplication is a great way ahead for the future of libraries. Web 2.0 seems like its about to break down barriers and open up the whole information sharing field in libraries

#14 Getting not-so-technical with Technorati

I found using the blog search the most user friendly with clear, easy to read layout with a relevant synopsis for each hit. Didn't have any luck using the tag search method and blog directory search method was ok but seemed to bring up loads more info and in a messier format.

#13 Tagging, folksomonies & social bookmarking in Del.icio.us

Interesting concept re each user's filing cabinet helps to build an expansive knowledge network. Could be a really useful organisational tool to have especially if working on a project but also for reference work.

Rollyo icon added

Even managed to add the rollyo search icon to the bottom of my blog - great!

#12 Roll your own search engine with Rollyo

http://www.rollyo.com/search.html?q=librarian+&sid=319577

I can see lots of great uses for this especially useful to refine searches. I have created one to search for library jobs accessing the career sites I normally use - saves me logging into them individually - will be a big time saver.

#11 All about LibraryThing

I think this is a great way to keep tabs of the books you have read - really useful for recommendations either as reader's advisor in the library or simply to friends. I also think it would be a great resource to use in a bookclub - I am in one and I can see how great it would be - an extra dimension to sharing info and reviews and ratings on the books all the members have read.
Below are a few of my most recent reads.

http://www.librarything.com/catalog/mike6210

#10 Play around with Image Generators

This is great with my birthday coming up in the next couple of weeks- I can wish myself a happy birthday in cyberspace. A great way to job friend's memories that your birthday is coming up (if they have access to your blog). Found this at http://www.letterjames.com/start.php?mod=image-personalization image generator

Its really kewl! They provide you with 50 free images to choose from and allow you to insert your own script into the lines -the link to these images is

http://www.myalphapicture.com/

#9 Finding Feeds

Which method of finding feeds did you find easiest to use?
I found the google blog spot to be the most organised method to do searches

Which Search tool was the easiest for you?
google blog spot was easy, and also technorati was very easy to organise info by breaking it down into blog sights etc

Which was more confusing?
I found topix pretty messy - didn't really organise the information and also wasn't that impressed with feedster - just seemed like a general search engine

#8 Make life "really simple" with RSS & a newsreader

These RSS feeds could be really useful to have daily news updates fed through on particular subjects especially if you were working on a project esp. a group project where other people working on the project could share their updated info with you via blog postings. Really great resource and I could definitely use it further down the track - it would be something I would keep in mind as a nifty communication tool. I have feeds coming in from all the other Port Phillip participants so this will certainly assist keeping abreast of their updates much easier.

# 7 Blog about technology

Technology is a double-sided coin in my life. I experience it as both a liberating and constraining TIME factor. I have a busy life and of course it facilitates communication with my friends and family especially since the advent of email - being able to send off and email and knowing it will be waiting there for them at their convenience regardless of time zones or wherever in the world they maybe.

However the down side is upon entering cyberspace you seem to go into a timewarp and the amount of time lost spent navigating around the unfamiliar tools, signing up and sitting on the computer is to my mind time that could be better spent out in the garden or with real life friends. I am left with the feeling that there must be a big hole in some people's lives that they have the amount of time required to be a fully functioning member participating in cyberspace. Something a bit sad about this - a life spent in front of a computer ... is that really much of a life? Maybe to them it is but to me its tinged with an unhealthy reality.

# 6 More Flickr Fun

I can see that some of the toys would be useful such as Calendar - have been playing around with it and would like to explore the idea of creating one over the course of a year with a seasonal photo taken each month of the year of my back garden - and then it would be a great present to send up to my family in QLD as christmas presents (its not so seasonal up there and as they are all keen gardener's like myself it would be something to share with them).

#5 Discover Flickr -more uploaded pics this time my cats Miro (Siamese male) and Mimi (British Blue female)

#5 Discover Flickr - finally worked out to upload photos

#5 Discover Flickr - uploading photos

My back garden - jasmine has just come out - one of our cats Mimi (a keen gardener - follows me around all day in the garden) under the arch. My outdoor setting courtesy of hardrubbish.

Photo uploading exasperation! #5

Well I am struggling with this seemingly long-winded process - just how many email accounts do I have to set up to post a photo on my blog! I have so far managed to upload photos to a flickr account I created but then hit a stumbling block - how to send them to my blog??? Do I need to set up a google account to do this? I think the on-line tutorials are great but I guess for a technologically challenged person such as myself I really do some human assistance - can't seem to function in cyberspace on my own. So at this point I am giving up on the attempt at uploading a photo to my blog as I have spent too much time on it already and not really progressing any further. I will try to continue on with the other activities but have found this experience disheartening. Also a bit frustrated when podcasts don't work as feel I don't have all the info. Bit of a boring blog without photos.

Under Construction!

This is the first time I have created a blog - at this point I need to go away over the weekend and think up an interesting blog name and an angle to take. Having had a look at the other PPLS bloggers this is obviously the way to go. At this point in time its a pretty bland blog! Give me a bit of thinking time and I will be back with a bit more of a spin.