#23 Is This Really The End?

What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
I really enjoyed learning how to do some of the creative things that can be found in
Flickr such as Image Generators, Warholizer, etc and Big Hugh Labs.


How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
Yes, my goal was to become more aware- more comfortable with 2.0 technology. I feel that I have learned a lot. The exercises also showed me easier ways to do some things. I now know a shortcut on how the wheel is created. :-)


Were there any take-aways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
Some things were more difficult than I thought they would be. Sometimes I suspect because of the internet speed in the afternoon. Some of the concepts or tools presented I had already been using in my personal life - that surprised me because some times I feel like I am a step behind on technological things.


What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
Speed up the internet or make the program not so dependent on the internet. It slowed the videos and registration or uploading tools etc. Usually I could not complete a class in one hour- I usually had to revisit it at least once. In the morning staff is setting up the branch before opening, searching for holds etc and there is not enough time to begin the classes until the afternoon when the internet may be at a stand still.


If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you again chose to participate?
If I had enough time to do so yes. I had originally begun this program last June but because of lack of time I was not able to complete it and began again in October.

#22 Audio Books (or "The end is near")

I reviewed the Overdrive tutorial: Overdrive Quick Start Guide. I have done this before in preparation to be able to answer customer’s questions.

I suspect that once I actually set up an MP3 player with the software etc and begin using the service it will be an easy to use. I have already looked through the digital collection for future items I may want to check out. The search mechanism for the collection seems to be a little clunky and not as intuitive as it could be.

# 21 Podcasts, Smodcasts

I chose to download Apples - iTunes to download for my podcast aggregator. This took forever- I choose the wrong time of the day to do this I guess.

I added the RSS feed for Family Tree Magazine Podcast to my Bloglines account.

#20 You Too Can YouTube

I had played with YouTube before taking this class. As you said alot of stuff I did not find worth watching- but the value of something is decided by the beholder.

I always thought that this concept would make great mini training programs for customers and staff. Customers could access them from an icon on our public internet PC's.

About a year ago we adopted a stray kitten we call CiCi. When we first got him he was so hungry that when he ate he would make a noise like he was saying yum, yum, yum.

This clip reminds me of him.

Broccoli Kitten LOVES Broccoli! (The cat's name is Captain Pugwash)

Embeded


URL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQi3q-Nf9wA

#19 Discovering Web 2.0 Tools

I choose the category of genealogy. I explored MyHeritage.com. I had already used this site before. They have updated the process since I used it last. It's setup very similar to some of the genealogy blogs I use at MyFamily.com. For those blogs, you have to be invited and you receive a user name and a password. It allows you to search through the pictures, postings etc by keyword/tags. It's interesting to see how organized some people are. Some of the blogs are very responsive. Some you have to look at almost every item to find what you are looking for. I can see this application being used as a training module for staff or customers. They could key words to find the answer to an application or task they don't remember how to do.

The other 2 sites listed for this category were very similar. There is a limited storage for free accounts but of course you can upgrade and receive more storage.

#18 Web-Based Apps: They're Not Just For Desktops

So I created my free Zoho Writer account and added the site to my list of Favorite Blog Tools on my blog. This is something that I can see coming in handy.

Best thing is that's it's suprisingly easy to use.

#17 Playing Around with PB Wiki

Easy after finishing some of the other exercises. Could be used by groups who have Blogs with a common interest??? Possibility genealogy or a sandbox link to all of the Branch libraries for JPL.

Remember no throwing sand!