Week 10: Is This Really The End?

Within the compass of my life, books and libraries have been held in the highest regard for their worth of furthering oneself. I believe in life long learning .

ihcpl was a new experience that permitted me to expand my horizons and knowledge base. I was amazed by not only what I learned but how I was learning it. I am thrilled that I was able to undergo this assignment with my colleagues (friends). It has been fun. Together we were able to tackle any difficulties, and in the end triumphed over our frustrations.

I have received more out of this type of training than most training programs. I hope that HCPL will continue online training. I adored Beth's videos! I also liked the fact that I could work from my computer when I had time available. I hope that this is not the END. I urge HCPL to continue with this program. No matter what happens I will use many of the skills I have learned.

Week 9: #22 Downloadable Media

Discovery Exercise:
Visit HCPL's digital site and explore the different types of materials available.
Create a blog post about your findings. Did you locate a title that you might want to check out? Were there any differences between the library site and the free sites?
Try downloading a title from the library's collection. You don't have to have a portable player, you can also listen/read/watch on a computer.

Discovery Resources:
Digital Media Guided Tour - Tutorial that offers step-by-step instructions for checking out and downloading digital media.

The HCPL digital media site is a great resource for eAudio Books, eBooks, Music and Videos. Wow! I think that this is amazing. However, this site is NOT compatible with iPods or MACs. I own an iPod and I don't plan on giving it up.

I did find several things that I would enjoy if I could use this site!
Here are just a couple:

• Spanish Guitar, by Enrique Granados
• Boy by Roald Dahl
• Clapton, The Autobiography by Eric Clapton Simon Vance
• Julie and Julia 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen
  by Julie Powell

I looked at the other two suggested sites and liked http://librivox.org/. I will need to look into this when I have more time.

Week 9: #21 Podcasts

Once found, you can easily pull the RSS feed into your Bloglines account as well, so that when new casts become available you'll be automatically notified of their existence.
Discovery Resources:
Wikipedia explains the history of the podcast.
There are many, many podcast directories and finding tools out there. Here are just three of the more popular ones that, unlike iTunes, don't require a software download: Podcast.net, Podcastalley.com, and Yahoo podcasts.
What? You want to learn how to be a podcaster too? (Optional resources for those who want to learn to create podcasts)
Publish a podcast on Blogger
Odeo's online recording studio
Tutorial on how to podcast

Discovery Exercise:
Take a look at one or two of the podcast directories listed and see if you can find a podcast that interests you. See if you can find some interesting library related podcasts here like book review podcasts or library news.
Add the RSS feed for a podcast to your Bloglines account.
Create a blog post about your discovery process. Did you find anything useful here?



I asked my husband for an ipod for Christmas several years ago. At first, I thought that I would use it only for music. Then I began to learning about all the neat applications it was able to do. I first learned of podcasting on the SirsiDynix Institute Event Archive. http://www.sirsidynixinstitute.com/podcast.php

Since then, I have been to my iTunes account and have discovered a new world.

I idolize NPR for the free thinking environment that they provide. Therefore, it is on of my top recommendations for sites to search. http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_directory.php
I was not awarethat there are video podcasts. Pretty cool! There seem to be several sites. Here is an example of one. http://www.imakethings.com/

The Little Prince - Chapter 1 and 2

Roald Dahl virtual tour

Week 9 # 20 Discover YouTube & Other sites

YouTube

Discovery Exercise:
Explore YouTube and find a video worth noting as an entry in your blog.
Create a blog post about your experience. What did you like or dislike about the site and why did you choose the video that you did? Can you see any features or components of the site that might be interesting if they were applied to library websites?

Optional: Try placing the video inside your blog using the copy and past code for the "Embeddable Player." Note: you'll need to use Blogger's Edit HTML tab when pasting this code. (optional)

I have placed two video bars from YouTube on the sidebar. I love music as much as a adore books! However, it was difficult to pick which artist I would highlight. In the end, I picked Bob Dylan and Nick Drake because they are two individuals whose music have invoked the human spirit.

• Dylan Lives Here...Listen! (Bob Dylan)
• Nick Gone Too Soon. (Nick Drake)

The above posts are related to children's book authors or their work.

1. Roald Dahl
2. "The Little Prince" (Chapter 1 and 2) by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Both authors are truly amazing!

Week 8: # 19 Web-based Apps

http://ihcpl.blogspot.com/

Discovery Resources:
A short list of web-based productivity applications put together by Helene Blowers in Zoho Writer and exported as HTML.

Discovery Exercise:
Create a free account for yourself in Zoho Writer.
Explore the site and create a few test documents.
Try out Zoho Writer's features and create a blog post about your discoveries

This is the first time that I've tried Zoho. It has some neat applications. For example, I do like the organizer. Nonetheless, I tend to like the simplicity of Microsoft office. However, I feel that it's important to try new things so I will give Zoho another chance to win my heart.

BTW: Here's a document put together by Helene Blowers listing beneficial features of Zoho.

Week 8: #18 Social Networking

MySpace is a popular social hub, Facebook was created for college students and still has that feel, Yahoo users can log in to Yahoo!360, LinkedIn is aimed at professionals and Xanga is a haven for bloggers. These are just a few of the general social networking sites out there.
Discovery Exercise
Take a look around several of the social networking sites and make note of your likes and dislikes.
Post your thoughts about social networking in a blog post. Were there any particular sites that appealed to you?
MySpace - http://www.myspace.com/
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/
Ning - http://www.ning.com/
Yahoo!360 - http://360.yahoo.com/
LinkedIn - http://www.linkedin.com/
Xanga - http://www.xanga.com/
Rate My Space - http://ratemyspace.hgtv.com/
Threadless - http://threadless.com
Infield Parking - http://www.infieldparking.com/
Dogster, Catster - http://www.dogster.com/ , http://www.catster.com/

Previously, I thought that social networking was mainly for teens and/or people who are single. After looking at a few of these sites a new light has been shed on this subject. I now see that there is a sense purpose and depth to some of the groups. I liked Ning. The content was well-chosen, but I also liked it's visual apeal which gave it a feeling of organization and clarity. On the other hand, I liked Threadless. Quite simply for it's appeal to my fun and creative side.

Nick Drake - 1972 CD Pink Moon

Check out my favorite Nick Drake Cd
Pink Moon, 1972