Thing #21 Finding Podcasts

My area of interest is in Library/Librarian type podcasts, so this was my primary focus in searching for quality podcasts.

The good thing about Podcasts vs Streaming is the ability to 'pause' and return and if your connection is having hiccups you don't sit there frustrated as the audio keeps buffering and leaving you hanging for several seconds before resuming.

Here are some places I found good podcasts:

LearningTimes Library Online Community
I listened to an interesting Podcast here: "Conversations with patrons: extending your library's presence online" with Brian Matthews (The Ubiquitous Librarian Blog), Public Services Librarian at the Georgia Institute of Technology. This was broadcast on October 31st, 2006 (26 minutes).

OPAL
OPAL allows library patrons and library staff members to participate in online library programs from anywhere. Everyone is welcome to participate in OPAL programs, and libraries of all types are encouraged to become OPAL members.
I see they are offering Book Discussion groups (Chick Lit !) , History, genealogy, health & wellness, Librarianship and Information Science etc.
For those of us who are unable to attend sessions because of the time difference, podcasts are held in their archives.

SirsiDynix
Up and coming seminars and podcasts look interesting................do I know these people??

Interviews that I have missed on ABC Radio are now Podcast, so I can listen to them on my walks of an evening.
I have a Bloglines RSS feed from John Faine's Conversation Hour.

Podcast Search Engines enable us to pinpoint our Podcast topic of choice.
Podscope
Podzinger
Blinkx
Search for Audio and Video content using visual analysis and speech recognition.

Thing # 20 YouTube Woo Hoo!!

Free Hugs with the Sick Puppies video.
I just smile every time I watch this YouTube Video. We need someone standing on every street corner giving FREE HUGS.
YOUTube gives us all the chance for our 15 minutes of Fame.
YouTube could keep me amused for hours, I even managed to find the Gilligans Island theme here!

Slide Show what Fun!

All in a days work!

Web based Applications

#18 Web Based Apps.

FREE was the word that jumped out at me listening to the Podcast for this lesson.

Not having to download a single piece of software to use the Web Apps and allowing multiple users to access the same file certainly has my interest. Portability of this software no matter where you happen to be in the world is a big plus and has potential for business or private use. No need to worry about different software types, upgrades etc. and the integration with other Web 2.0 tools appeals to me.
Being a self taught Word person, I had a fiddle around in the Demo User with font styles, bullet points etc, uploaded a pic and felt pretty proud of myself.
I can see potential here for students to use this software in the library and I think we should look at offering classes on these FREE Web apps.

I looked at the 'Sample' documents and found an invoice sample that seemed quite professional.

After reading the Discussion Board on Zoho, I decided not to upload my practice page or create an account as Zoho still seems to be in Beta, but I will check back later and see how it is going.
I like Helene Blowers Tips on possible uses for Zoho Writer created using the software itself.


#19 Discovering Web 2.0 Tools

The Web 2.0 Awards had me at "Hello"!

This site has so many wonderful and amazing links it will take me well past Learning 2.0 to fully explore what has to offer, so I quickly scanned the categories and picked a couple that I think are worth mentioning.

'Craigs List' jumped out at me, a site I found many moons ago when I was researching accommodation in NYC. It is a Classifieds Site but full of 'hidden gems' and as an accommodation bargain hunter I think its great!
Slawesome looked interesting: Voice email messages, but I even after joining up I had no luck in 'Composing' my message, perhaps it does not support Firefox?

Week 7 Wikis

#16 Learn about Wikis.
Whats the buzz with Wikis? I get asked.
A good place to get a definiton is of course Wikipedia

The question Helene Blowers asks during her podcast is 'What would you put on a Wiki in your library? So I thought the best way to find out is to visit some Wikis.
Ann Arbor Community Wiki in Michigan is a truly collaborative Community effort, 22 bars, lunch tips for under $5 sit beside School, transport and church information. It is simple and easy to use, login and edit the 'Things to do with kids' section' to add your own special places to visit.
Library Instruction Wiki is a good resource for trainers, sharing ideas, brainstorming new projects or just keeping up with the latest ideas in training.
Encourages editing teaching techniques and tips.
St Josephs County Library subject Guides has an easy to read Genealogy wiki article.
I liked their Cooking Section!!

#17 Add an entry to the Learning 2.0 Sandbox.
Adding an entry to the Sandbox on the PLCMC learning Wiki was easy. I even created a heading called Australian Blogs under Favorite Blogs and added mine.
I also added one of my favourite destinations: VICTORIA
Perhaps I can encourage some Americans to explore Downunder.