Week 9: The End or simply Web 2.0 enabled?

#23 Is this really the end? Or just the beginning...
Where to start? First, I have had terrific fun learning lots of new technologies and have the confidence to go on from the Learning 2.0 program to further expand on my library/web 2.0 knowledge base. Thus, I believe I am fulfilling the learning contract that I set myself at the beginning of this exercise.

From my perspective, the program was very good, covering a variety of web 2.0 tools and functions. More importantly, the program offered participants the opportunity to be creative and experiment in areas of personal interest, which I especially enjoyed. (Play, play and more play!) Nevertheless, it is worth highlighting that each week's 'thing or things' took much longer than the 15 minutes estimated in the information provided at the outset of the program.

My favourite web 2.0/library 2.0 learning experiences included LibraryThing, del.icio.us, flickr, last.fm...I could go on and on.

Now that I have finished the set program, I'd like to thank all who were involved in creating, adapting, co-ordinating and managing Learning 2.0 for Victorian public library staff; I have appreciated this professional development opportunity. Thanks for the 2.0 jump start!

Week 9: Podcasts, Video & Downloadable audio continued

#22 Audio Books
Thanks to Project Gutenberg on World eBook Fair, those of us lucky enough to have Internet access can freely download some classic stories and other reads to listen to at home, in travel or while exercising. Then, if we so choose, we can extend this service to user paid material from this site or others.

I have already downloaded a tried and true children's story, Beatrix Potter's The Tales of Peter Rabbit, the first of many I'm sure. A terrific way to collate some stories and entertain the children during a lengthy drive. Moreover, participation is not limited to a pc, mp3 player or ipod, the project's provision of a BitTorrent means that downloads can also be in CD format.

Technorati tag audio books

Week 9: Podcasts, Video & Downloadable audio continued

#21 Podcasts, Smodcasts!
I accessed the recommended podcast directories, but after trawling through many podcasts, I could not find much that interested me. Instead, I sourced my examples locally (in Australia) by accessing the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) website (http://www.abc.net.au/). I have viewed this site extensively in the past so I knew it offered an interesting array of podcasts based on TV and Radio programming.

I have added two podcasts to my Blogroll from the ABC website; excerpts from Andrew Denton's popular interview show Enough Rope and an informative podcast of The Book Show, which talks about the written word in all formats; more recently discussing the screen writer's strike in Hollywood, LA.

There are many opportunities for podcasts in the public library arena, just a few examples could include;

• Storytime - downloadable for those extended road trips
• Local History - a terrific way to maintain oral history in a community setting
• Instructional - provide end user training on refining searching techniques and so on.

Technorati tag podcasts

Week 9: Podcasts, Video & Downloadable audio

#20 You too can YouTube
I have spent some time exploring YouTube...and like other areas of the Internet, there is some useful information, some funny excerpts and then there is just 'stuff'. Personally I found the Howto category the most useful and would highlight this in a library scenario.

If a public library offered web 2.0 technology training to patrons, YouTube could be demonstrated as a source of video information for some search topics. For instance, when patrons are searching for kit or DVD materials on topics such as learning to play a musical instrument, YouTube 'howto' videos could be shown as an alternative source of information. I found some very informative videos on guitar lessons of all levels and have embedded a beginners lesson as my example.



Furthermore, self paced study or demonstrative videos could be linked into a library website showing patrons "How to" access online databases or other resources in the library and their community.

Technorati tag YouTube

Week 8: Online Applications and Tools continued

#19 Discovering Web 2.0 tools
For this exercise I decided to explore the Music category of the 2007 Web 2.0 Awards. In my learning 2.0 journey I had read reports that PANDORA was a good music site, but unfortunately access outside of the U.S. is restricted at this point in time. Therefore, I went on to explore the next music site recommended via the awards, www.last.fm

I had terrific fun setting up a profile and creating a playlist of music. I have embedded my playlist so if you are interested to know my taste in music, turn your speakers on and listen! (I'd recommend headphones at work).

Whilst I enjoyed this exercise, and am thrilled to listen to music I like emanating from my blog (my favourite feature), it did take me some time to work on this task. 'Play and learn' really is the best way to explore this music site (I can also highly recommend FAQ for assistance).

Useful features of last.fm? Social networking is evident in that you can join Groups and connect with other members who share similar tastes in music. You can also edit artist wikis and tap into an Events calender for further information. Once you start selecting or listening to music, other artists are recommended. I only accessed free features, but if you subscribe there are other options available.

Reference to a Library environment? End user training of Web 2.0 technologies could include exploration of online music tools. I have seen many of our younger patrons listening to music online, so I now have more of an idea of what they are doing.

Ultimately I explored this tool to learn something new and fun and because it's a tool I'm likely to use.

Technorati tags online music last.fm

Week 8: My First Web App Zoho Document

Hello from VirgoBlue

For task #18 I'm writing my post using the web 2.0 application software we are to explore, Zoho Writer. (So far, so good.) The set up is very user friendly, with lots of common functionality available. I appreciated the Welcome page that appears when you first access the application; it provides some great start-up information.

I enjoy playing around with layout and style when I'm doing desktop work, so I'm quietly enjoying myself while testing some of the features offered by Zoho Writer.

• At this point I will add an image from my personal computer...done. I even think the above clip art 'Virgo' zodiac image almost looks like me! Others may disagree?
  


• The Template Library link offers examples of various templates, some of which I added to my own templates.
  

An advantage of a web-based editing tool such as Zoho Writer is that there is no need for ongoing updates/patches on an individual or corporate basis, the application is managed centrally by a third party.

Now that I've had a little play with Zoho, I will proceed to test Google Docs and Spreadsheets.

*NB Posting this document to my Blog from Zoho Writer is not as easy as described in the Welcome page and FAQ. I've tried numerous times, with no luck. Will try again at a later date. However, in having to return to this application, I've now used the right mouse button function in Zoho.

Technorati Tags Zoho Writer

An authentication issue seemed to prevent my initial posting of this Zoho document. The document posted perfectly the next day. Furthermore, I had less formatting issues in posting the Zoho Writer document in comparison to Google Docs.

Week 8: Online Applications and Tools

#18 Web-based Apps: They're not just for desktops
I do have a document to post from Zoho Writer, but it has not been a successful exercise so far, I will try again later. Meanwhile, here is my Google Docs post, which admittedly I did fix up slightly after transition. (Mainly layout.)

Google Docs vs Zoho Writer

A very brief assessment of two online applications

After previewing Zoho Writer, I am now accessing Google Docs for the first time. The look and feel of Google Docs reminds me of online email applications, where as Zoho seemed to have that 'word processor' feel about it. The cleaner lines of Google Docs is more appealing is some ways (less busy), but I prefer the Zoho Writer layout. It felt like I was writing a 'word' document, rather than an email or blog post.

Following are some points of feature preference:

For Zoho

• Easy one click button features
• The templates library was noticeable (and could be somewhat useful)
• Welcome page, an introduction to the application
  

For Google Docs

• I could use my right mouse button again to cut and paste and so on.
• I'm hoping posting my document to my blog will be more successful!
  

Aside from my aesthetic preferences, as with other web 2.0 applications, the concept of sharing documents online rather than via email is extremely useful.

Technorati tags Zoho Writer Google Docs