It Ain't Over

I have reached the last lesson, but it ain't over. In all of the exercises, I realize that there is so much more to learn and do. It all becomes a matter or time. I would have loved to spent more time exploring and trying new things; however, like everyone else, I am juggling. Also, I realized that I pushed myself to complete the course. I know that there are other projects that are on the horizon so I set a timeline. I didn't quite make my deadline, but I was close.

My favorite exercise was number 3 creating a blog. I liked this the most since it had immediate relevancy. The Library has a blog on Wordpress, and I am adding to the content regularly.

I do feel that Learning 2.0 has made a positive impact on my lifelong learning. This was like a mini-course with lessons. The expectation was that each person would achieve a greater mastery of pieces of technology. It is powerful to take brief instructions and to move forward.

I think the most surprising outcome is how quickly I needed the information that I was learning. As I mentioned, blogging is something that I needed immediately to do my job. Then, Aimee enlisted me as part of the committee to build a new incident form and database. Boom! I became part of a wiki. Here are new ways to collaborate, communicate, and express one's self.

I like the format and concept of Learning 2.0. It allowed me to progress at my own pace. It gave me success along the way and each success built upon the past experience.

I would certainly participate in another learning opportunity. I wasn't sure when I started this how much I would benefit. It did me a world of good. Any experience to learn is a good thing.

There is strength in numbers. If you look at the number and growth of social networking, people are yearning to make connections. Making those connection or creating those relationships are the real value.

Overdrive

It's been awhile since I looked at Overdrive as a customer. I downloaded the software and two books on my home computer when Scottsdale became part of the Greater Phoenix Digital Library. The experience was fairly easy. At that time, I had to burn the downloads to a CD to listen in the car. Yikes! Burning to a CD required lots of new discs and this became a costly process. While I could have read the items froms my home computer, it just wasn't convenient.

This was a good exercise since I had not spent much time looking at the site in awhile. I wasn't aware that eflicks were part of the collection! Where was I? I searched through the classics and the IMAX titles. Pretty interesting.

I look forward to the days of having an e-reader that is thin and easy on the eyes so I can download what I want -- newspaper, book, or magazine and read away. This will be more enviormentally friendly and no newsprint to scrub off kitchen tables, etc.

Podcast

Podcasts can be either an audio or video broadcast. I search for both kinds on multiple directories. There's lots of good stuff out there and there's lots of not so good stuff as well. Like beauty, it is probably in the eye of the beholder. The video podcast that I thought was interesting is Mobuzz TV which featured the latest news from technology -- not all would have been reported on the evening news or even appeared in other types of media. I did add two audio podcasts to my bloglines account. The first was Meet the author - UK and the second was Fat 2 Fit Radio. There were lots of choices and so little time to explore. Once again, I am including the link to by bloglines account that will link you to the podcasts.

http://www.bloglines.com/public/cmal

Reaching the Summit

Reaching the summit is what all of us want to achieve and yet what so few actually do. Yet, for one woman appropriately named Pat Summitt, she has reached the ultimate in collegiate women's sports. She has had 7 teams that have won national championships and many others that have been in the top four. She is a great illustration of commitment, hard work, and staying the course. She has been a hero and inspiration to many both in the field of sports, business, and in achieving personal goals. As I near the end of the Learning 2.0, I feel that I am nearing the summit; however, I know the journey is not complete. After Learning 2.0, there will be new challenges to face.

Discovering Web 2.0 Tools

Here is another way to get lost and have some fun. I really enjoyed looking at a variety of the sites. Because the exercise asked for library applications, I will try for this post to limit to just one category that has potential for use at the library. I selected to explore the category of "lists and polls" from the Web 2.0 award nominees. On my City computer, 43 things was blocked. Because many customers ask for the Book of Lists, I spent a lot of time exploring listdump This site is a community where people contribute to the lists and viewers vote to prioritize the list. There was a list for the most beautiful mountain ranges in the United States to a list for the best places to find people online. This lead me to a site called Wink. I was able to enter a person's name and find all the links about that person in one easy list. Unlike a Google search, I really honed in on the right individual each time. Pretty slick. While this site may lack hardcore authority, it will appeal to many people and may even satisfy the curosity of most.

On Google docs, I created a very simple PowerPoint presentation. It's so simple that it is only 3 slides. Hey time is precious! If you want to see my PowerPoint on fire extinguishers, check it out.

How to use an extinguisher

Now for the great debate of using Google docs versus using the Microsoft Office on the desktop. Both have value. For me at this point in time, I probably prefer using what is on my desktop. If I were collaborating on a big project or a student working on a group assignment, then Google docs would be the way to go. The good feature is that it provides an option for when I might be without my own computer but would want to create a document on a public PC. There are so many choices that it is no wonder that customers and consumers are saying, "It's all about me and what I want."

I've Been in the Sandbox

Like a kid, I have been playing in the sandbox! It looks like some of my colleagues have been playing there as well. I have added the URL to this blog, commented about one of my favorit restaurants, Oregano's, and added information on some of my favorite books. I love cozy mysteries. The experience was definitely very easy. I guess that is why this exercise is all about play. I had fun!