Its the Final Countdown ...

My views on the entire training course...

I have really enjoyed doing the training (actually maybe enjoy isnt the right word, but I am glad I have done it). Learning new things is always important, even if you dont think it applies to you individually. Working in a library however, it does apply to everyone doing the course. I was already familiar with many things such as facebook, twitter and libraything but it has been good to explore other web based functions I did not know about.

And to think we have really only just touched the very crumbs of the cake ... there is so much more to learn. At least it doesnt seem so overwhelming now and I know where to go to find more information.  So whilst I probably wont continue to exist in the blogging world, it has been very interesting to learn about and understand.

Week 10 Geocaching

I had never heard of geocaching until last week. What an interesting idea. I dont think I would ever be bothered to do it myself but I think it might be a cool family adventure or a fun way to spend a few hours. In regards to using it in the library, I think I might need to research it more to realise how it might apply. The only thing I get confused about is, if you have clues leading to a book, and you only have a couple of copies of that book, isnt that a little disappointing to those who want to find it but came last?

I think it would be cool to do a competition in the library though that gets people to find clues in different areas. This can work to get people exploring areas they dont normally use. I think that would be fun.

Week 9 Podcasts

Postcasting has been really interesting to learn about. I am overwhelmed by how esay is is to do alot of the things web2 training that I though you would need a degree to understand. I dont really listen to blogs though, but I think I might start listening to some radio programs in my free time. My bf listens to Carl Pilkingtons and Ricky Gervais' radio show through podcast and then we listen to it on the cd player in the car. Its great and hilarious! There is now an animated version which I guess is a vodcast. (Its great learning all these new terms!)

Week 8 YouTube and videos

YouTube is amazing. There is no longer an excuse for not doing something cause you dont know how... you can always learn how on YouTube. From making sushi to applying makeup to hacking a vending machine! I have also found some great documentaries through youtube such as the one I put up on my blog. Being able to easily share videos on blogs and facebook is such a great way to share interesting articles and funny clips. Im not one to spend hours searching youtube clips but if im interested in something in particular or somebody recommends something, I find it to be very entertaining.

you tube clip

This documentary series is so inspiring (made a tear roll down my cheek). Check it out. There are 6 episodes.

Twitter

Both trival and powerful at the same time. A bit of an oxymoron, but decribes Twitter perfectly.
I feel a little self important publishing what Im doing all the time, does anyone really care... is twitter just a total bordom buster or generation ys attempt to be heard an feel important? Yes Im having a bit of a rant, but that seems to be what social media is all about? I would prefer a diary so I can at least express myself privately. On the other hand, a great way to share important news and interesting stories fast. Maybe after I get the hang of it a bit more I will like it more. At the moment, I HATE twitter.

Week 7 Facebook

And we come to the mother of them all... Facebook!
Imagine a world without it... its only been around for the last 5 years or so but where would we be without it now!
I like facebook for the simple reason that you can keep in touch easily with friends and family that may live away. I am a little over it though, and I wonder how many others will b over it soon too. Mayb in 10 years the numbers will have dropped?
It is worrying how school kids use it though. They arent aware (or dont see the threat) in the dangers related with social media including cyberstalking, cyberbullying, fraud, peer pressure, media pressure etc. Some of the littlies are just too young.
So all in all, Facebook has both pros and cons but one thing is for sure, it has been one of the biggest influences on social media and culture EVER!

LibraryThing

Library Thing
The best internet tool for book lovers alike. What a great way show off all your books, recommend books to others, find books and learn about books. And its all so easy! Its like having your shelf on display wherever you go.
It is great that you can find books and display them without any knowledge of MARC records. Just type the title and whola! Writing reviews is also a greta idea as is putting a wall of recommneded books on your library website. We do that at Spearwood and staff add the books they are currently reading to the wall. What a great amd easy way to share great books with library uses!

Week #6 - Tagging, Delicious and LibraryThing

OMG

Cant believe I added a widget to my blog. I thought it would be super super hard but it was easy! Wow I am surprised that I can do alot of this stuff, they sure are making it easier.

Tagging and Delicious
This has been the most useful week (I think). Tagging is taking referencing to a whole new level. It is such a great idea for people to 'tag' sites, even books. If someone is looking for information on a certain subject, and you dont know any great sites, you can use delicious to quickly locate appropriate information. I have found it more useful than google, and will have to learn to fully utilise its functions.
I remember when we had a prac student at spearwood library and she showed us how to use tags aswell (this was a few years ago). The idea of the words becoming larger the more a tag was used is also great. It looks cool and its so useful! The founder of delicious must be rich! The best ideas are always simple.

Week 5. Wikis!

Again, I never actually knew what wiki meant until now! And to be honest I never really thought much about it other than what on earth Wikipedia meant. I can see the pros and cons to wikis, but if used carefully I think the pros outweigh the cons.
 I think wikis would be a great way for people to share information in the library. For example the procedure manual idea is great. Possibly it can be used as a suggestion page the public can use to give information to the library. It could also be used for people to recommend books or other learning materials. For example someone might type in ‘INDIA’ and people could list the resources that they found helpful when looking for information about India. Just like a search catalogue but only listing books and authors recommended by the public?? 

By the way who thought up Wetpaint. A little random?

week 4. RSS Feeds

To be honest I had always wondered what that little orange icon was at the top of nearly every webpage! And now I know! I have learned something new.

I am a bit of a weird one when it comes to the net. All my friends can find hours of entertainment on the net and look up their favourite websites everyday. I, on the other hand, seem to be one of the few in my age bracket that actually find the internet (dare I admit it) boring! The only thing I use it for is internet banking, emails and occasionally facebook. I also use it to research products if I need to buy something and sometimes browse recipes. I don’t listen to music, download movies, read comics, read blogs or ‘surf’ the internet.  In saying this RSS feeds aren’t really useful for me but I can definitely see how they would be useful to people who visit the same 20 webpages everyday. It is a good idea. Just for the sake of this weeks exercise I subscribed to a few RSS feeds:

Avacodo.org.au

Powerhouse museum

White Ninja comics

SXF WOD

Unshelved

Learning 2.0 basics.

Week 3. Sharing Images.

My whole Blog is a collection of random information with no direct sequence or theme! So, now that I'm doing this at home and can spend some time thinking and writing I have decided to write a comment about each week so I have a logical sequence happening!

Sharing Images.

I think Flickr is a great idea and a useful way to find images from niches that don’t appear on Google Images.  It is also an easy way to check the licensing of the photos.  I terms of our library, I have seen flickr used to showcase the great activities, speakers, demonstrations and patrons at our library. The use of pictures makes our library more inviting, colourful, dynamic and fun!

Plus with the ease of digital cameras there is no longer an excuse to leave an event undocumented! I will be using Flickr more to access pictures and possibly might start adding some myself :)

and a little of track ...

Sorry to get of track on the whole Prometheus idea but Im going to talk a little bit about the whole web2 thing. SO far I have learnt about Flickr, RSS and Wikis and although I find it all very interesting and can see their utility, I personally prob won't use any of it.

It all has many many uses but maybe Im just too boring a person. I don't have any particular hobbies and I don't particularly care what other peoples hobbies are either! I sound like a grumpy old woman don't I! All well, everyone is different. I think it might not be that Im boring, but rather Im private. I dont feel a need to share my thoughts with everyone. I feel uncomfortable even posting this! (I have to for training purposes).

I like writing and cooking but once again, I like to write recipes out by hand and cook from an actual book, and I like to keep my writing personal.

What do you think Frankenstein's experiment looks like? If a wife was designed for him, what do you think she should look like? Could a normal looking creature ever love a hideous wretch?

Premise

What ever happened to Frankenstein's hideous experiment? Mary Shelley implied the creature ended his miserable life after failing to find love or compassion in a heartless, vein world. But was this really the end of the poor creature? The postmodern prometheus will take you on a journey through what really happened ...