Ipod Nano

Thanks again to everyone at Yarra Plenty Regional Library. I am thrilled to have won an Ipod Nano. The whole experience has been great. Are there any more online programs planned for the future?

A Taste of Web 2.0

I have really enjoyed this "Taste of Web 2.0" experience. The more I learn about the many Web 2.0 applications the more I want to learn! I think before I started I didn't really know exactly what Web 2.0 was. Now I am beginning to understand the basic idea and how we need to rethink the ways in which we learn and communicate. Web 2.0 is about social interaction, collaboration and sharing. It has been made possible by the use of simple tools like Blogger, Myspace, Facebook and Flickr which don't require us to know sophisticated computer language.
Participating in this initiative from the Yarra Plenty Regional Library has opened my eyes to possibilities which will not only improve my life but will also have impact on the way I teach.

I found a video which really highlights the impact of Web 2.0. It is a little difficult to view in a small screen but it is certainly worth watching..

video by Michael Wesch - Kansas State University

Skype

Skype is a great service. My daughter was overseas most of last year and it would have cost an absolute fortune to keep in touch. Instead I set up the webcam and we both created Skype accounts. Skype to Skype is free but we decided to buy a number so that we could even ring mobiles and landlines. I really enjoyed being able to actually see her while we were talking. Sometimes our conversations lasted for two or more hours. It certainly made the time less stressful being able to keep in contact in a regular, relatively low cost way.
I was recently on a panel to interview a teacher for a job at our school. She was coming back to Melbourne after teaching in London. We set up an expensive phone call and while we were talking I mentioned that we should have used Skype. She had Skype already installed and so did I , so it would have been so much better to interview her via webcam.
If that ever happens again we will be using Skype!!

Second Life

Second Life is a virtual world where "residents" interact in real time . I watched a video about the ways people use second life - and its not only for recreation. Companies are using it to gauge customer responses via focus groups On Dell's Second Life island, visitors can enter a giant 3-D Dell computer to see the inner workings of a PC and if they have questions, a virtual representative can answer them. After viewing the Discovery resource videos and reading many articles about "Second Life" I am wondering about some of the negatives that could be associated. Are some people in danger of losing touch with reality and escaping the problems that they experience in their real lives?
Apparently , Second Life is also providing a means of having virtual global conferences, product launches and even training employees.
Whew! I have enough trouble keeping up with one life!

Facebook

I have created a Facebook profile and found my daughter as my first friend! Both she and my son regularly spend time on Facebook and use it as a way of communicating, arranging social events and keeping in touch with old school friends. I can see that it probably is fun. You can send "virtual" presents and add gadgets but somehow I think I still prefer real glasses of champagne. Not to speak of really seeing my friends and catching up for a coffee or a chat.I'm not sure that Facebook is something I will keep up with. Who has the time?

My Space

When reading the notes on "A Taste of Web 2.0" I was surprised to see that Libraries are trying to attract teenagers to their collections by posting on My Space. As a teacher/librarian myself I know that there is a time when kids tend to "drop off" reading and I have tried many ways myself to keep them interested. The internet is one obvious way - that is why blogging, My Space, Facebook and the like are so important. There are issues of course , and people really need to be educated on cyber safety. The excerpt from Sunrise highlighted this aspect.
I found that libraries are using Web 2.0 in many ways. I have inserted links to some of these.
Blogs for Teens - library blogs for teen patrons.
Myspace Layouts - A Myspace Resource Site for teens
MySpace & Teens - a list of library MySpace profiles oriented towards teen patrons.
Podcasts & Teens - a list of podcasts created through partnership with public libraries and teens.