Well I am determined to make this a beginning. I can't say that I will use all of these wonderful technology's in my everyday life but some of them I will definitely be playing with for a very long time (or at least until something quicker, brighter and cleverer come along). I have learned a lot during the last 12 weeks and despite any misgivings that I might have had it has been a fun experience.
Suggestions for improvement: If the aim is to teach people with all kinds of aptitude levels when it come to technology then some of the 'things' need to have simpler step-by-step instructions. Also get rid of technocrati, no matter how great they are supposed to be....they just aren't!
I'll definitely be starting a blog of my own. I think it will inspire me to take more pictures and get out of the house more. :P Did you know some of the new phone out there have an option to send a picture you've just taken straight to your blog?? How cool is that? I look forward to a life full of learning through play about technology, and many other important things! :)
BranchBaby signing out! (For now)
Wednesday, 28 November 2007
#22 Audio Books
I'm actually used to thinking of eBooks as a book that you read on a computer (or pda). I first read that fantastic story 'a little princess' in that format and it was very rememberable reading such an old book on a glowing pc screen. eAudioBooks are a great idea. I think we can all see how great it would be to have a simple to access version in the library. I can just see all the oldies coming in with thier iPods and downloading the lastest eBook.....well maybe not. But I do think we'd be surprised at how many people would use this great reasource!
It seems that at the moment the only ones that are readily available are the older books which presumably don't have copyrights attached. But no doubt it will pick up in the next few months and become the next big thing :) Amazon should pick up on it soon (if they havn't already).
It seems that at the moment the only ones that are readily available are the older books which presumably don't have copyrights attached. But no doubt it will pick up in the next few months and become the next big thing :) Amazon should pick up on it soon (if they havn't already).
Monday, 19 November 2007
#21 Podcasts, Smodcasts!
Podcasts....what can I say? After YouTube it's kinda going back a step in my opinion.
It's going to be a stinking hot day and already warming up fast so I'm going to keep this short!
Just One More Book is a site that I found using podcast.net and since a lot of my blog has has very little to do with Libraries I thought I should put this one in. The site reviews children's books via podcast. I especially liked it because it's got a nice simple childish set up. Very colorful and easy to use. I listened to the podcast about Odd Velvet and now want to read the book! Have added the site to bloglines (RSS was very clearly marked on the page). I'm looking forward to showing this site to our children's librarians when I'm working next.
It's going to be a stinking hot day and already warming up fast so I'm going to keep this short!
Just One More Book is a site that I found using podcast.net and since a lot of my blog has has very little to do with Libraries I thought I should put this one in. The site reviews children's books via podcast. I especially liked it because it's got a nice simple childish set up. Very colorful and easy to use. I listened to the podcast about Odd Velvet and now want to read the book! Have added the site to bloglines (RSS was very clearly marked on the page). I'm looking forward to showing this site to our children's librarians when I'm working next.
#20 You Too Can YouTube
YouTube is actually something that I'm reasonably familar with. You can spend hours getting lost in there, just watching one clip after another. I've often had people show me bits from movies or segments of a tv show that I missed. There are lots of funny World of Warcraft videos as well.
No competition as to which one I'd include on my blog. This video is a little snippet of my big brothers trip to USA. Him and a mate filmed themselves surfing in all 50 states. They're currently in negotiations to get it made into a documentary.
No competition as to which one I'd include on my blog. This video is a little snippet of my big brothers trip to USA. Him and a mate filmed themselves surfing in all 50 states. They're currently in negotiations to get it made into a documentary.
#19 Discovering Web 2.0 Tools
So I was scrolling down the list of winners for the 2007 Web 2.0 awards, I was tempted by the Campfire chat tool but after a quick look decided it looked geared towards business communication and therefore wouldn't be very easy (or fun) to trial. It's not much fun talking to yourself!
Couldn't go past the Cocktail Builder. Now don't let that give you the wrong impression! In fact until about a year ago I hadn't ever really had any alcohol. Now that I am indulging in the occasional drink I must admit that it all fascinates me. Take me into a bottle shop and I'm like a child in a foreign candy store. Content to simply gaze in awe at all the different shaped bottles and colors.
So on to cocktail builder! This nifty little site allows you to enter what you have 'in your bar'. And then displays a list of all the different cocktails that you can mix (with proportions and instructions) with what you have on hand. Coming features include being able to print out a fancy looking "menu" if your having a party. The only down side that I can see is that I don't think it saves your settings. So if you have a lot of different things you may have to re-enter them each time you use this. A sign up and log in feature would work.
A bit of fun and silliness. I'll have to remember this site if I ever have a cocktail party because although I know the library has a few books, this is up-to-date and people from all over the world have added to it!
Couldn't go past the Cocktail Builder. Now don't let that give you the wrong impression! In fact until about a year ago I hadn't ever really had any alcohol. Now that I am indulging in the occasional drink I must admit that it all fascinates me. Take me into a bottle shop and I'm like a child in a foreign candy store. Content to simply gaze in awe at all the different shaped bottles and colors.
So on to cocktail builder! This nifty little site allows you to enter what you have 'in your bar'. And then displays a list of all the different cocktails that you can mix (with proportions and instructions) with what you have on hand. Coming features include being able to print out a fancy looking "menu" if your having a party. The only down side that I can see is that I don't think it saves your settings. So if you have a lot of different things you may have to re-enter them each time you use this. A sign up and log in feature would work.
A bit of fun and silliness. I'll have to remember this site if I ever have a cocktail party because although I know the library has a few books, this is up-to-date and people from all over the world have added to it!
Fantastic!
Just a quick post about my last post, which I successfully transfered from Zoho Writer to my blog....absolutely Fantastic! It was so easy! Just clicked on publish, selected post to blog and entered my log in details for blogger. And.....Done!
I'm actually shocked at how easy that was!
I'm actually shocked at how easy that was!
#18 Web Based Apps
Web Based Apps - They're not just for desktops!
Well I'm not sure how this is going to work. I've read the Welcome message...fixed the spelling on sharing (as opposed to shraing). And now I'm attempting to type up my blog post in Zoho Writer. I must admit that I love that this is online and therefore accessible from virtually anywhere. I also think that being able to share the information and the editing privileges make this another wonderful online tool.
A use that particularly springs to mind is researching family history. All those notes and trees that several of my family are keeping in Geelong and Adelaide can all be entered in Zoho Writer and the excel equivalent and then added to he we discover distant relitaives.
Especially great if someone finds a bit of useful information at the library and the Word doc is saved at home. Just copy and paste it into the online doc and add it to the offline copy when you get home. Or better yet upload the offline copy!
I'm half asleep at the moment so this is as far as I have got in discovering uses for Zoho. But I feel like there are many uses to which I will be putting it in the near future.
....now wheres the spell checker!?
*Update* Spell checker is quiet easy to use (very important to me as spelling is far from being my forte). But was surprised to find that the checker didn't recognise blog, Zoho, online or offline as being words....
Well I'm not sure how this is going to work. I've read the Welcome message...fixed the spelling on sharing (as opposed to shraing). And now I'm attempting to type up my blog post in Zoho Writer. I must admit that I love that this is online and therefore accessible from virtually anywhere. I also think that being able to share the information and the editing privileges make this another wonderful online tool.
A use that particularly springs to mind is researching family history. All those notes and trees that several of my family are keeping in Geelong and Adelaide can all be entered in Zoho Writer and the excel equivalent and then added to he we discover distant relitaives.
Especially great if someone finds a bit of useful information at the library and the Word doc is saved at home. Just copy and paste it into the online doc and add it to the offline copy when you get home. Or better yet upload the offline copy!
I'm half asleep at the moment so this is as far as I have got in discovering uses for Zoho. But I feel like there are many uses to which I will be putting it in the near future.
....now wheres the spell checker!?
*Update* Spell checker is quiet easy to use (very important to me as spelling is far from being my forte). But was surprised to find that the checker didn't recognise blog, Zoho, online or offline as being words....
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