# 24 The End? Or Just the Beginning?

Wow! I made it.
Participating in Learning 2.0 inspired me to step out of my safety zone into the brave new world of modern and ever changing techology. I created a blog, added feeds to my bloglines, contributed to a wiki, viewed instructional and promotional videos and podcasts, and created my very own radio station. However, the most important thing that I did was discover new and exciting tools that would be beneficial to our library, our staff, and our patrons. Who knows how far we can go?
I absolutely fell in love with Flickr, Google Docs, and Pandora. My family and I plan on using R.E.A.D.S.
I would like to thank Jerianne for all her hard work in providing this experience to all the staff at LPL. Also, I want to say thank you to all the staff at Smyrna who truly exemplifies the meaning of teamwork. I could not have finished without them.
Will I participate in a similiar program? You bet I will.

Thing #23 Podcasts, Smodcasts

The podcast that I liked best was the Aesop's Fables Podcast. I also found U.S. Presidents Podcast which provides a brief biographical portrait of each president, explore the eras in which they led the country, and access the historical significance they hold for us today. Did I ever mention that I was a history major in college? These podcasts are found at the LearnOutLoud directory.



In Podfeed.net, when I did a subject search for books, I found a childrensbookradio podcast that is a must for children book lovers. A new book is discussed each week with an interview with the author. I added this to my bloglines.

Thing # 22 Downloading Audiobooks and Videos

Since I am not a big fan of audiobooks, this is my first time to explore R.E.A.D.S. I watched the tutorial and then searched for several books that are required High School reading. I found The Secret Life of Bees, The Crucible, and Shelley's Frankenstein as well as sparknotes on The Crucible and Frankenstein. I was very impressed with the selections offered and was excited about the sparknotes being available. I cannot begin to count the amount of money I have spent on sparknotes in the last ten years. I also found many of our patrons' favorite children books such as Junie B. Jones and A to Z Mysteries. When I get my MP3 player, I may actually become a R.E.A.D.S. fan.

I found one of my favorite films in the MyLibraryDV. It was Phantom of the Opera with Lon Chaney. I also am a big fan of the Antiques Roadshow and it was available under the How To Section. How cool is that!

I will be visiting this site more often. Thanks to Learning 2.o, I finally made the opportunity to explore these wonderful sites.

Thing# 21 YouTube

My family likes to watch funny and outrageous videos on YouTube. I usually watch them when I go and investigate why everyone is belly laughing . My daughter's favorite is of a electric guitar player that seems to play at the speed of light. My husband likes the grape lady.
Since I am very interested in crafts, I decided to explore YouTube for crafts. I found the following site which shows how to make a Christmas tree out of a popcicle stick and chenille wires.



YouTube would be an excellent resource for libraries to make "How To" videos. I agree 100% with Al that we could link these videos to our website as well as show videos of special events or programs. Maybe we could introduce our patrons to our staff by doing a short interview or employee spotlight every month.

#20 Other Web 2.0 Award Sites

Since I enjoy music, I explored Pandora. I liked creating my own personal radio station. My favorite Christmas song is Carol of the Bells, so I created a station that played similiar songs. One of my favorite features of the site is being able to express my opinion about the songs being played. The downside is that I could become addictive to this site. As far as having any library applications, I would have to say no, but it was a great way to for me to de-stress (is this a word).

#19 Social Networking

I hate to admit this, but this is my first time to visit MySpace or Facebook. Social networking has never really been my "cup of tea." Maybe it is just old age talking or maybe I have just been living under a rock. I began my exploration of MySpace by checking out one of my co-worker's page. It was really cool. I also knew many of her friends, so I checked out their sites also. On the surface, creating a page did not appear to be too difficult. However, I am just not ready to take that plunge. As I was looking for an old friend of mine (who my daughter thinks is way cool because she is on MySpace), I found a 100 year old lady who happens to have the same name. I guess I cannot use the excuse of being to old to have a social networking site.
I can understand the growing popularity of MySpace among the younger generation; however, I do not feel comfortable with the amount and type of personal information that many teens share. If libraries could reach the teen crowd through a MySpace page, I would be 100% for establishing a presence on this site. Yet, I am not sure how many teenagers would actually want to be added as a friend. I agree with Andrea that the best way to reach our teens is through offering programs that they are interested in not through MySpace.
I also explored the LinkedIn site. I think my husband would be interested in checking this site out. It may be a great tool for job seekers (especially for someone past their prime).

#18 Online Productivity

For this exercise, I chose to set up a Google Docs account. It was so easy to use(just like Word). I created a test document about alligaors and even downloaded a picture to my document. I also invited another co-worker to edit my document. The features were so similar to Word that I felt very comfortable creating my document.
To me, the best feature about Google Docs is that it allows for collaboration among many users. It would be a perfect tool for newsletters or group projects. I like having the option of allowing others to review the document or even make revisions to the document. (I wish this online tool was available during my college days).
There has been several occasions at the library where Google Docs would have been very useful such as collaboration on special programs such as SRP brochure or Reading Rally plans.