Six Questions Answered for the Technical Trainer

1. Librarything and Wikis were my favorites. They are both useful in the work I do in the library.
2. This program has assisted my lifelong learning goals by demonstrating to me once again that perseverance and overcoming obstacles pays off. It has also given me a jump start on technologies that I would not have known about otherwise. I believe that this experience will come in handy when dealing with patrons and I hope to incorporate some of my new knowledge in the library projects I'm involved in.
3. I was surprised at my ability to puzzle through some of the technology problems that arose for me.
4. You could improve the program by adopting a broader view of learning styles. For example, having knowledgeable staff that were more hands-on accessible to your students might have facilitated the learning process for some. Not every one learns well by remote e-mail. Unfortunately, rarely was knowledgeable staff in the department available to help at the time allotted me to work on Twentythree Things. One hour a week hardly covered the time it took to read, let alone do the exercises. If you are self-taught there are many dead end roads you travel before finding one that takes you in the right direction on your journey. The Trial and error method of learning takes time and the ability to be able to tolerate frustration. It is especially frustrating to try and learn a new task when you are also being asked to multi-task other assigned duties at the same time. Guaranteeing a student an approriate amount of time to learn without interuptions that frustrate and hamper trains of thought would have been a vast improvement in the program and would have made learning a more enjoyable experience.
5. I would participate again, but I would hope that improvements were made.
6. I would describe my learning experience as self-taught. I would say that Twentythree Things made me develope new neurological synapses in my brain.

Podcast once again

http://www.podcastalley.com/what_is_a_podcast.php

I'm still not digging this podcast stuff. Maybe it will grow on me.

Podcast Again

I did drop a podcast by Mayo Clinic into my blog.

Summing It Up

I found some things applicable to my life and some not. Flickr might be something I might use; whereas, I highly doubt if I'll ever produce a podcast. I thought the Avatar's and Meez were like playing with electronic paper dolls. YouTube was a fun site, but since I use my computer almost strictly for work I probably wouldn't use YouTube. Librarything was great. I liked the reviews from ordinary people and found many titles I'm interested in reading. I thought it was a good way to keep track of books you've read and the books you want to read in the future. It also could be used as a reader's advisory tool. The idea of keeping favorite web sites in one place on Rollyo makes for a more efficient use of time and it could be a beneficial tool for researching a subject or writing a paper. Techorati (blogger's paradise) is suitable for exploration of people's opinions. Sometimes that's what you want rather than an authority that has a sponsor. The online productivity tools are wonderful. I could see using one of these to write down brainstorming ideas for the WRP. Anyone on the committee could add ideas as they pop up. To be able to write your own book! Wow! I know some patrons in Havre de Grace who would be drooling if they knew about this. The blog itself was a nice organizational device for all the things we've learned. I like the links on my blog. They make it much easier to access all the various sites we've been exploring. Overall I've learned a lot and feel I've made progress in entering the technological world.

Audiobooks

I took a look at the sites and chose to download The Crossing by Howard Fast from Netlibrary. It took 20 minutes to install a mediaplayer and get a license. I listened to the beginning of the book and took note of where I could download it to a cd. The cd might be more pracitcal for my use. Another option would be to download it to a portable device (if I had one) and listen to it that way. About the only time I would listen to an audiobook would be in the car. I wouldn't listen to one on my computer because I use my computer primarily at work and that's it. I never take an audiobook when I'm hiking or walking because I prefer to listen to the sounds around me. In the car I like to deaden the noise of the traffic. I believe there is a portable device that lets you listen to music, and I assume a book on cd under water while you are swimming laps. I hear it's very expensive $300+. Now that might be nice to have on days when you didn't feel like swimming, but knew you would put in the laps anyway.

Podcast

Have spent three hours trying to attach a podcast to my blog with no luck--no one here in the staff room knows how to do it, so there's no help forthcoming---am totally frustrated and feel like pulling out my hair!

YouTube

Watched a video called Falcor the Urinator about a Shih Tzu who urinated on the carpet and slept on his pee pad. He did all sorts of tricks during the video so you know he's got to be smart, just has some sort of issue going on with the peeing. He was very cute with a mischievous look in his eyes. YouTube is a fun site.