Final Hurrah! PTL Exercise Complete

I've made it through all of the exercises, although I would have liked to spend more time on many of them: RSS feeds, bloglines, LibraryThing, and del.icio.us, just to name a few. I would be more savvy if I would explore more of what I've learned outside the library, but I haven't done that to date. I find, after an entire day of being online at the library, that the last thing I want to do at home is jump back on my computer. I did learn quite a bit, and I also had fun, especially creating the blog, using Flickr, and assembling an avatar. I can see the value of tags and RSS feeds within the library, and I certainly feel I have a better understanding of the attraction of social networking among the young. I just hope the computer networking doesn't replace good ol' getting together with friends to discuss all of those things that are being tagged and shared with online friends.
I'm looking forward to some of these tools being incorporated in our new-and-improved interactive LCLS web site!

Week 10: YouTube

Although I have visited YouTube in the past, I hadn't been back for ages, so this was an especially fun exercise. I remembered one library/computer-related video that someone -- I think it was Nancy Skabar at Cape Coral -- had sent me awhile back, and I found it my simply searching under the keyword "book." Here it is:



I'm going to go looking for a PodCast now....

I'm familiar with our Download Library, and, in fact, have downloaded a few novels to my MP3 and have listening to them while taking walks. Right now I'm listening to the audio book, "Italian for Dummies," which is one step in my original learning goal of mastering Italian!

Week 9: Zoho Writer & Web 2.0 Award Winners

I have explored Zoho Writer, and I may attempt to post my scribblings here to my blog. I discovered that if I click on "Publish" above the tool bar, I get an option to "Post to Blog."

There are a few handy options here in Zoho Writer, including the ability to add an emotion icon with a simple click: (this one represents "foot in mouth") and the ability to add a comment in a cartoon-like bubble. (I wrote a comment, but it didn't carry over to my blog.)

I also spent a little time looking at the Web 2.0 Award Winners. I explored the 1st and 2nd place award winners in the Travel category: 1.) Farecast.com and 2.) Kayak.com. My daughter and son-in-law use both regularly, especially taking advantage of Farecast's 7-day fare prediction -- a very nice feature. I did think Kayak was a little quicker, and I liked the fact that it would search flights at ALL airports in an area. That's a particularly nice feature when you're looking for a cheap flight out of NYC. I set up an account with Farecast Alert.

Now let's see if I can post this short note!

Week 8: Wikis

Somehow exploring wikis during Halloween week seems appropriate. I added my blog and avatar to Sheldon's Playhouse, and I most definitely see the value of wikis in the library world. What a fantastic way to collaborate! I would think FLA & ALA committee work could be conducted smoothly through a wiki; what a great way to avoid long drives & overnight stays to produce the same results.

Week 7 & 6: My Space, Del.icio.us and More

I took a look -- cursory though it may have been -- at My Space, Rollyo, Library Thing, Technorati, and all of those other interesting sites recommended in PTL Weeks 5 - 7. While perusing My Space, I found Tom, noting that, besides being a millionaire, he also is a Libra. I also visited my younger daughter's My Space page. (How do 27-year-olds find so much time to party?) She also is a Libra...but not a millionaire. I'm not sure that I would ever put Rollyo or Library Thing to use, but I understand why people who enjoy being online more than I would organize their web world with these tools.
I also revisited my blogline account, which I hadn't done since creating it, and I opened a few of my feeds. If I just had more time, those feeds could be very worthwhile.
I AM learning lots at these exercises.

Week 5: Creating an Avatar --Linda in Full Battle Regalia

What a fun exercise this was! I read all about image generators. Then, following Connie's recommendation, I accessed Doppelme.com/ to create my own Avatar. I needed Tim's help to insert the image into my blog, but here it is: me in full battle regalia, ready to assist all Telephone Reference customers, including those who just received their UMS letters!

Before leaving Week 5 Lessons behind, I need to read about Rollyo and Library Thing.

Week 4: RSS Feeds

Well, I must admit I learned quite a bit this week, and I can see the benefits of making use of feeds. I chose the "bookworm" link, which immediately offered great book review sources. I also selected a few news feeds, as well as sports, of course. Now if I can only find time to read my feeds.... I plan to share this RSS information with my husband, who will love it.

Week 3: Flickr

Venezia Dreamin'
Originally uploaded by Venezia Dreamin'

Well, I've visited Flickr, and, I admit, it was easier than I expected to register and follow the steps to posting -- and possibly sharing -- photos. Let's see now if my Venezia Dreamin' photo is added to my blog. Thanks to Tim and Annie for their assistance.

Week 2: Creating a Blog

This was certainly a week of learning! I've created a blog; who woulda thunk it? The exercise was fun, and I plan to look at all of my co-workers' blogs, trying to discover who wrote what. I decided to enter some personal information in my profile, thinking that nobody but LCLS staff will ever give it a perusal.
I think the 7 and 1/2 habits of learning is worth pursuing, and I've decided to finally learn Italian at a level of competence that I won't embarrass myself if I should be so fortunate as to ever return to Italy.

Venezia Dreamin'

I've decided to make good use of this 7 1/2 Habits exercise to finally get myself to learn Italian, at least at a level of proficiency where I will appear to be a gracious, appreciative American tourist to the hosting country on my next -- and highly anticipated -- visit to Italy. (No, I have no trip scheduled; I might have to wait until my next retirement.) Knowing how welcoming the Italians are and how they make every effort to understand our attempts to communicate in their lovely native language, I would like to have a proficiency skill that would meet them halfway.
Yes, I am dreaming of Venice...and Florence...and Santa Margherita Ligure. On our last visit my husband took hundreds of photos, and sometimes now we grab a glass of wine and gather around his computer to watch a slide show of our wonderful Italian adventure.
To fulfill my learning experience, I plan to make good use of LCLS's wonderful collection of language CDs. I also plan to download a few of the Italian language audios from the Download Library on my MP3; they will be perfect for those daily early morning walks. Of course, the early morning walks are also one of my not-yet-achieved goals.
Ciao, ciao for now.