Week 10, 23 The End?

I really loved this training and the idea of "virtual" training. I think we should do more "virtual" training. Why?
1. Everyone can participate. Many times, a great training comes along but only a few people from a branch can attend it because we have to have someone to run the library. With e-training, everyone reaps the benefit of training.
2. Money. The county saves money since they don't have to pay mileage.
3. You know people are actually absorbing the information being presented. Since they have to post their experiences, you know they are really trying out the software, websites, etc.

As for the information presented, I was surprised to discover some new sites. I loved
Animoto and Zoho.

As for applications, I already use most to them anyway. I use Flickr for my YA photos and YouTube for our YA Scenes and Screens videos. I will probably demonstrate some of the things like Animoto, Zoho, and Odeo for Teen Tech Week.

Goodbye, and thanks for all the fish.

Week 9, #22 Downloadable Media

I really love that we offer free downloadable media. My main problem with the free sites is that the audiobooks don't have the same quality as professional audiobooks. Most of them are done my volunteer readers and many times the audio quality is just not as good as the "real" thing.

I like Wowio, but I still prefer Overdrive. Overdrive is much easier to use and has a lot more titles.

Overall, I like our system best.

I was a bit disappointed with Amazon's new e-reader Kindle because it won't download free media, just books you've bought from Amazon. Hopefully, they will correct this in their next upgrade because I would love to have one to use with Overdrive.

Week 9, #21 Podcast Exercise

I've been putting this exercise off for a while because I wanted to post a link to our YA podcast, but since I'm having trouble with the conversion program, I thought I would just go ahead, do the post, and add the podcast at a later date.

This summer, I did a podcasting class for our YA summer reading program. We went over the technical and production aspects of putting together a podcast and then did on off the cuff podcast. It turned out to be quite funny with a lively discussion of the then new Harry Potter book and general teenage snarkery.

I loved the Odeo link because the one technical hurdle we had was the fact that you can't download software to our laptops. Instead of using a laptop, I used a digital voice recorder and then uploaded the podcast to my computer at home so I could edit it and add music. For this summer, I want to do it again and this year, will try Odeo.

As for podcasts, I love Emo Girl Talk and subscribed to several Joss Whedonverse podcasts.

As for myself, I will be taking my digital voice recorder with me this January and podcasting "live" from the Houston Marathon. I am doing the Half Marathon (13.1 miles) and will record my experience for posterity.

Week 9, #20 YouTube

I chose this video because not only does it feature me and my teens, but also because it's a great way for libraries to get their message across by using humor.

I even have a YouTube account that I use with my teens. I have virtual booktalks, DIY videos and more.

I think YouTube is a wonderful, creative tool that libraries need to use as much as they use MySpace.

Teen Read Week Animoto Video

Here's a video of our Teen Read Week Anime Extravaganza

Week 8, #19 Zoho

I've used Google docs before so this is my first time playing around with Zoho. I love the interface and the ability to publish to your blog. In fact, that's how I'm writing this post.

I've used Writeboard before to do collaborative writing but it doesn't have as many bells and whistles as Zoho and Google docs.

Actually, the Zoho document that I was most impressed with as the Zoho planner. I like having my "To Do" list online so I can work on it wherever I go.

It also functions as a great backup for important work just in case something goes wrong with your computer (or server). If you were on the road, you could upload a presentation just in case something goes haywire with your jump drive or your CD/DVD.