Thank you YPRL staff for opening my eyes to a new world. This program gave me the courage to download, explore, sign up, try confusing looking links... I think I'll feel much more free and safe exploring the Web 2.0 world.
Thank you too for providing links to so many resources and tools. I think I've doubled my number of bookmarks in the last few weeks.Now to start using them...
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Module 6
Social networking sites are an excellent idea. The connections they make between people are amazing. It does make teaching Information Literacy (especially online safety) even more crucial though. It would be great if schools and libraries could adopt these tools and teach kids how to use them rather than ban them and leave them to learn by trial and error. I was about to provide you with a link to my Facebook page but this course has reinforced to me the need to be careful of how much of yourself is online. Perhaps I’ve never thought of how much about me is 'out there' if you were able to link it together. So, to be on the safe side, you'll have to find my Facebook by chance!
I love the way Drupal seems to provide a more secure environment in which to start them off. I think it is like a tool we have a work. I'll have to check with our IT guys. I'm still not very fluent in the terminology!
I've heard so much about second life but avoided it like the plague because I'm an addictive type character and have enough trouble coping with this world. Now I’ve seen it – wow! I had not thought about the real world and the virtual world overlapping so much. It bends the mind just a little too much for me at the moment. Trading Linden dollars for American ones! I can definitely see how advertisers like it. The idea of testing new architectural designs etc is also brilliant, but the idea of shopping in it is beyond me. What an amazing new realm to explore though.
Finally, Skype is fantastic. Although I haven’t had the courage to buy phone credits I have Skyped with my friend in New York (a great way to plan my trip to see her) and chatted with my parents online. What a fantastic resource for people with loved ones spread around the world. It’s motivated me to go and invest in a webcam.
I love the way Drupal seems to provide a more secure environment in which to start them off. I think it is like a tool we have a work. I'll have to check with our IT guys. I'm still not very ofay with the terminology!
I've heard so much about second life but avoided it like the plague becasue I'm an adictive type character.
I love the way Drupal seems to provide a more secure environment in which to start them off. I think it is like a tool we have a work. I'll have to check with our IT guys. I'm still not very fluent in the terminology!
I've heard so much about second life but avoided it like the plague because I'm an addictive type character and have enough trouble coping with this world. Now I’ve seen it – wow! I had not thought about the real world and the virtual world overlapping so much. It bends the mind just a little too much for me at the moment. Trading Linden dollars for American ones! I can definitely see how advertisers like it. The idea of testing new architectural designs etc is also brilliant, but the idea of shopping in it is beyond me. What an amazing new realm to explore though.
Finally, Skype is fantastic. Although I haven’t had the courage to buy phone credits I have Skyped with my friend in New York (a great way to plan my trip to see her) and chatted with my parents online. What a fantastic resource for people with loved ones spread around the world. It’s motivated me to go and invest in a webcam.
I love the way Drupal seems to provide a more secure environment in which to start them off. I think it is like a tool we have a work. I'll have to check with our IT guys. I'm still not very ofay with the terminology!
I've heard so much about second life but avoided it like the plague becasue I'm an adictive type character.
Module 5 - Google Maps
Google maps is heaps of fun. I could 'visit' my sister in Germany, my friend in New York and see that my parents needed to mow their lawn when the shots of their street were taken. I hadn't realised that Google Maps came with directions. I'd only really accessed it for fun. It seems really logical now to assume that they did provide directions.
There are a few problems with it though. Appart from the obvious concerns with street footage placed on the world wide web, Google Maps thinks like a computer. The directions which Google provided to send me from home to work took me up the steepest dirt road in Melbourne which any human would know to avoid by following the natural curve of the road rather than the 'straightest path' route that Google recommended. My address is also wrong, clear proof that it's still a work in progress, but what a tool!
There are a few problems with it though. Appart from the obvious concerns with street footage placed on the world wide web, Google Maps thinks like a computer. The directions which Google provided to send me from home to work took me up the steepest dirt road in Melbourne which any human would know to avoid by following the natural curve of the road rather than the 'straightest path' route that Google recommended. My address is also wrong, clear proof that it's still a work in progress, but what a tool!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Module 5 - Google World
I actually made an iGoogle page a few months ago when it popped up as my homepage. It must have been a promotion. Eventually I got rid of it because I disliked that it takes longer for your page to load. It was great, though, having the things you like at your fingertips every time you log on to the Internet. It’s a great idea. I didn’t know there were so many options and am willing to give iGoogle another go in order to use the “added stuff”.
Fancy being paid to invent “added stuff” and to work under Google employee conditions! A massage would do me a bit of good right now. I wonder if there’s a ‘charity of the day’ or a ‘Fact to inspire you to make the world a better place’ gadget? I better go back and look.
Fancy being paid to invent “added stuff” and to work under Google employee conditions! A massage would do me a bit of good right now. I wonder if there’s a ‘charity of the day’ or a ‘Fact to inspire you to make the world a better place’ gadget? I better go back and look.
Module 4 - ebooks, audiobooks and overdrive
I’m a very happy girl. It never occurred to me that doing this course would provide me with access to a new source of free books! I have known about Project Gutenberg for a long time but when I last checked it out I gained the impression that it was a seriously academic site, not terribly useful for general entertainment. However, I just spent a good period of time buried in Jane Eyre. To think there are so many other free book sites around. Wonderful!
How I managed to miss the Download collection! It was a bit scary launching myself in (I hadn’t bothered to read any instructions) but I got there in the end. I’ll be using this one a lot. I’ve identified a potential problem though. How will I resist the temptation to read at work? It will just look like I’m busy doing what I should!
How I managed to miss the Download collection! It was a bit scary launching myself in (I hadn’t bothered to read any instructions) but I got there in the end. I’ll be using this one a lot. I’ve identified a potential problem though. How will I resist the temptation to read at work? It will just look like I’m busy doing what I should!
Module 4 - podcasts
I was feeling sad that I’d had no chance to attend the Australian Writer’s Festival. Now, because I was introduced to podcasts and Radio National’s Podcasts and MP3s, I got to hear a session of the festival when historians discussed the concept of evil. Great fun! It’s great to hear authors speak of their books and expand your understanding of them beyond what they record on the page. If you’re interested the link is: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/bookshow/index/audio.htm and you’re after the podcast for Thursday 28 August 2008.
The Education Podcast Network looks like an excellent resource. I love the idea of accessing recordings of the great speeches etc. Unfortunately, my computer was not so happy with the site so I’ll tackle it again after I’ve cleaned things up and deleted a few temp files. A nice discovery as I searched was that each state government’s education department appears to have pages of links of recommended podcasts. I’ll use them lots. The Victorian site recommends http://www.podomatic.com/ to create podcasts.
I think the thing I am enjoying most about Web2 technologies is the way they condense or link time and space. I’m busy with work during the festive – no worries, listen to a podcast one sleepless night. Want to share photos with my sister in Europe – no worries try Flickr. What wonderful thing will they come up with next?
The Education Podcast Network looks like an excellent resource. I love the idea of accessing recordings of the great speeches etc. Unfortunately, my computer was not so happy with the site so I’ll tackle it again after I’ve cleaned things up and deleted a few temp files. A nice discovery as I searched was that each state government’s education department appears to have pages of links of recommended podcasts. I’ll use them lots. The Victorian site recommends http://www.podomatic.com/ to create podcasts.
I think the thing I am enjoying most about Web2 technologies is the way they condense or link time and space. I’m busy with work during the festive – no worries, listen to a podcast one sleepless night. Want to share photos with my sister in Europe – no worries try Flickr. What wonderful thing will they come up with next?
Module 4 - YouTube
I'm quite familiar with YouTube in terms of searching and playing videos. This time a played a bit more with the added features - share, commentary etc. It meant I was a bit more creative about what i searched for. Joy of joys - I found this:
Homefront Theme http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHgvhVTTTrw
Homefront was a TV show I adored. I faithfully stayed up until 11:30pm, 1am, 12:38am or whatever time it was playing at for the period it was aired in Australia.
Every now and then I've searched the Internet for news of its release on DVD to no avail. Suddenly, thanks to YouTube, I can at least hear the theme song and see the credits again.
It does raise the issue of legalities though. I'm quite sure that that's been posted in contravention of copyright. It's just occured to me that posting it here is probably too (I'll go and check in a minute). It's one of the many reasons to be careful about your use of and promotion of Youtube. I heard recently that Youtube were trying to arrange copyright deals with major studios and broadcasting companies. Maybe those concerns will be effectively dealt with in the near future. In the meantime, I love being able to view the special moments of tv shows I've loved, funny ads, interviews etc. While there's an awful lot of rubbish (please no more school projects) the "How to..." videos have saved my neck more than once when I faced a new computer program.
Homefront Theme http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHgvhVTTTrw
Homefront was a TV show I adored. I faithfully stayed up until 11:30pm, 1am, 12:38am or whatever time it was playing at for the period it was aired in Australia.
Every now and then I've searched the Internet for news of its release on DVD to no avail. Suddenly, thanks to YouTube, I can at least hear the theme song and see the credits again.
It does raise the issue of legalities though. I'm quite sure that that's been posted in contravention of copyright. It's just occured to me that posting it here is probably too (I'll go and check in a minute). It's one of the many reasons to be careful about your use of and promotion of Youtube. I heard recently that Youtube were trying to arrange copyright deals with major studios and broadcasting companies. Maybe those concerns will be effectively dealt with in the near future. In the meantime, I love being able to view the special moments of tv shows I've loved, funny ads, interviews etc. While there's an awful lot of rubbish (please no more school projects) the "How to..." videos have saved my neck more than once when I faced a new computer program.
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