We Gather Together

Its been a while since I posted. After doing all the exercises required for Maryland Libraries' 23 Things, I haven't taken the time to write in my blog. I don't know where others find time to do one blog, let alone more than one.

Today is Thanksgiving, probably the most family-oriented holiday in the States. It is a time to reflect on all the blessings each of us receives even when you don't seem to be blessed. I am reminded of Corrie Ten Boom's sister Betsie when they arrived at the Ravensbrück concentration camp. She gave thanks for being in a barracks with lice, fleas and much deprivation, quoting 1 Thessalonians 5:18: "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (KJV) Those conditions enabled them to hold Bible study and other things frowned upon by the guards. Lice and fleas kept the guards from entering.

My life has been very blessed. I have family who say they love me. I have food, shelter and clothing, and I try to give to those who don't. I have had my periods when I think my life is the pits, and how can I go on, but I have derived strength through my faith, and somehow I pull through.

My son and I will be having Thanksgiving dinner at a nice restaurant. My daughter is with her future in-laws. In Thankgivings gone by we would gather at my aunt's and uncle's home for dinner and laughter. Sometimes it would be up to 25 people, but because of death and other family dynamics we have started other traditions. The memories are there.

We will also see a movie or two and visit with friends.

Thing 23 C'est Fini

I'm trying for the 'A'

v What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?

Creating avatars. Learning about Widgets. I really liked Del.icio.us. Learning about other coworkers through their blogs.

v How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?

One thing about working in a library is that I learn something new every day, every single day. I had been exposed to several of the products before this exercise, but it’s nice to learn about other possibilities and what's out in the world of the web.

v Were there any take-aways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

Not that this surprised me, but . . .

My daughter is taking an online course through UMUC and needed to send her homework into her folder. Having a Mac is not as conducive to doing applications that are mainly programmed for PCs. Her boyfriend’s computer allows her to go UMUC’s online site, but he did not have MSWord. I talked her through Google Docs and she was able to import and export her assignment that way.

Also, at home and at work there is a need to create files in portable document format (pdf). This application enables one not to have to buy the full-blown Adobe Acrobat.

v What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?

I am at the library part-time, but have a full-time day job. My problem was finding the time. People that blog and read and respond to other blogs need a life. I thought that overall the format wasn't too onerous. Learning and doing 2-3 things a week was manageable.

And last but not least…

v If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you again chose to participate?

Definitely

v How would you describe your learning experience in a few words or a few sentences, so we can share our successes and promote this program?

Nifty Creative Fantastic Adaptable
Gnarly Pleasant Priceless Ambitious
Special Powerful Fabulous Imaginative
Unique Splendid Awesome Captivating
Positive Practical Delightful Entertaining

Scarecrow: What have you learned, Dorothy?

Dorothy: Well, I—I think that it, that it wasn't enough just to want to see Uncle Henry and Auntie Em — and it's that — if I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own backyard. Because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with! Is that right?

Glinda: That's all it is!

Thing 22 Penultimate Thing

I visited the Overdrive and NetLibrary sites.  Since my main computer at home is a Mac it would be difficult for me to listen to books from those sites. I could read a book from my computer, but I prefer to hold a book in my hand while reading. I would imagine that doing an e-book you could search for passages easier.  I listened to both computer-generated and human voice readings of Aesop's Fables on Project Guttenburg.  I prefer the human voice.

Once I got the hang of it I was able to download books from BPCL. It took me a while to get the right software on my computer. Evidently there is a way to burn audio books onto CD. I wonder if this way I could listen to them while driving.

Berwick-upon-Tweed Library

Thing 21 --Peas in a Podcast

I listened to Ask a Ninja and I visited the three sites suggested by MD Libraries Learning 2.0:
Podcast.net
Podcastalley.com
Yahoo Podcasts

They all had similar things to offer. I listened to some Harry Potter fancasts, tried some storytelling podcasts, and learned about jaywalking in Chinese. I could equate some of these as a combination of audio books and talk radio. Some podcasts took longer to get to the nitty gritty of their topic; the hosts seem to like to hear themselves talk. There is a lot of interesting commentary out there and this is something you can multitask to.

My Tube Thing 20 -- Hi, I'm a Marvel...and I'm a DC. (Mac PC Parody)

I've been a fan of YouTube for months. I find alot of things hilarious. ItsJustSomeRandomGuy is one of the cleverest parodists around. He has made several of these videos. I spent a lot of my girlhood reading Superman, Detective, Sgt. Rock, Little Lulu, and Classics Illustrated. I did read some early Marvels such as Fantastic Four, Hulk, and Spiderman. I'm tempted to try out for Stan Lee's Who Wants to be a Superhero. I need to figure out my powers and hero identity.

Web 2.0 Awards Thing 19

I went to the link for the short list and noticed that many of the awardees were included in our 23 Things. I decided to go to the Blue Ribbon for Games. Being a rumenologist I thought Sheep Invaders looked like fun. Move with the left and right arrows and shoot with the space bar.

Free Online Games brought to you by Arcaplay

Oogling Google (Thing 18)

I agree with Confessions of a Circulation Assistant that we've registered on many websites, so I will stick with Google Docs. It is easy to export to read in MSWord or Adobe Acrobat. I can see where this is a useful tool, especially those who have access to MSWord on one computer, but not on another.

I'm sure Zoho Writer would be just as good, but Google already has me registered.