Task 23 - Summarizing the last 22

Fantastic. What a wonderful adventure - particularly as it is Prof. Dev! I could spend much longer getting up and personal with so many of the technologies we have been exposed to. Unfortunately time is always the leveller.

I hope that this learning will continue to be available for some time to come to give us opportunities to revisit at our leisure and follow the instructions through again where we have forgotten.

Libraries are in a great position to adapt and use the various options and I believe need to be very proactive in lobbying for the necessary funding and recognition for the added value that can be given to an increased audience. One of the frustrating constraints is the access to often blocked sites due to firewalls and web marshalls. This is an area that libraries must push hard for solutions that give a win/win situation. However I do believe we can have a presence on Second Life, MySpace, YouTube as well as utilising eBooks just to name the most obvious of the technologies.

Waiting for the next episode!

eBooks - Task 22

This is fantastic. My first impression was that most of the books available through the FREE links suggested are of classics only. However once I started to put in my own options I found many others of interest, e.g. Harry Potter!

I can see that this will take off big time once it is possible for large numbers of the population to download into their MP3 players/iPod nanos - even wearing an iPod on the wrist whilst out there jogging listening to your latest novel!! Wonderful. I can also see us enjoying the lastest novel via the MP3 options in your car whilst either parked on the freeway carpark in the rush hour or cruising down the highway on the way to some lovely holiday destination.

We will of course still want our hardcopy for the beach (think of the sand within the pages!)

Podcasts - Task 21

Well I have searched through the various podcast directories but ended up selecting an RSS feed from the Conversation Hour with the ABC. I found many of the podcasts I accessed were very out of date or you needed subscriptions, etc. I will keep going with this type of technology as it has some good options but not necessarily from the suggested directories. (very American!)