Final Task: Summary

This was a great learning experience. Some of these technologies were foreign to me so I'm glad I had the opportunity to see what they were about and how to use them. The most important thing I learned is that you don't have to be tech savvy to learn these online tools. Now, I won't be so reluctant to explore other technologies on my own. The most challenging task was RSS because I just couldn't understand the concept but with help from Mrs. B, I was able to complete the task. So many of the technologies we learned about can be used to promote the library - whether it's providing RSS feeds about library services for customers, posting photos of library events on Flickr, showing storytimes on YouTube. Some people may only know libraries as how they used to be but once they see that we're using the same new technologies they are, it might just get them into the library to see all the things we have to offer. This self-directed learning model worked pretty well for me but it helped to have the structure provided and a deadline to complete the tasks!

Task 10: MySpace

There's definitely positives and negatives to MySpace - it's a place to communicate with friends and family and to keep them up to date with the latest happenings in your life. But you also have to be careful of how much private information you want to reveal for all to see. It might be a good idea to limit who has access to your page. I think that MySpace is popular because it's a quick and easy way for people to stay connected to others. Here's the page I set up: http://www.myspace.com/177545218

Task 9: Online Office Tools

Google Docs and Spreadsheets is great! We can share this with library customers who type up and need to save something but don't have a flash drive. Plus documents created with this tool can be shared with others, which can be useful e.g. for students who are working together on a project.

Task 8: YouTube

My YouTube username is e20learning. I viewed these videos online:

Sweet Tired Cat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GWPOPSXGYI

Lexington Library Commercial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFnZLFz3DiY

YouTube is interesting, especially the videos people make of themselves and put out for the world to see. I guess YouTube is so popular because people can do that.

YouTube can be a useful tool for libraries to promote their services - We can make a video to promote things like summer reading. Another way to reach people and get them into the library!