Finito!!

I can't believe this course has come to an end....
I have enjoyed learning about the new and emerging ways of communicating, and how technology is slowly but surely taking over! Now I can apply some of the knowledge from this course into my workplace, which will ultimately help the students' learning experience, and also make my work even more interesting.

#22 Audiobooks & #23 Downloadable Media

Books can be downloaded from a number of sources and come in many different forms.In our Library, we have a number of audio books for anyone who prefers them to standard novel reading, especially for students with reading difficulties. With technology growing by the minute, we have now found that eBooks becoming very popular and I find myself to be a fan of these.  Of course it is not better than holding a hardcopy book and turning pages yourself , but  I have to admit ebooks are very practical, especially when you're on the go.

With downloadable media you can find and download copyright free video,  images and sounds and you can share all this with the Generator community. I found a great website called Australian Centre for the Moving Image and have a great video gallery, education themes, learn from the makers, production resources and free media library. I'd love to have a look around the ACMI centre in Federation Square after reading up about it!

#21 - YouTube & TeacherTube

Youtube is arguably the best way to share your own videos to the world, which has made it one of the best resources a web user can have. Not only can it help you find information, but it can also help you become an international superstar, just like Justin Bieber. I am amazed by the amount of resources you can find for virtually any topic you search.  They include learning videos, entertainment, comedy, sport highlights and much much more.I can't say I'm the biggest user of YouTube out there, but I quite enjoy looking up the occasional live performance from Fleetwood Mac and Beyonce.

TeacherTube can be described as the safer version of YouTube. Unlike its predecessor, it doesn't allow for uncensored material and exists purely for educative purposes. It serves the purpose of helping 'teachers teach teachers".

# 20 Podcast

Podcasts are very widely used, by all types of people. Personally, i have a number of podcasts on my iTunes, including radio episodes of Hamish & Andy and interviews on ABC Radio. You can store them and access them from almost anywhere, whether it be from your home computer or your iPod.

They come free of charge and are easily disposable, as they don't usually occupy too much of your device's memory. You have to enjoy this resource in moderation however, as it is very easy to become a 'podcastaholic', and download podcasts non-stop!

# 19 Rollyo

The concept of Rollyo as a Web Tool sounds wonderful, especially because it allows users to gather information from a wide range of websites. This way, school students are able to go straight into searching a particular topic in record time;  but i was unaware how hard it was to get it up and running!

Creating a list of web sites to be stored together is the easy part, but trying to incorporate this widget for the students for their own access and use was quite hard .  And I still don't know if the students will have to have their own account to be able to use it.  After talking to my colleagues who already tried to import this widget to their toolbar they discovered that without running Mozilla Firefox it is not possible.

I'd really like to know how i can get it started, its starting to get on my nerves!

# 18 Wikis

There is already a significantly large amount of web users who have jumped on the Wikis bandwagon, which made me want to know more about these web pages. I have confidence in saying that Wiki pages are very useful tools, and are very easy to operate and start up.

However in my field of work, we have been using LibGuides (which fits the characteristics of a Wiki). Its a similar program to a Wiki page in the sense that it is collaborative, and is also quite easy to operate and maintain.

# 17 Delicious

It is good to know  that Delicious (being a Social Bookmarking service) gives you the opportunity to access your sites/ bookmarks from anywhere and everywhere! The search and tagging tools helps us to keep track of our entire bookmark collection, and to find new bookmarks from other people.
Until now I really didn't know about this online service. But from now on, I will have all my favourite sites in one folder.

#15 RSS & #16 Subscribing

 

In the past, I've only searched for specific information on the web when its needed, so I should mention that I don't have a favourite list of websites that I check on often enough to see updates.  After reading about what RSS really is,  it's good to know that I can subscribe through Google Reader, a list of my favorite topics and the updates will pretty much come to me everytime I open my account. I soon discovered that this would save me so much time, every time I use the net.  It allows me to compile all of my favourite websites, including Blogger!  Because I work in the Library and I'm involved in the marketing side of things, I can challenge myself by looking at how other  Libraries are uniquely creative...so I'm definately  looking forward to using this tool more often!

#13 My Space & #14 Facebook

To me, Myspace and Facebook have truly become the preferential mediums for keeping in touch with your friends. As these social networking websites have developed, the general populus has shifted from being primarily Myspace users, to a predominantly Facebook crowd.  In my case, being part of an older generation, I have contemplated the idea of creating a Facebook account with the purpose of keeping in touch with family and friends whilst travelling. I'm willing to give it a shot, but I'm going to do my best to not make it into an obsession like millions of users around the globe have managed to do! Because of this recent task to create both a Myspace and Facebook page, the endless contemplation became a reality. After assessing the advantages and drawbacks of each site, I have decided that Facebook is more effective in communication with friends. This is for a number of reasons, primarily because of its instant messaging capabilities, and the ability to find friends who I've been wanting to track down for years. Aside from the interaction with friends, Myspace has proven to be much more effective in searching music and artist pages. This helped me find out when my favourite singers are making their next Australian tour!

#12 Flickr

I have uploaded a very few photos as a test to my own Flickr account.
It doesn't seem to be complicated.
The photos displayed in my photostream are based on my garden. 
litas photostream

# 11 Library Thing

I worked this blog out with Laurice's help.

#10 Image Generator

 

I must say it was quite an experience....time consuming to say the least! It did test my patience, but it was pretty fun now that I think of it , so don't give up! This was created in comicstripgenerator

# 8 iGoogle

The fact that iGoogle allows me to create  and customise my very own homepage amazes me. The things that i have chosen to appear on my homepage include a calendar, new mail,  weather and news updates, sports reports, and an inspirational quote of the day.
Google seems to be a fun  and exciting place to work at, full of fresh ideas and innovation. The thrill that the bright minds at Google must get when they create a breakthrough application for netsurfers around the globe would be truly incredible.

# 7 Google Books

I work in a Library, so i can tell you that this way of searching for books when you need information in a hurry certainly beats endlessly looking through bookshelves for them. Google Books allows for effective browsing within the book, the option of making purchases, reviews or checking their availability, and the list goes on.
I find it fascinating how we have the power to purchase books whilst on the go,  and have them transferred straight to your Ipad or eBook Reader. So from the point of view of practicality, I have no hesitation in saying that Google Books is second to none in the area of online book purchasing.

http://bebook.net.au/pages/ebooks.html

# 7 Google eBooks

# 6 Google Maps

Luckily for me, I was already familiar with Google Maps.
I can describe it as a very handy Application when trying to locate places, their distance from where I am, and an overall direction from point A to point B.
I'd like to propose a challenge to Google though. As a busy woman, I need to avoid any halts in traffic, so a 'Google Traffic Jam" application would be handy.

#5 Google docs

OMG, I can't believe how long I spent reading about Google Docs!
Google Docs is an incredibly useful tool, as it has the ability to share/view and edit a collaborative document.
I can't wait to experiment by creating a document that I can share with you guys!!
It might involve some trial and error, but like any mother, I always make it work in the end!

# 4 Web 2.0

After reading all resources given, my understanding is that Web 2.0 focus on the ability for people to create, share and collaborate information online. 
Web 2.0 is not just about technology. Rather it is about what technology is allowing us to do. Some of the tools to help  in this process include, blogs, wiki’s, Wikipedia, twitter and facebook.