I had heard about Pandora through a SILS report by Cheryl which was posted on the staff bulletin board and created an account about six weeks ago. I was originally looking for music to accompany a video I created for the annual Friends of the Library Tea. I didn't find the music I wanted, but it was fun looking for it.
When I went back to Pandora today, it remembered my requested music types I had entered before. That part was good. But you can't download the music, so you have to just listen to it right when you are near your computer.
The selection of audio streaming for SILS is very, very limited. Hopefully as we progress, many musical styles will be included.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
RSS Feeds & Feed Readers
Today's lesson has been RSS Feeds & Feed Readers. People can subscribe to sites so they can find information they want fairly quickly. We use an RSS feed at our house when we are planning our Disney trip. We have certain sites where we get our information, such as Inside the Magic, http://www.distantcreations.com/insidethemagic/. I get Ricky's podcasts and listen to them while I am walking, which is another step in preparing for a Disney trip. Then I download the podcast on my mp3 players and listen to it while I exercise. The episodes are about one hour long.
Libraries can use RSS feeds to let customers know what is happening at the library. People can subscribe to a regular announcement about library events, say, for example, a podcast or even a list of events. When events are updated, a message can be generated to your home to let you know a program is coming up. Maybe we can describe some details. In other words, it's like the phone announcement except it comes to you, rather than you calling it.
We can use blogs and RSS feeds when it comes time to pass a library levy in the same way. Let customers subscribe to updates and information about the levy. We can include FAQs one week, and a town forum style podcast another week.
Someone asked whether it is useful to get posts right when they are published. It depends. Yes, on time sensitve things, such as ride refurbishments if I'm about to make a trip to Disney World. Not really, if I've just been and have not started to plan my next trip yet. Some of that information is good anytime.
I also subscribe to Dave Ross' podcasts and those are good anytime!
Libraries can use RSS feeds to let customers know what is happening at the library. People can subscribe to a regular announcement about library events, say, for example, a podcast or even a list of events. When events are updated, a message can be generated to your home to let you know a program is coming up. Maybe we can describe some details. In other words, it's like the phone announcement except it comes to you, rather than you calling it.
We can use blogs and RSS feeds when it comes time to pass a library levy in the same way. Let customers subscribe to updates and information about the levy. We can include FAQs one week, and a town forum style podcast another week.
Someone asked whether it is useful to get posts right when they are published. It depends. Yes, on time sensitve things, such as ride refurbishments if I'm about to make a trip to Disney World. Not really, if I've just been and have not started to plan my next trip yet. Some of that information is good anytime.
I also subscribe to Dave Ross' podcasts and those are good anytime!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
7 Habits of a Lifelong Learner
After finishing the quick tutorial, I can tell you that my favorite tip was #6: Use technology to your advantage. Here's how it worked for me this week:
My mother is very sick and in ICU and has been there for several weeks. While she was sedated, several family members visited her, but, of course she was asleep. When she woke up, we were able to show her the people who had visited her in her hospital room. Also, I took pictures of all the equipment used for her care; the respirator machine, her various IVs, even her catheter tubes. When she had questions about where all the tubes and the hoses connected to her were going, I was able to show her where they went and how they were helping her. Most of her machines are behind her head, so she doesn't know what they look like or how they work. But I was able to describe them to her as she looked at the pictures. Because the camera is digital, I could take more pictures and show them to her immediately.
Our next step is to print the pictures of family and friends on self-adhesive paper and post them all over her hospital room. We'll wait a little, since she is due to get out of ICU soon.
My mother is very sick and in ICU and has been there for several weeks. While she was sedated, several family members visited her, but, of course she was asleep. When she woke up, we were able to show her the people who had visited her in her hospital room. Also, I took pictures of all the equipment used for her care; the respirator machine, her various IVs, even her catheter tubes. When she had questions about where all the tubes and the hoses connected to her were going, I was able to show her where they went and how they were helping her. Most of her machines are behind her head, so she doesn't know what they look like or how they work. But I was able to describe them to her as she looked at the pictures. Because the camera is digital, I could take more pictures and show them to her immediately.
Our next step is to print the pictures of family and friends on self-adhesive paper and post them all over her hospital room. We'll wait a little, since she is due to get out of ICU soon.
What I've learned from IM
IM means "instant messaging". We use it to chat with people in 'real time' (but not necessarily 'real space'). I have used IM in the past with my 20something children and my brother. I have found it useful since I usually rise at 0500, and not many people enjoy being called at that hour. When I log on, I can see who else may be up for whatever reason, and we can chat. It means that I can know that someone is actually in a good place to talk right now. When you telephone someone, you never know if you're interrupting something important.
The one thing that surprised me about the way IM is set up through my google account is that it's not very intuitive, I didn't think. Perhaps that will improve in time. Probably in a little time at the rate technology is changing around us.
The one thing that surprised me about the way IM is set up through my google account is that it's not very intuitive, I didn't think. Perhaps that will improve in time. Probably in a little time at the rate technology is changing around us.
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