My Adventures in Learning and Playing

Learning and playing, I've discovered, is not easy. Both require time and opportunity to really get the hang of it. And I think there is just never enough time to learn and play. When I've had the chance to sit down and do the Learn and Play Discovery Exercises, it has been under time constraints and I feel I haven't learned as much as I'd liked. That being said, there are aspects I've enjoyed about Learn and Play. I liked creating a blog and using the image generator. Also YouTube was interesting. Creating the blog I think was my favorite thing to do because I do like to write. And actually creating the blog has renewed in me my enjoyment of writing. It has opened up an avenue I thought was closed for a long time.

I'd probably change the name

When I first heard that we needed to explore MOLDI (Mid-Ohio Library Digital Initiative) , I thought that a better name could have been picked. It wasn't the type of name that screamed exploration.......... but nevertheless I did check out MOLDI and I was pleasantly surprised. I can see how this would be extremely useful for libraries and individuals. It is cool that you can download books, movies, and music onto a PC or an IPod, free of charge. I looked up the book "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane" by Kate Dicamillo and found it easily. It is nice to have the option of checking it out via MOLDI if the item is checked out at the library. MOLDI, despite it's name, could be useful and definitely enhance the learning experience for the user.

Sometimes

Sometimes it seems I can.
I can muster the courage...
I can see the beauty within.
I can see the truth,
And I can know, really know
that it takes the soul
to reach the depths of brokeness
to make it whole again.

-Jennie Wilson

Podcasts Schmodcasts!

Checking out the different podcast sites was interesting but I didn't really feel like it was that easy to find podcasts on subjects that interest me. I did some searches using the different podcast directories but I felt like all I got was a hodgepodge of information. I searched in Music and Travel and looked up book reviews but I didn't find a podcast interesting enough to want to subscribe to the feed. But for work purposes I added a feed about a year long audio broadcast of the Bible.

Yay for YouTube!

YouTube was lots of fun! At first I had trouble deciding what I really wanted to sample in the videos on YouTube, but then I decided to see if their were any videos about a place I lived for a semester in college: Salamanca, Spain. And there were lots of videos to choose from. Seeing the Plaza Mayor in Salamanca brought back lots of memories. I can definitely see how YouTube would be beneficial for anyone who likes to travel because you can get footage of places you've been or places you want to go to. YouTube would be a great learning tool for anyone because there are videos about just about any topic. YouTube would be beneficial for libraries because it could enhance the learning experiences of library users. Take a look at the video of the Plaza Mayor in Salamanca.........maybe you'll want to travel there too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMyxwi2BjV0

Fragility

I want to be strong
and act like it doesn't bother me.
But as usual I'm reminded
of my fragility.
Will I get up and get on
or will I resign myself to not?
To not cherish the beauty
that resides in me.......
To not owning that I do have worth....
It would by a tragedy to crumble under
the pressure that I can get through.
But yet being strong is a struggle
that daily I face and have to defeat.......
There are days though when it defeats me,
it breaks me,
reminding me of my fragility.

Jennie Wilson

Do You Have The Tools You Need To Learn?

While exploring the "toolbox" of information, I found several "tools" very interesting...........it definitely left me wanting to explore more. In particular, I liked Creative Commons, a site that lets you license/copyright your creative work for free............and Stumbled Upon, a site that lets you learn more about your particular interests whether it be music, books, health, whatever. World Cat is a site that I can see libraries using alot. It would certainly add a new dimension to InterLibrary Loans. To be able to see a online library catalog for the world would open up the possibilities of obtaining information for library users, thus enhancing the library experience for the community as a whole. World Cat would open up a world of possibilities for the future of the library.
Another useful tool to library users would be the link to the library catalog right in the browser. It would be very timesaving to be able to look up items in the catalog directly from the browser. And to have the library toolbar in the browser would be timesaver as well as it allows one to check his/her library account quickly, and keep track of events in a more efficient manner. Tools such as these seem very practical for library users, making their library experience an even more positive one.