Thing 23

The end of the road, for now, or perhaps just a break in the journey...

The assignments have been time-consuming, but I did learn a lot.
Can't help wishing that I had more time to blog. Has "blog" become a new verb?

Suggestion for the future--allow more time for completion of an assignment such as this.

Those people who do not have computer access at home were at a disadvantage.

The instructions were not always crystal clear, especially to someone who has a background in learning theory. (c'est moi)

a tout a l'heure,
Jean

Thing 22

For those of us who like to return to literary classics from time to time, I might suggest Project Gutenberg as a source for audio eBooks.
I used the classic, Pere Goriot, by Balzac, as an example. NetLibrary, through the Howard County Library, did not feature this title as one available to be downloaded whereas Project Gutenberg, listing it as Father Goriot, did so.
Since the system has only 7 copies of this title in book form, this site might be useful for book groups wanting to discuss this classic, and needing additional copies.

Thing 21

The task was to explore some podcast directories to see if I could find a podcast with content relating to book reviews or authors.
In using Podcast.net, I entered the sub-divisions "Arts," then "Books&Poetry" to arrive at a site for podcasts from the Yale Press featuring interviews with authors of recently published works at their imprint.
http://feeds.feedburner.com/YalePressPodcast

Thing 20

How about a recommendation for a brief travel video on Paris?
Go to YouTube.com, then input "travel France" in the searchbox.

I liked a video called "24 Hours in Paris, France," at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owsZjb9TnQ8

This is just a brief overview about travel to the "City of Light," but it would be good for those considering a visit to Paris for the first time, or even for those studying the French language, since it shows signs on restaurants and shops to re-enforce beginning language skills.

--worth a look by those of us who tutor students in French or even for the arm-chair traveller?

Additional quotes from the classics

"Perfection of character is this: to live each day as if it were your last, without frenzy, without apathy, without preference."
-Marcus Aurelius


"Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise."
-Proverbs, 19:20

Thing 19

In exploring some sites from the list of Web 2.0 Awards, I saw a few things that might have applications for those of us who plan adult library programs.

In "Upcoming," (www.upcoming.yahoo.com)an events site, there is an "add new event" feature.
Also, in "Eventful," (www.eventful.com), there is a way to add events.

Thing 18

Explored Zoho Writer by creating an account and typing a book review as a sample document.
Noticed the "Templates" feature of Zoho Writer and that there were some templates for tickets for benefit fund-raisers. This might be a useful application for some committee work that I do as a member of service and professional organizations.

Thing 16

Book Lovers Wiki--I highly recommend this component of the Princeton Public Library's site.

http://booklovers.pbwiki.com/Princeton%20Public%20Library

For those of us who lead book discussions within the library and who advise outside book groups, I would suggest a look.
Among the features were: a list of monthly book discussion group, including choices of titles, and an index to reader's reviews posted by customers.

Since I chaired the Adult Summer Reading Game 2007 for Howard County Library, I particularly liked the description of Princeton's adult summer reading promotion in 2007, including a listing of prizes from merchants and the reviews from summer customers posted under the heading of "Library Lounge Blog."

Because all of the above information was so useful to me, I can say that this assignment for Thing 16 has been my favorite so far.

Thing 15

I read some of the perspectives on Library 2.0, finding some points of agreement with the thoughts of Michael Stephens in "Into a new world of librarianship."

He mentions the concepts of "technolust" and "techno-worship" in the context of cautioning against a blanket endorsement of gadgetry for its own sake. May I add my own concept of "knee-jerk" endorsements of technology--i.e embracing the newest model because it must be the best if it is the newest?

Several authors have alluded to the concept of the library world as now being in a state of perpetual beta testing.
This is another sentiment I might echo, with the questions for discussion: 1.) Does the beta test fit the needs of the end-users and 2.) How much testing is enough?

Thing 14

I did look at Technorati and tried doing a keyword search on "Learning 2.0"

There were different results. 25,917 hits came up in the "blog posts" search. I got 679 hits in the "blogs" mode.

Was there anything surprising about this site? Probably, just the very personal nature of some posts to blogs--the bearing of the soul that some people engage in.
But then again, blogs are personal by definition, aren't they?

Thing 12

Explored Rollyo to create a search roll which I called "Travel Guide"
Here's the link:
http://rollyo.com/cergy/travel_guide/

Thing 11

To accomplish this task, I created my own "library" in Library Thing.
View it at http://www.librarything.com/catalog/cergy-pontoise

Thing 10

I tried Generator Blog and found the site http://www.languageisavirus.com/textcollage/linguasso.php

This has some collages created with words in varying shades and sizes of text.
Liked the name "linguasso" as combining the expressions "lingual" and Picasso...

The link above is the text collage for the word "peaceful."

Things 8 and 9

I have created an account in Bloglines. . .will be using my feeds both on the job and for personal interests.

By using Feedster.com, then typing "Francophile" in the search box, I came upon a site of interest to fellow history buffs
http://www.w3r-commons.org/forum/


The site is called the Washington-Rochambeau Daily News, and it deals with the Yorktown Campaign of the American Revolutionary War. There are efforts to make the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route,(W3R) where French and American forces co-operated in defeating Cornwallis, a National Historic Trail, beginning in Newport, RI and ending in Yorktown, VA.

The site also seeks to emphasize 225 years of co-operation between France and this country--a worthy goal in my opinion.

Thing 7

Comments on a third-party site that I discovered while exploring Flickr--
found Tripplanner, a Flickr apps. Some clever users have interwoven photos of trips with insight on hotels, diary entries, venues visited--in short, this site provides an entire electronic album to store memories from recent travel.
This might be a good site to view before planning a trip to similar locations.


Also, the photo is of a fountain in the center of the French city of Dijon, in the Burgundy region.
I studied French at the University of Dijon when I was an undergraduate, and used to pass by that fountain.

"Au revoir"

Thing 6

Discovered some Flickr mashups. Really liked Mappr and Montager.

Thing 5

I explored Flickr and will have some comments to follow in Thing 7.

Thing 4

Registered my blog.

Thing 3

I set up this blog.

Thing 2

I considered the pointers from lifelong learners and decided that beginning with a goal was a worthwhile tip. My goal--to create an interesting blog while learning in the process.

And to include a quote from another classical author, I would submit this thought from Albert Camus, in his work, Actuelles, written in 1960:
"In the midst of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer."

That says a lot about conquering fears, whether they be small or great.

Thing 1--I read about 23 Items and am embarking on this new adventure, seeking knowledge.

Quotations from classical authors

I'm launching this blog with a quote about seeking knowledge, which is what I hope to do in creating it--

"All men by nature desire knowledge." Aristotle (384-322B.C.)