The End! (or the Beginning...#23)

I have reached the end and I am very glad I participated in the Queens Library Learning Program. Because I took part, I feel more in tune with current web technology and no longer experience the panic/fear sensations that would wash over me when reading about new things going down on the web. The program forced me to learn (in a fun and low stress way of course!) what I otherwise probably would have gone on ignoring yet feeling guilt about for the foreseeable future. I especially enjoyed the web applications exercise, playing with web 2.0 tools, adding entries to wikis, library thing, and bloglines. the format was just right - not too fast or too demanding. I wasn't expecting to feel as relieved as I do, now that I've completed the program. Not because it is finished, but because I feel I actually understand what's going on in the world around me and I had been getting out of touch. That would address one of my lifelong learning goals of staying on top of trends in every day technology. I know I'll never be a cutting edge player, but I would hate to feel as confused as my grandmother was by her VCR. So, thanks Queens Library, and the moderator of this program! If another program like this were offered, I would participate, and in fact, I think this should be revisited every 2 years or so, to keep up with the newest 2.0 (or maybe 3.0) tools.

Ebooks (#22)

My feeling while browsing our ebook offerings was that we are not quite yet in the age of the digital book. Most of the available books seemed to be romances, manga, and how to books and not many of the types of novels I read. I don't have a PDA and would not want to read an entire book on my computer. None of the books I was interested in were viewable without downloading software. I did find two books I would be willing to download if I had a player: The Bartender's Bible and 365 One Pot Recipes. I would definitely read a recipe on my computer and often use websites for cooking. But, I knew I wasn't ready to use it enough that downloading the necessary software would be worthwhile. Ebooks seemed complicated to use, although maybe I didn't explore it fully. The books I looked at said something about having to be returned which I didn't really get. I am sure someday we will all be happy reading (and ruining our eyesight) with our PDAs or kindles or whatever we'll be calling them, but for now the benefits don't outweigh the negatives.