Thing #23 Final thoughts about "Learning 23 things"

My 'Learning 23 things' travels are now over, but I can't wait to discover new Web 2.0 adventures. I had some general knowledge from my professional reading about emerging technologies and social networking tools and I was surprised with how much more challenging the experience of creating and participating in the new web has been.

I enjoyed learning about LibraryThing, using Techorati and wikis, establishing RSS feeds for information and podcasts and of course exploring the YouTube phenomenon.

Also, I just loved using online image generators and 'decorating' my blog with lots of images. This activity in particular has re-ignited a long dormant interest in visual design and I have begun to immerse myself in multi-media content creation and I want to develop this much further.

Thanks to all my colleagues who have shared their ideas and enthusiasm for the 'Learning 23 things' program and to those who have supported and fostered a great learning opportunity which has helped me understand so many new things. Finally, thank you Helene Blowers for your generosity in bringing the program to all of us at ATO Online Learning.

Thing #22 Audiobooks

NetLibrary eAudiobooks is described as the world's premier provider of electronic books, but I was unable to progress as I use an Apple computer which is incompatible with Netlibrary content. I was determined to find some free and accessible audiobooks content so I ran a Google search and found the following free options.


The best of the lot is the Gutenberg Project, which appeals particularly to my librarian sensibilities - bibliographic records and multiple source locations. I selected diverse works such as The Iliad by Homer, The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci and just out of curiosity, the Manners, Custom and Dress During the Middle Ages and During the Renaissance Period by Paul Lacroix.

Free downloadable audiobooks have the capacity to extend the circulation of great works of literature with this low cost electronic option.

Thing #21 Podcasts

I checked out several podcasting directories including Podcast.net, Podcastalley.com as well as Yahoo Podcasts but the one I liked using best is iTunes, particularly as I use an Apple Mac computer which includes this software.

iTunes allows for searching by title, author, description, category or even language. The results set offers some brief description about each podcast, and I elected to subscribe to 'Bookcast' after searching for podcasts covering books.



Interestingly, an earlier podcast episode from the Bookcast was about the 2007 American Library Association (ALA)conference, which attracted over 21,000 librarians to Washington, DC for the annual conference. My previous blog post included a YouTube video from this same conference, and it is a somewhat synchronistic event to find this podcast, particularly as I was using different search terms in each situation.