Task 16# Stay informed

Aside from subscribing to a few sites I think that is all I have to do here.

Task 15# RSS Feeds

I have played a little with this. It is certainly a time-saver not having to go through google. At the click of a button the sites you are interested in is there. Great for both personal and professional use. I am always looking for ideas and inspiration for library displays so I now have these "on call" on my igoogle homepage.

Task 13# & 14# My Space and Facebook

These 2 social websites are blocked at our school, and going by the length of time my kids would like to spend on them I know why they are blocked (pity I cant block these sites at home- I may get to the computer a bit more often)
I asked my kids what site they prefered and they were 50/50. One prefers facebook as more of his friends are on it, my other son likes my space. Alot of my friends (who are 30+) seem to favour facebook. Will I be creating my own "space" probably not in the immediate future I just get excited to get on the computer to check my e-mails.
I must admit I sometimes wonder if we posted their over-due library books on myspace and facebook we actually may get them back!!!!
I can see why libraries etc use this tool and like everything it has its place when used in the right context.

Task 12# Flickr

I have managed to upload photos and have a play. To me it was alot of mucking about. Like all things I suppose the more you use it the easier it is, however the amount of mucking about it took me I wont be in a rush to use it too often.

These photos were taken in Sydney - what a difference a day makes as we were in the dust storm yet the next day almost perfect.....

Task 11# Library Thing

I have really liked Library Thing. I can see so many wonderful uses for this application, not only to keep a record of my personal reading but a great way to get suggestions for similiar books on the same genre.
It could be used for suggestions for students on what to read, could be great for bookclubs. They could post a list of highly recommended reads for other students to enjoy.

Task 10# Online Image Generators

I really enjoyed playing around with this, much more than the virtual world. I will continue playing with this as the possibilities are endless

Task 9 Virtual Worlds

Yes there are some very clever and creative people out there who can come up with these ideas. These virtual worlds certainly reach a huge audience. I would say that these sites could become very addictive very quickly as you become more and more involved the the "virtual" world with the characters you create. I also think it could be dangerous not just for young people but adults as well who want to "escape" reality and would rather live in the virtual world.

Being a visual person myself I can see its uses educationally, the 3D aspect of the software could make learning more appealing rather than just text or video. Having said that I am not interested and dont have the time to "play" in the virtual world.