Podcasts

I had a bit of a battle with browsers and plug-ins to start with, but finally managed to listen to some things using Internet Explorer and others using Firefox.

I can see that professional podcasts & vodcasts are really useful for people who miss their favourite radio or TV program, but I'm not conviced about their use in a more "amateur" environment.

I found some pleasant local history things at Sunnyvale Public Library, but gave up on a search for children's stories that I could enjoy listening to. I think listening to someone read a children's fairy story in this format is about on a par with listening to a talking book recorded by a volunteer reader - wonderful if it is absolutely the only thing available, but otherwise pretty terrible - and definitely no substitute for Mum or storytime at the library.

Curtin Uni seemed to be the only Australian library on the Library Success Wiki list and I thought their basic library tutorials were quite good, although I personally prefer my information in print so I can refer to it later if I need to. I suppose it does allow the modern multi-tasking student to listen to the tutorials while jogging or cooking dinner.I'm not sure I can see immediate relevance for a small country library, but who knows what the future may hold?

Adventure task
This week's module had little appeal for me so far, but at last I've find a podcast application I can sound enthusiastic about! The Online Education Database has some great lectures that could be used by students studying externally, or by U3A groups. I listened to a lecture about earthquakes from Berkeley and I watched a video from Harvard demonstrating heart function.
I did a Yahoo podcast search and found a humorous talk on the perils & pitfalls of birdwatching.