Week 9, Thing 23 - Is this the end?

23 Things has certainly opened new doors for me in terms of computer use. I basically used my computer to check e-mail, shop on line, google, just for ordinary things. After experiencing and learning with 23 things, I feel I will be using it for many more things. I also believe that we are all "new learners" when it comes to this new age of technology. Although there are some things that I probably will not use often (if at all), but just knowing what exist out there and seeing how we as humans are finding new ways of communicating with each other is fascinating and exciting.

My only concern is how do we make this new technology accessible to everyone. The library can only have so many computers available for the public's use. I was able to finish 23 things because I have a PC at home. There is a vast number of Americans who live at or below the poverty level who do not have access to a computer. Some schools in this country aren't equipped with a computer lab or the equipment is very outdated. If we want people to communicate and share ideas with one another, we have to find a way for everyone to have the opportunity to do so.

Twenty-three things is certainly a learning tool and it has the capability of being an educational tool as well. My only hope is that one day soon there will be more of us becoming "new learners" who probably would never have had the opportunity to do so before. Just imagine what an impact that would have on their view of the world.

Week 9, Thing 22 - Could this be the one?

I think I have found the "thing" I have been looking for. Setting up my eAudio account through Howard County Library and the Maryland Digital eLibrary Consortium is probably my favorite "thing" of all. Netlibrary's tutorial was user-friendly and easier to understand for me than Overdrive and Guttenberg. Other participants may not have had any problems using the latter two, but Netlibrary was the best for me. I thought it had the best features once you established your account and searched for items. It was simple to understand; they made it seem easy enough and HClibrary's "electronic resources" was another simple and easy tool to use.

Setting up my account was a "breeze" and although I could not find one particular book I am looking for (I will have to check the title and I did not have the author's name), I was able to put a hold on a book I've been meaning to read. Having this service through the library is going to solve a lot of my problems when it comes to having time to sit and read. Its not always easy for me to carve out two or three hours a day to reading a book. This way I can multi-task while listening to a book (Yes!). Can you tell that I'm a bit excited about this very useful feature.

Looking forward to listening to many great books! Cannot thank HC Library enough for providing this sevice to the public.