Learning 2.0 feedback

Time to start randomly ranting

I finally got to look at the Learning 2.0 website on Friday last. like many, access is limited to public access computers, my own staff computer is strictly off limits.... so, after checking desk shift roster & tech room bookings, Friday afternoon I made it

The 1st session no dramas. Followed a logical sequence, & once I used a computer with a sound card, all was good.

My second session suffered from really slow page loading times, & the video kept stopping & starting. It is lovely to have all this new technology, but sometimes we forget not all users have the hardware or internet access to handle the bells & whistles well. back when I was doing web maintenance, I used the most commonly used hardware & net connection specs in order to maximise potential users of the site. It seems to be increasingly forgotten in these times of rapidly changing technology ....

I've had a number of discussions with librarians about the use of blogs in a library context. Most claim terrific idea, go for it & are generally positive. However when I actually looked at the sites listed in the Library 2.0 training, I was struck by how few were actually interactive, ie a post with comment. it seems libraries put the blogs up, but our users are not interacting with us much via the blog. in that sense, I wondered why use a blog at all, why not simply use an old fashioned HTML web page with an email us link. the exception was the Alternative Teen Services, which is apparently populated by youth librarians. I found the page somewhat over-designed, which aside from being hard on the eyes - so much to look at & take in - took a while to load. but there are plenty of links & discussion happening