So much to learn, so little time ...

 ... so it's fantastic that someone, somewhere came up with the idea of Real Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds. The only problem now is remembering to check the gmail account daily, or else it defeats the whole purpose!

I had a lot of fun with this. Once again I was spoilt by choice so after much agonising I decided on:

Jamie's Daily Recipe - to satisfy my inner foodie

http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/32402/f/467087/index.rss

Julie's Blog (the G Challenge Blog from g magazine) - to satisfy my inner greenie

http://www.gmagazine.com.au/rss/blog

Simply Nerdy Book Reviews (a funky little blog reviewing books for young adults) - to satisfy my inner geek

http://feeds.feedburner.com/simplynerdybookreviews

Libraries Interact - for professional development

http://feeds.feedburner.com/lint

And Learning 2.0 Basics, of course!

For me, the real benefits in RSS lies in the professional development opportunities. All the information I need will be delivered directly to me, as long as I know where to find it in the first place ...

... and remember to read it regularly!

Fun with flickr

I must confess, I am quite enamoured with flickr. I like to think it's because I have an appreciation of fine photography ... but that might be stretching the truth a little. flickr is my new favourite toy! Fortunately, I have a short attention span so the love affair will be short lived ...

flickr is a great time waster! My first search was for images related to learning. 1 653 573 images later, I decided none of them was really appropriate, so I searched for books ... Again, nothing took my fancy. So I tried library, mandurah, perth zoo ... I even searched for scrabble - while playing scrabble! FYI - there are 64 152 images relating to scrabble ...

I fear I am becoming quite addicted, so I think cold turkey must be the way to end the relationship. Perhaps I should try turkey ... 2 260 208 images!

And then, when I was starting to believe the search for the perfect image was futile ... I found it! To me, it epitomises inquisitiveness which is the foundation of all learning.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dougcowley/2194216387/

Presentations, Graduations and Reflections

It's that time of year when those of us with school aged children seem to spend an inordinate amount of time trotting off to school functions. Graduation ceremonies, award presentations, morning teas ... it all becomes a blur after a while!

Having attended my fair share - this year and in the past - the mind tends to wander during some of the formalities, and I find myself reflecting on the the education system ... amongst other things ...

What stands out is the children who are successful learners love reading, are inquisitive about the world and have an extensive vocabulary.

And that's where we come in!

Through our children's programs - Rhymetime, Storytime, school holiday activities - and our collections we fuel the imaginations of many. We develop fine motor skills, gross motor skills, sound and letter recognition, social skills and expand concentration spans.

And all through a simple visit to the local library.

Learning at the Library

When most people think about learning at the library they think about the guest speakers, workshops and classes we offer. If only they knew ...

We all learn something new everyday, whether we wanted to or not. Sometimes this learning is intentional - structured, formal training. Other times the learning is incidental - a hint passed on by a colleague, a lightbulb moment when it finally clicks that we need to tick THAT box before the program will work ...

And then there are the times when we learn things we may never, ever need to refer to again. Like during Storytime when the little cherub in the front row tells you how many bathrooms they have in their house, what kind of bath tubs they are and exactly why he is not allowed to use the spa bath! (Note to self:: never read Giraffe in the Bath for Storytime again!)