Thing 25: Newsletters in a Pop!

To create great looking newsletters you no longer need a graphic artist's degree (or even access to MS Publisher templates). Thanks to LetterPop.com, newsletters are now a breeze pop!

LetterPop is a nifty free online website that lets you create great looking newsletters and announcements with a few clicks and drags of your mouse. The site itself is built upon an ajax platform -- I know, this is more info then you needed. But hey, it good to drop a new term into the mix every once in awhile -- that lets you freely drop and drag elements on the screen wherever you want and with over 90 templates (be sure to check out the multiple page layouts available with each template) there’s so much you can do.

Discovery Exercise:

1. Play around with LetterPop.com and mock up a newsletter or announcement of your own.
   
2. Post a link to it from your blog and share your creation and discoveries with others.

PS: Here’s a LetterPop creation that was actually created by a group of participants who recently attended a mouse skills workshop at our library.

What a neat way to say thanks and a useful tool to share with patrons. Try it yourself and see if you don't agree that creating great looking newsletters with this tool is a ... POP!

Thing 24: Got file conversion issues?

It happens in every library... a user approaches the service desk with a problem -- the PC won't read their file.

File conversion issues have always been around. But until lately, the only solutions available were the those that were locally installed on PCs. But enter Zamzar.com (my new best friend). This website offers on-the-fly conversion of text, image, audio and video file formats without ever installing a download. The best thing about the site is that you don't even need a login to convert. Simply browse for your file, select the new format type and it does the magic and even emails the results to you. A big bonus is the pdf converter- which is one I know I'll use a lot. PDF stands for "portable document format" and is a file type that maintains a document's original look format outside of the program it was created in.

Discovery Exercise:

• Take any document you've created in a word-processing program (Word, Open Office, WordPad) and try steps 1 through 4 at Zamzar.com to convert the file to pdf.
  
• You'll need to check your email once it's done for the final product.
  
• Create a post about how this service might be of use to yourself or your library.

Note: Personally I love the option that allows me to convert YouTube videos to mpg. This is especially helpful for including video in PowerPoint presentations when you don't have access to the Internet. Thank you Zamzar

The adventure continues ...

In the past few months it seems that a week hasn't gone by when someone hasn't asked me what they could do to continue their explorations and discoveries after Learning 2.0. Well, if you're one of those people then you've found the answer here ... Learning 2.1 :)

Learning 2.1 is a continuation of the original online discovery program and combines 21st century skills with lifelong learning. Like the original program, participants are encouraged to follow along with their own blogs. But there are three major changes:

• The program is continuous. There is not a finite new list of 23 Things. The program simply encourages participants to play with two or three new things a month. Feel free to explore what you want. The program not only emphasizes discovery and play; it also has a Ning Learning network that you can use to connect with other learners.
  
  
• Anyone can become a contributor to Learning 2.1. All you need to do to become a guest blogger is submit a sample post and agree to post at least 3 new discoveries within a month. Interested? Contact us.
  
  
• Sorry, there are no prize incentives. But you, of course, could change this if and when you win the lottery. :) But as many of you said in Learning 2.0, there is still a great reward in learning itself.

So why not renew or start a new blog and follow along? Learning is a journey that is best done with friends. So let's do it together as we Explore ... Discover ... and PLAY!

PS: Looking for a discovery exercise to start you off on this new journey?

Why not start by creating a profile for yourself in the Explore ...Discover .. Play Ning. Of if you prefer to participate a little bit more anonymously, add your blog to the Learning 2.1 wiki.

Learning 2.1: A Master List of Things

Here is a master list* of discovery explorations for Learning 2.1:

• 60. Facebook
• 59. Authors on the Web
• 58. Being Green: Earth Day
• 57. Tastespotting
• 56. Smilebox (an application with possibilities)
• 55. Slideshare: Presentations online
• 54. Bookjetty
• 53. LitLovers
• 52. Clipmarks
• 51. Libraries and the social web: Discussion
• 50. I'm Cooked
• 49. Soundsnap and Musigy
• 48. Free and legal music for download?
• 47. For the Musically Inclined: JamStudio
• 46. Updates
• 45. Go With the Flow: Flowcharts & Mindmaps
• 44. Nag Yourself/Jott.com
• 43. Midi files
• 42. Google Groups/Usenet
• 41. Live Mocha
• 40. Retroland
• 39. Animoto
• 38. Comic Relief (Shelf Check)
• 37: Music to your ears ( Pandora & LastFM)
• 36: Dressing up your photos
• 35: Mini or micro blogging (Twitter, Jiaku & others)
• 34: USing the web for better health (FitDay & Nutridiary)
• 33: Express yourself through online art
• 32: Online file storage with OmniDrive
• 31: Get organized with Plaxo
• 30: I'm in UR Libary, Readin UR b00ks (LOLCats)
• 29: Scrapblog: I'm in love
• 28: Well we're big rock singers ... (magazine cover fun)
• 27: Photobucket
• 26: Little bits of the Internet, on your desktop (Yourminis)
• 25: Newsletters in a pop! (Letterpop)
• 24: Got file conversion issues? (Zamzar)

If you're interested in where the first 23 things are, check out Learning 2.0. The Learning 2.1 program is a continuation of this program which is open for anyone to follow and/or help lead the way by being a Discovery Guide.

* The master list is updated semi-monthly. For the newest discovery suggestions be sure to check the most recent entries.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How do I let you know that I'm participating?

Since this program is totally voluntary, it's your choice whether to let people know you are participating. But to assist those who are interested in connecting with others in the program, here are two avenues that we have set up:

• Learning 2.1 Ning Network - Ning is a web 2.0 tool that allows users to build their own social networks. To help participants connect, we've created a Learning 2.1 Ning network.
  
  
• Add your blog to the Learning 2.1 Wiki - This space has been set up to allow you to locate other participants in the program as well as create & collaborate on any type of Learning that you want. If you're not interested in creating a profile on the Ning network, this is another option for you.

Additionally, if you are a PLCMC staff member and would like to get learning credits for your participation, you can register your progress in the L2.1 Tracking Log on the staff intranet. Learning Credits help demonstrate employee initiative and may be valuable during your annual review process. These learning credits may have other uses as well, but unless you track your progress, you'll never know.

Is there a tracking log for Learning 2.1 program, like the orginal?

Yes, but for PLCMC staff members only. If you are not a PLCMC staff member, your entries on your blog can serve as your tracking log.

If you are a PLCMC staff member and would like to get learning credits for your participation, you can register your progress in the L2.1 Tracking Log on the staff intranet. Learning Credits help demonstrate employee initiative and may be valuable during your annual review process. These learning credits may have other uses as well, but unless you track your progress, you'll never know.

Is there a master list of the "things" that will be covered in the Learning 2.1 program?

No. Learning 2.1 is designed to be an ongoing discovery and exploration program that introduces participants to three or four new things to explore each month. Since new tools and technologies are being introduced constantly, we wanted to use this program to continually guide participants to new "things" they can play with as they expand their knowledge toolbox.

Is there a common "tag" or keyword for the program that participants can use in other web 2.0 tools (Flickr, Technorati, etc) to tag items related to Learning 2.1?

Yes, the tag is "Learning21" Use this keyword in Flickr and other networking tools to connect with other like items from other Learning 2.1 participants. Find out more information on Tagging.

How I can recieve updates on new discovery recommendations when they are added?

Simple. There are two ways:

• Subscribe to the RSS feed and recieve updates from your favorite newreaders. Don't know about RSS & news readers, find out more.
  
• Subscribe via email and have new discovery items and posts delivered to your inbox.