I'm hoping to play here this summer. I've been practicing for three years to become good enough to play this course. It's very expensive and very difficult. I don't want to look like an idiot and slow people down. Hopefully, this is the year!

Avatars & Second Life

DoppelMe did not let me create an account, so I quickly moved on to Tektek. It was easy to create an image and lots of items to choose from. My avatar looks a lot like me although I don't play golf in high heels! I couldn't find a hat, but I always wear one, that's why I keep my hair long enough to put in a pony tail. I have to pull it though the back of my hat to keep it on.

Second Life reminds me of an online game my son use to play. It really doesn't appeal to me although I can see why some people would like it. It's a way to express one's creativity and keep one from feeling too lonely. I don't think I would like to live in Second Life, I really don't have time!! Maybe someday when I'm older and lonely.

Maps and Geotagging

Wow, Google Earth is something else. It's just like flying and sometimes quite dizzying!

I found my address and the Lynnwood Library. Too cool.

We're planning a trip to Eastern Oregon to play golf at the Wildhorse Golf Course so I zoomed in on that, but wasn't able to get it to show me the golf course up close. I was also able to see that La Grande isn't too far away and that's where I found a place to stay on vrbo.com.

I could spend hours looking around the world, and plan on coming back when I have more time.

Today, 4/15, Chrissie and I spent an hour researching google earth and google maps again. We both liked google maps a little better because it gives you the street view. I found my old house in Media PA. It still looks the same and brings back great memories. I was unable to find my grandparent's house in Anut, MO. There probably aren't any cameras in such a little town.

Joanne told us about google maps and said that when you're on craigslist looking at rental houses, there is a link to google maps to view the house. That's pretty cool.

I can't wait to show my husband, I think he'll get a real kick out of it.

Online Applications and Tools

I really like Google Docs, it's easy to use and has quite a few templates to work with. I saw some templates that interested me especially for Christmas. Hopefully I'll use them in the future.

I created two of my favorite recipes and sent them to my friends. Chrissie sent me a recipe and some beautiful baby pictures.

I tried the Zoho site, but you have to sign up to use it and I don't like signing up for things on my home computer. It didn't appear to be as user friendly as Google Docs so I don't think I'll use it in the future.

Gaming

I must say I am very unimpressed with on-line gaming. I love crossword puzzles and solve one from the newspaper every morning. It's not the same doing it on-line. There are too many pop-ups and I feel like I'm being inundated with ads. I think I'll keep doing my puzzle every morning with my coffee and newspapaer and of course my Crossword Dictionary! It's much more relaxing than going on-line.

Podcasting

I have had no experience listening to podcasts, so this was new for me. I have never created a podcast, and I doubt I ever will!

I listened to two library podcasts. One was from ASU's Library channel news. It was very boring to me because they just talked about the spring break calendar. Then I tried Book Talks Quick and Simple and really liked it. I listened Nancy King describe two books, Heartbeat for Horses, and Attack of the Turtle. I think podcasts like this would be a great tool for Sno-Isle. My favorite podcast was from the Learn Outloud Directory. I chose Arts and Entertainment and then chose to listen to John Lennon's interview with Rolling Stone Magazine. It was very intersting. I added it to my Google Reader, which wasn't easy. I might go back to the Arts and Entertainment and look for some more podcasts when I have more time.

Playtime with Online Image Generators

Here is my Monopoly card I created. On to the next lesson!