Wednesday, November 30, 2011

CPD23 - I do believe I'm finished

A fair shock as it is I've done a last Thing-related post, filled in the evaluation, registered for a Certificate (despite the fact I utterly don't believe in the value of such things, may well do a post on that anon in itself, but I can accompany it with more useful things related to), and even looked at the presentation on the Programme.

Ergo - train arriving into Glasgow, and I'm finished - and time to go find that lunch!

PHEW

Late December Addendum

My CPD23 Completion Certificate has arrived! Hurrah!

CPD23 Thing 18 Part 2 - The finish line was not recorded in a photo finish

Well to an extent I'm admitting defeat. It is late afternoon of the Last Day of the Extended Deadline and the Virgin train I'm on from London town to Glasgow is frankly not playing fair. And I want to finish today.

By  Preston I'd achieved a seat with a plug and a working internet connection (hurrah she notes weakly).

Having half a Thing left to do (screencasting part of Thing 18) I therefore had renewed hopes of the journey. I reminded myself of the text of what we were supposed to be doing, had a look at some other CPD23 blogs on it, decided against Jing (something I can't use in work has very few uses) and for Screencast-o-matic (winning by a fair country mile out of the blogs I looked at and doesn't even need to be downloaded) and went for a play about with it (intended).

However the internet connection is a bit slow and dodgy to say the least and just does not want to play nice with Screencast-o-matic despite a few attempts at getting to the point I can try to record something.

So in the light of this and my very very weary body from a more than normally mad November schedule and week I'm calling a halt on today's attempt.  I shall go have a proper look at leisure from a fixed point internet connection and perhaps up-date this entry or post a new one in result, but it won't be tonight when I intend to find lunch (as it's gone 5pm) and then sleep.

So on a slightly fatalistic note I declare CPD23 finished. Phew.

Monday, November 28, 2011

CPD23 Thing 18 Part 1 or How I Failed to Emulate Tom Roper (grins)

Life (There's a Lot Of It)
It is an even more horrendously busy life than normal as you can see from the complete emptiness of this blog regards that month called November.  So there was the usual flurry of catching up on lots of CPD23 Things trying to get finished right at the end of October at the proper time, and then November hit… 
So before I am cast off from the extended finishing line entirely there will be very hurried Thing 18 posts not really as I intended (I’m a Virgo, it’s an issue). This was always going to be a blog  / activity in the tiny gaps between my schedule, and this it has been indeed…
Thing 18 has been the one Thing outstanding all month. Basically because the technology-based ones are usually a problem doing in work (I can’t mostly because of our IT set-up) and I’m just never home or charging around doing something else.
Podcasts in a Minor Key
I like podcasts, but I rarely have ever found the time to seek them out and listen to them. So as a life-long Doctor Who fan they’ve basically been the very odd snatched listen to a Big Finish one(who do superb audio’s) over theirwebsite.   Various other podcasts I’ve become aware of I was interested in, bookmarked, never got  to (usually from something Tom Roper tweeted – cheers – as I’m a Classics person too).
Podcasts and CPD23
There was an intention (no laughing at the back) to be organised. I looked through various other posts on the subject from CPD23ers who got to it earlier me. I came back to Tom Roper who had the inspired notion to post a podcast of his musings on podcasts for the Thing and really enjoyed listening to his.  It seemed the way to go… 
There was busy downloading of iTunes and Audacity, a bit of a play about with, an intention to finally come to grips with my MP3 player, and a first trial podcast attempt was made… and that’s as far as it got this week and I know I’ve no chance whatsoever of getting further by Wednesday and getting it audible enough to actually post anywhere as I’m away most of the week while sky-deep in meetings that have to take priority.  Which is why this is back to being a written blog post on it after all.
I also admit to having no obvious notion of how I could use self-created ones usefully in a work context, though other contexts have occurred and might be pursued…
Podcast investigation more generally
I’ve also had a play about with various podcasts series dipping in and out of ones that have been on the ‘meaning to get around to looking at’ list and having a search around for others. So been having a look at Classics, Egyptology, Doctor Who, Law Librarianship.  From which I conclude that I prefer shorter very focused podcasts which have limited numbers of participants. They’re just easier to fit in time-wise and simpler to follow the thread of. Geography and date is also important and knowing who’s involved, because it affects relevancy for some things, though by no means all. Also I like ones where it’s obvious what the duration is before you start. 
Enclose links to a few I’ve been listening to this week
Marathon 2500 Herodotus lecture (Classics, international lectures on Battle of Marathon)
Big Finish podcasts (Doctor Who audio dramas and various other series)

Thinking it through…
I like podcasts, I do really (she says ending this post as she started it!). As a listener it means I can in theory listen any time I have access, I don’t have to travel, it’s generally not going to cost me anything, they’re global. So it’s a lovely format if there are things available I want to listen to and I have the time to hunt them out and listen (yep, I’m seeing the usual two re-occuring problems there already).
Something quiltinlibrarylady said about Thing 18 comes to mind…
"It's too bad that CPD23 can give us all this wonderful inspiration but can't give us more hours in the day to make use of it all."
On the other hand, to be realistic, I can always come back to this, my schedule and its issues is down to me and not to anyone else (see Thing 21), and I’ve certainly explored a lot further than I had before. Which is progress.
Half a Thing to go!