Following a rather startling moment when I realised that headphones did not work on my desk computer (!), I began investigating the wonderful world of podcasting. The BBC site was very user-friendly and I listened to some of the Radio 3 CD Review programme (audio only) and subscribed to it as a feed via Google Reader (achieved by the mere press of a button from the BBC website).
I then looked at some of the University of Oxford podcasts including part of a video from our very own Robin Kelley's Harmsworth Lecture at the RAI. I was amazed at the breadth of topics covered in the OxUni podcasts and think that the lectures in particular, as they are available in this form on the web, open up a whole new audience for the expertise and talent of our lovely academics :) I wonder, in fact, whether a study has been conducted on what effect the advent of academic podcasting has had on admissions and issues of access - mmmm, something to ponder....
Thing 12 saw me explore YouTube - I was already very familiar with this site, but mainly for the purpose of listening to music. I searched for 'libraries' and found the following video (am also fairly sure a friend of mine who was working on a Librarianship Masters had used this on his blog too!):
I think it is a very stimulating short piece which has already provoked some heated debate on the site - it brings up a number of issues such as digitalization, the digital divide and legal issues of intellectual property. I also went on to YouTubeU and Oxford University's channel within that and noticed that quite a lot of 'admissions-related' videos are up on there. There seems to be a great attempt to debunk myths left, right and centre and this honesty and openness echoed in the increased use of Web 2.0 technologies for this purpose is a definite development. It would have certainly opened my eyes way back in 1999 when the Oxford myth was still very much a mystery!!
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