You might think YouTube as on online version of American Funniest Videos, but there are actually a lot of educational videos that can help you as an instructional designer. Type eLearning into the search and you'll get several videos of tips to help you with your trade.

I recently found some YouTube videos posted about customer service and what Americans think of call centers. It was perfect for a training I was working on.

Did you know you could download audiobooks to your iPod and see music, eBooks, and videos from the Boston Public Library on your computer? The site is www.bpl.org. The last time I tried to download audiobooks it didn't work for iPods, but yesterday someone mentioned it to me, so I couldn't wait to try it. It's about time.

You need a Boston Public Library card and you'll need to download the overdrive software for MP3 for the iPod. Obviously you don't get the selection you get at Amazon or Audiobook.com, but this is free. At $25/month for the other way, I'll save $300/year and still be entertained on my daily 2 hour commute. Each book is good for 2 weeks and you avoid the hassle of returning and overdue fees. You can also place the books on hold if they are already taken.

There are tutorials that explain everything. They are not completely clear, but if you wade through the information, you can be up and running before your next commute.

There is a great podcast series on how to podcast by UCLA. I accessed it through iTunesU. There are a series of speakers that cover podcasting for professors, how to create the podcast, tools, and copyright issues. I listened to it in my car and was able to follow along.

I passed this exam earlier this week and if you are studying it for it or just want to learn how to use the program, I highly recommend Kevin Siegel's, Essentials of Adobe Captivate 3. The book is easy-to-follow with great tutorials. Also, if you you use any practice exams you find online, even if you know the answer, it is helpful to look up the question and answer to make sure you really understand why the answer is correct and why the others are not. I use this program all the time at work, but I learned a lot of tips for getting more out of the program and creating better videos.