Well, the journey is complete in one sense, but only beginning in another....I had a great time working on Library 2.0 and the 23 Things. I think that the library's support for this program is an indication of support for staff development and education (a very strong aspect of our culture here.) The instruction was not threatening, or too difficult. At times it was challenging and confusing, but I feel like I not only learned alot about things I normally would not investigate on my own, but I got the confidence to TRY new things, and confidence that I can actually figure out "technology".
I really enjoyed creating a blog, and adding all the "bells and whistles". When I looked at blogs before this training, I always was amazed that people had certain skills and could do those things. These skills are now slightly demystified! I can now do some of those things, too! I had lots of fun with the Flickr mashups. I already knew something about podcasts, YouTube, Downloadable audio, and Wikis, but the exercises added to my knowledge, and gave me a chance to think about them in the context of libraries. The Bloglines exercise was new, and I have to admit that having all the information available in one place is really cool. However, I have to incorporate actually going to Bloglines and checking my RSS feeds. To me, this is just one more thing to do-one more information source for a person who sometimes feels like she is in "information overload".
What really got me thinking was the exercise #15-to read perspectives in Web 2.0, Library 2.0 and the future. These articles were excititng, thought-provoking, and a bit daunting. It is very valuable that we know about Web 2.0 and the possibilities. We need to keep up on technology, and make use of it. There are lots of creative and innovative opportunites. However, what about our patrons who are still at "Web 1.0 and Library 1.0"? I think that in the midst of all this new, cool technology, we can't lose sight of those who are not "here" yet. There are still lots of people who do not own computers...this does not mean that we should not embrace Library 2.0, but just remember that not everyone is ready.
What will I do now? I want to think about how I can use these new skills in my job. What do I need to learn more about? How can I make work easier and more fun?
And yes, I would participate in another discovery program. I really liked the self-direction of this program.
2 comments:
I wonder ... maybe we should be doing more "independent learning" kinds of exercises with a "bonus" at the end? I'm wondering how many were really motivated by the MP3? Thanks for taking the time to write so much and to share your thoughts. I think your blog is excellent and a good example of how it could go... if folks wanted it to. You know, I told you I'm reading "Good to Great" and how much I'm enjoying it. One of the concepts is really mind-boggling: you won't need to "motivate" people if you have the right people in the first place. Hmmm.
The MP3 player was not really a motivation (although I will enjoy getting one!) The motivation was the learning, and the fact that the process was so well organized and constructed. Part of the difficulty with learning all these new things is HOW to go about it. These self-directed lessons made it easy-it took alot of the angst out of figuring out what one had/should/could/ought to learn.
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