Week 9, Thing 23 - In Closing

I can't believed I've finished! And just under the wire. I know now that this isn't the end of my discoveries, just the beginning. When my daughter became a Bat Mitzvah, I told her that it was not the culmination of her Jewish education, but the beginning. I feel the same way about this tutorial. My goal is to incorporate many of these tools into my daily life. Now on to your questions -


What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?

As I looked back on what I've learned, it's hard to imagine my life or work before being introduced to these tools. Creating an avatar was fun, but del.icio.us, Flickr, RSS and Zoho have become a part of my daily routine.

How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?

Just by nature of the work that we do, we are lifelong learners. This program gave a direction to my learning. It allowed me to take charge of my learning and at my own pace. There are tools I started using right away, and some I put on hold for another day. On my list are a number of to-do items -
Start another blog using it for booktalks, or maybe use a wiki for my students to add books they have enjoyed
Include podcasts - written and delivered by students
Encourage teachers (and help them) to use wikis for their assignments and to collaborate with each other
Use LibraryThing to keep track of books I've read and books I've added to our collection
Use Flickr & mashups to add interest to my presentations and handouts
Create an interactive website that my students will find user friendly and intuitive

Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

What surprised me most was the ease in which I could explore something and use it immediately. Zoho is definately a "take-a-way" that I didn't expect. I found it amusing that I had been using a number of web 2.0 tools, but didn't know it. Being able to explore these tools more fully gave me a better understanding of their uses and better ways to use them.

What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?

The only thing I would suggest is to encourage participants to explore blogs of those who have completed this tutorial. I found those blogs an invaluable source of information. I enjoyed the comments from the cheer team - especially when I figured out how to respond to their comments.

If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you choose to participate?

Absolutely - and without trepidation! Bring on the web 2.1 tutorial!

How would you describe your learning experience in ONE WORD or in ONE SENTENCE, so we could use your words to promote CSLA learning activities?

Thank you School Library 2.0 Team for the opportunity to participate in this program, to stretch my brain and kick me into the 21st century.