Thing # 23 Summarize Your Thoughts

Wow! I did it! I completed the program! Some of the parts were more complete than others, but I think that is Okay. This program has assisted my lifelong learning in that it has given me confidence in myself - enough to be able to evaluate what is most important and relevant for me in a learning experience.

My favorite Things were blogs and Wikis, again, because I see them as most key to my own job in the very near future. Also high on my list were the 2.0 award winning sites - I feel more comfortable in myself because I understand more what people are on about, even if I don't want to join in everything. My most fun thing was discovering Pandora.

My next lifelong learning goals include taking further what I have learned in this training. I discovered a few gaps in my knowledge of basic computing skills that I can close in short order. More importantly, and long-term, I am planning two Web 2.0 projects.

I am going to use what I have learned about tagging and blogging to make BlogaBook more visible and searchable by the outside world. I am going to use more links, feeds, and visuals to make the blog more attractive and interactive.

I am going to use what I have learned about Wikis to create collaboratively at least one training aid or reader's advisory pathfinder.

I would do another similar training program again any time. One comment would be that it took longer than advertized - everyone said they needed to spend more time than they had bargained on each Thing. Another comment - the Participants' blog was confusing at first and the method for signing up. I worked it out; but, I didn't have a very good feeling about the start, and others I spoke to felt the same.

One unexpected outcome is that I realized I am not so technically unsavvy as I thought. Outside of work I spoke to my children who are in the late 20s and to friends who are in their teens and who all have IPods, Blackberries, DVRs, etc. and who had no clue about half the things I have been learning about. It seems to me people in general now feel free to pick and choose from consumer technology to suit their own needs. I got several converts to Pandora!