Week 9-Thing 23: Summary

1. What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
I really enjoyed exploring Flickr and the mashup sites in week 3, playing around wit my MEEZ in week 5, and checking out YouTube in week 9.

2. How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
Even though I have been playing around with new websites/applications online for years now, participating in "23 Things" still provided me the opportunity to learn something new. I even had a downright difficult time figuring out how to work my bloglines account. So, this program offered me the chance to discover new, interesting things on the internet that I was not aware even existed. It also showed me that I still have things to learn, which I find very exciting!

3. Were there any take-aways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
Yes, I was very suprised that I actually learned something new. I know that may sound outrageous but because I have been online for so long now, I just didn't expect to really learn anything from this. I thought it would be a breeze. But, I was pleasantly surprised. I am glad that I struggled through some of these activites because those difficult ones showed me that even I have things to learn- and I love learning new things! So, I was pleasantly surprised by what I discovered during the course of this program. I also found that I love reading what other participants have to say in their blogs. Overall, I think that this was a really fun and rewarding program and I am glad to have participated.

4. What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
At times I found some of the activities to be confusing or incorrect. The Bloglines activity, specifically, gave me a lot of trouble because the instructions were not completely accurate. So, maybe if there had been a HELP page on the "23 Things" homepage for issues such as that the overall process might have been a little more smooth. Also, in the beginning there was some confusion about whether or not blogs were registered or how to register blogs. Maybe a more clear registering process would be helpful. But overall I was able to get through each of the activities with relative ease, so there weren't any MAJOR problems for me.

5. If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you again chose to participate?
I definitely would participate! I loved having an activity to work on all the time. I don't know what I am going to do now without "23 Things" to work on in my spare time!

6. How would you describe your learning experience in a few words or a few sentences, so we can share our successes and promote this program?
Personally, I really enjoyed this program- I even looked forward to completing the activites (and not just because of the prize at the end). Like I said I didn't necessarily expect to have any trouble or to learn much of anything from this process just because I have been online for so long. But, after starting this process, I quickly realized that I did have to work to figure out some of these activities. It gave me a sense of satisfaction knowing that I had figured out how to complete a new task. I really loved being able to learn new things on the internet. I discovered things in this program- like MEEZ and Flickr- that I had no idea existed. I regularly visit sites like Flickr and my bloglines account to keep me updated. So, I think that this program was a complete sucess for me and I would love to participate again in something similar.

Final Comments
This experience was valuable to me personally because it enabled me to learn new things- even when I was convinced that there wasn't really anything new about the internet that I could learn. It showed me that the internet is constantly growing and that in order to keep up with everything available you need to keep an open mind and be willing to try/learn new things. I think that this is especially important for libraries because Librarians are required to be up-to-date with the most recent technology so that they can more efficiently help library patrons. I think that programs like this can help to show people what is out there and that you can do it!

Week 9-Thing 22: Audio Books

I created an account at NetLibrary and checked out some of their titles as well as Project Gutenberg. I think that when I get home I am going to download Emma by Jane Austen so that I can listen to it on the way down to the beach in a few weeks. I have to read that particular book for a class I am taking in the fall, so I think it would be a wise decision to listen to it beforehand and I think that this is the perfect opportunity!

Week 9-Thing 21: Podcasts

I visited Podcastalley.com and searched for some interesting feeds. I ended up discovering the MuggleCast for Harry Potter fans. I am a HUGE Harry Potter fan and so I subscribed to that particular feed on my bloglines account.

Week 9-Thing 20: YouTube

I am a frequent YouTube user, so I am pretty familiar with the site. I like that you can find pretty much anything on there to entertain you. I really like watching music videos and band interviews. I think that the library could possibly use YouTube for training videos.

Week 8-Thing 19: Web 2.0 Award-winning Sites

I chose to explore craigslist and I really liked what I saw. I had heard about this site but never before had I actually looked into it. I like that, unlike ebay, if you need to sell anything there is absolutely no cost in listing an item. I like that you can search for specific things in your own area so that you know where it's coming from and can even more easily contact sellers. I also like the idea of buying locally, which could also be good for libraries. I just thought that this was a cool website and I can see why it came in first place!

Week 8-Thing 18: Online Productivity Tools

I created an account with both Google Docs and Zoho Writer. I created a few test documents and have to admit that this was one of my least favorite activities. But I still feel like it is worthwhile to try new things. I am just now realizing, however, that these programs could be a Godsend if I ever do not have access to Microsoft Word and need to type a paper for a class. So, even though this wasn't one of the most FUN activities, I can still see myself using these tools.

Week 7-Thing 17: Sandbox Wiki

I visited the sandbox site, added my blog, and created my own page of favorites.