Lesson 23: Reflections on the Learning Journey:

It's hard to believe this is my final entry. Last August, Blogging was a totally new experience for me & now, only 4 months later, it has become a way of life. I honestly didn't understand why people got so excited about their blogs; now I totally understand 'cause all of a sudden I noticed that I was thinking about my Blog, what to put in it, how to organize it, make it more interesting, attractive, & so forth. If I didn't get anything more out of 23 Lessons than this it wouldv'e been worth it. But, of course, I got a whole lot more, not just in terms of what I've discovered & learned, but in the experience of "learning how to learn". Before I go any further, however, I first want to thank all of the people who made this adventure possible. First, the people (you know who you are!) who picked up on this idea, presented it to CML as a worthwhile project, set it up, & kept it going -- thank you! -- the Blog format, hyperlinks, YouTube presentations, all of it. & thanks also to the Friends of the Library for donating these generous "carrots" to keep us in the race (though, honestly, I really am in this to learn, but a juicy carrot helps, & I actually do need a monster FlashDrive -- after taking this course, I'm going to need one more than ever, looks like I'm counting on this!).

Second, I want to thank my Supervisor Brian who, w/ the backing of the management team here @ the Whetstone as well as the backing of H.R., made extra hours available to me so that I could pursue & finish this course. As a Sunday-only staff member I usually only have extra hours when I'm needed for back-up (which has, actually, been partially the case here w/ lots of staff changes, etc.), so I really appreciate having time scheduled for Learn & Play. Even though I've been able to do a lot on a friend's computer (actually, I'm there right now -- Thanks, Beth!) &, also, by coming in before my shift, I still needed that time when I could work on a staff computer & communicate w/ staff members, both to receive tips & to pass on what I've been learning (e.g., was able to tell an Info. Staff person about the Resume [can't figure out how to do the accents on the e's -- pretend they're there] Templates in G-docs -- so it's about more than just Learn & Play).

Third, & finally, I want to thank all those staff members who have assisted me in a variety of ways, from giving me specific advice & instructions (Desi, Erin, Sarah, Julie, & others) to encouraging me & bearing w/ me as I muddled through this (Tracy, Susan "Old Dog", & the list goes on).

And now to share some of my reflections regarding the course itself:
1. My favorite discoveries included, as I already noted, blogging, itself, also resources such as Flickr, Bloglines, Del.icio.us, & G-Docs. One of the coolest things about these services, including G-Mail & YahooMail, is the introduction of the organizational tool called Tagging. When I first encountered Tagging in Flickr I was so caught up in just learning how to sign up for the account, download files, & edit images that I didn't quite grasp the concept of tagging. But by the time I'd gotten to Del.icio.us I had begun to understand how it works, use it more effectively, & increasingly comprehend what a stunningly powerful organizational tool it is.

2. This program has affected me in a variety of ways, not only by introducing me to online resources & then getting me involved in using them, but also by helping me grasp this profoundly new way of doing things. I had already read Nicholas Carr's The Big Switch (see comments in Lesson #17); now I can increasingly comprehend this change, this paradigm shift, & participate in it. I have also gained confidence in learning & using these tools, & anticipate integrating them more & more into the way I do things, accomplish various tasks, communicate w/ others, & help others to use these tools. (P.S., Again, credit & thanks to Erin Reidy for helping me do the above link to Lesson #17.)

3. There have been several unexpected outcomes. In addition to discovering "The Joy of Blogging," I have realized what the authors of books on writing have been saying all along: if you just write a little bit every day it turns into a big bit, maybe even into an article or book. I recently pasted my Blog into a WORD document & discovered that from that first little one sentence entry I now have, including illustrations, an 18 page document (& it's going to be even longer after this entry!). I didn't expect to actually have something to show for it. Another plus is this: my Blog, along w/ being a record & a sort of progress report for myself & others, contains Hyperlinks & references so that I can go back to it as a refresher course. I was also pleasantly surprised to see my learning curve going up as these experiences & discoveries connected w/ one another & built upon one another; I found myself, as I mentioned before, gaining confidence, I even learned a little bit of HTML. The whole learning experience connected me to more than computer technology, it connected me to people both on & off-line, staff members, friends, acquaintances -- learning together, sharing experiences & information, enriching & expanding our conversations, talking about the new things we are learning.

4. As to how this program could be improved, you've already improved it by slowing down the pace, basically by taking staff feed-back seriously & responding to it positively, giving us time to learn the material, catch up when necessary, & go more in-depth so that it wasn't just a matter of visiting a site, getting an account, & moving on, but of having time to explore, use the resources, make connections -- in other words, the learning experience became not just more doable but also more meaningful. Maybe a future course might be planned w/ this in mind; or maybe even bring in a few "guinea pigs" to test it out: what trips them up? what slows them down? helps them learn the material more effectively? No doubt this course we've just taken has already given a lot of that sort of information. Other possibilities might include scheduling some staff members either @ the branches or roving to the branches to do some on-site coaching, maybe every 2-3 weeks -- just a thought.

5. Last but not least -- Yes, I would love to participate in another discovery program such as this. Even w/ the frustrations experienced along the way, this has been an incredibly valuable & positive experience. I do not intend to stop here, but intend to continue to explore & develop my use of these resources, some, of course, more than others. I definitely will move forward w/ this & build on it. It's fun to learn & I welcome the possibility of learning more.

Cheers! Carol
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Here are my 2 comments entered into Lesson 23: Is this the End ...sob...or just the Beginning?

on November 5, 2008 at 4:04 pm
2 Carol
Greetings, I’ve got 2 questions/comments:1. Is the Learn & Play @ CML site going to remain available online? I hope so, ’cause it’s a terrific resource & can serve as refresher course & in-depth study material for the future.2. I’ve been double-checking my Tracking Log entries by selecting them & noting whether or not they hyperlink to the correct entry on my Blog. So far, so good. Now, is that an accurate way to double-check our Tracking Log entries? If so, you might want to share this w/ others. And will you be letting us know if we’re “doing it right” so that we can correct entries in time (yes, I do want that Flash Drive — but that’s not my sole motive in doing this; I genuinely want to learn this stuff — & it’s nice to get credit for it.)
Cheers! Carol