Thing 23 Reflection

My favourite exercises were the video by that anthro professor on Web 2.0, that was pretty cool. I enjoyed making an "avatar" of myself, but that's just because I'm vain.

I think a lot of people participating in MD 23 things see this program as helping adults improve their e-literacy, but I have to say, as someone who considers myself pretty e-literate (hey, I know it sounds like a pun but honest it's not, it's phonetic irony) this program opened my eyes to technology that I didn't know existed. I've used the internet since it became publically avaliable in the 90s, and this program showed me a lot of stuff I didn't know existed. The thing about web 2.0 is that people are inventing and spreading new technologies at so high a rate, it's unlikely that anyone who has to work a regular job will have time to find out about everything that's out there. That's why I loved the Web 2.0 awards--it surveys the content for me so I don't have to, and picks out the best in each category. Very appreciated.

I wouldn't improve or change significantly anything about the program. I think that for a large staff like BCPL, it's unrealistic to expect the administrators of the program to have a larger workload or have any more oversight, just so all of us out here in the boonies can understand new words in the dictionary like "podcast". The blogs we're keeping I think are a good way for the folks in AO to monitor our reaction and progress in the program.

I would certainly participate in another discovery program if it was offered in the future. Some suggestions for future web-based learning programs:

Exercise for the Seated Laborer: Pump up your Glutes without actually moving them

Latin for Librarians: Applied Cognates and the Dewey Decimal System
How to talk to Crazy People: An e-course on Self Defense
Pregnancy in the Workplace: We don't want you to actually *use* your maternity leave.
Library Service for the Elderly: Pre-emptive Curtness as a Reference Tool
Young Adult Reader's Advisory: Or "Read this, you little s***"

Oh, and I'm just kidding, for those of you who read my blog and don't understand that about half of what I say is spoken in jest.

Thanks for setting up this program, Jim and Ellen. You're great.