A Few Notes

These may not be the final notes from the belfry, since I would like to complete Thing 24 when I have a sufficient block of time away from work. For now, my goal is to let the many Things I explored in Learning 2.0 sink in, revisit those I found most useful or fun or applicable to my job, and keep my mind open to new technologies as they appear on the horizon.
Overall I liked the self-paced aspect of the course, which was clearly set forth and divided into manageable bites, and would take part in such a course again if it were offered. I benefited from the support of my supervisor who gave me the time to complete this work in a timely manner and from the understanding of my co-workers, some of whom had already finished when I joined in and others who are still pursuing that goal. Having the right hardware and software to support this program is crucial, too, so thanks also to our tech support staff! One suggestion I would make to each library system conducting the course is to offer a few (non-mandatory) opportunities for group interaction off line during which people could discuss their findings about, say, audiobook searches or online productivity tools and swap tips. Blogging and e-mail are all well and good, but for the non-technical the chance to gather in a room and around a computer to clear up confusion has its points.
It has been said that the past is a foreign country. Even the very recent past becomes foreign when viewed from a technological standpoint, and keeping up to date could easily become a full time occupation. Harder still is to evaluate the many changes when they come so quickly. The fact that we are changing and being changed in significant ways by the technology we design and use was deeply impressed upon me at every stage of this journey. Our responsibility to understand what we are doing, why we're doing it ("because we can" is not sufficient reason), and what effects we may produce upon society at large is inescapable.