THING 23!!!

What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?

I am so excited to report that I have a few favorite discoveries for my professional live as well as my personal life thanks to 23 Things! Professionally, I am so excited to implement podcasts using Photostory and Audacity for book reviews. The idea of using Teacher Tube for library orientations is one that I will certainly use in the near future. Rollyo will be a great resource to implement with our curriculum bundles as will RSS feeds which is a completely new concept to me.

Personally, I really am enjoying I'm Cooked as it speaks to me on a personal level with my passion for cooking. Because of the 23 Things, I now have a better understanding of blogging etiquette since the action of my making comments to blogs play a large part of the blogging process. Lastly, iGoogle is one of my favorite applications!

How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?

23 Things has helped renew my sense of personal responsibility to take control of my own learning. I am very proud of the fact that I was familiar with several of the items discussed, yet I also realize that I now have a more thorough understanding of the applications and their intended audience/purpose. With that being said, I now recognize the fact that I need to seek out more learning opportunities on a regular basis.

Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

I appreciate the ability to see how others are implementing technology in the library. Since I am just now finishing the program, I think it will take some time to reflect on what I have learned as far as how I plan to incorporate applications into my library program. The most important thing will be to implement a few things that I can do well rather than a lot of things I can can do not so well.

What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?

I found both the format and concept very well thought out and relative to my needs as an elementary school librarian. It is my hope that the 23 Things blog will be accessible after the deadline so that I can review and revisit the articles and links in the future. I can't tell you how nice it is to have all these great resources on one place!!!

If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you choose to participate?

Absolutely! I heard about the 23 Thing program from a friend of mine who is also an elementary school librarian. Being able to continue this type of professional development in an online format is paramount to those of us who have time constraints. I appreciate the ability to pace my own learning in a structured environment!

How would you describe your learning experience in ONE WORD or in ONE SENTENCE, so we could use your words to promote 23 Things learning activities?

23 Things allowed me the opportunity and platform to take charge of my own professional development!!!

I want to extend a special thank you to the Kickball Captains and Spring Branch ISD for this exciting learning forum. Until next time as I am off to comment on some of the other 23 Things players' blogs...