Well this is it. My final blog for this course. I have truly enjoyed learning about the variety of information out there on the web. So many people are doing such exciting things. It is true that a number of copyright issues are being raised and appreciated the tutorial. I will be interested to watch the way in which the creative commons evolves. I know my husband, who works in a university library, is very interested in the creative commons and relates that it is a topic of great interest among academics.
Rather than filling out the survey, which I believe will go back to CSLA, I thought I would answer the questions here.
1. What were your favorite discoveries or exercises?
I really enjoyed exploring a number of sites and plan to revisit several of them when I have more time. Among the one's that I found most intriguing were RSS feeds, Rollyo,
Del.icio.us and LibraryThing. In particular, I am planning to catalog my personal library collection using LibraryThing. I will be interested in finding works that are similar to my favorites and sharing my thoughts about literary works.
2. How has the program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
The program has opened my eyes to the vast possibilities of collaborative learning. By reaching out to others and finding those with similar interests, new areas of investigation, cooperation and sharing open up.
3. Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
I guess I was surprised by how enthusiastic I've been about web 2.o. I have mentioned it frequently in conversations I've had with colleagues. When I started this program, I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I have, nor did I expect to find it so useful.
4. What could we do differently to improve on format or concept?
I thought both format and content were excellent. If I had one criticism, it would be the time element. I'm grateful that the completion date was extended since I would have found it difficult to finish within the nine week time frame. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to do all that I want to do and exploring these various sites can be very time consuming especially if you become engrossed in the information you find.
5. If offered another, would you choose to participate?
Absolutely!
6. Describe in one word/sentence, your thoughts on this program.
Transformative
One last word: I obviously enjoyed this experience and learned a lot. I do have some concerns as the educator of adolescents. I guess my fear is that, despite the collegial nature of web 2.0, the anonymity of working on line may be a bit isolating. Some students may get so caught up in their web world that there might be a reluctance to reach out in real life to pursue friendships and acquire social skills. As with my initial reaction to web 2.0, my fears may be unfounded and may be a product of my age and the narrowness of my point of view. There is so much that is good about web 2.0 and it is our job to teach our students how to navigate it to ensure that they are obtaining the information they need and establishing the relationships they want. Our role as teachers of information literacy becomes more crucial than ever as we discuss such topics as bias, point of view, authority of sources and so much more. What a responsibility!
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