Week 9: Thing #23

As I review my blog posts of the last nine weeks, I feel a tremendous sense of personal accomplishment and deep gratitude to those who have made this tutorial possible -- Helen Blowers and the California School Library Association for creating the program, my own Massachusetts School Library Association leadership team for discovering this tutorial and partnering with CSLA so that I could take part, to Kathy Dubrovshy, who shepherded our Massachusetts group despite her many other responsibilities, and Beth Donahue, my cheerleader for the tutorial (Even though I did not call on you, just knowing you were there and available made such a difference!). What a journey!

The words I would use to describe the Library 2.0 journey are engaging and empowering. It was fun and quite a challenge.

My favorite part of the tutorial experience was the balance between learning the new Web 2.0 applications and reading/viewing the blog posts, essays, and videos of such people as Michael Stevens, Chris Harris, Joyce Valenza, and Michael Wesch. Their brilliant, clear ideas about the web, teaching and learning, libraries, and communicating inspire me.

I feel more confident about using Web 2.0 tools. I also feel a greater sense of urgency to keep up on new 2.0 developments and to share my knowledge with school colleagues and students.

In the face of many new web tools and so much new web jargon and web content in the form or blogs, podcasts, wikis, etc., I sometimes feel overwhelmed and retreat to the sidelines. This tutorial has enabled me to feel as though I have “caught the wave,” at least for a little while. That feeling is a great motivator for me to continue learning.

The unexpected “take away” from this program is a great sense of pride that a school library organization developed this remarkable, user-friendly tutorial. A school administrator I shared my blog and the program with have been surprised, I think, to know that school librarians are at the forefront in teaching themselves and others about the new Web and it’s powerful potential for teaching and learning. I think: Why not school librarians? and Who better?

I would definitely love to participate if another discovery program is offered.

This online tutorial, as it is now, is nearly perfect. There are a few dead links that CSLA might fix or find substitutes for, but otherwise, I cannot think of any changes I would make.