Week 9: Summary - Thing #23

1. Creating a blog was so simple (if the blog was as basic and template-based as mine), but it made me feel that perhaps, even I, could function in the world of today’s rapidly changing technology. Moving a YouTube.com video to my blog also felt like an accomplishment.

2. When I completed my master’s degree 9 years ago, I felt that I was aware of many of the new trends in technology. As I worked through the 23 Things program, I felt somewhat like the portrayed Rip Van Winkle character—the world of technology had dramatically changed when I wasn’t looking! This certainly reinforces the fact that one must continually be focused on learning new things; the world of information does not stand still.

3. The most unexpected outcome, for me, was that I was able to finish the program.

4. I thought that the program was very well organized and introduced a great variety of web resources. However, since it was virtually all new to me, it seemed that I (as Trekker would phrase it) was always either on “mountain tops” or at the “bottom of mountains”—either delighted that I had accomplished the task for the week or intensely focused on accomplishing the current week’s task. I would really have liked some “plateau” time to gain a greater level of comfort and familiarity with the new tools.

5. Embarking on another similar training program would depend on several factors-- the relevancy to my work, the time frame, the availability of “on-the-job” training time, and the CEUs.

6. I found the 23 Things program to be interesting, informative, challenging, fatiguing, and rewarding—as are all learning experiences!