Wrap-Up (#26, 27) - Week 12

(#26 No, seriously, Tell Us What You Think)

http://kcls27things.blogspot.com/2007/05/26-no-seriously-tell-us-what-you-think.html

Write whatever comes to mind, though try to touch on the following questions:
(My answers follow the italicized posted questions)

How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
The older I get, the more important it is to be aware of the world constantly changing around me, and a large part of that is due to the phenomenal growth of technology. I have found it difficult to keep pace of that change and welcomed this opportunity to have a directed course of "study".

What were your favorite Learning 2.0 discoveries or exercises?
While I was please to try out all of the sites listed (plus a few others) my favorites were YouTube, LibraryThing, and MySpace. I also enjoyed the Mashups. I am not particularly fond of blogging, however, I do see the value of it.

Did anything surprise you?
I was constantly surprised at how something seemingly so simple could become so complex if just one small step was forgotten or misunderstood - obviously, I am not of the generation that finds Web 2.0 stuff intuitive. If I asked my daughter for help, I almost always heard "MOM, that's so easy! Just do this . . ." And my adult children were surprised at my new "presence" on the web! Now if I can just find the time and resources to keep it going.

Was there enough help available when you needed it?
I found that many of our staff had the same dilemma: we were trying to do bits and pieces at different times, fitting it in around our regular duties. It was not always possible to find the person that could help you available during the limited time you were working on a particular exercise (imagine telling a patron "Excuse me while I go help this staff member on the Web - they only have a limited time to get this exercise accomplished before they're needed somewhere else." For me, as a part-timer, HELP was not the issue as much as TIME. It's much easier to find an hour or two a week to accomplish the exercises when you're 40 hours than when you're at work only 20 hours. I found that many staff wanted to participate, however found it much easier to do the exercises on their own time when they did not feel pulled in so many directions. I know that this was not the intention of those who put together this great program, but that's what happened for some staff anyway. Our managers were very encouraging - however I believe they were having some of the same frustrations as the rest of the staff. There is only so much time available.

What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
I do know that much work was put into these exercises by many people and I do applaud your efforts!
One thing I would like to see modified is the format of the exercises. While most of the exercises were simple for those staff members already somewhat familiar with Web services, I watched the staff that truly needed the gentle "push" to try new things become quite frustrated as they struggled with the same processes that were somewhat intuitive for others. I know many of those individuals just gave up. For those people we need a more specific step-by-step guide (preferably with illustrations) that they can use to help them feel comfortable with the exercises and use as a reference to refresh their memories when necessary. Along that same thought, it took much more time than anticipated to accomplish the exercises (let alone blog about them in a significant way) again frustrating those that thought they should have been able to accomplish the exercise much more quickly, and fast eroded what fragile confidence they might have had. It also took much more time to help those staff members having a difficult time. Which brings me to my next item. I truly appreciated the "CramJam" session instituted by our cluster! What a great opportunity to not only gather together and help one another (while solidifying your own skills), but also to have some "bonding time" with your fellow staff members, some of whom you seldom see, and with whom you certainly don't have time to "chat" (wow - the things I learned about my co-workers!). Please incorporate that valuable concept into the regular format (preferably more that once)!

Would you like to see similar training opportunities as new library-relevant technologies emerge?
YES, please! This is one of the few ways I have to "force" myself to try to keep up with some of the many changes in relevant technologies. I usually have the best intentions but find myself bogged down in the daily tasks that it takes to make our library run smoothly, and so forgo the explorations needed to keep at least somewhat up to date on what's available.

And, last one, if you could go back in time and tell yourself to either participate in the program or skip it, what would you do?
Participate, participate, participate (and encourage others to do so)!

KCLS Post:
Monday, May 7, 2007

#26 - No, Seriously, Tell Us What You Think
We're almost done - just today and tomorrow's lesson before we start talking about this learning program in the past tense. For the next two days, though, we're still in the present. Today we'd like to hear your thoughts on participating in Learning 2.0 and tomorrow we'll share some of ours and talk about what comes next.So, please, jump straight into today's Reflective Exercise.
Create a blog posting that reflects on your experiences with Learning 2.0
Write whatever comes to mind, though try to touch on the following questions:How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?What were your favorite Learning 2.0 discoveries or exercises?Did anything surprise you?Was there enough help available when you needed it?What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?Would you like to see similar training opportunities as new library-relevant technologies emerge?And, last one, if you could go back in time and tell yourself to either participate in the program or skip it, what would you do?Feel free to write about whatever else comes to mind. And come back tomorrow for the last of our 27 things.Next up: this is the end...
Posted by KCLS Learning 2.0 at 5:32 PM 0 comments
Tags: Lifelong Learning, Wrap-Up




(#27 This Is The End, Sort Of)
Thanks so much for the opportunity to try so many things new to me! Even though this represents just a small example of what's out there, I had a blast! And I have already had the chance to use some of my new-found knowledge with a few patrons and anticipate many more opportunities in the future. Thanks again!

KCLS 27 Things Post:
Tuesday, May 8, 2007

#27 - This Is The End, Sort Of
Upon reflecton of yesterday's reflection, we do have one more question for you - was there anything else you thought we should have covered?Please let us know if something comes to mind. You are welcome to ammend yesterday's blog posting or create a final short one. No need to worry, though, if nothing comes to mind.Okay, now to the 27th thing...The 27th ThingYes, you're looking at it, the 27th thing, what comes next.Let's change the punctation and make the last part a question. What comes next?First, the Return of the PodcastWe couldn't close shop without one final podcast. In today's podcast, David and Laurel seek closure and talk some about that very question, what comes next?
Click the Play button aboveto hear this week's Podcast (3:06)And what else comes next?Your mp3 playerDon't worry - we haven't forgotten about your mp3 players. I've started shopping around (please email me if you see a good deal) and we expect to get your players out to you by the end of June. Many many thanks to the KCLS Foundation for providng the funding.Now, why so long?We want to get the best players possible and that means we are waiting to see how many of you complete the entire program before making our final purchase decision. Flexibility, afterall, is the 2.0 way...So please make sure you submit your week 12 Learning 2.0 Progress Log entry - we don't want anyone to miss out. And more globally, what's next at KCLS?Web 2.0 at KCLSWe've already started - nearly 500 of you started blogging through Learning 2.0 and well over 300 of you are on track to complete the entire Learning 2.0 program. That would be you, reading this blog entry.What comes next is creating KCLS services that take advantage of web 2.0 technology. If we do this right, we'll do an even better job of serving our communities (quite a lofty goal when you consider how excellent a job you all do already) and of working with one another.More formally, a plan needs to be in place. The KCLS Blogging Committee distributed its recommendations for Web 2.0 services to APT and cluster managers just yesterday (5/7) and we hope to present them to all staff before the end of May. Expect to see Memo articles, emails, and meeting presentations on this topic throughout the early summer.We don't want to overwhelm anyone - our staff or our patrons - and will roll new services out in waves, a few at a time. You'll see opportunities to participate explained in greater detail as we move forward organizationally.It is going to be an incredibly rewarding (and fun) summer and beyond - we hope that you'll take part.The End, Part 1: Thank YouIt hasn't been easy, I know - you've stayed up late cataloging your books on Library Thing, watched countless new wave music videos on YouTube, sought out old friends on MySpace, shocked and/or impressed your kids with your new knowledge and lingo. And if none of the above applies, well, we hope that you learned at least something new.Thanks to your energy and willingness to explore, our collective staff knows so much more. We'll help more patrons, we'll improve organizational processes, and we'll be much more confident when still more new technology comes our way (cause it isn't going to stop). Thank you. Seriously. Thank you for doing this.The End, Part 2: The Shot OutsOne last round of thanks - anyone on this list went above and beyond to make this program happen.
Bruce Schauer, our project sponsor, enthusiastically gave the go-ahead and provided continuous support.Lisa Hill created the Learning 2.0 Progress Log and gave us all the tools we needed to administer this program. This was no small feat.KCLS Graphics created our logo and the outstanding check-list brochure many of you picked up at our kick-off event.Myra Basden videotaped that presentation (it will get on the intranet soon).Helene Blowers, at the Public Library of Charlotte-Mecklenberg County, provided a wonderful idea and everything we needed to get started.Our speakers, Stephen Abram and Aaron Schmidt, helped us think outside the box.Darlene Pearsall created a participation option for staff working fewer than 20 weekly hours.KCLS Cluster Managers and department heads did their utmost to find time for you to take part.Learning 2.0 Advocates provided guidance when you needed it.The KCLS Foundation provided funding for mp3 players.And to anyone I've inadvertendly left off this list, no harm intended - thank you thank you and thank you again.Okay, I'm done.
Posted by KCLS Learning 2.0 at 3:58 PM 20 comments
Tags: Wrap-Up