Thing 23: Evaluation

1. Favorite discoveries: I think that the discoveries I made are those that I am most likely to use again: RSS feeds; delicious (which I will use to keep track of investment sites); Library Thing (which I will use to keep track of books already read & books I want to read); and podcasts (!)--I really loved finding that it's so easy to find podcasts.

2. Lifelong learning goals: Most of my lifelong learning goals don't have to do with computer....but that being said, I predict that I will be more likely to try new computer functions now that I have worked with the 23 Things online course. So I would say that the course probably added to my lifelong learning goals.

3. Unexpected outcomes: I knew more than I thought I did about Web 2.0

4. What could we do differently? I struggled to complete this course on time (by Thanksgiving) because I took an (previously-planned and paid for) long-ish vacation in the middle of the course completion time. I don't know how this could have been done differently, as it was my personal life that interfered with the course.
This said, I must say that I enjoyed the learning process. The order in which the topics were introduced was excellent! I think that the topics were introduced from more difficult to less difficult, which was a motivating factor. Some of the topics were very foreign, and some less-so. It was a nice mix.
If I could suggest one thing for this course, it would be to add in the social networking sites for us to preview: My Space, LinkedIn, Facebook. The kids around my information desk are using them, and I feel that it would be instructive to know what the differences are and how using them could promote the library.
In general, we were shown the sites and allowed to "mess around" and discover what the site was all about. Little guidance was given in the form of instructions. After a while, I decided that this lack of guidance was the whole point, as the idea was to discover for oneself.

5. Yes, I would participate in other discovery programs in the future

6. 23 Things is an experimental and experiential approach to learning cutting edge Web 2.0 applications that may assist librarians in their work or personal lives. Knowing a little something (or more in-depth, by the learner's choice) about these new technologies will help librarians to commuicate more effectively with their customers, if nothing else.