It's a wrap!

This is the 27th thing! My saga of official Learning 2.0 has come to an end, although I hope the learning will go on. I could just callously accept the completion prize and never learn another web thing, but that would be boring. I am very glad to have had the opportunity to catch up on some of the latest web technology. I would never otherwise have had time while at work, and this program has enabled me to become a better librarian. I am also more inspired to learn other new technologies because I no longer feel so far behind! If I had it to do all over again, I'd definitely jump right in!

I think my favorite part has been setting up this blog! Well, and YouTube, too, but I'd already done that. I have to admit these were my favorites not for work reasons but because it has given me a way to casually communicate with family and friends. I don't need to wait for momentous events to inspire an e-mail; instead I can just be chatty and hope people check in with my blog and see what I'm up to. RSS feeds have had the biggest impact on my career, since it has become much easier for me to keep a half an eyeball on library news and tech trends.

Throughout this process I was surprised to find out how easy it is to sign up for most of the services we explored. Early on in the process a few lessons (such as blogger) sucked up time and mental energy, but later on I was able to do the lessons faster based on my previous experience. I was lucky not to need much help, but I did notice many co-workers giving up on Learning 2.0 due to learning frustrations. These folks were the least tech savvy to begin with and the most in need of Learning 2.0. Still, they wanted to learn. Frequently they felt bad about "bothering" more tech savvy co-workers, even if the co-workers did not at all feel "bothered." It would be great if Learning 2.0 gurus could come to all the branches during the 27 Things, set themselves up a desk, and spend the day helping staff.

Because the web is a rapidly evolving technology/tool/place/thing, KCLS should create a program like this every two years to help us all keep up to date. Every year would be a bit taxing, and anything longer than two years wouldn't be keeping us up to date. What would we be learning in the future? It's hard to say what will be the latest "hot" topic, but I'd like to try virtual librarianship in Second Life, video librarianship and video conferencing, maybe even good ol' IM-ing.