Week 16: It's a Wrap!

Well this is the end of my 23 Things Kansas journey.  I stumbled across the line, but at least I finished.  Over the last 16+ weeks I have Youtubed, wikied, screencast, LibraryThinged, IMed, cloud computed, tagged, blogged, microblogged, and 2.0ed my little heart out.  It may not have been interesting to read about, but it was interesting to do...which was the point of the program.

The last assignment is a reflective post, so let us look back.
 
I knew going into the program that one activity a week was going to be hard to accomplish and I was right.  Writing blog posts does not take much time, but for each new website or online tool, there were several hours of investigation and exploration.  Finding these hours within a busy work day was the hardest part of this program. Luckily the developers of the program padded the course with extra time at the end...a smart move...otherwise I would have not completed the program.  However even with the extra time at the end, many of my colleagues who started the program with me dropped out over time issues.  I do not know if this means that next time there needs to be two weeks for each tool/website, or if a larger restructuring is needed.

I understand that a technology program must be designed to accommodate novices, but it would have been nice if another track was offered for the more techsavy members of the program.  Trying to get excited about an assignment on Facebook or Youtube is hard when you deal with them every day.  This observation is not a knock on the program's creators who did a fabulous job.

That being said, I was introduced to a few websites and tools that I had not experimented with yet, that I have come to enjoy.  Zotero and Ning.  You can read my posts on Zotero and Ning to read my reactions, but of all the cites and tools viewed during the program, these were the two that made the hamsters in my head really start spinning their wheels.  I think there is great potential for patron outreach with Ning and a great continuing education tool with Zotero.

Overall I was pleased with the program and glad that I participated. I would have liked to have more time to explore the technologies and websites introduced in the program, but unfortunately work got in the way--isn't that always the way?  I would also have liked more variety for each week on websites or tools to try.  However, for what the program was trying to accomplish, I think the producers and mentors did a great job and I would be glad to participate in the next incarnation of the program.

Now the question is will I be able to keep up my blog without the pressure of a deadline?  Stay tuned to see...