Stick #23 - Final Thoughts

I have thoroughly enjoyed participating in the 23 Things on a Stick. The hands-on approach is the best way for me to learn new skills. It isn't an issue of being scared to tackle new things, but when I execute the new skills, I am more likely to remember them and I can better understand how they work. I know an additional program with more Things has been implemented and I will plan to go back to it after school settles down.



When I began this assignment, I really didn't want to blog, but I have found it to be helpful. Writing crystalizes my thinking and I have had an opportunity to consider how these Things may apply to my non-library work environment in healthcare.



What I have gained from this experience are new skills and new ideas for how to work smarter and more effectively personally and with my work group. I know where there are the tools to teach others how to do these Things. I have become more comfortable embedding different objects into different software. I am surprised how many sites are free, but I will never be able to keep up with all the passwords. I also believe email is quite outdated after experiencing some of these Web tools.

I have multiple favorites. I loved creating an avatar and the online games are a very interesting concept I hope to be able to do something with. I wanted to learn about Podcasts, RSS feeds and Wikis, and all of them are relevant to my work. I was delighted to learn about Slideshare, Del.icio.us and the online productivity tools that were new to me.

If I had to describe my experience in one word, it would be "mind-expanding". I'm really glad we had this assignment!

Stick #22 - What Did I Learn Today?

This section helped to answer the major question that has been formulating in my mind as I have worked through the 23 Things--changes in technologies and the development of new tool is occurring all the time; how in the world am I going to stay current with changes? Reviewing the sites given in Thing #22, I found four that I believe will remain on the top of my list: Web2; Go2Web; Web2List; and Webinars from MINITEX. Several of these appear to be concise and give a brief description about the tool that would help me decide to pursue or not. I really like being able to find online Webinars. They often give me ideas that expand my thinking. I think I should also go searching for some more KM-specific sites.

In addition to adding RSS feeds, I have learned that if I schedule time on my calendar for "Research and Reading", and normally, if I do it on a Friday when the office is much quieter, I can discipline myself to take time to do some reading and keeping. If I am keeping up with personal interests, I can take some evening time on a weekly basis, although that will probably need to be scheduled after my MSKM is completed. I know there is a program beyond the 23 Things on a Stick that I can go back to as well, and probably will.

What I have learned is that there are ways to keep up and the key is identifying the sources, setting up for the notifications to come to me instead of the other way around, and setting aside some time to continue to learn.

Stick#21- Beyond MySpace

Visit 23 Things on a Stick

I am much more interested by the social networks in this section than I was with the general Facebook and MySpace. They are organized by interest area and geared more toward my interests as well. I might use something like Gather if I had a specific interest in finding people who share a particular interest. I can see that the WebJunction might be very helpful to librarians. It has a number of resources that look good, and they offer education, webinars, etc. I joined Ning to see special interest groups, comment on other members, load photos and add widgets to my blog. How much would I use a tool like this? I think I would really need to get connected and see that it had more to offer than what connecting I get to do with my friends. Or, I have an interest and don't feel I really have anyone to talk with about it. Otherwise, I have a personal preference to communicate face-to-face over networking online.

Stick #20 - Library and Social Networks

Facebook is another learning opportunity I have needed to do, but had not learned until now. I have 2 cousins who have sent me emails through Facebook to join. When I registered, I had more cousins--a total of 7 friends--waiting for me. What a welcome! I also joined the Library 2.0 Interest group. I am interested in continuing to learn about 2.0 opportunities.

In MySpace, I visited the Denver Public Library and Hennepin County Library. I was not so impressed with what I saw on MySpace. I guess someone would go to the library through MySpace because....? Maybe because they are already a user of MySpace? I think the main point for me is knowing what it is about and seeing what others experience when they go on line to MySpace.

Stick#19 - Podcasts

I listened to two pocasts. The first I found through the Podcast.com directory, was entitled, "Mozart's Death", an interview in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The second was the "Quick and Easy Korean Cooking"; I found this podcast through the Educational Podcast Directory. I found both of these directories to be easy to use and find interesting information. The Podcast.net director showed a server error, as did the Yahoo Podcast directory.

This sections has helped me become somewhat knowledgeable about podcasts. I have wanted to listen to some specific podcasts in the past, but I just haven't taken the time to sit down and learn the mechanics of doing it. Laziness? perhaps, or just the realization that it takes a concerted effort to squeeze one more thing into a busy schedule. In the very near future, I will set up the podcasts I want to hear so I can benefit from them.

Stick#18 - YouTube

I chose this You Tube video on Inattention Blindness because it is a concept we have been talking about at work. Inattentional blindness in health care is a concern because it is an underlying reason as to why medical errors can occur. Making staff aware what it is and why it occurs helps them understand the importance of some procedural changes. It also helps them be "on guard" and double-check themselves in order to prevent medical errors.

Using YouTube is easy and inserting my choice of videos was easy as well. The biggest barrier I have found is the barrier set up by my organization to block YouTube from being seen. While I understand why, there is some useful educational information being missed. On a side note, I looked at YouTube EDU as well. The videos on this portion of YouTube are more academic; hours and hours of educational presentations are available.

Stick#17 - ELM Productivity Tools

I have covered all of the site that is available to me, which is minimal since I am not a Minnesotan and cannot sign in. Unless I am missing something, I do not see that I can actually set up the Search Alert.