23 Things Summary

What a ride this techno-journey has been. I am personally gratified by accomplishing the requirements of this course, as they were for me time-consuming and arduous, but in true keeping with my goal of being a lifelong learner. I can now use numerous tools professionally or for personal use or fun. Since I like to write I enjoyed blogging and became adept, I feel, at linking within blog posts.

An unexpected outcome was my changed view of social networking. My up close and personal contact with the various vehicles proved my negative preconceptions of them incorrect. They offer far more than time-consuming frivolity.
A bit more encouragement and acknowledgement along the way with the more difficult parts of the course would have been nice. But I knew there would be no help from the facilitators from the start. It forced me to go to a colleague, who had completed the course, for help with the glitches. Social networking of a different sort!

Giving myself the gift of 15 minutes time daily to not just read email (how Old-School Technology does that sound, now??!!) but checking my Google Reader articles and even seeking out new areas of interest, would keep me current. I may even check in with Classroom 2.0 periodically to see what the latest is there. I am seriously considering a Twitter account, too, now that I see, as expressed in "Thing 23," how valuable it can be in education. I may even take the plunge and add my blog URL to my e-mail signature line, for all interested parties to take a gander.

I am more convinced that I have been using a straw--no a coffee stirrer--to try to drink at the floodgate of ever-increasing volumes of technology being developed. As I noted many times along the way in this "23 Things" journey, the possibilities are endless but the prospects overwhelming when I think of my one little mind trying to wrap around it all. But I am grateful for the opportunity to take the trip. Thank you, Mary. Thank you, Misti. Thank you, MISD Staff Development. Thank you, understanding husband. Thank you, God.