Thing 23: Reflection -- What Next?

Photo by Thomas Quine (quinet).  Used under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 2.0) License.

Skills and deeper learning will continue.  

It is hard to believe the program is already over!  The program has been worthwhile.  Some weeks, I had little time to explore, think, and post, but I am glad to have been a part of this project!  Even if I did not personally find each tool or topic interesting, I know someone I meet will.  I have gained confidence and met new people through the program.  I plan to continue the adventure, either on my own or, if I can find one, through another program like this.

I know I am lacking skills in certain areas, such as experience in cataloging or knowledge of young adult development. I have written goals to address these areas.  Although each goal is feasible on its own, I am still considering whether I need to prioritize my goals and delay some of them.

Thank you 23 Things for Professional Development and all participants!

Thing 21: Promoting Yourself

As I listed the things I like in life and at work, I noticed themes.  I like movement and productivity, especially if it is measurable. I enjoy being creative and having variety, but prefer some level of guidance.  I am curious and take pleasure in learning.  I enjoy trying new things and teaching others.  I find satisfaction in helping others and in reducing others' levels of stress.  Story, whether in books, in movies, or in conversations with others, fascinate me.  I prefer to listen, but also like to be able to speak.  I enjoy being part of something larger than myself, both in the sense of belonging and in the sense of seeing others build on my contribution to accomplish far more than I could on my own.  I enjoy refining and perfecting things. I have a competitive streak.  I much prefer saying "Yes" to saying "No," but I will say no when necessary.  These things motivate me.

My strengths emerged from those themes.  I listen actively.  I observe.  I set goals well and persist in accomplishing them.  I explore.  I act (mostly) independently, but I also strive to support others.  I explain things in ways that others can understand. I creatively address problems and respond to observations.  I ask questions, seek to understand, and attempt to improve upon what I find. 

Primary Colors in the Abstract by Bill Gracey.  Used under a Creative Commons Attribution - NonCommercial-No Derivs (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) license.

Thing 19: Reflection II

I have enjoyed exploring all of the different topics over the past few weeks!  Some topics were timely and others were merely interesting to consider.  I had used, at least to some extent, a fair number of the different tools mentioned in the program, but many others have been new.

I continue to use these ones heavily:

• RSS
• Google Calendar
• LinkedIn

These tools continue to prove invaluable for staying current on library-related topics, for organizing my schedule, and for connecting with others.  I see myself using them more and more in the years to come.

I have also begun to rely on these ones:

• Google Blogger: The ease with which I can add new posts makes this tool one I will use regularly. 
• Facebook:  I am using Facebook for personal connections, rather than work connections.  I have spoken to former classmates, former colleagues, friends I had lost touch with, and family members.  I was late to adopt Facebook, mostly due to concerns about privacy and about how easy I had heard it was for people to waste too much time on it.  So far, neither one of my hesitations has become true.  I use Facebook, and can find myself losing time looking through pictures or postings, but usually still only refer to it once or twice a week.
• wikis: I use these frequently at the academic library where I work.  The other staff members and I put together pages on specific topics for students.  Recently, we have begun moving away from plain text pages.  I think the new format will draw more use!

I use these ones sporadically:

• Twitter: Twitter can be useful for finding out current opinions, for sharing topics with the wider world, and for having real-time conversations with others.  I find the sheer amount of information a bit overwhelming.  Needing to log into the website also discourages regular use.  If I ever buy a smart phone, I may pick Twitter up again.
• LISNPN: I checked this page frequently at first, but when my schedule became busy, I stopped visiting it.  I have replaced it with listservs from other groups, such as YALSA.
• GoogleDocs

I have yet to tackle these topics more in-depth:

• Personal branding: Although I have attempted to unify my social media username, I have made little progress.  If I find a fitting open name in one tool, I find that someone is already using it in another.  This topic has been tabled for the time being.
• Mentoring: I found a mentor, but have yet to ask a question.  Since it has been roughly a month since I made initial contact, I have been thinking about asking a question.  I have yet to decide what to ask.  I connected with a person who has experience in a position I would like to transition into and am not yet sure what would be most useful to know.  Without being in the position, I lack the context to know what topics are most pressing.  I am still brainstorming.
• Real-life networking:  A few months ago, I planned to attend a library strategic-planning community discussion event going on in my area a few weeks ago, but had an unexpected conflict arise.  I was sad to have missed it!  I am keeping my eyes open for other events that fit my schedule.

At this time, I am not using these tools regularly and have no plans to use them in the foreseeable future:

• Pushnote
• Evernote: I loved this tool when we first explored it!  I could save just the bits that were interesting to me.  Any time I found something I wanted to remember, I added it to my Evernote account.  Unfortunately, my preferred browser has a tenuous relationship with Evernote.  During one of the last upgrades, I lost the ability to use Evernote.  On the plus side, I discovered a similar tool that I might be able to use instead: Pinterest.  It is on my list of things to explore.
• DropBox:  Dropbox is most useful for sharing information in a group.  I have yet to find a group with whom I would be regularly exchanging documents.  In addition, I did not figure out how to get the drag-n-drop feature to work on my computer.
• Zotero: When I am not writing papers regularly, Zotero seems unnecessary. 
• Mendeley
• CiteULike:  Aside from reading the overview of CiteULike, I did not explore it at all.  I understood the concept, but did not see an immediate application for it.
• Jing: I appreciate Jing, but have found alternative tools that work better for me.  
• Lightshot

I have not yet had a chance to actually use these tools:

• Screencast-o-matic
• Audacity

Another site that has introduced me to online resources is the Free Technology for Teachers blog.  I discovered this blog either through another cpd23 participant or through one of my Google alerts.  I immediately added it to my RSS feed and have been enjoying reading about other free online resources.  With cpd23 and Free Technology for Teachers, I am discovering so much about the many useful tools out there!

Thing 5: Reflective Practice

Photograph by the italian voice.  Available under Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 2.0) license.

Over the past few weeks, I have learned some things about myself.  Blogging was both part of the attraction of this project and something which made me nervous.  When I began the project, however, my first experiences were contagious!  I interacted with individuals from across the world, learned from my fellow bloggers, and had success with other adventures I began as a result of the project.  I need to participate in more groups like this one: It connects me with others and exposes me to tools I may never have discovered on my own.  I have more or less settled into a routine since those first few days.  Finding the time to post is as much of a struggle as I had feared, but it continues to be rewarding nevertheless.  Every time I sit down to tackle the next task or to explore other participants' blogs, I leave inspired and happy--even with the whittled down group of active participants.  Reading others' responses and thoughts encourages me to post my own.  I continue to add other participants to my RSS feed and to bookmark posts that I find particularly helpful. 

This routine seems to work well for me:


1.  Read the introductory post on the cpd23 page.  Even before I officially registered, I added the blog to my RSS collection and having it there has been invaluable.  I regularly check my Google Reader page, which means that I know right away what I should be focusing on in the week.

2.  Spend the next few days thinking over the week's Thing, considering how I already use (or do not use) it and how it might be useful.

3.  Sit down and really explore the topic, watching videos or reading overviews of it and then experimenting with it on my own.

4.  Read other participants' posts.  Ask myself: Do they share my thoughts on the topic?  What were their experiences with it?  Did someone say something illuminating?

6.  Think about what I might want to write about the topic.

7.  Begin writing.  Usually, the end product contains most of the ideas I had originally planned to include, but in a different format than I had envisioned.


I will continue to use this method over the next few weeks.  Thank you to all the other participants!