Stacked in Our Favor


Thoughts about libraries, education, children's literature, writing, art and being connected







Sunday, March 9, 2008

Week 9 Thing 23 - Copyright, Creative Commons and Congratulations

What a wonderful way to finish the class. I thought I knew what Creative Commons was, but my thoughts were somewhat warped. The tutorials, videos and links were all quite helpful to understand CC more clearly. Also the resources were quite timely as I am currently having multiple conversations about copyright and what fair use means. These resources help me to refine my own understanding, something I find I can never get complaisant about.

Now for the questions:
1. What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?

Flickr, mashups, del.icio.us, wikis, zoho, library thing (and therefore Good Reads), YouTube, podcasts and Creative Commons are the objects.

A favorite discovery was how really able we are to use these resources, continue to learn and how in 9 short weeks these new technologies have become part of how I work and see the world. They do say that it takes 7 weeks to form a new habit. It appears that this habit has stuck with me. It will be interesting to see how long it lasts.

2. How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?

Lifelong learning means always being open to new things, taking an interest in the world around you and continually trying to improve yourself. At least that's what it means to me. This program has made it easier for me to learn about a number of things which I was very interested in, introduced me to things I knew nothing about and assisted me in going further than I had before or was likely to get on my own. Let's just say it was like the Triple A or Mapquest of Web2.0. You mapped out the route, but I drove there. And I didn't even have to pay for the gas. However it did take a toll on me... (couldn't resist.)

3. Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

Del.icio.us is a big grab bag treat. I find that I am starting to think about using it and am enjoying using it. While I still bookmark things using favorites, I find that I actually have started to use del.icio.us instead. That's a pretty big paradigm shift for me. Checking my RSS feeds regularly is also a big leap. Both have really changed the way I relate to my PC.

It must be said that with all these new ideas and technologies churning inside my head, I find myself being more open to new things around me. I was in Circuit City this evening and found myself playing with laptops. Usually I go for one thing and don't get distracted, but this evening I wandered around and learned a lot. This course has had a big impact.

4. What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?

There were a couple of very interesting links which weren't hot. Fixing the links or finding other links to do the same thing would have been helpful.

5. If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you choose to participate?

Absolutely. Positively. Without a doubt.

6. How would you describe your learning experience in ONE WORD or in ONE SENTENCE, so we could use your words to promote CSLA learning activities?

Transformational.

Thanks to everyone who took the class for making it a richer experience and especially to the people who made taking this course possible. I enjoyed reading everyone's blogs and gaining further insight. It will now take several months to really go back and dig deeper into the material.

2 comments:

LibraryStrong said...

I always enjoyed your posts. They were thoughtfully done, informational and your personality came through. It's sad to say good-bye.

LibraryStrong said...

You are right, no good-byes. I do think it would be fun to have a little get together at the next MSLA conference. If we were really brave, we would do a presentation on what we'd learned in order to get others interested in the class, should they offer it again. I'm thinking of starting a study group in my district next fall.

I would like to start a new blog, one that my students, teachers and parents might find helpful. I'll be thinking about it over the next few months. I want to do some further investigation of others' blogs first.

I think a wiki for elementary librarians in Mass. would be a wonderful idea. It has a lot of great potential. Are we sure no one else has started one? If you start another blog or wiki, please post the address on your School Library 2.0 blog and my RSS feed will pick it up.

In the meantime, I will keep my eye out for people with purple glasses. I just got new ones and they tinted the glass an odd shade of pink. Since I'm leaving the country tomorrow, there's no time to make a change until I return at the end of May. So, I'll have to start a pink glasses club.

Keep on bloggin'