Learning 2.0, The Journey Begun

So what do I think about the Learning 2.0 program thus far?

1. I think that first and foremost the librarians of the future will undoubtedly be technology savvy. It will be these information professionals that are expected to be most literate when it comes to technologies that serve to provide people with the opportunity to find information and hold meaningful dialogues about that information. Under that lens, it is clear that a program like this offers a practical, well organized way to improve your 2.0 literacy. we live in a time when the acquisition of knowledge has never been more convenient. Technology now exists to put all that information right in your lap (or your laptop).

2. Dividing the topics into 23 separate objectives allows the user to slowly build up their understanding of these topics and gives ample time to digest the information before continuing on the the next objective. This is relevant because many people who are not yet fully comfortable with this technology might find a course that tackles too much at one time to be overwhelming or taxing. This would lower the likelyhood that a participant continue and finish the course. This approach allows users to slowly build up their competence and fluency with new, useful technological applications and tools.

3. I found the 7 and 1/2 habits for successful lifelong learning to be useful in reconceptualizing what it is you want to accomplish or achieve and also useful in taking the steps needed to realize those goals. Having been out of school for over 5 years its good to have a little refresher on successful habits.

4. Of these 7 and 1/2 habits I find that self responsibility can often be the hardest. I have always found it relatively easy to set goals but the real challenge is maintaining the day to day involvement you have with your goals. The realization of goals is a product but the way your goals are accomplished is a process which requires diligence and a sustained sense of motivation.

5. The habits I found most easy to comply with were #7 (teach). American writier, Ben Sweetland had said "we cannot hold a torch to light another's path without brightening our own." I find this to be oh so true. Through teaching we put our knowledge to the test. Our pupils, in the course of seeking understanding of a topic question and poke and prod our understanding, asking questions that truly put our understanding of the topic on display. Many times have I been asked questions by students that I was unable to answer, questions that sent me back to my books, the web, and sometimes the local public library. In order to be a good teacher we must be constantly willing to advance our knowledge in order to best serve our clients.

In conclusion I find it hard to argue with the logic of the Learning 2.0 program. That logic can be expressed "The more we work on expanding our understanding of ourselves and of the technologies available to us in this age, the more we will be able to serve ourselves (through the accomplishment of our goals) and serve others (by connecting curious individuals to information or my educating them on how to collect information for themselves.)"