Thing #3 - Registration for Learning 2.0 @ the beach

Perhaps the easiest of all "things", I have duly registered to take part in VBPL's Learning 2.0 extravaganza. Now that it is done what else should we talk about? I'd hate to leave a perfectly good blog post with only a few lines.

Ah-ha- I've got it. For those of you that know me you are aware that I am in graduate school at FSU a little over half way done with my MLS (though I believe it has a different name at my school). Anyways I spend a lot of time outside of the forty hour workweek reading for class and working on assignments. I also have plenty of work around the house with a bathroom in the middle of remodeling and basic upkeep duties. Time is a commodity. So for fun this month I am going to try and squeeze a little more out of every hour by participating in National Novel Writing Month. The premise is this: you have the month of November to write 50,000 words of a novel, novella, what-have-you in order to be a "winner" by the end of the month. Think I can do it? Want to join the fun? Haven't you ever wanted a hastily written novel all your own?

Thing #2 Discover a Few Points About Lifelong Learning

To complete Thing #2 I needed to watch and listen to the online tutorial provided by Charlotte & Mecklenberg County Libraries and reflect on the lifelong learning habits that are the hardest and easiest for me. Let's start with the easiest first:

Accept responsibility for your own learning: It became very apparent to me during my undergraduate years that I could not rely on the classroom to teach me what I really want to learn. Like Wikipedia the classroom is a good jumping off point when exploring a new subject. But also like Wikipedia if you rely on just the classroom for your learning then you will only get a piece of the puzzle. When my undergrad classes were over and I had the piece of paper in my hand I could begin my real education. I started to read the classics. I moved out of my comfort zone, living and traveling in new lands. My immersion in the participatory culture of the web is a similar journey--the best lessons are learned through my willingness to explore and play.

Begin with the end in mind: This is probably my weakest point mainly because I'm more in the moment than the future. That doesn't mean that I can't make plans, more that I see plans for what they are: projections into the unknown. I think if they work for you great, if not then discard them and get back to the lifelong learning.

Thing #1-Find out about the program

Here starts the list of thirty things that will pave the way towards a new MP3 player and help spread the 2.0 love. I've familiarized myself with the program and look forward to connecting with staff members throughout the system as we play with the new technologies.

One thing that I have learned from my own experimentation with blogs, wikis, etc. is that it is more fun when you socially interact. Writing on a blog can feel like entering the void--if you feel touched by something someone says than let them know! Wikis can be wonderful but collaboration is the real magic that turns a one-person effort into a team-building extravaganza.

Thing #1 is done!

Picture from a recent trip to the Shenandoah Mountains.

Inaugural Post

Every blog must have a beginning, a first post to punctuate the air and announce to the rest of the sphere its arrival. And here it is, a drop of bandwidth in the great storm of user-created web information. Working in a library I will sprinkle in content that appeals to that crowd and reflects my own biblio-leanings. Maybe I'll share about a good book I read or some photos I just took. If I run across anything worthwhile and it seems like it wants to be shared I'll make some space for it here. Please feel free to leave comments and enjoy your stay.