of this first course, although not an end to this blog. I will continue to use this platform as I navigate the other modules related to LiDA. I am a week plus behind in getting to this point and I have my amazing, jam-packed full schedule of concerts (three), committee meetings (two), public presentation (one), work, kiddos (and several appointments there), life in general to thank for just now getting to this. Referencing my awesome mind map, that was included in this last section, I certainly need to work on the time-management piece when it comes to getting up and moving each morning. But it’s soooooo hard…. thankfully the internet is full of great websites and articles that provide help for achieving this goal. I particularly liked Jen Smith’s short piece that appears on the LifeHacker.org site. Click the mind map to read it.
Now for my Learning Reflection Challenge piece:
I made the decision to enroll in the LiDA course work with the intent to build on the digital tools and technological literacies that I already have. As a Tech librarian, these are a part of every single work day – and often a part of my not-at-work life, as the expectation (by friends and family) is that I am really good with technology and navigating online. I was not disappointed. I now have a great assortment of new tools that I will use, along with some that I might just keep in memory for sharing with others. That is the good part for me.
Expanding on that, interacting with others who are learning to navigate the same technologies was also fun and at times provided comfort. I wasn’t the only one who overlooked the code for the bookmark site. I wasn’t the only one who occasionally missed a tag and/or went outside of the realm of direct technology to find topics that technology could still be applied to. My negatives are limited and I have touched on them before. I guess the main thing is that I feel the interface of this, while trying to be transparent and provide the most access, is a little text heavy and can easily become confusing as to what comes next; overwhelming to someone who already spends a huge amount of her day reading large amounts of digital materials for work. I ended up re-reading most things several times to make sure I didn’t miss anything. My other small complaint, is that links don’t open in separate tabs/windows. This annoys me even though I know that it follows accessibility guidelines for visual perception, because “help” pages should open in other tabs, so as not to cause me to flip back and forth between what I am doing and what I need to do. My employer also has a format rule for web pages, specifically requiring the creation of new tabs/windows – so it’s a little bit of a cultural shock to encounter it not being the norm.
I learned that I really need to consider my time management needs and that I am, as I mentioned in reaction to another student’s reflection, more of a squirrel in my mind – running about digging up nuts (of new tech and literacies) and haphazardly reburying them. I felt a little rushed in places and I think the biggest change is in my own self-image of myself as a successful online learner. While I pick up on things fast, I think I also tended towards putting it at the bottom of my daily/weekly priorities.
My conclusion and plan are one and the same. This course something that I felt I would benefit from and be able to apply to my everyday work/life tech needs. With the exception of a couple of personal discomforts with the delivery, I feel I gained some valuable tools and literacies to go along with those. Moving forward, I do plan to share what I have learned from this session, and perhaps incorporate some of the tools into my own info lit sessions and course guides for others to benefit from.