Ta-da!

Well, here I am at the finish line! Hurray! I have enjoyed the voyage:

1. What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
I am going to answer this a bit differently from what I believe is expected: What my favorite discovery on this journey was just how helpful everyone in my branch was to each other in trying to complete this project. I watched my co-workers go out of their way to aid others in understanding and finishing each step. At no point did those who did understand what was expected make those who did not feel stupid or "out of touch." I am grateful to all of the Savagers who were so helpful to me.

2. How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
What it has shown me is that I can learn new things and enjoy myself while doing so. I am now contemplating signing up for other self-paced learning opportunities, and also possibly taking on-line courses. I have proven to myself that my brain is not too old nor too full to embrace new concepts.

3. Were there any take-aways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
Yes, I was surprised at my strong negative reaction to "YouTube." I had really thought that I would enjoy "playing" with that more than I did. I have seen customers in my branch watching it and having a ball, and thought I would too, but it seemed like a total waste of time to me.

4. What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?And last but not least…
My co-worker, John Jewitt, did a fantastic job on his blog. One of the remarks that I have heard people make about his is how clear his explanations were, and I definitely agree. Many times I would read over the directions in each thing, and then go to his blog and re-read them in Jewitt-ese and understand better what was being asked of me. So, what I would suggest is to not have the powers that be who create "things" like this to take for granted that everyone is starting from the same place, technically-speaking. There are those of us who have a glancing knowledge of what is out there, and those who are "hep to the jive, " like John. The trick is to make this learning opportunity challenging enough to please the techies without having the rest of us give up halfway through because we just don't understand what is going on. The creator of 23 Things did this well, but some of the explanations of what was expected needed to be simplified.

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

6. How would you describe your learning experience in a few words or a few sentences, so we can share our successes and promote this program?

Doing 23 Things gave me the opportunity to learn, explore, and play. It doesn't get any better than that!

Podcasts

I had no idea that back in 2005, podcast was the word of the year! Imagine that! For me, listening to podcasts is a really new thing, and I am amazed that I am able to do it. Currently, I am listening to a podcast from 89.3 in Ohio-wmkv--which has really old swing music on there, plus some terrific comedy. I just heard a bit from Lily Tomlin as Ernestine when she "called" J. Edgar Hoover, and was laughing out loud. I am also trying to figure out how to listen to the Marc Steiner show, and hopefully will be able to do so soon.

As I was trying to locate a podcast that I would be interested in hearing, I noticed that there were a lot of ones that were somewhat lewd. I am not a prude, but the idea of hearing stuff like that appalls me, and I do wonder where we are all headed in the name of "freedom of speech." Television is getting coarser, magazine covers are all about sex, and it seems as if all of the tools that we are developing are leading us down this path as well. Is this what we really want? Is this what we want for our children?

For now, I'm happy with listening to music from a different age. It truly has me happy.