In the end...

[T23] Wow, what an experience! HPL Learning 2.0 has opened up a new world for me. Though there were times I felt like banging my head up against the wall (i.e. no pain, no gain, right?-lol), it wasn’t vain. The amount of knowledge I’ve gained these past few weeks is not only vast, but very useful. I didn’t realize how advanced the internet has become. From creating blogs, to downloading podcasts, uploading pictures, learning about RSS Feeds and much more, I feel this is only the beginning for me. More importantly, I feel this is only the beginning for us. HPL can definitely move in a new direction with all that is at our disposal. For instance, using Zoho, proposals can be written and edited collaboratively. Meetings can take place via web using wiki. Blogs could be used to inform/update one another on projects/events/activities that are going on in our relative branches. There’s a lot of promise here.

I have to confess, though—some of this stuff was hard in the beginning. Would you believe that I kept creating a new blog thinking I was adding a new post? It mysteriously dawned on me one day that something wasn’t right. That’s when I discovered I had like five blogs or something. LOL. Others things, like delicious and librarything, went smoothly.

Going back to the 7 ½ pointers from lifelong learners, this program engages and makes you become a lifelong learner (if you weren't one to begin with). Throughtout the course of this program, completing 23Things was the goal (p1-begin with the end in mind). We were able to learn at our own pace thereby accepting responsibility for our learning (p2). I, for one, personally came across many challenges (p3) and, through the use of various tools (p5) and technology (p6), I successfully handled them. Having confidence and the "I think I can" mentality (p4) is the only way I overcame those challenges. And though, I was no expert at what I was doing, sharing this experience (i.e. teaching-p7) and sites with other members outside of the HPL community (i.e. family members) really reinforced my learning. And I would be lying if I didn't say I had a good time all the while (p7.5-of course, some times were more enjoyable than others). In summary, Learning 2.0 was useful, at times tough, but overall, fun!