Final Entry

At the beginning of this semester, I felt behind. Behind in technology that is. I knew there was so much out there that I didn't know about. I had no idea what Web 2.0 was. I actually had never heard of that. For a girl who wanted to advance into the millennium, my shyness kept me back in the beginning of the 19th century. I think I was afraid to start because I wasn't sure where or how to begin.
This semester changed all of that for me. Both classes offered me a freedom full of purpose to explore different types of technology. I was amazed at how easy I found it to navigate through and couldn't wait to share sites like "Delicious" and "Library Thing" with my co-workers and my family. As comfortable as I feel about technology now, I feel like I need to help encourage and teach this to my co-workers. As a media specialist, it is very important that I teach and share everything that I learn about technology. There are so many beneficial sites out there and my teachings will help our school and community.
I won't ever stop learning, even when I finish school at UNT. Having the knowledge and skills about Web 2.0 already, I am empowered with fantastic resources to continue learning about new technologies. I read somewhere that it isn't the Web that is changing the world; it is the people who are using the Web that are changing it. As we grow, it grows from us, through us. I will continue to advocate the benefactors of this all the while teaching safety and responsibility.
I am new to the librarian position this year, so I am going to start by "climbing hills before I come to the mountains". Meaning, that I will start by sharing at each faculty meeting about new technologies available to the teachers and students. I also plan to share about my web page that I designed in this class. I have also created a "Cozy Teacher Corner" in the library workroom. This will be for teachers and staff when they have a few minutes to stop in and look at the resources I have found for them. I want to be able to help them with their class research projects and collaborate on helpful resources that correlate with their weekly objectives.
All of this will come in time, I know. I will also continue to evaluate myself and my short term goals. This will help me keep focus and keep growing as a librarian, a teacher, and a media specialist.