Amazing, still it seems, I reached 23.....

 

Title inspired by Jimmy Eat World (23)....

So we've come to the end of the road and in this post I look back at the highs and lows of 23 things.  Firstly I have thoroughly enjoyed this programme.  I think most people know I am a big fan of web-type things and I do try and keep up with new technologies.  So although I had already tried out several of the things I still learned a great deal from 23 things.  This is mainly due to the fact that it allowed me time to look at these tools properly and assess them in terms of how I could use them at work.  I personally feel it is an extremely important part of our jobs to keep ahead or at least up-to-date with these technologies.  To do this we need to be able to have the freedom and time (a scarce commodity...) to try things out, to see the relevance (or lack thereof) of the different tools from the end user's perspective and to reflect on what worked and what didn't.  23 things has enabled us to do that and I intend to keep this blog to continue my reflection on new technologies that come my way and to set myself a target of exploring and reflecting on something new every month or so. 

I can see how these  tools can help in all three aspects which form the core of the work we do (resource development, teaching and learning, relationship building).  Particularly from the fashion courses I support I have noticed that academics are looking to me to help them with both the technical know-how of to use these tools and also in helping them understand how they can use them in their work and with their students.  This maybe due to the fact that I am already very passionate about web 2.0 stuff and have the confidence in these technologies to be able to help, but I can see how programmes like 23 things (cf. CPD23) can help in providing those less confident with further skills and experience.

One of the things I liked most about 23 things was reading other people's blogs, it was great to see what other fellow 23 thing-ers thought about each thing and whether their opinions on the tools were different or similar to mine.  One of the things I disliked the most was the lack of momentum, I know it's difficult sometimes when there are distractions throughout the academic year and I appreciate that people need time to catch up but I think often the pauses were too loooooong.  I would have liked to do a full 23 too ;)

Most useful tool that I discovered through 23 things: Technically not one of the "things" in iteself but something I did discover through doing the programme was Google Reader's bundle facility. It is particularly useful for something like this where you have a collection of blogs and it is likely that someone will want to subscribe to the whole lot in one go, rather than subscribing to each blog individually.  There are also advantages for creating bundles by selecting blogs on the same topic e.g. fashion and providing that bundle to staff/students to subscribe to.
Most fun tool: Probably LetterJames- despite not seeing the relevance of this when I first used it I have since grown to love its simplicity in creating original-looking images- it has now livened up many a blog post/Prezi of mine
Least useful tool: Create your own search engine.  Not enough added value for the effort needed.
Most frustrating tool: Can create great sites really simply but I spend my time willing it to be so much more.
Tool I find most useful for work: Twitter- it simply has transformed how I get my information about the profession, stay aware of current issues, and get updates from e-resource suppliers.  It generally is a brilliant tool for my professional development and awareness.  Also very useful in its ability to disseminate things I have learned on 23 things and drive traffic back to my blog!

So 23 things it's been fun, farewell and win me an iPad so I can continue to play (I mean learn).....

evolutio

Picture: Champagne bar at St. Pancras taken by Ellie