23. Thoughts and Actions

Thanks to Sharkey and the Kumara street cartoon.



The online experience ACL Learning 2 has lead me round the world and back again! In the beginning I read the aim of the programme was to allow staff to explore technologies and learn new skills on the internet, to expand minds, empower individuals and enrich our community.
(Did you hear me sniff in derision!) I doubted my own ability to work through 2 or3 tasks, not even considering 23!

But the more exercises I did, the more I gained in confidence, and I began to have fun! First of all the Blog. I liked the Harbour Template and muted colours, then had to find an image which fitted in with rose and page. The idea of inserting pictures (thanks Flickr) might have occurred in the past , but lack of knowledge ensured I stuck to text. Then, there were the cartoons and the ability to add punchlines. Finding other authors' blogs (including two I'd been following with interest for a while) and the joy of a response from Susan Wittig Albert when I pulled her blog into my feeds. Bloglines has been great- I've 26 including RSS feeds and podcasts.... and usually check them daily. Youtube and Beebo etc... I knew vaguely what they were but had little thought to try to access them and use them for fun or education!
LibraryThing,wow! I spend far too much time at home checking , tagging, and reading other peoples' library notes and reviews. (The garden and lawns can wait!) Have my own library up over fifty books now but mainly put in ones I really like or wish to remember.

So thanks ACLLearning team especially Jayne and Jen, and to my friend Willow who encouraged me with advice and help. I'd like to thank Helen Blowers and the 43 Things you should do... (am seriously considering following that up!) and management who set this programme up and all! Next time you see a rainbow think of the giant learning curve we've been on- we've already found the pot (pod) of gold!