To Summarize...

I have lots of different thoughts as I come to the end of the Learn and Play experience, and I'd like to share a few of them here.

First, I enjoyed the VARIETY of web technology that we covered. We didn't just play around with one type of thing, but discovered many. We delved into the world of pictures and how to create unique images. We looked at how to share ideas online with tools like Delicious, Wikis, and newsfeeds. We explored the potential of communication as we discovered podcasts and Twitter. We also had some fun with videos on YouTube and the image generator. (Since, after all, wasn't the whole goal to have fun?) :0)

Second, I appreciated the opportunity to BE HONEST about how we felt about the different technologies. There were some that I really enjoyed like YouTube (my favorite), podcasts, and wikis. Then there were others that I either didn't find as interesting or I didn't see as personally relevant to me like Library Thing and Library 2.0. The thing was, I didn't feel pressure that I had to enjoy everything. If I didn't enjoy something, I could say so, and it would still "count". The option to agree or disagree is all a part of the discovery process, and I was grateful that we had that freedom.

Finally, I'm excited about the fact that these discovery excercises don't end here. Discovering them was just the first step. Now that we've discovered them, we have the opportunity to USE THEM and incorporate the ones we liked into our daily lives. For some, Twitter has become an addtion to their online life. For others, they now have a way to share photos online with friends and family. For me...who knows? Maybe one of these days you can listen to one of my podcasts, read my book published through the Web 2.0 tool Lulu, and watch it on YouTube after it's made into a movie...all without leaving your own living room. :0) Yay for Learn and Play!