I really appreciated this whole Web 2.0 exploration. I had a lot of criticism about many of these applications, but I did appreciate learning about them, and some I've even come around on--the RSS feed is a part of my daily life now, and I've been using Zotero steadily for my big projects. These are useful, yo.
I'm not sure I was very surprised at any point in this process; maybe my past posts belie that, but I sort of had a sense that these things existed out there somewhere. It is a wide range, that's for sure, and I do appreciate having had this survey, because now I think I won't feel any intimidation in seeking out and implementing these technologies, either in my own life or in any library setting I find myself in.
On that note, I think that that about sums up the effect this experience has had on my Lifelong Learning techniques. It's safe to say that feelings of intimidation play a large role in many facets of my life, including in seeking out and using technology I'm not already comfortable with. Word processing and email, those have been my main digital crutches. But there is so much more out there that can streamline life and business and careers. Along with intimidation, I have to add that procrastination is a big part of my life, and assuming that doesn't go away any time soon, these technologies might make my life a bit smoother. (Thanks for this semester, Zotero!) I don't know how huge a shift in my perspective this is, since as a big reader and writer I was already kind of locked into the concept of being a lifelong learner.
One addition I might want to see on there is Prezi. That keeps coming up in my LIS classes, and I'd love to have an excuse just to go play with it. (Maybe after this semester.) Such a pretty alternative to PowerPoint. But in terms of format, I dunno, I have appreciated the self-direction of the experience, but I might like a few more mentions of due dates and whatnot in class. Just touching base to remind the students that it's not a 'get it done whenever' process. It's all good, though. I just need to keep my syllabus more handy.
There's nothing stopping you from exploring Prezi as a part of your final group project presentation. One of the things that makes Prezi stand out compared to PowerPoint is it's non-linear nature. Prezi is capable of organizing ideas as they are related to each other, and it makes heavy use of visual hierarchy (a vocabulary term that's hopefully been conveyed this semester). Creating a presentation that has these qualities and does not abuse Prezi's capabilities to cause mass dizziness is another Web 2.0 tool that would be good to explore further. Prezi's collaborative features are another skill that would be a valued tool in any library's toolbox.
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