Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Summary and reflection

I think that I would rate myself at a 7. This is the second time taking this Betty Blogger summer school. To be honest, I didn't do much with it after the first time but I found this set of tasks much more meaningful. I was already using Picasa for my pictures so felt more apt with this task. From amongst all of these tasks, I found Google Reader and Library Thing the most intriguing. And between these two, I would say that the latter grabbed my attention the most.
I enjoyed Betty Blogger very much and looked forward to Mondays to discover new Google territories. The instructions were clearly laid out and easy to follow. Some of the actual web pages were not always self-explanatory and made navigating through them a bit problematic. For me, this was the challenging aspect of the course. I would put wikis in this category. With more exposure and time, I am sure that these would become easier to use. Another aspect for my consideration here is the practicality of some of these Google applications. There are some that are less helpful for me at this point so I was not as keen in getting to know them in more depth. Ones that I saw an immediate use for caught my attention right from the get go and these are the ones that I will pursue in the future.
The interest that this course generated in free Google applications motivated me to go to Chapters to see if there was a Dummies book about Google. There wasn't but what I did find was a well laid out book with visual steps called Google for Seniors. I like how it is laid out making it very user friendly. There are many topics covered but the ones from this course that are addressed are Blogger, Docs, YouTube and Picasa. These are likely the ones that I will continue to use along with the Reader and Library Thing.
Library Lady's email messages were fun to read. Your sense of humour added to the enjoyment of this on-line course. Very witty comments kept my attention right to the end. I was also impressed with the prompt comments posted on my blog. They were there the day after I had posted my tasks. Thank you for your immediate feedback. This helped tremendously to let me know that I was on track.
I like the self-directed working module. I have used this format before in other situations and find that it is a fun way of learning provided that the instructions are clear and that the step are broken down into manageable chunks.
If this program were to run again, I would definitely try it again. There were some different topics than last year such as Diigo, Picasa and Library Thing. With the repeated topics, it was a good review and reinforced what I had done last year. I have already mentioned this summer course to a few of my friends. Last year, I brought two others on board, one from St. Catharines.
Thank you Library Lady for organizing this so well, for your humourous approach in your emails and for your positive feedback. I look forward to the grand finale on the evening of Aug. 31.

2 comments:

Library Lady said...

"For she's a jolly good fellow..."

Great work, Gizmo.

Melissa P. said...

Congratulations on completing the Betty Blogger program, Gizmo. I, too, find I learn a little more each time review course material.

And the Google for Seniors book is great! I borrowed it from BPL and have referred to it numerous times this summer. I believe Library Lady also has it on her list of Betty's Books titles.