Final post for class

So I know tomorrow is technically the last day of the class, but I decided to go ahead and do my wrap up post today since I had some time, and I did a mind map (a first for me) about what I wanted to talk about.

(So, why is a mind map a first for me? I've always written notes pretty linearly, in an outline form. It's always worked for me, and I would just write notes in the margins if something came to me "out of order." But I used Prezi the other day and loved it, and it got me thinking that maybe I ought to try a mind map. So I did.)

What I'll keep:

• I'll definitely keep GoogleReader. Love this! I've had people explain RSS to me before, but I just didn't quite get it. This  helped me get it.
• Jing: Wish I had known about this program years ago. Of course, it may not have existed years ago, but now I know it's here. Will also look into whether or not my organization already has Camtasia. If so, we'll see if that will work for me.
• Blogging. Okay, so you are going to see much less of me here, but I'll probably post if I find something cool now and then. But I'm interested in seeing if a support blog at work would be feasible, and I'm considering starting a different sort of blog once school is over in a year and half. We'll see.

 What I'll ditch:

• Some of my tech feeds on Google Reader. I cleared it out last night, and now it's time to do some unsubscribing.
• Twitter, at least temporarily. I wasn't very active on it, but I'm sort of starting to get it. I think it will continue to be an experiment for me, but on a very, very small scale. I just don't check it often enough to make it work the way it is supposed to. It is information overload, and I've got a lot of that already with school. However, I'm not ready to throw in the towel. Just hang it up for a while 

What I want to work on:

• Delicious (or the other bookmarking site that I can't remember). I'm always finding cool stuff on the web, and I need to find a better way to keep track of those sites and articles without printing them out or keeping them all starred in my Google Reader. I signed up for Delicious, but I haven't had a good chance to dive in and figure out how to really use it effectively.
• Password management. AAACCKK!  This has never been my strong suit anyway, but after this class I just sort of lost it. If nothing else, some of my passwords are in dire need of a reset anyway, so this will be a chance to clean them up. 
• Podcasts: This is something else that I didn't dive into the way I wanted to. Part of it is that I haven't yet figured out how to "dock" my iPod Touch to my in-home or car stereo. My daughter would pull earbuds out, and my car is the place I most often think that I'd like to listen to something other than the radio. I'll be working on some form of solution in the next couple of months.
• A System: Robin talked about a system for managing her life in "social." I don't have one yet. I'm the type of gal that reads almost every informative plaque in a museum. It's hard for me to skim, and it's hard for me to skip. If I'm going to keep any of this stuff, I need to figure out my system, and learn to filter.

What I learned: 

I learned:  

• It is important to keep your options open. 
• Don't be afraid to try something new.
• Use the tools your learners are using to reach them.
• There are lots of resources out there to teach you new tech stuff. When in doubt, call Robin!
• Technology can really be a time suck. Figure out your filters.
• Going mobile makes sense. Except when you are trying to type a long post or email. Then you need the laptop.  

So I think that's it for me. I've enjoyed reading all of you and I hope I'll see you in my reader now and then. You'll probably see me now and then too.

Happy Texting/Blogging/Podcasting/Video Editing/Learning!