Thing 23: Reaching Cam23Thing Nirvana

Now arriving at Thing 23, which is where this programme terminates.
All reflect please, all reflect...
So it's reflection time again, but this time, you can sit back, relax, and gaze out over the landscape of all the new web 2.0 tools you can now use. 

But first ...

We'd like you to check the list of 23 Things and make sure you have blogged about each one, preferably with an evaluation of each Thing either for libraries or your personal and professional development. You've got a bit of time though - you need to be finished (or as close to as possible) by the end of next week (Friday 23rd September)

Now reflect upon...
Things which made you smile

Things which have become a part of the way you live and work

Things which you'll never go near again

Web 2.0 and social media more generally - what role do they really play within libraries and information services?

...and don't forget to write this all down!

In fact, as well as writing it down, how about turning it into a beautiful word cloud with:

1. Go to Wordle and click on "Create".
2. Paste in the URL of your blog, click submit and watch for the result (this may take a few minutes, especially if you have posted lots). You can restrict the content to a single post if you prefer: just enter the specific URL of that post, rather than the general URL for your blog.
3. You can play with the display using the toolbar at the top until you are happy with it, but don't navigate away from the page or you will lose it. If this happens, just re-submit the copy.
4. When you are happy with your word cloud, simply take a screenshot of it, save it as an image format, and upload it to your blog, where it should look something like this:

Is that all?
Not quite. The end of programme party will take place in the Museum of Classicial Archaeology in the Faculty of Classics on Thursday 22nd September at 5.30pm. We'd be very grateful if you could register your attendance on the form here or by emailing Annie at aj390@cam.ac.uk.

We will also be handing out a few special prizes in the following categories:

• Best blog
• Best blog post
• Best blog title
• Most supportive "Thinger"

So that's a little more reflection for you to do - have a look through some of your favourite blogs from throughout the programme and nominate your winners using the form here.

Where did that curtain come from?
Lastly, but by no means leastly, CONGRATULATIONS on surviving 14 weeks of relentless techy torture and, hopefully, learning one or two useful things for future use, personally or professionally.

As a treat (and what a treat), here's the man himself to sing us out...

Thanks to Sarah Stamford for more than a little inspiration and for the Wordle instructions

Week 10, Thing 18 : Reflection Week

Reflecting at the Faculty of Classics

Well done everyone for reaching week 10 and the second of three reflection weeks. Or as I like to think of it a chance to catch up on those things still waiting to be done.  As we are well over half way through now you will all have developed or still be developing your reflective style.  The 23 things programme asks you to use and reflect on a number of web 2.0 tools.  You may not even have realised you were reflecting as you went along so in many ways thing 18 is already accomplished.  You will have been asking some of the standard reflective practice questions such as why am I using this, what have I learned and how will I apply it. 

You may choose to add the thing 18 tag to one of your other blogs where you have already reflected or write a separate post, perhaps on

• what you have gained from this programme so far (it doesn't have to be a specific thing but more general)
• which thing you particularly liked or disliked
• which of the forthcoming things you really can't wait to try (the things are listed here)

If you would like to share your reflections with other people on the programme, ask a burning question on one of the things or just meet for a drink and a chat then come along to the University Centre Grads Cafe tonight at 6pm for an informal get together.

This is a reflection/catch up week rather than a blog on reflective practice but if anyone is interested in more information on this then there are plenty of links and information at the cpd23 blog post.  

I started with a photograph of the glass doors of the Faculty of Classics.  This seemed an appropriate image as it showed a reflection and part of the motivational Euripidean quote on the door.  The full quote can be translated as "happy is the man who has gained knowledge through inquiry" (Fragments, translated by Christopher Collard and Martin Croop. Loeb Classical Library, no. 504, p.227, fragment 910).  So by the end of this programme you will all hopefully be ecstatic from the new knowledge that you have gained!

Next week
You will be learning about the presentation tools slideshare and prezi as well as an extra thing on data visualisation.

Reflection week meetup #2

Thank you everyone who filled in the Doodle poll! We're going to go for Monday 22nd August at 6pm as most people can make that. If you haven't been to Grad's Cafe before it is on the third floor of the University Centre on Granta Place.

See you there!

Reflection week meet up and drinks #2

Hello everyone, hope you are enjoying Cam23 2.0 so far! We're now over halfway through, and as next week is another reflection week we thought we would have another meetup. We really enjoyed meeting lots of you in the last reflection week, and hope as many people as possible can make it next week. Please fill in our Doodle poll to help us pick the day, I'll let you know the chosen date by the end of the week. Edit: I've changed the venue to University Centre as it's more central to where most peoples' libraries are, and added lunchtime time-slot options to the poll.

Link to the Doodle Poll

(Not actually where we're going sadly) By Thomas Graham on Flickr

Week 6, Thing 11: Reflection

Just one 'thing' this week - not a shiny online tool to play with, not a download or a widget in sight - but a chance to catch our breaths, to catch up and to meet up.

Whether you're doing these 'things' for the first time or refreshing your knowledge, try and take a bit of time this week to think about how it's going.

• What have you learned that's new?
• What have you enjoyed about '23 things' so far?
• Which of the things do you love/hate?
• Which ones will you carry on using?
• Can you incorporate the things you're learning on this programme into your (working) life?

Use your blog to share your thoughts, chat to colleagues or come along and reflect with some other 23Thingers at the B Bar from 6pm tonight.

Reflection week meet up

Hope everyone is enjoying the programme so far! Thanks to everyone who let us know their preferred dates for the reflection week meetup. The runaway favourite was Monday 25th July. The venue is B Bar on Market Passage, and I'll be there from 6pm or just before. Looking forward to seeing lots of you there!

Reflection week meetup

During the first reflection week we thought it might be nice to have a Cam23 2.0 meetup, to have a few drinks and chat to other participants.

Now that we're all Doodle experts thanks to Erin, I've set up a poll to see when the best day would be during that week (w/b 25th July). It would be great if as many people as possible could make it, so please take a few seconds to mark your preferred dates in the poll.

Poll: http://www.doodle.com/4x4ue88hi3tpfftc

By VancityAllie on Flickr