Thing # 11.5 : Evaluation

End of the Trail by Schizoform



This image may indicate how I feel, but as long as I am a Spring Branch librarian, I know I will never reach the end of the trail! I might fade out with a whimper, though.... This course of 11.5 Things has been a labor of love, and I have enjoyed every minute of it, and I am proud of that! I was challenged, but I didn't give up--haven't given up (see Second Life). I have faltered but never fallen. I have enjoyed moments of prideful success and instances of rueful self-doubt. There have been times when I felt dumber and denser than a fence post, but I always got to the "aha" moment, sometimes with professional help (thank you, VWB) and sometimes by reading the blog entries of colleagues. The important thing is that I did it, and if I did it, then so can everyone else.

I have mini-lessons prepared for staff development that I cannot wait to offer! I chose the easier ones to demonstrate first: wordle, screencast, slideshare, glogster. I am reminded of the impact that trading cards had on most bloggers last year. Suddenly, it seemed as if no lesson were complete without a culminating trading card or magazine cover! Was everyone doing it? Yes! Did it matter? No! Teachers felt successful integrating technology into their lessons, and students loved having a technology product at the end of a unit.

If each of us takes away just two or three great, new Things to use with this year's crop of students, then each of us will be rewarded by the harvest. When I think about that, it doesn't matter how many hours I spend on 11.5 Things. We are not paid by the hour; we are paid by the lifetime.