Thing 23, Reflection

So, did this do what I had anticipated?  Yes, it did, introducing me to new tools for working via the web.  It also gave me an opportunity to reflect on other aspects of career development which I hadn't envisaged doing at this stage, so it was useful to have the "space"  and encouragement to do so.  Looking at other's blogs gave me a chance to see how they were interacting with various networks and what could be gained from each one, thus providing a useful guide to see what I might be able to use effectively.

I shall definitely take away with me some new (to me) technologies to use; Evernote, Google Docs and Zotero are among my favourites. I still intend to experiment a little more with Twitter and whether I continue to blog may be a matter of not only having something useful to say, but also the time to maintain a credible presence.

A six word "story" ?
New technologies; better working, reinvigorated thinking.

Thank you for an interesting summer

Thing 5 - reflective practice

Well I suppose the key is in the name "reflective practice" - it has to be pursued actively.  I really liked the "description, interpretation and (especially) outcome" idea.  Currently I keep a free form journal type document (alongside the very structured, almost course orientated, cpd log from CILIP) which, looking back on it, concentrates on the first two stages, but is sadly lacking in stating outcomes. 
I'm also hoping that this blog will provide some documentation for my Revalidation with CILIP.

Having identified that I would benefit from exploring "social media", but always been a little (well quite a lot) overwhelmed by the sheer variety of sites out there, this summer's initiative is very timely and useful.  A slight hiccup in our internet connection served to make me re-examine how much I do use the net and maybe I should participate more professionally online, and take control of my online "brand".  However, this will probably evolve over time, so I'll pick the tools which seem of most use to me at the moment, and concentrate on them, such as Twitter and my RSS feed.  Managing to find time for this new manner of working is going to be quite tricky, so I'm going to need strategies that are easy for me to continue so I don't neglect them.