"23 Things and Learning 2.0 – Discover…Explore…Share

I am taking an on-line class called "Learning web 2.0 skills".  It's purpose is stated as follows: "Listed below are “23 Things” (or small exercises) that you can do as a “possible” way to enhance your skills with Family History and/or Genealogy on any level. The exercises will expand your knowledge of the Internet and Web 2.0 technology."

The first thing that was suggested in the "23 Things" e-learning project was to " read about “23 things” by putting that phrase into a search engine".  I read several articles about e-learning.  One of the first things I learned was that I didn't know what web 2.0 was.  I asked a friend and mentor about it and she led me on a self-discovery expedition and also gave me her understanding of the web 1.0 vs. web 2.0 concept  She pointed me to several on-line articles and printed a table from one of them that showed the difference between web 1.0 and web 2.0. 

"As I see it the first web applications were for information dissemination to a user. Web 2.0 is more for interaction and collaboration on a social basis between a group of users.  This is one person's comparison: http://blog.vovici.com/blog/bid/18085/Web-1-0-vs-Web-2-0"
Web 1.0             Web 2.0
One-way             Two-way
Authoritarian      Democratic
Passive                 Active
Static                     Dynamic
Closed                  Collaborative 
"Learning 1.0 is a conventional model of learning.  Learning 2.0  includes e-learning or internet-based learning."

Now, here I am at the 3rd activity in "23 Things".  I've signed up with Google's Blogger and started a blog.  We are encouraged to comment on the things we learn as we progress through the "23 Things" project.  I learned that setting up a blogger account was easy enough.  The hard part was  reading all the terms, conditions, privacy and security statements  and etc. involved with setting up the Google account, which I had to have before I could set up the Blogger account.  OK!  So it didn't kill me, But it did exhaust a lot of brain cells.

I also went to a friend's blog, read it, made a comment and set myself up to "follow" her blog.  I will be notified when there is activity on her blog,  I think.  I hope.

Uh, OH!  I just read about registering my blog and pinging.  I don't know that word "ping".  I guess I'll just leave that subject until another day.  However, I've made good progress this week by completing 3 "things".
The next thing I did in my exploration of e-learning was to: "Discover a few pointers from lifelong learners and learn how to nuture your own learning process."  In this learning phase, I read more on-line articles and decided to take a challenge listed in "the 7 1/2 habits of lifelong learners" to make a learning contract.  In my learning contract,  I set a goal to complete the "23 Things" project in 23 weeks or less.  I set up a chart on which to monitor and report my progress.  I also chose a person with/to whom to  collaborate and report my progress.  (I've yet to ask that person if she will work with me.)  I acknowledged, on paper, that I can still learn at my age.  The last item on the contract was to sign it so as to make it binding  and, thereby, make myself more accountable.