Ancora imparo

Ancora imparo: (Latin) "I am still learning".

Even though the sound was too slow for my taste (guess that tells me a little bit about what kind of learner I am, anyhow), I enjoyed the presentation about lifelong learners. It's a good thing for people in libraries to remember to keep new exciting stuff in our toolkits, and to be learning new things constantly.

At home, we are trying unschooling on for size. Together, Fiona, Nora and I are reading and playing a lot and learning about subjects across the curriculum by delighting our senses with Schoolhouse Earth. It's a really fun way to incorporate age-appropriate skills with current interests and local options. This week, for example, a friend offered us the last of his grapes. We picked grapes and toured his garden together, which was previously blogged here. Ian and I also made juice from the grapes that evening. Tonight we made our first batch of grape jelly. And if you haven't read quite enough about making grape jelly yet, read Catherine Newman's blog posts here. That woman is a riot! If you enjoy her in the least, be sure to check out Waiting for Birdy.

We lifelong learners just never quit unschooling ourselves. I know I have a gazillion things I want to learn more about-- knitting, singing, organic gardening, building, sewing, ukulele, Spanish language, historic homes... and that's just the tip of the iceberg! And, when you think about it, when life is this fascinating, why would anyone want to stop learning?

NB: In fact, here's the project I want to work on next Spring. Want to work on it with me, fellow lifelong learner?

Instant Messaging

I used to see kids sitting at side-by-side terminals IMing each other and wonder, "Do they not have ANYTHING better to do, or am I just bitter because I'm busy?" Now that I have a PC in my kitchen that I dare not look at, much less touch during the greater part of the daytime out of concern that my 19-month old will want to pull the keyboard out to press random keys or demand charming videos of herself ad nauseum, I find myself jonesing for IM as well.

Beyond the immediacy, it's great to be able to get that quick status update, send a reference question, or even request Chinese take-out for supper just because the right person happens to be online at the right place and time. Email is great for some things, and I think even Twitter can have its poetic moments, but IM is a powerhouse with smileys. Now I want to find out more about Meebo.

Librarian

I love the sound and the vibe of this song and accompanying video by Haunted Love. The retribution aspect doesn't feel half bad sometimes in a purely theoretical application, either.

Flickr badge

Hello! I'm just getting started with my own Flickr account-- it's weird to quit sharing Ian's-- and now I'm trying to get my new Flickr badge to work. Cross your fingers with me. . .

Oh! I rock! If it weren't past midnight I'd try to set up some contacts in Flickr. But now the only contact I want is with my very own pillow.

A work blog

Hello, gentle reader. I'm not new to blogging-- Ian and I have been writing a baby book for our daughters Fiona and Nora called Talk About it More for awhile now-- but this Learning 2.0 blog is exciting for other reasons. Not only do I have a chance to experiment with some technologies that are new to me (for instance, I've been thinking perhaps we should be tagging our blog posts, but have been too lazy to look into it) but sometimes I have stuff to say that isn't baby book related and doesn't fit the scope of that other blog.

Voila! Here's another crack at context! If something strikes a chord for you (one way or the other), comment away, please. It's always gratifying. If not, move on baby. There are lots of other people signed up for this 2.0 thing, so there's no lack of interesting reading material.