CPD23 Thing 19 - Integration is the nature of the problem

Well this Thing is about integration (identifying what has been useful thus far and how to integrate it into routines and life) and reflection upon.

Use….

Of the actual tools I didn’t already use covered by the Programme (up to Thing 17, cheerfully admit not done 18 yet!) I suppose the ones I’m using in an on-going manner thus far are  this blog (!), Evernote, and Google Calendar.  Everything else I’ve either used in a kind of one-off way to facilitate completion of the Thing and posting on it but not gone back to or it was something that was already integrated into my life (Twitter etc) before the Programme anyway.

With this blog, Evernote and Google Calendar I fully admit I’m not exactly consistently integrated.

And integration…

I have junked my personal printed diary in favour of Google Calendar on my phone. I forget to put things into it and find it more finicky to add things directly in through my phone than my paper diary was, I end up having to go back later and edit it at times from my pc which somehow has more options, but it also has functionality my diary didn’t possess I really like. So I’m persevering.  

Evernote I haven’t added to much at all since my initial afternoon activity at it – but the information I loaded in I use all the time through my phone, and there’s more things I need to add in before I forget how!  I really like it.

This Blog now has (good grief!) 30 entries on it. Somehow that makes me smile, this time I did not start a soon-abandoned blog (have before!). Most are related to CPD23 but not all and I’m pleased I initially named it nothing to do with CPD23 so it can go on in its own right very easily and will. It’s rather fun (for me anyway!).

Things I need to investigate more…

Some Things I haven’t used much at all compared to others. So I need to use DropBox a bit more, and have another go at Mendeley for instance, before I really know if I’ll use them on an on-going basis or not.  And there are Things I have still to do anything on at all.

Purpose…

But one of the main reasons I decided to do CPD23 was to do with getting to know a lot of programmes etc, have used them, have them in some form.  It’s achieved all of that.

End of the day the things I still use in six months will be the ones that are easy for me to access, fulfil a purpose, and be something I need to use regularly to achieve it.