I Am Curious ! -- Mellow

Greetings !

This is the last assignment for the second and last semester of Project Play. I was intrigued by the video clip about curiosity and the final question to be addressed in this blog that has to do with Project Play. The questions posed are( and I paraphrase) : Do you think you are a curious person? and What relationship does curiosity have to Project Play, the things you've learned, and keeping the Project Play torch burning? Glad you asked! I wasn't sure that I would describe myself as curious, because for me the word "curious" has a slightly negative feel. So rather than be inhibited by my sense of etymology, I went to an on-line dictionary and looked up the word. The first definition is "eager to learn more" and comes from a Latin term Unduly inquisitive; prying.meaning inquisitive / careful. Which pretty much describes me. And since I was interested -- I'm the type that gets lost in dictionary for hours which I suppose makes me "curious" -- I looked at the second definition which is the one that carries the more negative connotation of "unduly inquisitive; prying". Having reached a certain age and with it at least a basic understanding of myself, I would describe myself as curious about how things work and how process works, and even about how things and process could work in the future, but I' m not -- as a general proposition-- as interested in people. And I think I'm not as interested in people because that's were the second definition of "curious" joins up with my social sensibilities and I feel that being curious about people gets you into the realm of "unduly inquisitive and prying". Let's face it, I'm a Midwestern Norwegian/Danish mix that firmly believes that if someone wants to tell you about themselves and their lives you stand their and listen and make appropriate, encouraging noises even while every ounce of your being and upbringing tells you to run away. So, I think I have answered the first part of the question. Ja, sure. You betcha. I am curious.

Curiosity and the tenets of Project Play go hand in hand. Playing and learning are deeply linked. Good learners are playful with ideas. They like novelty. They have learned to be risk-takers and try new things. "Fear is the little mind killer" -- to quote Frank Herbert in "Dune" -- and you can't think or learn (much) when you're afraid. The big issue for any hierarchical institution ( and I think you'd have to allow that most public libraries are hierarchical due to the very nature of the classification system that organizes the books on the shelves. This classification system seems to spill over into the institution so that it's easy to become tradition-bound and easy to believe there are correct answers for every question.) is how to create a culture that rewards risk-taking. Believe me, I have tried. Believe me, I don't have any answers except to try to model the behavior myself, encourage others to try, and to be sympathetic and non-blaming if things don't work out. I believe that curiosity is integral to keeping current with technology and being able to pick and choose what will work best for your library and its customers. You have to be constantly exploring the ever-changing landscape of the Internet to discover what's out there. Then you have to have the courage to choose. Courage is a attribute of the curious. You can't have risk-taking without having the heart, the courage, to overcome the fear of the unknown, the fear of failure, the fear of humiliation.

Project Play has done a great job of offering an environment where it is safe to take risks, where it is safe to fail, and where there is a "guide at the side" to help us rise from the ashes of our failures. I personally think the "coolness" factor of some of the applications we have looked at and played with have added to the learning. Never underestimate the power of cool.

I'm glad the Project Play learning community will attempt to stay together. Mutual support has been a real asset of this project. It has kept us motivated. I will continue to explore the new brave new world that is evolving daily on the web. With the help of everyone associated with Project Play, I will try bringing some of these applications to my library's users.

See you in the funny papers!

The Rat