How am I doing?

Lifelong learners ask this question often. This question keeps them in a constant loop of self-improvement. Wikipedia defines lifelong learning as “all learning activity undertaken throughout life, with the aim of improving knowledge, skills and competences within a personal, civic, social and/or employment-related perspective”.

Striving to be a lifelong learner is necessary to keep up with the digital advances of this century; with the interpretive goal of connecting with the next generation.

Self-assessment through Adaptive Management

So, how am I doing? …how are you doing? In Natural Resource Management, there is a management approach called Adaptive Management (AM); the approach acknowledges that we don’t know everything when making decisions, by identifying ‘uncertainties’. It is a learning-based philosophy that should be applied to all aspects of life, because guess what?…nobody knows everything!  Say it with me, “I don’t know everything!”…one more time, “I don’t know everything!” Very Good!

Now that we’ve acknowledged that we don’t know everything, I think it’s also safe to say that the future of technology and interpretation will have many uncertainties.  Applying the six AM step process while approaching digital interpretation, or my current knowledge of technologies, can be an effective way to self-evaluate and motivate me to learn new technologies for connecting with young tech savvy visitors.

1. Assess my audience, my resource, and my own digital literacy.
2. Design and plan appropriately while considering my current knowledge base.
3. Implement the plan.
4. Monitor the results. Did I effectively connect with my audience?
5. Evaluate the results. Could I have made a better connection using new technology?
6. Adjust by exploring new technologies that are used by and relevant to my audience.

Repeat!  You are on your way to being a lifelong learner, and discovering some very cool digital interpretive tools!