Thing 5
I somewhat take exception to the sentence of this “Thing”: Public libraries are the doorway to information for you and your students. I LOVE my public library system, but I think most teacher/student relationships start with the school’s library and then move out of that “doorway” to the public library, as needed.
I enjoy being a media specialist in a school. I cannot imagine working in a public library and not getting to know the clientele the way we get to know “our” students.
But I have not had all of my professional career working in schools. I did have the unique experience of working on the development of the national library in Iran in 1975. I was a lowly employee of the Pahlavi National Library in New York and Tehran. It was an amazing privilege to experience all the considerations and details that went into planning a service that would span satellites and donkey delivery of information. Experts from around the world were brought in to consider all the facets of developing a library system for a country that did not have much of an existing system. The library’s plans ended up literally in the gutter when the Shah was overthrown.
For years, I have very much enjoyed the Apple Valley branch of the Dakota County library—even volunteered there one summer years ago. More recently, I took my granddaughter to the weekly story times. I love to request books online and have them waiting for me, using self-serve checkout. I don’t know how I would keep my sanity during my daily commute without the library’s books on tape. I am thankful for books, copy machines, and even tax forms
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Copyright
Draft from January 28, 2009
Our first question is "Why talk about copyright?".
What came out immediately is that times have changed.
It used to be cut and dried. We stayed away from using much of anything created by another person.
Now things seem to be in flux. Not by presenters.
Okay, it is May. Copyright is a concept that kids need to know. Kids easily understand. We all break. I started leading students away from Google Images. There has been kicking and screaming and I feel their pain. This is a great issue.
Our first question is "Why talk about copyright?".
What came out immediately is that times have changed.
It used to be cut and dried. We stayed away from using much of anything created by another person.
Now things seem to be in flux. Not by presenters.
Okay, it is May. Copyright is a concept that kids need to know. Kids easily understand. We all break. I started leading students away from Google Images. There has been kicking and screaming and I feel their pain. This is a great issue.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Web 2.0--How visible or hidden?
So I am on the couch, watching the Vikings game with my wonderful wireless laptop in full gear. I am updating the schools website a wee bit but spending HOURS fixing things on the program that has replaced the venerable "card catalog". Destiny is the program's name. I am removing 16 mm projectors that are listed as available. Same for microphones that were purchased in the 1970s. I am removing a number of fiction books that I know are not on the shelf after a recent partial inventory. I am changing the material type from "book" to whatever for a number of things that then have the call number listed as "videotape" or "cassette tape".
Before our Winter Break, I was showing students how they can find information that is in the media center by using the catalog listed on the school's home page. I showed how to tell if the information was leading them to a book or a bit of multi-media or a website. But so much of the data is wrong!
So, while I am not doing an obvious two way communication, I do feel that my activities are a form of communication, albeit behind the scenes. Does a Web 2.0 exchange have to be very visible? Do we have to know who we are speaking to or does the knowledge that we have an audience who will act on our posting serve?
Happy New Year!
Before our Winter Break, I was showing students how they can find information that is in the media center by using the catalog listed on the school's home page. I showed how to tell if the information was leading them to a book or a bit of multi-media or a website. But so much of the data is wrong!
So, while I am not doing an obvious two way communication, I do feel that my activities are a form of communication, albeit behind the scenes. Does a Web 2.0 exchange have to be very visible? Do we have to know who we are speaking to or does the knowledge that we have an audience who will act on our posting serve?
Happy New Year!
Monday, December 15, 2008
Using the Library Catalog Destiny and Introducing Online Resources
I have finally started getting the English classes to come into the Media Center to use our school district library catalog and to introduce the online resources. It has been fun and interesting. Although I am in my first year at a high school I am finding the needs and understanding to be as varied as middle school was.
The Basics. There is always a need to cover the basics. While most students know about a library catalog, there are enough in each class who have no idea how to use one that it is fun and energetic. We used both the basic Library Search and the Destiny Quest.
As one teacher pointed out, the students don't really see the correlation between what is on the computer screen and that there is a book in the media center that is THAT thing.
Research for History Day is starting--at least the thinking point. Finding a wealth of primary sources in the World Book Online was an unexpected bonus. I knew that ELM sources would be good for these but it is always good to find more.
Too often we try to soar before we have mastered baby steps. I thought that--being a high school--students would be able to use catalogs backwards and forwards. Not so. In fact, I was just interrupted by a young man who is staying after school. He is an immigrant. He asked what an encyclopedia was. He had just seen the print set as he walked out of the lab with his class. He is so curious. I have so much to learn.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Data Bases & Online resources
Donna said it in her blog--we all stay in our comfort zone and that includes our involvement with databases. I know my weakness is to stay with Google and not venture into databases. Now not too many years ago, I was a better researcher. Remember the Periodic Guide? I followed that timeperiod with a CD tower that held SIRS and EBSCO subscriptions. These got too expensive, morphed into online resources and I confess to have forgotten about them.
So tonight I searched, researched, and learned.
Destiny, Atomic Learning and Tumblebooks are well known.
New are the resources of ELM.
I think the Junior Reference Collection will be a good place to start with some classes and history day research.
The Kids Infobits should have images integrated into the text.
In the Academic Search Premier I found searches for people produced different results if I put the person's last name in first of last. I had fun searching for a variety of things in this database.
The Discovering Collection is amazing. I did the Metronet checklist with this database. Gale is a very reliable reference supplier and this product is excellent.
Friday, November 21, 2008
BLOG—Thing 7—Going Deeper Search Engines
I got carried away with the different search engines listed in this thing. I looked for people I know and such.
In the real world students, and I, need to have a REASON to go beyond Google. A few years ago there was Ask Jeeves and Yahoo and Dogpile but Google has topped these. Going to a different search engine is hard to do as I am becoming more comfortable with Google, including images and calendar. I really like the calendar and have 5 different calendars going, involving my husband, multiple calendars, and me at school. Using a search engine other than Google reminds me of moving from the local lending library to a college’s daunting collection. The local library is something comfortable where you find what you’re looking for. The college has too much and you can get lost.
Once again, I need to not be scared away while seeing a reason to take the risk of learning something new. Especially now with the country making moves from local newspapers to conglomerates owning everything and no independent news. This could be reason enough to learn other search engines.
As always, I LOVE the Common Craft Show as a way to learn about things. I also went back and really revisited RSS (Really Simple Syndication)—but I had to look this up in Wikipedia. Now I see where the RSS symbol is at the end of the URL dialog box. I expected it to be orange always. Not so. And not all sites have RSS, some have a star. For instance, the forum for kitchens that I am somewhat addicted to does not have RSS. I don’t know what the star is for.
I spent time looking for things through the different search engines and looking at the sites that I like and seeing if they had the RSS system. Time flew.
In the real world students, and I, need to have a REASON to go beyond Google. A few years ago there was Ask Jeeves and Yahoo and Dogpile but Google has topped these. Going to a different search engine is hard to do as I am becoming more comfortable with Google, including images and calendar. I really like the calendar and have 5 different calendars going, involving my husband, multiple calendars, and me at school. Using a search engine other than Google reminds me of moving from the local lending library to a college’s daunting collection. The local library is something comfortable where you find what you’re looking for. The college has too much and you can get lost.
Once again, I need to not be scared away while seeing a reason to take the risk of learning something new. Especially now with the country making moves from local newspapers to conglomerates owning everything and no independent news. This could be reason enough to learn other search engines.
As always, I LOVE the Common Craft Show as a way to learn about things. I also went back and really revisited RSS (Really Simple Syndication)—but I had to look this up in Wikipedia. Now I see where the RSS symbol is at the end of the URL dialog box. I expected it to be orange always. Not so. And not all sites have RSS, some have a star. For instance, the forum for kitchens that I am somewhat addicted to does not have RSS. I don’t know what the star is for.
I spent time looking for things through the different search engines and looking at the sites that I like and seeing if they had the RSS system. Time flew.
Social Networks
An unexpected family emergency now finds me sitting in the offices of an online marketing company. So I am doing Thing 13-Social Networking.
No one in this office of 6 is over 28. All are college graduates. All have had other jobs since graduation. My way of applying for a job is to use a resume on nice bond paper. These folks used Facebook, My Space, Craigs List and in person networking.
Watching them in action, they are listening to info on “Hubspot”, sharing computer screens (there are at least 2 computers per person—some have 3), things are rather quiet except for a lot of keyboarding. They text on Blackberries a lot. There have been some conference calls. The company does marketing for clients, putting info on to Facebook and MySpace and into blogs where interest has been shown in their clients. They went to a concert last night as the guest of a band and that band might stop by today to discuss and advertising campaign to keep their name in the buzz until their new CD is released in mid-winter. Interesting.
So this is a good atmosphere to read Thing 13 and the Pew Internet & American Life Project . I am happy with the info in the report that students continue to be active off line, with the percentage involved in sports and school clubs, etc. Wonder if some of the data is already out of date, for instance why instant message when you can text with your cell phone, and so many people have gotten new cellphones with texting capacity since this was written.
(DIGG? What is this? It was an option in the 12 Ways to Use Facebook Professionally article.. )
Before MILI I joined both My Space and Facebook with pseudonyms! I was interested in having entities for the school, not for me. This was too time consuming AND I could not access either one from the school’s protective firewall. In addition, I was part of the Gardenweb Kitchen Forum, which is a place to share questions & answers on kitchen remodels. Viewing photos of works in progress became an obsession, as I dream of what I’d like to do if only….
I also got to post both questions and answers. Kind of fun to see what responses.
I joined Facebook but again with a different name. Call me chicken. Both of my children found me, which lead to just about everyone in our worlds trying to join me as friend. If you have your own page and you have friends, they can post photos and comments, which need monitoring, even if you have the page restricted. My son removed his picture from his Facebook page and replaced it with his x-ray --no verbiage. It really sparked communication. A picture WAS worth a thousand words
I find it interesting. I am the oldest of 4 girls & 1 boy, the youngest being 45. Our parents are getting older and, at the request of 3 siblings, I set up a blog with Google. That did not work, as that 6th sib refused to use it & 1 could not log in. But 3 sibs have contacted my Pseudonym Facebook and asked to be friends! How much time are people—older people—spending on social networks? It’s not like we don’t talk on the phone or have mom fill each one of us in on what the others are doing.
I did have a student teacher for about a month this year. She used a Minnesota library blog to post a question I had about funding sources. IF there was more time, this might be interesting to belong to. As it is, I am fortunate to have so many colleagues in the Minneapolis system who usually will respond to a group e-mail. Although e-mails may be going out of vogue, according to this reading, I still find it helpful.
No one in this office of 6 is over 28. All are college graduates. All have had other jobs since graduation. My way of applying for a job is to use a resume on nice bond paper. These folks used Facebook, My Space, Craigs List and in person networking.
Watching them in action, they are listening to info on “Hubspot”, sharing computer screens (there are at least 2 computers per person—some have 3), things are rather quiet except for a lot of keyboarding. They text on Blackberries a lot. There have been some conference calls. The company does marketing for clients, putting info on to Facebook and MySpace and into blogs where interest has been shown in their clients. They went to a concert last night as the guest of a band and that band might stop by today to discuss and advertising campaign to keep their name in the buzz until their new CD is released in mid-winter. Interesting.
So this is a good atmosphere to read Thing 13 and the Pew Internet & American Life Project . I am happy with the info in the report that students continue to be active off line, with the percentage involved in sports and school clubs, etc. Wonder if some of the data is already out of date, for instance why instant message when you can text with your cell phone, and so many people have gotten new cellphones with texting capacity since this was written.
(DIGG? What is this? It was an option in the 12 Ways to Use Facebook Professionally article.. )
Before MILI I joined both My Space and Facebook with pseudonyms! I was interested in having entities for the school, not for me. This was too time consuming AND I could not access either one from the school’s protective firewall. In addition, I was part of the Gardenweb Kitchen Forum, which is a place to share questions & answers on kitchen remodels. Viewing photos of works in progress became an obsession, as I dream of what I’d like to do if only….
I also got to post both questions and answers. Kind of fun to see what responses.
I joined Facebook but again with a different name. Call me chicken. Both of my children found me, which lead to just about everyone in our worlds trying to join me as friend. If you have your own page and you have friends, they can post photos and comments, which need monitoring, even if you have the page restricted. My son removed his picture from his Facebook page and replaced it with his x-ray --no verbiage. It really sparked communication. A picture WAS worth a thousand words
I find it interesting. I am the oldest of 4 girls & 1 boy, the youngest being 45. Our parents are getting older and, at the request of 3 siblings, I set up a blog with Google. That did not work, as that 6th sib refused to use it & 1 could not log in. But 3 sibs have contacted my Pseudonym Facebook and asked to be friends! How much time are people—older people—spending on social networks? It’s not like we don’t talk on the phone or have mom fill each one of us in on what the others are doing.
I did have a student teacher for about a month this year. She used a Minnesota library blog to post a question I had about funding sources. IF there was more time, this might be interesting to belong to. As it is, I am fortunate to have so many colleagues in the Minneapolis system who usually will respond to a group e-mail. Although e-mails may be going out of vogue, according to this reading, I still find it helpful.
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