Reflections on my blogging experience

I have been pondering the possibilities for having my students post book reviews in an electronic format and had considered using a blog in order to do this. With all the things I have to learn, however, I had just not gotten around to figuring out how to blog. I was grateful for this experience because it forced me to do what I had wanted to do for over a year now. This assignment did not allow for all the excuses that had manifested itself as procrastination.

I have never written a journal and I therefore I don’t think that I would maintain a blog for personal purposes. I can see myself using this tool to share professional purposes. I think it might continue to periodically post information about information technologies, interesting things I learn at workshops and tricks of the trade. It was nice to have a voice and be able to share new information with colleagues. It was also really helpful to learn about all of these new information technologies, web sites and learning tools that I had never heard of before. My very qualified classmates also did the work of choosing quality web sites and resources that I probably would not have had the time and initiative to find on my own.

Despite the benefits and potential for information sharing, keeping this online journal or discussion going, however, was very time intensive. In addition, a blog is only seen as valuable resource if it regularly kept up. Though it is normally written and monitored by one person, I think that having multiple authors post on and monitor the blog, might lessen the work load and consistency demands for each author. I wonder, however, if a blog would be the best electronic arena for my students to post book reviews. I am not aware of the searching capabilities inherent in the blogging software, but I would like patrons to have the ability to search for specific book reviews. If a blog does not afford this searching capability, I may have to explore other options.

Pros and Cons of YouTube use in an educational setting and the alternatives

Hey everyone,

Here are a two sites that discuss the the use of uTube from which you can garner some of the pros or cons of using uTube technology.

http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/columnists/dyck/dyck016.shtml

http://medinger.wordpress.com/tag/web-20/

What do you think the pros and cons are?



Here are some alternatives to uTube that are in a similar vain:

http://eduscapes.com/sessions/bestofweb2/index.htm

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/raskin/1918

www.Zamzar.com

http://www.teachertube.com/


How do you feel these sites compare with uTube?
This site allows you to convert Utube movie for use in school when it is usually blocked.

Cyber Security Industry Alliance

Hi everyone,

I found this document very interesting to read. First of all, if framed cyber awareness in a new light for me in the way that it separated cyber issues into separate categories and assigned vocabulary to each area: cyber security, cyber safety, and cyber ethics. I had not previously thought of these issues as being distinct, but I now see that they are and that there are different methodologies for educating patrons about each. What I also found intriguing was that the paper brought to light the fact that many people make assumptions about who is teaching children about these issues. Parents may often assume that children are being taught about these topics in school, but that may in fact not be. I don't think the teachers in my school are teaching kids about these realities and I advise children on an individual basis, but have not formally provided instruction on these topics. I really loved that this document provided many web sites that provide lesson plans, curriculum and interactive learning tools, such as games, that teachers, parents and students can use to educate themselves on these topics. I bookmarked them all in my del.icio.us account and definitely plan to use them to try and educate my patrons on these very important topics. The Cyber Security Industry Alliance stresses the importance of creating a national awareness program. I agree that this would be a great way to get the word out and to cultivate a more aware population concerning safe Internet practices. What do you think of this idea and in general about what the alliance had to say?

Examples of uTube use in libraries & classrooms

Hey everyone,

I tried a different search engine today and low and behold I was able to find great resources that I couldn't find before. It just goes to show you that the various search engines do have different resources to offer. It ain't all about Google!

Anyway, I thought you might be interested in seeing how libraries are really using this technology.

Here is a high school which created uTube videos to show their students how to use its resources. Check the videos out on their website:

http://www.parkrosehighschool.com/Academics/Library%20page/page.html

Here's another created by a librarian at Georgia Tech:

http://youtube.com/profile?user=GTMechEngVids

Here's his blog on using uTube which is also interesting:

http://theubiquitouslibrarian.typepad.com/the_ubiquitous_librarian/2006/07/do_you_youtube_.html

Here's a blog about students in Australia learning through uTube in the classroom:

http://www.theage.com.au/news/web/youtube-course-is-a-class-act/2006/11/06/1162661610036.html

Enjoy and please let me know what you think.

Online Resources for Educators

Hi Everyone,

Looking over the myriad of resources posted in this week's learning module. I must admit that I was utterly and totally overwhelmed. There were just so many. So this really got me thinking about how people in general are handling the flux of digital resources available on the Internet these days. I, personally, as an adult and an information specialist feel that there are so many possiblities. It so hard to tell what is the best, the most informative, the most appropriate for my purpose. I think it's so great that there is so much information at our finger tips, but at some point...does the abundance become crippling? I'm one of those people who wants to try everything and experience everything. If I go to a really good restaurant and there are many amazing things on the menu to choose from I become paralyzed. I don't want to miss out. My strategy at that point becomes trying to negotiate with the other people at the table to get them to order something I'm not so that I can taste every delicious dish. Do you have any suggestions as to how to handle and really make efficient, effective and productive use of all the available resources for educators?

CISSL and Guided Inquiry

This web site provides a lot of information on guided inquiry and is very thorough. I like that it focuses on a constructivist learning approach which ties in with what we learned in Ruth Small's class and also with Barbara Stripling's research model. On the page that describes the foundation of guided inquiry, a visual model/diagram is provided that shows how the librarian and library program fits into the educational setting and the guided inquiry process. I found this diagram useful in terms of breaking down the main points. The most helpful and informative page on the site for me were the descriptions provided of the 6 characteristics of guided inquiry. These really justify why we should teach using this method and arms me with fodder for convincing my principal of its merits. Additionally, the site provides a case study. I would like to see more of these since theory is fine, but it is really informative to see these theories in practice. It would have been nice if a case study on the elementary level and middle school level were also provided in addition to the one involving the 9th grade. I found the site to be a little too text heavy for me. Bigger, more spaced out font and maybe some video clips would have helped my digest all the information. Its always nice to see or hear testimonials from students, teachers and librarians about their inquiry experiences. These really help one reflect, evaluate and revise the process and strategies used.

What did you all think of this site? Any thoughts or opinions?

What can uTube do for libraries?

This article talks about the popularity of uTube, how easy it is to sign up and post descriptive content and actual video format and some of of its other advantages and disadvantages. It also describes some of the ways in which this technology might be used by libraries. For example, it explains how libraries might provide tutorials on how to use the library and its resources as well as where to find the information.

How do you think using uTube in these ways will change patrons' attitudes about and experiences with the library?

What are some other ways you think libraries could creatively use this innovative technology?

*Please check your WebCT/blackboard e-mail for a copy of this article. Due to copyright, I could not post this article on the blog since it was obtained from a Syracuse database.