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.

Do YouTube in school?

Hi everyone,

This great little article, called YouTube Comes to the Classroom by Anna Adam and Helen Mowers, describes some of the pros and cons of uTube and its potential uses in the classroom. It mentions a few examples of historical and scientific videos that might be viewed as part of a lesson. For example, one is a video clip of a WW2 vertan telling his account of the war.

Due to copyright restrictions I cannot provide a link to this article on this blog. Check your e-mail as I will be e-mailing it to you (this is the only way I could find around it). This is legal since you all are SYR students and therefore would normally have access to this article.

Would you as a teacher/librarian consider using uTube in the classroom? Why or why not?

This year I was doing a research project with the Pre-K on bread. The teacher wanted me to find a video of bread being made. I looked on both media databases I had access to: EdVideo online and United Streaming and could find nothing. So, I decided to look on Google video and I actually found some really great clips. I found a wonderful one that featured a small boy and his dad making bread together. I thought this would be so motivating and empowering for the kids to see. Unfortunately, they never got to see it, because I found out that the link was blocked when I went to test it out at school. I thought this was really unfortunate.

We recently discussed the new laws that are being put in place to block social networking sites from our schools. I believe uTube is currently blocked by the Internet filters in our schools. Are we loosing out on educational materials and experiences we could be sharing with our schools? Does their "safety" outweigh the benefits of some of the Web 2.0 tools?

EDUCAUSE article on Accessible Technology

This article on making technology accessible and universally compatible really got me thinking about factors that need to be taken into consideration when attempting to ensure that technology is availalble and used by all members of a school community. This issue is of particular importance to me because I work in a special education school. Not only do we have many students with learning disabilities as all schools do, but we are "barrier free" which means that the physical building is accessible to students and parents with physical disabilities. The article recounts several universities' accomplishments in making technology accessible to their student body. I believe that my school has many of the requirements listed as necessary for the success of this integration such as collaborative committees and polices and plans for implementation. We do not however, have a person in charge of technology. So even though, we may be meeting students' needs in other ways, technologically speaking we are lagging. I made attempts at helping out in this area, by using grant money 2 years ago to purchase some assistive technology such as track balls, special screens, adaptive keyboard, and one-click mouse ( I forget the official name for this), but I don't think anyone knows they exist. In addition, I also purchased software such as Boardmaker (picture symbols). In an attempt to share this information with people, I invited the physical therapists and occupational therapists to meet with me to show them what I had and discuss with them how we might use the technology, whether it meets their needs and what other equipment or software they may need to meet other needs. This was definitely a step in the right direction, but was alone, however, without the help or support of a committee. In addition, I am not the technology person, I have a full-time job and find it very difficult to meet all the needs I am trying to tackle. I am curious as to what suggestions you might all have with regards to this situation? I would also like to know if any of you have dealt with or encountered a similar situation in your schools and how you are dealing with it? Thanks in advance!! :)

Bookshare.org

It is so nice to see that there are good people like this in the world that genuinely want to help people and not just make a buck. Really, truly, refreshing!

I think it is so important that all information consumers feel empowered and experience independence in their personal information inquires despite their limitations. This organization has taken huge steps towards making this goal a reality for a large segment of the population.

Several questions came to my mind after perusing the website and watching the interview with the founder.

How do the blind view/experience content on the Internet normally? I think they have special software that reads the information on a website to them, but would this be very time consuming? Do you know of any other ways?

How do they know when a certain bit of text is a link so that they can click on it to access that particular web site?

I am still unsure of how the digital Braille (BRF) works? I checked out the FAQ's and the demo page and several others pages on the web site, but could not find a detailed explanation or example? Can anyone explain further how exactly this works?

Looking forward to your thoughts and insights.

Podcasting

Hi again,

2nd post for last week...

I did a workshop on podcasting so this was actually my 2nd experience going through the process, but virtually this time.

The workshop was fun and I enjoyed myself and got to leave with a finished product.

I definitely see uses for this technology in the classroom and I think students would be really excited to engage themselves in this process of creation.

What I really want to know, is if it is possible to create videos and then post them online for download as you would a podcast. Does that exist? A videocast? Are these then available to put onto your own iPod? Anyone know?

YouTube

Hey everyone,

This post is a little late, but better late than never, so here's it is...

My new information technology is utube. This is a site where the average person can upload a video that they've created. These videos are available to anyone with an Internet connection. Instant distribution! In the film industry this is much more difficult to accomplish. These videos, however, are often made by amateurs and therefore the quality is not of the same caliber. Coroporations, businesses and individuals alike are using this technology to their advantages. The phenomenon of these social web sites have created a new way to share information that circumvents traditional means.

Wikipedia's definition, examples and is very thorough and will give you a good background on utube:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube

I found these two webpages on the utube site helpful. They provide information on how to post your videos and also give the person with a non-film background tips on creating videos:

http://www.google.com/support/youtube/?hl=en_US

http://www.youtube.com/t/video_toolbox

Enjoy and let me know what you think?

Deleting Online Predators Act-DOPA

I think I agree with the article "The Moral Panic Over Social Networking sites" makes some excellent points. I really feel that this legislation is too harsh. In addition, what if adults want to access these sites from a public library, they should have the right to do so. Should that right only be reserved for those who can afford to do so? Are these filters automatic or controlled by the librarians? There are many benefits to these social networking sites: they allow access to art, culture, thought and the power of the collective that previously was not accessible. I have recently really enjoyed watching videos on utube and learning about new bands/music on myspace. I have definitely learned some new things.

I think some middle ground needs to be reached. I agree with some of the people who commented below the article that this law is a band aid. I feel this is the way we approach and deal with many problems in this society. For example, modern medicine says "let's treat the symptoms" instead of asking "what is really causing this problem and how can it be prevented or solved?".

I think videos should be created for children and parents that educate them about what the purpose is of these sites, both the pros and cons should be given in addition to strategies for how to avoid dangers that may present themselves.

I also think kids should be allowed to sign up if they have their parents permission. The technology has to catch up though. There needs to be a better way to authenticate whether or not children really have their parents permission. Maybe parents could have the power to screen and approve their children's online friends before they are allowed to add them". To me, the people who support this act sound like lazy parents. What they may not realize is that they may be cutting off their children from life experiences. We cannot shelter children from everything. We have a resonsibility as a society to teach them to think critically.