Old Dogs

 These old dogs are still learning some new tricks. So can we.
    
               Woof                                         Woof

Learning 2.0 Summary

Completing the activities in the Learning 2.0 component did a fantastic job of helping me learn Web 2.0 tools. I had heard much about these tools but knew little about how to use them, and I didn’t have the direction I needed to find out. I tried to design a web page a few times but failed miserably. A little direction made a big difference. Now I feel confident in creating web sites, producing wikis, tweeting like a bird, using Google Drive, sharing videos and delving into folksomies. And I feel prepared to use these tools to collaborate, motivate, promote market and teach. Now I need to continue to use these tools so I don’t forget them and to become an expert in their use. 

Paradigm High School Library Survey

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Wordle: Violent Media

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Podcast: Writing Excuses

The podcast, Writing Excuses is done by three successful authors: Brandon Sanderson, Mary Kowal and Dan Wells. The podcast I listened to discussed how to brainstorm for writing ideas and how to also how to outline. Ideas include keeping an idea notebook with you at all times, doing an activity that is somewhat routine but that requires the brain to be alert. Write down any ideas. Also helpful is taking a bath while drinking Pepsi. Outlining helps a great deal to help complete a piece of writing. However, too much outlining can keep you from doing actual writing.

The Benefits of Online Video

Video is a great way to grab peoples’ interest. With good information and entertainment value it can also hold that interest. I chose to include a video in this blog titled, Why I Need My High School Library that has both good information and entertainment value. Click the YouTube link below to see what I mean. The video is particularly relevant because it was made by high school students themselves. I like that it points out that libraries are more than just books. The video also uses music and dance to show the different kinds of people that can benefit from going to the library.

Why I Need My High School Library

YouTube video: Why I Need My High School Library

Twitter: It's Still A Great Resource

Well, I now that the furry over Twitter has died down I've finally gotten around to joining it. It wasn’t as easy as people kept telling me, but it wasn’t that bad either. There are some fantastic people and conversations to follow. These conversations can also offer a lot of good information that goes beyond what somebody had for lunch and what brand of plastic fork they used to eat it. For instance, there are great conversations on e-books, how to use apps in the classroom and on the book industry. Honestly though, the best information I read was not in the tweets themselves but on the websites that many of the tweets directed me to.

I see a great opportunity to use Twitter to promote library resources and services. When something new comes up or even if there is some resource or service that is already existing but is not being used then Twitter can be a good way to get the word out. It can also be used to get people involved in discussions about whatever may be relevant. It can also be a good way to get people looking at the library web sit or other places to read more about certain things.

Two Fantastic School Library Blogs

There are hundreds of good school library blogs on the internet. There are two that I’ve found particularly helpful

The first is The True Adventures of a High School Librarian at http://www.nikkidrobertson.com/

This blog has earned several awards and for good reasons. It is comprehensive and takes a creative look at school librarianship in real world situations. It also highlights books and the authors. By highlighting authors the books come more alive.

A Media Specialist’s Guide to the Internet at http://mediaspecialistsguide.blogspot.com/p/web-20-tools-h.html

If it’s possible for a blog run by one person to blow you mind then this one will. The number of relevan internet tools featured on this site is astronomical. There are so many that they are alphabetized by subject category and then these categories are separated into three groups ranging from Backchanneling to Quizzes.

Digg Reader

Digg Reader news reader

Library 2.0 for School Libraries

This post is a response to an article in School Library Journal, written by Christopher Harris, called, SCHOOL LIBRARY 2.0: Say good-bye to your mother's school library. The Web is all about new possibilities.

Harris says that, “Blogs and the whole gamut of interactive, Web-based tools are redefining how we connect with people and content on the Internet.” These tools are known as Web 2.0 and can be used by multitudes of uses to interact in different ways.

Our mother’s library had books. Then came microfiche. Then computers came along. All of these items were marvelous, information packed and when they first came along they were exciting and innovative. They were also all in the library. Harris points out that today’s school libraries can’t be limited to within the physical space found in brick and mortar schools. Students should not have to come to the library. The library should be wherever the students are. This is possible through technology. Technology is what will keep schools up-to-date and relevant. Without it we will lose many of today’s tech-savy students who are already using these tools on their own to create their own information communities with such tools as Facebook, Myspace, LiveJournal and Gaia Online an online gaming community with 23 million registered users who are mostly teens.

Things have changed. As Harris says, “These tools will necessarily redefine the learning landscape as we know it. And school libraries--if they are to remain relevant--must undergo transformation as well.” Students want to communicate and they want to create their own content. To remain relevant, school libraries must tap into this natural interest.

A few tools that can be used by libraries include blogs where students weigh in on topics that are often chosen or directed by the teacher-librarian. If these topics are presented in a way that students perceive as relevant students will be engaged and excited to put in their two-cents worth. LibraryThing.com can be used as a place for students to catalog and discuss books they like. This gives them an opportunity to communicate concerning literature and encourages reading, both by them and by those who they interact with.

Using Library 2.0 tools is good for students and for teachers. These tools, especially if they include video, can be used to continue to instruct students when the teacher-librarian is not available.

One thing that I believe Harris does not intend is for teachers to think that technology can take the place of a teacher-librarians, or minimize the effectiveness of a teacher-librarian’s presence. It could be tempting to rely on technology to the point where a teacher-librarian takes his own personality out of the mix. Or to believe that face to face contact is no longer relevant. Or that technology can give the same personal touch as a physical being. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. used a microphone to deliver his, I Have a Dream speech. His speech was also broadcast to millions and recorded so that millions more cold see it for generations to come. And now you can see his speech on the internet. These are all good and appropriate uses of technology. But technology should not be relied upon for technologies sake. Martin Luther King’s speech would not have been improved if he had given it using PowerPoint.

It’s important for teacher-librarians to learn what internet 2.0 tools are available and to learn how to use them appropriately. It’s also important that they pay attention to their best potential for use as relates to their own specific patrons’ needs. Without a knowledge of these tools then then might just as well not exist.