Thing 2: What is Web 2.0--Response to Abram's Video

Response to video by Stephen Abram: His opening comments speak to the necessity of Web 2.0 instruction, namely that as librarians face, as he claims, “enormous change,” or what I’d label as accelerated change, they must not just be aware of the technologies but use them as well in order to really understand their potential and implications for helping patrons/students access information in increasingly complex and revolutionary ways.

That a commitment to learning about these technology tools requires a substantial investment of time reflects upon librarians’ priorities. Do they want to maintain a narrow and rigidly defined set of skills? Or do they want to continue to grow and respond to an ever-changing world of information? In short, do they want to maintain professional competencies and stretch toward excellence? To me, it’s sort of the contrast between the old stereotypes and the new image of librarians—between those who sit back passively and wait for people and things to happen to them and those who seek out and attempt to be proactive leaders.

One of Abram’s last points also resonated with me. He said to look for unintended consequences. I am anxious to do just that, especially offering workshops to teachers—and seeing in their eyes the possibilities to transform their own teaching and the learning activities of their students. For me, this is the transformative power of Web 2.0.