Flickr-created photograph of a section of my media center illustrates how notes can be used to enhance information.
Unfortunately, the pop-up features don't travel with the photo, requiring a viewer to use the Flickr site.
2/13/2008
Thing 9: Online Collaboration Tools
This is a "thing" I've been anxiously awaiting. As a consultant to teachers who commonly require group work/presentations done on PowerPoint, I've often noticed the problems of saving work on flash drives, getting students together, setting up computer time in the media center--and related issues. Gaining access to collaborative online tools should be a tremendous benefit to both teachers and students.
For Reference:
For Reference:
Which of the two tools would I recommend? Although they both appear clean and uncluttered, based on the homepage interface of each one, I'd have to give the edge to Zoho. Maybe it's just that I spent a lot of time with Zoho, but I'm impressed by it and would encourage students and teachers to use it as a collaborative tool. Some notes: Each user must register; the document must be saved in the read/write format; and each participant can IM the other while working on the document. Such immediacy creates a genuine sense of collaboration and the give and take of group decision making. As far as I can tell, Google Docs does not have the IM feature; on the other hand, it did seem to work better when I tried publishing documents to blogs.
2/12/2008
Thing 8: Share Your Creations
For Reference:
Creating slide shows--without the hassle of generating html--has tremendous potential for offering a dynamic element to Web sites and for exciting students by showing their work. Additionally, creating a slide show of staff or of events/activities could go a long way in promoting goodwill within the community and beyond. PictureTrail in particular could not be easier to use; I'm impressed that it's a free tool. The Mosaic Maker was also very easy to use--and could be used for a Web page or booklet or poster.
From Picturetrail: Library Slide Show
Also for reference:
2/09/2008
Thing 7: Web 2.0 Communication Tools
From my own experiences and from what has been required for this course, I now have Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, my own e-mail from my Web provider, and my school e-mail. Of the free online e-mail providers, Gmail appears superior--in the amount of space it provides and in the number of services it provides. But the other point is that all these e-mail accounts could lead to a password nightmare--not to mention the logins and passwords for the various online applications. This stuff needs to be stored somewhere--online, maybe; on hard copy, definitely, then laminated and stored in what Al Gore calls a "safe box."
1. Hints for improving productivity are worth archiving--check here. Having used IM, I am not a big fan; it creates a sense of obligation to remain near one's computer in case a message pops up--which can be distracting. Leaving the computer and not replying to an IM sort of defeats the purpose. I think IM is useful depending upon a person's role--and whether that person is more or less tied down, such as at a help desk--and the need for urgent responses.
2a. Video Response: IM looked to be a very successful exchange between the librarian and the patron, although the advice given didn't seem "actionable," but more like a series of platitudes; at the same time, learning IM "speak" seems to be a prerequisite for this sort of exchange. In the back of my mind, I keep wondering: Wouldn't a telephone work better? Wouldn't someone who is anxiety-ridden prefer the soothing tones of a human voice? I would. As for the different IM services, it's probably just a matter of personal choice and comfort--perhaps which one a person initially experiences--that drives preferences.
2b. Instant Messaging and Libraries--response to "Instant messaging may be controversial, but remember, we also debated telephone reference": The argument that a lot of people use IM is not persuasive to me; a lot more people use the telephone. So I don't think that "chasing technology" just to jump on the bandwagon is a sound argument; IM must offer something that's better, faster, cheaper than the alternative--any technology should be replaced when the new technology has advantages that are not only superior to the old technology weighed against possible disadvantages, including costs that may need to be redirected from other needs. Just as people can talk a lot faster than they can IM--and just as there's subtlety in speech and tone that is absent in IM--the more primitive technologies may still be superior to IM as a communication tool for libraries and reference services. But I am open to it, not having that much experience. Its success probably depends in part on attitudes, ease of access, the work culture, patron attitude, and the librarian's job design. IM could be worked into a librarian's schedule--say, for two hours a day--rather than as an omnipresent burden that must be addressed throughout the day: I would feel oppressed by that sort of IM practice.
2c. Setting up an IM account is easy; getting other teachers to get involved is the hard part. Most do so between classes and when they have a bit of down time during class. I do feel guilty, however, sitting in the media center and trying to get them to respond. As has been said, IM can be a time stealer and, I might add, a "teacher annoyer" at times--not that there were any bad sports (although some might wonder whether I have too much free time on my hands, an accusation that media specialists need to avoid at all costs, lest they fail to receive teacher support during times of budgetary strains).
1. Hints for improving productivity are worth archiving--check here. Having used IM, I am not a big fan; it creates a sense of obligation to remain near one's computer in case a message pops up--which can be distracting. Leaving the computer and not replying to an IM sort of defeats the purpose. I think IM is useful depending upon a person's role--and whether that person is more or less tied down, such as at a help desk--and the need for urgent responses.
2a. Video Response: IM looked to be a very successful exchange between the librarian and the patron, although the advice given didn't seem "actionable," but more like a series of platitudes; at the same time, learning IM "speak" seems to be a prerequisite for this sort of exchange. In the back of my mind, I keep wondering: Wouldn't a telephone work better? Wouldn't someone who is anxiety-ridden prefer the soothing tones of a human voice? I would. As for the different IM services, it's probably just a matter of personal choice and comfort--perhaps which one a person initially experiences--that drives preferences.
2b. Instant Messaging and Libraries--response to "Instant messaging may be controversial, but remember, we also debated telephone reference": The argument that a lot of people use IM is not persuasive to me; a lot more people use the telephone. So I don't think that "chasing technology" just to jump on the bandwagon is a sound argument; IM must offer something that's better, faster, cheaper than the alternative--any technology should be replaced when the new technology has advantages that are not only superior to the old technology weighed against possible disadvantages, including costs that may need to be redirected from other needs. Just as people can talk a lot faster than they can IM--and just as there's subtlety in speech and tone that is absent in IM--the more primitive technologies may still be superior to IM as a communication tool for libraries and reference services. But I am open to it, not having that much experience. Its success probably depends in part on attitudes, ease of access, the work culture, patron attitude, and the librarian's job design. IM could be worked into a librarian's schedule--say, for two hours a day--rather than as an omnipresent burden that must be addressed throughout the day: I would feel oppressed by that sort of IM practice.
2c. Setting up an IM account is easy; getting other teachers to get involved is the hard part. Most do so between classes and when they have a bit of down time during class. I do feel guilty, however, sitting in the media center and trying to get them to respond. As has been said, IM can be a time stealer and, I might add, a "teacher annoyer" at times--not that there were any bad sports (although some might wonder whether I have too much free time on my hands, an accusation that media specialists need to avoid at all costs, lest they fail to receive teacher support during times of budgetary strains).
3a. Video Presentation: Text messaging a librarian, just as with IM, may have an unintended consequence: Patrons may just get lazy. Instead of struggling with research and related questions, they may simply choose to hand off the challenges to the librarian, thus losing some valuable experiences in learning and in struggling. To what extent this potential unintended consequence abuses the librarian certainly deserves some research--if it hasn't already been done. (Hmmm, I wonder whether I could IM or text message a librarian and ask how a person would go about finding out the answer to that question?) Without any context to suggest otherwise, it appeared as though the students weren't expending too much effort; they appeared to be more like passive consumers--and I think that's something education and library services should guard against: the whole concept that information and learning are consumer items to be purchased, packaged, text messaged, or IM'ed.
3b-c. "SMS offers libraries new talk tool": This article seems to apply more to academic and public libraries--especially those with greater resources and larger patron bases--than to my own high school situation. It was interesting and points to the ongoing need for librarians and media specialists to anticipate, learn, and practice new technologies--sort of like Web 2.0. Messaging is a good exercise--a little awkward perhaps without a clear purpose for doing so.
Reference: Minitex Webinars
4a. WebJunction intro to Web Conferences: This was a good resource for defining Web conferencing, providing related key terms, suggesting benefits and problems, and listing both tips and a great deal of useful onine tools. It does suggest a level of technology and a level of comfort with technology that must be relatively high to be successful.
4b. Sitting in on a conference: OPAL Web conferences are a tremendous opportunity for learning, and I hope to have many occasions to experience them. The interactive quality is what particularly suits today's learners. Again, both technology and the desire to use technology must be high for Web conferences to work.
Blog prompts: My media center uses e-mail primarily to communicate to staff and administrators about new materials, technology possibilities, workshops, problems, and promotions. Rarely do I use e-mail to answer questions about books or research, unfortunately. IM--no I don't use IM very much, primarily because no one else on the job seems to use it; it probably would be helpful to have an IM relationship with tech support, but the preference there if for e-mail. Old habits die hard.
2/07/2008
Thing 6: Online Image Generator
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I was beginning to see the potential for integrating a number of these applications for broader or more creative uses. This was clearly the case with Flickr and Big Huge Lab--connecting their services is a genuine plus. As I've also said earlier--and at the risk of repeating in later posts--these online tools are (1) really fun, (2) potentially powerful in a number of circumstances, (3) time-robbing, and (4) worth sharing with classroom teachers and others who can, through a bit of work and reflection, enrich their own teaching and their students' educational experiences.
For reference:
2/05/2008
Thing 5: More Fun with Flickr
Hence my poll in the left margin: There is a month's worth of downloads here--Flock, ShoZu, 1001, Flickr Graph, Mappr, Flockr Color Picker. A person could design an online class just based upon these resources. (Don't anyone think about charging tuition!)
I tried Flickr Graph and waited for it to load images--and waited and waited. I probably won't be returning to this application. It's not quite ready for prime time. I tried one of the samples and honestly wasn't too impressed. Mappr had potential but again didn't seem to work all that well--not well enough that I'd recommend it to someone else. (For future reference, here is Webmonkey's list of the 10 best mashups.)
Clockr looks like something made by someone with too, too much time on his hands.
Spell with Flickr was fun: I could see that application as something useful for elementary teachers or art teachers or anyone else who'd like to take a creative approach to letters and words. (My name below)
Here's another:
Here's another sample from my own Web site.
Big Huge Labs is a nice complement to Flickr; I can see its application in any classroom, especially where graphics are a premium. It's good that these resources can be pooled in a common place--and Puzzlemaker. Having access to these tools is something of an incentive to move away from the ordinary and toward more creative ways of presenting information--and without all the work. I appreciate that it looks difficult and time-consuming to do--for the uninformed.
I tried Flickr Graph and waited for it to load images--and waited and waited. I probably won't be returning to this application. It's not quite ready for prime time. I tried one of the samples and honestly wasn't too impressed. Mappr had potential but again didn't seem to work all that well--not well enough that I'd recommend it to someone else. (For future reference, here is Webmonkey's list of the 10 best mashups.)
Clockr looks like something made by someone with too, too much time on his hands.
Spell with Flickr was fun: I could see that application as something useful for elementary teachers or art teachers or anyone else who'd like to take a creative approach to letters and words. (My name below)
Here's another:
Here's another sample from my own Web site.
Big Huge Labs is a nice complement to Flickr; I can see its application in any classroom, especially where graphics are a premium. It's good that these resources can be pooled in a common place--and Puzzlemaker. Having access to these tools is something of an incentive to move away from the ordinary and toward more creative ways of presenting information--and without all the work. I appreciate that it looks difficult and time-consuming to do--for the uninformed.
Thing 4: Photo Sharing and Editing--Flickr
Just as with RSS Feeds, I have tried earlier permutations of products along the lines of Flickr; I don't recall the names, but they were commercial sites with the primary purpose of selling prints and enlargements from images uploaded by customers. In general, I'm not a big fan of photo sharing sites, partly because I just don't seem to have the need for them. In the past, if I've wanted to show presentations online, I would put them on my Web sites. The question is whether Flickr will have enough features to inspire a change in my own use or a desire to share this tool with others.
Strange photo in upper righthand corner is a view of my media center's skylight.
And the verdicts are in . . .
- the tag tool is useful in categorizing and accessing photos, just as the tag has shown its value in blogs, wikis, etc.;
- although I'm not a great source of photographs, I do like to be able to access photos by others who want to share them;
- that it's interactive adds a certain degree of flexibility and depth that could make sharing photos more exciting;
- that it's another Yahoo! product makes me wonder whether Google and Yahoo! are dominating the free online tools industry--and whether in the long run that's a good thing;
- when a product claims to be the best, it sort of reminds me of the claim "hand painted" on antique china; if it claims to be hand painted, it usually isn't--and the best usually don't have to say so; CNN loves to say that it has the best political team on TV, so often in fact that it becomes something of a joke--as if "the lady doth protest too much (or in the case Wolf Blitzer)";
- 100 MB isn't a lot of space; so it may be tempting to start purchasing additional space;
- inviting others to join, and just all the other features are certainly easy to use; and I'm impressed by how much a person can do with this tool. It's worth returning to and exploring further.
What's also becoming apparent is that some of these tools can easily be integrated. For example, I placed Flickr as an RSS on my Google Reader, which can also house my blog. It's sort of like one-stop shopping. URL: Flickr
2/03/2008
Thing 3: RSS and Newsfeeds
In the interest of full disclosure, I admit to using RSS feeds numerous times in the past. I currently have a Web site with RSS feeds from newspapers, library and technology journals, and various other Web sites. (See this sample page from my Web site that uses multiple newspaper feeds.) They are a wonderful tool. So my bias toward them even before proceeding onto Thing 3 is overwhelmingly positive. I’ll be curious to see whether my attitude changes, is reinforced, or altered in other ways. Having said that, what follows is a summary and reaction to my experiences in completing Thing 3.
Since my district’s filter blocked Bloglines, I limited my experience to the Google Reader, at least for now, since I did request that the filter unblock the site (although to date I’ve had no luck getting any cooperation so opening that door may seem unlikely, not that there’s anything wrong with that—from their perspective, anyway).
Editorials aside, here is what I found with the Google Reader: To find Google Reader, go here.
Since my district’s filter blocked Bloglines, I limited my experience to the Google Reader, at least for now, since I did request that the filter unblock the site (although to date I’ve had no luck getting any cooperation so opening that door may seem unlikely, not that there’s anything wrong with that—from their perspective, anyway).
Editorials aside, here is what I found with the Google Reader: To find Google Reader, go here.
Finding content is not the challenge. Limiting it is. If a person gets carried away, the benefits of the RSS could be deluded. It was also easy to create new folders and to put the CMLE bloggers into them. It was also easy to unsubscribe by going to the "manage" feature; I found out by subscribing to the wrong blog. Again, the whole idea behind the RSS feed is to save time by having information delivered to a user’s own site. That this process seems to be dominated by Google leaves me a little unsettled; if its domination crushes the competition, I suspect all of these free services will be free no more.
How can teachers or media specialists libraries use RSS or take advantage of this new technology?
I offer a workshop entitled "Online Resources for Teachers," and as part of the "marketing" for this workshop, I make the case that busy teachers should not whenever possible need to seek information related to classroom content, resources, and related professional development materials. The RSS tool addresses these issues very well--along with newsletters and other subscription services. Media specialists may use them for their own purposes and demonstrate for others how to have information "delivered to them."
2/01/2008
Thing 2, and then some . . .
Blyberg’s comments—written in a 2.0 sort of way—reveal to some extent the fluid nature of the definition of a 2.0 library or librarian. If I could offer a small qualification, it would be this: Chasing technology, the latest tools, trends, gimmicks, and all the rest can be an all-consuming endeavor. And what of books? Should there be a library 2.0 for books? And what of balance? Do we dump technology on people and say, “It’s all there. Go for it.” I don’t have answers but concerns. Can we be so clever as to create a situation in which technology, itself chronically obsolete, becomes our source of obsolescence? I hope we don’t become so clever that we cleverly create our own unemployment, although it's also worth noting, as Dr. Wendy Schultz points out in "To a temporary place in time," that Web 2.0 is just the beginning (or we're at the bottom of the S-curve, and change is just poised to skyrocket). On the other hand, Rick Anderson's article "Away from the 'icebergs'" points out the hazards of maintaining libraries as they have traditionally been, simply because of tradition--and perhaps out of fear of not managing change.
How has the Internet and the vast resource it can be affected your use of time at work and/or at home?
This question brings to mind the notion that more is often less, that “vast” resources may actually be a vast waste of time, and the search for them and through them can be frustrating, inefficient, and fruitless. Students, who really need to improve their information literacy skills, are often reluctant to research flexibly or broadly; they often see Google or Wikipedia as their “one stop” shopping for information. Very little time or thought goes into their research, driven, I’m afraid, by a let’s-just-get-something-and-slap-it-on-a-PowerPoint-slide mentality. I’m not certain whether this is a problem driven by technology or by consumerism and entitlement. All I believe—not necessarily know—is this: Never has there been more information more easily accessible, and never before has there been so little interest in seeking, finding, and benefiting from it. Just one guy’s view. . .
How has the Internet and the vast resource it can be affected your use of time at work and/or at home?
This question brings to mind the notion that more is often less, that “vast” resources may actually be a vast waste of time, and the search for them and through them can be frustrating, inefficient, and fruitless. Students, who really need to improve their information literacy skills, are often reluctant to research flexibly or broadly; they often see Google or Wikipedia as their “one stop” shopping for information. Very little time or thought goes into their research, driven, I’m afraid, by a let’s-just-get-something-and-slap-it-on-a-PowerPoint-slide mentality. I’m not certain whether this is a problem driven by technology or by consumerism and entitlement. All I believe—not necessarily know—is this: Never has there been more information more easily accessible, and never before has there been so little interest in seeking, finding, and benefiting from it. Just one guy’s view. . .
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.
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.
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