| Kids think it's cool to be a pirate... |
[24 Jul 2007|10:12am] |
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I'm part of the generation (and guilty as charged) of young people that uses the vast resources on the internet for my own amusement in a less than acceptable manner. Even though it's because haven't known whom to ask permission in most cases, and b/c I certainly don't have money to pay for iTunes music, I'm sure that even if I had known or had had the means to go about it in the right way, I wouldn't have. It's because Linda was right in her podcast when she said it's so easy to acquire all of this material! That sounds awful, and makes me a scummy person. But this school and this class have made me more aware of the importance of respecting and protecting my work and the hard work and art of others as well. I don't think I could say the same for people younger than I am. Most of the young people I know are connected to numerous illegal downloading programs, and don't have a clue about how to properly cite anything. That Noodle Tools website is amazing, by the way. It helps me to cite things when I can't remember the exact form of a citation. I'm definitely going to show that to my future students because I don't think they should need to memorize how to cite things (my teachers tried to make me do that, and it obviously didn't work). I'd rather provide them with the tools they need to consult than try to pressure them into remembering something like that. But I'm running away with my thoughts here. Anyway, as I'm reading these Wikipedia articles I'm trying very hard not to get lost in the government jargon. I don't understand much of the DMCA article because its language is hard to read. I keep hoping after every section there will be a "for example", but there isn't. That'd help me, and I'm sure many others who aren't as familiar with technological terms AND legal speak. The DRM and DOPA articles were easier for me to comprehend because there are more examples. But I'm still left with questions. If I am a SLMS, am I the user or the provider? For whom are the providers providing? To what, besides Flickr, does all this pertain? Would an online database, like Grove Art or Music be something that this would cover? Do all of these rules mean that regular citations in research assignments are not good enough? If something is needed or used by a student IN a school, does it automatically fall under educational purposes? Also, as long as you give someone credit for his or her work, why couldn't you reference it in a work of your own? I think that'd be good enough for me, if the situation were reversed.
Also, I know we are supposed to think about what safe harbor means to the SLMS, but I'm not quite sure. I think that we librarians have a tough job, and should be considered separately from other users (only when we're on the clock of course) because we are the middle man. Most times, we are given the task of providing information for library users (in school or public settings), or helping them find their own information. I'd like to think that most librarians respect the wealth of information with which they work, and have pure intentions. If, nowadays, safe harbor means that librarians are able to access information and pass it on without having to adhere to strident laws all the time, I think it's totally acceptable, and I'm grateful for it!
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| What about the big words? |
[17 Jul 2007|09:39am] |
I'm reading the article about messaging Shakespeare right now, and the first contrary thought that popped into my head was that text messages not only limit the breadth of a statement, they limit its depth as well. How many people will develop their vocabulary if they know they're limited to 160 characters? Some of the best words in the english language will be overlooked (and unlearned, or unrehearsed) if a project like this is confined to text messages and emails. Not only is the vernacular of the text-to-email material completely different than an essay (or for that matter, SHAKESPEARE!) but it suggests a level of laxness that I don't think I'm comfortable with when discussing something as profound, verbose and complex as Shakespeare. I fear that students might begin to misunderstand, and therefore treat such classic literature with something less than the respect and contemplation it warrants. Yes, texting would be easier, and on their level, but you know what? Shakespeare is supposed to be a struggle! I'm not just saying that because our generation had to struggle to understand it. I just think you get more out of the education when you put more into it. Plus, I really am a fan of big words, and I think that students should be expanding their vocabularies more than they are these days...
The second article about campus cells seems to employ cell phones in a more practical fashion. Since we already depend on our cell phones so much in day to day activity, why not add some programs to them that'll benefit the university just as much as they'll benefit the cell phone user? GPS would make me feel safe walking from the classroom to my car. I'd also love the ability to know if my professor was in her office, or a classmate was in the library without having to actually make a call. With all the technological chops these cell phone companies have, these new features shouldn't be much of a stretch. This quote from the article- "but even if they start texting for social reasons, they also start to connect with students in their courses to talk about problems, assignments, etc." is so true. Somehow, my classmates and I always manage to slip in at least one comment about school or work, even if we're hanging out for fun. I don't know if I'd want to complete an assignment via texting, but it could get the ball rolling, I suppose. Plus, having professors' cell numbers (and I think this should be done with some discretion and care, b/c it could be seen as a bit inappropriate, and infringing on personal time) would really help them seem more available. It'd also take a lot of the pressure off of meeting with a prof. Some students are nervous about that.
This third article about SMS texting reminds me of the days when students learned shorthand. Though I don't know it, I'm told it'd help me take better notes. Though now obsolete, I wonder what my notetaking days would've been like had shorthand been taught to me as a young student. Is texting taking its place??? I'm all for teaching proper texting. It couldn't hurt, right? If they're going to do it anyway, we might as well give some input about a better way to text! That last statement, about having students teaching teachers how THEY use SMS, is a great starting point! I'm all for giving students the floor, so it'd be a great way to introduce SMS to the classroom if you are going to use it.
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| a bit perturbed |
[11 Jul 2007|10:35am] |
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I am, at present, rather discouraged by my classmates' and my attempts to collaborate on these projects. It's not that we are communicating poorly..in fact, it's the opposite. We're all trying so hard to find a good time to meet but nothing seems to be working. I'm thinking, if students can't get their schedules to match up enough to collaborate on brief projects, how will fulltime teachers be able to do it in the midst of the school year?! I am sure that time (or lack thereof) is the biggest hinderance to collaboration, and I've seen firsthand why.
Another gripe- that article on tagging makes me feel like we "amateurs" are making a mess of the Internet. Okay, so I'm not as amateur as your average Web user (I'd like to think a few things from cataloging stuck), but still, I feel like our personal tags, and this whole, cozy folksonomy thing is ruining the deliberate organization of the thing! I think tags can be helpful for personal filing, but to try and share them with others is more harm than help. Let there be a standard we can consult when we want to tag something for the public. That seems like common sense. The LoC or OCLC should get on it. I think that too many cooks spoil the soup, and I don't know any person who wants information badly enough to search with three different versions (plural, singular, slang, misspelled, etc) of any word. Which brings me to the other articles we read... metasearching, to me, seems like a godsend. Isn't there some way to be sure that these federated searchers were somehow evaluating and delivering the optimal matches?? If not, there should be. I see no harm in working with 70 results, rather than 500,000. I think sometimes librarians can be a bit elitist with their discrimination against some information. What I mean is that researchers, students, and recreational searchers don't always need the book,or article, or source written by the foremost genius in any field. A lot of the more readily accessible information on the Web is perfectly suitable for use. I know I'm playing devil's advocate here, but what's wrong with using the first six results, and ignoring the 20th page of results? Yes, we might miss some sparkly gem of information, but I highly doubt our work will suffer too much for it. Plus, it's true that this kind of situation is downright overwhelming for young students. I see nothing wrong with somehow monitoring (metasearch engines) the results students find in a library search on a topic. I know that is what we school media specialists will do as we stand over their shoulders and help them on the Web and OPAC, but they also should be able to work with the amount of information they have on their own.
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| Social Bookmarking thoughts |
[06 Jul 2007|10:12am] |
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My initial thoughts on reading the chapter in Richardson about the Social Web were that working on the internet, posting student projects, etc. helps students realize that learning doesn't exist in a vacuum. There is context for what they are learning. Not only are other students all around the world learning, experiencing (sometimes struggling) the same things, they are publishing proof of that fact! Sharing certainly is (and leads to) caring in this situation. Obviously getting pictures or information for projects is a major perk for young students. We've already established that they navigate the internet with the ease and confidence of trained professionals, so it would make doing a project a lot less stressful for most students. Also, like Richardson says, their work isn't done alone at their desks, with no connection to a "larger whole". That whole, thanks to the web, can be the class, the school, the town, or the world.
The web is also a place that expresses numerous views on a single subject (my favorite part about wikipedia is its attempts to eliminate bias and establish neutrality). Though the idea of accepting many sides of a story is still touchy with some parents, I think it's important that children learn that many opinions are valid, and different people experience the world differently. As media specialists, we must uphold the standard of not discriminating against any information based on personal opinion. So, to quote Richardson, this collaborative space where "people negotiate and construct meaning" can broaden students' horizons.
My main question with all of this bookmarking carries over from my cataloging class. How is there not a standard, a word bank, for tags? I'm finding that even with my own de.licio.us pages, I'm not consistent with my tags (my fault, this I know), but if I can't always select the best terms, how can young people? Teachers would have to help by providing some possible tags just to maintain order in a classroom, I think. Wouldn't it be more difficult to navigate these sites and find the desired results if the tags weren't standardized? I know I said differences in opinions were valid and acceptable, but maybe not so much in this instance. Haha. Richardson talks about this issue when he brings up the idea of "folksonomies", and negotiating to achieve mutual understanding, but let's be practical. How easy is that to do on the worldwide web?
Another issue with which I struggle in regards to wikis in a library is time management. I mean, I can barely maintain all of my own accounts. A classroom teacher will surely have to juggle his or her students' accounts. But a librarian will have to do this for MANY more students than that, right? Isn't that a colossal undertaking? I'd love to use wikis in a media center, in many of the ways discussed in the book: to display student work, to create and show pathfinders for projects, to keep track of statistics, to add extra assignments and practice for certain subjects, to connect with peers, etc. But I fear I'll be neglecting all the pretty little things that are sitting right on the shelves in front of me, the books that I've come to love and appreciate, but have seemed to forget in these past few weeks.
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| Colossal Overload |
[05 Jul 2007|01:44pm] |
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Well, after reading other blogs from this week, I feel a bit more relieved to know that I'm not the only person feeling the strain of this class. I know that all of this technology is so amazing, and worthwhile and would definitely be an asset to the school community, but I am very overwhelmed with feeling inadequate. Sometimes I just feel like shouting "I JUST WANT TO READ BOOKS TO LITTLE KIDS! IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?!?!" Obviously, I know there is more to library life than that, but that's my frustration talking. Don't get me wrong, I feel like I'm learning, but I am definitely struggling to understand everything. I can't see myself using any of this on a regular basis in my library (I hope that changes, but honestly, I can't make any promises). Ask me to hypothetically implement these things, and of course I can. But will I? Doubtful. I struggle to maintain my own blog, so I can't see myself monitoring an entire school community's worth of blogs.
The terms from wikipedia, if I'm being honest, all seem to float around in a haze. They make sense definition-wise, and if you asked me if I had any questions, I don't think I could put it into words. But if you wanted me to put all those words together like a functioning machine, I absolutely couldn't. They exist in a vacuum for me. I don't know what it is, but at this point, I don't think I'll ever feel comfortable with all of this stuff. This blog entry is very negative, I realize that, but I feel so discouraged at this point. If I were to collaborate with a teacher, I'd be embarrassed at how NON-fluent I feel with all of this. I need a person to sit down, at a computer, and explain everything to me. (I'm really missing those Simmons workshops right about now!) Sadly, I just don't feel like I have much to offer others. My de.licio.us pages aren't too impressive, and I don't know where to find more. Perhaps I should stop writing this entry and pick up again when I feel more positive...
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| Brainstorming about Blogs |
[25 Jun 2007|10:59am] |
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Reading Chapters 1 and 2 of Richardson's book is my first encounter with information about weblogs. I used Livejournal back in college as a way to snoop on friends and to be snooped on myself. It was fun to pick the colors, backgrounds, fonts, etc (which I have not changed since then, so the rather shocking purple is here to stay). It was more a social experience for us, to express what we were thinking, and it's funny to recall how gratifying it was to choose an icon and a song to determine our moods. I do remember using LJ as my first outlet for revealing my personal poetry. I got supportive feedback from friends, of course, but I thought I could use LJ as an outlet for sharing my poetry with a more objective audience for the first time. I'd never read or shared any with others, and I was about to participate in a poetry workshop class in school, so I figured I could use the practice. It was exhilirating and risky (I don't exactly live on the edge) to reveal these poems to the public. And obviously, it helped me with my stage fright. I see this as a HUGE benefit to blogging, one that Richardson seems to place lower on his totem pole of blogging perks. While I agree that in school blogging should be used to analyze and reflect on previous reading and research, I think we educators should encourage students to use blogs on their own time to share whatever they want! If blogs become something we only use in school, they will be stigmatized just like reading has been. Most of my generation feels that reading cannot be enjoyable because it was forced upon them in school. It's like they forget that there are books in this world that have NOT been assigned by teachers. I am striving with my professional goals to remedy this notion that reading can't be fun because it's something that takes place on a deadline, with an end product that must show your knowledge. Blogging, like reading, can and should take place outside of school, outside of assignments, and should provide personal satisfaction and gratification. It should strike an emotional or sensual chord.
Of course I am realizing the benefits blogging can have in a classroom. Weblogs can enforce the notion of reading for purpose, and can certainly sharpen analytical skills. They will help students become information literate, one of the MAJOR themes discussed in LIS Curriculum Frameworks class. I've thought of an idea that I might like to develop into a project, for this class, and for my future library. I'd like to set up a blog and podcast for poetry. I thought maybe the regular podcast could include readings of poetry written by students and poetry that inspires them, and also a place where I could explain assignments. The Weblog could be a place to post and workshop poetry (because not everyone can overcome the fear of reading one's own poetry aloud and having it parsed on the spot). I think this might be a safe, cozy, and productive environment for young students experimenting with poetry. Since it's a particular passion of mine, I'd like to inspire my future students to explore their own feelings and ideas through poetry (both by others and of their own making). I hope it's not contrary to Richardson's idea that "real" or "complex" blogging must include links to other sources and metacognitive writing on said links. These elements would factor in to a poetry workshopping blog later in the process, but I'd like to think that a blog (even for school purposes) could start off with someone's original work.
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| Podcasts by children bring me joy |
[24 Jun 2007|05:27pm] |
I've been listening to the three podcasts for the class this week. I find it funny that I enjoyed listening to the two podcasts from schools SOOOOOO MUCH MORE than the podcast for teachers (despite the fact that the subject matter of both the students' podcasts wasn't my cup of tea). These two podcasts had extra noise (music, sound effects, enthusiasm) which kept my attention, whereas my experience with the podcast for teachers was sort of like reading the same sentence of a boring article over and over and over . I think a podcast needs extra pizazz for me to stay focused,and even then, it's hard. I find it tempting to wander off, open other webpages, do other things on the computer, if I'm only LISTENING to a podcast. I think I need the audio and the visual. However, the music (and enthusiasm/creativity of the students) definitely helps. I also think that the amount of practice the speakers seem to have had and the fluency of the speech definitely affects my experience.
I think these students enjoy using podcasts to organize and present their information because I'm sure they love to hear their own voices! It's exciting to create this kind of product. However, I feel worried that not all children will have the opportunity to use these tools. I've worked in urban, struggling elementary schools, and I just don't see those school systems having enthusiasm, incentive or resources to try to work with these tools. I think kids from lower socioeconomic groups will miss out on such great learning experiences, though they don't cost a cent. I'm hoping to find a job in a struggling district (I might change my mind in the future, but for now I seem to want that challenge) and I know it would be up to me, the school media specialist, to introduce teachers to these tools. I fear as a new, young, green librarian, my advice won't be taken because I'll seem too eager, or like I'm trying to bombard some jaded, tired teachers with tools they don't have time for. In some of my classes, we've talked about how to market our skills and resources to teachers, but I feel like we won't really be able to see how that goes until we're in a school district, playing with the big kids. For now it's all just idealistic speculation. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I hope the availability of all of these fabulous resources benefits kids of all ages in all areas. I'm sure if I end up in an urban school, the responsibility will be mine to use these tools in my library. I'm psyching myself up for this challenge. Bring it on. This post might seem a bit scattered. Forgive me, I'm somewhat distracted by the podcasts. Alas, that's all for now.
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| Keeping in touch |
[21 Jun 2007|05:10pm] |
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I am currently on a mini-vacation (the first of many I hope to take this summer) and am dealing with the fear of not being able to fulfill my obligations for class. As I've never taken an online class before, the idea of being reliant on the computer to achieve good grades is a bit nervewracking and completely foreign to me. I usually use the web, AIM and email to stay connected to friends, to shop, and do a bit of stalking on myspace, but aside from that, my ties to the internet (and my knowledge of the tech. that is out there) are tenuous. That said, downloading everything we needed for class was really overwhelming and I still don't know how I'm going to keep track of everything. I'm hoping that once I familiarize myself with the different systems and websites, I will become more fluent with them. I realize I'm going to have a LOT to keep up with over the next few weeks, and I can only hope my computer will be an ally, and not an enemy. But I digress. I am away from home, and away from my precious laptop (that, since downloading all of this stuff has started making incredibly disturbing noises). However, magically, I am able to complete my assignment and write in this blog from the public LIBRARY!! Woohoo!! I realize, too, that I can access Twitter, delicious, and almost all the other programs we need to use this summer. I suppose that this is my first official acknowledgement that there are benefits to mastering all this daunting technology. One of my goals for this summer is to become as comfortable with the tools we're using to be of service to my future students and help them realize that technology is an excellent way to stay connected to the world you know, and explore what is beyond.
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rhythmofabreeze's journal