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Blog Post #7

2007-03-18T11:10:00.000-07:00

The Mark Twain Library web page is finished for now. I consider it a work in progress as things grow and change. Website

Blog Post #5 Trading Card

2007-03-17T08:55:00.001-07:00

My creation
Originally uploaded by Every Library.

Here is my trading card created on Flickr. This is quite a promotional tool for use in the school library as well as the public library. Listen to our presentation today and find out how to make your own!

Blog Post #4

2007-03-04T17:28:00.000-08:00

IL-TCE Presents
Think Outside the Box and Wires 2007 Conference
www.il-tce.org & www.iceberg.org

On March 1st and 2nd I was at the ICE Conference held at Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, Illinois. It was a huge gathering of "tech" people. I tried to attend as many sessions as possible and I would like to share them with you.

My Friend Flickr http://homepage.mac.com/charlenechausis/flickr.htm
presented by Charlene Chausis who was awarded the ICE Educator of the Year for 2007.
Chausis uses the Flickr site for her personal photos as well as for educational purposes. Visit the link above for the handout with numerous links.

Celebrating National Poetry Month With Our Classmates, Our School and the World!
presented by Roxana Hadad, Northwestern University.
This is part of a collaboratory project to connect students and teachers with others around the country. Registration is required and everything is free. Since April is poetry month this is a great opportunity for students to share their poetry online with others. There are other sponsored projects to explore at http://collaboratory.nunet.net

Using Wikis in the Classroom
presented by Adam Frey, Wikispaces.
Adam explained the many uses of wikis and how they can be used in the classroom. Wikis are great for teachers and students to work together in the classroom. Wikispaces claims to be free of ads and with no space or usage limits. For K-12 educators starting a wiki is free for others there is a nominal charge. http://wikispaces.com/t/x/teachers

The 10 Best Free Web 2.0 Sites
presented by Steve Dembo, Discovery Education.
This session was quite crowded and Steve was a fast talker with a ton of information. Here is a list of a few free sites that he mentioned:
www.vyew.com
Vyew provides a virtual space to share and work together.
www.gcast.com
This is a sister site to Garage Band. It claims to make personal broadcasting simple.
www.archive.org
The Internet archive. This is a digital library of Internet sites. This is a free access site.

Telling Your Story
presented by Jason Ohler; www.jasonohler.com
Storytelling has been around for thousands of years and Jason Ohler gave lively examples of how to use his techniques to actively engage kids in the art of storytelling regardless of your tech abilities and equipment limitations.

These are just a few of the interesting speakers I had the pleasure to listen to. The information is applicable to all librarians to stay informed about new technologies. This was a wonderful opportunity to meet and share ideas with technology educators.

Blog Post #3

2007-02-19T14:30:00.000-08:00

On the 2.0 Job Description (Part 2): LIS Students in a 2.0 World by: Michael Stephens
http://http://www.techsource.ala.org/blog/2006/04/on-the-20-job-description-part-2-lis-students-in-a-20-world.html

Now I know what the expression, “Time flies when you are having fun” means after completing two weekends in LIS 753. There are so many exciting bits of information to learn and at times it can be a bit overwhelming, although it is a necessary addition to the LIS curriculum. Michael Stephens writes in the article above about, “turning the students in the class on to online social tools and the bigger picture of what’s happening online was a highlight for me.” As an active participant in the class I agree with the hands on, play with it approach to the ‘2.0 world’.

Michael has demystified the vocabulary that I once thought was totally foreign. In a collaborative effort my group project will be presenting the value of using Flickr in the library. I made a trading card for myself to use in the library which I never thought I would be doing before taking this class. Upon completion I will have a foundation for using the online tools in the school library I currently work in to inspire the students of the future.

As the article draws to a close, Michael starts to dream about LIS in the year 2015! Now I know I made the right choice in 2007 and I will have to keep up with all the newest trends in LIS as a lifelong learner.

Blog Post #2

2007-02-03T20:11:00.000-08:00

Videogames Grow Up: Using Second Life's Online Universe as an eLearning Tool
by Aaron Ragan-Fore http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Membership/SIGs/SIG_Newletter/Archives......

So you thought there was only one life to live well fear not there is now a Second Life! This is a MUVE (multi-user virtual environment) which is like a videogame online although all the characters are real people from anywhere in the world. To get a Second Life account visit http://www.secondlife.com, get an on-screen name also known as your own avatar and start communicating with others in this virtual world. I have an account along with more than 2 million other registered users.

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has a Second Life headquarters on EduIsland as well as 18 other educational organizations.
Lisa Perez from the Chicago Public Schools Department of Libraries http://www.oism.cps.k12.il.us/dept_libraries.shtml , created a media-themed Cybrary City with a slideshow, computers, and readable books. The Second Life surroundings are filled with books and allow users to download poetry. On a coffee table there are instructions about the after school book club she promotes. Perez says, “It is not gaming it’s communication, creating, teaching, and learning.”

Perez is not the only one excited about this new virtual world of communicating worldwide it has sparked the imagination of major corporations and the media alike. It sounds like this may just be the beginning of a new and creative way to conduct meetings and connect people in a meaningful way with a touch of fun. I will have to sharpen my virtual skills and get my avatar ready for the next meeting of all the local librarians. See you on Second Life…

Blog Assignment #1

2007-01-20T20:01:00.000-08:00

Abram, Stephen & Luther, Judy. Born with the Chip. LibraryJournal.com

A term to describe the people born between 1982 and 2002 is NextGens with roughly 81 million in the group. Just when I thought I was adapting to the tech world, I read about the NextGens and how they are considered to be "born with the chip" which may be part of their DNA no less. Abram and Luther discuss aspects of the next generation's behavior that make this group different than others and the major impact these will have on libraries and the services they provide.

NextGens want information NOW with a Google search and little consideration regarding the source of the information. Abram and Luther stress the importance of media literacy skills to help evaluate the content and diversity of the lists provided and to use the information in an effective manner in which they base their decisions. Librarians have to reach the NextGens "on their device of choice" whether it is IM, virtual reference, or other technologies and it needs to be accessible on the devices being used by them along with the hardware to support it.

Abram and Luther write that the amount of information in the future will double every 11 minutes. That is quite an astonishing figure which proves that libraries must keep up with new trends and be prepared to meet the needs of the next generation. Change can be difficult for some, although it can not be for a librarian that strives to match the needs of all patrons even those "born with the chip".

http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA411572.html

Welcome to my blog

2007-01-14T12:40:00.000-08:00

This is a brand new experience for me and truthfully it is a little frightening. I am in LIS753 at Dominican University.