I should tell everyone that this was my first semester in the MLIS. I really enjoyed most of the course work and much of what I have learned. However, I am beginning to see much overlap in my studies between the types of assignments and the content that I will be studying.
What has suddenly gotten to me is that I feel like I need the actual experience for these exercises. I need MORE exercise, and it needs to be of value to some entity (a school or library). The tools I have learned about in this course are very powerful, but often used for entertainment. Because they can be used to deliver academic content it is easy to design relevant material. Unfortunately, I have a little trouble with the idea that learning MUST be equivalent to entertainment to get the attention of the students/patrons of today (CNN Effect, Neil Postman both come to mind).
Now, I feel like the horse on the racetrack starting line and I want to jump the gun. On that note, I am wanting to run with what I have gotten from my four classes this term, because I feel that left to my own devices in a professional settings I could further develop these skills AND do something useful with the tools I have learned about and the research/resource practices I have experienced. Realistically, I know four classes make not a librarian/information specialist. I know there is more to learn.
I hope to put these things to good use in a part-time position I have accepted for this summer. Many thanks to my professors this semester.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
No use for FB in the academic environment
As it stands and how users currently occupy the SOCIAL spaces (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc.) I concur with other researchers and reading completed for my LIS 6303 course that there is not a good means for it to be used academically.
I watched this video, with a researcher from UC Berkley (available at ). I found her research to be, and sorry for the Facebook-speak, 'meh'. Ok, I use Facebook. Mostly I use it to chat with distant family members, show my mom their children's photos, occasionally send a private message (in a way that has replaced email), and more frequently than not to make a snarky remark to a "friend". Yes, it is a way of PUBLICLY SHOWING YOUR STATUS in relationships, showing who your friends are and the way you interact with them, and this researcher very eloquently put it as a way to stand in the same circles as their "cool" friends. Another article also mentioned it as a dissemination tool for the newest, coolest links to sites, pictures, music etc. So if you know about something cutting edge then you HAVE STATUS on Facebook. Facebook is a different way of communicating that is a single platform for what those of us who can REMEMBER the 1990's used to use email, messenger, and now with Skype replacing a VOIP which the name of escapes me (I used it to call from China for free, as my sister did from Russia, but at the expense of fidelity).
In the classroom then, especially for higher ed, Facebook, Twitter, etc. may be an ok means to get in touch with your peers suffering an assignment and needing to make a formal study date, or to Tweet a reminder for due dates or such nonsense that does not require actual thought. Otherwise, what's the point of Blackboard then if we just use FACEBOOK? I would be hard-pressed to use the Blackboard platform for a class AND Facebook. As a student I already have a hard enough time monitoring my classes and required assignments, discussion boards, and materials. I would hate to have to monitor or respond to a class Facebook profile as well. So, for me FACEBOOK in academic settings would be a FAILBOOK.
OK. Now that I said that, time to check BOTH Blackboard AND Facebook. God forbid I miss SOMETHING. Meh.
I watched this video, with a researcher from UC Berkley (available at ). I found her research to be, and sorry for the Facebook-speak, 'meh'. Ok, I use Facebook. Mostly I use it to chat with distant family members, show my mom their children's photos, occasionally send a private message (in a way that has replaced email), and more frequently than not to make a snarky remark to a "friend". Yes, it is a way of PUBLICLY SHOWING YOUR STATUS in relationships, showing who your friends are and the way you interact with them, and this researcher very eloquently put it as a way to stand in the same circles as their "cool" friends. Another article also mentioned it as a dissemination tool for the newest, coolest links to sites, pictures, music etc. So if you know about something cutting edge then you HAVE STATUS on Facebook. Facebook is a different way of communicating that is a single platform for what those of us who can REMEMBER the 1990's used to use email, messenger, and now with Skype replacing a VOIP which the name of escapes me (I used it to call from China for free, as my sister did from Russia, but at the expense of fidelity).
In the classroom then, especially for higher ed, Facebook, Twitter, etc. may be an ok means to get in touch with your peers suffering an assignment and needing to make a formal study date, or to Tweet a reminder for due dates or such nonsense that does not require actual thought. Otherwise, what's the point of Blackboard then if we just use FACEBOOK? I would be hard-pressed to use the Blackboard platform for a class AND Facebook. As a student I already have a hard enough time monitoring my classes and required assignments, discussion boards, and materials. I would hate to have to monitor or respond to a class Facebook profile as well. So, for me FACEBOOK in academic settings would be a FAILBOOK.
OK. Now that I said that, time to check BOTH Blackboard AND Facebook. God forbid I miss SOMETHING. Meh.
Friday, May 6, 2011
WEBSITE LINK
DEAR READERS:
This is the link to the URL for my portfolio for my LIS 6303 Course Work: http://afitos1.myweb.usf.edu/.
All documents included there-in are the work of the author and are not to be replicated for any use without permission.
Until we meet again-
Athy
This is the link to the URL for my portfolio for my LIS 6303 Course Work: http://afitos1.myweb.usf.edu/.
All documents included there-in are the work of the author and are not to be replicated for any use without permission.
Until we meet again-
Athy
More for the 23 Things!
For this semester, two courses (LIS 5020 and LIS 6303) required a 23 Things-type of activity. I took it literally and explored a great number of these activities on two different websites with two different sets of activities, even though many overlapped.
The two websites were: http://plcmcl2-things.blogspot.com/ and the IPL version called 15 Things(see previous posts on my blog with IPL as the label and the requirements at: ).
3 Learning 2.0 Things*
(Note: Details about each task will be activated every week with posts related to each item)
I can see how professors would think this type of module, especially ones created by working professionals would be of value because it offers enough flexibility by still has structure.
My main complaint about this though is that it was created FIVE years ago! Most of us use the majority of the items in the 23 Things, please see my notes below about each task. Technology use has come a LONG way since this project was dreamed up and many of the items are really old hat. Sure, there are a few that I could learn to use better, but again, like this blog (see my post about being a bad blogger: ), it takes time to learn to incorporate the activities into your daily life and be accustomed to using them for creative purposes as academics and professionals. I am no Luddite, having been using computer technologies since the 1992 when I was still writing code in Pascal, but all the Things described in the 23 Things could have been better assigned to us as to how we see ourselves using the technology in a professional setting, as we already probably use a good number of these Web 2.0 technologies on a regular basis, and if not we at least have an awareness of them.
Blogging: Set up your own blog & add your first post. Done, obviously. This is my first blog experience becuase I find the activity to be a a little pretentious and self-inclusive.
Photos & Images: Explore Flickr and learn about this popular image hosting site. Have some Flickr fun and discover some Flickr mashups & 3rd party sites. Getting other people's pictures seems like an activity for a generic work, like using clip art. In progression to Flickr, a new type of website/tool should be listed such as memes. We have all seen LOLcats (usually created using memes) that can make a quotation on a photo. CAUTION: there are some unsavory pictures out there so if you go looking be ready to see things you may not have expected.
RSS & Newsreaders: I already used this through my Google account. What I am more interested in is the coding for making a website/blog accessible to an RSS feed.
Play around with an online image generator. I played with the gimmick that was used to create the logo for the 23 Things. It was ok.
Take a look at LibraryThing and catalog some of your favorite books. Maybe this is useful to discuss books? I am not sure. With Facebook, this blog, and myUSF/BlackBoard discussions, it seems redundant.
Roll your own search tool with Rollyo. I like this idea, to search for academic information and do a "reference" source check would be useful because it can be set up to search specific sites like dictionaries, encyclopedias, manuals, handbooks, etc. in a single search. I did not have enough time to ascertain whether it is a strong enough tool to be worth it for academic purposes.
Learn about tagging and discover a Del.icio.us (a social bookmaking site): Please see IPL 15 Things. I do not think this is exceptionally useful.
Wikis
Learn about wikis and discover some innovative ways that libraries are using them.
These Wikis can be a great asset if there is a group working cooperatively. Otherwise, these are just another device of eliciting a forced response from students. (Sorry, that is how I feel about discussion boards posts. There is not a good way to "discuss" without live, SYNCHRONOUS communication. Most of the topics for the discussion boards are trite or trivial.)
Online Applications & Tools
Take a look at some online productivity (word processing, spreadsheet) tools.
Explore any site from the Web 2.0 awards list, play with it and write a blog post about your findings.
Podcasts, Video & Downloadable audio
Discover YouTube and a few sites that allow users to upload and share videos. I downloaded the video to youtube for the first time for my other activity. Useful, but people have to know to look for it, you have to tag it accordingly, and people should orient themselves to looking for academic/informational (and not just entertainment) videos. I address this in the other posts.
Discover some useful search tools for locating podcasts. iTunes is old hat, most everyone is aware of it as it is big bucks!
Take a look at the titles available on NetLibrary and learn how to download audiobooks. USF uses NetLibrary as the vendor for their e-books. We have been using this for years within the university. Again, I question the currency of this project.
What I found the most frustrating was that many of the activities have a redundancy. Google accounts, Facebook, and BlackBoard all have similar functionality/serve similar purposes. Many of us use all three services to a certain level. We are over-inundated by options of platforms to perform these tasks.
For me, a sample of best practices for academic and school librarians using these tools would have been better. Most folks these days are past needing to be made aware of these tools. Another useful set of tools for communications like video and podcasts are Jing and Camtasia, and I did not find them mentioned. Cell phones these days have made us all reporter and journalists. We mediate our experiences though camera lenses and behind computer screens. Accessibility does not mean that the practice is the best for the purpose- which is what I feel needs to be better addressed.
Summarize your thoughts about this program on your blog.
The two websites were: http://plcmcl2-things.blogspot.com/ and the IPL version called 15 Things(see previous posts on my blog with IPL as the label and the requirements at: ).
3 Learning 2.0 Things*
(Note: Details about each task will be activated every week with posts related to each item)
I can see how professors would think this type of module, especially ones created by working professionals would be of value because it offers enough flexibility by still has structure.
My main complaint about this though is that it was created FIVE years ago! Most of us use the majority of the items in the 23 Things, please see my notes below about each task. Technology use has come a LONG way since this project was dreamed up and many of the items are really old hat. Sure, there are a few that I could learn to use better, but again, like this blog (see my post about being a bad blogger: ), it takes time to learn to incorporate the activities into your daily life and be accustomed to using them for creative purposes as academics and professionals. I am no Luddite, having been using computer technologies since the 1992 when I was still writing code in Pascal, but all the Things described in the 23 Things could have been better assigned to us as to how we see ourselves using the technology in a professional setting, as we already probably use a good number of these Web 2.0 technologies on a regular basis, and if not we at least have an awareness of them.
Blogging: Set up your own blog & add your first post. Done, obviously. This is my first blog experience becuase I find the activity to be a a little pretentious and self-inclusive.
Photos & Images: Explore Flickr and learn about this popular image hosting site. Have some Flickr fun and discover some Flickr mashups & 3rd party sites. Getting other people's pictures seems like an activity for a generic work, like using clip art. In progression to Flickr, a new type of website/tool should be listed such as memes. We have all seen LOLcats (usually created using memes) that can make a quotation on a photo. CAUTION: there are some unsavory pictures out there so if you go looking be ready to see things you may not have expected.
RSS & Newsreaders: I already used this through my Google account. What I am more interested in is the coding for making a website/blog accessible to an RSS feed.
Play around with an online image generator. I played with the gimmick that was used to create the logo for the 23 Things. It was ok.
Take a look at LibraryThing and catalog some of your favorite books. Maybe this is useful to discuss books? I am not sure. With Facebook, this blog, and myUSF/BlackBoard discussions, it seems redundant.
Roll your own search tool with Rollyo. I like this idea, to search for academic information and do a "reference" source check would be useful because it can be set up to search specific sites like dictionaries, encyclopedias, manuals, handbooks, etc. in a single search. I did not have enough time to ascertain whether it is a strong enough tool to be worth it for academic purposes.
Learn about tagging and discover a Del.icio.us (a social bookmaking site): Please see IPL 15 Things. I do not think this is exceptionally useful.
Wikis
Learn about wikis and discover some innovative ways that libraries are using them.
These Wikis can be a great asset if there is a group working cooperatively. Otherwise, these are just another device of eliciting a forced response from students. (Sorry, that is how I feel about discussion boards posts. There is not a good way to "discuss" without live, SYNCHRONOUS communication. Most of the topics for the discussion boards are trite or trivial.)
Online Applications & Tools
Take a look at some online productivity (word processing, spreadsheet) tools.
Explore any site from the Web 2.0 awards list, play with it and write a blog post about your findings.
Podcasts, Video & Downloadable audio
Discover YouTube and a few sites that allow users to upload and share videos. I downloaded the video to youtube for the first time for my other activity. Useful, but people have to know to look for it, you have to tag it accordingly, and people should orient themselves to looking for academic/informational (and not just entertainment) videos. I address this in the other posts.
Discover some useful search tools for locating podcasts. iTunes is old hat, most everyone is aware of it as it is big bucks!
Take a look at the titles available on NetLibrary and learn how to download audiobooks. USF uses NetLibrary as the vendor for their e-books. We have been using this for years within the university. Again, I question the currency of this project.
What I found the most frustrating was that many of the activities have a redundancy. Google accounts, Facebook, and BlackBoard all have similar functionality/serve similar purposes. Many of us use all three services to a certain level. We are over-inundated by options of platforms to perform these tasks.
For me, a sample of best practices for academic and school librarians using these tools would have been better. Most folks these days are past needing to be made aware of these tools. Another useful set of tools for communications like video and podcasts are Jing and Camtasia, and I did not find them mentioned. Cell phones these days have made us all reporter and journalists. We mediate our experiences though camera lenses and behind computer screens. Accessibility does not mean that the practice is the best for the purpose- which is what I feel needs to be better addressed.
Summarize your thoughts about this program on your blog.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Problems logging in
Dear readers,
I have discovered a glitch in the system. For the four months that I have been using this, then suddenly, I could not. For some reason this blog disappeared from the account I used with USF. I had to create an entirely new GMAIL account just to be able to access it.
If you encounter similar problems with your Blogger blog, USF supports Wordpress but this is a GOOGLE product.
I had to click on this link to find which account was used for creating this blog link and it gave the TEMPORARY account created by USF mail WHICH did not look like the email account (additional temporary information in the username portion for mine).
Follow instructions to create a new GMAIL if you have this same issue!
Tata for now!!!
I have discovered a glitch in the system. For the four months that I have been using this, then suddenly, I could not. For some reason this blog disappeared from the account I used with USF. I had to create an entirely new GMAIL account just to be able to access it.
If you encounter similar problems with your Blogger blog, USF supports Wordpress but this is a GOOGLE product.
I had to click on this link to find which account was used for creating this blog link and it gave the TEMPORARY account created by USF mail WHICH did not look like the email account (additional temporary information in the username portion for mine).
Follow instructions to create a new GMAIL if you have this same issue!
Tata for now!!!
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