Thoughts on the 23 Things Online Learning Program
In some ways, this program is not about the "23 Things" themselves, but it is about the process of learning through exploration and reflection.
In searching for a justification for my participation in this exercise, I thought about what I am learning and how I am learning it. The "how" is, in many ways, more important than the "what". For example, I may never use a Flickr mashup to teach information literacy or promote library services, but the process of learning about mashups, figuring out how to use them, following through to create a mashup and then reflecting on the process is an excellent way to learn a new skill.
I recently participated in part of the interview process for our consortium's executive director position. One of the candidates discussed the future of libraries, (and the future in general,) and stated that in the future we will be in a cycle of continuous learning. In this new paradigm of constant learning, change will be the only constant. Since most libraries do not have endless time and resources available for constant teaching and training, a lot of this continuous learning will have to be self-administered. If this is the case, the more experience I have with this type of learning the better.
This same executive director candidate pointed out that this is the way our traditional students already learn new technology - by experimentation and application. How many of our students, when they purchase a new computer or iPod, actually sit down and read an instruction manual? Rather, they start pushing buttons and experimenting as soon as it is out of the box.
This type of learning is not about a professor standing in front of a classroom, giving students all of the answers. It is not even about reading a textbook and taking a test. It is about jumping in and trying new things, taking risks, learning from mistakes and applying and reflecting on what you've learned.
It is almost certain that library technology will change during my career. Perhaps it will change rapidly in the next few years. If our consortium chooses open source software for our next ILS, not only will we have to learn a new system, but we will have to be proactive in changing and improving the system to meet our needs. I believe we will learn about possible new ILS features (tagging, for example,) not only by reading about them, but by experimenting with these features in other venues.
This is just one of the many reasons why is so important for librarians and staff to participate in a program such as 23 Things on a Stick. It's not just "extra" or "busy work", it is the future!
What were your favorite Things and discoveries?
My favorite Things for entertainment value were Flickr and YouTube. I love looking at other people's Flickr photos from their vacations, and I enjoyed the Flickr mashup with the world map. I was happy to discover both Google Docs and Meebo, since we are now considering using both applications to improve Reference service.
How did you connect with others doing the 23 Things On a Stick?
I chatted with colleages in Meebo and Google Talk, and I joined the 23 Things Ning for collaboration within a social network of like minded individuals. I also had face-to-face discussions about the 23 Things with colleagues here at the library and also across our consortium.
Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
I was suprised at how easy it is to get started with many of these online tools. All it typically takes is setting up a free account and learning by trial-and-error.
What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or content?
Try to create a cleaner "look" for the 23 Things blog. It was difficult to navigate at first.
If we offered a 23 More Things On a Stick program like this in the future would you participate?
Yes.
How would you describe your learning experience in one word or in one sentence, so we could use your words to promote 23 Things On a Stick learning activities to others?
It will open up a Web 2.0 world of possibilities!
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Thing 22 - What Did I Learn Today?
I hereby resolve to keep my blog and write about the things I learned every day. Every day, I will ask myself, "What did I learn today?" and record my response in my blog.
Blog about how you plan to keep up with the Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 tools.
I plan to keep up with the Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 tools by adding some of the suggested blogs to my aggregator and reading what other librarians are learning, doing and writing about. I will also attend a webinar or workshop every now and again, and I'll join College 2.0 and other collaborative social networks on the 2.0 theme.
Recommend a way to keep up that you have found useful.
I've found it useful to just jump in and try new things. I keep up with my Bloglines and Facebook, and now there's the 23Things Ning.
Blog about how you plan to keep up with the Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 tools.
I plan to keep up with the Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 tools by adding some of the suggested blogs to my aggregator and reading what other librarians are learning, doing and writing about. I will also attend a webinar or workshop every now and again, and I'll join College 2.0 and other collaborative social networks on the 2.0 theme.
Recommend a way to keep up that you have found useful.
I've found it useful to just jump in and try new things. I keep up with my Bloglines and Facebook, and now there's the 23Things Ning.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Thing 21 - Other Social Networks
Are you a member of any online communities?
I am a member of LinkedIn, and I just signed up for Dogster.
Are any of these social networks appealing to you?
The College 2.0 community is interesting to me. I like the fact that it has both professors and librarians as members, and that they are drawn together by the common theme of teaching and learning in a Web 2.0 environment. I think I might join that social network next.
What did you find that was interesting and that you might use later?
I found the 43 Things concept very interesting. It seems only natural for people with common goals to come together in some forum to support each other. I think I might sign up for an account to see if it provides any more inspiration for my goals.
I am a member of LinkedIn, and I just signed up for Dogster.
Are any of these social networks appealing to you?
The College 2.0 community is interesting to me. I like the fact that it has both professors and librarians as members, and that they are drawn together by the common theme of teaching and learning in a Web 2.0 environment. I think I might join that social network next.
What did you find that was interesting and that you might use later?
I found the 43 Things concept very interesting. It seems only natural for people with common goals to come together in some forum to support each other. I think I might sign up for an account to see if it provides any more inspiration for my goals.
Thing 20 - Libraries and Social Networks
Which groups did you join and why?
I am a member of Facebook. I joined that social network back in 2005 in library school, because I had a college email address, (albeit a .ca email address,) and I wanted to keep up with the college crowd. I wanted to see what the college kids were doing these days, and keep up with my younger siblings and cousins at college in the States.
Shortly after joining Facebook, I started a group for the other students in my MLIS program and invited a few friends. Before long there were over 100 people in my online group. It felt great to have started a group in Facebook, though I realized that it was not the same as having a group in real life. I later joined and/or created Facebook groups that mirrored "real life" groups, such as a Facebook group for my book club.
I find Facebook groups as extensions of real-life groups to be helpful in organizing events, posting questions and opinions, and keeping up with the lives and interests of the other group members.
Reflect on why Facebook may be the fastest growing social network. Is that reputation deserved?
I think Facebook got a head start in the social network race by being exclusive and limited to college students with a .edu email address. The exclusivity of Facebook was part of its coolness factor, as well as the fact that it seemed like a "private" venue to socialize online.
I prefer Facebook over MySpace because of the uniform look of the profile and group pages. That uniform look has changed somewhat since Facebook made its code available to third-party application developers, and hundreds of new Facebook applications were developed and adopted by users.
I am a member of Facebook. I joined that social network back in 2005 in library school, because I had a college email address, (albeit a .ca email address,) and I wanted to keep up with the college crowd. I wanted to see what the college kids were doing these days, and keep up with my younger siblings and cousins at college in the States.
Shortly after joining Facebook, I started a group for the other students in my MLIS program and invited a few friends. Before long there were over 100 people in my online group. It felt great to have started a group in Facebook, though I realized that it was not the same as having a group in real life. I later joined and/or created Facebook groups that mirrored "real life" groups, such as a Facebook group for my book club.
I find Facebook groups as extensions of real-life groups to be helpful in organizing events, posting questions and opinions, and keeping up with the lives and interests of the other group members.
Reflect on why Facebook may be the fastest growing social network. Is that reputation deserved?
I think Facebook got a head start in the social network race by being exclusive and limited to college students with a .edu email address. The exclusivity of Facebook was part of its coolness factor, as well as the fact that it seemed like a "private" venue to socialize online.
I prefer Facebook over MySpace because of the uniform look of the profile and group pages. That uniform look has changed somewhat since Facebook made its code available to third-party application developers, and hundreds of new Facebook applications were developed and adopted by users.
Thing 19 - Podcasts
1. Which podcast(s) did you listen to?
I listened to the National Geographic podcast from podcast.com. It was very interesting and educational. Where else but National Geographic can one learn about a 10-pound frog the size of a beach ball that was found Madagascaar?
2. Which of the directories did you find easiest to use?
Podcast.com was definitely the easiest directory to navigate and use. I was unable to figure out how to get the podcast.net podcasts to play, (though it could have been an issue with my computer or network firewall,) and the podcast content on podcast alley looked questionable. With Yahoo Podcasts I was not sure if all of my search results were actually podcasts. Educational Podcast directory looked promising, but again I was unable to play any of the podcasts.
3. Has this Thing inspired you to do any podcasting yourself or to subscribe to a podcast to listen to it regularly?
I tried Gcast to create my own podcast, and it was fun! I can see myself podcasting in the future, but I was not impressed with all of the advertising on Gcast. I will have to obtain my own podcasting equipment and produce and publish podcasts for myself.
Seeing all the different categories of podcasts available made me feel inspired and a bit overwhelmed at the same time. On one hand, these podcasts offer another venue for exploring a new hobby or interest just by listening, without tiring one's eyes by staring at a computer screen. (I do enough of that in a day!) For example, I am inspired to subscribe to podcasts on cooking and documentary film making. Now I really want to purchase an iPod!
On the other hand, the idea of the hundreds of thousands of podcasts out there makes me feel even more behind given the millions of books, journals, newspapers and blogs I'm not keeping up with. Even so, listening to podcasts (on an iPod or other mobile device) can help me accomplish two goals by fitting more exercise and learning into each day.
I listened to the National Geographic podcast from podcast.com. It was very interesting and educational. Where else but National Geographic can one learn about a 10-pound frog the size of a beach ball that was found Madagascaar?
2. Which of the directories did you find easiest to use?
Podcast.com was definitely the easiest directory to navigate and use. I was unable to figure out how to get the podcast.net podcasts to play, (though it could have been an issue with my computer or network firewall,) and the podcast content on podcast alley looked questionable. With Yahoo Podcasts I was not sure if all of my search results were actually podcasts. Educational Podcast directory looked promising, but again I was unable to play any of the podcasts.
3. Has this Thing inspired you to do any podcasting yourself or to subscribe to a podcast to listen to it regularly?
I tried Gcast to create my own podcast, and it was fun! I can see myself podcasting in the future, but I was not impressed with all of the advertising on Gcast. I will have to obtain my own podcasting equipment and produce and publish podcasts for myself.
Seeing all the different categories of podcasts available made me feel inspired and a bit overwhelmed at the same time. On one hand, these podcasts offer another venue for exploring a new hobby or interest just by listening, without tiring one's eyes by staring at a computer screen. (I do enough of that in a day!) For example, I am inspired to subscribe to podcasts on cooking and documentary film making. Now I really want to purchase an iPod!
On the other hand, the idea of the hundreds of thousands of podcasts out there makes me feel even more behind given the millions of books, journals, newspapers and blogs I'm not keeping up with. Even so, listening to podcasts (on an iPod or other mobile device) can help me accomplish two goals by fitting more exercise and learning into each day.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Thing 18 - YouTube & Other Online Video
What did you like or dislike about the sites you explored?
First of all, I found the library musical concept very amusing! That's one way to star in a musical!
The thing I like best about YouTube is the fact that I have access to so much historical video footage (television, concerts, etc.) that I missed by not being alive in the 60's and most of the 70's. For example, I enjoy watching performances by Ella Fitzgerald and other favorite jazz singers.
Why did you choose the video that you did?
I chose the Minnesota promotional video because I want my library school friends to come here for a visit and I'm trying to promote Minnesota to them as a vacation destination. There is no other "library" connection other than that, and the fact that our library is located in Roseville and the video was produced by the Roseville Area Visitors Association.
Can you see any ways to use video--YouTube or other sites--on your library Web site?
I think a library orientation video would be a helpful thing to embed in the library's website, especially if it were at least mildly amusing to watch. Having such a video in the website would allow patrons to become familiar with the library staff and services, and perhaps feel more comfortable coming to the library and utilizing the services.
Thing 17 - ELM Online Productivity tools
How can these tools be applied to your everyday work?
The web page features on the database would be very helpful for creating subject guides or class guides and linking them to our library webpage. This way, a student in a particular class could get an idea of some possible resources available in their area of study, and then do a search on their own in Academic Source Premier. I could also create search alerts for students or professors for topics of interest/research, or show them how to create alerts for themselves
How can these tools facilitate collaboration with your colleagues?
Creating a shared folder in NetLibrary seemed like the most collaborative idea in this Thing. This is one way that an entire library staff can read the same book, without having to purchase multiple copies, and share "notes" and feedback within the book in an electronic environment. This might be a good idea for a shared book discussion at a reference meeting.
How can these tools benefit your patrons/students?
I often tell students about the "notes" feature in NetLibrary, but I am not aware of how many students actually use that feature when they log into their NetLibrary account. I don't believe our college allows students to create webpages on its server space, so I don't think they'd benefit from creating webpages in ProQuest or EBSCO, but you never know.
The web page features on the database would be very helpful for creating subject guides or class guides and linking them to our library webpage. This way, a student in a particular class could get an idea of some possible resources available in their area of study, and then do a search on their own in Academic Source Premier. I could also create search alerts for students or professors for topics of interest/research, or show them how to create alerts for themselves
How can these tools facilitate collaboration with your colleagues?
Creating a shared folder in NetLibrary seemed like the most collaborative idea in this Thing. This is one way that an entire library staff can read the same book, without having to purchase multiple copies, and share "notes" and feedback within the book in an electronic environment. This might be a good idea for a shared book discussion at a reference meeting.
How can these tools benefit your patrons/students?
I often tell students about the "notes" feature in NetLibrary, but I am not aware of how many students actually use that feature when they log into their NetLibrary account. I don't believe our college allows students to create webpages on its server space, so I don't think they'd benefit from creating webpages in ProQuest or EBSCO, but you never know.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
