Blog Post 5: Conclusion

How do you plan to keep up with new innovations in technology once you have completed your classes at UNT?

Once I have completed my classes at UNT, I feel getting a job in a junior high or high school library will keep me up to date with technology to some extent. Currently, the librarian at my school is going through a continuing education professional development course that is very similar to this class. All Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD librarians must create a blog of both personal content and content similar to this blog where questions are answered, post a podcast, create a video and upload it to their homepage, and complete many other Web 2.0 type processes. It seems that the school district is making sure all librarians, no matter their years of experience, are ready to answer questions about and create Web 2.0 content by the end of the school year.

I also plan on staying up to date with technology by using it, reading about new innovations online, and listening to other people who may have seen something I haven’t. I learned about items such as Playaways from the YA author John Green who has done give-a-ways on his website as promotion for both his new books as well as the product itself. Keeping up with YA authors blogs can definitely be an asset when it comes to keeping up with the latest in library and book specific technologies such as this.

So aside from professional development and reading about technology on others blogs, one other way I plan on keeping up with technology by searching it out online. There is a wealth of information to dig through, and by using targeted searches, almost anything can be found.

Red Hair

Apparently I am a mutant. Like the X Men, but not as cool because red hair give no special powers. But I'm a mutant none the less. ^_^

Manga

If American bookstores had Manga sections like the ones in Japan, maybe I'd attempt to read it more. :)

13 Reasons Why Podcast

A brief podcast review of 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher. Visit www.thirteenreasonswhy.com for more information and some great additions to the book.

Blog Post 4: The Job of Organizing

The trend of average everyday people organizing, labeling, and sorting books and other materials through Web 2.0 is a great way for librarians and other professionals to really get a grasp on how items should be catalogued. It’s one thing to say a book should be shelved under adult fiction, or YA lit because a publisher says so, but it is another entirely to watch what people reading the book think about it.

For instance, how should a library shelve The Book Thief by Markus Zusak when the American publisher, thus American bookstores, places it in Young Adult, but originally it was released as an adult novel? I contend that a book of this nature be sorted into an appropriate section based on readership. Are more adults reading the book? Are more teenagers reading it? Does it need to be moved based on this information? The advent of Web 2.0 in the form of blogs, online sites such as Library Thing and Bookshelf, and other outlets makes a plethora of information available as to who exactly is reading what.

Another book I have noticed as a crossover from adult to young adult literature is The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. Personally, I agree with bookstores and libraries that this is definitely an adult book, yet I see it constantly on YA lists. Of course, I feel many times this is due to its popularity as a challenged book. I would label this for adults in their 30’s simply because I know how much I related to it due to the time period it is set in. Anyone who has / had a copy of the iconic Kurt Cobain Rolling Stone in the 90’s can relate in some way. But I do see how teenagers adore this book as well; after all I wasn’t even born when Jack Kerouac was writing, but I couldn’t put On the Road down when I was in high school.

So what does this all mean for librarians? Basically, I feel that labels may be changing. With more and more wonderful YA lit published each year, and with the margins between what is adult and what is YA blurring daily, it seems it may become more difficult to pinpoint where books belong. Books may be shelved wherever the publisher places them in one library and another may begin to move books based on who checks them out. I feel the latter may be a good solution. After all, if 90% of your readership for a title is 17, does it matter that the book was published for “adults?” The book needs to be where the readers will readily find it, which may be along with other YA novels. Librarians may need to pay close attention to what is being said about books online as well to keep up with how books should be categorized.

Online, tagging may not always be more helpful than traditional subject headings, but it is surely simpler and more versatile to use. It’s great to be able to say as little or as much as is wanted while tagging an item. I feel tags can be quite helpful if used properly, but that is up to the person tagging which can be unpredictable. The one superior point of tagging is the ability users have to cross check and search tags for similar information that may be more difficult to find with traditional headings.

Overall, removing some of the control over labeling media from the professionals and placing it in the rapidly typing fingers of the mass population of Web 2.0 users seems to be a good thing as long as it is used appropriately.

Bog Post 3: The Machine is Us/ig Us

I believe Wesch’s video, "Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/Using Us," has a simple and fitting title. The machine, computer, Internet, web, or anything else it could be called, is first and foremost being utilized by the “users” of the machine. It is the people at home, in offices, and on mobile devices who gain benefit from using computers. This is the simple part. People do “use” machines.
But on the flip side, you have to realize that the machines use us as well. Without a person to create a link, one does not exist. I remember having to learn to write a website in HTML for a journalism class in college in the late 90’s. (Of course, now I would have no idea where to start with HTML, and really it is unnecessary now for most everyday people because of the advances in Web 2.0.) The computer and Internet have to use its humans in order for anything to happen online. If the machine does not “use” us, there is no machine.
Another reason "Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/Using Us" is a relevant title is because the Internet is now using its users to organize, label, and most importantly create its content. The Internet is no longer in the hands of a few tech geeks who can write code. It is now in the hands of a lot of tech geeks writing code for millions of other people to use to create information. That information an come in the form of a blog, or posted photographs of a new baby, or even directions to your best friend’s new house. No matter what the information the source is always the same: a person and a computer. So it boils down to, if the machine does not “use” us, there is no machine for us to use.

Blog Post 2: Handheld Devices

Foreign language classes are one of the main specialties that set upper schools apart from elementary, and thus are an important aspect of the entire school. With a $10,000 technology budget for handheld devices, I would start by purchasing MP3 players for the foreign language, as well as other departments, to use. Students could check out video MP3 players preloaded with language games and videos for home practice. This could help students practice pronunciation in a non-threatening environment away from the classroom. It also would be a great tool to get reluctant students to study more. Aside from foreign language use, MP3 players could also be loaded with English vocabulary games for ESL/ELL students, math games, or even scientific information. Teachers could load podcasts for students to listen to (their own or found), presentations a student missed in class, or many other types of information. Video capable MP3 players can run from $150 to $300 per player. If we were to purchase 40 MP3 players, enough for two small classes or one large class plus extras, at approximately $200 per player, $8,000 of my budget would be used.

Another resource I would like to integrate into my technology budget was not mentioned or even available at the time the Courtney text was published. I would like to purchase several Playaways, which range in price from $34.99 to $79.99 for young adult titles, for the library. For approximately $1,475 of my remaining budget, 15 to18 Playaways could be purchased. These are a good addition to a middle school/junior high/high school library because they are cool and technology based, but students can only listen to the one audio book. Playaways are easier and smaller than dealing with sets of CDs for students who like listening to books, or may have a difficult time with reading. I feel these would be a great way to get some reluctant readers more interested in attempting to read actual books on similar topics or by the same author as well.

With my remaining $525, I would like to purchase three Flip video cameras. The least expensive video camera is $150 and it is $25 for the rechargeable battery pack to go with each. I feel these would be a great asset to the library as well as the school for students to use with creative classroom projects. Teachers could heck out one or all three cameras and have groups record performances, create video content for projects, or even record interviews to show what has been learned in a certain amount of time.

Overall, I feel these would be good investments for an upper school library and the entire school society to benefit from.

SLIS 5720 - Individual Technology Assessment

New class, new blog posts...

As an educator, what are your present strengths and weaknesses in technology? How do you plan to use your strengths? How do you plan to address the weaknesses?

My strengths and weakness in technology as an educator, I feel, are similar to most educators of my generation. I am adept in basic computer skills, such as creating documents, Power Point presentations, and sending files to others. I grew up using computers, although my first Apple was nothing like the one I own now, and I understand the basics of creating documents using them. I frequently check my Twitter account, and although all my friends have made attempts at me entering the Facebook world, I still am responsible enough to know I have no time for it. (After all, I was a somewhat early adopter of MySpace, and don’t feel the need to jump into anything else right now.) I have had a YouTube account for years, and even though I rarely post, I have certain vlogs I visit regularly. I understand modern Internet technologies on the surface, but a lack of spare time keeps me from attempting to delve any deeper into creating websites and wikis.

Thus bringing me to weaknesses I know I have with technologies… As a lifelong Mac user (aside from a brief stint with an IBM), I feel I have to battle with my school pc while attempting to play DVD’s and other mundane tasks. Truthfully, I would rather the tech guy at our school come and fix any problem with the dozens of wires and cords than even attempt it myself. I love the ease of computers and technology, but have never been one to want to understand the “how” of it all.

The school I teach at, aside from just having antiquated computers, is lower on the technology scale. A few math teachers have Smart Boards and some history classes use document cameras, but I teach in a classroom where I was not surprised to hear, “Wow, you still use one of those?” in reference to my overhead projector. It’s not my choice to only have access to an overhead right now; I’d love an InFocus projector and document camera, but I use the technology I have to the best of my ability. Unfortunately, I am still unclear as to whether my classroom will be getting the InFocus projector I dream of, but it seems that I will have a Smart Board in the next year. As I still am unsure of how I will utilize this technology in a junior high English classroom, I’m just getting ready to go to trainings hoping they will show me the way.

I plan to attempt to use the Smart Board as frequently as I can, but am doubtful it will be of as much use to me as I know an InFocus projector paired with a document camera would be. All I can do is address the technology I am given and continue to use it to the best of my ability, just as I have used the overhead projector up until now.

I would also like to address my weaknesses in understanding wikis with the current course on instructional materials. My current knowledge is limited to using Wikipeodia as a quick reference and attempting to teach kids that it is not a worthy source for research since anyone can amend it at anytime. Aside from understanding wikis, there are several items on our syllabus that are foreign to me, and I hope to have a better understanding of many resources by the end of the course.