Pinterest

I am addicted to Pinterest. I'd never heard of Pinterest until it was mentioned in my Social Media class about 2 months ago. That isn't so surprising, since I was pretty oblivious to social media in general and really didn't think it was all that important or interesting. Now I can't seem to get enough of it and Pinterest has me hooked.  

What is so appealing about this site??? I'll tell you what is NOT appealing...that is when someone just pins a photo and it isn't a link to anything else, or even worse when it brings you to a marketing site. So, I guess that gives me a clue about what IS so addictive about the Pinterest.

• It is very visual, but not just on the surface. A click will bring you places. I found the Etsy website today. Love it!
• You can look back (like a scrapbook) at a board that has all things that YOU like. Just love to go into one of my pages and feel the sense of awe -- like "Beautiful Places" or "Gardening" -- as I love every photo, or into a Board where I had pinned articles that were of interest to me.
• You interact with other people who have similar interests and get GREAT ideas from them. Looking at other peoples' boards gives you a sense of their personality. It is socially satisfying to follow someone who has repinned a pin.

So here is a link to my Pinterest site... it is ever changing because there is so much to discover out there!

http://pinterest.com/lilole/

Radcliffe Camera - Bodleian library in Oxford

Radcliffe Camera - Bodleian library in Oxford, a photo by lathuy on Flickr.

Beautiful !

"The Good, The Bad and the Ugly..."

So, I get up this morning, take my shower, go to my Yahoo e-mails on my i-phone and find this in my inbox from a blog that I subscribed to about "How we Learn"

http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/jp/good-read-how-free-range-learners-hunt-for-educational-content-online/

First thought after reading this article...this is so applicable to the assignment for this week...librarians pay attention;

Second thought after reading this article (on my iphone, no less)...this is 180 degree turn from the way I have obtained information in the past;

Third thought after reading this article...I need to share this!

Thanks for a great class :)

My vision: The future of social media and the library

A recent article “scooped” from the American Library Association’s website discusses various social media currently being used by libraries. The article is based upon the results of a survey conducted by South Carolina State Library. 548 of the participants who began this survey completed it (73%). Below is a table that provides statistics on the types of activities these libraries are currently using Web 2.0 for. Interestingly, these are primarily for promotional/marketing activities.

Way that libraries use Web 2.0 tool	2010	2011
Promoting general library services	83%	88%
Marketing specific adult programs and/or services	70%	72%
Providing quick updates to users	66%	75%
Reaching a new audience of potential users	51%	54%

The survey also included an open-ended question. In spite of the positive numbers reported in the table above, there were some less than positive comments concerning the use of Web 2.0 tools in libraries:
·     “Many school libraries do not permit the use of Web 2.0 tools because of their content filters. This is the case at my school for most tools. It is unfortunate because these tools could really help promote our library and learning.”
·       “I think social networking has been way oversold. I don’t know of a single library that relies on these gimmicks to achieve their core mission. Mostly a waste of time that would be better spent providing direct service to customers.”
·      “Non-library administrators are too afraid of ‘bad press’ to even let us try to use social media of any type! It is extremely frustrating to be stuck in basically a pre-Internet age. We only have online video tutorials accessible from our webpage. <sigh>”
·      “I don’t believe the average public library patron is acutely aware of Web 2.0 technologies and what they can do for/with them.”
·      In a press release, study author Curtis R. Rogers added his own insight about the open ended comments: “It was…interesting to see that some libraries are still not employing these free tools, especially in such tough economic times.”

These open-ended responses raise concerns about the perceived safety and awareness of using Web 2.0 tools. The second response is particularly surprising in that the responder states Web 2.0 tools are “mostly a waste of time.” I feel that these attitudes present a unique opportunity for libraries in the future: educating the public about the features, benefits and risks of using Web 2.0 tools.

I presume that most people use the Web for entertainment and believe that they possess the skills to conduct research on the internet, but realistically there is a need for education and skill development. Libraries have an opportunity to play a leadership role in promoting information literacy in the digital future.

As we have seen in this course there are a multitude of Web 2.0 tools, with a wide variety of functions. In my recent conversations (since I have now gained enough knowledge to at least ask questions about social media…) those I have spoken with outside of librarians really do not think about how information is changing, the skills needed to find good information, or the concept of authority. I believe that authority plays a much more important role in the search for information than it has in the past, because of the internet. The internet has made it so much easier to publish. With that, the authority of the information being published comes into question on a global basis, more so than when only the most educated people published. Critical thinking skills play a much more important role today. Again, these are skills that need to be taught. Libraries can partner with schools and help to facilitate critical thinking and understanding authority. As we have read, Web 2.0 games help to improve strategic thinking skills. 

In summary, as the volume of information increases exponentially and the format of information evolves from print into the virtual arena, people will have to be educated on how to find information and to assess its validity. I see the library continuing to play a leadership role in information literacy, and Web 2.0 tools will play a significant role in the way information is accessed and taught.

"Social Networking", American Library Association, April 7, 2012. http://www.ala.org/news/mediapresscenter/americaslibraries/soal2012/social-networking

(Accessed April 25, 2012)  Document ID: 53c33d07-d1ad-a0d4-6d9b-b51ea3c6318f

My friend Travis

Trying out Colleen's tip. Hopefully a picture of my friend Travis will be posted from my iPhone.

Great Wiki

http://daretodifferentiate.wikispaces.com

The 21st Century Learners and Learning page is particularly applicable to this week's topic

Reverse Instruction, Democratizing Education & Libraries

Is "Reverse Instruction" the future of education?
http://www.emergingedtech.com/2012/02/reverse-instruction-tools-and-techniques-part-1/

If so, what role can libraries play to help insure that all students have equal access?

The articles we read this week discussed the role of libraries in learning facilitation through technology and e-games. I have never played on-line games, so for me this was a new and intesting concept. I have a husband, children and grandchildren who play on-line and love the interactive, competitive aspects. To me it just seemed like a lot of violence and a waste of time. I see now that I haven't really given this on-line venue a fair chance. The articles we read this week have provided a new insight and I plan to look closely at some of the specific games discussed, because I can see now that the potential is there for e-games to make a difference in education.  

On a personal note, my husband who  has played handheld games off and on through the years recently had a series of surgeries and has been relegated to the recliner for many months. He has never been one to use the internet for anything. While his physical activity has been restricted, he began to expand his game playing to internet games and then to interactive, competitive on-line games. However, he still resisted the idea of using the internet for anything beyond this. Within the past couple of weeks, this has changed. Because he was told something that he did not agree with, he began using the internet to research laws and found that his opinion was correct and was then able to proceed with something that he wanted to do. I am hoping that the next step could be an on-line course as a step toward rehab and new profession. This may not seem like a huge step for some people, but for him this is monumental.

Well back to the topic at hand -- 
As the articles this week point out, video games are not going away, they could become a significant methodolgy for teaching skills, knowledge and literacies in the near future. As the experiment conducted at Champlain College shows, on-line games can enhance information literacy by honing students' information seeking skills - a valuable end-result. However, not all students will have equal access to technology.  I particularly the section "What is the purpose of the library anyway?" in Suellen's article . She states that one of the three purposes is "democratizing". The Schafer (2005) article made the statement, "School is increasingly seen as irrelevant by many students who are past the primary grades." (p. 110) Perhaps e-games is just what we need to "level the playing field" (Adams, p. 199) and to help students understand that learning is relevant. Also, if "reverse instruction" is to become a prominent teaching method in the future, libraries have the opportunity to position themselves and play an important role in overcoming all of these challenges.