Week 7 Collaboration

Group projects were never my favorite thing to do in highschool and undergrad... There was always that one person who did not do their share of the work, riding the coattails of the rest of the group. It was also a frustrating process to pick a time for everyone to meet and work on the project together... Once the project was completed though, it always seemed that I had learned more than if I had done it alone. I had learned from my peers. Everyone brought his or her past experiences, individual perspectives, and search strategies to the project (for the most part :) and we all benefited from it.
Now, for our project with the Google doc this week, many of these frustrations have been alleviated thanks to technology. We are able to work at our own pace and mesh our thoughts in real time. I really like this application for this reason. There are still difficulties involved with working in a group. Splitting up work or making suggestions is always somewhat of a challenge, and requires tact and imagination... but this is the way of the future of education. I am planning on implementing this type of assignment in a school library, and I need to be able to collaborate well with my peers before I can instuct students on how best to do it with other students.
For my part this week, I am focusing mainly on usability in regards to library websites. The website is an all-important part of the library facility. It provides an access point for students and parents to utilize the school library from anywhere. I have seen too many library websites that are underdeveloped or simply out of date (e.g. links no longer work). This is an unfortunate reality that I believe really speaks badly for the school library. SLMS need to take initiative to educate themselves on webpage design and upkeep as a professional responsibility that will aide students in their search for and access to information.

Week 6 Internet Safety

Internet safety has been the topic so far this sixth week into the semester. This is a subject that is very relevant not only in schools today, but in almost every home across the country.
The Problem
Anyone with a computer is at a risk for leaving a trail on the web that could bring them some type of harm (identity theft, predators...). Children are especially vulnerable because they get lulled into a false sense of anonymity on the web. They always think "no one will ever see this," when in actuality, virtually anything written or posted online can be viewed by anyone else and it is out there permanently. You cannot take it back. Social networking sites encourage children to release personal information by creating a "profile" that prompts them to post pictures, give their name, location, age, etc. Predators are lurking, just waiting for enough information to cause harm.
The Upside
With that just said, it would seem prudent to discourage children from using the internet at all costs. I take the same stance as Doug Johnson did, saying that the computer applications themselves do not cause harm and do not cause risk, students should just be taught how to use them properly. I have started the iSafe online tutorial in order to learn how best to teach internet safety to students. I have found that I am learning alot myself in the process! Web 2.0 is a revolution in how people use and view the internet. It comes with its risks to be sure, but when students are taught to minimize their "digital footprint" there are some really neat and interactive tools available for them to use.

Week 5 Searching Tools

Cataloging has always been viewed as the most boring class in the library science field. I have even been told by several SLMS essentially to "get ready to nap through that class." Despite its monotony, I can see through our activities in Computer Applications this week the importance that things like keywords, subject headings etc. have in regards to utility, accessibility, and general user-friendliness. This week we looked at searching tools, both on library website and general search engine tools, like Google. The amount of information available out in "cyberspace" is so vast its unimaginable. The task of organizing and making this information usable is quite daunting. Google has done some exciting new things lately. I really liked the Google Squared feature. It is in its early stages, but I can already see its potential as it makes searching for information on a certain topic a one-stop-shop process.
As an information specialist, I would hope to encourage students to access information from other sources such as books and databases. In order to get these students to do this on their own (instead of "googling" it), we need to make library search tools as user-friendly as possible. As was discussed in the discussion boards this week, perhaps keeping a simple search interface will help. But I believe demonstrating to students the quality of information that they can receive through library search tools as compared to Google searches will help to increase their information literacy skills.

Week 4 IL/ICT

Week four, thus far, has been one of the most intensive weeks of the semester. When I opened up this weeks "weekly materials" for Computer Applications, I was admittedly a bit overwhelmed by the amount of materials available for us to go through. The webquest itself was an amazing resource on IL/ICT. I feel as though everyone who is going to be a SLMS or is currently, should have this entire webquest in their professional toolbox because even though it is large, it breaks down and somewhat condenses this issue of information literacy and ICT and its place in the curriculum. This is our whole job as SLMS! Information literacy is our curriculum... It is extremely important that we know this issue inside and out so that we can defend our role as an integral instructor.
I do believe that there is a common misconception today that all young children are computer whizzes and can make use of computers to find any information. Now, there is no doubt that kids are constantly on the computer (or some other technological device), but that does not necessarily mean that they have the ICT skills necessary to promote their education. ICT skills need to be explicitly taught. It is too easy to simply type in a word, sentence etc. into a search engine and simply choose from the first few hits on the web and call that "doing research." I have seen this done not only in elementary or secondary schools, but sadly I have seen it many times over in colleges and universities as well. Children need to be informed as to why this does not work and how best to find information (even if there are a few more steps involved and it requires more brain power).
This week so far has been a great learning experience for me. I am looking forward to continuing to learn about technology and its relation to this profession in the weeks to come!

Week 3 Assistive Technology

Well, week three... the semester has really begun. I have gotten into somewhat of a schedule for completing my classwork each week, and - I am happy to say - I have become more comfortable using the computer applications needed to complete some of these assignments. As difficult as it is for me to learn and educate myself - I cannot imagine the difficulty involved in education for a person living with a disability. I applaud all those with learning, mobile, or sensory disabilities who get up everyday and tackle school work, despite countless challenges which are very easy for most, such as manipulating a mouse on a computer or turning the pages or a book.
Assistive Technology can bridge this gap - to some extent. I am really glad we were required to complete this newsletter about assistive devices because through my research, I learned a great deal about how much is really out there. I feel more prepared now to enter a real world situation in which I would be responsible to acquire the proper tools to assist someone with a particular disability. There is a wide array of tools out there... we just need to know which ones best serve the needs of the student population and how to obtain the funding to acquire them.

Week 2 trial and error

... And so it begins. I am now well into the second week of the semester. The online format of this class has been quite a challenge for me, but at the same time, I have been learning a good deal about the online applications involved in this field of library media through trial and error. In many ways, I can see that this is the best way to learn. Through experimentation, frustration, and some success I have been able to learn many new things this week about making the Internet useful for myself and others.
This week we discussed and explored the issues of related to the governmental hierarchy involved in school libraries. Who is in control? Where does the money come from? These are really important questions that need to be answered in order to best serve your library media center. Being aware of different councils, regional groups and grant writing opportunities is an absolute must. To not investigate these avenues would mean missing out on many possible ways to improve your school library. This is a disservice to me as the SLMS, the school, the principal, the faculty, and most importantly to the students the LMC is meant to serve.
We also entered into some discussion on copyright this week. This is something I have to force myself to be interested in, as is probably true for many. However, it is readily apparent that this is an important topic for SLMS and their schools. Legal action is more prevalent than I thought in regards to copyright infringement. It is definitely something to be informed about and to make others around you aware.
This second week has been a successful one thus far. I am beginning to feel less anxious and more confidant about the upcoming semester.... Hopefully I will be able to carry this positive attitude with me throughout the next 14 weeks.

Week 1 Getting Connected

I began my first week in the Spring 2010 semester with a great deal of confidence. Although I am only in my second semester of the SLMS program at the University at Buffalo, I had finished the fall semester with success and was rested up after a nice, albeit seemingly too short, break. As soon as I opened the syllabus for each of the four classes I am taking, my confidence was replaced with anxiety, stress, and even a bit of nausea. Seeing the next few months of my life laid out before me was more than a little daunting.
LIS 568, in particular, was a cause of some immediate concern, upon learning that I had to subscribe to a wiki, create a Diigo account, write a blog, listen to a podcast... etc. None of these things were in my repertoire of prior experience or knowledge. However, once I took a few deep breaths and read the instructions carefully, I came to realize that these tools were nothing to be afraid of. They were simply that... tools for my use. For example, creating an account for an RSS feed seemed like an insurmountable task, but when I put my mind to it, I could see how useful and time-saving such an application could and would be to me in the future.
Even now, I am writing a blog... successfully I might add (and the first week is not even over with yet). Imagine what I will be able to do by the last week of class!