Mayhem, Pandemonium and Havoc: InfoLit in the Real World

Video on new Assignment Calculator

2009-02-05T14:55:00.001-06:00

Final of Final project

2008-12-16T10:05:00.006-06:00

Well...of course once I sat down to work on my final project I decided to change topics and go in a different direction. I began by thinking of an annotated bibliography assignment which is often something librarians suggest to instructors because if done right can give students a good background on finding specific types of sources and more importantly evaluating the sources.

Then I began to think about how to use the tools we have learned about in class in the annotated bibliography. Then I thought about my experience with Moodle this semester and it all came together.

My idea for my project is to create an example Annotated Bibliography assignment for instructors to use and adapt.

Here is the site: https://moodle.umn.edu/course/view.php?id=2528 (you should be able to enroll with your x500 and it is easy to unenroll when you are finished looking around)

I enjoyed working with Moodle as a framework--partly because my speed is increasing in creating content and partly because so many of the digital writing tools we have been working with are all contained within Moodle--so it was easy to create examples without having to describe the "set-up" process for other tools such as UThink, Blogger, or PbWiki.

I created learning objectives and began trying to think like an instructor and what materials he/she would want to be able to teach and facilitate this activity. It quickly caught my imagination as it is so flexible and can be adapted in many different ways depending on how an instructor would like to use it.

Here are a couple of examples I thought of:

For course on race in america--have all of the students create a group annotated bibliography throughout the semester. Have them post their citations and annotations to a class blog (creating incentive to post early so your item isn't posted by another student). This can be used to build subject knowledge on the topic.
For a writing course--have students create individual blogs on their semester long project topics and begin collecting materials early and throughout the semester (e.g. weekly/bi-weekly posting deadlines). The instructor or peers can check quality of the sources.

Obviously deadlines and number of sources can be adjusted based on an instructors needs.

In the Moodle site I wanted to create a framework of resource material an instructor could use to teach or refresh students finding and evaluating skills with lessons and mini-tutorials they could "plug and play" into their own course.

I created lesson outlines for the following:

Who creats information? How do we get information?
The scholarly publishing cycle
Selecting a topic
In-class exercise for creating rubric for grading blog posts
In-class exercise for creating rubric for evaluation of sources
Writing annotations
Creating citations in RefWorks

I outlined the 15-minute Finding Lessions and created an example for "Newspaper Articles" (May need to click on Newspaper Articles: https://moodle.umn.edu/mod/book/view.php?id=180405&chapterid=2852)

I created an example Wiki Knowledgebase to demonstrate how students, possibly in small groups to create a help guide on finding specific sources with tips and tricks to go beyond the 15 minute Finding Lessons.

I also created an example blog entry for the Newspaper article with an framework for how student posts could be formatted.

I also added the RSS feeds for a couple of Library sites to the side column of Moodle which ties in nicely and would add fresh content to the page.

Next Steps:
The next steps with this project would be to continue to create content--much of which is re-purposing content from other instructional materials and working to find an audience for this type of resource. How would an instructor like to "discover" this type of resouces? Where do instructors go to look for this type of thing?

I hope to have time in January to continue with adding content. I am still learning how to use Moodle as a "container" but it may make sense to move this to a website or wiki or other format with a lower threshold to access the content.

Learn more: Handout for project

final project

2008-12-02T17:32:00.005-06:00

Wikipedia--how to use it effectively--

--rules for citing

--Look at history

--Look at changes

--Use citations

--carleton site on wikipedia

what is wikipedia

largest encyclopedia

anybody can change things at any time

overall most experts agree that the content tends to be accurate but at any given point in time it may be wrong and quality varies widely.

controversial topics

living people

Evaluating--icons and how to evaluate what you are writing about

Lesson plan--blogging about research

digital writing and research--

when is just a link appropriate

when do you need to use a full citation

writing about digital writing--

scholarly article icon

magazine article icon

blog post icon

podcast icon

youtube/video icon

wikipedia entry icon

book icon

conference icon

grey lit icon

"research blogging"--www.researchblogging.org

science blog

cognitive daily

tagging the topic

students as consumers and producers

chart of how to assign and evaluate research in each technology

help students to be good consumers of information (also good finders)--peer review and standards will be going away and must be able to find for themselves what is good and bad.

Portfolios

2008-12-01T21:25:00.004-06:00

As I go back over the blog posts I can see that my skills have grown--simply learning how to do things like podcasts and video which were new to me. It is much easier to imagine how to use these tools to teach digital writing. In the beginning I would have to spend lots of time thinking of how to apply these in a teaching situation. After talking in class about a technology, then trying it out, then talking again about all of the ways it can be used has helped free my mind to be able to apply the technology in many different ways. I have enjoyed learning how these are being used from high school to college--even through I am more interested in the academic audience I have learned much from hearing from the high school applications. This helps know what sort of experiences students will now have had by the time they start here a the University.

This also allows me to frame information literacy as being important to students both as consumers of information (i.e. finding a journal article) and producers of information (i.e. posting on a blog). When students are writing a paper for the instructor to read it is hard to talk seriously about your responsibilities as an author but when your writing is truly available for the public to see it is more meaningful

They technology in blogs would help to utilize this as a portfolio or at least as a space for reflection. Most blogs have trackbacks which would allow you to link back to the post that students had posted and reflect upon them. This would build on the linking nature of blogs and give students a nice recursive finish to using a blog.

In terms of what content students would include in a portfolio or a final blog summary I think having student reflect on the projects/blogs they were most proud of and those on which they learned the most would be useful. I think self selecting would provide students with the most intersting posting options.

At a Teaching with Writing seminar recently I heard about using portfolios within the professional major of pharmacy--as a tool for reflecting on their 5 week rotations as a tools for professional development. This is very much valued in the field and an expectation of someone in the profession. This is a unique hook as students should learn how to be reflective about the experiences and things they are learning. In terms of independent and life long learning (aka liberal education) this skills (which does need to be taught) of reflection are very meaningful.

21st Century Skills

2008-11-25T17:39:00.004-06:00

new report:

http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/documents/21st_century_skills_education_and_competitiveness_guide.pdf

English Map from 21st century skills

Including Information Literacy:

Skills Definition

--Accessing information

4th grade Outcomes:

Access and critically evaluate information and use information accurately to solve problems

Access and critically evaluate information and use information creatively

Evaluate information critically and competently and use information accurately and creative for the problem at hand

8th grade outcomes:

Use information accurately and creatively for the issue or problem at hand.

Use information accurately and creatively to generate new knowledge.

Evaluate information critically and competently

Posses a fundamental understanding of the ethical/legal issues surround the access and use of information.

12th grade outcomes:

Possess and share a fundamental understanding of the ethical/legal issues surrounding the access and use of information

Use information accurately and creatively for the issue or problem at hand

Evaluation of Digital Writing

2008-11-24T16:20:00.006-06:00

I am not creating a unit for the final project so here is a hypothetical assignment and rubric:

Assignment: Digital Writing and Research Video project

Goals of Assignment:
1. Understand role of research in creating documentary/informational video.
2. Collect graphics/images, quotes and facts used in video using citation style.
3. Clearly cite and give credit to graphics/images, quotes and facts used in video.
4. Develop criteria for evaluation of sources used.
5. Create video project appropriate for intended audience.
6. Organize content in logically and effective for intended audience.
7. Engage views with interactivity.

Peer-Review process:
1. Write useful feedback to peer after reviewing video project.
2. Revise project based on peer feedback.

I created a rubric created using Rubistar which focused on content and research.

I also created a rubric for the production elements. I like the idea of separating these two elements but I am not sure if this would make grading more difficult as it may be hard to separate the content and the production. I created this using iRubric--including trying out the grading feature.

quick capture youtube

2008-11-18T17:18:00.005-06:00

YouTube has an option to use Quick Capture if you have a webcam or internal camera. Go to YouTube and go to upload button. Fill in information and then select "use Quick Capture" button.

http://www.woopid.com/--Online tutorials

videoant--can annotate video
http://ant.umn.edu/
Give url for video--not hosted on site but need URL for flash file.

Useful for:
"reader-based feedback"--give writer reactions so they see how reader is experience text (or media)

Slideboom

2008-11-17T22:00:00.000-06:00

iMovie

2008-11-11T19:06:00.002-06:00

Over the weekend I took some random video without any read idea of how I would use it. I tried to remember some of the shots we learned about in class (e.g. close up, far away, etc.). When I was using my camera to take the video I turned the camera as i often do, to take the vertical shot. I assumed I would be able to edit this in class using iMovie. Unfortunately, I was wrong.

Thus I ended up using my one video clip that was facing the right way. I added transitions, titles, music and sound effects using iMovie. I uploaded it to Media Mill and then to YouTube.

I was amazed at how easy it was to make the video and work with iMovie to add effects. The technical part was easy--I can see how the challenge is in making the content good. I think it would be interesting to use this in conjunction with a piece of academic writing such as have the students write a traditional research paper and then assign a video project to go along with it. I wonder if students would enjoy that as much or if enjoyment has to do with being creative and putting their personality into the video--like the high schoolers.

I like how Elizabeth had some many examples of how to break down the projects into smaller pieces--such as analyzing the shots in the Burger King commercial. It is amazing to think how much more accessible video is with the advent of YouTube--to find both good and bad examples of video. I also think breaking down the projects in so many small steps would help to discourage the weekend video session--and improve quality.

iMovie--Date for Technology

2008-11-11T18:48:00.002-06:00

iMovie project:

Academic Research Podcast

2008-11-03T19:52:00.004-06:00

Finished! I learned I have a lot more to learn about skype and podcasting. I interviewed my blog partner, Olga for the podcast--as Olga is a scholar in her own right. My idea for the podcast would be a series of short interviews with scholars on the research strategies they use--as a way to model the behavior for students and give a common language to talk about doing research.

Olga was nice enough to go through it twice since I managed to mess up the recording the first time. Thanks, Olga! I really liked many of Olga's answers to the questions--exactly what I was hoping for.

Setting up to record Skype through the computer and the recording sound levels were the most challenging as far as I was concerned and I am not too happy with the final results--I did some editing but I would want to practice and play around more before trying to do this for "real".

I like the interview style for the podcasts (even if I did not like figuring out how to record the skype call). I can see having students listen to a few good examples and reflect on what makes a good interview. Before attempting their own. I think to make these engaging they need to be more live than scripted. I liked having a few scripted questions but nothing turns me off from listening to a podcast worse than hearing someone read a script--now editing is important but not reading a script.

I like the idea from the Hendron on using podcasts to do book reviews-in that case I can see that a scripted podcast makes more sense. I also liked the rubric (pg. 215) for grading the book review. Like many of the in class speakers have talked about I see the value of separating the content from the mechanics. And also giving students opportunities to get points in case the technology fails (e.g. grading the script, a bibliography of outside sources, storyboard, etc.)

Here are three ways for getting to the podcast. Enjoy

RSS for podcast: http://mediamill.cla.umn.edu/mediamill/generateRSS.php?podcast_id=177

Public Download link: https://mediamill.cla.umn.edu/mediamill/download.php?file=20742.mp3

Auto player:

Plans for Podcasting

2008-10-28T17:54:00.003-06:00

I have been listening to podcasts for about a year--since I have been taking the bus to work. I download about 10 podcasts but only have time to listen to about 2--Sound Opinions and Fresh Air.

I am very interested in the enhanced podcasts with the images. I have seen a presentation on this at a library conference in which librarians basically made a tutorial using an enhanced podcasts. I may play around with this in the future.

For the podcast I am interested in recording faculty, instructors and graduate students about their research strategies. I keep reading about how successful it can be for teachers and instructors to talk about their own research process with their students and model their own behavior. I think this podcast might be an easy way to do this. Students could then listen to a few different people talk about their research strategies and the tools the use. Including peers or graduate students in their discipline. I can see this being useful in the junior or senior--when students need to learn about doing research in their field.

test podcast

2008-10-28T17:15:00.003-06:00

Save as mp3

in GarageBand-->share>send songs to iTunes>from iTunes drag to desktop

Public Download Link to my test podcast

Or with this player:

RSS for podcast

Media Mill

My Video> Upload Video (download uploader)> use temp. username and password in loader and drag file into uploader

Add metadata to "process"--must select "accessible to public"

"Add Deviate" to create a file you can share--can be different types of file

Use "Public Download link"--copy

For video use "Sample HTML" changes autoplay="false"

To do RSS--go to MyPodcast--add title. Then click on edit link to add checkbox to file to podcast--Then copy RSS link

Media mill

2008-10-28T16:55:00.002-06:00

Media Mill: http://mediamill.cla.umn.edu

Post for role-playing exercise-Same sex classrooms

2008-10-18T15:09:00.001-06:00

School Board member: Neutral--Charlie Levinston

I am interested in this discussion I have heard from teachers, parents and experts on this topic. As a school board member it is partly in my hands to help figure out what is best for Hoover High School and for our community. Just because something worked in another school does not mean it is right for us.

I did pick up the phone and talk to a few people over at Edina High School who are having success with experimenting with single sex classrooms. A few years ago Superintendent Ken Dragseth noticed that girls were dominating the district's academic awards ceremonies, and set up a task force to investigate. Here are a few facts from a Star Tribune article a friend at the high schools sent me:

- In grades 6-12, girls made up 67 percent of students who achieved top class rank and 65 percent of A Honor Roll students.

- Boys were 90 percent of students suspended or involved in disciplinary incidents, and 76 percent of special education students.

- Eighty-six percent of ninth-grade girls reported liking school, but only 48 percent of ninth-grade boys.

Those are some pretty convincing numbers but I want to make sure we do what is right for our students and community.

If you want to read the article for yourself here is the citation:
Katherine Kersten, Staff Writer. (2006, January 30). Books and buddies: Edina tackles the gender gap in school. Star Tribune, p. 1B. Retrieved October 18, 2008, from ProQuest Newsstand database.

notes on plagiarism

2008-10-14T15:24:00.002-06:00

Plagiarism Notes

Beware of your assumptions of what students know
You would be shocked of what they ask at the reference desk—
Needs to be talked about—in more in depth than don’t plagiarize—students need training over time and throughout their careers
Use examples and tie to professional world
Talk about ways to use the web and ways to not use the web
Talk about Academic Integrity—have class come up with list of academic honesty violations that can be used in the class.
Workshops from Writing Center and Library.

participatory culture--how are we teaching students to be part of this new culture--turnitin not in work life-

digital literacy's--

what do teachers have for background on plagiarism/copyright/

ethics in professions

Get books from library?

*******--include hyperlinks in paper to source material--make someone think twice before plagiarism--include persistent links to articles in databases--skills of linking [paper in blog or wiki or google docs]

--linking and critique for your own purposes and further your own thoughts--joseph harrison book about revisions

giving credit--copyright/intellectual property

Digital Storytelling-October 14

2008-10-13T18:56:00.002-06:00

For this project I wanted to continue to experiment with mixing audio and images. I took a poem being read and added images. I think this could be a good introductory or part I of a project--taking an existing poem and adding images. This would be a good method to introduce students to the tools and possibilities but without getting too caught up on the content. Next, I can imagine spending time writing a poem/story and getting feedback/peer review then adding in the visual element.

I used creative commons photos from Flickr, audio from a podcast in iTunes and then iPhoto to create the slideshow.

This project would also have to involve a discussion about copyright and intellectual property. I think this may be a good way to frame this discussion--instead of talking about what not to do--have students create and then evaluate the project for copyright issues and then revise (e.g. record their own voices reading the poem, write their own poem, ask for copyright permission, etc.)

Wiki Wiki

2008-10-05T15:14:00.004-06:00

I think wikis have great teaching/learning potential. One of the best examples I have seen is from Professor Michael Wesch at Kansas State University who uses a Wiki in his introductory cultural anthropology class. They have a big project called World Simulation in which groups of students have to create their own country and they write about all aspects of this country on the class Wiki (geography, customs, religion, natural resources, etc.). One of the final assignments takes all of the countries through a few hundred years and see which countries survive and which are taken over. Each semester students write 80+ high quality pages on the wiki including citations. The class even has a commercial/preview and its own wiki page: http://mediatedcultures.net/worldsim.htm

One thing he has is an application which displays students names in different sizes based on how much they are contributing to the wiki--very effective for competition.

I think Krista's class wiki about the 35W bridge collapse is a great example of creating something of lasting value.

Learning how to post in wikis is also a skill for the job market. For example, with the University of Minnesota Libraries we have a very extensive staff wiki: https://wiki.lib.umn.edu/. So this is a skills that all staff have to learn so they can post to the wiki.

I can see wikis being used for everything from class notes, test study guides, assignments, collaborative writing projects and more.

I am planning on building a wiki around the idea of research (of course)--I have often talked with colleagues about trying to writing a wikibook companion to the Rhetoric and Composition book aimed at first year writing.

Here is an early draft: http://umninfolit.pbwiki.com. Not much on content but a framework for an idea. I can imagine giving each section to a group of students and ask them to complete a how to for each section.

Voicethread: Hot, Flat and Crowded assignment example

2008-09-28T19:27:00.005-06:00

For this voicethread I thought of using it to create an assignment. Even through Voicethread is an easy application is seemed to take a while to learn how to upload the pictures and make the comments. My computer had trouble with a few comments so I had to re-record them. I think it is challenging to know if it is worth scripting to comments in advanced or try something more free flowing.

I liked the ability to embed examples from this fictional assignment into the assignment itself--which may captures student's imaginations from the first time they look at the assignment versus looking at examples for the first time the night before it is due.

If students were using this I would want to add in a few steps for them to turn in such as a story board, script and having a credits slide.

http://voicethread.com/share/204470/ or

Flickr slideshow--U.S. Capital building

2008-09-28T19:25:00.002-06:00

Since Krista mentioned last week that the Library of Congress was beginning to use Flickr to post images I knew I wanted to explore what was available. I used the other method to create this slideshow--using very specific search terms to narrow down to a small set of pictures. With the election coming up I decided on pictures of the U.S. Capital building. As many people have mentioned I like how this exercise of selecting photos then leads logically into voicethread as a further extension. I can see these historic photos being used in a creative writing or history class. The amount of historic material being made available by the Library of Congress and others allows for re-purposing of this content in all different ways.

http://www.flickr.com/search/show/?q=capitol&w=8623220%40N02&s=rec

or

Possible final project: bubbl.us

2008-09-21T20:07:00.002-06:00

I am thinking of taking the same content for a learning objects and using different technologies to illustrate the differences between these different technologies. Here is a simple map of the idea:

First Year Students-Bubbl.us

2008-09-21T19:52:00.003-06:00

This is hard to read but is a brainstorm /research map for a conference I will be presenting at in October.

Sept 23 blog post: Mapping

2008-09-21T19:39:00.003-06:00

For a classroom exercise, I have been thinking of the idea of having students write two posts on a topic--one "true" and one "false/misleading" post. Then other students would then evaluate and try to guess which is which. I think it is very challenging to try to have students critically think about the information they find. I have talked to students who have been given assignments to try to find articles that include false information--talk about frustrating to a students--good in theory but challenging in execution.

I created two maps using bubbl.us--easy to use but I would have to learn more about the relationship--i.e. parent vs. sibling and how to best explain these to students.

I think it would be useful to use the maps throughout a research project from brainstorming possible topics, selecting keywords, your search strategies (i.e. databases, search engines and keywords), and then results/preliminary bibliography, outline and final map of content.

What do you want to know about searching and the library?

2008-09-16T17:04:00.002-06:00

-why not use google scholar for all searches
-searching on the web and trying to get full text of article
-JSTOR--all about
-my favorite for students (for free)
-how to use RefWorks or other programs
-

Minneapolis Central Library

2008-09-16T16:19:00.001-06:00

Minneapolis Central Library
Originally uploaded by americanlibraries

Added directly from Flickr.

Bookstore - Amsterdam

2008-09-16T16:13:00.001-06:00

llibreria - bookstore - Amsterdam - HDR
Originally uploaded by MorBCN

Great picture with creative commons license.

Presentation for today

2008-09-16T12:56:00.002-06:00

URL: http://docs.google.com/Presentation?id=dd7tv3pd_446gc94b3g9

Add trustworthiness to websites

2008-09-16T12:09:00.000-06:00

"Sir Tim told BBC News that there needed to be new systems that would give websites a label for trustworthiness once they had been proved reliable sources."

"I'm not a fan of giving a website a simple number like an IQ rating because like people they can vary in all kinds of different ways," he said. "So I'd be interested in different organisations labelling websites in different ways".

BBC NEWS | Technology | Warning sounded on web's future

Sept 16 blog post: Search and RSS feeds

2008-09-14T20:00:00.001-06:00

So I obviously have a lot to say on this topic-based on my background as a librarian. I enjoy searching and figuring out library databases and search engines--scary, huh.

Databases I use for my own research:

Academic Search Premier
Library Literature
ERIC
Library Information Science and Technology Abstracts

These are the best databases in the field and cover most of the library literature.

Some of my strategies with keywords include:

Brainstorming a few keywords
Looking at results and then gathering more keywords for searching
Narrowing my results to around 200 results
Limit my search so it searches the Title or Abstract
Changing the "sort by" to relevance

I tend to use scholarly articles or books for research. I have 5-10 journals that I try to keep up with current issues (using my blog reader or Email alerts). These are the journals I tend to use--as they have proven their credibility. I know the names of a number of experts in the field and these are the journals they tend to publish in.

I tend to use the Web to do preliminary or informal research--when I am just looking for some information and don't need to spend much time evaluating the quality.

Categories of Feeds I subscribe to:
-Journals (to get tables of contents)
-News from professional organizations
-Blogs of experts (Librarians) in the field (I tend to get them from conferences I go to)
-Blogs of technology

Ways to improve students information literacy skills:

Be specific as you write assignments (e.g use Academic Search Premier to find two articles on x topic)
Have student collect some article then pick a couple of the best and explain why--then do additional searching based on those articles
Have students reflect on the research process (e.g. what database did you use, what keywords did you use)
Bring a media specialist or librarian for a few sessions to help teach students tips and techniques for doing research--often they can be involved in a few steps such as picking and narrowing a topic, finding websites and articles and with evaluating
Read up on the Big6 (http://www.big6.com/) for teaching information literacy for K12 or the Association for College and Research Libraries Information Literacy Standards for Higher Education (http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlissues/acrlinfolit/infolitoverview/...)

If anyone has any questions on this or wants more information I am happy to be a resource both during and after class.

Trailers...for Books?

2008-09-12T15:11:00.000-06:00

I just heard an interesting story on National Public Radio's All Things Considered about book trailers--just like movie trailers except for books. "Long a staple of the film industry, book trailers are now standard operating procedure in the world of publishing." NPR story

Some are created by students in a variety of competitions and projects, some are created by authors, some are posted on YouTube and others are professionally produced.

Here is a winner of student project:

Sept 9 class notes

2008-09-09T16:01:00.013-06:00

Notes from class:

Use other expertise in class-build agency
Need to decide class or individual blog or hybrid
Role play--allowing students to experiment with voices/tones-break out of in class roles
Need to help students thinking critically about information they find/use
Need to be aware of organization--can quickly get out control
Use of multi-modality important--build over time

Example of project: Online role play
Collaborative Argumentation
Jefferson High School in Bloomington
University of North Dakota Mascot issue (reading novel-Montana 1948)

Select an issue, formulate argument, conducted research, post arguments on class blogs, then step out of roles and reflect
Students would caucus in class time to argue different points
Wrote a persuasive essay

Online role-play

construct persona
employ rhetorical appeals
identify and refute counter arguments
revise and modify opinions

important part of blogging is the teach how to use other peoples blogs and evidence through comments--need to analyze and critically think, paraphrase (teach and model) not just copy/paste-

wiki for information

roles
i.e. president of university, Native american jury member (i.e. need to convince each other), white female student hockey fan, give bios (find images), [anonymous], infer beliefs, create tension and conflict (that is what keeps a role play going)

or have class select topic: (i.e. lower drinking age, teacher pay for performance-govt officials, union, pro/con, student, privacy in school computing)

future ideas:
digital mapping for argument diagrams (bubbl.us) include connections based on opinion and reason, chart of power, creating alliances to force other group to change mind--final action?

privacy: book-little brother

Other uses of blogs:
--living syllabus--include calendar--so as things change it is updated automatically

--Reader-based feedback (Peter Elbow) engaging with text not judging text--need to train students on how to do this

Blog Partner: Olga
Olga's blog: http://blog.lib.umn.edu/mena0042/firstblog/

Plug-ins for Firefox--which will post on blog
evernote web
scribe fire
Google Notebook
clipmark

Create Feed
Add blog partners feed to Reader (bloglines or Google reader)

Ditigal Writing: Sept 9th post

2008-09-06T14:49:00.009-06:00

I have used blogs in a few different contexts--

1.) When I taught IM204: Research Methods at St. Cloud State in Spring 2006, I had students create small group blogs with 5 members in each. Since the class was also for a diversity requirement I thought this would be a good way to have discussion outside of class. I gave the class topics and had a leader for each cycle who was responsible for posting early in the time frame. They were required to leave two comments--I think they had two weeks for cycle of posts. In review I do not think I emphasized it enough in class--it sort of seemed like an extra thing so there were varying levels of participation (e.g. some really short posts). There were some interesting discussions and I did get the opinions of a few students who did not speak in class. If I were doing it over again I would have it be more part of the grade and probably have a practice round with me giving feedback to clarify expectations for posting and comments.

2.) My previous job was at Capella University-an online University with mostly adult Masters and PhD students. The Library created a blog-mostly for marketing purposes and to get around the delay in posting new content to our website. We each had one day of the week we were responsible for posting. I was surprised that students did find our blog and posted comments. After about 6 months we were one of the top blogs in the University and were an example for other departments. Check it out at: http://www.capella-id.com/library/. I enjoyed the group nature of this blog--you did not feel the pressure of posting fresh content all the time.

In the future-I would like to create a blog for use with the Writing Studies department faculty and instructors at the University, of which I am a liaison to, to exchange teaching tips, FAQs and other ideas on integrating the library and information literacy into the Writing courses /curriculum (especially First Year Writing). There are many instructors and grad students teaching one section of First Year Writing and since there are many new teachers each year I think it would be helpful to have a place they can see what has happened in past semesters and get ideas from other First Year Writing instructors. Of course the challenge is how to get the instructors to participate. Any suggestions on what a librarian/media specialist could do to get you to use a resource like this?

I think blogs enhance communication because they are so public in nature and low threshold in terms of money, set up time, and IT saavy to use. Also the comment feature allows for dialog between the author and the readers. The challenge is in connecting the blog with the appropriate audience--which in a school setting seem ideal--the parents in the Goochland County, VA example in Hendron's book are a great example.

In this course I want to learn more about ways to include information literacy into using digital technologies to teach writing. I want to learn ways to help instructors to integrate digital technologies and to help other librarians, in turn, help faculty in a variety of disciplines. I also want to learn about assessment strategies and examples in both the K-12 and higher education.

Teaching Digital Writing class

2008-09-06T12:56:00.002-06:00

My blog is going to be crossed purposed for the next 16 or so weeks as use it more for the class I am taking at the University of Minnesota, CI 5475/5330 Teaching Digital Writing: Blogs, Wikis, Online talk, Podcasting, and E-portfolios to Teach Writing. Enjoy and please feel free to comment on anything.

A new kind of post-party cleaning

2008-07-28T09:09:00.002-06:00

An article, Picture Your Name Here in the New York Times Education supplement on Sunday (7/27/2008) by Lisa Guernsey talks about what many students do on Sundays--cleaning up their images on Facebook. This process involves finding and de-tagging their names from specific pictures of parties the previous night.

New search engine is Cool?

2008-07-28T09:03:00.003-06:00

A new search engine debut recently named Cuil (www.cuil.com) but pronounced cool. The search engine was created by some former Google employees and features 3 column layout and some results break downs by categories.

Read more about SearchEngineland review: http://searchengineland.com/080728-000100.php

How do you spend your time at work?

2008-06-27T15:03:00.003-06:00

A recent article in the New York Times talks about how time is spent at work:
28% Interruptions, none urgent email, etc.
25% Productive content, email, etc.
20% Meetings (in person, online)
15% Searching (Web, communications, paperwork)
12% Thinking and Reflecting

Of course I am interested in the 15% searching. Search is a part of our everyday work lives, not to mention personal or educational lives. Yet, another argument for the importance for increasing our information literacy skills.

See the image at: http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2008/06/14/business/14email.graphix.ready.html

new posts

2008-06-26T12:17:00.004-06:00

After a bit of a hiatus while I was doing most of my postings at my old work blog, Off the Shelf (http://www.capella-id.com/library/) I am know back. Quick change of the URL and the header and a newish blog is born.

I have just started as the Information Literacy Librarian at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Libraries. I realize my poor habits in keeping up with the literature so I am renewing my efforts to get back on ye olde horse of reading the academic literature. So here are a few things I have been reading this week.

CLIR issues (Number 63, May/June 2008)
http://www.clir.org/pubs/issues/index.html

Overview of "Rethinking Research Libraries in the 21st Century"
Such as..."Instruction and delivery mechanisms should be designed according to what we know of human learning and discover. The functions of libraries much be aligned within the core mission of research and education at the institutional level. We need to create the professional and practice layers that enhance research and teaching activities across disciplines"

"Science 2.0" by Ben Shneiderman (Science, Vol. 319, March 7, 2008)

Brief article which extols the necessity for science to begin studying the 2.0 in real world, large scale research.
"Advancing Science 2.0 will require a shift in priorities to promote integrative thinking that combines computer science know-how with social science sensitivity."
Interesting example from Social Action (http://www.cs.umd.edu/hcil/socialaction/) on the kind of research he is talking about.

Awesome Library Research Tools

2008-02-19T09:37:00.001-06:00

"Try out one of these in-the-works betas sponsored by world-class libraries around the world. From academic libraries like that at MIT or renowned research centers like the Library of Congress, the following beta research tools feature innovative tricks to connect you with the most relevant, valid results on the Internet and in their card catalogs. Melvil Dewey would be proud."

http://www.collegedegree.com/library/college-life/25-awesome-beta

For-profit institutions at Library conference

2008-01-14T14:18:00.000-06:00

Brief blurb about a meeting of ACRL Librarianship in For-Profit Educational Institutions Discussion Group at ALA mid-winter.

http://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/article/2661/librarians-at-for-profit-
institutions-seek-to-be-heard?utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

Open Education Resources (OER) Movement

2008-01-11T10:28:00.000-06:00

Report about "emerging impact and explores future opportunities. Central to the report is the idea of “The Brewing Perfect Storm” and the creation of an Open Participatory Learning Infrastructure"

http://www.hewlett.org/Programs/Education/OER/OpenContent/Hewlett+OER+Report

Making your iPod and you a bit smarter

2007-12-18T12:49:00.000-06:00

An interesting article in openculture:
10 Ways to Make your iPod a Better Learning Gadet

Encyclopodia
Watch DVDs
YouTube
Other videos formats
One Audiobook file
Create eBooks
Record Web Audio
Civic Education
Maps
Foreign Languages, University Courses and more

More than Google?

2007-12-06T08:23:00.000-06:00

CIO has a post titled, Six Techniques to Get More from the Web than Google Will Tell You about using different site instead of just relying on Google for information:

Use Search Engines and Wikipedia to Find Quality Research Sources
Search Blogs for Specialized Experts Who Sift the Web for You
Study Business School Websites
Find Statistical Data on Government Sources
Research Trade Groups and Online Publications for Current Topics, Best Practices
Visit the Library for More Research Sources and Online Data

Interesting list. Of course I am partial to number 6.

Doing a PowerPoint?

2007-12-05T11:52:00.001-06:00

Take a few minutes to read...Everything I Know About Presentations, I learned in Theater School.

MACAE presentation

2007-11-12T17:11:00.001-06:00

Robin and I had a good time presenting at the MACAE Annual Conference on Friday, Nov. 9. We demonstrated a few of our favorite Web 2.0 technologies and talked about how they are applicable to adult learners. If you are interested, feel free to take a look at our powerpoint and handout (both linked on Google Docs, one of the tools we talked about).

Twine

2007-10-29T17:54:00.000-06:00

I just read about a new social network called Twine. Read more at Nicholas Carr's blog

"What makes Twine interesting is its Semantic Web underpinnings. (Spivack likes to throw around terms like “extensible ontologies.”) Rich with cross-referenced meta-data, the site’s underlying database allows Twine to interpret the information you put into it, automatically categorizing data, applying a set of relevant tags, following links to pull in related information, and so on. Its aim is to provide each member, or group of members, with a dedicated virtual librarian, working behind the scenes to organize a diverse or even chaotic array of information into a useful, structured form."

http://www.roughtype.com/archives/2007/10/twine_a_social_6.php

Twine: http://www.twine.com/

Firefox tools for social bookmarking

2007-10-26T13:08:00.000-06:00

Mashable has a list of 30+ Firefox Tools for Social Bookmarking. If you are not using Firefox as your browser I suggest you try it. I am new convert but I love the tab feature for multiple windows.

Interivew on students and media (information) literacy

2007-10-25T10:29:00.001-06:00

Just listened to Future Tense a pubic radio show with an interview with Dr. Michael Wesch, from Kansas State University. He created a video for YouTube about Web 2.0 which I have been using in my session at Colloquia called Web 2.0: The Machine is Using Us.

Listen to the interview on the Oct. 25 issue of Future Tense: http://www.publicradio.org/columns/futuretense/2007/10/index.shtml

Here is a quote from the inteview:

media literacy
"our students are really really good at enteraing themselves with media but their not very good at educating themselves...their not very good at....really not that good at finding high quality information, sorting it, finding what's relevant, critqueing it, analyzing it and then ultimately creating good information"

teachers are still teaching as though information is scarce

"social networking has an important role in intellectual endeavours"

He and his students have recently created a new video called A vision of Students Today.

Dr. Wesch also has a blog at http://mediatedcultures.net/ksudigg/

Is Google a Library?

2007-10-23T11:51:00.000-06:00

One of my professors in Library school, Siva Vaidhyanathan, is writing a book about Google and the potential for evil. Here is a blog for the book already open for commentary.

http://www.googlizationofeverything.com/is_google_a_library/

Where does the time go?

2007-10-23T11:46:00.000-06:00

Well I have gone from almost weekly posts to barely monthly posts. I was out in Lansdowne at Colloquium in early October and have just gotten caught up. Met some great learners and had a good but busy time as usual.

I wanted to share this article about young Librarians in the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Young Librarians, Talkin' 'Bout Their Generation
Up-and-comers discuss what will change and what needs to change
By SCOTT CARLSON

http://chronicle.com/weekly/v54/i08/08a02801.htm

"Libraries are facing a series of immense challenges: the explosion of information, a rapidly changing technological environment, shrinking budgets, pitched battles over copyright, a new world of information literacy, and continuing deficiencies in old-fashioned literacy."

A meta-research study

2007-09-20T15:37:00.000-06:00

Chronicle of Higher Education

From the issue dated August 17, 2007

An Anthropologist in the Library
The U. of Rochester takes a close look at students in the stacks
http://chronicle.com/weekly/v53/i50/50a02601.htm?=attw

"A few years ago, Ms. Foster was hired by Rochester's library to study undergraduates, to help shed light on how they do their research and write papers, and how they spend their days. The results of the study, which will be published in a book due out next month from the Association of College and Research Libraries"

Library 2.0

2007-09-14T12:23:00.000-06:00

Today I am attending the Minnesota Library 2.0 Summit (http://mnlibrary2.blogspot.com/).
The speaker is Micheal Stephens: http://tametheweb.com/. Great examples of Library 2.0 from public and academic libraries.

Inbox zero from Merlin Mann

2007-09-10T14:47:00.000-06:00

Merlin Mann--creator of 43 folders website gives a talk about email and "inbox zero" in a talk for Google.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=973149761529535925

Article: In Google We Trust...

2007-09-07T11:42:00.000-06:00

In Google we trust: Users' decisions on rank, position, and relevance.

Pan, B., Hembrooke, H., Joachims, T., Lorigo, L., Gay, G., and Granka, L. (2007).
Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12(3), article 3. http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol12/issue3/pan.html

"An eye tracking experiment revealed that college student users have substantial trust in Google's ability to rank results by their true relevance to the query."

How to publish in a scholarly journal

2007-09-04T14:03:00.000-06:00

http://publishnotperish.org/

This free online tutorial from Colorado University takes you through publishing in scholarly journals including information on the changing business model in scholarly publishing and information about the open access model.

Best, Free Documentaries

2007-09-04T13:23:00.000-06:00

A blog that does exactly what it says
http://bestdocumentaries.blogspot.com/

Library + Search Engine

2007-08-08T15:31:00.000-06:00

Inside Indiana U's Move to ChaCha
University to bolster research with guided search functionality
8/8/2007
By Linda L Briggs

"Indiana University's alliance with search firm ChaCha, announced last week, may portend how universities, librarians, and Internet search engines will work together in the future. The arrangement points up how librarians or other experts can add huge value to scholarly searches through so-called "guided searches" by stepping in to offer access to vast amounts of material--and expertise--that conventional search engines don't touch."

http://campustechnology.com/articles/49582/

Top 100 tools for learning...but no Library...

2007-08-08T15:24:00.000-06:00

"This list has been compiled from the TOP 10 FAVOURITE TOOLS lists of 88 learning professionals (consultants, analysts, developers, practitioners, academics, etc) who responded to our open invitation. "

http://www.c4lpt.co.uk/recommended/top100.html

1. Firefox
2. del.icio.us
3. Skype
4. Google Search
5. Wordpress
6. Gmail
7. Google Reader
8. PowerPoint
9. Blogger
10. Bloglines

But alas...no Library...not even Worldcat (www.worldcat.org) which I think is pretty cool.

Posting again

2007-08-07T15:25:00.000-06:00

Summer has gotten the better of me including the colloquia in Jacksonville....but I am back.

Ebsco, one of the library vendors has added the feature of multiple folders to their myEbsco features. You can do searches in any of our Ebsco database--those we buy from Ebsco and "select" the articles you want to save, sign into your free account and then put it into one of your folders.

Click on "new features" in the upper right hand corner of any of the Ebsco databases.

New Library with no Dewey

2007-07-16T18:44:00.000-06:00

A library outside of Phoenix where, "books are shelved in “neighborhoods” based on subject matter."

From the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/14/us/14dewey.html?ex=1342152000&en=624db83459f4e604&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Now maybe people will stop with the Dewey Decimal jokes!

book hacks

2007-07-03T11:03:00.000-06:00

"Most of us spend a lot of time in the virtual world these days, but that doesn't mean we can't appreciate a good book every now and then. From your local library to the classroom to the bookstore, there are a lot of tools available to help you save time and money when it comes to the bound world of information." http://lifehacker.com/software/hack-attack/13-book-hacks-for-the-library-crowd-269953.php

simple or loaded?

2007-06-26T14:58:00.001-06:00

This is a link to another blog with some interesting posts about "features".

"The challenge is that “although consumers find overloaded gadgets unmanageable, they also find them attractive.” When given choices of varying products consumers will go for the ones with the most features. It appears they want to have their cake (features) and eat it too (simplicity). But here’s something of interest for librarians who want to provide better user experiences. Surowiecki writes that “as buyers, users want all the bells and whistles, but as users they want something clear and simple.” "

http://dbl.lishost.org/blog/2007/05/31/coping-with-the-features-conundrum/

Future/current state of education

2007-06-25T14:20:00.000-06:00

Did you know 2.0?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMcfrLYDm2U

I would like to apply this to information literacy.

What is authority?

2007-06-20T15:30:00.000-06:00

Chronicle of Higher Education
"The New Metrics of Scholarly Authority"
by Micheal Jensen
http://chronicle.com/free/v53/i41/41b00601.htm

"When the system of scholarly communications was dependent on the physical movement of information goods, we did business in an era of information scarcity. As we become dependent on the digital movement of information goods, we find ourselves entering an era of information abundance. In the process, we are witnessing a radical shift in how we establish authority, significance, and even scholarly validity. That has major implications for, in particular, the humanities and social sciences."

A new look at social networks: Not just for kids

2007-06-13T12:28:00.000-06:00

"If you haven’t figured this all out, the reason the world is going all social networking happy is because this is your means to connect to people directly and get away from the rigid structure of corporate ladders and protocol and hierarchy. It’s a way to extend your audience of friends, colleagues, business partners, and teammates."

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/that-whole-social-networking-thing.html

Ottobib for book citations in APA

2007-06-12T11:50:00.000-06:00

http://ottobib.com/

Type in the ISBN (International Standard Book Number) and this free tool will give you the ciation in proper APA format.

Good points:

Free
Easy
Add to Firefox tool bar

Bad points:

Will make mistakes. Doublecheck that citation
Only works with books

web 2.0 awards

2007-06-06T13:13:00.000-06:00

http://www.seomoz.org/web2.0/short

First, second and third place sites for categories such as:

bookmarking
books
business
city guides and reviews
events
games
mapping
philanthropy
podcast services
social networking
social news
visual arts
web development and design
and more

New and not so new Search Engines to try

2007-06-06T12:23:00.000-06:00

1. Kosmix: http://www.kosmix.com/index
includes tabs for basic reading, advanced reading, news, blogs and forums with search terms, articles cluster and more.

2. Quintura-See & Find: http://www.quintura.com/
Includes cloud of results

3. Mahalo: http://www.mahalo.com/Main_Page
"world's first human-powered search engine"

4. Exalead: http://www.mahalo.com/Main_Page
includes a thumnail of the webpage in results

Open Educational Resources

2007-06-04T14:05:00.000-06:00

"OER Commons is a teaching and learning network of shared materials, from K-12 through college, from algebra to zoology, open to everyone.

Find college courses or K-12 lesson planns. Search lectures, labs, or syllabi that are open to adapt for your own use. Browse the categories or Collections for what interests you"

I was particularily interested in the 10 most popular OER resources--great list.

introduction to music theory
causal reasoning
architectural design workshop: Collage-Method and Form
Semiconductor manufacturing
Masses & Springs
Introduction to Computers and Engineering Problem Solving
Introduction to Psychology
Globalization
Urban Housing: Paris, London, New York
Globalization, Migration & International Relations

Can you judge the next Harry Potter? John Grisham?

2007-06-01T09:40:00.000-06:00

http://mediapredict.com/

Media Predict is a predication game where you get to invest game dollars on media (books, music, tv, etc.) that you think is good in the "market". If you are right you increase your investment...if not you lose your $$$.

interesting, interactive way to gather opinions and let consumers influence the marketplace...

No More Dewey???

2007-05-30T14:40:00.000-06:00

"When the new Gilbert library opens next month, it will be the first public library in the nation whose entire collection will be categorized without the Dewey Decimal Classification System, Maricopa County librarians say. Instead, tens of thousands of books in the Perry Branch library will be shelved by topic, similar to the way bookstores arrange books."

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0530nodewey0530.html

Is this a good thing or bad?

RSS for academics

2007-05-30T14:34:00.000-06:00

Here is a blog post about 15 ways to use RSS for education
http://www.rss-specifications.com/rss-and-education.htm:

1. Share Resources
2. Class blogs
3. School Schedule/Sports Scheudle
4. Podcast Lectures
5. Mointor Research
6. Professional Development
7. Job Searches
8. Colloration (writely/wiki)
9. Search Feeds
10. Study Guides
11. Medical Education
12. Scholarships
13. Grants
14. School News
15. Student Fiancial Aid News

new face for facebook?

2007-05-29T11:24:00.000-06:00

"No longer will Facebook consider itself merely another social network. Instead it is becoming a technology platform on which anyone can build applications for social computing." Fortune magazine writes...

By David Kirkpatrick, Fortune senior editor
May 25 2007

http://money.cnn.com/2007/05/24/technology/fastforward_facebook.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2007052511

"The short version is that Facebook is taking its two major assets - its 24-million-members (growing at about 150,000 per day) and its strong technology underpinnings - and making them available to all comers.

"We want to make Facebook into something of an operating system so you can run full applications," Zuckerberg told me, saying it would be analogous to the platform that Microsoft Windows provides for developers."

COTF XIII

2007-05-23T12:19:00.001-06:00

I attending the Classrooms of the Future: Teaching, Learning and Technology: In That Order yesterday at Hamline University in St. Paul. Steven Gilber (founder of Teaching, Learning and Technology TLT Group) was the keynote speaker. He had us brainstorm how to use cellphone/mobile devices in the classroom. He also encourage us to try 10 minutes of technology--won't seem daunting and if it fails you have only lost 10 minutes.
http://www.associatedcolleges-tc.org/cotf/

Google search goes Universal

2007-05-21T18:11:00.000-06:00

directly from Google's blog:

"Over several years, with the help of more than 100 people, we've built the infrastructure, search algorithms, and presentation mechanisms to provide what we see as just the first step in the evolution toward universal search. Today, we're making that first step available on google.com by launching the new architecture and using it to blend content from Images, Maps, Books, Video, and News into our web results."

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2007/05/
universal-search-best-answer-is-still.html

Blended Learning

2007-05-08T13:01:00.000-06:00

Blended Learning is defined as a blend of different learning modes and teaching activities both online and in-person, synchronous and asynchronous, self-paced and led and more.

"Blended learning has the potentail to engage a variety of learning styles, enrich the overall learning experience...learners are offered more convenience and flexibility...while maintaining some of the interaction and individual attendng provided in face-to-face training."

WebJuntion has release a free 45-page guide on Blended Learning focused on libraries
http://rodcorbett.blogspot.com/2007/05/free-blended-learning-guide-from-web.html

a little more reading for your spare time....

Return from LOEX conference

2007-05-07T15:02:00.000-06:00

Just got back from the LOEX 2007 conference. The theme was "Uncharted waters: Tapping the Depths of Our Community to Enhance Learning." It was a great conference focused on library instruction and information literacy. And being right on the ocean didn't hurt either.

Why blog when you can Twitter???

2007-04-27T11:29:00.000-06:00

I have been hearing about Twitter for a few months but couldn't make sense of what it is exactly. That is why I was excited the come across "Moble Instant Messaging Meets Social Networking: Twitter-A beginner's guide.

http://www.masternewmedia.org/social_networking
/twitter-instant-messaging-mobile-messaging/
twitter-a-beginners-guide-20070425.htm

Here is what I learned Twitter is about:

short messages (fewer than 140 characters)

"micro-blogging" or "micro-publishing"

Many options for using: Twitter website, IM, SMS from cell phone or a desktop client

People are using it for lots of different purposes including sales and news

People love it or hate it

I might give it a try....

Seven Tips for Successful Online Coursework

2007-04-26T12:38:00.000-06:00

EDUCAUSE Quarterly has an interesing article called, "How Students Develop Online Learning Skills" (http://www.educause.edu/apps/eq/eqm07/eqm07110.asp?bhcp=1). After surveying graduates who completed 80% or more of their courses online the researchers found:

1. Develop a time management strategy

2. Make the most of online discussions
3. Use it or lose it
4. Make questions useful to your learning
5. Stay motivated
6. Communicate the instruction techniques that work
7. Make connections with fellow students

what do you think?

The idea of social software building blocks

2007-04-19T15:45:00.000-06:00

From nForm (http://nform.ca/publications/social-software-building-block) and others showing an interesting way to view different social softwares based on seven factors:

sharing
conversations
presence
identify
groups
realtionships
reputation.

Some of all, most have some.

Citing Books?

2007-04-17T14:52:00.000-06:00

Worldcat.org (a database of thousands of library catalogs across the country) will now give you the APA citation when you search for an item. Simply click on the "Cite this" link on the results screen. Use the search box to the right or go to http://www.worldcat.org/ and search by title. Also enter your zip code to find out if a library near you owns it.

Translating MIT's OpenCourseWare into Chinese

2007-04-13T08:05:00.000-06:00

The New York Times has interesting article in the spreading of free courses and knowledge....

By NOAM COHEN
Published: April 2, 2007

"Using much of the $1 million in royalties from his versions of “The Lord of the Rings,” Mr. Chu says he devotes himself to distributing free translations of material from a Massachusetts Institute of Technology Web site."

With volunteer help he has now translated 178 courses of the about 1600 that are available.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/02/technology/
02link.html?ex=1333166400&en=dcf9f2c3175ed3bf&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

the idea of "social scholar"

2007-04-11T09:43:00.000-06:00

Here is a post I came across with a librarian explaining an idealized form of scholarship--using social software and web 2.0

http://liblogs.albany.edu/library20/2007/04/social_scholarship_on_the_rise.html

Here are the first four:
1. A social scholar contributes to the conversation about her research topic by discussing her findings and ruminations on her blog and by inviting comments. By doing this, she moves some of her research activities into the public arena.

2. A social scholar initiates or joins an online community devoted to her topic, using any of a number of social software services or tools.

3. During the source gathering phase of her research, a social scholar shares important citations by depositing and tagging them on academic-oriented bookmarking sites such as Connotea and CiteULike.

4. By placing items in social bookmarking sites, a social scholar takes an interest in and contributes to the phenomenon of soft peer review. This type of peer review derives metrics from content on social sites and user interactions with this content.

Free Online Videos for Learning

2007-04-10T08:42:00.000-06:00

Next Vista for Learning offers education short format videos (teacher and student created) online for free. It site is still rather small and is broken down into three categories Lightbulb (school topics), Global Life, and Seeing Service (i.e. community service)

http://www.nextvista.org/

Copyright Law & Graduate Research

2007-04-09T10:52:00.000-06:00

This guide, written by Kenneth Crews from Indiana Univeristy, gives some background on what copyright means for graduate students. It includes a "how to request permission" section.

Go to: http://www.umi.com/products_umi/dissertations/copyright/

openlearn

2007-03-31T15:39:00.000-06:00

New free learning site:
http://www.open.ac.uk/openlearn/home.php

"openlearn is online learning that is open to anyone, anywhere in the world using materials taken from Open University courses. And it is completely free to use! Instead of attending classes, you study online in the learningspace, using materials that have been specially designed for distance learning.

openlearn is an opportunity for informal study – in your own time access materials in areas familiar or new to you, without the pressure of keeping to a timetable or sitting exams."

Library @ Chicago

2007-03-31T15:38:00.000-06:00

I am at the Colloquia in Chicago--meeting with learners one-on-one and teaching a few library sessions.

Google Notebook

2007-03-30T09:57:00.000-06:00

who needs a paper notebook when Google offers the same thing? This tool apparently came out of beta recently...now I just have to decide if it is useful

learning 2.0 for librarians

2007-03-30T08:02:00.000-06:00

Public Library Geeks Take Web 2.0 to the Stacks
Beverly Hanly
03.29.07
http://www.wired.com/culture/education/news/2007/03/learning2_0

This article talks about a library that were challenged to learn Web 2.0 technologies is a fun, prize-motivated way. I think this goal for any program where people are learning unfamiliar technologies are great (from the article refering to Helene Blowers "Learning 2.0" program):

"...her original goals for Learning 2.0 were touchy-feely "E's" -- exposing staff to new tools, encouraging play, empowering individuals, expanding the knowledge toolbox, eliminating fear -- the effects were both practical and financial."

Scholar for bookmarks

2007-03-27T06:58:00.000-06:00

Meet the new....Scholar (http://scholar.com)
Blackboard (the course management system) has created a social bookmarking site similiar to del.icio.us focused on education resources. Apparently this can been used by anyone and also as part of courses.

Simply create your account, pick the sites you want to save and start tagging...

5 weeks to a social library

2007-03-26T12:03:00.000-06:00

I participated in this free course aimed at librarians. The session I helped with is in Week 5 and is called "Library 2.0? No, thank you! Obstacle to Creating a Social Library" with Melissa Prescott and Plamen Miltenoff.

Go to: http://www.sociallibraries.com/course/

Description: "Five Weeks to a Social Library is the first free, grassroots, completely online course devoted to teaching librarians about social software and how to use it in their libraries. It was developed to provide a free, comprehensive, and social online learning opportunity for librarians who do not otherwise have access to conferences or continuing education and who would benefit greatly from learning about social software. The course will be taught using a variety of social software tools so that the participants acquire experience using the tools while they are taking part in the class. It will make use of synchronous online communication, with one or two weekly Webcasts and many small group IM chat sessions made available to participants each week. By the end of the course, each student will develop a proposal for implementing a specific social software tool in their library. "

NY Times "Select" for you?

2007-03-20T12:04:00.000-06:00

"We are pleased to offer a complimentary subscription to TimesSelect. You must be a student or faculty member with a valid college or university e-mail address to be eligible for this offer."
http://www.nytimes.com/gst/ts_university_email_verify.html

state of social networking slide show

2007-03-16T12:08:00.000-06:00

From Business Week: Innovation
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/toc/07_11/B40250711innovation.htm

Slide Show: The State Of Social Networking
The novelty of MySpace may be over, but companies are collaborating on the Web for all kinds of practical uses
(http://images.businessweek.com/ss/07/02/0228_innetworking/index_01.htm)

Top 10 Firefox plugins for researchers from the Stingy Scholar

2007-03-12T15:18:00.000-06:00

http://stingyscholar.blogspot.com/2007/03/top-10-firefox-add-ons-for-researchers.html

1. Fleck

2. Firefox Showcase

3. StumbleUpon

4. Del.icio.us bookmarks

5. Breadcrumbs

6. Resurrect Pages

7. Answers.com

8. Highlight all

9. Seachbar autosizer

10. Googlepedia

Want to share your bookshelf?

2007-03-06T12:28:00.000-06:00

You can create a free "shelf" with your books on it. Then join others who are reading the same things.

http://www.shelfari.com/

Best Free Software from PC Magazine

2007-02-26T10:29:00.000-06:00

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2090787,00.asp
Jan. 31, 2007
By Tony Hoffman
"Most software is expensive and bloated. Yet free software typically does one task and does it with precision and elegance. Among the thousands of free apps available on the Web, how do you find the best, most reliable ones for your needs?"

The software is grouped in the following categories:

Security
Productivity
Utilitizies & PC Management
Music & Audio
Vuideo & Graphics
Firefox Extensions
Networking & Mobility
Fun & Games

Helpful warning about malware: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2090951,00.asp

One I wanted to pull out from their list is Zotero

Zotero
www.zotero.org
Zotero stores detailed information about books. An icon appears in the address bar when you view a page with information about a title at Amazon.com or dozens of library catalogs. Click on the icon and full details pop into your Zotero database, where you can add notes and organize items into folders.—

Squirl...social cataloging?

2007-02-21T16:09:00.000-06:00

Have a collection of the weird or totally unusual or totally usual? Here is a new tool that will let you catalog every item (just a like a librarian)...

http://squirl.info/

Top Web tools for college students

2007-02-21T16:01:00.000-06:00

What made the list?

bookfinder
MynoteIT
Ottobib
Google Docs
Tada List
Meebo
Wikipedia (with caution)
Zoho Show
Google Reader
Del.icio.us

See it all at: http://www.nextstudent.com/NextPath/nextPath-Online/Top-Web-Tools-for-College-Students.asp

Looking for pics?

2007-02-15T09:08:00.000-06:00

Try the new image search engine which is a mash-up for the photo-sharing site, Flickr.

http://www.zoo-m.com/flickr-storm/

read a blog about blogs in the workplace

2007-01-31T12:53:00.000-06:00

How to use Blogs in the Workplace
http://www.innovationcreators.com/2007/01/how_to_use_blogs_in_the_workpl.html

"Are you a CEO? Do you want you people to across silos? Do you want your engineers or your designers to know exactly what the sales people are asking them? Or better yet, do you want everyone in your company to have a deep understand of what your clients actually want, need and will pay money for?
Do you want your people to be personally motivated?
Has anything in your company taken off half as aggressively as blogs and social media have taken off in the open Internet?"