media centered

23 things about 2.0

Something I’ve been working through this summer…

School Library Learning 2.0 is a program of the California School Library Association. This “self-discovery” program is open to non-members and is an interesting way to explore web 2.0 for libraries. Why be concerned about web 2.0? According to the CSLA site:

Why Do This? Web 2.0 is a phrase that was coined in 2004. It refers to the fact that the Internet is now an interactive medium rather than a ‘place’ to go to get information. Since it is the young who are flocking to these Web 2.0 sites, it is important that those of us who work in school libraries should be up-to-date with the latest trends in education and technology and learn how they can be utilized in or with our school libraries.

One of the “things” you will do is create your own avatar. How did mine turn out?

Posted in professional development, school libraries, web 2.0 | No Comments »

niche social networking

Social networking is evolving as sites catering to niches begin to come online. If MySpace doesn’t work for you there might be a niche network out there. My wife is a knitter and now a beta member of Ravelry - “a knit and crochet community“. While I don’t knit myself, this is a great example of what a social networking niche can do. All types of knitters are using this site (currently about 4000 beta testers) with 1000s (around 7) waiting to join. On the education front take a look at Classroom 2.0, a social networking site for classroom teachers interested in educational technology integration - particularly 2.0 tech. Library 2.0 is the the same idea for library land.

Posted in ed tech, social networking, web 2.0 | No Comments »

Parents Academy

Our school is planning a series of evening programs for parents. We will kick off with a session by our IT director and me.

Being Online: MySpace, Blogs, and IM
MySpace is now the most visited site on the web. Most of this popularity is due to young adults. Come for a guided tour of several popular social networking tools including MySpace, Blogger, and AOL Instance Messenger. We will go beyond the headlines to see what creative, educational, and social benefits these tools offer and how to use them safely. Explore strategies for becoming involved in your teen and tweens digital life.

We are going over the results of a recent survey of parents to glean more relevant ideas for this series.  Other teachers will conduct some sessions and we will bring in outside experts for other topics, such as Bullying.

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Finding your Purple Cow

You don’t need a barn for this cow, your library will work.

I am reading my way through a list of books recommended by speakers or colleagues at ALA annual 2007. Purple Cow:Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable was mentioned by Stephen Abram during his session “10 Cool Technologies That Can Impact the Public Relations Plan” - here is the handout. Mr. Abram made a compelling case for using this type of book in the library community. I just finished it off this morning, so here is my best summary ….The Purple Cow is a product (service) that is remarkable, one that is unique and exciting. These remarkable ideas spread to audiences in a post-TV age (this is were the cool technologies come in). This is not mass marketing but marketing to niches. Your librarie’s Purple Cow (maybe a chat reference service) should be directed at innovators & early adopters who will be interested in the Cow and tell friends (early & late majority). This is based on a model by Geoff Moore:

The people we wish to reach are changing in the ways they receive information and what messages get their attention. How do school librarians market what they do in an exciting and relevant way? Do the lessons we teach and the services/resources we offer speak to the needs of our students, parents, and teachers? Do we know who the “innovators” are in each of these groups and are we creating Purple Cows that they will identify with and speak to others about? Purple Cow is a slim book written for a business audience (that is to say full of case studies and important ideas in bold text) but it does offer another way to think about how we present our libraries through services, slogans (mission statements), and programs. Libraries are in a good position to reach the innovators through the inexpensive and easy-to-use technologies Mr. Abram discussed in his session. The challenging part - consistently creating exciting Purple Cows (ideas) and letting go of things that are no longer relevant. Let me know what Purple Cows are living in your library.

The rest of the book list you ask…coming soon.

*graph from MIT Press

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Summer planning

Summer offers a welcome break, a time to reflect and plan for the coming school year. I am busy working on a new elective for 2007-2008 - Digital Media .  My hope is that students will apply these skills to subject area projects. Could this open new doors for collaboration with teachers?

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Think Local, Blog Global

Still digesting all of the great conversations and ideas I encountered at the NCaect conference. I would like to improve how I utilize blog and wiki technologies for professional collaboration and discussion. Thinking locally this means engaging teachers, media specialists, and technology staff within my school and throughout North Carolina. Of course, if a global audience becomes involved that would be great.

One topic mentioned yesterday was 1 to 1 computing - where each student is equipped with a laptop or tablet pc. Many proponents of this model contend it is a guaranteed way to improve student achievement. To me it seems like an ongoing expense (a large one) which requires the addition of technology staff who are not necessarily occupying teaching roles. Would it be better to acquire fewer computers and hire more media specialists and teachers to show students how to use these tools? What are your thoughts and/or experiences with 1 to 1 computing?

Please contribute any websites or research about 1 to 1 computing at the Mediacentered wiki.

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NCaect

Attending the North Carolina Association for Educational Communications and Technology 2007 conference

Keynote speaker Will Richardson’s wiki, look for “A Web of Connections–Why the Read/Write Web Changes Everything”.

My presentation (ppt) on screencasting: Faculty Instruction in a Wink

Much to think about..more soon.

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no more mess?

David Freedman’s new book “A Perfect Mess.” takes to task the notion that neatness is productive and profitable. In fact, he contends that a messy desk(and office) can produce unforeseen results and connections (even a Nobel Prize). Read and/or listen to the full interview from Public Radio’s Markeplace website. This is welcome news for me…I was on the verge of resolving to have a more tidy office this new year. The time I will save not cleaning my desk, floor, shelves and closet should help me to blog more often… perhaps.

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Technorati

Technorati is one of several search engines charting the blogosphere.  I am attempting to use it to find educational blogs that may be useful to our faculty.  While math doesn’t appear in the top tags cloud, I am still finding some relevant posts.  One  interesting feature is the post charting provided by Technorati related to your search:

English posts that contain Education AND Mathon blogs with a lot of authority per day for the last 30 days.

Technorati Profile

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free choice

I’ve been meaning to post this for awhile. I began seeing the fifth grade students on a fixed schedule this year. This time is intended to be a research skills boot-camp of sorts. After a discussion of web safety and technology policies I asked them to share a website they visited during the summer. Here they are in no particular order:

http://www.consolecheatcodes.com/
http://stickpage.com/
http://www.xgenstudios.com/
http://espn.go.com/
http://disney.go.com/home/today/index.html
http://www.millsberry.com/
http://www.cow.com/
http://barbie.everythinggirl.com/
http://beta.yahooligans.yahoo.com/
http://www.neopets.com/
http://kids.upperdeck.com/
http://www.human-age.com/
http://www.clubpenguin.com/
http://www.brainage.com/launch/index.jsp
http://advancewars.com/
http://www.ebgames.com/
http://www.nick.com/
http://www.miniclip.com/
http://www.onemorelevel.com/
http://www.americangirl.com/
http://www.webkinz.com/

Where did they report learning of these sites:

TV
Newspaper
Cereal Boxes
Friends and Family

As you browse this list it is obvious that many of the sites are related to content they seen on TV or in video game form.  This could have interesting implications for library marketing - on cereal boxes, as TV commercials, within video games…

Posted in web behavior - students, webliography | No Comments »