Conclusion and Self-Assessment

As I reflect on my first blog post, I think that my assessment has changed little. Actually, it might have changed in that my weakness, not finding time for all the great technology out there, has actually gotten weaker. That sounds like a bad thing, but it’s not. After completing SLIS 5720, I believe I have more 2.0 apps at my fingertips than ever before. I have more ideas and more tools to use to integrate and sneak technology into my lessons. However, where will I ever find the time? This is a wonderful problem to have, so I really can’t complain!

I plan to continue to keep up with new innovations in technology by following some of the apps that we worked with. Using tags in Delicious will be very useful when I need ideas. The search engines we added to Wiki are all very useful when I need to find educational materials online. I also bookmarked everything that we discovered and explored as a class.

I do have some plans for what I will implement form SLIS 5720. Glogster will be something I incorporate when I have my next novel study. I can’t wait for the students to pull in images and words that support theme. What a fun and exciting way to approach this literary element. My absolute favorite new piece of technology are the QR codes. I would love to find a way to incorporate these into the class! One of my goals this summer is to find a way to make that happen!

The Job of Organizing

With the updated social aspect of Web 2.0, internet users are now able to organize and connect information in easier and convenient ways. With the click of the mouse button, information can travel farther and faster than ever before. Does this have negative or positive implications on librarians in public schools? I think it’s a little bit of both. With coworkers and students able to utilize social bookmarking websites, they are able to organize and share information and learn from each other in the process. The ultimate goal of a librarian, in many ways, is to create this realization. However, how reliable is this shared information? Much of the tagging and organization process is opinion based and would have to be assessed on reliability factors. I think that overall, the ability of others to organize and share information, even just the process alone, is beneficial to librarians.

Having recently tagged websites in Diigo, I question the quality of usefulness in them. I liked the websites and I believe I tagged them with keywords that were appropriate, but how accurate was I? Individual assessment and research will still need to be done when looking for information on the internet. However, Diigo is useful, in that, if tagged properly, useful information is available in a very accessible manner.

"Web 2.0...The Machine is Us/Using Us"

“Web 2.0 …The Machine is Us/Using Us” is a video presentation created by Professor Wesch that demonstrates the power of Web 2.0. I believe that through this video, he is placing value on two viewpoints of the internet. Taking the portion of the title, “The Machine is Us”, Professor Wesch plays up the importance of the interactive nature of Web 2.0. Through the use of hypertext, we create and choose what is presented to us online. We click and Google our way to instant information. In this case, we are the machine. We are determining where we will go and what we will see, not the computer. This is what defines Web 2.0 – the interactive, social network. We create the pages and sites and upload the music and videos. We are the machine because so much of the internet is user created content. The second viewpoint that I believe Professor Wesh identifies is related to the “The Machine is Using Us” title. Due to the fact that the computer is aware of where we have been on the internet, it begins to know us and our interests. Now links and ads and emails are solicited to us on a daily basis based on our habits. The computer has learned who we are and money is made and websites prosper because it’s smart enough to lead us in the direction it wants to. We taught the computer and now it uses us for its benefit. Software companies, advertisers, and webpage designers all rely on the fact that the computer is capable of this. Professor Wesch does a great, innovative job of examining the benefits and potential flaws of Web 2.0.

Quick Reponse Codes

Wow! I was so amazed when I discovered quick response codes. This type of technology could be so easily integrated into the academic world. Quick response codes are like two dimensional barcodes. They can be scanned into a phone or web camera and then take you directly to a related link. This is an immediate relay of information that could be beneficial in a library setting. If all books could come equipped with the quick response codes, students could simply scan the code and have immediate access to the associated AR/RC quiz for assessment purposes. It can also send students to links that extend the academic experience with a nonfiction topic or to an author's website to view commentary and book club questions. Students would have instant access to a multitude of resources to really broaden their experience with a particular book.

Reference materials would be much more accessible to students. Once a topic was chosen, multiple URLs could be linked to a quick response code for that topic and students would only have to read and assimilate the information. The time saved on research could be applied to the comprehension and application of the information. Libraries need to move with the times, and with technology as advanced and as exciting as quick response codes, there is very little reasoning not to embrace the changes and move ahead.

Individual Technology Assessment

As an educator in this ever-changing, technologically advancing world, I am very aware of my strengths and weaknesses, as they both revolve around technology. My biggest weakness would be finding the time to use all the wonderful gadgets and concoctions that my school's technology department has so graciously supplied me. With only a limited window for instruction time, it never seems possible to utilize the Smart Pad or implement the multitudes of reading software that we have purchased. I guess a small part of me also just really prefers the actual physical presence of a book. Maybe the technology department has underestimated the interactive abilities of a good novel or short story.

I believe my greatest strength is the ability to understand the importance of the technology. The world is truly changing and my students’ lives will be abundant with all forms of technology as they grow and transform into ‘our future’. I am aware that I need to use more technology. So how I plan to use this strength and to address my aforementioned weaknesses is to combine the two. I have the resources; why not dedicate a portion of instruction time using them? Surely, I can find the planning time to integrate more technology into the classroom whilst not minimalizing the importance of a good novel and the benefits that one can reap from actual face-to-face discussion time.