Reading/Listenings for Nov. 29

It's hard to believe this is our last blog entry for the semester. It's been fun, but I am definitely ready for a break-or as much of one as I can have anyway!

LM_NET
1. In the November 27 e-mail, Louise Leonard posted that her principal had recently left her a post-it on her desk asking her "What should the role of library be in the 21st century school?" (My first thought was that it was odd that he left her a post-it asking her this question on something that is not very 21st century.) She was concerned because, after blogging, twittering,You Tube-ing, and collaborating he was still asking her this question, which is a perfect example of the fact that librarians have to be their own advocates. Many librarians suggested the same response that I thought of and that was to consult the AASL Guide to 21st Century Learners, as well as enacting regular communication with them to let them know what's new and what's happening at the library. Another suggested that this is a good time to hit them in the wallet and tell them the library could use such and such to be up to date in the 21st century. The one response that really stood out to me was this one-"I know it doesn't make it any easier, but you are not alone. This isn't what I signed up for 20 years ago, and if I never hear the term "21st century education" again I'll die happy"- This is the type of librarian I had in high school and the reason why I want so badly to teach at that learning level. I was completely unprepared for what awaited me in college and I want the chance to make someone else's learning experience better than mine.

2. I had seen a post regarding the book "It's a Book" using the word jackass a few months ago on LM_NET and it popped up again in one of the Nov. e-mails. In the book Jackass is a tech savvy donkey and comes across Gorilla who is reading a book. After asking Gorilla questions, does it ring, can you e-mail, etc. each time the Gorilla replies no. In the end Jackass ends up reading the book and asks" do I charge it when I'm done?" The mouse hiding under Gorilla's hat says "No, it's a book Jackass." In the original thread there was a large number of librarians that responded that they had taken the book off shelves or off their orders because they didn't feel it was appropriate, even though the book is using the technical term for that particular animal, albeit in a sarcastic manner at the end. I was happy to see in this posting however that more librarians were using this as an opportunity to discuss vocabulary pointing out that the male donkey is a jackass and the female is a jenny.

3. Patricia Sarles shared a tool developed by the University of Minnesota that would help students writing research papers. An assignment calendar guides students through their project and lets them know when they should be achieving their various benchmarks throughout the project. You can view the calendar at: http://www.lib.umn.edu/help/calculator/.

Blogs
1. In a Blue Skunk Blog post titled "KQ Gets it Right", Doug Johnson talks about a recent article in Knowledge Quest, Intellectual Freedom Online, that focuses on the newest form of censorship in the library. Johnson states that rather than worry about a few parents trying to block books from the shelves librarians should be fighting against the censorship involved in blocking Web sites. During the holiday I spoke with my 16-year-old niece and she complained about how hard it was to do research in school with all of the sites blocked, although I did suggest to her to use the databases and showed her where to go and how to use them. She also told me that at her school each student has a unique password and reports are printed out regularly to the admin office that indicate each student's online activity to check for inappropriate usage, which seems redundant to me as well as a little Big Brother.

2. In Bib 2.0 Jeri Hurd shared a new Web site for interactive learning called Qwiki. Qwiki is brand new and only samples are available at the moment, but when you look something up on Qwiki you hear text rather than reading it and while you are listening a collage of pictures are shown. It also provided links for additional information. I watched a Qwiki on the Barrier Reef and my kids walking by stopped to watch and listen and really liked it. While this was really neat, I don't see the practicality of this as an involved research tool. I can read and retain faster on my own than listening to the computer speak. This would be something to use when you are looking for quick answers. You can view it at http://www.qwiki.com.

3. Free Tech for Teachers showed a new tool from Crayola where students can go to the Crayola Web site and color on a blank canvas with virtual markers, crayons, and paint. Pictures can be printed, but not saved. It also provides templates so teachers can create custom coloring pages.

Podcasts
This week I listened to NPR Books because there was a section devoted to Mark Twain's new autobiography. Apparently when he decided to write his autobiography he said he wanted to wait 100 or even 500 years before it was published. This year will be 100 years since he dictated his autobiography to a stenographer. He tried Edison's new recording machine and didn't like it. I wonder what he would think about how far technology has come since 1910:) As the researchers at UC Berkeley put together this autobiography and studied the dictations they realized that Twain was able to compose entire paragraphs in his head. Apparently while dictating he would use current events of the day and use it to relate back to his own history. He talked about the U.S. invasion of the Phillipines and specifically mentions General Leonard Wood calling him Teddy Roosevelt's lap dog. He criticizes Gen. Wood for killing innocent Phillipine women and children. I was fascinated by this because I grew up very close to Ft. Leonard Wood and I remember going to field trips to the fort museum where Gen. Wood is made out to be basically a military genius and hero. It is so interesting hearing a different point of view about that time in history, especially from Mark Twain. I was also fascinated by the piece on the new book "Franklin and Eleanor: An Extraordinary Marriage." I had heard about the possibility of extra marital affairs by Franklin Roosevelt, but I had no idea that it was speculated that Eleanor has affairs as well including some with women. It sounds like Franklin and Eleanor were possibly ahead of their time, I can't imagine that they would have been able to get away with it today. Fox News would get months worth of stories from it!:)

Woolls
Chap.12
I think this semester we have talked a lot about being your own advocate as a librarian for good reason. When we Skype and I hear the difference between Katie and Michelle talking about the librarians at their respective schools it is obvious what an impact a good and bad librarian can make. Reading this chapter I was reminded of being in retail where you are advocating your brand's name by providing the best possible shopping experience. I think the same can be said for the LMS, you need to get your name out there to attract possible "buyers" and once they are there you need to provide the best possible experience to get them to return to your "store."

Chap.14
I think this chapter as well can be referenced back to the LM_NET posting I found, especially the section on "Embracing New Technologies." If a librarian is not willing and able to go with the flow so to speak with technology then they just need to get out of the game. Students will not respect someone who is not willing and able to keep up with what they are doing and do not find them useful.

Empowering Learners
I believe in the reading for "Empowering Learners" this week I saw a lot of examples of what the librarian from my LM_NET posting can do to make herself more prominent in her school community. I agree that in order for librarians to remain important in the future of budget cuts they have to make themselves invaluable by becoming a leader in their school community, and they have to be willing to be flexible and open to change. They also have to be willing to learn from others, including the students!