Yea! I successfully completed 3 classes over the course of 7 weeks! Only one more class is between me and the successful completion of my MLIS degree.
WooHoo!!!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Comments on Mashup articles for June 28
Pietroniro and Fitcher "Map Mashups ..."
Right away, the authors cite wikipedia's definition of a mashup as follows,
"a web ‘mashup’ is “a website, or web application that combines content from one or more sources”.1 The word ‘Mashup’ comes from a term that is used in the music industry. In music, the term refers to a genre of popular music whereby the remixing of vocal and instrumental tracks from different songs to create a new song, is practiced."
I like the fact that a scholarly article is citing wikipedia! More power to wikipedia!
Anyway, the authors explain that what mashups are to music, the map industry is now joining in and using live info in correlation with maps, gps, etc... to create maps on the fly for users looking for very specific content, directions, information.
As someone who is constantly either mapquesting or google-mapping everything when I go to an unfamiliar location this is very exciting! My husband and I are more likely than not to get lost if we stray a block or two off the prescribed google map route. If we could afford an iphone we would automatically sign up for one of the map services (discussed in class a couple weeks ago).
I love the idea of housingmaps.com. How helpful that would have been when I was apartment and house searching. There are so many ideas that could be implemented with maps/info, etc... This should become very popular, and as the authors mention the possibilities are endless!
I also like the points made about traffic updates/conditions, flight info, commuter train update, etc... What a long way technology has come since the AAA TripTik my parents relied on for this information on our summer roadtrips!
Wikipedia entry on Mashups...
Reading through the description and process for creating a mashup I began to think that it seemed a little beyond my skill level. As I continued to read I noticed a variety of sites that serve as "mashup platforms" to help users creat mashups. Hooray! That is what I need to give this a try.
I thought the section on applying mashups to businesses was quite interseting, and certainly applicable. I hate "trawling" through information to dig up the tiny little piece of info that I need. By re-organizing a website with a mashup, info should be more accessible and more importantly user friendly.
We have already used a successful and popular mashup- Flickr... next I want to look into Travature- a travel mashup.
Right away, the authors cite wikipedia's definition of a mashup as follows,
"a web ‘mashup’ is “a website, or web application that combines content from one or more sources”.1 The word ‘Mashup’ comes from a term that is used in the music industry. In music, the term refers to a genre of popular music whereby the remixing of vocal and instrumental tracks from different songs to create a new song, is practiced."
I like the fact that a scholarly article is citing wikipedia! More power to wikipedia!
Anyway, the authors explain that what mashups are to music, the map industry is now joining in and using live info in correlation with maps, gps, etc... to create maps on the fly for users looking for very specific content, directions, information.
As someone who is constantly either mapquesting or google-mapping everything when I go to an unfamiliar location this is very exciting! My husband and I are more likely than not to get lost if we stray a block or two off the prescribed google map route. If we could afford an iphone we would automatically sign up for one of the map services (discussed in class a couple weeks ago).
I love the idea of housingmaps.com. How helpful that would have been when I was apartment and house searching. There are so many ideas that could be implemented with maps/info, etc... This should become very popular, and as the authors mention the possibilities are endless!
I also like the points made about traffic updates/conditions, flight info, commuter train update, etc... What a long way technology has come since the AAA TripTik my parents relied on for this information on our summer roadtrips!
Wikipedia entry on Mashups...
Reading through the description and process for creating a mashup I began to think that it seemed a little beyond my skill level. As I continued to read I noticed a variety of sites that serve as "mashup platforms" to help users creat mashups. Hooray! That is what I need to give this a try.
I thought the section on applying mashups to businesses was quite interseting, and certainly applicable. I hate "trawling" through information to dig up the tiny little piece of info that I need. By re-organizing a website with a mashup, info should be more accessible and more importantly user friendly.
We have already used a successful and popular mashup- Flickr... next I want to look into Travature- a travel mashup.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Library School Update...
Well folks, there are only two weeks left of summer session one! Only 8 more class sessions for me to attend (among the three classes I am taking) before I can officially say that I have just one more class before I officially earn my MLIS.
Yea!
Just thought you all should know!
Yea!
Just thought you all should know!
Part two of Gaming, Second Life and Virtual Worlds...
Czarnecki, Kelly and Matt Gullett. "Meet the New You"
In some ways the idea of presenting course content to middle schoolers completely online makes perfect sense, and in other ways it is quite scary to think about. Would life online mirror real life? Would the same bullies exist? Could your online avatar name remain anonymous when you are in a set group of 30 or so people working collaboratively on recreating Ellis Island? Does it matter?
I just seem to think of the discipline problems that may occur, the disrespect students may have, which might ruin a wonderful idea for the majority...
It will be interesting to see how popular TSL becomes for schools in the future, let alone libraries. A very intersting concept.
Hurst-Wahl, Jill "Librarians and Second Life."
Like many other web 2.0 tools, librarians quickly identified Second Life as a platform on which to connect with information users. A Second Life Alliance Library System has now been created. It is run by volunteer librarians devoting their time and energy to creating libraries and lirbary services within the context of SL. This seems like just another way to add our presence to where our patrons are.
Like last class where we discussed how many people "live" on MySpace, many people also "live" on Second Life. Even though I am not one of those people, I see the potential for additional outreach services.
The article also talks about the opportunities for collaboration among librarians from different locations across the globe, rethinking library 'space' (in both virtual architectural design, and the actual existence of online libraries), and the exploration of new tools. All are important ways for libraries to remain relevant, cutting edge, and cool!
In some ways the idea of presenting course content to middle schoolers completely online makes perfect sense, and in other ways it is quite scary to think about. Would life online mirror real life? Would the same bullies exist? Could your online avatar name remain anonymous when you are in a set group of 30 or so people working collaboratively on recreating Ellis Island? Does it matter?
I just seem to think of the discipline problems that may occur, the disrespect students may have, which might ruin a wonderful idea for the majority...
It will be interesting to see how popular TSL becomes for schools in the future, let alone libraries. A very intersting concept.
Hurst-Wahl, Jill "Librarians and Second Life."
Like many other web 2.0 tools, librarians quickly identified Second Life as a platform on which to connect with information users. A Second Life Alliance Library System has now been created. It is run by volunteer librarians devoting their time and energy to creating libraries and lirbary services within the context of SL. This seems like just another way to add our presence to where our patrons are.
Like last class where we discussed how many people "live" on MySpace, many people also "live" on Second Life. Even though I am not one of those people, I see the potential for additional outreach services.
The article also talks about the opportunities for collaboration among librarians from different locations across the globe, rethinking library 'space' (in both virtual architectural design, and the actual existence of online libraries), and the exploration of new tools. All are important ways for libraries to remain relevant, cutting edge, and cool!
Gaming, Second Life and Virtual Worlds...
Brown, John Seely. "New Learning Environments for the 21st Century."
Comments:
This article is important for teachers at all levles of education to read. From elementary teachers to graduate school professors, it is clear that all education profesionals must re-evaluate the ways in which they reach out to their students. The shift in education from "learning about something" to "learning to be" has occured as professors shift away from straight lecture format to in-class hands on activities. Even in the first grade classroom of my mother-in-law, students are enthralled with the whiteboard (Go 3M!) and seem to have a longer attention span when content is presented in a mulitmedia fashion. The same can be said for all ages of learners, the flashier the better.
But, a fundamental change has also occurred in the way students today learn and process information, just as the ways in which they seek information differ from the era in which their teachers attended school.
Teachers must look into the questions Brown presents: "How do they learn? How do they like to learn? How do they solve problems? And most importantly,what creates meaning for them and helps them to constmct their sense of self?"
Each student will have a different level of exposure to video games, but the basic sentiment in this article is that video games today present opportunities for education. Many games present opportunites for higher level thinking, problem solving and decision making in a format that is appealing to students.
Brown writes that,"the gaming generation tums out to very bottom-line oriented.
They want their performance to he measured. They want to learn and, without metrics, they can't tell if and how much they are learning. Surprising as it may sound, many gamers say that if they're not leaming, it isn't fun! It tums out that using excellent pedagogical principles in constructing a game—for instance, requiring
tbat players tackle challenges that get increasingly more demanding, but at just the right pace—makes for great play."
Students are not just wasting their time on video games, they are actually learning something, expanding their brains, and even interacting with other people online! Who would have thought we'd go from Tetris to such intense online gaming!
Lifelong learning is important now more than ever. Teachers must learn how to best teach students in the digital age, while continuing to instill the skills necessary for students to be able to learn and adapt the envirnoment as it continues to change around them.
Comments:
This article is important for teachers at all levles of education to read. From elementary teachers to graduate school professors, it is clear that all education profesionals must re-evaluate the ways in which they reach out to their students. The shift in education from "learning about something" to "learning to be" has occured as professors shift away from straight lecture format to in-class hands on activities. Even in the first grade classroom of my mother-in-law, students are enthralled with the whiteboard (Go 3M!) and seem to have a longer attention span when content is presented in a mulitmedia fashion. The same can be said for all ages of learners, the flashier the better.
But, a fundamental change has also occurred in the way students today learn and process information, just as the ways in which they seek information differ from the era in which their teachers attended school.
Teachers must look into the questions Brown presents: "How do they learn? How do they like to learn? How do they solve problems? And most importantly,what creates meaning for them and helps them to constmct their sense of self?"
Each student will have a different level of exposure to video games, but the basic sentiment in this article is that video games today present opportunities for education. Many games present opportunites for higher level thinking, problem solving and decision making in a format that is appealing to students.
Brown writes that,"the gaming generation tums out to very bottom-line oriented.
They want their performance to he measured. They want to learn and, without metrics, they can't tell if and how much they are learning. Surprising as it may sound, many gamers say that if they're not leaming, it isn't fun! It tums out that using excellent pedagogical principles in constructing a game—for instance, requiring
tbat players tackle challenges that get increasingly more demanding, but at just the right pace—makes for great play."
Students are not just wasting their time on video games, they are actually learning something, expanding their brains, and even interacting with other people online! Who would have thought we'd go from Tetris to such intense online gaming!
Lifelong learning is important now more than ever. Teachers must learn how to best teach students in the digital age, while continuing to instill the skills necessary for students to be able to learn and adapt the envirnoment as it continues to change around them.
Comments on Podcasting Articles...
Podcast 1-2-3 by Jason Griffey
The one-two-three of podcasting: 1. create content, 2. distribute podcast, 3. sync to ipod or other music player.
Simple?
Sure, if you have the time and equipment to produce a podcast, it could be a great tool to implement for your library.
Griffey writes that podcasts can be a good tool to use with distance education students. Users can access content anytime, anywhere they want. Also, it has a certain appeal to users with a more auditory learning style, or those who can’t sit still very long to pay attention.
Short and sweet podcasts can capture the attention of an audience with more effect than an in-person hour long lecture.
I agree with all of Griffey’s comments on the potential for podcasting, I agree that podcasts might add a bit of a human touch to an otherwise quite boring distance learning experience with everything being self-paced and even more difficult- self-motivated.
Creating Communities with Podcasting by Angela l. Jowitt
Sets forth the basic definition: ipod + broadcasting = podcasting
Jowitt discusses a pilot project using podcasts in an academic setting as a new method to connect with patrons. For example, the podcast on “how to use MyAccount” was a success! I wish St. Olaf had this, so many questions would be erased with the click of a mouse to a short three minutes explanation of how to renew your books online- fascinating!
The conclusion of the project based on patron feedback revealed that the podcasts were quite popular, but a wish for video as well as audio was stated.
I agree, the idea of listening to a podcast through my computer without any visual aspect just leads me to wander across my favorite sites while attempting to stay focused… Now powerpoint slides with a podcast lecture… now we are talking… Hmm isn’t that exactly what Chris did for us?
The one-two-three of podcasting: 1. create content, 2. distribute podcast, 3. sync to ipod or other music player.
Simple?
Sure, if you have the time and equipment to produce a podcast, it could be a great tool to implement for your library.
Griffey writes that podcasts can be a good tool to use with distance education students. Users can access content anytime, anywhere they want. Also, it has a certain appeal to users with a more auditory learning style, or those who can’t sit still very long to pay attention.
Short and sweet podcasts can capture the attention of an audience with more effect than an in-person hour long lecture.
I agree with all of Griffey’s comments on the potential for podcasting, I agree that podcasts might add a bit of a human touch to an otherwise quite boring distance learning experience with everything being self-paced and even more difficult- self-motivated.
Creating Communities with Podcasting by Angela l. Jowitt
Sets forth the basic definition: ipod + broadcasting = podcasting
Jowitt discusses a pilot project using podcasts in an academic setting as a new method to connect with patrons. For example, the podcast on “how to use MyAccount” was a success! I wish St. Olaf had this, so many questions would be erased with the click of a mouse to a short three minutes explanation of how to renew your books online- fascinating!
The conclusion of the project based on patron feedback revealed that the podcasts were quite popular, but a wish for video as well as audio was stated.
I agree, the idea of listening to a podcast through my computer without any visual aspect just leads me to wander across my favorite sites while attempting to stay focused… Now powerpoint slides with a podcast lecture… now we are talking… Hmm isn’t that exactly what Chris did for us?
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Podcasting...
Listening to Cody's podcast was my first expereince with this web 2.0 tool, unless you also count Chris' earlier asynchronous lectures? Anyway, being new to this type of media I had to search for my recommendation...
1. Podcast recommendation
NPR Booktalk
is hosted by Alan Farley who talks with authors about their work and their lives, with their latest book as the starting point for this weekly podcast, 30 minutes in length.
Even though I am not a regular listener, and only listened to this for the first time for this assignment, I found it to be a very enjoyable podcast which coincided with one of my ideas for a podcast below...
2. A good idea for a podcast:
Library news, events, author booktalks, weekely readers' advisory on specific topics each week, etc... The ideas are probably endless, but since I am currently in the readers' advisory class it would be fun for a library to publish weekly "What to Read Next" segments for each of the genres. I'm sure people would tune in!
3. Do not use podcasts for:
As specifcally mentioned in one of the articles, podcasts have failed as an alternative to library tours unless the user is actually at the library. Most users of podcasts access them outside of the library....
Also, a podcast about rules and policies would probably be a bad idea simply because it may be very dull.
1. Podcast recommendation
NPR Booktalk
is hosted by Alan Farley who talks with authors about their work and their lives, with their latest book as the starting point for this weekly podcast, 30 minutes in length.
Even though I am not a regular listener, and only listened to this for the first time for this assignment, I found it to be a very enjoyable podcast which coincided with one of my ideas for a podcast below...
2. A good idea for a podcast:
Library news, events, author booktalks, weekely readers' advisory on specific topics each week, etc... The ideas are probably endless, but since I am currently in the readers' advisory class it would be fun for a library to publish weekly "What to Read Next" segments for each of the genres. I'm sure people would tune in!
3. Do not use podcasts for:
As specifcally mentioned in one of the articles, podcasts have failed as an alternative to library tours unless the user is actually at the library. Most users of podcasts access them outside of the library....
Also, a podcast about rules and policies would probably be a bad idea simply because it may be very dull.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
