Technological evolution

At the beginning of this course, I had many questions about the vocabulary and applications related to Web 2.0.  I also had lots of apprehension about how to introduce students to new tools and activities while effectively prohibiting them from encountering age-inappropriate information.

Through this course, I have discovered that I am already comfortable with many Web 2.0 applications that I simply lacked the specialized vocabulary to describe.  For example, I have used social networks to share pictures and keep in touch with family and friends for several years.  I have also maintained a blog of teaching tools and ideas over the last few years.  However, I had not been aware that these activities were part of Web 2.0. 

Lone Star Glog

 I have also become much more comfortable trying out new tools.  For example, during this course, I have learned to use Prezi and Glogster to share information with students, teachers, and parents in visually interesting and novel ways.  I have also learned to use wikis to collaborate and share information.  I now realize how easily people can work together remotely by using a common online document or planning tool.

My greatest concern about using technology in the library was regarding student access to questionable content.  The Internet is vast, and the opportunities for students to access images and information which might not be appropriate are many.  In the last few months, I have provided many opportunities for my elementary school students to use computers, access the Internet, and use applications such as our online catalog, online games, and web-based presentations.  Admittedly, I have had some students "sneak" onto song-lyric or game sites which I did not approve or intend them to use.  However, on the whole, I have found that by planning engaging activities, I am able to guide most students to focus on the appropriate task at hand.  In the few cases of virtual-wandering, I have been able to quickly address the situations through basic discipline.  Classmates quickly learn that they won't be able to engage in the fun technology-based activities if they choose not to follow directions.

Having made my way to success with several new-to-me tools, I feel more capable of approaching unfamiliar technology with a sense of adventure rather than apprehension.  I have already begun enjoying introducing others to some of these tools, and I look forward to future projects I will accomplish using my new skills.

Organizing

I set up a new Delicious account this week, and I've been exploring the world of social bookmarking.  I love the idea of having my bookmarks available online.  I'm always wishing I knew the address for some cool site I visit from home but don't have a link for at work.  Having my directory of favorite online tools and content available wherever I am is fantastic.

On the other hand, it's taking me a bit longer to adjust to tagging sites instead of categorizing them in folders.  I'm pretty sure it can work out just as well, but I am accustomed to organizing my favorite sites in folders and sub-folders that create a tidy little outline of topics.

 

A new vegetable lasagna recipe would normally go in the Vegetarian sub-folder that's within the Recipes folder.  I'm sure I can just use those categories as tags and achieve a similar effect, but it will take some getting used to.

The thing that I find most intimidating about tagging is that I have to plan and create new categories each time I begin using a new program.  When I tag my photos, I have to decide whether to sort them by date, location, subject matter or the names of people featured.  When I write blog articles, I need to think of what tags readers might be looking for and then constantly edit tags as I see which are used frequently and which others might need to be combined or deleted.  With formal cataloging, these decisions are more universal and longstanding.  Because tags can change with trends and perspectives, and for that matter grammatical errors, they seem a little slippery when compared to standardized subject headings.

At the same time, a huge amount of data is being generated, through Delicious, Blogger, Flickr and any other site that allows users to tag content, about what people want to know and how the general public likes their information to be categorized.  Librarians who pay attention to frequently used tags in various programs would better understand patrons' desires and could potentially one day create a new systems that combines the best features of both the traditional and the publicly-generated systems.  So, in terms of assisting our ability to meet patrons needs, tagging is very effective.  If our goal is to control the categories and keep information easily manageable, traditional subject headings are probably more efficient.