Implementing Technology in an Educational Setting

            At the beginning of this course, I thought I had a fairly good understanding of most technology that I needed to implement in my personal and professional life.  I was greatly mistaken.  After being exposed to all the new and emerging technologies in this course, rather in theory or in practice, I realized I have lots to learn and lots to implement in all areas of my life.  I can see so many practical and useful applications of many of these technologies.  In an educational setting, I plan to implement some of these technologies now in the classroom, and some later, when I become a librarian.

            The current technologies I can use in the classroom, are wikis, gloster’s interactive posters, animotos’ interactive powerpoints, prezi’s interactive powerpoints, and internet games.  I will be checking with my school district to get permission to create a wiki for my class.  We currently do have a program for the students to have access to class content, but it is limited.  A wiki would provide me much more creative liberties which would benefit the students.  It is much more flexible allowing a more interactive technological experience for both student and teacher. 

I will also be using interactive posters to display different course content to the students.  They will surely enjoy this new way of learning about World Geography.  I will also be teaching them how they can use gloster’s site for their own projects.  In addition to these interactive posters, I will be delivering course content by using interactive powerpoint style programs.  I will be working starting next semester to convert my current powerpoints into these interactive documents to present to my World Geography students. 

Last but not least, I will be researching different game sites that teach and quiz students over different types of Geography content.  I already currently use some game sites to drill the students on specific information from the class, but I know there are many more interactive and innovative sites out there that will really be useful in the classroom setting or when they study outside the classroom.  It is always important to try and connect with the students on their level and in a way (technologically) that interests them.  Learning will be a much more enjoyable experience if we do and it will stay with them longer as well.

            As a new librarian, I will be looking for ways to update and connect with the students and staff in my school.  One of the first things I will do is create or update the library wiki.  I believe it will be more useful to use a wiki than a website for the libraries’ business.  If I have to create one, I will use all of the reference sites I can to pull creative and useful ideas together that will benefit all those using it.  If I am updating one, I will do the same.  I will not be afraid to make it my own and revise where necessary.  I will make sure I am constantly updating information and adding new, helpful components.  I will make sure the students and staff know how to use RSS, audiobook downloading software, Google Earth and many other technologies and programs that will enhance their educational experience.  With my Special Education background, I will keep in mind students who might need alternative methods to access the full educational resources available.  For example, some students may have difficulties reading the English books they are required to read.  I can help them download an audiobook on their mp3 player so they can listen to it instead of struggling to read it. 

There are many new and emerging technologies that I am ready to use and many that I will be learning to use in the future.  Either way, this class has definitely opened a whole new technological world to me, which in the short term and long term, will surely benefit all those who access it now and in the future.

The job of organizing

The 21^st century library patrons need more efficient search results when using a catalog system.  They need relevant search results.  They need to be able to do more detailed, complex searches.  These were often difficult to achieve with traditional, hierarchical catalog systems.  Gone are the days of these hierarchical classification systems…or almost.  Now, we need more of an “everyman” effort to categorize and organize our data.  Another term for this is “folksonomy”.  Regular folks are creating their own categories and tagging their digital objects like websites, photos, and many other data types to make it more useful for them to retrieve for later use.  Not only does the individual benefit from this, but potentially, so does the rest of the world.  This trend definitely affects the libraries.  The librarian will have less control over the categorizing of such data and information since much of the information out there is digital and is currently being created and tagged by regular folks.  This is not necessarily a bad thing, however.  There is no way all the information “out there” could possibly be organized by any group of individuals.  It really will take the “everyman” to do it; it will take all of us.  With the trend going towards folksonomies, we as librarians and taggers will need to investigate and embrace new, more efficient ways of organizing information so we are all able to use these pieces of data to their fullest potential.

The 21^st century librarian needs to be very familiar with the newest technologies so they can train the patrons when they need help with these new technologies.  They also need to maintain the libraries’ websites so they are also up to date on the latest applications & webtools that will enhance the website and the users’ experience of it.  There are definite advantages and disadvantages of both the old school hierarchical taxonomy and the new “folksonomy”.  The good news for librarians is, that the patrons are empowering themselves to tag their information as it makes sense to them.  This makes it useful to many others as well.  This will be a more efficient use of everyone’s time.  The more tags that are added to an item, the more reliable the tags are.  With all of this collective effort going into this cataloging of information, I would hope that libraries and librarians alike, are grateful for the help and definite relevancy of the cataloging categories of digital information.  The patrons dictate what they need from the libraries and hopefully, the libraries will continues to be able to provide it.  They can continue to stay up with the technological needs of the patrons by tagging RSS feeds, blogs, recommended web resources and the like.  With any advantages the old system of cataloging had, it just is not a viable option for the future of our libraries and our very digitally dependent world.

Bringing it home to my own experience with categorizing, organizing, and cataloging of information, I feel my own delicious bookmarks’ tags are more relevant to me than traditional subject headings would have been.  I can pick out the information I want to highlight and tag it in that way and use all the other tools the site might offer like tag clouds, etc.  It is much more useful to take advantage of other’s tag thought on the same websites than to be forced into some formal, broader category.  I am sticking with the folksonomy way.  

Web 2.0, The Machine Is Us/ing Us

Blog Post #3

In watching an informative you tube video named “The Machine is Us/ing Us”, I think I understand the reason Professor Wesch named it so.  Courtney, in her book Library 2.0 and Beyond…(2007). explains that Web 2.0, whether a real concept or just a buzz word and piggyback term off of an earlier concept of Web 1.0 created with the World Wide Web, is changing and affecting us as a society.  Web 2.0 helps us better understand these changes in the web and our communication “evolution”.  I think this video eludes to the question “Is all this web content necessary and/or even useable?”  There used to be an issue with web content format but this is no longer.  We are uploading and posting information, photos, maps, thoughts, opinions, and so on and so on in unbelievable quantities.  Because we can all add this information to the web whenever and almost however we want, we have created a massive cesspool of information, useful or not.  Millions of blogs are posted everyday.  With this massive uploading of information comes the burden of organization.  How do we do it?  Who does it?  We all do.  We tag our information and photos and thus teach the web.  Who knows what all it does with this information about us.  But we are providing the information.  We are the driving the machine and yet we are the machine at the same time.  The web is one big database, so we are, too.  We even have it automatically exchanging data while we sleep and while we’re awake.  Are we going about this all wrong?  Are we going overboard in the use of the web?  We as a society are continually evolving towards becoming web driven beings.   I am not so sure we will recognize older forms of communication and information deriving ways in the near future.  Whether we are using the machine or we are the machine, Web 2.0 is linking information & people.  Web 2.0 is all about collaboration and sharing.  With these changes in communication and information publishing, we have to consider the changes in the information’s credibility.  As the video asks, how does this idea affect copyright, anonymity & privacy, control, commerce, and ourselves?  We must continually answer that question and try to make this machine work for the better good of us all.

Handheld Devices

Handheld Devices Blog #2

I just received a $10,000 budget for which I am to purchase handheld devices for the library.  I have decided to purchase netbooks and PC, android based device tablets. 

This decision is based on the current need and advancement of the technological skills of the students that frequent the library.  The main purpose of the purchase of these items is for the students, but staff and faculty can use them as well, when needed.  They are to be used in any area necessary related to education.  Any leftover money will go to purchase necessary additional software and such to make these handheld devices useful in our library.

The netbooks will especially be useful for the physically handicapped students that frequent the library.  They are so much easier to manipulate than the desktop computers.  I can get a good rate on netbooks (without the unnecessary software preloaded) for $200/each.  I will buy about 25 of them.  Our school district technology department can then load the software that we use on them for a nominal price.  These netbooks are much easier to use for my students that have limited mobility (in wheel chairs, etc.) and cannot reach the standard desktop computers easily.  There are many variable uses for these netbooks.  Mainly, they are used as any regular computer would be used except they are much smaller and portable.  If these mobility challenged students are not in the library and another student needs to use the netbook b/c there are not enough computers available in the library, they can also use them.  I will always keep a few in the library available for the physically challenged students, but can make several available to classrooms that need to check them out for a project, as well. 

Besides the netbooks, I also want to purchase the tablets as well.  I can get them for about $450 each.  I will buy about 8 of them.  They are useful for the visually impaired and physically immobile students (b/c of the ease of use touch interface) as well as regular students.  The student can use ebooks, partake in internet research much easier, and many other things they are asked to do in any given class.  They are lightweight, mobile, and have an easy to read format.  All of these features make the tablet a viable option for general education and special education students.  It is a very good option for those not tech savvy who need to use the internet. 

Individual Technology Assessment

As an educator, I have strengths and weaknesses in the area of technology.  As a teacher of high school students, I must stay current on instructional technologies that my school district uses.  I do pretty well learning new technologies and incorporating them into the lesson plans.  I actually have been asked to train others on some of this technology.  I feel that my strengths in learning new technologies will support me in learning new instructional technologies to use in the classroom as well.
I do have some weaknesses in technology.  A weakness I have recently been faced with is that I have never started a blog, until this posting.  I will overcome this fear and lack of adeptness as time goes on.  If I do not understand something, I will work on it until I figure it out.  It brings great satisfaction when I am able to conquer technological difficulties.  I work closely with our Computer Technology Assistant at my school and learn a lot from him.  I find it very interesting and exciting when I find new tools to use at home and in the classroom.  I think it's very important to stay on top of technologies and keep that common interest connection with the students.  Until next time...