AASL Conference: Connecting to Free WiFi

The conference provides free internet access. Luckily I finally went to an area that had instructions and support to get it working. I just overheard that there are more than 250 people trying to access the free wireless at the same time, and it is slowing down the connection and sometimes not makeing it work. It is a great resource though, and now that it is working (thanks tech support) I can access handouts, resources, and online sites (like this blog). Yeah to free wireless.

This is the first conference that I've been to that there are so many laptops out, with people taking notes during sessions, but also blogging, accessing materials, and sharing resources. For me, I know taking notes on the computer is a lot more effective than having scraps of paper around. I will more likely review the notes, share them, and use them this way.

AASL Conference Sessions

I went to a great session this morning titled: Empowering Boys: Books and Strategies to Attract Boys to Literacy. The presenter pointed out that we need to let boys choose the books and and reading materials that they are interested in, including informational books (gross, adventures, cars, military, facts: non fiction), adventure stories, and non fiction. We are not supporting our boys when we expect that they will read a book just because we liked it--engage them where they are at and with what they like, whether it is wrestling magazines or books about body functions. I will need to download it, but there was a great list of books for boys provided. One of my favorites that she mentioned was The Lightening Thief. It is the first in a series of great books about modern day. half gods. I love this series, my middle school students love it too. Another great one is Diary of a Wimpy Kid. A new one for me that I need to take a closer look at is Encyclopedia Horrifica.
I enjoyed this session and now have a great list of books to add to my library. I also have some great strategies to use. The idea I will try out is to create powerpoints with high interest books for boys. This will be accessible and hopefully will lead the students to more books.

AASL Conference has gone green

I am at the AASL (American Association of School Librarians) conference in Reno. I am excited to be hear, connect with other school librarians, check out some vendors, and even go to a session with some FSU professors (I'll finally meet F2F professors I have had in class or listened to lectures from).

This conference has gone green, which means that handouts are online instead of handed out. This is a great start, but there is still TONS of paper that is being used. At registration I was given a book with the program descriptions and vendor information. There were also handouts, vendor ads, and contest forms. Walking through the conference center, I was given the conference newspaper, ads for ALA president, and more vendor news. Sessions still have paper evaluations (why not an online survey?) I wonder how "green" this conference really is. The daily news could easily be posted on the website (I haven't checked yet to see if it is) and shared digitally more than printed. The vendors should be giving out less paper and directing people to their websites (that is what most people use now anyway). Not having handouts is a start, but it only a beginning. There is a lot more that can be done, so hopefully that will be next.

Computer based Communities

This week I am in California, driving past all of the major dot com players, seeing the communities and lifestyle that the industry created in the last few decades. Although some of the companies have closed up shop since the industry's bubble burst, there are still many companies around, and with it the wealth that goes with it, like Lamborghini dealerships and clothing boutiques.

It has been a couple of years since I lived in Silicon Valley, and it is always interesting to see how much technology is integrated in to life out here compared to Vermont. Where I worked, you can see 4th graders working together on claymation videos, 8th graders building and programming robots, children in the courtyard eating school lunch that they ordered online, teachers posting their homework to the school's website, and the school photographer documenting it all with a digital camera. In town you see moms walking their babies while working from their palm pilot and there's at least one cell phone in every car. There is free wifi in community parks, coffee shops, and even McDonald's. The air, the people, and life seeps with computers and technology.

5 years ago when we were planning additions and changes to the school I taught at, one of the parents suggested that we should spend less money on the library's books and building, and instead invest in technology and databases--that children wouldn't be wanting to read a physical book, and instead would want hand held devices for reading digital text. At the time we argued the point, but perhaps he was right. The children of today and tomorrow, especially in an affluent dot com area, need the opportunities and experiences that bridge the real world with the digital one. In a place where you are just as likely to make purchases via the computer as go to a store, and spend hours a day attached to a device of some sort (computer, cell phone, PDA, etc), it is critical that we teach students how to be responsible citizens of the digital community.

I expect that regardless of age restrictions, many dot com children social network pages, including myspace and facebook. Speaking with children and parents here and at home in Vermont, it is accepted that children want to share about their lives and created online identities to communicate with their friends. It is acceptable to many that children will lie about their age, location. This is done both in the name of safty and to be allowed on networks (many middle schoolers just lie about their age to be on Myspace. ) I think that there really needs to be a network for children and middle schoolers that would give them a space online to create community and interact honestly. I know that safety is the main concern, so perhaps it will end up being another expectation of a school--to have an online community area for students that is only accessible to those school community members- Regardless of how it is created, I think that there really needs to be something to support the children and teens who are immersed and embraced in technology. Like so many other things, we have to change what we think and do to meet the needs of youth, rather than expecting them to just wait until they are grown up, or times change, or trends die out.

Facebook

To learn how facebook works and create the IPL group page, I spent some time this week working on my personal facebook page and exploring some of the existing groups. On my personal page, I found that I could upload pictures, video, and information about myself. I made connections with friends and relatives that I haven't talked to in years. Groups really vary, with people networking about everything from TV shows to sports to favorite resturants. From what I understand, it is really a fabulous way to connect with people with common interests and stay connected to those you know or knew.

I can image Facebook being used as a communication place for IPL volunteers. It would be great for airing concerns, sharing experiences, and networking. It woud also be useful for sharing websites or other resources that help in the job of reference services. Lastly, it will bring together like minded individuals and provide an online hang out for those interested.

Elluminate's Advantages, SL challenges

After last week's class I decided that elluminate is my favorite of the distance learning models I have had experience with.

Here are a list of the reasons why I like Ellumiate:

1. It has text and voice, so people can respond in a way they are most comfortable. The voice aspect is good for those who type slowly. Hearing a voice also makes it seem more real. Having a text option, however, is great for those who aren't comfortable speaking up verbally and for messaging single or groups of people rather than addressing the whole group.
2. There is a visual opportunity with the white board. I love that you can view websites, powerpoints, or write on it. This seems to work well for guided lessons instead of everyone opening a different browser and trying to follow along on their own.
3. You can do simple responses with the build in features on the roster list.
4. It is the most like a face to face class. since you are seeing, hearing, and reacting.

I know that Second Life has some of these features, as does blackboard chat or classroom. However, I found that Second Life could be distracting, and my mind wandered wanting to look and explore, figure out how I fit in to it, and even wondering about other people in the class and what other people in my class thought of me (my avatar). One of the things I like about distance learning is that the physical things of like, like looks, body type, and clothing/style aren't getting in the way. You are only being judged by what you say and how you act in class and on blackboard. However, with second life, those components are back and it seems almost more so, because you are choosing how you look, what you are wearing, and how/where you are standing in relationship to others. What you choose about your avatar says things about you and your inner self.

I think Second Life is an interesting concept, I enjoyed using it for class, and will go off and explore in it, but I think it is a difficult tool to have a structured class in, unless there were specific rules about sitting, staying still, raising hands, ect. Our second life experience reminds me of a middle school class when I have a lesson to teach, but also want to give them options and freedom of movement and choice. It ends up that some are listening, but others are wandering, talking to friends, or zoning out. It seems like this is easy to happen in SL. Maybe I am more tradional than I thought, and I just have to expand my mind, knowing that I, as well as others (including middle schoolers in the "real" world and master's students in the virtual world) can stare at a windmill, wonder about a setting sun, and still follow what a teacher is discussing.

After posting, I thought of the following and just had to come back and add them...

I like, in many ways, that with distance learning you are experiencing and learning as a name and brain, instead of a physical person. On the other hand I met one of my classmates this summer, and it was really interesting to get to know more about the person behind the brain and words. It made her, and in turn the class, seem more real. I like the classes I have taken that require us to post a paragraph or two about us personally. Including a picture helped too, making more of a human connection and letting us get to know each other a little better. So, with that reflection, perhaps Seond Life is a good way to teach, providing classes with a way with connecting physically, even though it is virtually, in a way that is almost cooler-because we can connect with our dream selves, having the body, the clothes, and the actions that we image ourselves to have.

Week 5 continued: Face Book

I have been playing with Facebook during the last week, in preparation for my creation of an IPL page. First I set up a facebook for myself. Immediately after sending friend requests to my old college and high school buddies, they friended me and posted messages. I was impressed with the capabilities and what my face book page COULD become, although it isn't there yet.

I have been checking out other organizations on facebook to get ideas for IPL. There is a lot that can be done, and my focus will definitely be for current and past volunteers. I can imagine that a lot of IPL volunteers spend time on the computer and facebook and would expect that some may enjoy the networking that could happen with a common themed page. I am excited to create something and just need to sit down and get started creating the IPL meeting place on facebook.

Sharing life via the Computer

Here is a post for week 5, although we have really moved in to week 6. The two classes I have this semester have different dates for the week to start and assignments due, and for some reason I am losing track. I think I have senioritis. Good thing I am graduating in December.

I love the social aspect of the internet. It is a great way to catch up with old friends, see what people are doing, and find out about life. A friend of mine had a baby this week. Although she is 3000 miles away, she and her husband were able to share their experience and excitement with friends and family via livejournal and fickr. We could see pictures the next day, post reactions and well wishes. They have considered having a website with a video feed for the grandparents to log on and watch the baby sleep, play, and grow. Maybe we'll meet in Second Life pass out virtual new baby cigars (much safer and healthier than the real thing). We've embraced the internet as our means of sharing news, spreading information, and staying in touch with the world. Is it a good thing? I think it brings the world together, but I sometimes miss voice converstaions, printed photographs, and sitting at a table sharing a cup of coffee with a friend. I am happy though that we live in a time of virtual interconnectivity.