Farewell to FSU

I have turned in my final assignment for my classes and am now awaiting my grades. I completed my course work for my graduate degree, yipee! I enjoyed my classes through Florida State University College of Information. Getting my master's degree while begining a career as a library media specialist has prepared me with both the theory and practical skills for life in the library.

Virtual reference environments was an interesting class. The assignments and class time gave me information and experience with online tools. Now that class is done, and I'll have more time, I can't wait to expand my understanding further of online services like Second Life and Facebook. I haven't set up a MySpace account yet, but I'd like to, and I'll continue to stay in touch with people via Facebook. Talking with friends and colleagues about this class, I have gotten people to check out what is available online beyond Google. Overall, this class have been a great introduction to virtual reference services and I'll explore it further in the future as more and more of what I offer in the library moves to having an online component.

Privacy rights for Facebook Users

Here is an interesting article I read today about Facebook. It brought up the issue of Facebook partnering with advertising companies and reporting purchasing to friends for "trusted referrals". It is part of a "social ads" program.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/?i=50771;_hbguid=298ab158-0eaa-45b0-9e1d-c23d63c8cce7

I recognize that advertising is a necessity if internet sites are free--revenue has to come from somewhere, but I hate the idea of being tracked and my information shared, even, and maybe especially, with people I know. It is a huge violation of my privacy. If I want to tell someone what I am shopping for, or what movie I am going to, then I will tell them. Otherwise, the purchases I make, movies I watch, or items I view online are my personal buisiness.

I have to figure out where this opt in is so don't accidently opt in when I am not meaning to.

My Presentation--audio online

I presented for the class this week and I think it went well. I am pretty confident when it comes to speaking in front of a class or in front of my peers, and have not problem presenting in Blackboard Chat, but it was a new experience presenting in audio via elluminate. This was a great vehicle for presenations, rather than in chat where people are waiting for you to type unless you have prepared it before hand (which I always appreciate). I also like that there is the white board where you can write, post websites up, or show a powerpoint.

In my other class we are creating podcasts to give a tour of websites we developed. I think this would be another great tool to use in Virtual Reference Enviroments and one that many libraries and school are using for everything from virtual tours to class instruction to student presentation. I was surprised how easy it was to make a podcast at podcastpeople.com and am going to see if it is a blocked site at work. If it isn't, or if I can find another podcast creation site (where i only need a microphone), maybe that is the next thing I will do with my 8th grade students.