They always look so compact when they assume the meatloaf position!
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Curiosity and Project Play
I've read some of my colleagues' entries on this topic and agree that I was more curious when I was younger. I was always a reader and loved to learn. But the first 12 years of school seemed like an exercise in conformity. College followed, and it wasn't until my Senior year as an undergrad that I finally "got it" - then I began asking more questions and conversing with my professors - I was no longer just a "sponge". When I entered graduate school several years later, I really had the time of my life. I felt alive, curious, ready to take on the world! I enjoyed my 9 years of professional work before becoming a stay at home parent. I spent 10 years "at home" and have come to some cynical conclusions.
I think most schools can stifle curiosity and creativity. I became certain of this after having my son 12 years ago. My husband and I knew early on that he was gifted, and once he entered school and was identified as such, we had to become active advocates for his education within a system set up for status quo mediocrity. I'm glad to say some things have improved and he's doing well. My point is that mediocrity and the status quo are safe comfort zones for most of us. It's easy to become intellectually lazy. I am finding that while I spent much time fostering my son's curiosity and intellectual growth, my own interests were put on the back burner. Plus, I've found that I'm not as passionate about the things I used to be. Library issues and personal interests that sparked me in my 20s have changed over time. Marriage, parenting, and aging have all influenced the way I look at things now. My priorities have sharpened and my interests/passions have veered in new directions. At first I mourned these changes, probably because I grieved the loss of youthful idealism. But lately I've recognized that change is a good thing, and I'm curious to find out what I will truly be when I grow up! Read: I'm CURIOUS! As I approach 50, my path is changing, and I'm ready to "wake up" intellectually again.
I think Seth Godin made some very good points - I've long believed that TV is a great wasteland. Although I would miss the things we watch on Discovery, History, and Science (and yes, TVLand!), I've been trying to get my hubby to junk the TV. Sigh. Anyway, I agree with Seth that curiosity has nothing to do with income or education. Some of the most interesting and creative people my husband and I have met over the years lacked so-called formal education. They pushed the envelope, tried new approaches to problems, created incredible music, stories, solutions to problems - they were truly curious and reached beyond themselves with little fear. Perhaps a healthy dose of self-confidence needs to go hand-in-hand with curiosity. Otherwise, how can a curious person fight off the surrounding voices of conformity and mediocrity?
I feel like Project Play has become my new classroom for my Adult Education. I've looked at technologies I've never seen or heard of before, and some I like, and some I don't, and that's OKAY. What's important is that I'm LOOKING, and LEARNING, and yes, even PLAYING now!
I feel the strong urge to see what else is out there - and not just on the Web. While the new technologies may be the future - and I accept that the computer is here to stay - there is still something to be said for nurturing connections with PEOPLE, not just COMPUTERS. I want to nurture my curiosity by finding things on the Internet pertinent to my interests and passions, and then DO these things, not just READ about them.
I, too, will miss the Project Play assignments and look forward to whatever the coordinators come up with. Thank so much for what you have shared with us and for all your hard work! On my part, I plan to keep my blog active (if anyone's interested), and will subscribe to some of the library rss feeds mentioned in the closing assignment sheet. I'll also check out Go2Wb20 and eHub to see what's there. I've copied off the weekly assignment sheets and plan to revisit some of the sites - I'm still a little dense about widgets, for instance - and I want to look at more of the example sites provided. I've even gotten into the daily habit of checking my bloglines for the new feeds - see, I've come a long way, baby!
I think most schools can stifle curiosity and creativity. I became certain of this after having my son 12 years ago. My husband and I knew early on that he was gifted, and once he entered school and was identified as such, we had to become active advocates for his education within a system set up for status quo mediocrity. I'm glad to say some things have improved and he's doing well. My point is that mediocrity and the status quo are safe comfort zones for most of us. It's easy to become intellectually lazy. I am finding that while I spent much time fostering my son's curiosity and intellectual growth, my own interests were put on the back burner. Plus, I've found that I'm not as passionate about the things I used to be. Library issues and personal interests that sparked me in my 20s have changed over time. Marriage, parenting, and aging have all influenced the way I look at things now. My priorities have sharpened and my interests/passions have veered in new directions. At first I mourned these changes, probably because I grieved the loss of youthful idealism. But lately I've recognized that change is a good thing, and I'm curious to find out what I will truly be when I grow up! Read: I'm CURIOUS! As I approach 50, my path is changing, and I'm ready to "wake up" intellectually again.
I think Seth Godin made some very good points - I've long believed that TV is a great wasteland. Although I would miss the things we watch on Discovery, History, and Science (and yes, TVLand!), I've been trying to get my hubby to junk the TV. Sigh. Anyway, I agree with Seth that curiosity has nothing to do with income or education. Some of the most interesting and creative people my husband and I have met over the years lacked so-called formal education. They pushed the envelope, tried new approaches to problems, created incredible music, stories, solutions to problems - they were truly curious and reached beyond themselves with little fear. Perhaps a healthy dose of self-confidence needs to go hand-in-hand with curiosity. Otherwise, how can a curious person fight off the surrounding voices of conformity and mediocrity?
I feel like Project Play has become my new classroom for my Adult Education. I've looked at technologies I've never seen or heard of before, and some I like, and some I don't, and that's OKAY. What's important is that I'm LOOKING, and LEARNING, and yes, even PLAYING now!
I feel the strong urge to see what else is out there - and not just on the Web. While the new technologies may be the future - and I accept that the computer is here to stay - there is still something to be said for nurturing connections with PEOPLE, not just COMPUTERS. I want to nurture my curiosity by finding things on the Internet pertinent to my interests and passions, and then DO these things, not just READ about them.
I, too, will miss the Project Play assignments and look forward to whatever the coordinators come up with. Thank so much for what you have shared with us and for all your hard work! On my part, I plan to keep my blog active (if anyone's interested), and will subscribe to some of the library rss feeds mentioned in the closing assignment sheet. I'll also check out Go2Wb20 and eHub to see what's there. I've copied off the weekly assignment sheets and plan to revisit some of the sites - I'm still a little dense about widgets, for instance - and I want to look at more of the example sites provided. I've even gotten into the daily habit of checking my bloglines for the new feeds - see, I've come a long way, baby!
Week 10 - Mashups
Marshups are an interesting tool. I hadn't realized that I had seen so many of them already and just didn't know that they had a formal name. Beth's introduction on the podcast held the caveat that I've long felt needs to be posted at every computer workstation: be sure of the veracity of the site you are accessing! Don't just rely on Uncle Bob's favorites, as she said.
That said, there are some very interesting ways mashups are being used to provide information. I find government sites combining zip codes, maps, and pie chart graphics interesting and easy to digest. I looked at a number of the listed sites - Daily Mashups, Netvibes, Meebo Map, PlaceOpedia, Zip Code Census Dashboard, Libraries 411, Barns of Winnebago Co., MeL Deliveries, Hot Titles Carousel, Learning 2.0 Throughout the World (and yes, I found OWLS PP!), and Go-go Google gadget (which I didn't really follow).
I watched the screencast for Mapbuilder and added Thimbleberry Books (a fabulous used bookstore in Marshfield, also home to 2 bibliocats). I mistakenly added it to the first automated map and then went back and added it to the Project PLay map. This was pretty easy to use.
My favorite mashup, though, was the Library Thing for Libraries(LTFL) and how it's being used in the Danbury CT public library. I went through the LTFL tour and FAQs and think it sounds like a fabulous idea to add to a library card catalog. Basically, it's a subject catalog with recommendations for similar items. The only problem I see is having to export your catalog info to LibraryThing. That would take staff time and the results might be 50-65 % overlap of titles, meaning that some of your titles might not be listed in LTFL. But, with millions of titles already listed, and many being added daily, I would imagine the coverage would be worthwhile, especially with newer titles. Because you've provided the data from your own collections, you aren't sending the user outside the library, so you're utilizing your own collection even more - what a great way to get more bang from your book acquisitions buck! I especially liked the format of the Danbury Library's catalog page with the similar title recommendations listed right on the same page - I used Gone With the Wind and found a nice listing of similar titles. What an easy way to provide reader's advisory service without having to access additional databases/reference books. Of course, some folks may question using recommendations from "regular" vs "library" folk, but so often people just want suggestions, no matter who gives them. You could still use other tools to find titles through ILL if you wanted to. I'd love to see this kind of feature added to our library's card catalog!
That said, there are some very interesting ways mashups are being used to provide information. I find government sites combining zip codes, maps, and pie chart graphics interesting and easy to digest. I looked at a number of the listed sites - Daily Mashups, Netvibes, Meebo Map, PlaceOpedia, Zip Code Census Dashboard, Libraries 411, Barns of Winnebago Co., MeL Deliveries, Hot Titles Carousel, Learning 2.0 Throughout the World (and yes, I found OWLS PP!), and Go-go Google gadget (which I didn't really follow).
I watched the screencast for Mapbuilder and added Thimbleberry Books (a fabulous used bookstore in Marshfield, also home to 2 bibliocats). I mistakenly added it to the first automated map and then went back and added it to the Project PLay map. This was pretty easy to use.
My favorite mashup, though, was the Library Thing for Libraries(LTFL) and how it's being used in the Danbury CT public library. I went through the LTFL tour and FAQs and think it sounds like a fabulous idea to add to a library card catalog. Basically, it's a subject catalog with recommendations for similar items. The only problem I see is having to export your catalog info to LibraryThing. That would take staff time and the results might be 50-65 % overlap of titles, meaning that some of your titles might not be listed in LTFL. But, with millions of titles already listed, and many being added daily, I would imagine the coverage would be worthwhile, especially with newer titles. Because you've provided the data from your own collections, you aren't sending the user outside the library, so you're utilizing your own collection even more - what a great way to get more bang from your book acquisitions buck! I especially liked the format of the Danbury Library's catalog page with the similar title recommendations listed right on the same page - I used Gone With the Wind and found a nice listing of similar titles. What an easy way to provide reader's advisory service without having to access additional databases/reference books. Of course, some folks may question using recommendations from "regular" vs "library" folk, but so often people just want suggestions, no matter who gives them. You could still use other tools to find titles through ILL if you wanted to. I'd love to see this kind of feature added to our library's card catalog!
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Week 9 - YouTube
Wow, what an incredible site to play with! As you can tell from my previous post containing the Winston Churchill video, I am really enjoying this assignment!
I enjoyed watching Michael Stephens discuss why he believes books will never be obsolete, and that the human connection is the most important thing in the library, not all the new technical gadgets coming down the pike. The Calgary Public Library's Story Time was very cute, and the Harper College Library Tour was pretty funny. But the video "Now Your Library is Open Late Nights, Too" just made me cringe. This one was the personfication of my greatest worry - that we are trying to cater to the McDonald's Generation by spoonfeeding them (and in some cases digesting for them!) everything, right here, right NOW! Ugh! Okay, climbing off my soapbox...
I haven't found anything I really dislike about YouTube, probably because I'm still wowed by what I've found. The quality of content and production varies, but that's to be expected. I'm sure there's going to be objectionable content, too, depending on one's personal political correctness levels. (Watching Jackie Gleason plug Richard Nixon was a hoot, I will say!). And I'm sure I'll be finding tons of humorous and non-historical videos to watch, too. I plan to do a search for videos on cats next...
As far as libraries using YouTube - well, as I said, the ones listed in the assignment were pretty well done. I can see where they'd be useful in academic and specialized libraries for introducing collections and resources to new users. I suppose you could use them for the same purpose in the public library setting, but I think that's what WE are for (We as in Reference and Circulation Librarians). We're the first ones to interact with patrons, and I think they'd be more likely to talk with us than watch a YouTube video. I can see us updating our web page with other useful things before I can see spending staff time/library money producing a video, just my humble opinion. However, I do like the idea of in-house education using YouTube. We've watched them in the ProjectPlay format (and some of them have been quite simple and easy for me to follow, kinda like the Dummies books). I think Library System-produced in-house educational videos on various library-oriented topics (such as using the system-wide Learning Express program or the Gale Reference Products Software) would be a good use for this technology.
I enjoyed watching Michael Stephens discuss why he believes books will never be obsolete, and that the human connection is the most important thing in the library, not all the new technical gadgets coming down the pike. The Calgary Public Library's Story Time was very cute, and the Harper College Library Tour was pretty funny. But the video "Now Your Library is Open Late Nights, Too" just made me cringe. This one was the personfication of my greatest worry - that we are trying to cater to the McDonald's Generation by spoonfeeding them (and in some cases digesting for them!) everything, right here, right NOW! Ugh! Okay, climbing off my soapbox...
I haven't found anything I really dislike about YouTube, probably because I'm still wowed by what I've found. The quality of content and production varies, but that's to be expected. I'm sure there's going to be objectionable content, too, depending on one's personal political correctness levels. (Watching Jackie Gleason plug Richard Nixon was a hoot, I will say!). And I'm sure I'll be finding tons of humorous and non-historical videos to watch, too. I plan to do a search for videos on cats next...
As far as libraries using YouTube - well, as I said, the ones listed in the assignment were pretty well done. I can see where they'd be useful in academic and specialized libraries for introducing collections and resources to new users. I suppose you could use them for the same purpose in the public library setting, but I think that's what WE are for (We as in Reference and Circulation Librarians). We're the first ones to interact with patrons, and I think they'd be more likely to talk with us than watch a YouTube video. I can see us updating our web page with other useful things before I can see spending staff time/library money producing a video, just my humble opinion. However, I do like the idea of in-house education using YouTube. We've watched them in the ProjectPlay format (and some of them have been quite simple and easy for me to follow, kinda like the Dummies books). I think Library System-produced in-house educational videos on various library-oriented topics (such as using the system-wide Learning Express program or the Gale Reference Products Software) would be a good use for this technology.
Winston Churchill's famous Battle of Britain Speech
It was a hard choice for me to make,to narrow down the historical YouTube I wanted to share. I listened to Frandlin D. Roosevelt give his "Day of Infamy" speech the day after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. As with this Winston Churchill video, a montage of appropriate photos accompanied the actual recording. I also enjoyed watching live footage of Harry S. Truman relieve Douglas MacArthur of his duties as Supreme Commander, as well as live coverage of MacArthur speaking to Congress, giving his "old soldiers never die, they just fade away" speech. Lastly, I watched various YouTube videos of Will Rogers (the Cowboy Philospher), Red Skelton, and Jackie Gleason.
I felt an incredible thrill to hear Churchill, Truman, and Roosevelt. I have read some of their speeches, but it is never the same as hearing the words from the real person. I also listened to videos of Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy. These men were all incredible speakers, and to hear their voices just gives me a thrill. I haven't heard some of them since I watched 16 mm newsreels or special movies in some of my high school and college history classes. I thought YouTube concentrated on the current, the here and now, the popular. I never realized what a treasure trove of historical materials might be made available through it! I can tell I will be spending time looking up lots more people and events on YouTube!!
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