A Year without Bashing Facebook

The end of the year (and the end of a decade),  seems like a good time to contemplate goals. I enjoy choosing a specific resolution– one that is achievable, meaningful, or just fun. Year before last, I resolved to return all audio CD’s to their cases after listening. I think I did pretty well with that one, but I certainly was glad when the year was over! (Several CD’s are often out of cases in my car at any given time now.) One year, my friend Nancy decided it was the year to “wear more lipstick.” And, I remember the year after we remodeled the kitchen, my resolution was to spend more time with my sink!
I decided my New Year’s resolution for 2011 is to keep my mouth shut about Facebook. Today, December 31st, will be my last day to rant about how much I HATE FB!!! You may ask, why do you care? Or, why don’t you just delete your account? Well, I really wanted to participate in the Facebook Suicide Day on May 31, 2010. However, as an information professional, I feel compelled (obligated) to investigate current modes of information delivery. Also, my university and other professional organizations are using fb as a social tool, so I still have not one, but two fb accounts.
Social networking is a powerful tool which has revolutionized communication. For professional networking, there are numerous useful sites, such as linkedin and ning, which I find meaningful for specific purposes.  Perhaps I have become too focused on learning and need to remind myself of the old saying, “all work and no play…”  Of course I believe in the importance of maintaining social relationships.  So, I am seriously asking myself today….what is it about Facebook that I hate?

  • The Lingo–  Something about choosing to “like” my university seems casual to me.  I mean, I respect my school, but do I need to “like” institutions in the same way I like certain foods or shops?  This lingo brings an air of casualness to everything…and some things demand more respect than others.  Language is a living, changing entity and I agree that there is no need to hang onto outdated grammar simply under the name of propriety.  But the word “friend” can be misused when applied to hundreds of acquaintances.
  • The Gossip–  When I walk into the teachers’ lounge for lunch and overhear a discussion of things read on fb, it sounds like superficial gossip.  I actually heard one teacher say it bothered her to snoop on her daughter’s friends pages and look at their family pictures and then talk to those people at the football game.
  • TMI–  We are all annoyed by conversations that embarass us with private, intimate information or gory details on personal health issues.  Because fb is a fairly new medium, posting images and videos has pretty much exploded.  In a few years, people will no longer find it innovative to document their every move with digital photography because the novelty will (hopefully) have worn off.
  • Trivia– I will admit I may have a mental block, but I have to say for the record, I have never learned anything on Facebook.  Although, I have heard stories of long lost relatives who found each other and reunited, the only significant fact I encountered was when a friend announced her pregnancy.  (I think I would have heard that somewhere else anyway.)  I have browsed through many sweet moments (which I thought were sappy) and witty comments (which wasted my time and made me feel like I could have been productive…there I go again all work and no play!) and nonsensical games (which made me “hide” people and feel very anti-social-just the opposite of a social network).
  • Privacy– I know some individuals who have not joined fb for fear of lack of privacy or data-mining.  I do think it is important to be cautious and adjust privacy settings.  However, fb is not the only tool that accesses our personal information.  Changes brought about in the Information Age have come about more quickly than any individual can comprehend and it is difficult to understand  how to balance sharing online communication with personal privacy. This is one of the most important concepts that we must teach young people.
  • Clutter– Moblie technology brings a tendancy for all of us to check into our online lives nonstop.  I understand the benefits (technology allows me to accomplish twice as much as before) and the risks (are we really present with others when we are on mobile devices?).  In my opinion, fb promotes inefficiency.  As the mountain of “friends” grows, the clutter of trivia is more likely to block relevant information.
  • Commonality– Perhaps what irritates me the most about fb is that the uniqueness of each individual is not differentiated.  I do not speak the same way to each friend, each colleague, or each family member.  I believe we have unique relationships with individuals and groups.  What I say to one group is not the same as another.  I understand it is possible to customize fb and set up groups and maybe (if I get through this no-bashing year) I should look into customization.  We’ll see about that (did I mention that I HATE fb?)

I am feeling relieved to have ranted this one last time!  I didn’t mention that I find fb embarassing for the human race.  I need a new attitude!  I need a new outlook!  I need a new decade and (thank goodness)- today is the day.  Maybe in a year, I will have a completely different perspective.

Skype Visit with an Author

My students thoroughly enjoyed a recent Skype visit with author, Lisa Graff.  Her novel, Umbrella Summer, is nominated for the Texas Bluebonnet Award and students across Texas will vote for their favorite book in January 2011.  I used music from Creative Commons and posted the video on Schooltube.  The experience was extremely well-received, so I plan to utilize Skype again with other authors or special contacts.

Skype Tips:  Be sure to prepare questions ahead of time, so students will be ready for the Skype session.  Test the Skype connection before students arrive, to avoid technical problems.  (Actually, we crashed because I forgot to unplug my document camera and plug in my webcam!  After rebooting the computer, it worked perfectly.) Ask permission before taking pictures or video.  Thank the participating author or individual for taking time to communicate with students.

QR Codes for Information Delivery

I recently saw (for the first time) a QR code on the back of a book in a book store. Using the I-nigma app on my phone, I scanned the QR code and viewed the author’s website. Potential for QR codes is growing–t-shirts and other items might have QR codes.

I created a bookmark for teachers in the school library using the I-nigma QR code creator. The bookmark shared my blog, our collaborative wiki, and our Schooltube site.

At our last family gathering, I shared QR codes linked to youtube family videos on greeting cards. The teenagers thought it was cool to scan the QR codes and view home videos. With an onslaught of information on the web, QR codes may be a useful tool to conveniently share particular sites with an audience.

This new app is a reminder of the new tech tools we encounter daily, many with similar purposes and some completely trivial.  My goal is to search for meaningful purposes, unique applications, and an awareness of the waves these new trends bring in this “sea of chaos.”

Machinimatography 101: a session by Valibrarian Gregg

I was totally blown away when I found that HVX Silverstar (a wonderful machinimist who taught me how to get started) captured my session on machinimatography in Second Life this week! Machinima is a portmonteau which combines the words “machine” and “cinema” and means capturing video within a computer simulated environment. Machinima can be used for digital storytelling, visual poetry, archiving digital content, and capturing simulated learning experiences in virtual worlds and online games.
There are a couple of audio glitches (when I lost sound) but most of the session can be viewed here. Just fast-forward if there’s a lull. I do not consider myself an expert, but I hope my session helped other beginners who want to learn how to created videos in this creative format. Video formats and editing tools continue to change and are now readily available for home use.

Social Media in a Small Town

As I was thinking about the rising popularity of social networks, the analogy of a small town came to mind. Facebook could be compared to the local pub, where friends meet to share jokes, small talk- or even grumble about personal problems. Twitter, then, might be more like the local library, because one can follow others on narrower topics and trends. The Internet, as a whole, has been compared to a library. Without a catalog system (Dewey Decimal System), however, it is often a huge chaotic mess!

“The Internet may be the world’s greatest library, but let’s face it – all the books are scattered on the floor.” ~D.C. Denison, Boston Globe

User-generated content has changed the way we communicate. Of course, the basic underlying needs to share our lives with each other remains. Obviously, spending too much time at the local pub (fb) can lead to trouble. Expanding our horizons beyond those who share our ideas (twitter) is important, too.

The randomness of social networks intrigues me. The more friends and followers one has, the more time must be spent to keep up or the more likely it becomes to miss something. So, posts become trivial. You might argue- yes but what’s wrong with trivial? Must everything be meaningful or educational? As a librarian, I have always believed that there are too many great books out there to waste time on the trivial, formulaic ones. I used to compare those to fast-food versus nutritious home-cooking (or maybe fine-dining, at times). But, I must admit there is truth to old proverb “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”

Back to the comparison of Twitter to a library…
Growing up, a brick and mortar library was a highly respected place. A place one could revere with confidence for the authority of man’s highest achievements and traditions. The truths inside the library building were fixed, not fluid and ever-changing. Perhaps that confidence in a fixed grand hall filled with shelves was just an illusion. Nothing in life is ever really permanently fixed. We are all ever-changing, just as the formats of our words– both trivial and significant.

User-generated Content

I can remember when the television news was not a talk show, but a non-biased presentation of high quality journalism. Sources were checked and double-checked before broadcast. There’s been a shift. Today…the viewers must check and double-check the sources for themselves. We flip from one news source to another to verify a story. Viewers and readers are required to evaluate all information sources. Today…the general populace is asked to text answers to news questions and video shots from viewers are encouraged.

Today…anyone can be a journalist with a blog. Your twelve year old neighbor can put his videos on Youtube (and they may actually be good).

I think I have stated it before, but it bears repeating: The hierarchy of information has toppled. I suppose there are advantages as well as disadvantages. An example is “The People’s Digital Archive Project.” We all benefit from learning in collaboration. We live in an exciting age of innovation. But, unfortunately we now have to evaluate resources by the thousands. Another disadvantage is the loss of a shared news story. Everyone in my generation trusted and loved Walter Cronkite. We all watched the same tv shows and the same news stories. Of course, I find it ironic that I am writing about this shift from high-quality authority of information to user-generated content on a blog!

Today…I sometimes feel like the only thing we share is constant change or a random encounter.

Twirling Through Tech Tools

Back to school we go! I prepared a presentation for colleagues called “Twirling Through Tech Tools” that starts at glogster.com. The idea is to share numerous new tools (actually there’s an onslaught of them facing us daily) with a reminder that purpose should trump form. Dozens of online applications help us with presentations, media mashups, pictures, graphics, music, and social networking. As educators, there is no way we can utilize all of them. But through collaboration, we can find the best online tools to use for specific purposes.
The presentation will specifically share these (as examples):
Animoto
Glogster
Prezi
Edublogs
Typewithme
Twitter
Ning
Slideshare
Schooltube
Secondlife
Reactiongrid
Whyville
Sitepal
Zooburst

Things are not the way they are suppose to be

My district library coordinator sent me a list (once again) of new technology tools, asking if I had tried them.  I will be presenting another staff development session on integrating tech tools into the library for back-to-school next fall.  Here’s the recent list:

Weebly.com

Yola.com

Yudu.com

Scribd.com

WordPress.com

Blogger.com

Livejournal.com

Voicethread.com

Jing.com

Delicious.com

Diigo.com

Wetpaint.com

Jamstudio.com

Fotoflexer.com

Gimp.com

learnscratch.org

When I replied to my boss that I had tried most of them, giving suggestions of other sites, I thought about how often teachers and librarians complain to me that they can’t keep up with changing technology!  I hear things like “we don’t have enough time” and my all time favorite “things are not the way they are suppose to be.”

My profession of librarianship is not the only field where “things are not the way they are suppose to be.”  Whether you work as an educator, nurse, politician, business owner, or practically any job I could name, there are those who complain.  I mean those who ALWAYS complain.  The world is not the way it’s suppose to be and maybe it never was.  When you stop to think about it…we are all going to die at some point.  So we plan our lives and live our days, knowing that is the end result.  How’s that for things the way things are suppose to be?  The old-timers used to remind us to “put on a happy face.” 

How does this relate to my list of new tech tools?  Well, I don’t think I need 14 nings, 3 facebook accounts, 12 online writing tools, 8 photo editors, 7 websites to update, 9 avatars, 5 virtual worlds, 26 presentation tools, 24 usernames to remember and so on.  Everyday, it seems, several new tech tools come my way.  I could look at it in dread, in fear, or simply gripe that things are not the way they should be!  But they are the way they are. 

So, my plan is to write a snappy song called Things are Not the Way they are Suppose to Be. I may ask my daughter to accompany me on the ukelele.  I’ll upload it to one of many social media sharing sites.  Maybe the chorus will end with

Things are not the way they are suppose to be

and that’s just fine with me.

Transliteracy

As a school librarian, I have often considered the best way to teach learners how to research for themselves in a “real world” context.  Often, students are assigned topics to research that are not personally meaningful.  Information literacy skills (back in “the day”) meant learning to use a card catalog, an index, or an encylcopedia.  The skills were first taught and practiced, so the students could use them someday when ready to look for information.  Currently, students are taught how to evaluate websites and how to access online databases.

Having spent two years researching virtual worlds, it now occurs to me that an individual in a virtual world is learning “in the moment” rather than in theory only.  In a virtual world, the individual is situated with other learners discovering and sharing the same inquiries.  As a librarian, this is revolutionary.  Imagine two library patrons actually entering a print encyclopedia to discuss their findings synchronously.  Images, text, and multi-media are commonplace information resources at the beginning of this new decade.   Studies are just beginning to provide evidence of the role virtual worlds play in information literacy and education.

During my exploration of rapidly changing technology in relation to literacy, I stumbled upon a new word- a word that implies more than media literacy or digital literacy.  Transliteracy includes all forms of information delivery, across all platforms.