Zings, smiles, and frowns: The Circle (a reflective review)

Posted on January 28, 2014 by valibrarian

The idea of participation (expressing our own opinions and sharing our perspectives) is highly regarded in global digital culture. For the past decade, I have felt uneasy about this “over sharing” of personal life and the blurry line that now exists for most of us– the line between our personal and professional lives. This blog is full of reflection on that personal/professional journey, a journey from the traditional role of a librarian in a “physical world” to an information literacy professional in a virtual world (where we all now live whether we have avatars or not).

Social Media compels you to JOIN and SHARE

It is no secret that I really “dislike” Facebook. (Note: these views are my own and not the views of my employer which is stated in the fine print of this blog somewhere.) The disadvantages have always outweighed the advantages for me. Yet, as webmaster/social media person for my school, I am required to maintain the social media sites currently used: both Facebook and Twitter as well as the school website, apps, and many accounts currently popular. All information professionals surely understand that social media in networked culture must be utilized today because user-generated content and content curation through social media are the main channels of communication. We all realize that the traditional hierarchy of information has toppled.

The additional responsibility of social media person has been a fascinating, perhaps unsettling experience. I used the word “uneasy” earlier to express this feeling. This week, while reading Dave Eggers novel The Circle, that uneasy feeling was expressed through a frightening vision of a future where personal privacy no longer exists and networked community (sharing is caring) becomes more important than anything else.

Consider your ONLINE IDENTITY

My professional journey required me to create an online identity. The role of the “physical librarian in a physical room of physical books” is over. I saw it coming a decade ago and I moved on ahead. I consider myself a virtual pioneer and I realize I have created digital footprints. Now, my students and my grandchild (just a baby) also have digital footprints because they have been born into global participatory digital culture.

This transition from physical to digital culture happened very quickly. Most people have not considered the consequences. I recently had a conversation about social media and mentioned some of my concerns with Facebook. My colleague said, “I just don’t take it that seriously.” For those who consider social networks simply a fun, light-hearted experience, The Circle may be interpreted as complete fantasy. For those mandated to use social media for professional reasons, the book is downright scary.

The Circle (a novel by Dave Eggars)

The Circle is a thought provoking novel set in a dystopian future where social media has crossed the line. The word that stood out to me in Eggars novel, is transparency. I chose to be transparent online (never anonymous) because I use the Internet as an information professional. My personal life has nothing to do with what I post online. Yet, as an information professional using online communication tools, I saw myself in The Circle.

What do we do when we wake up each day? We check our smart phones for “zings” and tweets and posts and messages and emails and follows and links and scoops and updates and on and on. The media constantly tells us “your input is important”. “We want to hear from you!” We want your zings, your smiles, your frowns.

My heart tells me to unplug. I value individual privacy. Yet, I live in global participatory digital culture as an information professional. My students and my own grandchild are plugged in.

I shall persevere.

The Once and Future Quest for Learning

Posted on January 4, 2014 by valibrarian

The model for knowledge in the past was acquisition, mastery, and then mentoring or teaching others. Today, I admit I am acquiring and sharing faster than I can master or even contemplate the material I encounter on Twitter, Scoop-it, and other online curation spaces. As I find resources on topics of personal interest (and I am focusing on educational content mostly in relation to information literacy), I gather and share but never have enough time to fully reflect on my learning.

In other words, I am teaching faster than I am learning.

I am turning into Merlin. (He lived his life backwards.)

My concept of linear time has changed in relation to my learning. Was it an allusion that once upon a time I could fully grasp a concept?

I hope we can all catch up to what we once knew someday.

Photo from wikimedia

In Praise of Gatekeepers

Posted on December 26, 2013 by valibrarian

Now that we live in 21st century “participatory” digital culture, daily life begins (for most of us) with logging in to our digital devices. I float amongst phone, tablet, laptop, and desktop throughout the day whether at home, on the go, or in the library where I work. We live with a constant stream of incoming information, a blur of personal and professional content flooding the many accounts we juggle (emails, social media, content curation, and apps galore).

A decade ago, I ran into Michael Wesch’s Information R/evolution at the exact time I was personally experiencing my role as a librarian turned upside down due to the toppling of the information hierarchy. During that year or so, I began devouring new media formats and began my exploration of virtual worlds as a mode of communication and education for the future. As a school librarian, I could imagine the floor of my library shaking under my feet because I knew nothing would ever be the same: ebooks, apps, and user-generated content were about to explode. And they did.

For over a decade, I have spent my life exploring and examining the evolution of information literacy. Today, I revisited Wesch’s video because I remembered his closing line stating, “the responsibility is on us. Are we ready?” I don’t really believe many people were/are ready. In fact, I am starting to think perhaps the role of gatekeepers was not all bad. So, I googled “Michael Wesch” and “gatekeepers” which led me to his digital ethnography class and his presentation to the Library of Congress on the topic of researching Youtube. The ability to share our lives across the globe has created a networked culture and a personal responsibility for consumption and production of media.

This exemplifies my point because in the days before the toppled hierarchy, one could have a critical inquiry and set a course toward a satisfactory resolution- either an answer, an expert,or a realization that the question has been contemplated and unresolved for centuries. Today, without gatekeepers, there is no resolution to our questions as the path never ends. There is simply a constant hyperlinked unending quest with flashing neon lights compelling us to take a turn. The default setting of our minds is the state of distraction.

Perhaps we still need gatekeepers (librarians, publishers, experts, journalists, academic peer review, etc), to help us navigate through the sea of disposable media. Wesch is right– it is up to us now. There is no perceived metaphorical card catalog full of answers. The idea of a shared body of literature which the “cultured” young mind should embrace is out-of-date because current viral videos, remixed in hopes of creating a spotlighted meme has become more valued than the slow road to research, refined art or edification. When popularity (followers, friends, and a perceived online image) is regarded as the achievement of success, the journey toward wisdom is out-dated.

The Internet, as seen in Wesch’s video, is created by us all- without gatekeepers. At this point in history, I think we still need them. Anyone today can upload content, be a photographer, a journalist, or a content curator. But, only some of us are trained (or gifted) to do it well. Let’s give a tip of the hat to the gatekeepers, the lifeguards in the sea of chaos.

Virtual Visits with Authors & Illustrators in the School Library

Posted on December 26, 2013 by valibrarian

Digital participatory culture provides us with opportunities to collaborate and communicate across the globe. For the past four years, I have been Skyping authors in my school library with 4th grade students. I am amazed at the willingness of authors to share their time and talent with my students.

This year, I asked both the author and illustrator of Giants Beware to virtually visit with my students. The author, Jorge Aguirre, and the illustrator, Rafael Rosado, were willing to share the process of collaborating on their graphic novel which has been nominated for the Texas Bluebonnet Award (a state award for books chosen by students).

Students asked interesting questions while Rosado created a live graphic picture on his iPad , signed and dated it, then emailed it to me immediately after the session. We decided to use Google Hangouts this year because we wanted all three of us to share live video (which is free and easy on Google Hangouts). My school library is in Texas, Aguirre lives in New Jersey, and Rosado lives in Ohio. A LIVE virtual visit across the U.S. was exciting for the students and a great example of global participatory digital culture.

Digital Dreams

Posted on December 23, 2013 by valibrarian

Am I the only one who is dreaming in both physical and digital formats?

I am no dream expert. But I do get a sense, intuitively, that we can learn about ourselves from our dreams.

As a lifelong learner and educator, I have had many dreams in which I am still a student enrolled in class. I dream I forgot to do my homework. I guess, that is not hard to believe since I have spent most of my life in the classroom- both as teacher and learner. (I earned my master’s degree in 2007 and my PhD in 2012.) Or, as an educator, I dream that I forgot my lesson plans or that the students are completely unruly. Or- even that quintessential dream of showing up without your clothes (in the classroom, of course)!

In the past couple of years, I have had dreams in digital formats. I am online, at the computer, in a virtual space, or juggling screens.

Recently, I had a vivid dream in which many of my colleagues were present. We were attending some sort of staff development and had been asked to come prepared with a Powerpoint slide show or something. You know how you can’t really describe what happens in a dream in words. Whatever it was that I was suppose to bring….well, I was not prepared.

My supervisor said, “Wow! What is this! You always are on top of this!! Did you not get the email?”

Here is the vivid part of the dream, which was in color and was powerfully emotional. Tears filled up my eyes (and I don’t easily cry at sappy movies or anything). I had this sense of -enough is enough! I had this sense of admitting to everyone present something that I had been holding in for a long, long time.

With tearful eyes, I blurted out, “I am drowning in emails!”

It was a moment of complete surrender. I felt more a sense of relief and release than defeat. I had reached the limit and could not take one more step.

Thanks for reading this, dear reader. I just had to tell someone.

Prep for a Twitter Chat on Digital Literacy

Posted on November 30, 2013 by valibrarian

When asked to host a live twitter chat for the Texas Educators Chat @txeduchat on Dec. 1, 2013 from 8-9pm Central Time, I immediately thought of “Information Literacy in Participatory Digital Culture with a Focus on Youth and 21st Century Learning”. Of course, that topic was way too long for a tweet, so it was shortened to digital literacy (hashtag #digilit). Condensing our thoughts and words may appear easy (140 characters can be read fast) but it actually can be challenging. One of the most powerful online tools I have found for developing a professional learning network is twitter- once you get the hang of it.

The word most difficult to cut from my initial long topic phrase was “participatory”. Social media, live online interaction, user-generated content, and content curation tools have revolutionized our information intake. Students are now expected to be both consumers and producers of information (prosumers- a term coined by Alvin Toffler). In order to participate actively in the construction of learning in digital culture, students are required to develop digital literacy skills which are strongly focused on technology tools.

Condensing terms to hold the most meaning in the smallest space (think poetry) is not the only challenge of tweeting. We also have to consider nomenclature. Academics are sometimes criticized for using jargon that is difficult for people to understand. Natural language, tagging, and folksonomies have risen in popularity over formal classification subject headings in digital culture. Understandably, it is important to agree on correct terms that best describe broad categories and specific things.

Information Literacy
In the days before the close of the Gutenberg Parenthesis (when the book was king of the information hierarchy), literacy meant reading and writing. Information Literacy, a term coined by Paul Zurkowski, is recognized by numerous experts in the fields of information science and education, such as Mike Eisenberg, as the umbrella under which other literacies are categorized. As much of life is spent online, digital literacy has risen to the top of the list of multiple literacies which have numerous related terms.

Useful Resources for Digital Literacy

Critical Evaluation of Websites (Kathy Schrock)
AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner
Common Sense Media on Digital Literacy

Not a Gadget- Nor a Crystal Ball of Data

Posted on October 20, 2013 by valibrarian

People are more important than data.

I just finished Who Owns the Future by Jaron Lanier and although economics is in no way my area of expertise- he makes interesting points about the future of economics and society in the Information Age. His previous book You Are Not a Gadget provided insight into digital culture and this new book is a warning about the increasing risk of losing the backbone of modern civilization- the middle class. The following notes come from Lanier’s perspective and are worth contemplating.

We have this crazy illusion that data is sort of magic – that “data came from the heavens instead of from people.” Inanimate data holds no promises for the future — only people hold promise. Our fascination with technological gadgetry (also a theme in his prior writing) puts emphasis on the data instead of the people who create it.

A highlight of Who Owns the Future was an excellent analogy about current TOS (terms of service) contracts and how we completely ignore them in the numerous apps and sites we download and take part in daily. Most are written in complex jargon that would take hours to analyze. Lanier presents the terms of service of a lemonade stand (page 80) in a child’s front yard! In the lengthy legalese statements to the parents of the lemonade stand entrepreneurs, he include such items as:

“A percentage of up to 30% of revenues will be kept by StreetBook.

Limited free access to StreetBook’s curb in front of your house is available in exchange for advertising on your body and property. The signage of your lemonade stand, the paper cups, and the clothing worn by your children must include advertising chosen soley by StreetBook.

If you choose to seek limited free access to use of the curb in front of your house, you must make available to StreetBook a current inventory of items in your house, and allow StreetBook to monitor movement and communications of individuals within your house.”

That is a small fraction of the contents of the terms of service for the lemonade stand. His point is that we simply cannot keep up with the fine print on these TOS agreements, so must of us simply click “agree” and get on with it.

Lanier calls Google, Facebook, and other online giant information providers “siren servers”. Lanier believes the biggest threat to our economic future is big data networks (siren servers) getting all online profits rather than individuals who create or program digital content. “One giant siren server (Facebook) should not own an individual’s online identity (p. 250).” He proposes a revolutionary payment system on the Internet, which includes possibly linking monetary payment for creative skills and service into the data transfer.

His digital “golden rule” could be stated– Pay others the way you would like to be paid.

Today, it is easy to access and copy information for use in multiple formats. Why not copy when it is convenient? “If you copy a file, you don’t know where it came from, if it’s been altered, or what other information might be needed for it to make sense (p.221).” Meaning depends on context and the copy/paste/share mentally of digital participatory culture erodes context.

With the vast information landscape we navigate daily, Lanier proposes another idea called “decision reduction services” (p. 270). That reminds me of librarianship! The acquisition of high quality resources that have been evaluated for specific criteria sounds rather familiar. I suppose I am a “decision reduction service provider” for my patron community. (Lanier highly values libraries and librarians. I heard him praise them at the American Library Association convention last summer in Chicago).

For the past decade, I have been hearing the notion that information should be free. Lanier says that the “lure of free” beckons (e.g. MOOCs- massive open online courses) and the future of education could be grim if seduced by siren servers. As I currently research information literacy needs in MOOCs, his perspective illustrates some of the problems higher education is facing. He answered a question at the ALA convention with a humorous exclamation that “MOOCs are moronic!”

Online “creepiness” due to being spied on or having personal data collected is nothing new but Lanier illustrates the idea that we may not share the same “augmented reality” in the near future. Each of us will live in a personalized world and that loss of shared experience might be “creepy” and isolating (p. 315).

His prediction of The Future of the Book. (p. 356) was certainly full of insightful points. I can agree with Lanier’s hypothesis that books will merge with apps, video games, virtual worlds. He says, “Many readers will read what is put in front of their eyes by crowdsourcing algorithms, and often will not be aware of the identity of the author or the boundary between one book and another. This is similar to Barlow and Leston’s warning about the Internet becoming a book of sand.

Lanier points out that “There will be much more information available in some semblance of book form than ever before, but overall a lower quality of standard”. I heard Roy Tennant make that same prediction back in 2008 at the Texas Library Association Conference when he said that today “convenience trumps quality”.

My personal take away from Who Owns the Future is that embedding intellectual property identification and a small monetary token of appreciation into data could solve both information literacy issues and help strengthen a shaky economic future for civilization. Information is actually never free (even though many want it to be)- just as life is never free. Open access to information and projects that promote free information and books benefit society but certainly have costs involved somewhere. Acquisition and organization of high quality resources takes time and effort, which are as valuable as dollars and cents. Respect for people in both the physical and digital world is the bottom line. You really are not a gadget and you are not made of code.

Lanier, J. (2013). Who Owns the Future?. New York: Simon and Schuster.

The Future was Almost Twenty Years Ago

Posted on September 8, 2013 by valibrarian

Written back in 1995, I am finally getting around to reading Neal Stephenson’s The Diamond Age. Or, perhaps I should say I am finally ready for it. Twenty years ago, the idea of a technology entering our minds through virtual reality worlds and nanotechnology entering our bloodstreams to alter our bodies was over my head. Today, it is no longer far-fetched science fiction. Of course, like most people who have explored virtual worlds, I read Stephenson’s novel Snowcrash and credit him for coining the term “the metaverse”. Both novels share concepts that seemed almost outrageous when released but now fade into the tech scene without raised eyebrows.

While some of the concepts in The Diamond Age are similar to innovations which have come to fruition in 2013, some evolved into different versions of his visualized world. His “MC” (Matter Compiler) can be compared to a 3D printer and his concept of “ractive”s are similar to online interactive videogames.

The “young lady’s illustrated primer” is an interactive book which drives the plot and the concept of a real human behind the facade of the avatar or the book character is critical as we now move toward a blur between our physical and digital selves.

While I am no avid science fiction aficionado, I find Stephenson’s novels compelling and prophetic. Surprisingly, The Diamond Age contains countless images of actual physical books, yet today the book is moving from print into ereaders and rapidly taking a backseat to apps. Stephenson, obviously, has an appreciation for the Gutenberg era format, stating, “But a book is different–it is not just a material possession but the pathway to an enlightened mind, and thence to a well-ordered society as the Master has stated many times. (p.163)”

Long live the book and the reader who understands and appreciates high quality literature.

Stephenson, Neal. 1995. The Diamond Age or A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer. Bantam Nooks: New York.

Privacy Died and Nobody Mourned

Posted on July 31, 2013 by valibrarian

We are moving toward a “hypervisable age” where individual privacy is a relic. Sean Parker (in an argument about the death of privacy) said, “Today’s creepy is tomorrow’s necessity”. Parker, one of the founders of Facebook, is certainly no stranger to the hypervisable trend of social media.

Keen (on page 57 in #digitalvertigo) says, “…the death of privacy is no different, in principle, from the retirement of the horse and cart or the disappearance of gaslights from city streets”.

This is my second post about #digitalvertigo (first post is linked here) and I, for one, am mourning the death of privacy. Is anyone else? Couldn’t we meet and have some sort of memorial? Perhaps we could light candles and reminisce about the days that shall be no more.

Keen, A. (2012). #digitalvertigo: How Today’s Online Social Revolution is Dividing, Diminishing, and Disorienting Us. New York: St. Martin’s Press.

Page 4 of 19‹ Previous 1 2 345 6 7 8 Next ›Last »

Valibrarian

Navigating the sea of online chaos in global digital participatory culture.