Where do you write? Where are your lexical tidbits stored?

Posted on by

Where do you write?

First of all, do you write? Do you jot down tidbits on napkins or take notes on your phone? For some people, words and phrases are more important than photos or physical objects. Our tech gadgets allow us to interconnect across space, sharing photos and ideas immediately. I wonder if this immediate shared expression is changing the writing process. The recursive process, in the past, took the writer through the process of contemplating ideas, gathering them, planning, pre-writing, revising, editing, and finally (FINALLY) sharing writing with an audience. Today, typos in most of our writing are completely acceptable. Revision is emphasized only for our formal (e.g. job application or peer reviewed article) correspondence.

So, if you write, what is your preferred location?
My best writing is done in my son’s old room, now converted to my office. I have pens, post-its, books and clutter scattered about and two computer screens at my fingertips. My pre-writing strategies now include: notes to myself on my phone, emails to self from numerous accounts, google docs, tweets, flashdrives in my purse, and a zillion post-it notes stuck everywhere! Jotting a thought on a post-it is more about the act of writing it down (kinetic trigger) than a plan to find it later. I appreciate a random encounter with a meaningful “note to self” — but the really significant (ah-ha) tidbits are stashed away in special locations. This is making me think I could be a word hoarder! I do love words and the way they can symbolize everything. I do believe they are more powerful than swords.

Digital tidbits
I keep a file on my computer for blogpost ideas and folders of potential articles, poems, or other writing pieces. I used to feel frustrated about keeping all of the writing tidbits organized, but I have learned to accept digital clutter since Windows 7 can find just about anything on my computer just by typing in a keyword. Using keywords in my file labels has become top priority.
Physical Tidbits

I have a beautiful blue pot, shaped like Aladdin’s lamp. Inside, I place scraps of paper on which I have recorded my significant thoughts and words and lines that come into my head like found poems. It is a physical object full of my personal glimpses of life. I have been adding them for several years. Someday, I plan to take the time (when the serendipitous moment strikes), to open the pot and look through them all and perhaps rediscover a personal gem. The writing process is a treasure hunt whether shared with the crowd or savored alone.

 

Seeing Past the Transitional Moment

Posted on by

There’s a question for you at the bottom of this post.

The Transitional Moment

This phrase (by Cathy N. Davidson) captures my life over the past five years. Both my library and my profession (librarian, information architect, media specialist, whatever) are in the transitional moment.  Many of us are diligently searching for ways to embrace 21st century information literacy skills to help others cope with what I call the “toppled hierarchy of information”.  Numerous recent professional books mirror the dystopian fiction (so popular with YA readers) through dark and foreboding predictions about the future of education, learning, and our changing humanity (see my recommendation list).

I just finished Now You See It: How the Brain Science of Attention Will Transform the Way We Live, Work, and Learn by Cathy N. Davidson and was pleasantly surprised by the more hopeful outlook on the exponential evolution of technology or the “singularity”.  I could write a 20 page-blog post as I flip through the tons of post-it notes I used to highlight fascinating tidbits in this text. Realizing nobody reads 20 page blog-posts, I will share a sample quote and a question for colleagues.

 

Davidson says, “We are both adopting new information technologies all the time and being alarmed by them, even wondering if they are causing us harm, exceeding our human capacities” (p. 16).  I sense anxiety when I discuss the digital revolution with educators because participatory culture no longer values expertise and uniformity.  Crowdsourcing places difference, collective wisdom, and diversity at the top of the value list (p. 65).  How does it make educators feel to hear that the knowledge and expertise acquired over years in the profession is no longer highly valued?  So, I ask myself – how do I cope? Answer: I cope with the closing of “the Gutenberg parentheses” by striving to adapt, evolve, and become information flexible.  I seek the ability to let go of formats and collide with others to learn adaptive skills.  In the new hierarchy, the law may be “survival of the information literacy fittest”.

 

The Science of Attention

 

Davidson brings together the topics of the changing hierarchy of information, participatory culture, and current brain research on the science of attention.  Her idea that we are always selectively paying attention to something (and NOT paying attention to something else) is a simple yet enlightening truth. She includes a checklist for teaching 21st century literacies, including: attention, participation, collaboration, network awareness and many more (p. 297).

 

A Question/Concern

 

A critical concept for the future of learning (included on Davidson’s checklist) is Critical Consumption of Information.   Without gatekeepers to verify accuracy, authority, credibility, and standards for ethical and aesthetically pleasing content, it can be difficult to find the cream of the crop (which used to be housed physically in a library) and to teach students to evaluate content.  Many people, in my opinion, simply do not care. I see them intrigued by the novelty and ease of sharing user-generated content through social media tools.  Sharing through social media is fun (nothing wrong with fun and I totally agree that all learning should be fun), however; social media often promotes a trivial , narcissistic, entertainment focused culture.  I totally agree with Davidson’s positive perspective on the future of teaching and learning. That being said, does anyone agree that the flood of images, videos, and witticisms we face daily can bury the best content under a mound of mediocre mud?  How do we promote tools for spraying off the mud and uncovering high quality resources when there are so many adorable cupcakes to be photographed and pinned? Awwwww…

 

The Internet Needs a Librarian

Posted on by

People are beginning to recognize the fact that the world of Internet Connectivity is not exactly the utopia we dreamed of in the 1990s.  In fact, the dangers of personalization by “algorithm gatekeepers” is now causing some of us to be anxious about our filter bubbles. (See Eli Pariser: Beware online “filter bubbles” in this TED talk.)

 

Personalization

Eli Pariser is making a great point about personalization; however, I notice he calls the gatekeepers of the old information hierarchy “editors”.  I believe a better term for the professionals who are trained in information access, storage and retrieval would be “librarians”.  In fact, the checklist he pulls up looks like something I learned in library school.  Imagine a world where people actually realized there are core values of librarianship that could benefit them. What a concept! 

 

I am not blaming Mr. Pariser for ignoring librarians in the connection between relevant, nonbiased, high quality information and the lack thereof online.  I merely remind us all that some people are specifically trained to acquire high quality, diverse, challenging, thought provoking resources and those people are called librarians.  Unfortunately, the perception of sitting at a circulation desk with a stamp pad is stuck in the minds of many who just didn’t realize how a library is made in the first place.  But, the Internet was not made by librarians and has no caretaker who is trained to provide the best. 

 Content Curation

Today-  everyone can be a librarian, an author, a journalist, a newscaster, a musician, an artist, an actor…or whatever online.  Content curation sites are sprouting up like weeds.  And speaking of weeds, librarians are trained to “weed” the library with the goal of helping the “living organism [Ranganathan]” maintain a healthy circulatory system.  There is no weeding of the Internet.  It is more like a garbage dump than a garden.

Sites like Scoop-it, are so popular now, educators are providing content creation lessons for students and businesses are utilizing them.

 

 

 The point is to help others navigate through the sea of chaos!  So, we should think about what we are adding to a topic or how we are helping others weed out the nonsense and cultivate the best content.  In other words, we really are all librarians now!  But I still say, “the Internet needs a librarian”.

Scan, post, scroll, click- STOP here!

Posted on by

Where will my eyes stop for a moment to truly focus?


On what do I give my undivided attention?
Benjamin Franklin is credited with saying, “Time is money”; however, I propose a change in the old adage. How about, “Attention is money”?

Attention is valuable in the information age because we are bombarded with information in multiple formats. Instead of seeking out what to see or hear, information is knocking down our front door every day– each time we plug-in. And, today’s youth are always plugged-in. Most people under 30 years of age (and some older- how about you?) reach for a smart phone and access the virtual world before getting out of bed each morning. Or perhaps they put on Google goggles or whatever new app is available by the time I hit the “submit” button for this blog post.

 

Back in the glory days of the book, some of the quickest learners were admired for their speed reading abilities. Today, after the digital revolution, we scan through Internet pages while multitasking on our digital devices, focusing for only a number of seconds on most pages.

Now, after the Gutenberg parenthesis has closed, the quickest learners may not be those able to speed read, but those able to
s–l–o–w–d–o–w–n and truly focus deeply.

 

“We are drowning in information but starved for knowledge.” ~ John Naisbitt

The quest for knowledge (and ultimately wisdom) requires perseverance, focus, and that now extremely valuable and rare element of attention.

 

Photos:

http://www.freefoto.com/preview/21-33-65/Red-Traffic-Lights
http://www.copyright-free-images.com/fauna-animals-copyright-free-images/reptiles-and-amphibians-copyright-free-images/turtles-free-images/desert-tortoise.jpg.html

Virtual Book Discussion: Beyond the Blogosphere

Posted on by

After reading Beyond the Blogosphere: information and its Children by Aaron Barlow and Robert Leston, which I filled with post-it notes commenting on the digital revolution and how it has changed libraries, educations, and our lives, I thought it would be cool to ask the authors to discuss the book —virtually. Both authors quickly replied to my email agreeing to attend a virtual world discussion in Second Life, which would be sponsored by the Association of College and Research Libraries Virtual World Interest Group (which I am leading for 2012-2013).

Continue reading →

Beyond the Blogosphere: a Virtual World Book Discussion

Posted on by

Name of Event: Book Discussion with Aaron Barlow & Robert Leston- “Beyond the Blogsphere: Information and Its Children”


Where: Community Virtual Library Auditorium on Info Island in Second Life


When: Sunday, July 22@ 11am SLT (Pacific Time)

For anyone interested in the impact of the Internet on education, society, journalism, and our lives, this book sheds light on today’s digital culture. For information professionals, the concepts presented are important and timely. The authors compare the Internet to a “book of sand”.

Page 51 “…[the book of sand] is the Internet, but without the possibility of organization, is information but with no system (or no discernible system), the centuries old-nightmare of the librarian and, today, of every serious researcher working through the web.”

Feel free to pass this invitation along to anyone interested. The book is a fascinating read, but it isn’t necessary to have read it to participate in the book discussion.

I Can’t Keep Up (a poem)

Posted on by

I can’t keep up

with who to follow on twitter
with tech trends and Web 2.0 tools (a new one every time I turn around)
with reading literature in my research area
with art- to observe or to create (reading is inhalation- writing is exhalation)…music, multi-media, poetry, literature

I can’t keep up with all I want to learn- augmented reality is next-
the best practices of education
with digital citizenship, digital footprints, hackers and new media after the hierarchy of information came tumbling down

I can’t keep up with the past, the present, or the future
and all the apps that just came out
and the upgrades and the software

with all the blog posts I want to write
(Blog post Idea #52: research is poetry- the restraint of required formats and the incredible condensation of words into the essence of meaning)
with all the hyperlinks from the intelligent people I follow, the conversations I want to join and contribute to

I can’t keep up with what to have for dinner tonight…a minor yet important thing

But I take a deep breath

and say OK

because all I need to do is take a step forward

just one step forward

in awareness

in appreciation

breathe, drink, eat, learn, smile, share

Virtual Media, Virtual Graduation, and Virtuality

Posted on by

I love the old traditional libraries- full of stacks and shelves and wooden chairs with reading lamps. I took this photo of the beautiful reading room at the University of Washington’s Suzzallo Library.

Realizing that the digital revolution is changing libraries (not replacing them let’s hope), I am fascinated with virtual media and our quest for information in innovative formats.

Merging my passion for libraries, innovation, and the beautiful UW campus, I was led to the Certificate in Virtual Worlds (where I graduated in 2010). That exciting experience introduced me to a global network of extremely creative colleagues. After my class graduation, the group continued to collaborate across the world.
Watching the newest graduating class this past week brought back memories of the intense challenges we faced as a group and reminded me of how fascinating it is to meet and form deep relationships in a virtual space.

There are advantages to attending a virtual world graduation. Participants are mentally engaged, immersed, interacting with media instead of simply sitting and waiting. My machinima from the University of Washington Certificate in Virtual Worlds Graduation of the Class of 2012 takes you through the ceremony and into the unbelievably creative final project they built: The Museum of Virtual Media.

The course instructor, Randy Hinrichs (pictured as his avatar Ran in the machinima) recently spoke at the Federal Consortium of Virtual Worlds Conference in Washington D.C., with a focus on the term virtuality. Yes, the digital revolution has already created an upheaval in media communication and the balance between physicality and virtuality may be a bumpy tightrope walk for some people. Whether or not you have entered a virtual world (such as Second Life) is not the issue. We all lead both physical and virtual lives.

Grand Opening of Summer in Berlin

Posted on by

Having never played many videogames, I don’t consider myself a gamer; however, I have seen a generation of learners come through my library who have grown up with videogames.  A recent library article shared the idea of including videogames as a literary genre alongside other media formats, such as films because they now embed stories that evoke real emotions in a similar way.  Current videogames feature cinematic scenes and are often set in historical periods, just like historical fiction novels. Some may be considered too violent for young players (example Call of Duty), but often the historical details are researched in the same way writers and filmmakers seek authenticity.

 

So, it may seem perfectly natural for the “gaming generation” to enter virtual spaces set in eras from the past.  Resources may include reading a novel, viewing a film, or actually entering a virtual simulation set in a particular time and place, such as Berlin, Germany in the 1920’s. Working in collaboration with colleagues in the virtual world of Second Life, I shot machinima of the Grand Opening of the Summer in Berlin Exhibit on display through August 2012 at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Info%20Island/61/94/24/  All are welcome to attend individually or for the live tours on July 14th or August 5th at 1pm Pacific Time.

 

 

 

At the upcoming American Library Association Convention in Anaheim, California, I will be leading the ACRL Virtual World Interest Group meeting for librarians interested in immersive learning and information delivery through virtual worlds.  I will also be leading a session on Virtual Media in Libraries and Museums, sharing the Summer of Berlin Exhibit and other virtual media examples.

We Are Not Gadgets

Posted on by

I first heard of the book, You Are Not a Gadget, from a fellow librarian colleague in  my professional learning network (thanks Lane).  I don’t know where to begin to consolidate the ideas I encountered in this book into a quick blog post.  You can see the plethora of post-its sticking out the pages which are also bookmarked, underlined and highlighted.

by Jarom Lanier

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jaron Lanier eloquently- or should I say bluntly- points out that the digital revolution has glorified the “wisdom of the crowd” to the extent of making us believe the digital fragments we post about ourselves are top priority in the hierarchy of information.  As individuals, we are becoming fragments of information bits. See page 21 for tips on “things you can do to be a person instead of a source of fragments to be exploited by others”.

 

The “wiki” trend of glorifying the crowd’s knowledge is propelling us toward becoming a “society with a single book” (p. 46). On the web, we jump from link to link, many of which are copied and pasted without any credit to the original source, as we cruise the net with a gluttonous appetite to intake what appeals to us and then spew it out to others, as though these stolen fragments can somehow define our individuality.

 

Participatory culture is a term that has become almost synonymous with democracy and who doesn’t love democracy? Personally, I work very well in groups and believe, as Vygotsky did, that we learn best in collaboration not in isolation.  I admire my co-workers and colleagues. In fact, I am often humbled by their talents, abilities and the genuine human kindness I witness from those around me.  What I admire, however, is the uniqueness of the individual and what each brings to the group.  Once again, I come face to face with opposites- which is more important- the group or the individual?  I believe it is both.

 

Lanier has challenged me to contemplate the balance between the “hive mind” of interconnectivity and the quest to actually think for myself. We are NOT our devices, although many people now feel vulnerable without them. (Come on, admit it- we all do!) The digital revolution has changed us more than we yet can understand.  (Isn’t the Apple store the busiest place you will see at the mall, even in hard economic times?) Perhaps people are afraid they will be left behind and will not be able to survive in the technological future without the latest gadget.  Lanier makes a great point by saying that the gadgets are “only useful because people have the magical ability to communicate meaning through them”.  Unfortunately, that personal meaning is often lost in the clutter of a million clamoring voices, all repeating each other or repeating what has been repeated and retweeted and reposted and repinned and mashed up into the one giant book we call the web.