Not So Distant Future

    If you’re a fan of the Office, you may have gotten a good laugh out of Jim’s “Facebook” Halloween costume in this week’s episode.  There’s something refreshing about applying a sense of levity to discussions about using Facebook in schools.  Not that there are not serious considerations about the issue, but sometimes we need to step back and take a different view.

Coincidentally, today I ran across this excellent resource for 100 ways to use Facebook  in the classroom thanks to a link from Stephen Abram.  It includes ways to use it safely and wisely, a great list of apps for Facebook use for students, ways for educators to network on Facebook, and advantages to using it with students.  While the article is directed at college level educators, many of these tips would apply to use in secondary schools also!

Maybe it is time we join ‘book face’, think outside of the box,  and have a different type of conversation about how to use Facebook in the classroom.   Our campus is getting ready to do a pilot to have Facebook available to some teachers on our campus to initiate just such a conversation.  Piloting sites like this to troubleshoot the pitfalls and experiment with the successes is an excellent way to approach those “spooky” sites and to find solutions rather than just slamming the door on them.  We’ll keep you posted on how it goes.

photo: http://www.nbc.com/The_Office/

What does this photograph and this beach at Asilomar have to do with libraries, you might ask?  It’s from a place that I find irresistible.  Taken during a conference I find irresistible–a conference that keeps me coming back for more.

Ever since Joyce Valenza and Doug Johnson wrote their intriguing article in School Library Journal, I’ve been pondering what the 21st century school library can or does look like.

In listening from afar in to the keynote address at Internet Librarian West (brilliantly entitled “Libraries of the Future: Places of Desire”) by NYPL librarian Paul Holdengraber  I heard him give the key answer to my question–that he wants libraries to be irresistible.

And that’s all you could want for a school library–for it to be irresistible to the students and teachers you have at your campus–whether that means read-alouds, book groups, online presence, twittering, facebooking, gaming events, a beautiful space, etc.–whatever the means, the end goal is making the library an irresistible learning hub.

And it’s not just because that will help us be more viable, or help us “survive” budget cuts–or any of those fear-based things.  It’s because it’s what we are here for.  We’re here to offer services in the best way we can that invite our customers/students in and engage them in learning and creating.

Rereading Chris Brogan’s much commented upon post about services public libraries offer, he pushes the envelope for public library services, like offering geotagging of sites outside the library, for example.  Many readers chimed in with their ideas, praise, kudos, or wishes for their libraries.

At Internet Librarian West today, I followed tweets discussing ways to take libraries mobile.  I wondered afterwards why our vendors couldn’t design  iphone apps for our services that we could offer to students.  I heard David Lee King talk about using meebo chat or other tools for instant communication with customers(and on the spot, I decided to set up my own library twitter account so I could be “tweeted” questions, though I don’t know how many students are really on twitter yet.)

While I love trying these tools, I wonder how many of these services would get used by high school students–?  And I think the answer is, it depends.  It depends on what we build in terms of relationship with our students–how “living” a presence our library sites are for our students, and how well we promote what we do/offer.  Marketing is a big part of our role.

Some teachers I talk with are reluctant to share online because they feel that perhaps they are ‘tooting their own horn.”  But coming from a library perspective, I tend to think of it more as marketing.  We are marketing to our customers, who are students and teachers in our building and beyond our building.  We are not only marketing our own services but the idea that libraries are helpful places with helpful and creative people.

We always need to be mindful the core idea of making our very space/staff/services ‘irresistible’ to our users, whatever tools we use to do so.  We need to know our students and what “floats their boat” so to speak. (And we need to know the same about our teachers–how to reach them, and what “floats their boats” as well.)

As Bodanger asked in his keynote, ‘What if  librarians thought their role was to oxygenate the library?’  That, to me, is the evolution of the 21st century library–an oxygenated library.  And one that, like that beach in my photograph, keeps our students coming back.

   In their article in School Library Journal, Things That Keep us Up at Night, Joyce Valenza and Doug Johnson have  given us much food for thought.   They are earnestly  concerned about the survival of school librarians and libraries if we don’t evolve to meet the current demands that technological and societal changes regarding information use have wrought on our profession.

One of the most fascinating points they make is that “We have no textbook for what 21st century school library practice looks like.”  And obviously if we have no “textbook” or guide for that, principals, superintendents and other curriculum administrators don’t either.

I’m sure AASL and other professional organizations have been working on gathering this model, conferences like Internet Librarian (Schools)  have also been on the forefront of this mission, and journals like School Library Journal provide a vision. 

But what I’d like to know from you, my readers, is what does a 21st century library or librarian look like to you?  What’s the facility like?  Is there a facility at all?  What does the librarian do?  What skills does he/she have?  What tools does he/she use?  

Share an anecdote, list qualities, point us to some fabulous library webpages–or anything that says 21st century librarian.  I hope whether you are a librarian or not, you will contribute to building this picture.

In the last few days I’ve been following the simmering discussions that spun off of work by Joyce Valenza and Doug Johnson, eminent librarians and leaders in our field, about the issue of 21st century librarians and what responsibility we all have to embrace new technologies.

It’s been fascinating reading the excellent blog discussions that have ensued, and reading subsequent blog posts by Joyce, Buffy Hamilton and Doug Johnson, among others.

But still what resonates most with me is Doug Johnson’s question–”How can we give a voice to those who choose not to network?”   (I would perhaps take issue with the word “choose” because I do think it’s possible for someone to be somewhat unaware of all these online networks of librarians–remember that in our profession we encompass a variety of librarians–from those in tiny rural schools to those not certified and struggling to run a library program, etc.)

It’s not that I disagree that as librarians we need to be leaders, innovators, and models for our teachers–I believe we do.  Buffy makes an excellent case for that in her incredibly articulate blog post.    But like Beth, whose comment to Doug’s post led to some of this lively discussion, I wonder what we are doing to mentor other librarians, and like Beth, I worry that we are driving people out of the conversation–it is very easy to become insular, self-referential, and overly steeped in 2.0 language to the exclusion of those we would like to join us in conversation.

If you look at surveys of  internet use by Pew Internet and American Life Project and other work on internet use, early adopters total only 5-10% of the population.  Given this, clearly not all of us can be early adopters although we can be leaders.

So my question, following up on Doug’s and Beth’s is this:  What can each of us do individually to bring more librarians into these conversations who might not be there currently?

I would posit that we need to watch our language–in our enthusiasm, we can overwhelm others with all the bells and whistles and options.  And I question if that is not counterproductive to our aim.   Yes it is amazing to show what is possible, but if we don’t also show a step-by-step roadmap for getting there, then it is just so much ‘pie in the sky.’

I think a sign of leadership is also being able to break down the details in a way that they are accessible.  I liked Joyce’s attempt to do this in her article, How to Retool Yourself, (though I found a little too many options there for a beginner, to be honest)–but I really and truly applaud her leadership as always in realizing that this sort of specific post is what is needed.

I know we all do  things everyday to help our colleagues along and many of us have done that for a long time. But I think it’s important to renew our efforts to reach out to those who are interested but don’t know where to start, or who haven’t even broached the idea because they are too overwhelmed, or are not currently we think the conversations are happening.  But then again, maybe we aren’t where their conversations are happening either.

Rather than debate whether or not people “should” be somewhere, let’s help them get there by our individual and joint efforts.  That may mean we have to get out of our own sandboxes once in awhile but I think our profession will be all the better for it–we all have something to learn and we all have something to teach.   I thank Beth for her courage in raising these challenging issues.

So, my question is, what can we do?  How can we connect with humility, open arms, and understanding with our colleagues at all levels of  technology adoption?

A panel discussion on databases at the SLJ Summit in D.C. raised some important concerns about database vendors. I think it would behoove them to listen to these concerns if they want their consumer market(k12 librarians and k12 students) to keep using their products.

In this arena, I’d say, Google has got it right. One stop shopping, ease of use, user friendly interface–all what a K12 student/teacher would want.

Some of the database companies are trying–creating widgets that are easily embedded on library webpages so you don’t have to navigate the database menu, for example, which I applaud. And databases without widgets, why don’t you have them yet?

But I think they could all stand to take a lesson from Google in understanding the way they are used by students.

Most users don’t care “where” the information came from–they just want the answer and they want it to be simple and quickly accessible.

The interface needs to be clean and simple. Yes, having a widget helps to give students a nice easy gateway into the database, but if once they get to the database it’s a bewildering myriad of information sources, what navigational tools are there to help them at that point? When are there “too many” bells and whistles, especially for the K12 market?

If we have to “teach” how to use the database site features, then they are too complex. One of my favorite interfaces is Ebsco’s Searchasaurus for elementary grades–it’s attractive, easy to navigate, colorful and appealing. And the name is catchy as well.

But for most, when the results list from a search comes back, is it simple and clear to read? Gale, I love the tabs you have, but frankly do students see all those tabs? Is it user friendly for them? Or should all the sources be sorted together?

Shouldn’t vendors tap into some of the most commonly used search engine designs and just base their designs on a similar format so that students can move easily and have familiar signposts? Just like all books have indexes in the back/table of contents in the front–why can’t we have some level of user interface uniformity that makes it easier for K12 students.

In this rush to gain consumers, databases offer far more sources/choices than the average K12 student could ever use. For example, instead of each developing their own bookmarking system, why don’t they partner with Diigo or delicious and use a common system? Why reinvent the wheel?

What database vendors don’t seem to understand is multiplicity–there are many databases vying for their attention. They design their site as though students will ‘live’ on that one site–getting to know it well, knowing all the features of it, understanding how to navigate it and what sources it offers, etc. While this may “occassionally” prove true, generally students flit on, look for something, and move off.

They are not an environment where they “live” like Facebook–nor do I predict they will use the database sites that way in the future. I guess it’s a matter of understanding the purpose of the database–which is to provide information from other sources quickly, efficiently, and easily–so that users can move on in their research to other things.

Naming things–why not call them what they are? Call an ebook an ebook, for example. And in general, the naming of databases is lacking. Google is catchy, their logo is simple and clean. Can you say the same for Ebsco, Gale, Newsbank, Lexis Nexis, etc.?

When I say EBSCO or GALE to our students it’s like holding up a reference book and calling it by the name of the publisher–it carries no meaning to students at all, has no “name recognition” for them, and I see their eyes glaze over. How about some more “hip” naming devices that tap into the web 2.0 flavor? Like Ebsco Searchr or Ebbie or Galicious or …..you get the idea.

My last request is simplify, simplify, simplify for the K12 market. Make it clean, simple, user friendly and make your product easy to use.

After all, you (vendors) and we(librarians) know how fabulous it is to have articles and journals and images at our fingertips, and the vast array of what is available. But the databases don’t really exist for us, they exist for the end users–students, public library patrons, etc. And we shouldn’t be having to “convince” them how fabulous they are–their “fabulosity” should shine forth because of good design, user friendly interfaces, and catchy branding that draw users to the site. Like Seth Godin writes about in his book Tribes–the tribe draws together at a site because they are drawn there, not because they are “told” to go there.

And in case you haven’t seen it, Joyce Valenza has created a rather catchy Youtube song to convince you that changes are needed:

Time for a utilitarian post–and to clear the decks of some handy web apps I’ve run across via Twitter lately.

One of my favorites is fur.ly. (thanks for the tip, David Jakes!)  This site is a teacher/librarian’s dream when making a pathfinder.  It allows you to consolidate a list of websites under one url.  Then you just have one address to share with students. Here’s a fur.ly I created for this post. Use the small arrows at the top of the screen to flip through each site.

I revisited VoiceThread recently and found a lot of handy new features there, plus a downside.  They have added a “call in” feature so that you can use a cell phone to add your commentary on a slide.  Handy if you are working on some sort of oral history project with someone who doesn’t have a computer, for example–they can call in their narration of the slide.  Also handy if you don’t have a webcam or microphone available!   You also now have the long-awaited ability to purchase an archived version of your VoiceThread, which is an excellent way to preserve a project.  The downside is that it seems you can only have three VoiceThreads in your account unless you pay for the account;  downside if you are using it very often.

A last handy site I found via twitter was bitty.com. (thanks to Aschmitz on twitter!) It allows you to embed another webpage within your website.  The webpage is fully functional within the frame,  or you can click on it to launch the page.   Very handy and a nice way to garner student interest in a site, unless it gets blocked by your district’s internet filter!

Here’s an example of Bitty at work–with fur.ly’s home page.

We all wonder sometimes what effect we have on our library patrons or on students who walk through our doors, or if anything we say or share “sticks.”

I had a conversation with my five year old nephew a few days ago that convinced me how much impact we all make on students.  Just a small incident, but worth sharing.

We were at my nephew’s house for dinner when he announced that “he needed to go out and get some exercise.”  It seemed like an unusual phrasing on his part, but since the rest of the family was occupied, I offered to go out and watch him.

He promptly marched out in the driveway and started doing stretches with his arms, carefully winding his arms in circles like a windmill.  Then he took off running down the sidewalk and back again.  He walked  up and pronounced proudly to me, “My p.e. teacher told us we need to exercise and burn off some steam.” 

And there he was, after a week of school, already taking her advice and feeling proud of himself for doing it.

In all the casual interactions we have with students, we have to recall that what we say matters and is remembered.  We can use that influence for good and support good habits, or we can squander it, in every encounter we have.

Food for thought….

The nation’s President delivered a very motivational message to a group of obviously excited students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, yet many of our nation’s students missed this message intended for them.

As I was listening to it, I thought of Kennedy’s speech which inspired us to go to the moon, and how his speech led young people  into being more involved in science, volunteerism, and politics; in fact, even inspiring a future president.

Obama’s speech today, no matter your politics, was an eloquent “pep talk” to the nation’s students, encouraging them to take responsibility for their own learning. Yet across the nation, parents and school districts alike denied them the opportunity to participate–and I wonder in what way is that encouraging students to be responsible?

Do we not trust students (and their teachers) to analyze, discuss, and think about what they hear? And do we not want students to be inspired and motivated by leaders (whether they be principals, guest speakers, or Presidents?)

“Every single one of you has something that you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. . .And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is.”

Isn’t that a message we want our students to hear?

And when do we as educators stand up for the school as a marketplace of ideas, and at least make these ideas “available” to our students?

In Ray Bradbury’s novel, Farenheit 451, (a book commonly taught in high schools), books are burned to prevent the spread of ideas. Because ideas might make people think.

When we as a culture are afraid to examine the ideas of an opposing viewpoint, when we encourage our children to block out/screen out opposing viewpoints, when we pressure our schools to block out/screen out opposing viewpoints, at what point does this become a form of censorship?

The quote of the day on my blog today, ironically, is by Indira Gandhi. It reads: “You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.”

How do we teach our students to be part of the great melting pot of our country if we don’t allow ideas in? And what is our role as educators in that?

Some things I believe we can do, now that the speech is over:

1. Air the speech as well as the speeches to students given by Reagan and George H.W. Bush. Ask students to compare and contrast rhetorical styles, the setting for the speech, response of students in the audience, etc.

2. Use Wordle.net to have students create Wordle visuals of presidential speeches to examine their emphasis and content so they can compare and contrast.

3. Examine the media frenzy over the recent speech. Help students filter out fact/fiction in print reporting /internet reporting over the speech. Have students look at the reporting before the speech (by checking newspaper archives, databases for last couple of weeks, letters to the editor, etc.) and then have them check out the post-speech reporting in the next day or two in those same sources.

4. Have them analyze the speech for examples of good rhetorical techniques (using a personal story, word choice, call to action, etc.) Compare these used to other motivational speeches.

5. Use the Newseum website to examine headlines around the country for their reporting on the speech and compare/contrast the reporting. (But quick, before the headlines disappear!)

The point is, as educators, we have many tools/methods for teaching our students that ideas aren’t dangerous–that speeches aren’t dangerous–and that we can use our powers of analysis to dissect the content and learn from it.

And then, just maybe, we won’t have missed the boat completely!

photo credit: Flickr, BrianForbes37

Take one part having a few Twitter contacts. Add one enthused teacher who wants to try out Skype.

Dial up a few friends on Skype randomly(who you met via Twitter). Hope someone is nice enough to turn on their webcam to demonstrate (thanks Karl) and off we go.

Now we have a teacher in Texas who might have made a contact with an ASL teacher in Colorado, and all it took was a little “six degrees of separation”. When anyone wonders about the power of Twitter or Skype for educators, case closed.

Though this experience I had today has become somewhat commonplace for some of us who use Skype or Twitter, it still never ceases to thrill me to actually talk “live” to people that I have met over the network or to see a teacher’s face when they use the tools for the first time.

And it does demonstrate how easy a global connection is–it doesn’t always require a program, a huge effort, or a large expenditure of funds. It just requires the way the network allows us to “know someone” who “knows someone” who “knows someone.” And it requires the friendliness of educators always willing to give someone a leg up, show them the ropes and be invitational.

That’s the best thing about being involved in a network, when it comes right down to it. Broadening a circle of both friends and colleagues–learning from people every day who are willing to share and learn with you–and reinvigorating what you do every day.

So thanks Karl, (and Dean) and Barbara(and my old friend Bob who I met in another network long ago and far away) for showing once again how easy it is to connect.