InfoTeacher

I’ve been saying it for a while. When I introduce encylopedias to students, I try to have both print editions and an online edition to show students (sometimes I even hold up an old CD that we used to have, but I don’t even load that one up; I haven’t used one in 5 years, and their useful life is essentially over). When I talk about the encyclopedia, I usually tell the students (3 or 4 graders) that they will likely never use a print one after they leave Keller (I wouldn’t).

I usually get a very funny look from the teacher. I know they think I’m nuts. Most don’t say anything, but their eyes tell me that students will always use prefer a paper version that that one on the computer. Of course, they would! They tolerate this computer nerd of a teacher, but in reality I’m just a little too positive about the advantages of the computer, the Internet, and  all these cool 21st century tools.

Well, now I have an article to show them. Encyclopedia publishers are beginning to plan for the end of the paper encyclopedia. They see the end in sight, and are actually excited about producing an informations source that isn’t already out of date when the first book hits the bookstore.  Check it out, here.

Generally in life I have this idea that if you hear something once and never hear it again it was not so important. If you hear something, and then hear it again and again and see it and experience it, well you may be in the middle of a dynamic change. In the library world, I have that feeling right now.

Now to be in the middle of a dynamic paradigm shift does not mean that everything that you now know, experience and feel will go away immediately. But these things will change. Sometimes the change is slow. Sometimes the change is fast. Sometimes the changes are both too slow and too fast to be understood; the things you want to change slowly change too fast and you wish you had the time to keep up. Likewise, the things you desire to change fast do not change fast, these things undergo their changes at a snail’s pace.

For about two years I have been following certain blogs. I have started and stopped blogging twice. Once I started and stopped blogging about my former profession as a way of keeping up (but, alas, I have little to say about that profession anymore and I read others’ blogs and though I have started again, I post very little).  Similarly, in the area of information/library/education, I have begun a blog, joined a Ning (social/professional network), and am attempting to learn to wiki by using two different free accounts (and inviting/recruiting as many people to join and experiment along with me as I can).

As a professional who deals in the realm of education and information, I just believe that it is my duty to stay connected to these new forms of information exchange, information education, information technology.

Now as a part of all of this, comes the time to explain to others the difference between a wiki, a blog and the latest thing, a Ning. (As if I fully have a handle on all of this myself). (Pehaps the content of the next post?) Additionally, I struggle with the idea of how these technologies will/are changing education (along with other professions). The web 2.0/library 2.0 phenomenon seems like a concept that will grow and one which the forward thinking librarian/information specialist will be on board.  Some see little change. Others see fads which come and go.  I see the future, but its application is blurry.  Though I can’t see how this will play out, it sure is an exciting time to be a teacher of Information Literacy.

At least two things are true. First, fads to come and go. Certainly blogs, nings, wikis will have some portion of them which are faddish. Some parts of what are super hot/must do today will be forgotten tomorrow.  Additionally, (to quote an old, true saying), “the more things change the more they stay the same.” What I mean by this is that even if every school adopted all of these 2.0 technologies, learning will largely remain as learning always has — with some people on board, some people radically resisting, some people criticizing, some people calling everyone to reform, some people demanding everyone return to basics, . . . etc. Students will need to read and write. Perhaps they will read and write on parchment, animal skins, paper . . . or on the latests electronic storage media. They still read; they still write; they still need to learn to think, analyze, digest and process information. They will still need to learn to put projects together to demonstrate their learning whether these projects are sewn together on animal skins or uploaded to Google notebook. The learning stays the same, but the media may change a thousand times.

Tonight I went to an “old fashioned” (i.e. face to face instead of virtual) meet and greet with my fellow, Southern Colorado school media/information teachers. One again, the topic on hand was blogs, social networks, and wikis. Some are adopters. Some are curious. Some are wondering how we can possibly do it all and serve our school population as we do and still have a life (I’m married to a business owner who works 60 hours a week; my kids are soon headed to college; and I almost feel the calling to devote to the future of the school media/information educator).

I’ve now heard of blogs, social networks, and wikis so often that I am convinced they are more resilient than fads. The way we deal with information is changing. There may be value in seeing what stays the same and what changes, but we must be enough on board with the changes to use the new media fluently (if not fluently, then well enough to minimize our accents so that the new generation can hear enough of what we say to listen and learn).

In my adulthood the nature of what information is has radically changed, and it isn't finished. This makes me wonder how to communicate this to my students. More than ever they must be information literate.

As a part of this new adventure, I am determined simply to post once in a while about something fun. Hopefully the fun will — most of the time — be related to information, learning, teaching or eduation. Sometimes it may be related to none of these.

Today’s fun post is about Ms. Dewey — a search engine that entertains, at least briefly. Nevertheless, she (I insist on personifying her, since her creators obviously intended this) produces interesting information when she is consulted. Check her out, here.  I’ve known of Ms Dewey for over a year. For a time, I actually tried to compare her results to the major search engines just to see if I could see a pattern. Alas, I’m not systematic enough to have discerned any. Somewhere along the way, I lost interest, until, well I don’t know what brought her memory back. So, in the interest of fun, I introduce Ms. Dewey, the informative librarian (with attitude).

I thought I had better link to the catalyst that has moved me to begin this blog.  First a little background.

I had the idea of blogging in mind for some time. Relating exactly how that was going to make me a better teacher, I couldn’t put into words. Then, along comes the ideas of wikis — which, if one can get past the technical and safety issues involved, seems to me to have the most potential for use with students for learning. I’m in the middle of trying to figure out how to jump in to the the 21st century when a colleague, Patti Donovan, sends and article entitled “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants” (link to the article, here, or link to part 2, entitled, “Do They Really Think Differently?” here; both articles found on Marc Prensky’s web site; note also, his blog is available, here).

So the article Patti sends is so intruguing and interesting that I am convinced that I have not kept up with my professional obligations.  So, I decide to start blogging. I surveyed my district colleagues to see who might be interested in forming a community of bloggers to help us stay current, share insights, to dream about what can be done, to learn together, and eventually recruit more teachers to use technology in ways that it shoud be used to help students learn in the 21st Century. All the teachers I have invited so far are those who responded that they are interested.

Then, an interesting thing happens. The Colorado Department of Education sends information about class on Blogs, Wikis and Nings. I decide to attend, and out of that class I decided to form this blog.

The district may be forming blogs with the official imprimatur, but until that happens this space will be my community of learners. For those of you who find this place, please join in and let’s learn and share together. It’s exciting to teach in the 21st Century.

To me blogging is a way to journal and learn. I am actually not very good at self reflection, but blogging gives me some opportunity. I will set for myself a goal: to post one blog per week at a minimum. These posts will be ideas, successes, victories, opportunities related to the teaching of information/technology to students. I thinks I’ll wait to set up categories as I journal and learn.

These posts will be of little or no use unless I am joined by others. So, today I have invited other Teacher Librarians from my school district to view my blog as well as to create their own. I hope this small beginning grows into a place we can all share, all learn and grow together.