We are lucky to have a class like this
By risablumlein - Posted on May 6th, 2008
Tagged: About the Course
That being said, here goes...
1. How has your view of social software changed since starting the course?
Before this class I was skeptical about social software. However, my concept of social software was really just limited to MySpace, YouTube and blogs. I hadn’t heard of RSS or del.icio.us, and couldn’t ever think of a reason for needing to create a podcast or screencast. I adamantly protested creating a MySpace page to avoid the popular, trendy, “I have 749 friends” phenomenon. I bonded with others who were not on MySpace. I begged my friends not to upload footage of me on YouTube. I went to extremes to stay out of the realm of social software. But that’s exactly what it was to me—social. I never thought there could be professional uses for this stuff, much less related to library work.
Now that our class is coming to an end, my perspective is quite different. I showed my brother how to incorporate RSS into his blog (by the way, he has a really cool blog—San Francisco Crime—that includes a map mashup), I’ve defended RSS at a dinner table conversation with my extended family, I’ve created del.icio.us and Facebook accounts for my library, and I’ve proposed a Director’s blog at work. I am now an avid supporter of podcasting and screencasting as tools that can help bridge the digital divide, and I’m embarrassed to admit that making a screencast was actually somewhat fun. I still haven’t given in to MySpace or YouTube, and whether out of simple habit or some unconsciously held stigma I’ll continue to protest making my own MySpace page or uploaded footage of myself on YouTube. I will admit, though, that I do consult them every so often when looking for someone or something else. Who knows—maybe one day I’ll give in.
2. What technology did you find most interesting for your personal use? What technology did you think would be most useful professionally?
Personally I will probably use RSS and wikis the most in the future. These technologies seem to be the most practical, and have the least to do with making friends online. RSS has been great for me in keeping up with hobbies that have been put on hold due to school and keeping up with the news, since I don’t get the newspaper and I don’t have a TV. Wikis are also a great no-frills resource for group work, collaboration, and general information sharing.
Professionally I think blogs, wikis, RSS, podcasts and screencasts will be the most useful in the near future. Tools like gaming and virtual worlds are neat, but not practical for libraries over the next five years. Blogs and wikis, however, are already largely incorporated into library culture and are a great gateway to other types of social software. They are simple ways of getting people more involved online and comfortable with developing user-generated content. RSS is a technology that is still new for a lot of library patrons, but one that I think people will really appreciate (when they learn they can get RSS updates of their favorite library catalog searches!), especially if staff members help patrons set up their initial feed reader. Lastly, I’m convinced that podcasts and screencasts are fantastic ways to help bridge the digital divide in libraries because many people are visual learners. If libraries employ a special computer with the casts pre-loaded, they will provide even more assistance.
3. What surprised you during the course?
What really surprised me more than anything about a specific tool we’ve learned this semester is my own ability to learn these applications and put them to use. Every week it seemed I was saying to myself something along the lines of “Oh man, I have to learn how to make a podcast today. I don’t even know what a podcast is!” and then, sure enough, the next day I had learned what it was, how to create one, and how to teach others how to make one.
I was also surprised to discover that most (maybe all?) of these applications are free. I think Camtasia is the only application we used that is not free, but at least it provides a 60-day free trial.
4. What suggestions do you have for improving the learning activities (exercises, assignments, blog posts, readings, examples, etc.)?
The class was really well structured and gave us an opportunity to get personal working experience with all of the applications discussed. Using a blog as the main forum for communication is a great way to promote discussion. It would be nice to have opportunities during the course to practice leading a presentation in Elluminate to prepare for the final group project. Maybe in a 1.5 hour session an hour can be used for a guest speaker and 30 minutes can be used for mini presentations from each student. This way we could practice uploading files, doing a live demo, and leading the discussion. Maybe then I wouldn’t be so nervous for tonight!
5. How did your experience using Drupal differ from your experience in Blackboard classes (or classes using other traditional course management systems)?
The way Blackboard is configured really depends on the instructor. I have been in Blackboard classes that are bare-boned and restricting, and I have been in Blackboard classes that are more inclusive. Heather Ebey’s class last semester (LIBR 240) used Blackboard and also used an external Senna page to store additional information, which I found a bit overwhelming (too many places to look for information). I liked using Drupal this semester once I got the hang of it. I suppose I’m content with any system as long as it allows me to generate content, upload files, and contact your instructor.
6. Looking back, how would you sum up your experience?
My experience in this course was practical and hands-on. Instead of reading about concepts relating to library and information science and discussing them, we read about concepts, applied them in a real-life setting, and then shared our experiences. I really liked the dialogue we developed as a class, and all of my classmates had thoughtful insight and suggestions to share. I am thankful to have been given an opportunity to practice using different types of social software so that I can make future recommendations according to personal experience. I am also thankful I was forced to use applications I would not have used otherwise because now I am not intimidated by them. Lastly, I feel lucky that our program at SJSU is cutting-edge enough to be able to accept social software as a library reality and offer it as a class. Several people who already have their library degree have commented that their programs didn’t have anything close to a class like this, and they wish that there had been an opportunity for them to learn these skills. And my brother, the blogger extraordinaire, is totally jealous that I can blog and podcast for class!
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