thinking outside the library sphere learning 2.0 beyond the library environment
TRANSCRIPT
Thinking outside the library sphere
Learning 2.0 beyond the library environment
Presentation outline Why outreach our services?
Learning 2.0 program Evolution of the program Ways Yarra Plenty has used it the library
community
The school environment Purpose behind the program Administration Challenges Rewards
Importance of keeping up-to-date
Why outreach? Today’s economic climate
Ideal time for libraries to share resources and knowledge
Now more important to develop partnerships
Era of open source and cloud computing Organisations now have options Open source software Use of internal or hosted resources
The library environment Yarra Plenty Staff
Now use Web 2.0 within the workplace
Other libraries Victorian public libraries State libraries Special libraries
Outside the library sphere The community
A taste of Web 2.0
Corporate Clients Web 2.0 workshops Seminars and demonstrations tailored to
needs
The School environment Library staff teachers
Todays student
“Our students live in a global, digital world that many of us could never have imagined…
A world that has been transformed and will continue to be, in part, due to technology. Of course, societies have always been in a constant state of transformation due to human ingenuity, but I bet we can all agree that the pace and scope of transformation is accelerating due to the technologies surrounding us. ”
(Godwin 2008)
Todays student
Technology used to communicate
Email Friendships through
social networking Facebook /Myspace Mobile phones Texting IM Laptops /iphones Information needs
are immediate
How students view their future
• Generation of multi-taskers
• Don’t think or task in a linear way
• New technology• New jobs
Victorian Essential Learning Standards
Students use ICT as a major element of their learning environment
Encourages change in teaching practice
Encourages teachers and library staff to learn about social networking applications which their students are familiar with
Collaboration
Partnerships between-State Library of Victoria-School Library Association of Victoria-Yarra Plenty Regional Library
Partnership between-Sybasigns-Yarra Plenty Regional Library
Learning 2.0
Self paced online learning program
Use of open source Web 2.0 applications
Social networking software
Emphasizes learning through play and exploration
Set up of the program
Set up under the umbrella of the global teacher web blogging space
Participants also set up blogs in this environment
Participants use the blogs they set up for the program as online journals to record what they have learned after each activity
Web 2.0 applications
Personal Development
Collaboration tools Social Networks
RSS feeds Google Tools MySpace
Feed readers LibraryThing Faceook
iGoogle BlogsWikis Ning
EBooks Flickr YouTube
Audio books YouTube
Ebooks
Administration
Tracking of participants done using a Google RSS Feed Reader
Tracking log set up using Google Docs Weekly emails sent to participants
with tips for the weeks activities Support was also given via email and
phone. The program was set out in a weekly
sequence however all the weeks were accessible so those wishing to work ahead at their own pace.
The challenges
The security of the school environment -IT issues
-Blocking of sites-Use of alternative sites and alternative
activities-Email issues
-time-new type of learning environment
Advantage of online learning
Accessible 24/7 Can be done anywhere, not reliant on the
school network Self paced Online, no isolation issues Not reliant on attendance at workshops Suitable for casual and part time employees
The rewards
The discovery of easily accessible technologies that provide new and exciting ways to share ideas and develop reading an literacy skills in students
What an amazing journey has begun. I have soloved seeing the big ICT world out there and
thepotential for my own professional development
and teaching.
There is so much to discuss. We really need to look at our current teaching practice and make modifications to suit the world that the kids
are living in now!
Our teaching needs to become more interactive and make use of these amazing web resources that are out there.
I have found using these web tools over the last few weeks has made me take the time to explore the web and is keeping me up-to-date with what is available on the net, what our students are exposed to and how we can harness these as educational opportunities.
Students in today’s society live on the web. …My fear has always been that including technology into the curriculum will only add to the already saturated usage by students. What this program has been able to demonstrate to me is the vast range of ‘educational’ value type activities and practical uses.
Setting assignments, students listening to and commenting on others work, posting thoughts and comments onto the web, creating discussion forums were just a small range of activities that I have been able to include into my curriculum writing.
The challenge for today’s teachers is in making sure that when technology is included into the curriculum that we as teachers are not teaching ‘how to use a program - rather how to get the program to compliment the students work’.
Future
“Learning in the 21st century is all about networks and the connections we can make to other learners and teachers ... But being literate in this new learning environment requires more than knowing how to read and write. It requires us to edit, publish, collaborate, create and connect in the process of building our own personal learning spaces.”
Will Richardson
Summing up Libraries are community services
Technology No boundaries...no start or finish
Employment today Time management / multi tasking Web 2.0 an important skill
Professional Development Need to strive to learn through exploration and
play Continuous lifelong journey
