The Death of You're and It's

To really understand me, you may have to realize that my husband and I talk grammar in our spare time.
Not that it's always the topic of choice (maybe because it tends to become argumentative), but neither does it come up infrequently.

Our most recent conversation stemmed from seeing Australia in theaters because we had a free movie ticket that expired before next weekend, when the movies that we really want to see came out.
Conversation after that movie went several different directions: filming style, dialogue, sensationalism, etc. ("Watching a movie," for us, is not just an activity that ends when the credit rolls.)
One of which came from my husband's observation. He is usually the one to notice (and correct) grammatical errors. Although, I believe it falls into the category of "pet peeves" for both of us; namely the use of "your" when "you're" is intended and "it's" when "its" is intended (and I sadly admit that Sam has had to correct me on the latter more than once...)

It's one thing to make a mistake, but it's another to not realize that a mistake was ever made, or to not care one way or another. OR, to publish something with a blatant mistake.
Now, we understand that it's a losing battle to try and correct that on online communities (although that doesn't always keep us from fighting.) Even in the classroom, it's a tough and constant battle. But when you see it in magazines and newspaper headlines... it really makes us wonder.

Anyway, this observation Sam made, it shows one of the reasons I love him so. In the movie they show a newspaper. Like normal people, I read the headline, got the gist of it, and figured out the message it was conveying. Sam did all the above, as well as recognize a blatant grammatical error in the headline of the newspaper shown in the movie. Who does that? Who notices that? But then, seriously, who would make that mistake? Or rather, who would let that mistake slip by?

Now, since I didn't notice the mistake myself I can't pinpoint where it was. But apparently, in one of the headlines they use "it's" when they should've used "its" (or maybe vice versa? Now I can't even remember..)

So this started a discussion of the nature of language. My first argument (since I've been know to make this mistake and have tried to rationalize where it comes from) is that "its" is an exception to a rule. We are taught to use an apostrophe to show possession. In the case of "its" since "it's" can also, and more appropriately, represent the conjuction of "it" and "is", "it's" became the representation of the conjuction and "it" showing possession was simplified to "its".

Sam, so smartly, countered that that didn't necessarily apply as pronouns in general don't use apostrophes to show possession. E.g. "hers". So if we were really looking at rules, that rule wouldn't apply to begin with, in order for "its" to be an exception to the rule.

This rabbit-trailed into a conversation about the correct way to identify possession of proper names that are either plural, end in "S", or both. Basically, whether or not a word ending in "s" and showing possession should have simply an apostrophe at the end, or an apostrophe followed by the typical "s".
That discussion never met a solid conclusion as the rules for that are abundantly varied. Although my favorite rule, and personal conclusion, has to do with the sound of language as opposed to the use and/or type of language (rules such as "if it's plural than you add the "s" after the apostrophe" OR "if the name is biblical, it should always have an apostrophe "s"" other than that never use the extra "s".)
The much more logical and natural way to do it, is if the show of possesion would add an additional syllable, then an apostrophe AND the additional "s" should be added. For example: "Chris's dog."
If the show of possession would NOT add an additional syllable, the "s" should be left off and the word should end with an apostrophe. Example: The Moores' house. I think that covers most situations.

But back on track with "its" and "you're". More commonly than "it's", "your" is the mistake that slips by general readers copy-editors alike. This can't even be rationalized with a "rule" that people may think they are following. "You're" is just going extinct. In that case, why even bother with an apostrophe? Why add an extra letter? It sounds the same - is there really any difference?
"Your...what?" is the common response Sam and I give to statements like "your funnee!1!" In that case.. "your funny... what?"
When we see that in online and texting messages, again, it's almost not worth the effort to correct. When we see it and mark it wrong on student papers... we have to fight despondancy and the fear that students won't even realize what or why we marked it wrong. When we see it in newspapers... we weep.

Is this the decline of language along with the decline of civiliation, that no amount of fight will prevail?
Is it not even a decline, just a natural change in language that we shouldn't even bother shrugging over, because it's going to happen anyway and it's not "bad" or even "good"?
Is correcting these mistakes something we should continue to strive for, either way?
Sam and I both have a desire for excellence. We both want to pursue the drive for excellence. But at the same time, we want to be worthwhile.
It's one thing to maintain a standard yourself. It's another thing to teach and uphold others to it, especially when they are changing in spite of you (or to spite you..heh.)


On a completely different note. When Sam and I walked into the theater we quickly noticed that we were by far the youngest couple in there. Everyone else looked atleast 30+, and as far as we could tell, part of a couple. It's nice to know though that even old people go on movie dates.
;P

Podcasts, Video & Downloadable Audio

I almost forgot I had already written a post about Week 9 of 23Things. Since it didn't address all of the aspects of the lesson, I'll go ahead and summarize them here.

I like VideoJug and have found some very helpful videos there in times past. So I was glad 23Things reminded me of its existence. Now, many times, when I am looking for how-tos, recipes, etc. I prefer something I can read so I can intake the information at a pace that works for me and easily/quickly refer back to specific points when necessary. By nature, videos aren't quite that way. But at the same time, sometimes there's nothing quite like being able to see something in action to help you understand it or how to do it. So I do see a lot of value in how-to videos, atleast as one supplement. (I enjoyed videos on giving massages as well as grilling steak!)

I also enjoyed Metacafe's "Production School." I can't imagine that I will be filming much, but the tips were interesting to know and helpful for the rare (or future!) occasion in which I might need them.


As for Podcasts... I like the idea. But I never got into them. Probably because I'm not a big "auditory learner." I'd rather read or even watch. I feel like listening demands more attention that it's worth - although that statement probably has unintentional implacations. The most I've got into downloadable audio (other than music :P) is listening to a great series of sermons while I was dating/engaged to Sam and driving three hours roundtrip almost every weekend. I was sitting, forced to focus, unable to deter my visual attention, but able to devote enough attention with my ears that something a little more productive than music was a nice change of pace. I should think about doing that more - even if my long drives aren't quite as frequent. (I doubt it would be worth it on short drives with frequent interruptions.)

About the Podcast services: Odeo is self-proclaimed "easy to find, play, and enjoy."
Mevio seems to have more of a focus on video.
Sometimes I forget that iPods even have video as I'm still toting my 3rd Generation - it doesn't even have color, ha!
PodOmatic had more of a focus on contribution: creating, uploading, etc. even just from the front page. Without looking too deeply I would guess they would be the ones offering stats on viewing, as they had "ranking" displayed on the front page.

I don't think I could ever get into something like NetLibrary myself. Although it could be a good source to recommend. If I AM going to listen to something I would want it to be something inherently audio - a sermon or seminar or something. I don't like listening to audiobooks. Never gotten it to it. I suppose if I ever really had the time and gave them a chance I might be able to get something out of them. But I enjoy the reading process. Part of the joy of reading comes from that process - taking in the information and piecing it together yourself. I don't want someone else taking away from my imagination by imposing flow or tone or even tone of voice upon my experience of a book. Reading is a personal process and I want to keep it that way. :)

That said - I know many people who ARE readers who still enjoy Audiobooks. More power to them.

A Vocabulary Lesson

The Collins English Dictionary is attempting to bring an olid malison upon our language by discarding 24 words to make room for new entries. Their caducity is apparently to blame for this abstergent action. But the caliginosity of this action would be niddering. Should we sit by and watch them exuviate these components of our language in the name of an abstergent effect on our dictionaries? Are these words not compossible? Even worse - is this fatidical of the direction our society is headed? We must recrement the disposal of these roborant members of our dictionary! Even to the extent of vilipending those who would vaticinate this endeavor of embrangling our future learners.



I don't know if that made the point I intended, or even what the point was that I was intending..
But it's true! To find out more about it read this: www.libgig.com/endangered
I found it intriguing.

Podcasts, Video & Downloadable Audio

This part of the 23 Things really brought it to a head for me - atleast in terms of how I can apply these skills in the workplace.

I discovered that tools like this - unless I am using them for myself and to aid my own productivity - can really only be used with students in the classroom setting.
I don't have the freedom or the availability to do much on the LRC computers. IT would have a fit. In the classroom atleast I have the ability to show videos. Most of my time in the classroom is limited to the curriculum I have to adhere closely to. But... if I got adventerous enough, I could find (or MAKE!) videos to teach for me. Or to help me teach, anyway. ;)
I actually just arrived at the brilliant (yet still far-fetched) idea of filming LIRN tutorials. I don't know how well they would practically work - it would be slightly more captivating than B/W screenshots on paper. And yet not quite as accesible. They would be limited in accessing these videos unless they knew how and dared to adventure into the Virtual Library
I know we teach the students how to get into the Virtual Library; multiple times; but that never guaruantees that they will be able to return there on their own.
A video would also demand the screen - so they couldn't really "follow along" unless they used more than one computer at a time. HARDLY something I would encourage.

I must admit, one of my greatest struggles working here is maintaining patience with so many students who are immensely limited in their computer skills, and beyond that slow or entirely unwilling to learn and improve those skills.
That is probably the biggest barrier to practically implementing Library 2.0.

And yet I hate that not being able to use these tools productively, only continues to stunt the advancement of these students and limits what could and should be a great improvement to their hirability.

Delicious IS a monster

So maybe DeliciousLibrary only works with Macs, hmph. :/
I thought I had seen otherwise.
I guess I should do my research before talking..

Online Applications & Tools

I was quite impressed with this week's set of "things." I mean, I knew there was a lot of stuff out there.. but seeing it all together in one place like that, was almost like Christmas. That is, Christmas 2.0 (uh oh, I hope we don't ever get that far...)

I'm kinda peeved at myself... a few months ago I was trying to find an online planner/organizer/to-do list. I signed up for a few to try them out. I found one that worked pretty well, had a nice feel, and great functionality. I used it a couple times and then it got put on the back burner - it's not that it wasn't helpful, it was just going to take time (that I didn't have then) to set up so it would be helpful. Anyway, a couple weeks passed and it slipped my mind entirely. Now I want to go back. Except - I can't remember what the site was. *Bangs head*
I mean, it wouldn't take thaat much work to search and click around until I find it again (I'm pretty sure I could recognize the page layout) I just don't want to hassle with it right now.
I guess that shows just how dedicated I was to the planner idea... or maybe how much I truly need one.

That said, I've taken my shot at online planners.
That, that said... somewhere in my web browsing for this week's "things" I found a wonderful site. Except... I can't remember the address (again?) No seriously, I think I might have a significant short-term memory deficit.
It had Delicious in the name, making me wonder if it was a part of the social bookmarking world (which possibly could've made it even MORE wonderful.) But the layout is entirely different.. so I don't think it is.

*2 minute hiatus*
It actually only took me about 20 seconds to click on the delicious sites tagged "gdt" and search "delicious" bringing up on the first page: Delicious Library! Found at: http://www.delicious-monster.com/
How easy was that to remember?

(If I seem a little more energetic than usual it's probable a combination of being two hours away from a holiday weekend and the cup of coffee that I finished off with my lunch.)

So. This Delicious Library isn't quite a planner, but it certainly would aid in organization, particularly of my mind.
It is a way to collect and tag everything (by photo, screenshot or partial screenshot, the works) the way del.icio.us lets you collect and tag links. It can be accessed from your desktop, the web, or -get this- your cell phone.
The cell phone part sold me. I currently have a number of photos on my cell phone that might raise a couple eyebrows. Things like book covers, the backs of peoples' heads (she had cute hair), you get the idea.. things I want to keep record of, remember without having (or being able to) write down. But most of the time they stay hidden in my phone and I never really do anything about them. Dangit.
Another thing it can do - and I just read this briefly and don't understand it fully - is when used with a mac (including their fancy shmancy camera) it can take pictures of barcodes and the like and turn them into actual letters and numbers. Heck yes. So you can scan a CD and have all the information including the album art (copyright schoppyright) automatically saved to your computer.
Maybe macs could do this all along and I have kept myself in the dark.
Or maybe there is something magical in this software? I need to find that out. My husband's PC has a built in camera so I'm wondering if somehow that technology could work from there, or if again it's mac's superiority.

All that hype - and I haven't actually signed up yet.
My concerns: it might turn into del.icio.us or my clippings folder on Bloglines: a wealth of fantastic information and at the tip of my fingertips until it daily gets buried deeper and deeper by more fantastic information. Leaving such a mass of wealth that I can't become too overwhelmed to even dig a spoonful out. Pathetic, I know.

So concludes the first inspirational find from this week's 23 Things. Thank you SLA.

Other splendid finds:
Mindomo is like the snow that starts falling in Christmas Eve 2.0 - to follow my analogy. But again, I haven't actually used it, only fiddled. It could be a good recommendation to Intro to Writing instructors. Atleast those who teach brainstorming.

iGoogle has been my homepage on my home computer since my husband discovered it.
It's great, but never caught on entirely for me. I mean, I still have it there everytime I open Firefox. But the truth is, I rarely open Firefox. Maybe twice a week. I just always leave it open and on the pages that I actually use.

Docstoc (from the Web 2.0 awards): A lot of fun to browse and a brilliant idea. But there's almost so much there that unless you are looking for something in particular - you may not find anything (either that or stumble upon a masterpiece.)

Is anyone else noticing this trend? First of all, so many brilliant ideas taking birth on the web, but yet, that don't actually get used because as good of ideas as they were it just becomes too much or too impractical.
Which really comes down to the issue of information overload, I do think. There are just sooo many options out there. You are probably better off just picking the first thing you find to do a given job then to try to find the "best" - or you'll spend your whole life searching ("...for all the things we think we want" - the Ataris.)

I was very happy to find Etsy on the list of best Web.20. I love it and would spend much more time there if I made twice as much money as I do now (oooor, if I had the time to open my own shop..hmm..)

StyleHive looked interesting too, but I couldn't quite figure it out in the 10 minutes I was there (=poor web design?) Besides.. I don't see how that (or Etsy, for that matter :() can become industrious in the library/academic setting.

I think that covers enough for now... this week was quite enjoyable. Now on to other, more laborious, tasks.

Books Don't Grow on Trees

I'm not sure if I should attribute the name of this blog to wit or to the corny sense of humor that I inherited from my dad... but I thought, either way, I should share a few thoughts on it and why I chose it.

There's no grand story of how it came to my mind, it just did. Aside from it's catchiness I liked that it mentioned books, and hence referenced library/literature/academia/etc. but also that it wasn't specific enough to limit me to only one of those arenas (library vs. library and literature.) I also liked that it can be interpreted in a few ways.

First of all, I find the title fitting in view of the original purpose of this blog: commentary on Library 2.0. While books did originate from trees for centuries, quite literally, now we are finding more and more deviation from that with the rise of the internet age.

Second, and even more significant, is the allusion to the statement "money doesn't grow on trees." A statement we tend to apply to people who think they can reep without sowing; gain without giving. Unfortunately I find that attitude all too pervasive in today's education. Students want to get ahead, want to succeed, and yet so many will evade study, treat research like the plague, and neglect something as basic as homework. Sure, they'll do what it takes to learn practical workforce skills but it saddens me that the mind is so often neglected in that process.

To take that even a step further, it's a principle I need to apply to my own mindset, my own lifestyle. There is no easy gain. Especially not in disciplining the mind. Since I was young, I wanted to write. As much as I enjoyed writing though, I had a lazy approach to it, even from a the beginning. In college a great man hounded into my being the dire necessity of a disciplined life - in all areas: physical, spiritual, and not the least mental. One of his famous quotes was, "How can you call yourself a writer, if you don't write?" Writing begins with reading. And reading begins a very long process of constant writing which cannot end before a work is not just written, but edited and reedited until the page is worn through and it can finally arrive as a polished work. I finished the majority of my training with this man last year, and already those principles of discipline are slipping from my habits and even my memory.
I want to write. At the end of my life I want to have something to show for my writing. But that won't grow on trees. Any finished product I arrive at will be the result of grueling discipline, if I will submit myself to it. There is no easy way to acheive success. There is no easy way to write a book worth reading. And hopefully this blog can be a constant reminder and even a motivator towards that.

Wikis

I enjoyed the section on wikis, particularly exploring the recommended wikis listed on the 23-Things page. I found some interesting library information, including but not limited to, free webinars on many different aspects of libraries. I bookmarked a few and will check them out more when I have time.

I am very excited that SBBC just switched our Virtual Library into a wiki format. Granted editing access is limited - I don't even have access, as far as I know. But it looks great, has a very clean feel to it, and has a search option! All very nice improvements.

As I was reading about all of the wonders of Wikis, I was also in the process of helping proofread, compile, and format our campus's IEP. Which sparked a splendid idea - wikify the IEP! As we have our different departments contributing their own parts, and continually editing those, it can become quite a mess to keep track of it, especially bringing it all together into the single, unified document it needs to be. I worked overtime to make that happen, manually. SO a wiki was the obvious answers. Ideally.

I browsed around a little bit though and it may not be that simple, practically. I need to play around with some wikis until I actually find something that would work well; including, preferably, a way to upload a template if not an entire document to work off of, a way for multiple people to be able to edit it and yet have it password-protected, and.. I think there were a few other options which I am not remember right now. But having all of those helpful little additions, which would be what makes the wiki worthwhile, either brings in a dollar amount or complicates the process.

And then there's proposing the idea and getting everybody on board with it...
So we'll see. The immediate need has subsided for now but it will arise again soon. If by then I find a wiki that would work, I'll propose it.

But still, I'm pretty impressed myself at the prospect. ;)

Blogger wins.

I tried Bloglines. I liked the concept of it, a lot. But when it came down to it.. Bloglines is a feed reader, not a blog host.
Besides, it's ugly.

*apologizes before my bloglines feeds disappear into the vast space of internet*

SO yes, I am going to bring my professional blogging to blogger. Below you will see all that I've done recently, transfered from my Bloglines account.
I have been going through SLA's 23 Things (http://wiki.sla.org/display/23Things)
It's been fun, albeit slightly redundant for myself. But even though I already am familiar with many of the tools they cover, I have been learning more of their capabilities!

LibraryThing and Rollyo

I set up a LibraryThing account several months back and never did much besides add some of my favorite books to it. I don't have the desire to tag books right now.. but I DID check out GuruLib.com and was quite excited by what I saw. I definitely think I'll get into that - when I'm actually at home and can properly catalog things. So cool! I don't know how consistent I will stay with keeping books recorded on the proper bookshelf, as my books tend to rotate (current reads -and there are about eight right now- move from their original bookshelf to my nightstand and then back to the original shelf or whatever bookshelf has room, possibly the living room "display" bookshelves, if I really liked it - and I do try to keep a sense of order to it all.)
That, the visual aspect of it, and the ability to add music and games too, make it a happy prospect for me!

Now to Rollyo.. it's pretty cool. Great concept, but I don't know if I would really use it all that much. Maybe if I am working on a specific project. But honestly, Google generally does a decent job for me. I don't need the hassle of an extra tool if it will only save me a few minutes here and there. But that could change.. I'm already speculating creating a "Medical" one with the medical sites that I trust, as opposed to whatever Google spews out. I made a Librarian one, using a handful of library oriented sites, databases and search engines, but it could use some work - the results weren't spectacular.

Edit: My Health Advice search engine, it seems pretty good so far!http://rollyo.com/flowerofedo/health_advice/
The Librarian's "Sengine".. works so/so, depending on what you search for.http://rollyo.com/flowerofedo/my_librarians_sengine/
What I got a kick out of was their Searchroll Naming procedure: Be as descriptive as possible. (Limit 20 characters)Honestly.. how descriptive can you be with 20 characters?

Play Time?

So I made a cool video at http://www.imagechef.com/ but Bloglines didn't want to display it... sad times. But that's ok, because then I went to bighugelabs.com and made an awesome image - but apparently there's no easy way to share that in a Bloglines blog (not compatible with anything, even Flickr?)So I went the round-about way, uploading it to good old Photobucket..

There will always be a window to fly through..


All said and done, I'm not a hug fan of avatars or sparkly/cheesy/myspacey things. Bighugelabs.com ended up being my favorite, it had the least kitchy things. Which may or may not be saying a lot.
I also liked the "create a pocket photo album" tool. I might try that from home.

RSS & Newsreaders

I was a little ahead of the game here..I've had my Bloglines account for a while now along with quite a collection of professional blog subscriptions.
I have my subscription list divided up into categories, including (but not limited to): personal blogs of friends and family, education related, library related, information literacy related, crafting related, music, and comics. There are atleast a few in each category - but don't worry, I don't delve into all of them. I skim most of them, keeping my eye open for the highlights or what is especially applicable. And those I often "clip". Which then requires discipline to stay on top of my clippings folder as well as to NOT get way behind on the subscriptions.
I've also had my iGoogle page since I discovered it. It's my homepage, and fun, but honestly I don't "use" it all that much. I don't use a feed reader on there.. but even if I did.. I think I'd overlook it because there is just so much there.
All that said, I've gained a lot from my blog subscriptions. I love the easy and almost unescapable access and the ability to stay on top of things - especially things in my "career field." Sometimes it all can get overwhelming.. but I'd rather be overwhelmed than underwhelmed I guess. And that's what the clipping folder is there for!
Oh, and on a final note, I LOVE the updated Bloglines beta. SO great. I am glad to see all the improvements they've incorporated.After only using it a couple time (i.e. not being fully experienced yet) I only have a couple complaints:1.) Is it just me or have we lost the ability to "hide" the menu bar on the left? 2.) I really like that clicking to read the updates in a given category or blog doesn't automatically count it as read. Although it will take some getting used to to have to scroll past everything I "read" in order to have it counted as "read." That's infringing a little too closely on my rights to skim instead of actually process information, thank you very much.

Flickr and the Library

As for practical ways to implent Flickr and such into the workplace..
I had a hard time thinking of effective ways to use Flickr at SBBC, particularly with the students. I think it could be a very fun/helpful tool and that it can have a lot of uses in the workplace, especially a school/library. But there isn't enough of a technological foundation here for that to be immensely effective.
I liked a lot of the ideas that I saw other share though... so I will comment on those:
Having a library account could be fun - but I don't know how I could publicize it or get it into more than a few hands. The newsletter, of course, but that may provide a few hoops to jump through first.
Delivr and even the Montager could add a fun dimension to announcements and advertisements, but only to the staff/faculty unless I printed things out, as there isn't much capacity for student contact through email.
I think the most practical idea was searching Flickr for Creative Commons photos to use in the newsletter/flyers/presentations/etc.
That and using it for research - a way to find visual resources - is not something I would've initially thought of.
In the wild imagination side of my brain I had this idea to have some sort of treasure/scavenger hunt using a map with Flickr photos.
I do see a lot of potential .. but this isn't the ideal location to flesh it out. I'll keep in marinating in the back of my mind though and figure out ways to implement it where I can!

Photos

I had fun exploring flickr. I must say, I never gave it much thought (or credit) before but now I am a fan. (And I found a few friends with accounts!) I made an account but didn't do a whole lot with it as I don't have pictures on my work computer, don't think it'd be a good tihng to load them on my work computer, and between moving and.. moving.. didn't have the time/motivation to add any from my home computer. But I do think I will soon! Maybe even transition from photobucket to flickr.

Library 2.0

Take my thoughts on Tagging and apply those to Library 2.0 - because it's the same concept in my mind.
I read a book called "Cult of the Amateur" by Andrew Keen which was very interesting and insightful albeit difficult to read at times because I knew from the get go that I disagreed with some of his premises.. and that I thought many of his arguments had logical fallacies.
Buut... point being, he denounced all things YouTube/Blogs/Amazon/internet..etc. Or so he made it sound in the beginning, until he finally came around and admitted that they weren't all bad but they did have flaws/potential for flaws. Or so I gleaned...I think his point was that we shouldn't let the amateur take the place of the professional/expert. And I agree.. I think that can be taken too far though. I don't the YouTube is the root of all evil (or all the money that hollywood and music/movie professionals are losing.) I do think the world needs to suck it up and realize that things are changing, including our media and how we like/want to access information. It's not all for the better but it's reality. And can you really fight a declining society, anyway? That's the real question at stake here..
I wrote down some quotes from the book and my thoughts on them that I might transpose onto here, because it really did provoke my thinking on this whole issue of Internet and Library 2.0.
I will say.. the internet/blogs/delicious/youtube/videos/and maaaybe even myspace are tools. Tools that can and should be used. That is no guaruntee that they will be used rightly. Therefore their products won't always been beneficial. Therefore if Library2.0 is dependent on that.. it's bound to fail. We all need boundaries.We can't all be the smartest and best. yet neither can we entrust everything to the smartest and the best (absolute power corrupts absolutely, right?)
I believe passivity is wrong, dangerous, and damaging to the human mind. I believe we should be active learners and contributers to the learning society, even if some of us are "slower" learners than others, or just plain dumber than others. (I gotta say that to allow myself some room in this Library 2.0 realm.)
Therefore, I like the idea that the web is allowing us such an open and easy way to contribute. I like that we can all build and then share resources without killing twenty trees and then waiting four weeks for it to ship across the country.
But I don't think everything is worthy of being shared. I don't think everyone should share. And I don't think I should regulate what's what on that spectrum. I don't know who should, but I do think somehow it should be regulated.
So, Wikipedia, right? That's what comes to mind. Confession: Wikipedia is almost always my first source. Why? Because I know I will find what I am looking for. Why else? Because I know I tend to be lazy, and like the quick/easy answer. Do I think that's right? Not always. Do I think that's the best? No.I do wish I had more of an initiative to search things out and turn every question I have into a research paper. But the fact of the matter is that I have a lot of questions and my life will only last on average, 80 years (and I'm not even guarunteed that.)
Ok, so the real question: Is Wikipedia my only source? Not when it matters. Not when it is a question about my health, or a research project, or something that matters dang it. Now I may have very low standards for what matters (i.e. fascism doesn't matter, I'm satisfied with Wikipedia's defintion.) But I do have standards!
Here's what I do: I looked up "international literacy day" on Google today. Clicked the Wikipedia result (#5), and ended up reading (and trusting) Wikipedia's 'list of countries by literacy rate'. I mean... if someone was going to go through all the trouble of coming up with those numbers, who I am to question them? (Ok, so sometimes that is and sometimes that is NOT my attitude.) But I also followed a direct link to the official Internation Literacy Day website (that was NOT above the Wikipedie site on my Google search results.)
So... all that said.. I like Wikipedia. I use Wikipedia. But I am not a huge fan of this mystical force called "Library 2.0"
Why? Because it's just another outward expression of Post-modernism. And although that's the trend of our culture and therefore nearly irresistable, I can sitll resist it for as long as I am able. I am religious and I am opposed to the religious expression of Post-modernism as well(the Emerging and more particularly the Emergent Church.) Now don't get me wrong - I find their ideas intriguing and their mantras alluring. But when it comes down to it they are wrong. And I don't want to be wrong. (Although I am probably "wrong" for saying they are wrong.)
But ultimately.. I am torn on this idea of Library 2.0 (i.e. postmodernism in the library) because ideally it is great but its implications can be frightening. And I don't know if I am ready to bear the consequences of those implications.. especially since I haven't figured them all out yet.

All that said, maybe I am reading too much into it? Maybe I just need to say "go internets!" and have it be done with, and discover that there are no real consequences to be had, not in light of all the benefits reaped.

Blog Directory

Technorati was fun. It had more to it than I expected and if I wasn't already subsribed to a hunk of blogs (many which I found through bloglines) that I already have a hard time staying diligently on top of, I would've explored it more seriously.
I do like the idea that you can find the more "authoratitve" blogs - so I might go through and clean out my collection based on how helpful they have actually been, as well as their "authority."
On Tags...It's a great idea. I like using them, for myself. I find it interesting to see what/how other people use them, but most of the time I don't bother with browsing through others'. It's too much and often too cluttered, and not usually the way I woulld organize it so oftentimes it is irrelevent to me. Maybe I'm being too harsh and not patient enough.. but I'd rather read the blog itself or even a summary of the blog, as opposed to scattered one-word descriptions. *shrugs*
Now tags as a tool for searching.. great idea!
I understand the attractiveness of this kind of organizing (as opposed to LC or Dewey, anyway.) But a significant part of me is resistant to it.. and I can't quite put my finger on why.Part of it could be sentimental. My second home, when growing up, was the library. I loved the library. I spent hours each week there. I loved the rows and rows of books and using the computers to look up where a book could be found. It's hard for me to imagine a library not being like that. I understand computers/the interenet work differently and I am very glad for that. I love the combination of the two systems - having keyword searches, but giving each book a significant place of belonging, in relation to a system.
Which leads to the next poiint..Part of my resistance to it could be philosophical/religious. I think in terms of a definite - as opposed to an individual - truth. I am creative and love creativity, but sitll don't believe that definitions lie in the hands of the individual, that everything is and becomes what we feel it shouldI have a high view of authority and as much as I am American and individualistic, I can't override the idea that somewhere there is an authority on something and if there is an authority it should be listened to and followed.I submit to the system even if it isn't perfect, but because it works, and more importantly because things were designed to work in systems. It's innate to being. Following the idea of the system - we all have a place in the system (and let me clarify that it's not a static place or I might start sounding much unlike I intend.)It goes even further and deeper, I am sure, but those are a few highlights that came to mind. At least the small part of my mind that is still present - my husband and I just moved today and it exhausted not just the body, but the mind.
All of that said... It works to a point (tagging, that is). I like the concept of it although I do see a danger in embracing it toocompletely. Tagging can be a great way for students to work together and to share together and to gain and distribute resources. But there's a lot to learn and a lot of assumed common sense that needs to be there first in order for it to work.. and that can be a heavy foundation to lay in some situations.
I think I just went in a full circle without actually saying anything new. Whoopie!

Social Bookmarking

Having mentioned a few of my frustrations with Bloglines..
One of the posts I tried to "save" and hence lost was my thoughts on organizing and/or creating a method for tags on my del.icio.us account. I have been using that extensively for the last couple months, along with Bloglines and building up quite a collection. It was important to me to have a stable method of tagging, so that I could actually find and know how to find the sites again.
I worked out some general terms that I would use, and from that also a theoretical hierchy of terms. So that one term, say "InformationLiteracyResources" would indeed have all of the information literacy resources I find, but each resource I found would also be broken down into a smaller category defined by terms such as "Evaluating Information" or "SearchingTools" which could even further be specified as things like "videos" or "tutorials".
That way I can keep track of EVERYTHING Information Literacy related, but also those things I might have a specific and immediate need for (a tutorial on evaluating information, for example.)
As needs for new categories and subcategories have arisen, I try to take a moment to think through what the best, overarching term would be for me to remember and return to. So somewhere deep in my mind it all does make sense.. now it's just a matter of remembering it all. Which is proving to be more difficult than I think it should be. hmm...

Blogging 2.0

I started this blog a couple months ago when I began using the feed reader, as a way to keep track of my interesting finds and to prompt active response to them. Instead of doing that as much, I've taken advantage (possibly too much advantage) of the Clipping tool. It has allowed me to continue in the typical habit of "internet reading". I scan something, find it potentially interesting/useful, and "clip" it to read "later". That undefinable "later"...
Clipping hasn't served entirely as a deteriment though. I have found it to be a big help. First of all, in providing an ease of keeping track of sites that I have visited (see May 29th's post.)
But I am struggling with the bloglines blogging tool.. It's best quality is the quick/easy alignment with the feed-reader, allowing me to imbed the material I want to comment on, within my blog, and with one click! But that's where the "good" qualities end.
Unless I just haven't figured anything out (after browsing the FAQ, forum and google searches for about an hour), it's capabalities are minimal at best. When I finally figured out how to "edit" a post, I found that it redated a post to whenever I edited it. There goes my sneaky way of pretending like I don't ever make spelling errors.When I tried to retrieve a post I had "saved" to my clippings folder (the only way I could find to "hide" or "make something "private") all I could find was a blank entry. And while layout maynot be the most important thing - is there not even a background color option?
I could possibly be revealing my ignorance with these comments.. but if so, someone please help me??
And I really don't mean to complain. I love the feed-reader service they provide and that they add a blog to the mix. But the blog could do with a dosage of "user-friendliness".
That said, I'll make a new post as I change subjects to focus on social bookmarking. Yippee!

Engaging

I read this article on 10 Easy Ways to Engage Students. It was helpful, in that it provided an accurate, and yet academic way to engage students. Often when I hear statements like that or terms like "edutainment" encouraged over and over again I get discouraged because it seems like people want to turn the educational world into entertainment, as if that was the only way to reach students. But it's not, so I want to figure out how to reach them without missing the point, without giving away time that needs to be spent educating. And yet I don't want to lose students in the process.
Here are a few ideas I have:- Introduce the class by having students break up and find definitions to "Information" "Literacy" and "Information Literacy"- Have class introduce themselves on the board, along with their major and a topic.- On plagiarism lesson, have students take sides and debate the issue. - ???

I thrive on organization!

I need to find as centralized and easily-accessible of a place as possible to keep track of and organize all the links, blogs, and resources I come across. Recently I have been trying out a number of different tools, which has resulted in my information being scattered across 4-5 websites. Currently:freelink.org - pros: easy enough to get to; has folder-style organization- cons: logging in/out all the time; not the most user-friendly interface - takes a bit to add a source to it
del.icio.us- pros: easy to add to; can quickly connect to many other resources;-cons: the organization style is not my favorite-would take getting used to; may not appear to be the most "professional" tool
google notes- pros: can centralize around google; can connect with google blogs?; quick and easy; able to make notes as well as keep track- cons: organization takes some effort; not sure how to order sites
bloglines- pros: rss feed of course; can keep track of constantly updated sites; blogging tool- cons: adding individual links not an option; would organize by time not

conclusion: so hard! freelink - seems to be the easiest to let go of, but it's such a foundation so far - at least for directly-teaching-related material: one place to go for anything i might need for a given class - sounds workable.del.iciou.us - could do the same thing i want freelink to do, just not as quick/clearly. could also manage everything else, as long as i set up a specific way to keep track of things (phrases i could use to organize) might take some overhead workgoogle notes - could use for quick/temporary additions, things i'm not sure what i want to do with yet, i would just need to be sure i am constantly updating that info to another source so i don't have two seperate listsbloglines - keep using it as i am; sacrifice centralization here because none of the others have what bloglines does
doesn't solve the centralization dilemma yet - but i could gradually wean myself off of freelink and googlenotes.