Tame The Web

Helene Blowers presents “Ten Tips for 23 Things” in the new SLJ:

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6600689.html

I especially appreciate this one:

9. Enable transparency and practice radical trust.

Transparency and radical trust are two of the cornerstones of the whole 2.0 movement, and these elements are no less important to the learning environment. In creating this effort to fully engage and empower the staff, my library had to assume an unprecedented trust in our employees and practice transparency when it came to communicating with them. Allowing staff members to blog openly and anonymously implies a great deal of faith and is not something with which every organization is immediately comfortable. But once you experience the benefits and see how this approach motivates and empowers staff to learn on their own, it’s hard to imagine proceeding otherwise.

It is also important to recognize that transparency in online participation relates to an individual’s comfort level. Take the matter of an individual’s identity. Participants should be allowed to choose how they identify themselves, whether they blog under their real name or some other moniker.

I take notes, share those notes, and build a community with my peers - just by using twitter -it’s really quite simple.

This is how I feel about Twitter in the classroom.  But the 9/18/08 article over at Techdirt, and the comments in particular, paints some different hues (see: “Should you live blog/twitter a class?“).

Last weekend I was engulfed in one of three weekend intensive sessions in Michael’s “Library 2.0 & Social Networking Technologies” class.  As he went through his well-honed version of “The Hyperlinked Library”, I thought, “man, it would be cool to capture some of this and my reflections.”  At this point some might be saying, “yes, Kyle, you should be taking notes.”  But I took it one step further.

I hopped on Twitter, signed up for a quick account, and started tweeting(?) my heart out with every thought and quick reflection.  I also linked my tweets straight into my class Wordpress MU blog.  Soon enough, a classmate had seen my twitter and we became reflective friends.

But at lunch time I timidly asked Michael, “yea, would you be mad if I Twittered class?”  Those of you who know Michael would know that angry would not be his response to this.  He was more intrigued and interested and happy than anything else.

If you’ve read the Techdirt article you know that this is the complete opposite reaction than that of the NYU journalism professor.  But I will admit, I’m just as guilty as most students who zone off in class and dive into the ether that is Facebook - and I’ve done it in Michael’s class, too (*sorry :/*).  But I turned my lust for technology and social networking into a productive method by writing my reflections in Twitter.  On top of that, I got to know some of my classmates before even saying a “hello” to them.

As Brian Rowe, a commenter in the article, wrote:

Sharing what you learn or don’t learn is an important part of being global citizen and helping free culture

I couldn’t agree more.  But some couldn’t agree less, as in this comment by Vince:

I can’t defend this. I believe this material should not be posted outside of the classroom…this material is not owned by the student.

He continues to say:

Universities usually have some sort of internal CMS such as Blackboard or WebCT that allows them to share classroom material and most professors actively use these systems. Theres [sic] no excuse.

I agree with Vince, students shouldn’t and legally can’t copy their professors’ academic work for public access unless that is their wish.  Michael posts “The Hyperlinked Library” here at TTW, but I still wouldn’t post any other of his materials without permission.

What I’m doing is taking brief reflective notes - similar to how I would do it in a notebook - and providing my classmates with an opportunity to respond to my reflections.

I’m curious:  Any grad students (or any student readers for that matter) who blog or use Twitter in class?

~Kyle Jones~
TTW Contributor

Cindi Trainor responded to my question in this post with a Google map mash up with this link. Thanks Cindi!

http://www.robcoers.nl/weblog-artikelen/23-dingen-op-de-kaart.html

Rob Coers posts an interactive Google mash up of all of the libraries in Holland that he’s helped do a 23 Things program.

My question: have I missed the one that highlights how many times the program has been done worldwide?

Tomorrow, I’ll be at Mt. Prospect Public Library to speak at their staff day. The library is launching a version of Learning 2.0. Check it out:

http://mppllearning2point0.pbwiki.com/

If you are attending, please say hi!

Hats off to Kyle Cook and all the folks who created Tenn Share Learn & Discover, a version of Learning 2.0 created on the Ning platform. Check it out:

http://tennshare.ning.com/

The use of avatars and the presentation of the discovery modules just plain rocks. Well done!

Jen Maney, Virtual Library Manager, at the Pima County Public Library wrote to say that her Emerging Tech team has kicked off a statewide Learning 2.0 program today called Baker’s Dozen: Learning 2.0 Arizona. They are using a wiki for the program - http://bakersdozenarizona.wetpaint.com/ Any library staff member in Arizona (any kind of library, including library school students!) can participate. 

I can tell a lot of work and thought went into this series of workshops:

http://becoming20.pbwiki.com/

Well done Bobbi & Robin!

I had a wonderful time speaking at Columbus Metropolitan Library, helping to launch Learn & Play @ CML. One very cool thing is that they have outside participants following along as well as staff from all over the system. I was most impressed with the team who put the project together.

I customized a version of The Hyperlinked Library for them. The slides are here.

Rock on, CML!

Yesterday was a great day at Columbus Metropolitan Library. I did two sessions of a customized version of the Hyperlinked Library to help launch the Learn & Play program. The staff seemed very excited to begin and some had already ramped up their blogs. I talked to some good folks over the wonderful vegetarian-friendly lunch, including Nick, who shared the following from my morning talk at his blog he’ll be using for the program. I like the fact that he’s capturing ideas, actions and things to ponder further and putting it out there.

http://cycholibrarian.wordpress.com/2008/08/12/cml-goes-20/

Anytime I go to one of these sorts of presentations I always come across with a whole bunch of random thoughts and notes that I want to follow up on or do something with, even if I don’t know what right away. So here’s a sample of random thoughts from today’s presentation.

• It’s all about the user experience, both at the library and online. If we create a great experience, people will want to come to both our site and our buildings. But this only works if the experience is seamless. We can’t put up a site and wait for people to find us, we need to put ourselves where people already are so that they trip over us. Don’t make silos!
• What are we doing that restricts/controls customers/staff/spaces/web? Why do we do it? what do we lose by doing it? If a customer has a choice of going to the library where they can’t do x/y/z or a bookstore where they can, which place will they go?
• Need to start taking down signs.
• Need to edit the CML wikipedia entry
• Know what groups you’re trying to reach and find ways to engage them.
• Transparency: why do we lock down everything and keep everyone from making content? Most people are well-intentioned, and if someone decides to do something nasty we can deal with it as it comes up. Or for that matter, make the community self-policing. Let users flag objectionable material or otherwise notify us that there’s a problem.
• We need to use our staff from top to bottom. Everyone has expertise, how do we mine all that knowledge for our customers? Let them read the staff blogs?
• I can’t believe how many tweets are out there about the library! Why aren’t we already watching this? If someone tweets about the library, we should be answering!
• We’re putting so much effort into launching chat reference, and all we really need to do is embed a Meebo widget in the catalog! Let’s do it!
• “To be curious means to explore first.”
• Why can’t we send a bluetooth message to enabled phones as soon as they walk in our buildings? “Welcome to the library, here’s what’s going on.”
• Don’t let fear prevent you from trying something. There’s always reasons not to do something, why not just try it?
• The time to act is now. We don’t have to proofread every memo for 3 hours. Last night a customer said to me that customers he knows have been asking for more computers for 3 years. We’ve got a committee working on it now, but why did it take 3 years? What’s been holding us back?
• Why do we worry about kids using Myspace and FaceBook on the library computers? This is how they communicate! How is it different from the group of teens sitting in the Teen area talking? They’re still at the library!

I am really looking forward to visiting Columbus Metropolitan Library to help launch their Learn & Play program next week. Get a load of the video the folks there made to generate interest and excitement. I’m impressed with the creativity for sure.

Helene Blowers blogged it too and said:

Hat’s off to the awesome team leading this effort. Gerald, Joy, Sam, Tonya, John & Tammy (hope I haven’t forgot anyone) You guys rawk! 

Rock On Carol!, originally uploaded by mstephens7.

Carol called her post “Attempting Garage Band Podcast,” but take a listen because she did really well!

I am enjoying the discoveries of the SLJ Learning 2.0 participants.

http://techtalkpps.wordpress.com/2008/07/29/attempting-garage-band-podcast/

In two weeks I’ll be at the Columbus Metropolitan Library to help launch their Learning 2.0 program. The program is called Learn & Play @ CML. If you are attending any of these sessions, which they are opening to other interested library folk in the area, please say Hi.

http://www.columbuslibrary.org/ebranch/index.cfm?pageid=241

• Objection #15 - The Silent Yet Deadly
• Objection #14: Prove It!
• Objection #13: How Do You Measure ROI?
• Objection #12: How Will You Measure That It Is Working?
• Objection #11: Too Much Info
• Objection #10: Wasting Time
• Objection #9: They Aren’t Technical
• Objection #8: Out of Date Information
• Objection #7: The Information is Wrong!
• Objection #6: Mixing Things Up
• Objection #5: How Do You Know it’s Accurate?
• Objection #4: Posting Anything, Including Bonobos
• Objection #3: Control of Information
• Objection #2: What Does This Have To Do With Training?
• Objection #1: Socialize!

I’m monitoring 70+ blogs for SLJ’s All Together Now. This caught my eye: Elle writes:

I’d like to send out this question to everyone in 2.0 land:  Seems like when you get a group like this together you have some go-getters in the crowd- probably great on the job, too!  So, tell one or two great ideas, programs, events, tips- whatever, that really stood out for you in the past year, a “tell and share” of sorts!  Soon we’ll have an arsenal of info to tuck into our pockets for that just right time!

Trot on over here:

http://thelibrarytart.edublogs.org/2008/07/25/food-for-the-soul-feeds/

and leave her your hints, tips and tricks.

http://www.netvibes.com/sljalltogethernow

Click through to see all of the particpant blogs.

I am on my way to Traverse City, but lunch at Panera in Grand Rapids and the chance for some wifi beckoned. I also was interested in checking in with the SLJ All Together Now: Learning 2.0 program. I launched Thing #1 today Blogs:

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/290000629/post/770030277.html

With the help of Blake Carver and Kyle Jones, we set up a companion blog site here at TTW to gather all of the participants’ blog URLs. I was tickled (Oh My! That was a horrid typo - I meant TICKLED for sure!!!)to see the first one entered came from Australia! The site is running smoothly on WP 2.6. I took inspiration from things that Aaron Schmidt, Jessamyn West and Casey Bison had done with WP for this.

http://tametheweb.com/alltogethernowblogs/

If you are following the program, please go there and submit a short bio and your blog URL.

I got rather fired up this morning about this program. I am looking forward to the next six weeks with the folks who choose to follow along. I’ll post here and there with updates.

SLJ has had some server ups and downs the past couple of days, so please be patient if things seem weird. 

Announcing All Together Now: A Learning 2.0 Experience!

This is a cross posting from my blog at SLJ.

Greetings All Together Now participants!

This is Michael Stephens, and I’ll be posting to this blog for the next few weeks for this Learning 2.0 course.

When Brian Kenney asked me to take this project on, I was tickled. I’ve watched successful Learning 2.0 programs play out all over the world since the summer of 2006 when Helene Blowers launched the original program she created at the Public Library of Charlotte Mecklenburg County. I was lucky enough to be there for the opening day with my writing partner Michael Casey, to speak to the staff about the emerging tools and the excitement of exploring them for libraries. I love the open, playful, and fun attitude this program brings to libraries. All of the tools in the program are free or virtually free!

About Your Guide

First, a bit about me: I’ve been working with technology in libraries for many years. I started as a paraprofessional at the St. Joseph County Public Library in South Bend, Indiana back in 1991 working with technology in one way or another: AV, reference, public computing, IT, training, etc.

In 2003, I discovered blogging and  was hooked! I started my Tame the Web blog then and have enjoyed writing and sharing with people in libraries since. I’ve also been speaking and working with library groups for the past few years, including a recent trip to Australia to do seven presentations in five cities.

I spent almost 15 years in the public library while finding my way back to school for the doctorate in 2004 so I could teach in a library school. I’ll be starting my third year at Dominican University’s Graduate School of Library and Information Science this fall. I enjoy teaching - classes, workshops, webinars and programs such as this. 

To learn more about me, please visit: http://tametheweb.com/about-michael-stephens/

What is Learning 2.0? 

It’s a program that will “encourage staff to experiment and learn about the new and emerging technologies that are reshaping the context of information on the Internet today.” It’s based on exploring a series of “things” - emerging tools like blogs, wikis, Flickr etc. 

Helene Blowers went on to release the program intiated at PLCMC to the world - so other libraries and organizations could participate as well.  Wired magazine reported on the success of the program, noting that “Libraries all over the world are doing just that — moving the entire Learning 2.0 program to their own websites. The program has been duplicated by university and community library systems in Sweden, Australia, Canada and Denmark. In the United States, programs are underway in South Carolina, Florida, Maryland and California.”

Helene designed the program for self-directed learning and exploration that will only take a little bit of time for each module. By the end of our course, you’ll be able to say you’ve had experience with:

Blogs
Podcasts
RSS
Wikis
Flickr
Web Toys
Web 2.0 & Library 2.0
Social Networking Sites
Video Sites
Twitter
Tagging
Google Apps

That’s 12 things!

So, we have a great adventure ahead of us. We’ll do our own version of Learning 2.0 - for anyone and everyone that wants to participate, far and wide. Then, you’ll be able to take the content and use it in your schools, libraries, organizations…really, everywhere! Hopefully, some of you will roll the program out for your users/students/faculty/staff as well. As we go along, please ponder how you might use these tools to make your life easier, how it might further  your work, and how you might share with others.

Our work will begin the 21st of July! Starting Monday, I’ll put up a post here — the first of our “things” - with instructions to explore. The first thing is getting a blog and trying out blogging.

I’ve worked with a lot of libraries doing these programs and folks sometimes confess they are scared to dive in. These tools seem too new or hard to use. This program is designed to alleviate those worries. Work at your own pace. Work with a colleague or friend. I kid you not, this is a perfect time and a perfect place to experience these things. These rules will help: 

Explore. Try things out. Don’t worry about “breaking” anything! Ask questions. There are no dumb questions. AND It’s okay to make mistakes.

So please dive in. Explore. Play. And share what you are learning and thinking about! 

The Blog for All Together Now is at 

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/290000629.html