My new column is available at LJ’s site: http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2012/06/opinion/michael-stephens/our-common-purpose-office-hours/ “Get a blog, launch texting, create a Facebook page” has been the rallying cry—from me, too—for some time, but the reasons for doing these things should be clear. They’re an extension of what we have always done, the foundational purpose of libraries. Service. Access. Context. Many LIS programs include “how-to” technology classes. These are useful for providing the skills new grads need to be marketable. Along with those skill-based courses, however, we must give students opportunities to learn how to engage actively with people, facilitate people’s interests and conversation, and promote […]
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This is a course preview video for those SJSU SLIS students who may be interested in my fall class “The Hyperlinked Library & Emerging Technologies.” The Hyperlinked Library is an open, participatory institution that welcomes user input and creativity. It is built on human connections and conversations. The organizational chart is flatter and team-based. The collections grow and thrive via user and staff involvement. Librarians are tapped in to user spaces and places online to interact, have presence and point the way. Casey & Savastinuk describe the participatory service model: “It is a model for library service that encourages constant […]
This is a course preview video for those SJSU SLIS students who may be interested in my fall class “Transformative Learning & Technology Literacies.” All information professionals will most probably be called upon to create or present some form of instruction in the scope of their jobs. Within information environments, this class explores models such as Mezirow’s concept of transformative learning, the USER model, and the Learning 2.0/23 Things program as well as developing concepts such as Jenkins’ transmedia navigation. Draft Syllabus (“Greensheet”) is here: https://tametheweb.com/2012/04/04/transformative-learning-and-technology-literacies-updated-for-fall-2012/
Please take some time to view this incredible presentation: Understanding the Learner Experience: Threshold Concepts and Curriculum Mapping, Char Booth and Brian Mathews In order to improve library instruction, we need to develop a richer understanding of the holistic learning and teaching experience of our institutions. Threshold concepts are core ideas in a particular area or discipline that, once understood, transform perceptions of that subject. Curriculum mapping is a method of visualizing insight into the courses, requirements, and progressions a learner negotiates as they pass through a particular department or degree. When understood and applied in tandem, these strategies provide […]
At the request of the students, our class embarked on a geography themed expedition this year to study the beauty and mystery of this huge country. All the students in our class are new to the US. After researching they have became experts on one of the US Census regions. In addition, they developed a practical understanding of how the world is categorized into the 5 themes of geography. –Catherine Paul I wanted to share this awesome project some of the teens who use my library just did at their school. They came into the library today and were really […]
After two days of faculty retreat, we are finishing the week with the SJSU SLIS Faculty Institute. Our faculty and adjuncts have gathered here in San Jose from all over for workshops and discussion about teaching. I’m doing a talk this afternoon on using social media in teaching. The slides are here: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/239835/SLISStephensSocialMedia.pdf Learning Everywhere: http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2012/04/opinion/michael-stephens/learning-everywhere-office-hours/
In Library Journal this past month, I explored the concept of “learning everywhere.” Here’s a snip: This semester, I’m teaching a new class based on Mezirow’s concepts of transformative learning, the work of Char Booth in the arena of user instruction, and the Learning 2.0 model…. We’re working with consultant Polly-Alida Farrington, who teamed up three groups of my students with two libraries and a school library consortium in New York State. Over the course of our 15-week semester, each group is adapting, designing, and running a “mini-23 Things” for its assigned organization. It’s been a fun, chaotic, and messy experience. […]
My new “Office Hours” column is up at Library Journal online: http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2012/04/opinion/michael-stephens/learning-everywhere-office-hours/ The trend, “Education paradigms are shifting to include online learning, hybrid learning, and collaborative models,” also describes the move from place-based learning and information access. These ideas for change are synthesized in what Henry Jenkins calls “connected learning.” Jenkins, professor of communication, journalism, and cinematic arts at the University of Southern California, offers principles of connected learning that illustrate how far we’ve come and where we might be going: a shared purpose between learners and peers, a production-centered focus on creation and curation of things, and an openly networked atmosphere […]
A quick version of my trends and technology talk from the super cool SJSU SLIS Booth we had at PLA.
I am happy to announce both of my fall 2012 courses will be available in the WISE program: Web-based Information Science Education (WISE) is a unique and groundbreaking opportunity in online Library and Information Science (LIS) Education. Leading schools in the information field have extended their reach outside the traditional classroom to broaden the educational opportunities available to their students. The WISE Consortium uses advanced technology as a means to enrich LIS education and foster relationships among students, faculty, and universities, through course sharing an cooperative pedagogical training. The vision of this initiative is to provide a collaborative, cost-effective distance education model that will […]