To blog or not to blog that is the question

There was an interesting article in the Weekent Australian (August 4-5) 2007 ( Disentangle it now, this web of deceit) on whether web 2.0 and the democratise of the interent is actually doing anything to improve our society. Is it democracy or just trash with millions of self indulgent people talking to themselves wtihout anything useful or constructive to say. ( I have to admit I do wonder about this now that I have become a blogger).

The author, Andrew Keen is concerned that authorative information and insightful discussion is being overwhelmed by wikipedia type websites and cutting and pasting. and copying of ideas. He said many corporate identities are now blogging to give their scew on things without people realising where the information is actually coming from. He is also concerned about the cult of the amatuer, killing out the mainstream professional media.

I can see his point, although I have loved the idea of the democratisation of the Internet. We still need people who are qualified and doing indepth study and research of various topics to be giving us their views to help balance and give depth to our knowledge.

It falls back to the old idea that it is important to look at many sources for your information. It is also important to have your opinon heard and not be afraid to share it. Blogging allows amatuer and porfessionals to do that. It encourages people to develope viewpoints and think about why they believe in certain issues. Hopefully it will encourage people to hone their skills and become more insightful. However I still need the opinions of the experts for guideance and understanding about a huge range of issues, before I can even begin to develop any sort of opinion or comment.

Class system in Online communities

Saturdays Age Insight August 4 had an interesting article on a class system developing in Internet communities. The ideas came from Danah Boyd, An American PHD student studyng online communities. She is speaking in Australia next week on what young people are doing online.
Her articles discuss the differences in class developing between Facebook and Myspace. One example she uses is the American Military ( where myspace but not Face book was recently banned) Can we draw comparisons with anything in Australia.
She says her article is purely based on observation rather than academic research. She hopes to complete academic research in the area but believes it is important to start the discussion now. It makes you wonder about the Department of Education ban on such spaces.
http://www.danah.org/papers/essays/ClassDivisions.html

MP3 Player

Hi All
I have purchased an Mp3 player recorder for the library from Big W for 69.95. It is a Phillips audio player ( 1 gig a byte) Some of the Louise 's student's have already recorded on it. I was very impressed. I just have to work out how to load their reviews on My library resource blog. I am going to check out the website www://podomatic.com for tips on uploading the recording to a podcast.

I have found some other websites and articles that may be of interest about podcasting, if anyone wants to check them out. http://www.learninginhand.com/podcasting/ http://www.groups.edna.edu.au/course/view.php?id=874

Hangin' with the Cool Kids. Authors: Barack, Lauren Source: School Library Journal; Feb2007, Vol. 53 Issue 2, p22-23, 2p, 2c Document Type: Article Subject Terms: AUDIO-visual educationCOMPUTER-assisted instructionCONGRESSES & conventionsEDUCATIONAL technologyTEACHING -- Aids & devicesPODCASTING
Abstract: The article looks at 2nd annual Macworld K-12 Educators Symposium, sponsored by the educational nonprofit Computer-Using Educators. The conferences provided insider tips on podcasting, gaming, and other technologies to enhance learning in the classroom. The article discusses Apple TV, the iPhone, and the software package iLife. Full Text Word Count: 554 ISSN: 0362-8930 Accession Number: 23962083 Persistent link to this record: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=anh&AN=23962083&site=ehost-live Database: Australia/New Zealand Reference Centre

Title: Podcast U.,
By: Farivar, Cyrus, PC Magazine, 08888507, 5/22/2007, Vol. 26, Issue 11 Database: Australia/New Zealand Reference Centre Find More Like ThisPodcast U Section: FRONT SIDE Now you can take Ivy League classes without paying exorbitant tuition or wearing a crest-emblazoned blue blazer DAN FISHER-OWENS HASN'T BEEN AN undergraduate student in 14 years, but that doesn't stop him from attending a history lecture on European civilization at the University of California at Berkeley — while walking his dog in San Francisco. Fisher-Owens, a 36-year-old attorney, spent about a month listening to the lectures via podcast available to the public. "I wanted something that stimulated my brain other than NPR News," Fisher-Owens says. Berkeley is one of many American universities to offer lectures via podcast to the general public. Harvard creates podcasts of its Extension School courses in subjects such as computer science. Stanford's podcasts include "Modern Theoretical Physics," and the University of South Carolina has podcast lectures in general chemistry and more. Many of the lectures have audiences across the globe, from Texas to Tibet. "We feel that learning happens the other 23 hours of the day [when students aren't in lecture] and it's great to make that available to life learners," says Ben Hubbard, the comanager of the Webcast program at Berkeley. For students, of course, listening to podcasts is no substitute for being actively engaged with the class and doing the reading. But "life learners," such as Fisher-Owens, can gain a lot from following an undergraduate survey course, even without the reading load that is required of people who are formally enrolled. And for those considering going back to school, podcast lectures can be a good way to test the waters. ~~~~~~~~ By Cyrus Farivar

Well things have been very quiet on the library front because I have been walking the streets of Sydney. We stayed in a guest house in Glebe Point road and tried as many cheap eat restaruants in the area as we could fit In. I also checked out numerous bookshops. No doubt many of these items will end up in my TAFE library. Once they are read I love to share them with everyone else. This will be one of my goals with the library podcasts. I would like people to share their ideas about some of the library resources. I have been checking out equipment for recording. Harvey Norman has a little recorder player with 2 gigabytes of memory for 89.00/ My only worry is that this will not be enough space. Does any one have any idea how much space you need to both make a podcast and listen to one?

I am very excited by the thought of using new technologogies in the library. There was a great article in Tuesday's Age (June 17 2007 p3)about using RFID ( Radio Frequency Identifaction tags) so people can self check out resources. This will hopefully leave more time for staff to work with customers using computers , accessing information, choosing library resources and helping them access web 2.0 software. This sort of technology would work well in a one person library.

A day in the life of a tafe librarian

Today I have escaped my library hard walls to travel through cyberspace. I am attending a workshop on web 2 tools. I am interested in these tools because I want to explore alternative ways of creating and present information. I don't only want to help people access information I want to help them create it. I like the idea of the democratisation of information. I would like to explore the idea of who and what is a reliable source of information. The idea of debating what is true and what is not; the idea of exploring perspectives and versions of events, is particarly important currently when our prime minister is suggesting that students should be taught that there is only one way of looking at things, namely his way.