Conclusion

At the beginning of this course, I feel that I accurately described my technology weaknesses. I didn't feel good about my abilities with technology, but I knew that I would work hard to try to improve. Sometimes when I take a class, I just view it as one more thing I need to take care of each day. However, I have actually learned much more than I thought I would it in this class. I especially liked the the textbook by Nancy Courtney: Library 2.0 and Beyond. This book has good, concise information about new technologies. It definitely needs an updated version since most of the research was done in 2006, but I still found it very helpful. I am also very glad that we had links to commoncraft.com for explanations of technology. The explanations are quick and easy to understand. I am very excited that I was able to create a wiki for my school district as my technology project. I have never been someone that people would go to for technology questions, but in the last month I've had friends ask me questions because they hear me talking about things I've learned in the class. I went to a technology integration teacher workshop three weeks ago and I was answering questions that many of the other teachers didn't know. I was shocked to realize that in just the short span of this class, I have acquired so much knowledge I didn't have before. Looking over my other blog entries, I feel tempted to go back and make a couple of changes based on new knowledge, but I think it is better to just be able to look back and see my progression. Do I still have holes in my knowledge of technology? Absolutely, but I no longer feel intimidated and frankly, ignorant, when I am faced with learning and figuring out a new piece of the puzzle.

Organizing Books and Materials

Although I have always loved to read, I never really thought much about organizing reading materials until I began working on my master's degree in library science. I can distinctly remember years and years ago being uncomfortable in my public library just learning to use microfiche. It was the late 80's and there was just one computer in the library used only for searching the library catalog. In my mind, there was no way I was going to try to use that thing because I had no idea what to do and I didn't want to embarrass myself. That was definitely a time when all of the knowledge of cataloging belonged in the hands of librarians.
We've obviously come a long way since that day, and I think it's great that more information is in many more hands now. The implications for librarians is that they have to figure out a way to remain relevant and helpful with the power of the organizational structure of materials shifting to "everyman". I really hate to admit that when I started working on this degree in library science, I thought it was just going to be an easy escape out of the exhausting daily task of being not just a teacher, but a good teacher. I never realized what a daunting task it would be to remain up to date with technology and hopefully even a step ahead, so that I can be helpful to those teachers like myself one day, who want to be creative and the best for their students but are too overwhelmed to keep up the pace of ever changing innovations. I don't see any real negatives in the ordinary person having the ability to organize information that was once only in the power of a few. I just realize now that I have to be a person who continues to learn until the day I die if I intend to be good at my job. Since I've always loved learning, it makes me more excited about the prospect of becoming a librarian. Where I once saw it as an escape (and possibly a boring one), I now see it as an opportunity to do what I love while really being able to help other teachers and students in meaningful ways.

The Machine is Us/Using Us.

Dr. Michael Wesch, an anthropology professor at Kansas State University, has developed several YouTube videos outlining the changes in computing and society. His video entitled "The Machine is Us/Using Us" delves into the ways that computers have changed us, and the ways in which we have changed computers. I like his title because it describes how we seem to be controlled by technology. We are lost without our connection to the internet, as if it is a body part that we can't live without. It has all happened so fast that I think we sometimes feel, as least those of us over 4o who didn't grow up with the computer, that we are being pulled along by some huge machine and we have to keep up or become irrelevant. Professor Wesch also points out that we are the change, we are the machine, almost like pulling back the curtain on the "wizard of Oz" and finding ourselves at the helm. Our need for communication, in a world that has increasingly become people inside houses inside fences with little communication between neighbors, has driven the technology of the computer to create neighbors and friends that we can access inside our fortress. The technology of the computer and the internet changes according to what we try to find the most often, use the most often, depend on the most often. We,in turn, change when we have so much access to people, places and ideas, even if we are just connecting to society through a satellite link.

Budgeting for Handheld Devices in my Library

If I were given a $10,000 budget as a librarian for the purchase of handheld devices, I would begin by purchasing 15 e-readers. I would purchase five Sony Readers, five Amazon Kindles , and five Barnes and Noble Nooks. The 15 e-readers would cost approximately $3,500. I believe the e-readers would be a good library purchase because it is becoming increasingly apparent that we will one day become a paperless society, and as librarians we need to keep up with this trend in order to provide our patron with access to the most information available. Since there is more text available to users of e-readers than could be housed in any one library, it would be an opportunity for many of our patrons to read material they would never have had access to otherwise. I think it would be a good idea to begin by making two of each e-reader available to check out by patrons on a trial basis to see how well the loaning process is going to work. The other e-readers would be available for library use with access to subscriptions purchased by the library.

I would purchase ten Ipads to be used by patrons inside the library. This would free up some of the wait time for access to the existing desktop computer in the library. The bonus, however, would be the patrons' access to an extensive list of applications purchased by the library, as well as many free applications. The cost for the Ipads would be approximately $5,000.

I would use $1,000 to buy Iphones for use by three library staff members and another two . The availability of the Iphones for staff members would also require the staff to use their phones not only for business purposes, but also to teach some community classes instructing senior citizens, low income patrons, or any other person interested in learning how to use "smartphone" technology. The remainder of the $1,000 would be used for the purchase of two Iphones for class member use during training. The trend seems to be the ever increasing use of the "smartphone" by the majority of the population, so I believe it would be an asset to teach library patrons without access to this new technology its many uses.

Finally, I would use the remaining $500 to buy digital subscriptions and applications for use on each of the new handheld devices.

Individual Technology Assessment

My weaknesses in technology are somewhat due to my age and also my lack of time due to a busy teaching schedule. I know 42 is not old, but I didn't grow up with technology, so I sometimes struggle with feeling motivated to go out on a limb with the more advanced aspects. I feel very limited in my ability to use the different programs that are available to me. It's not that I don't think I could learn, I just never seem to have the time to invest. I hope to address some of my weaknesses through this class. I also have several students who are a part of a program called PC Academy at my high school, and I hope to get some help and tips from some of them. I have ideas all the time to integrate technology into my lessons, but I feel like it will be so much trouble to figure out everything I need to do that I always put it off. I also hope to use part of my summer to focus on learning new technology. My son will be home from college and he can help me out.
My strengths are that when I use a new technology, I like to first try to figure things out myself before I ask for help. I just believe the more I search and try, the more I learn. I also have a lot of technology available to me through my school. I feel very fortunate that last year all teachers received a projector wired to our computers, which makes technology in the classroom much easier. I also have a document camera, so I don't have to use an overhead projector ever again (yeah !!). I plan to use all that I have available to me, whether it is equipment or helpful people to overcome my technology weaknesses.