Happy Anniversary

Just one year ago today I got my Dell Inspiron 1525 laptop. Oh, how I have loved it. It is such a lovely color which matches my blog and is my favorite color these days. I opted to buy a laptop with a large screen. I have just loved using this computer. It has made so many things possible. It has gone to the MSLA conference last year. Notes were much neater and easier to follow than those from years past. It has gone it on vacation to provide an outlet for inspiration when it strikes and to keep connected while away. I take it with me to do work while waiting for other things to happen. So far I’ve restrained myself from taking it to parades and such.

The Luddite that I was years ago eschewed using the computer. I was sure that the state of handwriting in the US was sure to plummet with the use of computers. I may have been onto something then, but I’m not proud of it. My handwriting certainly has slid into the quagmire, but I will not apologize. What I have lost in fanciful handwriting I have gained in volume, thoughtfulness and quality. There is no doubt in my mind about the usefulness of this machine or the value for the money. I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat. The portability has been a blessing.

Questions

As I continue to think about teaching information fluency skills several things keep coming back to me. Really fundamental to the whole process of research is that very first step: asking questions.

In working through KWL charts and other tasks I found that our students really didn't know how to ask questions. Many of them weren't comfortable with asking questions and even less so with the grammatical structure necessary to be successful questioners. Even some of our most inquisitive students were not able to consistantly ask grammatically correct questions. When you consider that English is not the first language for some of our students, unlocking the mechanics of question making is a considerable, yet very valuable, undertaking.

Having rolled these thoughts over in my mind, I decided to make question asking central to the mission of our library. To this end I designed and created this quilt last summer. The finishing touches weren't completed until November.

Each day I see the quilt hanging in the library and it inspires me all over again. I like question asking to be encouraged in our library. For this reason I try never to disrespect questions our students ask - even ones which make me squirm. Students often ask questions like "How old are you?" or "What's that mark on your face?" or (my favorite) "What happened to your hair?" After saying that as the librarian I like to encourage questions of all sorts, I explain that some adults will think it is rude for children to ask those questions. It's funny that adults often ask these same questions of children. Sometimes we answer the questions, sometimes we talk about how to find the answer. I always want them to feel free to ask questions. It's how we begin our journey.

Thanks Harry

Recently two boys have been sneaking into the library after hours to change out their books. This started when we got that new set of Horrible Harry books. I'm always worried that they will miss their buses. They come swooping in, throw down their returns, run over to the section of Suzy Kline books, grab one and bring it to me to check out. It takes about 30 seconds. Both of these boys will move on to another school next year and they are trying to finish the series before we stop checking out books this year. No need to connect these guys to books...the challenge is to be open when they are ready!

Thing 28 - Conference Blogging

I've been thinking about my experience blogging the conference. Conference blogging requires a whole new skill set which I, regretably, have yet to acquire. Writing an article may seem easy, but it requires some basic writing skills - determining a subject, organizing thoughts, writing a rough outline, fleshing out the thoughts, re-writing, and adding the final touches. It often takes me a day or two to organize my thoughts before I commit them. Sometimes even longer. Conference blogging requires a really different strategy. To attend a session, organize my thoughts and post to the blog all before going to the next session was really overwhelming. I had never taken a laptop to a conference before, so my learning curve began at figuring out how to balance a laptop. It went beyond that, however. How do you take notes for yourself which will be comprehensive enough to be of use afterwards and at the same time create a posting about the overall impression of the session for others to see? The instantaneous distillation of the main points of each presenter is somewhat akin to spontaneous translation. I can imagine using a double screen might be of some use. One screen is for the blog posting. The other for personal notes. Conference blogging is one of those skills like rubbing your tummy while patting your head, that not everyone can get the hang of. I wonder whether I will conquer or be conquered.

Thing 27 - Portability

Several months ago I purchased a laptop. I debated long and hard about the purchase. I didn't really need it, but it sure would make life a lot more efficient. I finally took the plunge. My laptop is a Dell Inspiron 1525 in purple with flowers. I love it. For a long time I didn't like laptops because I didn't like the way the keyboard felt. Either I have gotten used to it or they have vastly improved.



I have taken this laptop many places and logged many hours on it. It has helped me to accomplish more when waiting. It has made it possible for me to work more efficiently. It has enabled me to participate, remember and process more than ever before. Portibility means flexibility and a higher level of productivity for me.



So I am very excited for the opportunity to bring my laptop with me to the MSLA conference tomorrow and Monday and join in the blogging there. If you want to sign on and see what is happening you can check at the conference blog.



Thinking back to a year ago, it is amazing how much technology has become a normal part of my life.

Thing 26 - Technology on the Go

I experienced a powerful surge of technology melding this month as I debated what to do about my car. The poor car needed repairs which would cost more than it was worth. Faithful servant though it may have been, it was time to replace it. It will surprise no one this July that good gas mileage was high on the list of priorities. After consulting a stack of Consumer Reports I went to look at some of my top choices.

While I made my final selection based on reliability, excellent gas mileage, and service I found some perks which delighted me. All the cars I looked at were MP3 compatible. I merely needed to purchase a cord to hook my MP3 player into the car’s audio system. I can now listen to music or downloads through the speakers of my car. This opens up whole new worlds of commuting activities. I used to split my listening time between music and National Public Radio news. Sometimes I would secure a recorder to my safety belt and record lesson ideas as they came to me. These I would type at home. Now I also have the option of catching up on all of those podcasts which I subscribe to, but seldom have time to listen to in the evenings. More options. More decisions. Sometimes information overload overwhelms me, but the opportunities which MP3/car compatibility have opened up for me help to ease the strain.

In the process of getting myself ready, I had a funny encounter with a digital native. The necessary cord had to be purchased and I was directed to Circuit City. Looking around I was unable to locate the cord easily and decided it would be faster if I asked an employee. The young man I selected knew just what I was looking for. When I told him how excited I was to have this new capability he fixed that “Mom, you’re embarrassing me” look, rolled his eyes and said “It’s quite a common thing these days. Nothing special.” I walked away amused and awakened. Whenever I think I’m catching up, that I might even be on the cutting edge, something happens to awake me from my revere. So long as I don’t slip too far behind.

Thing 25 - Seeing clearly

Back in April I had the good fortune to meet with three women I greatly admire and respect. All three of them are intelligent, vivacious, warm and powerful. All three of them have seen me through some tough times. I hadn't seen any of them in months. Imagine my surprise when I found that all three of them now sport purple specks! We decided that it must be a sisterhood of kindred spirits.

So what does that have to do with web 2.0? As it turns out, plenty. As I visited with these friends and shared what I had found through the course, I found myself thinking more and more about the end user. My friends reminded me that web 2.0 is just a set of tools to use. I spent the rest of the spring thinking about when to use one of these marvelous tools and when using the tool might mean loosing sight of the end user. This may be a simple, obvious thought, but one I have found worth revisiting as I become more accustomed to a wider variety of web 2.0 applications.

By the way, the picture above was taken at a museum using my cell phone. This represents a first for me. All three of the glasses are purple, but they are all different. This underscores for me the fact that even with our similarities we are all individuals. That's something I want to remember when thinking about web 2.0.