Digital Libraries - Are they the future?

Purpose & Approach

I read the article Digital Libraries: Shifting the Landscape and it was written in August 2009. Google has a digitization project where they are trying to get access to copyrighted digitized books. Before they can truly fulfill their goal they need to get approval from the authors and publishers.  Some universities have already partnered with Google and began digitizing their libraries. The article mentioned that the University of Virginia as already partnered with Google and removed 50,000 physical volumes from the Curry School of Education library and replaced them with almost 50,000 digitalized volumes. The authors of this article, Glen Bull and Martha Sites, are both advocators for this project. Glen Bull is a volunteer columnist for Learning & Leading as well as the co-director of Center for Technology and Teacher Education at Curry School of Education.  Martha Sites is an associate university librarian at the University of Virginia and a leader for technology research and instruction. The article mentions the opportunities digitalized libraries and electronic readers would have for educators and the students.  One opportunity was that by having electronic copies allows a book to be in two locations at once. Also by having multiple ways to access vital information offers opportunities to rethink the ways teaching and learning takes place in the classroom. The article also discusses how electronic readers, like the Kindle, were finding their way into the mainstream and the many benefits both students and teachers would receive.  An example is the text-to-speech option where the students can increase their comprehension and focus as they read.  Now being year 2012 we all know that this is quite accurate. Some of us have already seen the benefits of having an electronic reader or iPad.  Jacob Weisberg, editor-in-chief of Slate, I think made quite an accurate assumption when he stated that “the 500-year marriage between printing and reading may be nearing its end.” Librarians also expressed their views on having a digitalized library: “patrons use 20% of collection 80% of the time… how about retain 20% of collections in physical format and fabricate others publications as needed.”   I defiantly think the librarians made a good point. Why not utilize the technology that is being vastly available?

Personal Connection

I would defiantly support the Google digitalization project and feel they are defiantly going in the right direction when it comes to technology and education combining forces.  Digitalized books I see having more pros than cons. The possibilities are endless when you have all the knowledge in the palm of your hand. In my own classrooms I would support having electronic readers because they can be used in all aspects of the curriculum. I see them providing the students a more rounded view on history and better opportunities to learn new things. By scanning every printed book into a digital copy not only protects the knowledge contained in that book (lost, stolen, burned, etc…), but also gives people more access to information. 

Conclusion

I share the same optimism as Jacob when it comes to electronic reading and I agree when he stated that this “will bring more good than harm … and that new modes of communication will spur new forms while breathing life into old ones.” Because this article was written in 2009 and I had to do some extra research to see what ended up happening with Google’s project. I thought it was a great idea and here is what I found.

In 2005, the Association of American Publishers sued Google for their digitalization (book-scanning) project. The University Librarian, Anne Kenney, from Cornell Library even submitted a letter to the court that stated her reservations, but also recognized the “inestimable… potential benefit to research in Google’s project.” Despite the support Google got from other universities like Cornell University Library and University of Michigan and their willingness to pay the authors/publishers for their work. On March 22, 2011 the U.S. Court of Appeals judge rejected the proposed deal from Google and they were not allowed to display full books online that are currently under copyright. Google does have the scanned material in their database, but they are not allowed to provide full-digital copies because their database still falls under copyright law. The Universities still support and participate in Google’s scanning project. Google has an agreement with the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC) to scan CIC library materials and the library materials at the University of Minnesota. Professor Barbara Correll English made a very good statement about the Court’s decision: “I understand concerns on the part of publishing authors who earn royalties…the federal court decision seem to reflect this and to support traditional ideas on intellectual property”.

Now reflecting on what Barbara said about the court’s support for traditional ideas on intellectual property really reminded me of a time in history we call the ‘Dark Ages”. During this time it was going against the Church and viewed as a sin to want to read and gain knowledge. The Church felt that the knowledge gained from these books went against their beliefs because it made people question their authority. Books were burned and anything not related to the words of the Bible or the Church was destroyed. The Church knew that knowledge was power and they did not want to lose control. Today’s Courts are stuck on their ‘traditional ideas’ and now we have the opportunity to expose students to an unlimited amount of knowledge at their fingertips. I say embrace it and don’t let the possibility of history being forgotten happen.

Implication

This article aligns with the third NET standard ‘Research and Information Fluency’ for student learning.  The future of digitizing and the benefits it provides is a good tool to be aware of.  Students would learn new ways of applying those tools to ‘gather, evaluate, and use information’.   By having access to a digital copy you are not limited to the library for research, but can access your information in a variety of ways.  Students will also be able to ‘evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks’.

 

Here is the APA reference to this article:

Bull, G., & Sites, M. (2009, August). Digital Libraries: Shifting the Landscape. Leading and

        Learning with Technology, 37, 12-13. Retrieved February 24, 2012, from ISTE.org.

Interactive Virtual Field Trips - Sign Me Up Today!!!

YES! to Virtual Field Trips

Purpose & Approach  

   This article was about Interactive Virtual Field Trips (VFTs) and how your school would benefit on having this type of technology available to the students.  The author Jan Zanetis was in the teaching arena for 20 years and she is not only a big advocate for Interactive Videoconferencing (IVC), but she has also co-written two ISTE books about the topic.  Jan really expresses the benefits of VFTs and the opportunities it has for engaging students.  First let me explain what a Virtual Field Trip (VFT) is and what it looks like.  There are two types of VFTs and they are asynchronous and interactive. Asynchronous VFTs are websites that have text, audio, or video resources that are about specific topics. One example the article gave was a streaming video tour and/or having a host that is podcasted to talk about a collection of photos.  The other type of VFT is interactive and these take place in real time.  What is neat about Interactive VFTs is that the students are able to interact with real experts and ask questions on the spot.  Many places are taking advantage of this type of technology including science centers (NASA), hundreds of museums, and many experts who will take your classroom to a historical site to study.  The only hurdle in getting this type of interactive technology going at your school is that you must have access to large group videoconferencing equipment and this can be pricey.  There are grants and financing options for schools who are interested, but research has shown the overall costs to having these types of field trips out way the expense for actually going outside of school grounds. Not only that but you’re not limited to your local area. With these type of field trips you can visit anywhere in the world and get real expert knowledge on any topic your studying.

Personal Connection

      I defiantly wish I had this type of technology available to me as a student. This would be really beneficial especially for those of us who grow up in small towns where the nearest city is over an hour away. Interactive VFTs could really open doors to explore and encourage curiosity about new things to study in the classroom.  As a teacher I would feel empowered to really seek out those opportunities for learning.  Each month we could study a new topic in history, science, math, etc… and bring to the classroom a field trip to better connect the students to new concepts and real life application.  The article mentioned how a class was learning averages for math and so they had a field trip to the National Baseball Hall of Fame where they studied how to compute batter averages. That is amazing!  Someday I hope this technology will be available to all students. I say YES! to Interactive VFTs.

Conclusion

     In conclusion, this article taught me about a new technology I never thought of to use in a classroom.  The possibilities on how we can learn are endless and it helps when the borders are stripped away.  The end of the article explained what steps were needed to bring this technology to your classroom. Step one is to locate or get access to videoconferencing equipment.  Step two is to access quality content (per grade level/ subject area/etc) and register for a program. One reliable resource for quality content that was provided was (www.cilc.org).  

Implication

     This article aligns with the second NET standard ‘Communication and Collaboration’ for student learning. This article was about giving students the opportunity to not only visit, but also communicate with experts from around the world in real time.  Giving the students the chance to better understand not only the subject material, but also develop a ‘cultural understanding and global awareness’ of things outside their everyday community. This gives each student a new angle of looking at the subject material and support individual learning.

Below is the APA reference for this article:
Zanetis, J. (2009, March). The Beginner's Guide to Interactive Virtual Field Trips. Leading and Learning with  
     Technology, 37(6), 20-23. Retrieved February 17, 2012, from ISTE.org.

Is Blogging Worth the Risk!?

After reading the Article: Is blogging worth the risk? from Iste.org.  I would have to take the side of Lisa Nielson and say NO.  James Maxlow did make some good points about blogging and how this form of communication is a great learning tool for students.  He stated that “effective communication requires us to consider the effects our words might have on our listeners or readers.” I agree with this because we do need to learn how to take responsibility for what we say and be aware of how our words can affect others. However, in a professional setting words can be taken out of context, misinterpreted, and can be detrimental to your personal and professional life.   Even though James stated he would not want to work for an organization that would fire someone for their personal expressions on a blog. I don’t think it is the organization you would have to worry about, but all of the individuals who are a part of that organization and the community.  I don’t believe there is such thing as a professional blog. Yeah you may sensor your words or only discuss certain topics, but regardless it is your personal opinion and if you represent a company you should remain neutral to any topics on a professional level.  I think that our voices should be heard and we should stand up for our opinions, but there is a time and a place.  As a future educator I don’t see anything wrong with having an active blog associated to a classroom, but guidelines would need to be in place and there would need to be parental permission for the students. But I still don’t think it would be worth the risk.  I think as a class there would be a better way to communicate that could take place in a safer environment.

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