Bloglines vs. Google Reader

Both Bloglines and Google Reader are relatively easy to set up and easy to use. The have easy to read displays and are easy to navigate. The difference that would probably sway me toward Google Reader is that I already use Google for other services, so it would make GR the more convenient choice. Bloglines, as Gabrielle points out, requires another stop.

Response to Feed

I loved this book when we read it for YA literature. The whole 1984 thing sparks my imagination. I definitely think that at some point in time, science and technology could develop to make it possible for computers to be incorporated into the brain. The idea that computers could ascertain our interests and then develop a profile of us that would then inform the kind of information we receive in the future is a scary thought. It happens somewhat already when we shop on Amazon. We are given choices of others things to buy based upon what other shoppers making the same purchase also bought. However, if this filtering were to limit information relating to news, education, public affairs, social interests, the impact would be for someone else to be deciding for us the total context within which we live. That would be scary stuff....

Social Software: It's all new to me

I will admit that I am a social software novice. I have never blogged. I thought only birds tweeted, and I have rarely IM'd. So it was with great trepidation that I signed up for this class, viewing it kind of like I view exercise ... I'd be in pain at first, but once I got through it, I would be glad that I did it.

What strikes me most about all of the software that we have been using is that for the most part, it creates a greater sense of connection among online classmates. In other classes, we got to know classmates through asynchronous posts. Social software, such as IM and even to a certain extent Twitter, promotes a type interaction that is more spontaneous than the well thought-out, well articulated comments of the traditional on-line class posts of most classes. This kind of interaction feels more genuine and more closely simulates, for me, a traditional classroom experience.

Blogs add yet another dimension because they provide a forum for classmates to express themselves more fully and less formally. Usually in an online class post, students try to be succinct, knowing that others, including the teacher, have the entire class' posts to read. In the blog format, students follow only the blogs to which they are assigned or those that interest them, so there is less concern about length and therefore, more freedom of expression for the writer. Classmates get a better view of one another thought these more detailed blog postings.

I definitely think that when I am school librarian, I will utilize these technologies as much as possible. They have so much potential for augmenting the learning process and for making learning more fun and interesting for our students. Whether I blog or tweet with my friends, who are mostly older and not very technologically savvy, is another story, ie., probably not going to happen, but who knows, never say never, right????

Blogger v. LiveJournal

Blogger features:

• Can use with mobile phone
• Has chat rooms for collaboration
• Can download pictures and video
• No voice or IM communciation
• Has Blogger Buzz feature which has blogs of interest and recent updates on Blogger.

LiveJournal features:

• Can use with mobile phones
• Has posting communities for collaboration
• Can download pictures, but no video
• Gizmo Project = voice and IM client for LJ talk so people can communicate in real time
• Has an "Explore LJ" feature that categorizes blogs by subject
• Has a to "do list" feature
• Provides faster service for paying customers

School Library Blogs

I was looking for a good elementary school blog and it wasn't easy. Many of them were not updated. Some were not all that creative. One was even a venting place for the MS frustrations with her job (ugh). I found this blog
http://www.grandviewlibrary.org/StudentBlogs.aspx . What I liked about it was that it was the only one that I found that allowed elementary level students to blog. This is part of a third grade experimental project. The students' names are not being used, but they are being given numbers instead. They are talking about books they are reading. I think this is a great idea. The website clearly set out "blogging rules" and as long as teachers explain and enforce those rules, I think this can be a great experience for the students in another form of collaboration.

Messages for Librarians from Brown & Duguid

Technology has great possibilities for the information industry. However, in order for technology to reach its full potential its designers must be mindful of its social context and must incorporate its social resources. For librarians, this means that in employing technology in our libraries, we must always be sensitive to the specific needs of the users and the unique environment of the library in which the technology will be used.

One way librarians accomplish this is by OPACs more user-friendly and compatible with the way an average user searches. Librarians can also use social software tools to make their services more available to the public. For example, IM brings reference services to their patrons outside of the library building. Further, blogs could be used not only to keep patrons informed, but to solicit their opinions and ideas, thus giving them a stake in the direction of library development. By using interactive technology in this way, technology becomes a means to of drawing patrons into the fold of the library and its programs. It thereby solidifies the library's role in the community.