"Hot Technologies"

The Orange Sign and other “Hot Technologies”

This is the last blog in my series of class blogs on using “hot technologies.” I use the web on a regular basis for work, school and entertainment but this assignment provided many new tools. I have found new ways to find information on the web. I now have a better understanding of RSS and know what the orange button means. I have found blogs that I probably would not have visited. This lesson was my first introduction to DRM and RFID. The explanations for Wikis and Podcasting were great. This was a very helpful exercise.

The source for this section of the blog is a posting from the Library Stuff feed. Jacket Copy posted the following on February 26, 2009, “Attend class, or just download it?” The entire post is in quotations. It discusses Hubert Dreyfus’, University of California Berkeley, experience with offering a class on iTunes U. According to the post, his attendance dropped and iTunes students received better test scores. The post further explained that research suggested that students who download do better on tests than those who attended traditional lectures.

As a returning student, I was very concerned about taking classes using the web. I really like the classroom discussion and being able to ask questions receiving an immediate response. Sometimes questions and concerns get lost in an e-mail. I am considering taking the cataloging class in the summer and shared this with a former SLIS student. She said I should take it but only if I did not plan on taking vacation. Another individual suggested that the best way to take cataloging was in class. However, I have a classmate who is taking the class on-line this semester and is having a great experience. I will make my decision after reviewing the summer and fall course schedules. I do like having options.

Interesting Exhibits

Interesting Exhibits

This is my second blog. Using the Bloglines feeds has been a fun, learning experience. While reviewing the posts for Librarians’ Internet Index: New This Week, I came across a posting pertaining to two library exhibits. The first post was for War, Women & Survival: Sometimes it takes courage to survive. The posting provided a synopsis of the exhibit and a link. I am interested in women’s history and exhibits.

War, Women & Survival is an exhibit from the Manuscript and Special Collections of the University of Nottingham. The original exhibit was on display in 2005. It is a chronological exhibit. Women shared their stories and provided images. The online version includes substantial text about sacrifice and service, in battle and at home.

I also found a post for another exhibit focusing on women, Intimate Circles: American Women in the Arts. This 2003 exhibit was from the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University. Intimate Circles includes a photograph gallery and essays about photographers, writers and other arts related professions.

I probably would not have found out about these exhibits had I not received the feeds. The availability of feeds is very useful; I will continue to use them after this class.

First Blog

This is my first time writing a blog. I enjoy reading blogs when time and interest permits but have not ventured to write my own or comment on others. I am a pen and paper person. There are many days when writing has been my joy. This is a class assignment and thus I blog.

I subscribed to The Shifted Librarian: shifting libraries at the speed of byte feed. It has a catchy name and is relevant to my interest in libraries. There was a really interesting post by Jenny on Wednesday, February 18th, asking "Who Is Managing Your Online Identity?" This is a very important question as one can post and find a plethora of personal information online. I ask, “Who would want so much information available?” As a new SLIS student, I have been introduced to so many new “hot technologies” as our homework for this week described blogs, RSS, Podcasting and others. I only heard of Twitter in February. Jenny also had a really good post about Twitter on ALA. She offers advice in both posts. One piece of advice that she gives for managing online identity is to post what makes you comfortable and I can agree with that.