What's Next?

There are so many great web 2.0 technologies, and lots of ways that the technologies can be used in schools and libraries. If I had to choose one to incorporate into a school or library I think I would choose to introduce blogging. Many people are already familiar with the technology, since there are many blogs on the internet. Blogging has many uses in a school and library. Blogging is also great because it can be used by academic, public, and school libraries, and by teachers. Many academic libraries have taken advantage of blogging technology as a way of communicating with students. Public libraries can also take advantage of blogging. Like academic libraries, public libraries can use it as a way to update library users on new products, services or events. Public libraries can also take advantage of blogging technology to build their website, this is a way to create a website that is easily updated. Schools can use blogging technology as a way for teachers to connect with each other, to update parents and the community about what is going on at the school, or teachers can integrate blogging into the classroom to make it more interactive. Blog without a library gives a comprehensive list of academic, public and school libraries that take advantage of blogging technology.

Introducing adults to new technologies can be tricky. That is why I think a good place to begin is with blogging technology. Most people read blogs, so they are somewhat used to the technology. Before you introduce a new technology I think it's important to know the technology fairly well, be comfortable using it, try it out to see if it works for you, and to make sure that it is a technology that you yourself will use. I feel that this class has introduced me to blogging technology, and I would be comfortable introducing it to others. Not everyone will be open to using the technology, which is fine. I think the important thing is to introduce them to new ways of doing things and how they can be used, and let them decide if it is something they would want to use. There's no point pressuring people into using something. I think when you are teaching the new technology you should give a demonstration then let people have a lot of time to play with it while you're around to answer any questions. I know that I learn best when I do things myself, rather than just watch somebody do it. I think people will be more likely to use the technology if they become familiar with it. Also I think it's important for them to know that if they have any questions to ask.

The great thing about blogging is that there are just a few skills that need to be learned to blog successfully. If you know how to create a post, edit it, comment on others posts, and add links then you are able to take full advantage of blogging technology. Another nice feature with blogging is that posts do not have to be formal, so some mistakes are ok (McIntyre, Alison; Nicolle, Janette). I think this makes blogs less formidable than other web 2.0 technologies that require users to know a lot of features for it to work well, or that are less forgiving. I think this is why blogging is such a great place to start for introducing web 2.0 technologies into a library.

I think if you can get people familiar with the technology they will be more likely to use it on a regular basis. To keep the momentum going I think it's important to find new ways to use the technology. For schools and libraries I think it's important to get as many people interested in the blog as possible. Libraries can showcase their blog page and how its information would help patrons. I think if patrons use the technology and are excited about it, staff at the library will be more eager to update it and keep it going. For schools, getting parents involved is a great motivation for teachers to continue to use blogging technology. If it is used by the school as a way for children to collaborate and parents use the technology to keep up with what their children are doing I think that teachers would be more willing to keep it going. If teachers know that parents regularly visit the blogs their children work on I think they are more likely to continue to use the technology.

I think if teachers can get used to using one technology, and enjoy using it then they would be more open to new technologies. I think that all of the web 2.0 technologies that I have learned and discussed would improve how teachers teach their students. Ideally, it would be nice if they took advantage of all the web 2.0 technologies available to them. I think before you get to that point though you need to build up their confidence with one technology, since all of them at once would be way too overwhelming. Slowly build upon their knowledge, and introduce new technology as they become more confident with the previous one. I also think that if you introduce technologies that link together then they will be more likely to learn a new one. If they can use the new technology in conjunction with one they already know I think it will make them more confident.

Children have different challenges when introducing web 2.0 technologies. They often embrace and enjoy new technology but many web 2.0 technologies are blocked on school computers. The nice thing about blogs is that they can be very interactive and open for many people to view and comment on, such as my blog on blogger. But you can also create closed blogs that you have to be invited to in order to comment or view anything, such as mysite. I think that a website is less likely to be blocked by a school if it can be closed. Or if it is already blocked, I think that a school would be less hesitant to unblock it knowing that it is closed. Being able to benefit from the interactivity of a web 2.0 technology, while still having it closed to others is a feature that is not very common with web 2.0 technologies. I think that if you can introduce this technology and show that the students are safe and it is benefitting their education, then schools may be more open to other web 2.0 technologies and unblocking them for schools use. Internet blocking is even more of a problem if students do not have access to a computer at home (Gustafson, Chris). In order for the technology to have a positive impact on students, all of the students need to be able to access the technology. It may be a good idea to introduce blogs just for fun, instead of using it in an assignment at first, to see what kind of access students have to the technology and how they respond to its introduction.

I think that blogs are a good web 2.0 technology to begin with to introduce. They are collaborative, but can also be closed. I think that it would be easier to "sell" schools on their educational impact above other web 2.0 technologies like social networking or video/photo sharing. Blogs are also relatively easy to set up and use, and there is no cost for the school/teacher/library to set one up.

Blogging in the Library.Full Text Available By: Gustafson, Chris. Library Media Connection, Nov/Dec2008, Vol. 27 Issue 3, p56-57, 2p.

Biblioblogging: blogs for library communication.Citation Only Available By: McIntyre, Alison; Nicolle, Janette. Electronic Library, 2008, Vol. 26 Issue 5, p683-694, 12p.