Social Software and The Day School Librarian

1. Social Software and The Day School Librarian A Brief introductionto Blogs, Wikis, RSS and other web 2.0 stuff Karen Ulric, School Media Specialistkulric@ssdseu.org Bernard J. Meislin Memorial LibrarySolomon Schechter Day School of Essex & Union, Upper SchoolWest Orange, NJ2007

2. What is this web2.0 anyway? • Web 2.0 is a concept, not a defined set of applications • The read/write web • User-focused and user-driven • What web 2.0 promises is interaction and engagement • New ways of communicating professionally and personally

3. Creative writing assignments Student ownership Wider audience than the classroom Meet students in their world to engage them Professional enrichment – reading and contributing to relevant blogs and wikis Jewish Day Schools have unique needs – these tools can help us fill them! Why bother with Web 2.0?

4. The “Millennial Generation” are DIGITAL NATIVES We are DIGITAL IMMIGRANTS Lee Rainie, Pew Internet & American Life Project

5. Some of the most popular Web 2.0 applications • Blogs/RSS • Wikis • Audio/visual sharing • Social networks (myspace, facebook,etc.) • Social bookmarking

6. Blogs (Write One!) • Create a blog! • Library news, Book Reviews – add a link from your library webpage, or use a blog as the library webpage • Popular blog hosts: • General: • www.blogger.com (now part of Google) • www.typepad.com • www.wordpress.com • Educational: Designed for Schools • BlogMeister • ePals (more than blogs – classroom to classroom sharing, etc.) • Gaggle (secure email, blogs) • imbee for Teachers and Schools (secure Social network , email, blogs) • Examples of library blogs • Nothfield Mount Herman Library Blog/ • Library of Congress Blog • Gargoyles Loose in the Library • Blogs can incorporate audio (podcasts) and video • The Book of Life

7. Blogs (Read them!) Read blogs! Great for professional development! • Blog Readers let you keep up with multiple blogs in one place • Blog Readers use RSS (real simple syndication) to create a “feed” that you can subscribe to • Popular Blog Readers • Bloglines www.bloglines.com • Google Reader http://www.google.com/reader/

8. What I Read - My Blogroll • LibraryLink to Library Blogroll • AssortedStuff • Gargoyles loose in the library • Google Librarian Central • Google Librarian Newsletter Google Group • HigherEd BlogCon • Infosearcher • Killin' time being lazy • Librarians' Internet Index: New This Week • Library Garden • Library of Congress Blog • Library of Congress: News • Library Stuff • The Liminal Librarian • The Plagiarism Blog • The Shifted Librarian • LiteratureLink to Literature Blogroll • A Fuse #8 Production • Brave & Brass Book Blog • Brooklyn Arden • educating alice • Hennepin County Library - Bookspace Blog • The Longstockings • Muller In the Middle • NPR Topics: Books • NYT Book Review • wayfarers all • Ypulse Education technologyLink to Ed-Tech Blogroll • 2 Cents Worth • Alice in InfoLand • blogwithoutalibrary.net • Blue Skunk Blog • eHub • Free Range Librarian • From the Trenches of Public Ed. • Giveaway of the Day • Joyce Valenza's NeverEndingSearch • Information Wants To Be Free • Jewish School Libraries • learning.now • learning.now comments • LibrarianInBlack • Library Stuff • Mark's edtechblog • NYT > Technology • Search Engine Watch • Talking Out Loud • Techcrunch • Tools for the TEKS Updates • Ubiquitous Thoughts • Weblogg-ed • The Websearch Blog • ReligionLink to Religion Blogroll • Mayim Rabim • Rabbi without a cause • Renegade Rebbetzin

9. Wikis • Community driven websites where multiple people can edit the information in real time • Wikis can be open to the public or limited as the creator desires. • Uses include: • Pathfinder & subject guides • Industry/ Career specific collections of information and/or best practices • Group projects

10. Wiki Examples • Pathfinder/Subject Guides • SSDS Holocaust Research Guide • SJCPL Subject Guides • Industry/Career Specific • Jewish School Libraries • Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki

11. Wiki Examples cont. • Group Projects • http://ssdstechcommittee.pbwiki.com/ • Google Documents is a very simple way to do a group document. • www.docs.google.com • Events • http://ajl2007.pbwiki.com/ • http://cil2007.pbwiki.com/

12. Social Networking • Purely social sites, i.e. myspace, are often not appropriate for schools, although many libraries are creating pages • Brooklyn College Library Myspace page • But many social sites for sharing information can be useful – the focus is a community of sharers • Tags/folksonomy vital to many of these sites • www.flickr.com (photos) • www.youtube.com (video) search “schechtervision” • LibraryThing (social personal library catalog) • del.icio.us (social online bookmarking)

13. In Conclusion! • The tools are cool, but they are not an end in themselves • It is most important to determine what you want to accomplish – and then decide if these tools are appropriate • Effective use of technology requires major pedagogical shifts • Have fun – the more you know the better you can lead your library, your school, and your community!

14. Interesting articles, blogposts & resources • Wesley Fryer: Moving at the Speed of Creativity. Let’s ask teachers to rethink assessments • Web 2.0 Meets Information literacy! • Teacher Librarian Ning: a community for teacher-librarians and other educators • Which Wiki is right for you? Shonda Briscoe, SLJ 5/1/2007 • Microsoft Digital Literacy • Partnership for 21st Century Skills • 21st Century Skills for Strengthening your school library program. Pam Berger, Infosearcher • The question IS the answer: Creating research projects for an age of information. James Mckenzie • RSS Tutorial • Coming of Age: an introduction to the NEW world wide web. Terry Freedman (ed.) • TRAILS: Tools for real-time assessment of information literacy skills • Using Blogs as a Novel Approach to Engage Students. Learning Now - Andy Carvin, • Pew Quiz: What’s Your Technology Temperature? Part of the Pew Internet & American Life Project • Schools, Children, and Digital Technology:Building Better Relationships for a Better Tomorrow by Mark van 't Hooft Innovate May/June2007 • RSS in Plain English (video)