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July 31, 2007
Are you paying attention?
This amazing video presentation was created in an effort to motivate teachers to more effectively use technology in their teaching. It draws on many of the same themes described by Marc Prensky in his frequently cited essay, "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants".
Posted by AnthonyMcMullen at 5:20 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 19, 2007
Globalization: shift happens
I'm currently reading Reeves Library's copy of Thomas Friedman's book "The World is Flat". The book has been described by more than one reviewer as "brilliant"; I'm about 200 pages in and I'd have to agree with that assessment. I'd recommend it to anybody who's interested in technology, globalization, economics, and the speed at which our world is changing.
Thanks to the author of one of my favorite blogs, "What I learned Today", for linking to the site that led me to this incredible screencast inspired by Friedman's book.
Posted by AnthonyMcMullen at 11:50 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 13, 2007
Update on "dewey-less" library
I found some interesting commentary regarding the Maricopa County Public Library, Perry Branch's dropping of the Dewey Decimal system (see May 31, 2007 post, "Down with Dewey?").
The author throws in some nice pictures, a rather grainy video clip, and insightful observations including a couple paragraphs on what's working with the new method of organization and what's not working so well. It's worth a look.
Posted by AnthonyMcMullen at 12:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 11, 2007
30 million users on Facebook
Just yesterday, Facebook crossed the 30 million users mark. The growth rate has been tremendous with the number of active users doubling since the beginning of this year. See chart below:
Clearly, this rate of growth is not sustainable. But it is a useful illustration of the web using public's affinity for social networks and social media. Here's another one that provides an age-based picture. And yet another one that depicts massive usage, but limited content creation. And one more from the Pew Internet and American Life Project that shows just what Facebook users do on Facebook.
How does this relate to libraries? Is there anything libraries can do to make resources more interactive and "social"? Perhaps..... For starters, try out Reeves Library's highly experimental (AKA "beta") "Local Reviews" function embedded in the library catalog. Do a search, click on the "Amazon Added Content" link, and then the "Local Reviews" tab (Note: not all items have the "Added Content" link). Fun. Easy.
Here's a direct link to a user added review for a book about "new media"
Posted by AnthonyMcMullen at 3:52 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack