Mining Pew 2

Mining Pew 2

Horrigan, J. (September 15, 2015). Libraries at the crossroads: The public is interested in new services and thinks libraries are important to the communities. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from: http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/09/15/libraries-at-the-crossroads/

Number of pages read = 52

I really enjoyed reading this article because it helps to emphasize the importance of having a public library. For this assignment, I focused on the public libraries importance in offering technology to the community for all users. According to the article, “78% of those ages 16+ say libraries should definitely offer programs to teach people, including kids and senior citizens, how to use digital tools such as computers, smartphones and apps” (p3). I am a strong believer that a library should be a place to offer people tutorials or hands on training for the new technological devices and programs available today. Before I was able to afford a computer, I would often go to the library to use the computers to do my research assignments for school. I am thankful the public library had this kind of technology available to me because without the library I wouldn’t have had a way to do my assignments. According to the article,  “27% of those who have visited a public library have used its computers, internet connections or Wi-Fi signal to go online in the past 12 months” (p4). I believe if this study had been done about 10 years ago, this percentage of people who visit the library would be much higher.  Despite having a small percentage of people who visit the library to use the technology available, it is still very important to have a public library open to serve everyone. I visit my library often and the computer center is always full of people. The most amazing part is there different kinds of people from adults to young children, and that is why a public library must be available for the community. Another great resource available at public libraries is the access to thousands of E-books. According to the article, “At least 90% of public libraries have e-book lending programs, according to the American Library Association” (p15). I believe allowing the community access to e-books can help the community develop reading comprehension skills that will benefit them in their academics and prepare them for their future. The public library plays a critical role in educating the surrounding community and should be available to everyone.

Mining Pew 1

Mining Pew 1

Anderson, M., Lenhart, A.,  Smith, A. (October 1, 2015). Teens, Technology and Romantic Relationships: From flirting to breaking up, social media and mobile phones are woven into teen’s romantic lives. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from: http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/10/01/teens-technology-and-romantic-relationships/

Number of pages read = 77

Due to the fact that our world revolves so much around technology, it would be expected that relationships have become intertwined in today’s fast pace society. After reading over the article, I was not surprised to find out that , “The digital realm is one part of a broader universe in which teens meet, date, and break-up with romantic partners” (p2). The idea that people actually meet people through the computer is a very common trend now a day. I remember back when people actually had to go out on a few dates before deciding whether or not they would be interested in dating each other. According to the article, “About 8% of all American teens have met a romantic partner online” (p2). In my opinion, that is something different from what used to take place about 10 years ago. I personally discourage my teenage niece from browsing the Internet looking for guys because something you don’t always like what you find. I believe that there are some people who are genuinely interested in a serious relationship, while others are simply looking for someone to mess around with. There are often times when people can display false information to try to get someone attention. I believe it is better to play it safe and avoid communicating with people that are not in their age group. The article states, “59% say social media makes them feel more connected to what is happening in their significant other’s life” (p5). I know that the use of social media has caused several teens to be attached to their device 24/7. The need to keep up with what is happening in society has become very great. In my opinion, I feel our teens are being robbed of the experience of being able to enjoy life without constantly having to check their phones. I remember back when I was growing up we never had to worry about things like social media. I often wonder if is it a good or bad thing that society has become so dependent on technology.

Final Reflection

Final Reflection

I really enjoyed taking a class that allowed me to learn so much about programs that I can use in my library to promote the school library program.  Looking back on this semester, I was able to learn about a few things that I actually needed to know about because my district currently uses them in the library. I enjoyed exploring the different ways social media can be used to help promote the different things that are taking place in the library. Unfortunately my district doesn’t allow us to post any information to Facebook, we have a similar social media outlet called Living Tree in which staff is able to post the different things happening at their campuses. Signing up for a Twitter account was something new for me because I didn’t have one before this class. I enjoyed being able to follow some of the Tech Leaders of today. I truly enjoy reading over their tweets because it gives me an opportunity to explore different ideas that I can incorporate into my library. The journal readings were very helpful because they emphasize the importance of having a school library program that is going to promote learning for all students. The Infographics assignment was fun because it looked like I was creating something that could be placed in a magazine. I really liked piktochart the best because it gave me the ability to select the infographic format I would be interested in using. I also liked the option of taking a tour before actually making an infographic. I believe taking a tour of the program will allow the user to feel more comfortable with using the program. This tool can be used to present important data in a different format. After starting the library program in January, my first class required me to set up a blog. I was a bit hesitant at first because I didn’t know if my ideas would make sense to others. Now, after using a blog for the past few semesters, I see a blog as a way to communicate with others. I enjoyed taking the time to read other librarians blogs because it helps to hear from others who are new to the library science program. Once I got to the youtube, animoto, and QR codes assignments I got very nervous. I was terrified at the idea of having to create any sort of videos. Once I got started on the assignment, I realized I was overthinking things and I was able to complete my videos. I’m excited I created an animoto account because my district supervisor expects for us to use it to promote our library in our monthly newsletter. I’m extremely thankful I learned about QR codes, because at the Fall Media Conference at SPI in October QR codes were used for some of the presentations. I felt excited to know what a QR code was and how to use it because there were a few other people who had no idea what they were. I feel it is important for everyone to know the importance of Information ethics. I feel this assignment helps keep in mind the things that we shouldn’t be doing on the Internet. Now that technology is evolving so quickly, it is important to keep in mind that everything we send out or search on the internet can be traced. All the information included in emails can also be reviewed even after it has been deleted. I believe both children and adults must be wise about how they go about using technology.  I did have the opportunity to create a podcast this past spring 2015 semester so I had no trouble working with Soundcloud for this assignment. I really think using podcasts in the library/classroom is an excellent communication tool because the teacher/librarian will have the ability to convey important information to both students and staff. I had never taken the time to look over an acceptable use policy before this assignment. I knew there were certain restrictions in place preventing users to browse the Internet freely. I really enjoyed the acceptable use policy assignment because I never realized there was such a policy in place, but I’m thankful there is one. After looking through the policy, I understand the importance behind having an acceptable use policy in place. With the rapid changes in technology, we must do everything in our power to teach our children how to be safe online and what are inappropriate/appropriate behaviors on the computer and the Internet. I believe having a policy and enforcing it provides librarians with the opportunity to educate children to be effective users of the Internet. I had a lot of fun with the online book community assignment because it is a fantastic way of keeping track of all the books that have been read, or plan on reading. I believe this is an excellent tool for both adults and students because it also provides reviews for the books which can help adults/students in deciding whether or not they want to read that particular book. Another assignment I was nervous about was cartoons and comics because I had never done anything like that before. After working with the programs, I was able to successfully create a comic strip. I believe this activity would be super exciting for young students to work with to be able to present their ideas through a comic strip. I will be honest, the screencast assignment gave me some trouble because I was unable to download some of the software in order to get a few of the programs to work. I believe screencast are an excellent method to convey important information to both students and adults. I really enjoyed the Instagram assignment because I have had an Instagram account for a while but I never realized it could be used to promote the different things happening in the library. I had never heard of Vine before this assignment but I’m glad I was able to try it out. This is an excellent resource because  the teacher can  introduce a topic (the states of matter) through the use of vine. Students would enjoy learning about information from a video instead of simply listening to the teacher talk. I believe both of these programs are excellent programs to promote students work, promote the library, and a great resource to be able to share information with others. 

I know this class has helped to equip me with various resources that I can use in the library to promote learning. I believe students could benefit the most from the use of podcasts both in the classroom/library. Through the use of a podcast, teachers/librarians can present important information to their students. Since technology is evolving so rapidly, the use of podcasts in the library/classroom would be an effective way to communicate with both students and staff.  I really enjoyed all the tools you helped me discover through this class. I will be using several of the tools in my library.