Video Discussion: Frontline: Digital Nation

Dretzin, R. (Producer). (Feb. 2, 2010). Digital nation: Life on the virtual frontier [Frontline]. Boston: WGBH Educational Foundation. DVD.

In an effort to better understand the implications of digital media on learning (and how different areas of education and work are embracing it) I watched "Digital Nation: Life on the Virtual Frontier." I will highlight and discuss a few of the main points, and their implication as libraries and librarians continue to adapt their service to meet ever-changing patron needs.

According to the video (and supported by my personal observations) everyone is immersed in technology. Technology is used in daily activities from work to play, and it's not just in large technology-oriented companies. Multitasking in military operations and elementary schools happens. The correspondents visited the campus of MIT in Cambridge, MA, one of the most wired college campuses in the nation. What they saw there was constant multitasking. Students were using chat, email, in-person conversation, Facebook, and multiple other computer applications--and not just between classes, but during class. Instructors discussed how that changes how they teach. By modifying their teaching practices to distract students from the Web. This is a difficult task; one many professors are struggling with. One professor's observations were that students were not balancing this intense multitasking with their studies, and scores are suffering.

So, are we changing what it means to be human by using this wide range of technology so much? According to the video young people (age ranges were undefined, but it was implied to be elementary through high school aged children) are spending over fifty hours per week with digital media. It is unsure how this is impacting brain development, though researchers are attempting to observe. Gary Small, from UCLA, has been studying brain scans of those reading a book and comparing them to those conducting an online search using Google. When using Google, the decision-making parts of the brain showed increased activity. What is unknown is to what level this impacts learning.

The correspondents went to South Korea to observe a culture that has fully embraced digital media. They examined the fallout of the digital revolution. Of the approximate 90% of Korean children using the internet, 10-15% are in what is considered the high-risk group for digital addictions. Because we are now so connected through devices we are now living connected all of the time. In the schools, Korean children go online the same time they are taught to read (second grade), but are also taught how to use computers responsibly (including songs about internet safety, posters throughout the school emphasizing proper internet etiquette, and school lessons).

At a school back in the United States, the classroom teachers are meeting kids where they are (and prefer to learn) incorporating technology into their classroom. The teachers and administrators see education adapting to a different purpose, requiring students to produce digital artifacts (do things, build things, solve problems), not strictly memorize. This fluency in technology lends itself to communication and problem solving, and presenting classroom content when technology is utilized makes more sense to the students as learners (as opposed to traditional lecture-type instruction). A couple of online resources mentioned were Edublogs (for student and teacher classroom blogging and sharing) and Ning (for creating a social network, in this case, specifically for a class or assignment). I like the limited nature of both (the education focus, and the self-created networks/social Web page), but feel they best serve the K-12 environment. If utilized within the higher ed. community, students might feel as though they have "one more thing to check" (in addition to their school email, personal email, Facebook, Twitter, course management software, class registration interface, etc.). Some schools, once considered failing, upon integrating laptop use into their courses have seen attendance greatly improve, student scores improve, and violence decrease.

Others are concerned about how this impacts students' attention spans, how it impacts the thought process, and how online distractions detract from learning. Todd Oppenheimer, the author of The Flickering Mind, worries about the loss of linear thought. Others have noted the difference reflected in student writing. No longer written as a whole, student papers are often paragraphs pieced together into essays, lacking flow and coherency.

New approaches to learning and teaching will always stimulate discussion. While it is comforting for many to approach education using known techniques, it is also important to keep in mind that the old ways that were once considered the most effective approach are sometimes held in practice for too long. Simply because it was once the best approach, does not mean it is the best approach forever (if that was the case we would have few medical, mechanical, and technological advances).

A wide range of technologies and their use were examined, one of which was Virtual Reality (particularly Second Life). The correspondents showed the business applications for Second Life and other technologies that allow for remote working. Instead of IBM conducting meetings in-person, flying workers to various locations, meetings were held in Second Life. The users preferred Second Life to conference phone calls because the added element of perceived interaction (with the avatars) added a more personal feel. Researchers at the Virtual Human Interaction Lab at Stanford have been studying children and their perceptions of virtual reality. They found young children had difficulty differentiating between reality and virtual reality when recalling different experiences.

The military has found use for digital simulations, gaming, and technologies allowing for remote piloting. Digital simulations are used to help train personnel, as well as help treat individuals with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The Army has begun using gaming centers (Army Experience Centers, modeled after the Apple Store) for recruiting. Though controversial in some areas, representatives have found them helpful for increasing recruits, and for visiting with potential recruits who are too young to sign up for service. Another application using digital technologies is the use of remote pilots to fly drones in the Middle East. I can see continued use of these types of technologies at University of Dubuque (where I am doing my internship), particularly with their pilot programs. Allowing students opportunities to practice as much as they can without using fuel or risking expensive equipment is invaluable to this community. We have one flight simulator equipped computer in the library in addition to the equipment housed elsewhere.

At Quest to Learn in New York, the students' entire education is surrounded by technology. They learn through games and navigate easily between the real world and digital experiences. The teachers and students feel the mix results in an engaging learning experience, in which learning is done through problem solving and first-hand experience. One teacher compared the game world to that in novels, saying it was equally as rich of an environment. By using their interests to motivate students you are creating that engaging environment necessary for learning. Critics are hesitant to embrace the degree to which Quest to Learn has integrated these technologies, saying sustained conversations about the future of education, what we value as components of education, and what is sacrificed through this process, need to occur. A large theme throughout the program was what is technology's impact on us, how is it changing us and remaking the world in the process?

I have observed both the perceived benefits, draw backs, and reactions to incorporating technology in students, faculty, and myself. While new technology shouldn't be dismissed, I am one who prefers to experiment and test out tools prior to incorporating them into my teaching repertoire. In having that strong background, I feel more comfortable when employing the technology professionally. That said, with the speed technology is changing, it requires constant adaptation on my part, and I can see how veteran teachers might prefer to stick with their tested and true teaching techniques. Students are (usually) those comfortable with merging their digital world with their in-person world, overlapping their Facebook, Twitter, coursework and in-person interactions. Particularly with library instruction sessions held in computer labs, keeping students on task can be difficult--which calls back to how engaging the instructors are. If the instructor is engaging and creating a learning environment in which students are expected to actively participate (whether it be through verbal discussion or online forums), the students will be more invested in what is happening than what may be happening on Twitter or Facebook. It's constantly changing, and I'm glad to be along for the ride!

Article Discussion: Instruction 2.0 - What are we actually doing?

The past few weeks I have begun working on a longer post discussing Delicious (Yahoo’s bookmarking product). In the meantime, I keep finding other articles that peak my emerging-technology interests. The next few posts discuss such examples.

--

Bobish, G. (2010). Instruction 2.0 - What are we actually doing?. Communications in Information Literacy, 4(1). Retrieved January 26, 2011, from http://www.comminfolit.org/index.php/cil/article/view/Vol4-2010AR5

--

Bobish begins with an elementary discussion of web 2.0 and its use in library instruction. Who can we as instructors incorporate these tools more widely and what is currently being utilized by librarians and (in this case) college students? He describes "Library 2.0" as something that is constantly changing to meet the needs of users, developing an interactive approach to librarianship using web-based tools. Throughout the article, user participation is emphasized as a key element of Library 2.0.

The partnering of Web 2.0 and instruction is a good match in that the services libraries offer should reflect the needs of their patrons. In this case, the use of Library 2.0 tools in library instruction takes the service-minded model and orients it toward instruction.
A vast majority of teens use the internet and over two-thirds have created some sort of online content. Students expect interactivity from all aspects of their life, not just when they are gaming or instant messaging (IMing) their friends. Incorporating these interactive aspects into their education is something colleges around the country are actively promoting. By making learning interactive, the students are not only becoming more intrinsically motivated to complete learning tasks, they are also allowed to share their learning with others.

In the literature review the author discusses how 2.0 tools can help students develop information literacy skills, in keeping with ACRL's InfoLit standards. Examples include student-created wikis, blogging, Flikr, web-based tutorials, and IM.

But how exactly are these technologies incorporated? Are they used just so the institution can boast of their technological savvy? Or, are these technologies used to support the educational mission of the institution? Rather than providing practical ideas for application in an academic library setting, the author visits academic libraries' instruction websites and examines their Library 2.0 offerings.

Bobish examined 122 ARL websites, looking for publicly available Web 2.0 tools specifically tied to library instruction. The following tools were focused on during this examination:

• IM
• Media
• Interactive Content
• Plug-ins/Widgets
• RSS Feeds
• Blogs
• Wikis
• Social Bookmarking
• Media Sharing
• Student-Created Content
• Social Networking
• Gaming
• Second Life

The author looked for the answers to the following questions (about each of the tools listed above):

1. Is it there?
2. Is it publicly accessible? If not what login/affiliation is required?
3. What is the level of interactivity/participation?

Instant Message (IM)

The author found IM employed by the most libraries, most in conjunction with the library's reference services. Very few required logins (those institutions that did, used email information); most used widgets like Meebo. An interesting point that was made about IM use was that, in order for IM to be used as widely as possible, it needed to be embedded on every page of the library's website, as opposed to just on the main page.

Media

When the author spoke of Media earlier in the article, I was curious to see how he defined it in relation to library instruction--particularly as the article is emphasizing interaction with students. While nearly half of the libraries had some form of media within their instruction webpage (considered to be video, flash, screen-capture tutorials, podcasts, and audio tutorials), the level of interaction was minimal at best. Many of the pieces were librarian created with a similar approach to lecture-based instruction, simply made available online. The author questions if it is really Library 2.0 if it is not truly interactive.

Interactive Content

The author admits to the vagueness of the title of this category, as virtually all Library 2.0 tools are meant to be interactive. The items found took the form of tutorials or reviews. One thing of interest was that, though none of these tutorials required logins to be viewed, in some cases students could log in and receive course credit for viewing. Some of the tutorials were simple "slick-through tutorials with quizzes; the author adds that modifying the permissions on the activities to allow students “to contribute examples, comments, or questions to these tutorials would be a way to start allowing more substantial interaction.” Understandably, some may be hesitant to give up the control of the content or take on the time-consuming task of monitoring the content. Bobish offers the following to those who are hesitant: "students could be allowed to download and remix the tutorials and then submit them for review in a special section of the site” and then reviewed by the professor to determine whether the student-created content would be featured and made available to all students.

Plug-ins or Widgets

Examples of Plug-ins and Widgets include things like bibliographic tools (Zotero) and catalog search boxes. While some library catalogs did require logins, most of these applications were simply discussed (i.e. how to use Zotero in your research) as opposed to embedded as an integral part of web-based library instruction. Many of the pages that had Plug-ins or Widgets simply linked to the applications rather than allow direct access. Rather than completely redesign the library's website, many allowed the links and information provided to serve as an introduction to the tool. For libraries looking for a small (file size and visually) way to incorporate free technologies into their webpages

RSS

RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication" and allows users to follow new announcements or changes to various websites by "subscribing" to the changes. RSS is available without having a login, those interested in subscribing do need a way to subscribe (i.e. Google Reader). Most libraries used this as a way to subscribe to announcements about tutorials, podcasts, etc. but some also incorporated research aspects using RSS to subscribe to database updates or newsfeeds.

Blogs

This portion of the article contained the basics of library blog use (i.e. using blogs as an easily updated website, linking to blogs, etc.) but also introduced me to Technorati, a blog index (http://technorati.com/). Technorati not only indexes blogs, it also compiles lists of the most popular blogs, highlights blogging trends, topics, and tags.

Interactivity with the blogs was restricted to commenting on posts, but that often required a login. Most were used as a way to broadcast Instruction news. The author suggested using polls or questions about the content presented either in class or during instruction sessions.

Wikis

Wikis are useful for collaborative creation of content. Seven of 122 pages had wikis as a part of their Instruction web page; one instruction web page was a wiki. Again, many of the pages limited interaction by simply discussing wikis or using them as a subject-guide page. In order to edit any of the wiki content, logging in was required, but were able to view content without logging in. Bobish recognizes the library's need to monitor content, but recommends an area of the wiki that is a student area where content could be added and considered for placement within the main sections of the wiki. This would allow for questions to be asked and for the students to share their perspectives and helpful tips with each other and with the librarians.

Social Bookmarking

Folksonomy was discussed briefly by Bobish, noting that the creation of labels by the users themselves may help add to the richness and relevancy of some resources, as opposed to simply using subject headings or library jargon. Students could tag pages for certain types of classes, assignments, or types of research. The tags can then serve as resource guides for classes.

Media Sharing

In this instance, media sharing is described as "creating media and then making it available for others to download, remix, or share," as opposed to compiling links to others' content. One example is TILT, the Texas Information Literacy Tutorial. This can be downloaded and customized by any school, but is primarily used by librarians (as opposed to students adding content). Other examples are using Creative Commons content to create tutorials, videos, etc. The Animated Tutorial Sharing Project http://ants.wetpaint.com/ allows librarians to share various tutorials and other tech-related instruction ideas. According to the ANTS Project website, "Recognizing that creating and updating Tutorials for each online resource is a daunting task for any library to undertake on its own, librarians in COPPUL got together to find a way to share in their development. This project is an outgrowth of that initiative and our goal is to create a critical mass of Open Source Tutorials for online resources used by libraries everywhere."


Student/User-Contributed Content

Five of 122 schools featured student-created videos or tutorials, or had student feedback forms. For the videos, much of the interaction with students came prior to the information being uploaded to the page (i.e. during the production stages). Allowing for student comments would provide valuable feedback to the librarians, however, monitoring comment content is a time consuming task.

Social Networking, Gaming, & Second Life

While many libraries have social networking presences (i.e. Facebook), only three instruction web pages had a Facebook presence. Gaming was only used by Ohio State, for their "Head Hunt" game, which is highly interactive and combines basic library policies/skills with campus knowledge. No library instruction pages incorporated Second Life into their user experiences. This last point does not surprise me, as I see Second Life as more of a leisurely for users, as opposed to something they would incorporate into their library pursuits.

Comparing Reality to Literature

This section was particularly interesting. The author examined the emphasis of Library 2.0 in the literature and compared it to the reality of incorporating 2.0 tools in daily instructional practice. The discussion in literature far outweighed the practice reflected by instruction websites. “A basic search in the LISTA database reveals that social networking, gaming, and Second Life are written about disproportionately to their actual presence on library instruction websites." There are several considerations when comparing the two data sets. When examining literature, the author did not limit the search to just instruction articles, stating many of the ideas shared in other articles could easily be adapted to suit instruction practices. It was encouraging to see that most libraries have adopted at least one of the technologies listed above in their instruction practices.

A caveat of incorporating new technologies is the time it takes to maintain (i.e. monitoring comments, upgrades, training librarians and students, etc.). One must carefully consider the technology to see if it aligns clearly with their pedagogical standards, weighing the pros and cons. Some technologies, such as the game from Ohio State, require a significant time commitment and expertise whereas others, such as wikis and blogs, can be done fairly quickly and easily.

“The key, both for instructional success and for institutional support, is to find ways of connecting the benefits of the tools to recognized instructional objectives.”